ENGLISH 489: SENIOR CAPSTONE – OUR OTHERS, OUR SELVES
Professor Lee Ann Roripaugh
Spring Semester 2009
Section #015, Tuesdays, 4:00-6:45 p.m., Arts & Sciences, #105
Office Hours: 12:00-1:45 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays
Additional Office Hours/Conferencing Also Available Anytime by Appointment
Office: Dakota Hall #207
Office Phone: 677-5979
E-mail: Lee.Roripaugh@usd.edu
Mailbox: Dakota Hall #212ENGL 489 is the English senior capstone course required of all English majors, and meets the USD Regental exit requirement.
The topic for the Spring 2009 Senior Seminar is Our Others, Our Selves. The seminar will focus on various aspects and intersections of identity, including, but not necessarily limited to: race, gender, orientation, class, and ability, as represented in fiction, poetry, and essays by authors writing from and about a diverse array of subject positions. Additional critical/theoretical sources will be used to supplement primary sources and form a springboard for class analyses and discussions. Major course requirements include weekly blogging in response to course readings and discussions; a personal essay reflecting upon literary study, the English major experience, and English as a professional discipline; a 6-8 page personal essay addressing some aspect of identity; a midterm examination; and a 15-18 page final research paper. In addition to class discussions over the readings, other course activities may includes films, workshopping of writing drafts, and in-class presentations.
Prerequisites: English major with senior standing.
Required technology skills: You must be able to use email, a web browser, and a word-processing program. You must also have an active USD email account.
REQUIREMENTS:Blogging (Maintenance of On-line Journal):One entry per week in response to the assigned readings and/or issues raised in class discussions (500-word minimum).
Blogging requirements will commence following the second full week of class, and will continue for ten weeks throughout the semester. (Please note that blogging will not be required on midterm exam week or over spring break). Each entry is worth 20 points apiece (adding up to 10 entries/200 points total during the semester). You can make up to 2 missed entries by writing extra credit blog entries during non-blogging weeks (i.e., midterm exam week, spring break, non-assigned blogging weeks, etc.). Each week’s entry must be posted no later than midnight on Sunday night of each week to receive credit.
Personal Essay Addressing Some Aspect of Identity:Using the assigned multicultural essays such as Geeta Kothari’s, “If You Are What You Eat, Then What Am I?” as a model/point of departure, you will be asked to write a 6-8 page (1,500-2,000 words) personal essay exploring some aspect of your identity. You may use Geeta Kothari’s technique of using food as a lens by which to reflect upon and understand your identity, or you may also feel free to explore your identity through some other means as well.
English Capstone Reflection Essay:As part of the senior capstone experience, you will be asked to write a personal essay (minimum of 4 pages/1,000 words) reflecting on upon literary study, the English major experience, and English as a professional discipline.
Final Course Research Paper:There will be a final course paper (15-18 pages/3,750-4,500 words) due at the end of the semester, in which you will be asked to propose and write upon a topic that is in some way related to the themes, issues, critical approaches, and/or literary texts discussed over the course of the semester. You will be asked to draft and submit your paper in stages (paper proposal and bibliography; introduction, outline, and bibliography; 10-page draft and bibliography) throughout the second half of the semester, culminating in the submission of a completed, final version of the paper at the end of the semester.
Midterm Exam:There will be a course midterm exam—consisting of multiple choice, short answer, and essay question—over course terminology, concepts, and readings.
Written Responses to Campus Events in Literary Scholarship:During the course of the semester, you will be asked attend and write a 500-word summary of and response to at least two campus events in literary scholarship. Written responses will be due within one week of attending the event. These events will be announced in class. To obtain extra credit, or replace an absence, you may attend more than two events and hand in a summary/response—once again, within one week of attending the event.
Class Participation:ENGL 489 is a seminar course, meaning that it will be primarily discussion-based, and course content will be significantly constructed through the in-class contributions of students. As such, you will be responsible for completing reading assignments prior to their discussion in class. Please come to class prepared to talk as well as to listen, and please bring your copy of the assigned reading materials to class each day.
GRADING:40% Final 15-18 Page Paper (400 points total – 20 points for proposal, 30 points for introduction and outline, 50 points for
10-page draft; 50 points for 15-minute research presentation; 250 points for final, 15-18 page paper)
20% Blogging/On-Line Writing Journal Entries (200 points total – 20 points per entry)
10% Midterm Examination (100 points possible)
10% Personal Essay on Identity (100 points possible)
5% English Capstone Reflection Essay (50 points possible)
5% Attendance and 500-Word Written Responses to Two Outside Events of Literary Scholarship (50 points possible – 25 points apiece)
10% Thoughtful, Prepared, and Engaged Class Participation (100 points possible)
Your final grade will be based on a scale of 1,000 points possible.
