required texts, etc.
Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid’s Tale. 1986. New York: Random, 1998.
Bellah, Robert N. et al. Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life. 1985. Berkeley: U of California P, 1996.
Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. 1903. New York: Dover, 1994.
Grafon, John, ed. The Declaration of Independence and Other Great Documents of American History, 1775-1865. New York: Dover, 2000.
Klein, Naomi. No Logo: No Space, No Choice, No Jobs. 1999. New York: Picador, 2002.
(+ a good dictionary and a writer’s handbook)Web Resource http://www5.wittenberg.edu/academics/cmln/
course
description/ objectives
What is “American”? Is U.S. society at any level a coherent group? Should it be? Could such basic “American” concepts as freedom and individualism threaten to undermine our coherence as a society as a whole? On a deeper level: has “individualism” become an empty concept that ultimately leaves all of us open to easy manipulation by powerful forces in our culture today—particularly the media? Does a simplistic individualism, especially that founded primarily on rebellion, make it so that most Americans cannot offer a coherent definition of their own values and beliefs, nor any clear rationale for them? Can a meaningful sense of individualism can be recovered by those who make a more serious commitment to society as a whole and to “communities of memory”within society—especially religious or spiritual communities? Or are those communities—many of which suffer today from scandals relating to sexual abuse, greed, and even violence—equally troubling?
These are the fundamental questions that the book Habits of the Heart and this course seeks to explore. Together we will, I hope:
1. Read, understand, and finally be able to provide cogent support for and criticism of the book-length argument found in Habits of the Heart, using other texts and experiences, so that you may apply this skill in future college courses and in your life beyond college.
2. 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.
Develop “communication connections” across the academic disciplines
at Wittenberg University.
4. Explore and broaden our “lived” and “constructed”experiences
5. Develop critical reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills.
course assignment / assessment
reading responses / quizzes / in-class work 20% (expect to write at least one response to every reading)
witt
series events
20%
springfield
project
20%
midterm
exam
15%
final
exam
15%
attendance/participation / maturity 10% *
*any absence, for any reason "excused" or "unexcused," has the potential to interfere with learning. 4 absences, for any reasons, is definitely too many. I reserve the right to fail or to ask any student who has missed more than 4 classes to drop the course. This includes all absences for university-related activities and all illnesses. Do not skip class. You cannot afford it. And when you do miss class, remember the cardinal rule . . .
cardinal
rule:
Practice Maturity.
I
sincerely want you to communicate during difficult times.
But, when you do, work to show me that you care more about learning than
about grades.
1) take responsibility
for any missed information before returning to class
2) avoid whining
and
always
read the fine print: rules for papers, etc.
1)
All papers are due at the beginning of class on the due
date, unless specified otherwise. If
you arrive late or do not come to class at all on that date, hoping to turn it
in after class, the paper is automatically considered one full day late—even
if I find it in my mailbox after class.
The day ends whenever I happen to leave or cease to check my mailbox for
the day. Any excuse must be
unforeseeable and fully documentable—including funerals.
Illnesses must be very serious indeed to avoid penalty.
Colds, for example, are just bad luck; plan ahead.
Quizzes and in-class activities that are worth
points cannot be made up,
2)
Papers lose 10% the first day they are late and 5% each
day thereafter.* (So, if you show up 20 minutes
late for class and turn in a paper that should have received an 88%, it will
receive a 78%. If
I find it in my mailbox the next day, it can receive no higher than 73%.)
* including
each weekend date,
no,
you may not hand in papers on Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays.
3)
Please do not slide papers under my door.
They may lie crumpled behind my door for weeks, and will no doubt receive
a failing grade.
4)
All papers must be written according to MLA style: typed
in a normal font (10-12 pt Times New Roman or equivalent), with
normal 1”
margins on all sides. Your last
name and the page number should appear on the top right hand corner of each
page.
5)
To receive a passing grade, all major papers MUST use
specific details, quoting from relevant texts where appropriate, analyze the
details and/or quotations. When quoting, use parenthetical citations and include
a complete works cited list. Papers
that do not have a works list will fail, even if the only works that are cited
are texts from this class.
6)
If I have collected and commented on drafts of the paper,
keep the draft and turn it in with the final version of the paper.
7) FINAL ADVICE: In the long run it will be better for you to lose a few points with grace than to bother me with a continuous stream of excuses. If given the choice between accepting the penalty for lateness or absence, even if it strikes you as unfair, or whining for a break or an exception, please choose the former tactic. I bore of guilt trips, and remember them when I’m calculating end-of-term grades. Practice maturity.
Academic Honesty:
In order to do my job, I must be able to trust that the work I am reading 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.
On the first instance of cheating, I reserve the right to assign a failing grade not only to the assignment at issue, but also for the course as a whole. I will also file a formal report with the Dean which will remain in your permanent file while you are a student at Wittenberg.
Additional or particularly grievous instances of academic misconduct may lead to suspension or expulsion from the University.
All
students in this course are expected to read
“Plagiarism: What It Is
& How to Recognize & Avoid It”
differing
learning styles:
If you have any particular learning challenges, especially a diagnosed learning disability,
I will do my best to work with you in order to allow you to express your highest abilities in this course.
Please come see me, as soon as possible,
to discuss course requirements.
> go to lori askeland's home page > go to common learning syllabus / reading schedule
(c) Lori Askeland, Wittenberg University 2002; last update 08/30/2002 09:46 AM