Common Learning 101: Livin’ la vida loca //   Fall 2003

Professor Lori Askeland                              Professor Christine McIntyre

English Department                                         Foreign Language Department

Office: 123 Hollenbeck                                   Office: 223 Hollenbeck

Tel.: 327-7061                                                Tel.: 327-6355

e-mail: laskeland@wittenberg.edu                         e-mail: cmcintyre@wittenberg.edu

Office Hours:  4-5:15 pm MWTh                     Office Hours: 2-3 M,W; 11:30-12:30 T

                      2-1 pm T & by appt                                         & by appt.  

 

Class Information

332 Hollenbeck MWF 12:40                            234 Hollenbeck MWF 12:40

Textbooks:

Eduardo Galeano. Memory of Fire, vol 3. Century of the Wind. New York: Norton, 1988.

James W. Loewen. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. New York: Touchstone Books, 1995.

William Shakespeare. The Tempest. New York: Washington Square Press, 1994.

Course Description:

Common Learning is a course that all first year students at Wittenberg take.  This year, rather than having a single theme for the entire class, a few pilot courses are experimenting with a new plan—small, focused seminars on a variety of topics that will, like all Common Learning sections, introduce students to the liberal arts. 

As part of this pilot program, our class is going to critically examine the “new world” of the Americas, North, South, and Central, as a “contact zone”—that is, a place where people from a variety of backgrounds and perspectives meet, engage with, talk to (and “talk back” to) one another.  Although the encounters of Europeans, Africans, and indigenous persons have included the horrors of both slavery and genocide, the cultural mixing in this “New World” has also produced an amazing, vast, and beautiful array of art forms, social structures, philosophies, and ways of life.  We’re particularly interested in how “the American story” gets told, and retold, both in history classes and in the minds of all the people who live in these countries, so we’ll read and experience a variety of American stories and histories.  Finally, we also hope our class will be a creative “contact zone,” on a much smaller scale—a space where we all will bring, and express, a variety of perspectives, even unpopular ones!, so that we can learn from our differences and create new understandings, new ideas. 

Course Objectives:

1.      To read a variety of texts—including  painting and other visual media, dance, music, as well as written texts like poetry, fiction and history. To seek to understand the complexity of these texts within their specific cultural contexts and to think critically about their meanings and implications.

2.      To engage in active participation in the community life of Wittenberg and Springfield, and the United States, regardless of your place of birth—and to engage in an intelligent analysis of community and national life.

3.      To develop an understanding of the liberal arts as they are expressed in different academic disciplines.

4.      To explore and broaden our “lived” and “constructed” experiences.

5.      To develop critical writing, speaking, and listening skills. As a writing-intensive class, our sections of Common Learning will devote course time to teaching academic writing as an essential college and life skill. We will focus on developing a nuanced understanding of the power of literacy and the politics of illiteracy in the Americas.

Course assignments and assessments:

Quizzes, reading responses and other daily written work                 20%

Essay 1                                                                                                10%

In-class mid-term exam                                                                    15%

Group project/presentation                                                                 15%

Final exam                                                                                            15%

Essay 2                                                                                                15%

Attendance, class participation, maturity                                                10%

 

Academic Honesty

In order to do our job, we must be able to trust that the work we read was created by the student whose name appears on it. Once that trust is broken, it is very difficult to regain. Thus any instance of plagiarism or other form of cheating will be treated as a serious matter in this course.  All students are expected to have read and understand the Wittenberg Cod of Academic Integrity, available on-line at: http://www4.wittenberg.edu/academicintegrity/CodeOfAcademicIntegrity01152003.pdf.

All students in this course are also expected to read “Plagiarism: What It Is & How to Recognize & Avoid It” http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html which identifies and explains the various forms of plagiarism. If you have any questions about your use of a particular source or how to cite it appropriately, please ask.

Differing Learning Styles:

If you have any particular learning challenges, especially a diagnosed learning disability, we will do our best to work with you in order to allow you to express your highest abilities in this course. Please come see Dr. Askeland or Dr. McIntyre as soon as possible to discuss course requirements.

Working Syllabus

All readings and written work should be completed by classtime on the dates indicated below. All assignments and deadlines are subject to revision as the semester progresses.  It is your job to regularly attend class and record any changes and updates. 

Aug 25-29  Introduction to the course, the texts, one another.  

