I’m working on my final paper for my syllabus today, and I’m considering ways that I could merge the “Create a Vampire” assignment with a Mystory. I think this would provide a really great opportunity for students to do research through themselves–and sort of connect their lives to the larger world. I’m also really intrigued by Melanie’s movie proposal assignment, and am wondering if maybe I couldn’t do something like that with vampires. Create a vampire story that you think would sell and discuss why. This would give students the opportunity to develop a playlist (I really like the Ipod playlist assignment that Jeff has his students do), develop an advertisement scheme/stragey, etc etc. Of course, it’s pretty late in the game to be coming up with all of these ideas, but I find that that is how I normally work. I’m always coming up with something that interests me in the final moments. More on this to come.
English 1000
Vampire as Cultural Construction: Researching, Revising and Re-evaluating Myth
This class poses a series of questions that will enable a semester-long discussion about the undying popularity of vampires. First, what makes the vampire (in all its many forms) so appealing? Second, how do vampires continue to reflect current (and past) cultural trends, fears, anxieties, and desires? Last, what can tracing the changes in the vampire tales we tell ourselves, ultimately tell us about us? By engaging with literature that directly (or indirectly) takes on the topic of vampirism, from pulp fiction to academic articles, we will build a well-rounded foundation for exploring these questions (always with the understanding that we may not ever be able to agree on any answers—and that’s ok).
DESCRIPTIVE OVERVIEW
Even though our topic for this course isn’t traditional, you will still gain “traditional” skills and strategies for writing across the curriculum. English 1000 stresses writing as a process, with due attention given to critical reading and thinking skills. Thus, this class incorporates exercises of invention, drafting, revising, and re-writing in preparation for final, polished essays.
My class is not a lecture course. It is a discussion course. This means that you are expected to come to class ready to add something to our discussion. You should enter the classroom each day with one question or point you have formed on your own and that you will be comfortable sharing. It is a good idea to write these ideas down so that you don’t forget them.
COURSE GOALS
By the end of this course you should have gained familiarity with a diverse range of communication skills, including, but not limited to: comprehension, analysis, persuasion, investigation, problem-resolution, evaluation, explanation, and refutation. These skills will be acquired through a process of composition that involves numerous drafts of unit papers, small writing assignments, peer-reviews, professor-conferencing, small assignments, group work, presentations and individual research.
COURSE MATERIALS
Required Materials
A notebook specifically for this course
The Penguin Book of Vampire Stories
Articles available on e-reserve
Writing Analytically 5th Edition
Recommended Materials
A portable or desktop file case or an accordion folder
A portable USB storage device
A college-level dictionary
MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS
(The following are brief instructions for the major assignments you are required to complete in this class. I will give you more detailed instructions as the due-dates approach).
Paper #1: Definition of a Vampire (3 pages double spaced, in MLA format)
According to Dictionary.Com, the term Vampire could refer to any one of the following:
1. A preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, that is said to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night.
2. (in Eastern European Folklore) a corpse, animated by an undeparted soul or demon, that periodically leaves the grave and disturbs the living, until it is exhumed and impaled or burned.
3. A person who preys ruthlessly upon others; extortionist
4. A woman who unscrupulously exploits, ruins, or degrades the men she seduces.
5. An actress noted for her role as an unscrupulous seductress: the vampires of silent movies.
Using one or more of the stories that we have read during our first unit, write your own multi-layered definition of the term: vampire. Your goal here is not to pick one character that already exemplifies your definition (though you can draw on a few that exhibit one or more of the qualities that will fit under your definition) and describe him/her. Instead you should focus on complicating the idea of vampirism by focusing on the vampire-as- cultural construction. Some questions you might want to consider answering in this paper are: how does the vampire operate as a metaphor that speaks to specific social issues/crises? What makes one version of a vampire more compelling than another (in your opinion)? (Does your opinion have anything to do with your specific cultural/social moment?). How does your vampire definition deal with any of the following themes we have discussed as a group (you should not address all of these issues; pick and choose a few that interest you the most): technology, immigration, sexuality, gender, race, food/consumption, desire, denial, folklore, human vs. animal, dead vs. undead etc?
