Dr. Cori Adler
CornishCollege of the Arts
Humanities and Sciences Department
Spring Semester 2010
______
Global Dialogues 2:
Truth & Fiction in International Literature & Film
(HS 112-04 Writing & Analysis + HS 120-04Integrated Studies)
Syllabus
Professor:Dr. Cori Adler
--
Humanities and Sciences Office: MC3 (Notions) floor 1
Emergency contact: Linda Krutenat in IS office 206-726-5166
Class Time:Mondays & Wednesdays4:30-5:50, Fridays 1:30-4:20
Building MC1 (“The Wedge”) - Room 7
Web Site:
What are we doing this semester in Integrated Studies? In Global Dialogues?How is this related to what we did last semester?
Course Description
This is the second course in the 2-semester, double-course Integrated Studies sequence.The sequence, required for first year students, creates a foundation for future study at the College by focusing on the strengthening of academic skills, particularly reading analysis, writing, critical thinking, and (new this semester) research. This course continues from Global Dialogues 1: Self & Other in International Literature and Film.
Global Dialogues 2: Truth and Fictioncontinues both areas of study we began in the Fall semester course of this IS sequence: college-level composition and the interconnections between literature, film and society.It brings together literature and film, fictional and non-fictional from throughout the world,to examine global issues “in the mind” and “on the ground.” It is shaped to suggest a series of imagined ‘conversations’ about topics ranging from genocide to love, contemporary Iran to turn-of-the-century Canada. Literature includes novels, graphic fiction and poetry; films include dramatic, documentary and experimental. Each week, we will consider at least one imaginative and one documentary text that speak to the same topic from different perspectives. We will continue to explore social issues such as race, class, gender, desire and identity, utilizing concepts introduced last term (like social construction, marginalization, globalism and globalization).
We will also examine the notions of “truth” and “fiction”and the perceived relationship between truth and fiction on ethical, political and personal levels.We will ask how and why they are constructed as dichotomous and the actual “slippages” between them - that is, the aspect of fabrication involved in documenting real life events and the experiential or social truths conveyed through narrative fiction.
You will continue to develop your skills in the areas of critical thinking and written and oral expression, through a series of assignments that build upon those you completed last semester. Specifically, you will build upon general expository skills we worked on last term and be introduced to specific types of academic writing, including literary & film analysis, social analysis and research writing. The research process is a major emphasis in the second term of the IS sequence.You will learn to find, evaluate and use research sources and to cite them in MLA form. Finally, you will continue to explore yourself as “global citizen” and “global artist” and, insertingyour own visions into the cultural and social conversations treated in the assigned readings and films.
What do I need? (Things to buy, bookmark and bring to class)
Required Texts and Materials
Books:You will read four books, one for each of 4 units, which you will choose from the attached “Menu.” Some are fictional and some documentary (memoir or journalism); some are graphic novels. You will need to buy them online or at a local bookstore, or get them from the Cornish or Seattle Public Library.
Films will be shown in class. If you are absent for a film, you should rent it and view it at home before the next class. Films, books and other reading selections are listed in the Course Schedule.
Handouts, Print, Electronic and Online,will supplement the copy packet and will form a growing course text. Please by a Notebookto collect them in (or ask me, I have some spares) and divide it into 2 sections: Literature and accompanying articles; writing and research resources.
2-pocket folder for handing in papers. (I will give these out, if you don’t mind used ones.)
Bookmark My Facweb sites:At I have created my own teaching site with links to my favorite online resources for literature, film, writing and researching. Please also bookmark this site - - which I’ve created for the course, where you can download assignment descriptions, syllabus and more.
Bookmark the OWL at Purdue website( offers tips on drafting, outlining and proofreading; rules of grammar, punctuation and paragraphing; MLA documentation style guidelines; literary terms, and much more. You can access it on your home computer or at one of the Cornish computer labs and are free to download or print pages from this site for personal use. Please bookmark this site on whatever computer(s) you use most, as I may direct you there for help correcting grammatical errors and much more
“What will we do? How will it help me with my art, my education and my career?”
Learning Objectives
The goal of this course is to create a learning community in which students:
- examine, on a global level, the interconnections between literature, film and society;
- practice and hone the brainstorming, planning, drafting and revising processes introduced last semester; and
- become familiar with the process of doing college level research and using that research to support academic analysis in written and spoken forms.
Like last semester’s course, Global Dialogues 2 heavily emphasizes discussion, writing and peer collaboration; you will again make presentations, both formal and creative. This semester, you will also learn the research process. You will again be encouraged to examine their own beliefs & experiences in light of core course concepts and to articulate some of these discoveries within your art.