Part I: Europeans fantasize a “new world”

 ·        WED, 8/27, read all of The Tempest  and write 1-page typed reaction paper in response to the following assignment: Pay careful attention, as you read, to the characters Prospero, Ariel, and Caliban, and the nature of their relationships to one another.  Note, especially, that Ariel and Caliban are essentially enslaved by Prospero.  Of the three characters, which do you most sympathize with, and why?  Please write a 1-page, typed and double-spaced, response to that question, being sure to incorporate at least one quotation from the text.

In class: Map of the Spanish Empire, courtesy of the University of Texas Library 

Map of the World During the Age of Discovery

·        FRI, 8/29, read more European fantasies about the New World.  Bring printouts of all e-res documents to class:

John Donne, “To His Mistris Going to Bed” (handout)

Garci Rodriguez de Montalvo, excerpt from The Labors of the Very Brave Knight Esplandian (e-res)

Bernal Diaz del Castillo, “The Marvels of the Aztec Capital” (e-res)

 Sept 1-5:  Part II: Native Americans respond to the invasion of their “old” world

·        MON 9/1: Labor Day, no class

·        WED 9/3:   Convocation—note changed schedule! (our 12:40 class will not meet at the normal time—please pay attention to university announcements).  For class, read the following Native American reactions to the European exploration, colonization:

Leon-Portilla, from The Broken Spears: The Aztec Account of the Conquest of Mexico (e-res)

3 Native (North) American Responses to European Settlement (e-res)

Write: For each piece, type up a brief but accurate 2-3 sentence summary of the writer’s point / perspective on the European encounter, without giving your own opinion.  Then, at the end of all the summaries, choose ONE specific detail—a quotation, an image, a description, an event—from any of the pieces that you found most interesting, even startling or upsetting for some reason, and explain why it interested you.

·        FRI 9/5: continued discussion of Native American responses, class reactions. 

 Friday afternoon / evening 9/5: AACW blues fest in Yellow Springs:  Introduction to African Music Traditions in the Americas, Krieg Hall.  Field trip?

 Sept 8-12:  Part III: The Arts of the Contact Zone

·        MON 9/8: Read Mary Louise Pratt, “The Arts of the Contact Zone” on e-res.  Bring a printout to class on Monday, which should be well-marked up.  Keep a running outline of the article in the margins, and look up at least two terms from the essay that are unfamiliar to you, and write down the definitions in the margins, near the terms’ occurrence in the text.  (Go to next page for writing ass’t . . .  )

For class Mon. 9/8 Write:  1-2 page reaction paper to Pratt’s argument: First summarize her point, as you understand it, without giving your opinion.  As usual, work to be as accurate as possible. Then explain your reaction to her ideas.  (Work to focus mainly on the ideas being explained and argued in this article, not on the style, the length, etc.)  This response should be typed and formatted according to MLA style! (See sample MLA style paper on reverse of the "always read the fineprint" handout.)

 Sept 15-19

1) Read Pres. Tipson's memo on "Diversity at Wittenberg" (handout), and "What is a Thesis?" located at: http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/thesis.html.   

2) Write up a summary of Dr. Pinheiro's presention, about 100 words, making some clear and explicit connection to what we have done so far in this course. 

3) Re-read Pratt, and underline/put a star in the margin at key points that help you understand what her thesis is.  Write out, in 2-3 sentences what her argument is in this essay in largely your own words, although it is fine to use a term like "contact zone" that she has coined in this essay.

Sept. 22-26

Sept. 29-Oct. 3

Words of the day: contact zone: "spaces where cultures meet, clash and grapple with each other often in contexts of highly asymmetrical relations of power, such as colonialism, slavery, and their aftermaths as they are lived out in many parts of the world today" (Pratt 607). 

 

 and  hegemony

Extra Credit Opportunity!

Come join us for the induction of a new Wittenberg Fellow.

Wednesday, October 1, 400 p.m., Bayley Auditorium, Barbara Deer Kuss

Science Center.

Charles Ramsey '64

will speak on

 From Wittenberg to Nicaragua A Weird and Wonderful Journey

He brings his business experience full circle

as the CEO of a non-profit

charged with major public service building projects in Nicaragua.

Reception immediately following.

FOR EXTRA CREDIT: 1) Attend 2) Write a 100 word synopsis of the talk, incorporate at least one very specific detail or quotation, and 3) Write a 100 word response/ personal reaction to the talk that specifically connects his discussion to something we've talked about in this course.