Paper #2: Vampire Annotated Bibliography with a Twist (6 items complete with image and annotation).
Now that you have come up with your own definition of vampire, you will need to do some research to understand the ways in which other people imagine the vampire. The goal of this paper is to familiarize you with the process of gathering information (research) and putting multiple sources together to create a new and original meaning in your own words. You will choose 6 pop culture vampire icons (these can range across film/literature/comic books/games, etc) and provide a visual annotated bibliography on your findings. For each icon that you choose you must include 1 image that best represents that icon (to you) and create a short annotation that explains what the image is, what the history of the image is, how the image operates in modern culture, and how you think it connects to the other images you have chosen. You will be expected to include the website addresses for any site you visit (and make use of) to conduct research in your annotation. You are also expected to familiarize yourself with uploading images into Microsoft Word/Flickr for this project.
Paper #3: Creating a Vampire Portfolio
*Two Options
Option I. Create Your Own American Vampire and Vampire Legend
For this project you will build upon the skills you have been learning all semester to create a vampire portfolio. This portfolio will require you to do research using multiple sources (both internet and print databases) and require you to synthesize your own ideas with secondary sources. Your final assignment asks you to:
1. Revise your definition of a vampire to incorporate what you have learned throughout the semester, and to reflect your personal preferences in vampire characterization.
2. Work with a theme/issue that interests you (it can come from class discussions or one that you find on your own) and has been associated with vampires. Talk about the ways in which your vampire embodies this theme/issue.
3. Come up with a list of 5 determinants that can be used to figure out if a vampire is “good” or “bad” and describe how your vampire fits (or doesn’t fit) this list. You should use 5 sources (these can be a blend of course readings and sources that you find on your own).
4. Find a contemporary setting in America that might make a good “habitat” for your vampire, and tell us why.
5. TBA
Option II. Research An Existing American Vampire and Legend (Fictional or “Real”)
1. Revise your definition of a vampire to incorporate characteristics that your vampire subject embodies.
2. Discuss one theme/issue that interests you (it can come from class discussion or one that you find on your own) that is associated with your vampire. Talk about the ways in which your vampire embodies this theme/issue.
3. Come up with w list of 5 determinants that can be used to figure out if your vampire is “good” or “bad” (these can be a blend of course readings and sources that you find on your own).
4. Discuss the region (as habitat) that your vampire comes from, and tell us how this region works with the legend.
5. TBA
MINOR ASSIGNMENTS
Minor Assignment I: Class Blog
Every Friday evening at the end of our week, I will post a question on our course blog that addresses assigned readings for next week, issues that I want to bring up in class discussion next week, and general areas of inquiry that I feel will be useful to us that week. These questions will not always be inquiries about vampires; instead these questions may address concepts/skills/strategies that we are learning in class and that contribute to your process (and progress) as a writer. You are required to post a comment to each of these entries a minimum of 10 times (there will be 14 questions total) by Friday afternoon at 4pm the week after it is posted. For example, the first question will be posted on January 26th and you are expected to post your answer by January 30th at 4pm.
A Quick Note about UserNames: Your username for this course should be the first half of your email for Mizzou (or in the rare case where that name is already taken, it needs to match the first half of your email as closely as possible). As an example, my email is nmkgg3@mizzou.edu and my username for the course blog would accordingly be nmkgg3.
A Quick Note About Blogs: The blog is a public forum that anyone can view online, so you should pay careful attention to your response (both content and grammar should be carefully considered). Further, you should always be respectful of your peer’s opinions—no matter whether they match your own. Should you feel uncomfortable posting comments on a blog, you will need to email your response to both me and your classmates by Friday at 4pm. Finally, even though you are posting these blog entries online for the class to read, you should also come to class ready to discuss them each week.