Overview of Assignments and How They Will Be Evaluated
Rather than a final grade, students in Integrated Studies courses receive written evaluations in which the professor describes the student’s progress in the class. Your final course evaluation will reflect the quality of your work in five areas: in addition to those evaluated last semester -- reading, writing, presentations and participation – this semester students will also be evaluated on the research process.Understanding the educational purpose of each piece will help you make the most of this course and generate the best evaluation. As you did last semester, at the end of the term, you will again prepare a portfolio demonstrating your progress and describing your learning process.
Reading: The assigned readings are the core of the first course goal described above: examining, on a global level, the interconnections between literature, film and society. It is therefore essential that you keep up with the reading and come to class prepared to discuss it.
Evaluation of Reading: The Journal will be my main vehicle for assessing whether you are keeping up with the reading and for observing the development of your critical reading skills. Since the journal’s main purpose is to prepare to discuss the reading in class, it is essential that it be kept up to date and turned in on time.Your journal will be evaluated primarily on completeness, getting it in every week and showing engagement with the readings. Feel free to also write about anything else within your journal, especially reflections on your art and life.
Writing: Learning to compose and revise college papers is the other core goal of this class. Last semester, you were introduced to a variety of forms, including narrative, analytical and reflective; you practiced drafting, revising and reviewing one another’s papers. This semester, you will polish those skills and be introduced to new forms, specifically social analysis of literature/film and research writing.Last semester, I proposed that, since students come to college with highly varied writing talents, training and skills, some would struggle more with the rapid pace of the journal, others with the higher expectations of the papers; some more with the narrative style of one paper, others more with the analytical style of the other, and so forth. By now you have learned which of these types of writing is easier for you and which harder. Hopefully, you have also discovered practices that help you accomplish the latter. This semester, aim to become proficient in all these types of writing, and to learn how each will serve you as a professional artist.
Evaluation of Writing:I will hand out assignment descriptions for all of the writing assignments. These assignment descriptions function like manuals; they are designed to be read before, referred to during and checked again after you write. Each assignment’s goals, expectations and evaluation criteria are explained in its assignment description.
Presentations: In addition to the kind of informal presentations you did last semester (paper readings, our Friday topic-based sharing),this semesteryou will make:
3 short book presentations, and
one Research Presentation.
At least one of these will be planned in collaboration with another student or a small group. You’ll also do another Creative Presentation like last semester’s.
Evaluation of Presentations: Presentations will be assessed for the quality of preparation, articulation and collaboration. I will hand out Assignment Descriptionsexplaining expectations in more detail..
Participation: Since engagement with the literature and the writing exercises is so crucial, it is essential you not only come to class, but that you come prepared to engage in discussion and activities. “Participation” means more than attendance or ‘speaking up’ in class. Participation means “being present” with the course topic, the day’s assignments and your classmates. Preparation, active listening and peer support are as essential to quality participation as sharing your own thoughts.
Evaluation of Participation: In addition to attendance, your participation will be evaluated on:
preparation as evidenced in the Journal, class discussion and short in class writing/exercises,
articulation of ideas,
staying on task with the readings in class discussion,
engaged listening to fellow students and supporting fellow studentsin their work.
active involvement with peer reviews, workshops and small group exercises.
Research: Learning the research process is a core part of the 2nd term IS curriculum. Students will engage in a series of exercises learning to
generate research questions,
hone in on a topic,
find and engage with a variety of types of sources about that topic,
and finally produce a research paper or other project that expresses an original analysis informed by research and correctly cites its sources.
Your Research Presentation and final paper are a part of that; in addition there are a number of required Steps/assignments leading up to each. You will receive an assignment description detailing the project and its parts. Keep in mind that successful completion of this project is essential to pass the class, and there is absolutely no way to catch up with it later if you get significantly behind.
Evaluation of Research Project: You can’t throw together a successful research paper late in the term. You must complete all the stages of the process to create a successful (passing) finished product. Moreover, successful completion of each stage requires that you have received feedback on the previous stages, therefore you can’t ‘catch up’ on two or more of them at once. Therefore,
completion of all steps is essential to pass the Research project (which is essential to pass the class);
punctuality and adherence to assignment expectations at each stage will figure prominently in evaluation of the Research Project; and
if you miss any deadline within the research project, you should schedule an appointment with me immediately.
Portfolios: Each student will complete a Final Portfolio documenting his/her work in the class. It will include selections of your work and a narrative “learning story.” You will receive a handout near the end of the semester detailing the expectations. In the meantime, hold onto all of your work and keep it organized! This term, you will also prepare a Portfolio in Progress before your midterm conference. This should include all your work thus far and a journal entry reflecting on your learning.