Writing Due: For Friday 10/3:   In one document, write answers to the following questions:

  1. Write a good paragraph or two (at least 100 words) on what you think this class is all about, and what it’s role in your education is supposed to be?  If you want, consider this: what would you like it to do to best fulfill that role?
  1. Write another good paragraph or two (again, at least 100 words) on this second, not specifically related issue: At what time/event in your life have you felt (or, if it is a recurring event, do you feel) most “American” and why?  Another way of thinking of this question would be, what spaces, what situations make you feel most “American” and what does that mean?  Be very specific, and as honest as possible.

Oct 6-10

Oct. 13-17

Thursday evening: Extra credit opportunity:

Thursday, October 16, 8 p.m. Guest Artist Concert: Argentinian Tango Musicians. Eduardo Tami & Mariano Castro performing on flute, guitar and piano. Cosponsored by Music and Spanish Departments.  Krieg Hall 300 Free Admission.

 

To get extra credit, attend and write a reaction paper (about a page) that strives to link what you hear in this music to what you know from our course about transculturation, perhaps especially related to the dance lecture by Dr. Pinheiro.

Oct. 20-24

TONIGHT 10/22: 7 pm!  Bayley Auditorium: Extra Credit: Better Grades in Less Time!

Oct. 27-31

Nov. 3-7

M, W; 3, 5 Nov: Finish up Loewen.

For Friday, 7 Nov:  Read Galeano handout (excerpts from first and second volumes of Memory of Fire) and pp. xvii-27 of Century of the Wind (which is volume 3 of Memory of Fire), through the end of “Pancho Villa.”  

            Galeano Journaling assignment:  As you read Galeano, you will be expected to keep a reading journal.  For every 10 pages, write a brief (50-100 words each) entries/ reactions to the Galeano reading, INCLUDE PAGE REFERENCES for your entries, so that you understand what specific item you are reacting to. 

That means, for Friday, write 2 entries.  Here are some initial questions you should consider:  What kind of text is this?  If you feel confused at all by what you are reading, try to pinpoint and explain something specific in the text that seems confusing to you.  Mark the page number How is Galeano’s text a different kind of “American history” than Loewen’s?  Do you see any connections to Loewen or any of the other texts we’ve read thus far?  Write them down.  Are any of these amusing?  (I hope so!), note down which ones are funny/interesting, or, alternatively, upsetting or irritating to you, with a note as to your reasons for your interest/irritation.

On Friday: we will be handing out a list of possible topics for your Research Paper, which you will work on in pairs, although each of you will produce your own paper.  Choose 3-4 possible topics of interest from the list of possible research topics.  Pay attention to those people/events, etc., as you read.

Nov. 10-14

M Nov. 10: Read Galeano 27-77, through end of “Frida.”  5 brief entries.  

W Nov. 12:  Galeano, 77-97, through “The Right to Vote . . . .”  2 entries.

F. Nov 14: Galeano, 97-110, through “Cantinflas.”  1 entry. 

                        Meet in Ness: Nicaragua presentation by the "Bridges to Community" volunteer group.

            Turn in your 3 research topic choices, ranked in order of preference.  If you have someone in class that you would like to partner with, please let me know who it is, and what your choices are.

Nov 17-21

M  Nov 17: Galeano, 110-160, through “Twelve Lunatics” 5 entries

W Nov 19: Galeano, 160-175, through “Portrait of the Past”  1 entry.

                        Final project planning day.

F. Nov. 21: Galeano, 175-185, through, “Twenty-three Boys are Pumped Full of Lead” 1 entry.

                        Meet in Ness: School of the Americas presentation 

Nov 24-28

M. Nov. 24: Galeano, 185-230, through “A Uruguayan…” 5 entries.   Library, research day (?)

W-F Thanksgiving Break

Dec 1-5

M. 1 Dec: Galeano, 230-279, end. 

W 3 Dec:  Conferences, in pairs:  research project drafts due.

F 5 Dec: Presentations, in pairs, of research projects

Dec. 8-12 

M 8 Dec:  Presentations of research project

W 10 Dec: Presentations, again.

F 12 Dec:  Final projects due, review for final exam

 F 19 Dec: Final exam, 8-11 am.  Galeano and Loewen

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(c) Lori Askeland, Wittenberg University 2003; last update 11/07/2003 12:17 PM