Minor Assignment II: Group Reading Assignment/ Secondary Source Summary and Presentation (10-15 min Presentation)
You will be assigned to a discussion group at the beginning of the semester. Your third assignment will involve reading a complex (and often complicated) academic article on the subject of Vampirism. Your group will be responsible for creating a presentation that summarizes this article for the class. Each group member will be expected to read the entire article, though I would suggest that you break up the article into manageable sections for the presentation. Only one class period will be allotted to planning your presentation, so it is important that you collect contact information from all of your group members and keep in touch with each other outside of class.
Minor Assignment III: Individual and Group Character Analysis Presentation (5% individual, 5% group)
This assignment will be two-fold. You will be assigned a character to “track” in the film Underworld. You will take copious notes during our viewing in order to answer a variety of characterization questions that I have created for you. Then, you and your group members (who have taken their own notes on the same character) will construct a more detailed and comprehensive character analysis together and present that analysis to the class. You will be required to cite information from the “text” to support your analysis.
*It may be a good idea for you to rent this film on your own, or to research it in more detail on IMDB.Com.
FINAL GRADE BREAKDOWN
|
Blog responses |
10% |
|
Paper #1: Vampire Definition |
15% |
|
Paper #2: Vampire Annotated Bibliography with Visuals |
20% |
|
Paper #3: Vampire Portfolio Project (Option I or II) |
25% |
|
Group Reading Assignment: Secondary Article Summary and Presentation |
10% |
|
Group Writing Assignment: Character Analysis from Underworld |
10% |
|
Peer Review |
10% |
GRADE EQUIVALENTS
A+ 97-100 C+ 77-79
A 94-96 C 74-76
A- 90-93 C- 70-73
B+ 87-89 D+ 67-69
B 84-86 D 64-66
B- 08-83 D- 60-63
*Anything lower than a D- is FAILING
COURSE POLICIES
Accommodations
If you have a disability and need classroom accommodations, please notify me as soon as possible. You should also register with the Disability Services, 882-4696. Other especially useful contacts are the Learning Center (882-2493) with its Writing lab, and the Counseling Center (882-6601) for stress management, crisis intervention, and other services.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the intentional use of another author’s material and/or words in your own text without acknowledging that author’s contribution. In the academic environment, plagiarism is a serious ethical violation that carries serious consequences.
Please also note that assisting somebody else in the act of plagiarizing by providing them with your own work to turn in as their own—and/or submitting your work to on-line data bases from which students can purchase papers to turn in as an act of academic dishonesty and may be subject to disciplinary action under the Student Conduct Code.
Course Attendance Policy
Each day I will pass around an attendance sheet that you are expected to sign to prove that you are in class. You will not be allowed to sign the sheet if you show up 15 minutes late (or more). Each student can miss 3 days without penalty (that is one entire week of our class), but you should know that neither daily nor major assignments will be excepted late—except in the case of documented emergencies). This means that if you choose to skip a day an assignment is due, you will not be able to turn in your assignment. Should you miss more than the 3 allotted absences, your grade will start dropping by one letter . That means if you have an A- on your 3rd absence, your 4th absence brings it down to a B-. You should also know that I reserve the right to drop you from my course before the drop date (TBA) if you have missed a total of 2 weeks or more of class. After the drop-date, and if you have missed 2 weeks (or more) of class, you will take the failing grade.
Tardiness
Unless excused by the instructor, an instance of tardiness or an early departure from class exceeding fifteen minutes will count as an unexcused absence. Unless approved by the instructor in the case of valid excuses, students will not be allowed to complete in-class assignments missed partially or in full because of being tardy or departing early from class.