Evaluation of Portfolios: Because keeping up is so essential to the Research process, this semester the mid-term Portfolio in Progress and the Research Portfolio will count equally with the Final Portfolio in determining whether you pass the class. They will be evaluated on punctuality, completeness, organization and the quality of your reflections on your learning process. Students whose mid-term portfolio-in-progress does not meet the standards will have mid-term notices issued to registrar and home department.
How can I Succeed in this Class?
7 Essential Behaviors of Passing Students
______
Dr. Cori AdlerSyllabus
Engl 102Page 1 of 5
1. Do the reading!
2. Arrive on time; Cell phones off.
3. No headphone use during class time.
4. No checking e-mail, text messaging or surfing the web during class.
5. Turn in work in class on the due date, and follow the assignment.
6. Type, double space and staple all written assignments.
7. Never turn in your only copy.
______
Dr. Cori AdlerSyllabus
Engl 102Page 1 of 5
6 Characteristic Behaviors of Wise Students (and 4 Corollaries)
______
Dr. Cori AdlerSyllabus
Engl 102Page 1 of 5
1. Attend don’t merely “attend.” Come to class ready to work, listen, share, grapple with ideas, and help othersto do the same. Our class is alearning environment; it functions via the dynamic exchange of ideas and depends on the participation of all class members. So if you come to class butdon’t engage with discussions and exercises, or you speak but don’t listen, or you don’t give your full attention then you have not engaged in the learning process and don’t really deserve credit for the learning experience. Moreover, you may have detracted from other students’ ability to attend as well.
______
Dr. Cori AdlerSyllabus
Engl 102Page 1 of 5
Corollary: Humanities & Sciences Department Attendance Policy --The learning experience cannot be duplicated outside of class and depends on the participation of all classroom community members. Students are expected to attend all classes. Missing nine hours of class time (including commitments such as rehearsals or shows) adversely affects your evaluation and jeopardizes the granting of credit.
2. Acknowledge the value of class time.Since the learning experience requires engagement with others, participation in experiential exercises, as well as lectures and other forms of instruction, all of which take time to plan and deliver, the learning experience cannot be duplicated outside of classnor can it be summed up in a few minutes, by the instructor or a fellow student. Therefore, if you were absent, never ask your professor “Did I miss anything?”Ditto if you are planning to be.
Corollary: Missed Classes- Each class builds upon the last. When you miss one, you miss a concept you need to understand an assignment, sometimes a required writing exercise. Therefore, make an arrangement with another student (your ‘colleague’) who will notice when you are absent or late, collect handouts, take notes and spend time going over them with you after class, in exchange for your doing the same for him or her. When your colleague is absent, take more comprehensive notes.
Corollary: Making Up Classes: As I explained above, it isn’t really possible to ‘make up’ a class. However, I will allow each student once or twice (not more) to partially make up class time in the following way:
1. Get notes and a truly good explanation from your colleague (see Corollary 1) about what happened in class. (Note that if this takes only a few minutes or few words, it probably doesn’t encompass a 1.5-3 hour session.)
2. Consider these and try to come up with a creative way that you could reproduce this learning experience on your own. Produce something ‘deliverable’ to record that experience for me. For example if there was a group exercise with several discussion questions, you might write up your answers to those questions and do the parts of the exercise.
3. When you turn this in to me, I will decide how much make-up credit to grant.
3. Observe public /private etiquette. You would probably never ask your boss, in the middle of a meeting, for extensive feedback on an individual project or whether you passed your last performance review. Similarlyyour individual concerns, your work, or anything applying to you individually, should not be discussed during class, and things concerning your grades should only be discussed in a conference. Sometimes we can “confer” by e-mail.
4. Acknowledge the value of my time. Thescheduled class time and the hours each week I schedule to read your papers and prep class sessionsare my work hours here at Cornish. I put a great many more hours into my work here than I am expected to. This is my choice, because I care about your learning and believe my work is important. However, it is important to me that you treat my time with respect. When I have put time into commenting on your work, please read my comments carefully. If you make an appointment, show up for it. If you ask for an extension, recognize that the deadlines I set are designed to give me enough time to respond to your work productively, and you are asking me to rearrange my schedule to suit yours.
5. Collaborate. Peer and small group exercises – in and out of class -- are an essential part of learning, particularly when that learning concerns writing, which is a form of communication, and global literature. Therefore, participate conscientiously in peer and small group exercises, in and out of class, be an active and conscientious member of your research group and share your ideas in class discussion.
Corollary: Small group exercises are not the time to come up to talk to me about an absence or assignment.
6. Participate respectfully. When you encounter perspectives that are opposed to your own, remember that this is a learning environment. Our aim is to deepen and stretch one another’s understanding, and to indulge our curiosity respectfully. Though any of us mightchange our own opinions as a result of this process, no one should feel obligated to defend their own perspective.