Spring 2014
Office: Gibson 144 (272-5170)
Office hours: T/R 10-10:30 and 12:05-1:00 (conference room) Course Blog: http://traumalit.blogspot.com
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Course
Description
Can the horrors of
war, genocide, violence and loss be represented? What is at stake in
representing experiences often referred to as unrepresentable? This class
will examine attempts to portray psychological and cultural effects of
traumatic events through a variety of twentieth century fictions, films,
graphic novels, and autobiographies. Reading selections from trauma theory,
students will be introduced to the interdisciplinary field of trauma studies.
In addition, students will have the opportunity to compare theoretical
perspectives from scholars of trauma, violence, memory, gender, race, class,
and sexuality. Major questions to be discussed include, but are not limited
to: what challenges does trauma pose to representation? What are the ethical
and political implications of defining and representing trauma in relation to
significant historical events and personal past? How do contemporary artists
respond to trauma and attempt to represent it? The course will encompass
twentieth-century catastrophes such as war and genocide as well as everyday
experiences of violence and loss. Prerequisites: HU101, HU102. Fulfills the Literature Requirement.
General Education
Learning Outcomes
Outcome 3. Students will be able
to speak clearly and effectively, demonstrated by (1) clarity of ideas, (2)
effective grammar and articulation.
Course
Outcomes
At the conclusion of the semester, students will be able to:
·
Understand
the various issues, debates, and critiques that characterize the interdisciplinary
field of trauma studies.
·
Comprehend
theories of trauma, including genealogy and key concepts associated with the
term.
·
Critically
consider diverse modes of expression that bear witness to traumatic events.
Required
Materials
Ø
Course Texts
·
Art
Spiegelman, Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale and
Maus II: My Father Bleeds History
(Pantheon)
·
Toni
Morrison, Beloved (Vintage)
·
Tim
O’Brien, The Things They Carried
(Mariner)
·
Jonathan
Foer, Extremely Loud and Incredibly
Close (Mariner)
·
Films: Schindler’s List and Hiroshima Mon Amour
(Additional
readings will be provided for you in PDF. Go to the course server for
readings. Print them out and bring the copies to class)
(Purchase your
books immediately. Go to Follett online bookstore. The direct
web address for MCA is www.mca.bkstr.com. These books
are required, and the reading assignments will begin immediately. If I see
you coming to class without your book or the reading material, I will assume
that you have not done the required reading for the course, and your grade
will be lowered.)
Ø Notebook & Folder: Purchase a
notebook in which to keep all the informal
writing, class notes, and reading notes. Bring it with you to every class. Also buy a folder in which to keep everything related
to this course. Throw nothing away.
Ø Email: This class requires an MCA email account and you must check it
frequently for messages pertaining to the course. Email is the easiest way to
reach me if I am not in my office and I welcome any questions and comments.
Many students also find that emailing me their early essay ideas and/or a
working thesis statement is a good way to get feedback from me.
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Grading
·
Weekly
Response Postings on Blogs = 300
points
·
Analytical
Essay = 100 points
·
Discussion
Facilitation Essay = 100 points
·
Final
Paper = 300 points
·
Class
participation = 200 points
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Grading
Scale
A
93% - 100%
A-
90% - 92%
B+
87% - 89%
B
83% - 86%
B-
80% - 82%
C+
77% - 79%
C
73% - 76%
C-
70% - 72%
D+ 67% - 69%
D
63% - 66%
D-
60% - 62%
F
Below 60%
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Course Structure
This is a writing and speaking
intensive course.
This course will primarily involve open
class and small group discussion and any lecture will be informal. In this
course, I see myself as a facilitator of the learning process rather than as a
teacher in the traditional sense. Moreover, I see us working together
as a team. This approach requires you to see yourself as an active
participant in the learning process rather than a passive recipient of
information that a teacher "spits out" at you. Your success in
this class will rely upon your willingness to open up and share your insights and
reactions to the works with others, to stay engaged in the process and actively
participate in classroom discussion, and to cooperate at all levels. Please remember you don’t need to be an expert to participate. Participation
can be anything from a simple question or a request for clarification, to an
interpretation of a text. Everyone has something to contribute and there are no
stupid questions. Our classroom will be a safe and open environment for our
conversation. I ask that you treat your peers with respect and consideration
when they are speaking so that all have the right to express their opinions.
Course
Requirements
Reading
Assignments: Since one skill you will be developing in this class is the art of
textual analysis, you must give the readings more than a quick skimming over.
Read the assigned material for each meeting prior to the class meeting. Set
aside enough time to read carefully—take separate notes, underline interesting
passages, and write marginal notes.
Analytical Essay (3-4 pages): The
first essay for this class is a critical analysis essay discussing one or more
of the readings that we have read this semester. Students are free to write on
whatever topic of personal interest to them so long as their essays meet the minimum
requirements. Some of the possible options of topics include, but not limited
to: character study, image and symbol study, theme study, close reading of a
passage, and literary element study.
Discussion
Facilitation Essay (2-3 pages): During the semester you and your
partner will be responsible for facilitating one in-class discussion on one of
the assigned texts.
Final Research Paper (5-7 pages): Throughout the semester students will have the opportunity to develop a
research paper on a topic of your choice. You may focus on 1) an author and a
text, 2) a specific theme or topic in two or more works, 3) historical
subject—the relationship between literary texts and historical events.
Weekly Critical Responses: Everyone will write weekly “critical responses”
and post them on our course blogs. Take the informal writing as a serious obligation from which you can
reap great rewards. At the same time, practice seeing it as low-stakes ways of
thinking your way into and through problems, to generate discussion, and to
test your ideas before committing them to full arguments in your major project.