Disruptive Behavior Policy
Behavior that disrupts the educational environment in English 1000 and that, therefore, interferes with others’ learning opportunities will not be tolerated. Disruptive behavior in the context of the English 101 classroom includes (but may not be limited to):
· disrespectful treatment of your instructor or peers
· patterns of tardiness
· violations of the policy for responsible cell phone use (see below)
A student determined by his or her instructor to be “disruptive” will be referred—along with a report describing the offending behavior—to the Director of Writing Studies for the English Department. A student in this situation will not be allowed to return to class until the offending behavior has been specifically identified and the consequences of repeating the behavior clarified in the context of a meeting between the student, the instructor reporting the behavior, and the Director of Writing Studies. Following this meeting, repeated acts of disruptive behavior as identified by the instructor will result in referral to the Chair of the English Department, the Director of Student Judicial Affairs and/or the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Consequences could include suspension or expulsion from the course.
Policy Regarding Cell Phone Use
Cell phones must be turned to silent at all times, except in approved emergencies. If you need to take an emergency call, quietly leave the classroom and find a place where your conversation will not disturb others. Lack of compliance with this policy will be regarded as disruptive behavior, and violators will be subject to the consequences for disruptive behavior outlined in the previous section.
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Name: Niya Bond
Office: Tate 6
Phone/E-mail: nmkgg3@mizzou.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Daily Schedule English 1000
|
DATE |
In-Class |
After-Class |
|
W 1/21 |
Introduction to the course What is a vampire? In-Class construction of a “working” definition. |
Google “Vampire. “Come to class with 2-3 Google entries that you can share with the class. |
|
F 1/23 |
Sharing Google. Discussing “5 Analytical Moves and How They Work.” |
Read |
|
M 1/26 |
|
|
|
W 1/28 |
|
|
|
F 1/30 |
|
|
|
M 2/2 |
Peer Review on Paper 1 2 Copies Rough Draft Due Today |
|
|
W 2/4 |
|
|
|
F 2/6 |
|
|
|
M 2/9 |
Final Copy of Paper #1 Due In-Class Letter of Reflection Essay |
|
|
W 2/11 |
|
|
|
F 2/13 |
|
|
|
M 2/16 |
Successful Summarizing—The Annotated Bibliography is Your Friend |
|
|
W 2/18 |
Discussion of Article I and Discussion of Possible Summaries |
|
|
F 2/20 |
Group Meeting on your Articles |
|
|
M 2/23 |
Group Presentations on Secondary Sources |
|
|
W 2/25 |
|
|
|
F 2/27 |
|
|
|
M 3/2 |
Peer Review on Paper 2 2 Copies of Rough Draft Due Today |
|
|
W 3/4 |
|
|
|
F 3/6 |
|
|
|
M 3/9 |
Final Copy Paper # 2 Due Today In-Class Letter of Reflection Essay |
|
|
W 3/11 |
|
|
|
F 3/13 |
|
|
|
M 3/16 |
|
|
|
W 3/18 |
|
|
|
F 3/20 |
|
|
|
Spring Break March 21st-29th
|
Complete Creative Movie Review Assignment over Break |
|
|
M 3/30 |
Viewing of Underworld |
|
|
W 4/1 |
Viewing of Underworld |
|
|
F 4/3 |
Viewing of Underworld/ Discussion of themes and characters |
Come to class with your characterization sheet filled out and be ready to discuss with your group on Monday. |
|
M 4/6 |
Group planning for Character Presentations |
|
|
W 4/8 |
Presentations |
|
|
F 4/10 |
Presentations |
|
|
M 4/13 |
|
|
|
W 4/15 |
|
|
|
F 4/17 |
|
|
|
M 4/20 |
Peer Review Paper #3 Due Today |
|
|
W 4/22 |
|
|
|
F 4/24 |
|
|
|
M 4/27 |
Final Copy Paper #3 Due Today |
|
|
W 4/29 |
Wrapping up Vampires / Wrapping up the Course |
|
|
F 5/1 |
Course Evaluation Day |
|
|
M 5/4 |
Presentations on Final Assignment |
|
|
W 5/6 |
Presentations on Final Assignment |
|
|
F 5/8 |
Presentations on Final Assignment |
|
English 1000
The Vampire as Cultural Construction: Researching, Revising and Re-evaluating the Myth
DESCRIPTIVE OVERVIEW
Even though our topic for this course isn’t traditional, you will still gain “traditional” skills and strategies for writing across the curriculum. English 1000 stresses writing as a process, with due attention given to critical reading and thinking skills. Thus, this class incorporates exercises of invention, drafting, revising, and re-writing in preparation for final, polished essays.