TEXTS:Autobiography of Red, Anne Carson
Publisher: Vintage (July 27, 1999)
ISBN-10: 037570129X
ISBN-13: 978-0375701290
Slave Moth, Thylias Moss
Publisher: Persea (February 22, 2006)
ISBN-10: 0892553189
ISBN-13: 978-0892553181
Another Country, James Baldwin
Publisher: Vintage (December 1, 1992)
ISBN-10: 0679744711
ISBN-13: 978-0679744719
The Heartsong of Charging Elk, James Welch
Publisher: Anchor (October 2, 2001)
ISBN-10: 0385496753
ISBN-13: 978-0385496759
The Book of Salt, Monique Truong
Publisher: Mariner Books (June 15, 2004)
ISBN-10: 0618446885
ISBN-13: 978-0618446889
The Powerbook, Jeanette Winterson
Publisher: Vintage (October 9, 2001)
ISBN-10: 0375725059
ISBN-13: 978-0375725050
Drown, Junot Diaz
Publisher: Riverhead Trade (July 1, 1997)
ISBN-10: 1573226068
ISBN-13: 978-1573226066
Blu's Hanging, Lois-Ann Yamanaka
Publisher: Harper Perennial (July 1, 1998)
ISBN-10: 0380731398
ISBN-13: 978-0380731398
Additional materials will be made available either on-line or via Xerox handouts as needed. You are also expected to own an appropriate handbook; the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th edition, is recommended.
ABSENCES AND MAKEUPS:
You will be allowed two absences during the course of the semester. For each absence beyond these two there will be a 50-point deduction (i.e., half a letter grade) in your final grade. If you happen to go beyond the two allowed absences, you will be allowed to make up one (and no more than one absence) by attending an outside event in literary scholarship (in addition to the two required events) and writing a 500-word review of the event, or writing a 500-word review of a contemporary piece of multicultural literature not discussed in class.
Students who must miss class due to an official University event must let the instructor know in advance (with appropriate documentation) in order to make up missed work. In the event of unexpected serious illness or if commuting students must miss class due to severely inclement weather, students must contact the instructor and provide appropriate documentation to make arrangements for makeups, etc.
Please note that I DO NOT make distinctions between excused and unexcused absences, and an absence always counts as an absence. Instead, you’ve been given a reasonable number of absences and a reasonable number of makeup opportunities to work with, and I will expect you each to manage your own attendance accordingly. Please let me know ASAP if you have specific concerns or questions.
SUBMISSION OF ASSIGNMENTS AND TURNITIN.COM:All papers and most other take-home assignments for ENGL 489 must be submitted electronically to Turnitin.com. Most assignments must also be submitted as hard copy. Exact submission requirements, including deadlines for Turnitin submission, will be provided. If either electronic or hard-copy of submission occurs late, the assignment will be considered late. When submitting a revised version of a piece already marked in its draft form, please make sure to include both the revised and the marked versions. Failure to provide marked versions may result in a delay in grading of the final version and/or a grade reduction. Note that assignments designated “draft” will be marked but not graded.
To begin using Turnitin, visit www.turnitin.com and view the brief student training video at http://www.turnitin.com/static/training.html. Next, select “New Users” at the top of the main Turnitin page, complete the user profile and enter your class id and enrollment password. You will then be enrolled in the ENGL 489 Turnitin course. If you are taking more than one course for which Turnitin is required and/or are already a Turnitin user, click “Enroll in a course” on your main Turnitin page and enter the class id and enrollment password supplied by each course’s instructor. The enrollment process should be completed before our third class meeting, on February 2, 2009.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS:Hard-copy assignments are due at the start of class unless otherwise indicated. Assignments handed in late (whether electronically or as hard copy) without an extension may be docked up to a full letter grade for each week late. (Example: An “A” assignment due Monday at 4:00 may receive a “B” if submitted by 4:00 the following Monday, a “C” if by the Monday after that, etc.) Extensions should be requested at least one day in advance and for good cause.
DOCUMENTATION, USE OF SOURCES, AND MULTIPLE SUBMISSION:Written work must be submitted using MLA format to document sources, as detailed in the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (6th edition) or another reliable handbook.
Unless an assignment stipulates that you consult other sources, complete it without the support of materials beyond those assigned. If I identify in your written work evidence of uncited material from another source, it will be considered as academic dishonesty and penalized accordingly.
Multiple submission (the submission of the same, or substantially the same, work to more than one class) is not permitted and will be considered an instance of academic dishonesty and penalized accordingly.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:The College of Arts and Sciences considers plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty inimical to the objectives of higher education. The College supports the imposition of penalties on students who engage in academic dishonesty, as defined in the “Conduct” section of the University of South Dakota Student Handbook.
No credit can be given for a dishonest assignment. At the discretion of the instructor, a student caught engaging in any form of academic dishonesty may be:
(a) Given a zero for that assignment.
(b) Allowed to rewrite and resubmit the assignment for credit.
(c) Assigned a reduced grade for the course.
(d) Dropped from the course.
(e) Failed in the course.
⎯ Adopted by vote of the faculty of the College, April 12, 2005
Students who have engaged in academic dishonesty may be referred to the USD Office of Rights and Responsibilities for violation of the Student Code of Conduct.