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Write a ONE PAGE (250-500 words max) response that
discusses what you think was most important, interesting, problematic, confusing,
inspiring, and/or intriguing from the readings. It can be part summary, but
should be mostly response, analysis and synthesis. Choose an idea,
concept, statement, passage, etc., toward which you have had a strong
reaction. This is a space for you to be in dialog with the texts and the
writers. Although your responses must make sense to your readers—your peers
and me—the ideas do not have to be integrated and fully worked out. You should demonstrate familiarity and engagement with the reading by referring directly to the texts. Try for something that provokes class discussion. Always include a quote from the assigned reading and cite it by using (author, page #) after a quote or paraphrase. Ex: (Allison, 35). Make sure to edit your writing. Give your response a heading.
1. The class will be divided into two groups: A and B. Group A will
post their responses on their blogs by Monday at 9 pm; Group B will post
their responses by Wednesday at 9 pm. Each response is worth 15 points.
2. In addition, comment on one classmates’ posts at least once a week.
One of the unique functions of blogs is their ability to facilitate
conversation. We’ll function as a learning community and the comments are an
opportunity for you to engage more thoughtfully and deeply than you might in
class conversation.
3. At the end of the
semester, I’ll ask you to assess and analyze your thinking across all of your
blog posts and all of your comments.
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Quizzes: I’ll give “unannounced” quizzes. So come
prepared to share your ideas, your impressions, and your questions. The quizzes
can be about factual information from the text, interpretation of a certain
passage, and response to the assigned reading.
Late Work: No late Critical Responses will be accepted. Late Essays will not be accepted
except in demonstrably extreme situations and must be approved by me in
advance. Late works will be penalized one-half grade for each day they are
late.
Attendance: So
much work occurs in class that simply cannot be made up. Therefore, four
absences are allowed without
penalties. After 4 absences, each subsequent absence will reduce
your final grade by one mark (B to B-, B- to C+, etc). If you
miss more than 5 classes, you cannot
pass the course. An emergency
will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Should you have such an emergency
it must be officially documented. If you know ahead of time that you
will be absent on a certain day, please let me know in advance. The absence
will still count as one of your four, but we can work together to help you stay
caught up with the rest of the class.
Punctuality: This is a small class, so late arrivals are
disruptive. If you arrive
after I have taken attendance, you are tardy. Three “tardies” count as one
absence. It is your responsibility to see me after class so that I can
list you as tardy not absent.
Plagiarism: Presenting someone else’s work as your
own, is unacceptable in the academic community. You must clearly indicate your
indebtedness to your sources by correctly quoting, paraphrasing, and citing
information in your essays. If you are uncertain about whether or not you are
plagiarizing, please ask me.
Classroom Behavior
There should be no
art materials on the desk at anytime. All digital devices and/or cell
phones should be turned off or not brought to class.
Disruptive
Behavior: Any student engaging in disruptive
behavior will be asked to leave the class and may not return until a conference
with the professor has been arranged. If you’re asked to leave for disruptive
behaviors, it’ll be counted as one absence. Failure to correct such behaviors
can result in dismissal from the course. Disruptive behavior in the classroom
can negatively affect the classroom environment as well as the educational
experience for students enrolled in the course. Disruptive behavior is defined
as any behaviors that hamper the ability of instructors to teach or students to
learn. Common examples of disruptive behaviors include, but are not limited to:
§ Monopolizing classroom discussions
§ Failing to respect the rights of other students to
express their viewpoints
§ Talking when the instructor or others are speaking
§ Constant questions or interruptions which interfere
with the instructor’s presentation
§ Overt inattentiveness (e.g., sleeping or reading
the paper in class)
§ Creating excessive noise
§ Entering the class late or leaving early
§ Use of cell phones in the classroom
§ Inordinate or inappropriate demands for time or
attention
§ Refusal to comply with faculty direction
College Resources
Do take
advantage of these resources.
- Student Achievement Center—Jennifer
Gonzales’s Office (Rust 025, right next to Student Lounge)
(jgonzales@mca.edu)
- Library—272-5131
Special Needs
Please contact me immediately if you have specific disability needs that
can be accommodated.
*Note:
This policy sheet is subject to change.
Paper Grading Rubrics for Essays
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An “A” Paper:
·
Asks a
clear and insightful question about the text.
·
States
a clear argument.
·
Uses
specific quotes from the text to attempt to understand it. These quotes
should either attempt to answer an opening question or lead to a closing
question.
·
Expresses
why you think your question and/or your argument are an important one.
·
Can
include personal evidence as well as textual evidence.
·
Can
use examples from previous stories to illustrate you point or “frame” your
question. Links its ideas together.
·
Has
clearly organized paragraphs.
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A “B” Paper:
·
Poses
a clear question and/or a thesis
·
Uses limited
or occasionally faulty evidence to frame or to answer the question.
·
Contains
an unexplained tangent.
·
Rushes
or oversimplifies the answer to the question.
·
Is
grammatically correct.
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A “C” Paper:
·
Lists
points and questions in an unconnected fashion.
·
Contains
plot summary with little analysis
·
Poses
a question that is obvious, or doesn’t attempt to indicate why a question
matters.
·
Sloppily
cites its quotes.
·
Is
occasionally grammatically difficult to read.
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A “D” Paper:
·
Makes
little attempt to ask questions about the text or to answer them.
·
Uses
only personal evidence to talk about the text.
·
Is
grammatically difficult to read
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