My class is not a lecture course. It is a discussion course. This means that you are expected to come to class ready to add something to our discussion. You should enter the classroom each day with one question or point you have formed on your own and that you will be comfortable sharing. It is a good idea to write these ideas down so that you don’t forget them.
COURSE GOALS
By the end of this course you should have gained familiarity with a diverse range of communication skills, including, but not limited to: comprehension, analysis, persuasion, investigation, problem-resolution, evaluation, explanation, and refutation. These skills will be acquired through a process of composition that involves numerous drafts of unit papers, small writing assignments, peer-reviews, professor-conferencing, small assignments, group work, and individual research.
COURSE MATERIALS
Required Materials
A notebook specifically for this course
The Penguin Anthology of Vampire Literature
Articles available on e-reserve
Recommended Materials
A portable or desktop file case or an accordion folder
A portable USB storage device
A college-level dictionary
MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS
(The following are brief instructions for the major assignments you are required to complete in this class. I will give you more detailed instructions as the due-dates approach).
Paper #1: Definition of a Vampire (4 pages double spaced, in MLA format)
According to Dictionary.Com, the term Vampire could refer to any one of the following:
1. A preternatural being, commonly believed to be a reanimated corpse, that is said to suck the blood of sleeping persons at night.
2. (in Eastern European Folklore) a corpse, animated by an undeparted soul or demon, that periodically leaves the grave and disturbs the living, until it is exhumed and impaled or burned.
3. A person who preys ruthlessly upon others; extortionist
4. A woman who unscrupulously exploits, ruins, or degrades the men she seduces.
5. An actress noted for her role as an unscrupulous seductress: the vampires of silent movies.
Using one or more of the stories that we have read during our first unit, write your own multi-layered definition of the term: vampire. Your goal here is not to pick one character that already exemplifies your definition (though you can draw on a few that exhibit one or more of the qualities that will fit under your definition) and describe him/her. Instead you should focus on complicating the idea of vampirism by focusing on the vampire-as- cultural construction. Some questions you might want to consider answering in this paper are: how does the vampire operate as a metaphor that speaks to specific social issues/crises? What makes one version of a vampire more compelling than another (in your opinion)? (Does your opinion have anything to do with your specific cultural/social moment?). What are the regional/ethnic/racial/gender differences between American versions of the vampire, and vampires from other cultures/countries? How does your vampire definition take up any of the following themes we have discussed as a group (you should not address all of these issues; pick and choose a few that interest you the most): technology, immigration, sexuality, gender, race, food/consumption, desire, denial, folklore, human vs. animal, dead vs. undead etc?
Paper #2: Vampire Annotated Bibliography with a Twist (6 items complete with image and annotation).
Now that you have come up with your own definition of vampire, you will need to do some research to understand the ways in which other people imagine the vampire. The goal of this paper is to familiarize you with the process of gathering information (research) and putting multiple sources together to create a new and original meaning in your own words. You will choose 6 pop culture vampire icons (these can range across film/literature/comic books/games, etc) and provide a visual annotated bibliography on your findings. For each icon that you choose you must include 1 image that best represents that icon (to you) and create a short annotation that explains what the image is, what the history of the image is, how the image operates in modern culture, and how you think it connects to the other images you have chosen. You will be expected to include the website addresses for any site you visit (and make use of) to conduct research in your annotation. You are also expected to familiarize yourself with uploading images into Microsoft Word for this project.
Paper #3: Research Paper (6-8 pages).THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. I MAY NOT EVEN USE DRACULA.