FAIR EVALUATION:Each student is entitled to a fair grade in each course in which he or she is enrolled. It is the right and the responsibility of an instructor to establish criteria for evaluation for each course which he or she teaches, and to determine the degree to which an individual student has fulfilled the standards set for the course.
Students should be apprised that extraneous factors, such as eligibility for sorority or fraternity membership, for scholarship or financial aid awards, for athletics, for timely graduation, or for admission to graduate or professional schools, have no bearing on the determination of grades. The quality of the student’s overall performance with respect to standards for evaluation will be the only basis for judgment.
RESOLVING COMPLAINTS ABOUT GRADES:The first step in resolving a complaint about grades is ordinarily for the student to attempt to resolve the problem directly with the course instructor. If that attempt is unsuccessful, the student may bring the matter to the Department Chair, who will assist the instructor and the student in reaching a resolution. Grade appeals not resolved with the assistance of the Department Chair may be directed to the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (for undergraduates) or to the Dean of the Graduate School (for graduate students), provided that the grading decision at issue would affect the student’s final course grade. The student initiating the grade appeal should be prepared to show that the grade was decided unfairly. According to South Dakota Board of Regents Policy 2:9, any academic appeal must be initiated within thirty calendar days from the date that the student received notification of the grade, unless the grade is assigned within fifteen calendar days of the end of the term. In that case, any appeal must be initiated within fifteen calendar days after the start of the next term (fall, spring, or summer).
STATEMENT ON FREEDOM IN LEARNING:The following statement is required by the South Dakota Board of Regents.
Freedom in Learning: Students are responsible for learning the content of any course of study in which they are enrolled. Under Board of Regents and University policy, student academic performance shall be evaluated solely on an academic basis and students should be free to take reasoned exception to the data or views offered in any course of study. Students who believe that an academic evaluation is unrelated to academic standards but is related instead to judgment of their personal opinion or conduct should first contact the instructor of the course. If the student remains unsatisfied, the student may contact the department head and/or dean of the college which offers the class to initiate a review of the evaluation.
ASSESSMENT DISCLAIMER:Any written work submitted for this course may be used for purposes of program review and/or faculty development.
DISABILITIES:Any student who feels s/he may need academic accommodations or access accommodations based on the impact of a documented disability should contact and register with Disability Services during the first week of class. Disability Services is the official office to assist students through the process of disability verification and coordination of appropriate and reasonable accommodations. Students currently registered with Disability Services must obtain a new accommodation memo each semester. For information contact:
Ernetta L. Fox, Director
Disability Services
Room 119 Service Center
(605) 677-6389
www.usd.edu/ds; dservices@usd.edu
* * *(VERY) TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULEImportant!! Don’t forget to blog!! Weekly deadline for posting your weekly blog post is no later than Monday night at midnight!! Blogging will officially commence after the first second week of classes, and the first round of blog posts will be due by midnight on Monday, February 2, 2009!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009:Wisecup job talk during first part of class (Neuharth Center)
Go over syllabus and course policies.
Introduction to course materials.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009:Assimilation, Essentialism, and Hybridity
Selected Critical Readings
Documentary:
The Sound and the FuryTuesday, February 3, 2009:Multicultural Essays
Slave Moth, by Thylias Moss
Selections from Homi Bhabha’s “The Other Question”
Tuesday, February 10, 2009:Another Country, by James Baldwin
Selections from Frantz Fanon’s
Black Skin, White MasksTuesday, February 17, 2009:Drown, by Junot Diaz
Selected Critical Readings
Important!! 6-8 Page Personal Essay on Some Aspect of Identity Due in Class Today!!Tuesday, February 24, 2009:Blu’s Hanging, by Lois-Ann Yamanaka
“This Hawaii is Not for Tourists,” –
Atlantic Book Review
Crystal Parikh Essay
Tuesday,March 3, 2009:Important!! Midterm Exam – 1 hourFilm:
Saving Face or
FireSPRING BREAK
Tuesday, March 17, 2009:Film:
Smoke SignalsSelected Critical Readings
Paper Proposal Due in Class with Bibliography
Tuesday, March 24, 2009:The Heartsong of Charging Elk, by James Welch
Selected Critical Readings
Important!! 4-Page (Minimum) Reflective Essay Due in Class TodayTuesday, March 31, 2009:The Book of Salt, by Monique Truong
Selected Critical Readings
Important!! Paper Introduction and Outline with Bibliography Due in Class Today!!Tuesday, April 7, 2009:The Powerbook, by Jeanette Winterson
Selections from Judith Butler’s
Gender TroubleSelections from Sherry Turkle’s anthology,
Life on the ScreenTuesday, Apil 14, 2009:The Autobiography of Red, by Anne Carson
Selections from Donna Haraway’s “The Promises of Monsters”
Tuesday, April 21, 2009:Important!! 10-page Draft of Final Paper Due in Class Today!!Important!! 15-Minute Research PresentationsTuesday, April 28, 2009:Important!! 15-Minute Research PresentationsCourse Wrap-Up
Final Paper Due Tuesday, May 5, 2009, by 5:00 p.m.!!!!!!!