Your final project is a research paper that asks you to generate your own original thesis and argument on a topic that relates directly (or indirectly) to
The goal of this assignment is to argue a thesis that you generate about DO I WANT THIS TO BE ABOUT DRACULA AND THE FILM? and to use information from multiple sources that will discuss and add depth to your thesis. While the direction of your paper will be entirely up to you (i.e. you will generate your own question related to narrating the vampire experience). The essay you compose should it must refer back to either your or one of your classmates’ character profiles/wiki entries from The Watchmen as well as 2 other sources that either confirm or complicate the thesis you create about narrating the war-time experience. We will discuss in class the best way to evaluate the usefulness of possible sources.
MINOR ASSIGNMENTS
Minor Assignment I: Class Blog
Every Friday evening at the end of our week, I will post a question on our course blog that addresses assigned readings for next week, issues that I want to bring up in class discussion next week, and general areas of inquiry that I feel will be useful to us that week. These questions will not always be inquiries about vampires; instead these questions may address concepts/skills/strategies that we are learning in class and that contribute to your process (and progress) as a writer. You are required to post a comment to each of these entries a minimum of 10 times (there will be 14 questions total) by Friday afternoon at 4pm the week after it is posted. For example, the first question will be posted on January 23rd and you are expected to post your answer by January 28th at 4pm.
A Quick Note about UserNames: Your username for this course should be the first half of your email for Mizzou (or in the rare case where that name is already taken, it needs to match the first half of your email as closely as possible). As an example, my email is nmkgg3@mizzou.edu and my username for the course blog would accordingly be nmkgg3.
A Quick Note About Blogs: The blog is a public forum that anyone can view online, so you should pay careful attention to your response (both content and grammar should be carefully considered). Further, you should always be respectful of your peer’s opinions—no matter whether they match your own. Should you feel uncomfortable posting comments on a blog, you will need to email your response to both me and your classmates by Friday at 4pm. Finally, even though you are posting these blog entries online for the class to read, you should also come to class ready to discuss them each week.
Minor Assignment II: Group Reading Assignment/ Secondary Source Summary and Presentation (10-15 min Presentation)
You will be assigned to a discussion group at the beginning of the semester. Your third assignment will involve reading a complex (and often complicated) academic article on the subject of Vampirism. Your group will be responsible for creating a presentation that summarizes this article for the class. Each group member will be expected to read the entire article, though I would suggest that you break up the article into manageable sections for the presentation. Only one class period will be allotted to planning your presentation, so it is important that you collect contact information from all of your group members and keep in touch with each other outside of class.
Minor Assignment III: Group Writing Assignment/ Character Analysis (500 words on Wiki part I, 500 words on Wiki part II—1000 words total)
(1000 words to be submitted to the class Wiki and Presented on in class). This assignment will be two-fold. You and your group members will construct a character analysis of one character (randomly assigned) from the film Underworld or from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. You will gather information from the text to support your analysis. Later, your group will track the differences/similarities between that character’s representation in the book, and that character’s representation in the film that we view in class. You will need to submit each part of this assignment (as you complete them) to the class Wiki (http://comp.missouri.edu/wiki) and present your findings to the class. STILL A WORK IN PROGRESS. DECIDING BETWEEN FILMS.
FINAL GRADE BREAKDOWN
| Blog responses | 10% |
| Paper #1: Vampire Definition | 15% |
| Paper #2: Vampire Annotated Bibliography with Visuals | 20% |
| Paper #3: FILM ANALYSIS? TBA | 25% |
| Group Reading Assignment: Secondary Article Summary and Presentation | 10% |
| Group Writing Assignment: Character Analysis (two-part) | 5% and 5% |
| Peer Reviews and Conferences | 10% |
GRADE EQUIVALENTS
A+ 97-100 C+ 77-79
A 94-96 C 74-76
A- 90-93 C- 70-73
B+ 87-89 D+ 67-69
B 84-86 D 64-66
B- 08-83 D- 60-63
*Anything lower than a D- is FAILING
COURSE POLICIES
Accommodations
If you have a disability and need classroom accommodations, please notify me as soon as possible. You should also register with the Disability Services, 882-4696. Other especially useful contacts are the Learning Center (882-2493) with its Writing lab, and the Counseling Center (882-6601) for stress management, crisis intervention, and other services.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the intentional use of another author’s material and/or words in your own text without acknowledging that author’s contribution. In the academic environment, plagiarism is a serious ethical violation that carries serious consequences.
Please also note that assisting somebody else in the act of plagiarizing by providing them with your own work to turn in as their own—and/or submitting your work to on-line data bases from which students can purchase papers to turn in as an act of academic dishonesty and may be subject to disciplinary action under the Student Conduct Code.
Course Attendance Policy
I do not deduct point for absences. However, excessive unexcused absences will prevent you from passing my course. Missing class prevents you from turning in daily assignments (no daily assignments or major assignments will be accepted late except in the case of documented emergencies). You should also know that I reserve the right to drop you from my course before the drop date (TBA) if you have missed a total of 2 weeks or more of class. After the drop-date, and if you have missed 2 weeks (or more) of class, you will take the failing grade.
Tardiness
Unless excused by the instructor, an instance of tardiness or an early departure from class exceeding ten minutes will count as an unexcused absence. Unless approved by the instructor in the case of valid excuses, students will not be allowed to complete in-class assignments missed partially or in full because of being tardy or departing early from class.
Disruptive Behavior Policy
Behavior that disrupts the educational environment in English 1000 and that, therefore, interferes with others’ learning opportunities will not be tolerated. Disruptive behavior in the context of the English 101 classroom includes (but may not be limited to):
· disrespectful treatment of your instructor or peers
· patterns of tardiness
· violations of the policy for responsible cell phone use (see below)
A student determined by his or her instructor to be “disruptive” will be referred—along with a report describing the offending behavior—to the Director of Writing Studies for the English Department. A student in this situation will not be allowed to return to class until the offending behavior has been specifically identified and the consequences of repeating the behavior clarified in the context of a meeting between the student, the instructor reporting the behavior, and the Director of Writing Studies. Following this meeting, repeated acts of disruptive behavior as identified by the instructor will result in referral to the Chair of the English Department, the Director of Student Judicial Affairs and/or the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Consequences could include suspension or expulsion from the course.
Policy Regarding Cell Phone Use
Cell phones must be turned to silent at all times, except in approved emergencies. If you need to take an emergency call, quietly leave the classroom and find a place where your conversation will not disturb others. Lack of compliance with this policy will be regarded as disruptive behavior, and violators will be subject to the consequences for disruptive behavior outlined in the previous section.
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
Name: Niya Bond
Office: Tate 6
Phone/E-mail: nmkgg3@mizzou.edu
Office Hours: TBA
Residents of the Upper Peninsula (where I grew up) are called (and refer to themselves) as Yoopers. We have a local band called Da Yoopers, there are jokes about Pasties being the “Yooper Burrito,” and now we have our very own movie (sarcasm) with a title that plays upon Escanaba colloquialisms (where “the” is replaced with “da”). Escanaba in Da Moonlight is the story of a man desperate to shoot his first Buck (hunting is a big sport in Escanaba because people live off of Venison in the cold winters and because deer provide “free” food to a poor economy). It also involves a lot of drinking and shenanigans at a deer camp. I haven’t ever seen this movie, probably because I find it kind of insulting. I guess it provides the perfect example of cultural appropriation.
-CNN launched 24 hrs news network
-RU-486 abortion pill released in France
-Richard Pryor badly burned from free-basing cocaine
-”Who Shot JR?” becomes national obsession
-Small pox considered eradicated
-US Supreme Court allows patents on living organisms (bacterium)
-Ronald Reagan elected
-Post-It notes introduced
-John Lennon assasinated
-Genetic engineering of insulin begins clinical trials
-US hockey team beats Russia in Olympics
-Less painful rabies vaccine developed
-ME!ME!ME! generation takes over
-New breed of billionaires emerges (think Donald Trump)
-Voyager explores Saturn
-Confederacy of Dunces published
Possible trajectory: reproduction/genetics/biology/control
I’ve started to work on the assignment idea that Steph and I came up with in class. I claim a lot of places as home (my mother was a big fan of moving), but I have a soft spot for Escanaba, Michigan. I spent the majority of my childhood there–leaving in 6th grade and coming back for 8th (and leaving again), and most of my mother’s family still lives there. One of the cultural products that comes from Escanaba is the Cornish Pasty. It’s delicious. The photo above is a twist on the traditional cultural product–as it’s vegetarian and uses Boca Burger crumbles instead of meat. I am constantly engaged in a battle of wills with myself when it comes to eating meat, and I’m always on the lookout for comfort food that resembles (in flavor and texture) my favorite meat products. This one comes pretty close. I’m including the link to an amazing veggie website where you can find this recipe.
http://albioncooks.blogspot.com/2007/04/english-food-is-not-joke-vegetarian.html
I’m not sure why I’m having such a hard time digesting the analogy of the composition classroom as coffee house. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that as much as we try to break down these authoritative barriers between teacher-student, we have to admit that they ultimately still exist. Can natural language actually occur in a space that is purportedly egalitarian, but where only the student expect that her grade rests upon her participation in coffee house chatter? What is natural language anyway? Is this a dangerous term? What about the fact that the coffee house-as space-is sometimes exclusionary? Does everyone drink coffee, frequent coffee houses, or participate in that kind of community? I’m sure I’m taking this too far–and this is the result of a 7am conversation with my roommate–but I don’t know how to reconcile this new classroom experience with the old paradigms of the educational institution–namely grades. Is grading just as outdated as the banking method?
I’ve been looking over the English 1000 courses on Wiki from last Fall, and I came across quiet a few assignments dealing with playlists and music. Jeff had one assignment on his website that was an Ipod playlist that I found particularly interesting. However, in a selfish move–because I’m not up to par with music these days (it comes last a long line-up of reading and watching movies)–I’m wondering if I can create something similar with a Netflix queue assignment. What if I had students pick a top 5 or 10 film list and had them do the same kind of work with taste, interests, and identity? Instead of the breakdown for the playlist (theme, idea, symbol, metaphor, belief) I could do theme, scene, symbol, character, plot. I’m not sure if those categories work as well, but this is just a brainstorming exercise right now. I could then ask them to connect these films to their other interests, like literature, career, and music. Or maybe I could do something with the films they pick and the playlists that accompany the films. Or both. I’m really working hard to come up with assignments that integrate technology, my interests, and non-traditional elements. This is what I have for now.
Oh, and then maybe I can have them work with someone else’s queue (like you can actually on Netflix) and have them do something with 1 of the films in their peer’s queue.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29813008@N02/
This should take you to my flickr collage/virtual annotated bibliography/
I keep adding to it as I think of new interests etc.
I’m sitting here this morning trying to get a head start on my syllabus and assignment–not to mention fix up my flickr account, which has been largely neglected in the last few weeks. I’m feeling so overwhelmed at this point in the semester–with teaching and taking–and am wondering how it is all going to get done. Urg.
Anyhow, I’m torn today between trying to create something that lasts all semester, or that is broken up into units (like my current course is). I like the idea of units because it offers students a chance (and me) to feel like they have accomplished something, finished it, and can indulge in a rare moment of task-completion euphoria (which is what I do when I check off all of the items on my to-do list). This also seems to help with the mid-semester slump–there’s something new to do, to talk about, to discover. However, if I incorporate a portfolio (which I”m seriously considering), then it would make sense to have a semester long project so that students can look back over their work and draw connections, talk about revision, and discuss process. Sometimes this proves hard in a portfolio class where every assignment is totally different (and distanced) from the one before it. And that distance may account for some of the more formulaic letters of reflection that get included in the portfolio.
Things to consider.