Students should finish this class with the ability to think critically about texts
assigned ... Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and
Writing.
Department of Literature, Communications and Media American Jewish University Fall 2010 LCM 111 Freshman Seminar Challenging Perception: You, Your Community and Making a Change M/W 9:30-10:45am Professor Emily Weisberg LCM 111 will examine our perceptions about the communities in which we live, identifying our role within those communities and looking at how we can adjust/shatter/change those perceptions. What's perception, what's the truth, what is our role in all of that and how do we change things? In order to examine these large, and challenging, questions we will also identify what the existing status quo is. We will also question whether a change does, indeed, need to be made and, if so, what kind of change is required? Course Learning Objectives: This course is designed to focus on analyzing and discussing various communities, community issues and our place within said issues. We will achieve the following outcomes: Students should finish this class with the ability to think critically about texts assigned and the overarching questions asked in class. Students will be encouraged to apply their growing critical awareness to other fundamental terms they also employ, and to begin to question their basic assumptions about those terms; Students will also learn how to give and receive constructive criticism in a safe environment. We will also focus on writing with purpose, clarity, organization and proper language mechanics. students should possess stronger ability in basic writing techniques, and the ability to think critically about academic research and writing. Students will apply this intellectual growth to written assignments, and will enhance their writing skills through a variety of modes of written expression; Students will enhance public speaking/oral presentation and research skills, and Students will gain greater personal awareness, as they make choices about individual projects and engage with, perhaps question and re-evaluate, their own values. TEXTS (purchased on Amazon.com) Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen and Bonnie Lisle ISBN: 978-0-312-54854-4 The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen’s Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear Paul Loeb ISBN: 0-465-04166-3
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Class Requirements: • Complete the readings assigned, by the date they are due. • Classroom Feedback: Each student must be actively engaged in the discussion of readings and assignments given. • Oral Presentations In your oral presentation(s), you should: • Provide a brief summary of the author of assigned article. • Provide a contextualization of this article: what is happening in the world to provoke it’s writing, what is the author responding to? Who is the community being written about? • Frame one or two discussion questions about the article as it pertains to the larger theme being discussed. • Be prepared to take a leadership role in discussing your questions and other questions that may arise. You are also responsible for letting me know, at least a week before, what electronic support you will need when presenting (a projector if you will be doing power point etc.) • Written Assignments (see below for specific writing assignment information) • Field Trip:: There will be one mandatory field trip during the semester. This will occur on a Friday. Instructors of Friday classes will be notified of this trip so that you are not given an unexcused absence. • Textbook(s) must be brought to class every day, your grade will be affecting if you fail to do so. • Computers can only be used if a doctor’s note is provided, or the University notes special circumstances. • Cell phone use during class is strictly prohibited. Phones will be left at the front of the room, before class begins, and will be returned when class is completed. Use of phones, unless in an emergency, will result in a lowering of your grade. • Additional Policies: I am committed to fostering an open learning environment. You have the right to express your personal opinions in my classroom without fear of retribution in terms of your grade or my attitude towards you. I do not approve of censorship; tolerance is practiced to the utmost degree. SCHEDULE: Readings listed are required to be read for that day’s discussion and are notated by a *. The schedule is subject to change. Wednesday, 9/8
Introduction
Monday, 9/13 *Page 1-16 in The Impossible Will Take a Little While *Page 1-16 ReReading America Wednesday, 9/15 What constitutes “community?/ Family Redefined *Page 17-21 Rereading America *Pictures on page 23-24 Rereading America 2
Monday, 9/20 *Page 32-48 Rereading America *Page 61-69 Rereading America Image Exercise Wednesday, 9/22
No Class, Erev Sukkot
Monday, 9/27 *Page 81-92 Rereading America Examine Pro Prop 8 website (whymarriagematters.com) Anti Prop 8 website (http://www.eqca.org) Wednesday, 9/29 Monday, 10/4 *Harvey Milk speech to be handed out in class *Witherspoon Report (page 5-29) to be handed out in class Wednesday, 10/6 – Monday, 10/11*Page 110-115 Rereading America *Page 116-126 Rereading America *Page 187-192 Images in Rereading America Wednesday, 10/13 – THESIS ASSIGNMENT DUE/Education Monday, 10/18 *Page 126-145 Rereading America *Page 148-155 Rereading America Wednesday, 10/20 – Monday, 10/25-
No Class
Wednesday, 10/27 – *Page 169-185 Rereading America Monday, 11/1*Page 210-218 Rereading America *Page 238-247 Rereading America Wednesday, 11/3 – Monday, 11/8 Race and the Myth of the Melting Pot *Page 439-447 Images in Rereading America *Page 374-377 Rereading America *Page 384-397 Rereading America 3
Wednesday, 11/10 – FIRST ESSAY DUE THURSDAY NOVEMBER 11TH BY MIDNIGHT Monday, 11/15 *Page 422-438 Rereading America *Page 462-472 Rereading America Wednesday, 11/17 – Monday, 11/22*Page 473-482 Rereading America *Page 497-510 Rereading America Wednesday, 11/24 – No Class Monday, 11/29 The Myth of Gender *Page 568-573 Images Rereading America *Page 516-519 Rereading America *Page 525-526 Rereading America *Page 608-616 Rereading America Wednesday, 12/1 Monday, 12/6 *Page 618-627 Rereading America *Page 527-536 Rereading America Wednesday, 12/8 Monday, 12/13 *Page 537-546 Rereading America *Page 546-567 Rereading America Wednesday, 12/15 – *Page 575-599 Rereading America Wednesday, 12/22 – FINAL PAPER DUE BY MIDNIGHT GRADING: Your grade will be based on a combination of class participation, class work and written assignments. It is absolutely vital that you come to class having done the reading, prepared to discuss the texts. This is a discussion based class, therefore, take notes, read the assignments and be ready, willing and able to join the discussion. Because of the nature of this class attendance is absolutely mandatory. At the discretion of the instructor, more than two absences will result in the lowering of your grade. If you 4
are going to be absent, email notification is required and the work you missed must still be completed, so you do not fall behind in discussion. Please feel free to email me to set up an appointment or to ask questions. Email me at
[email protected].
Standards of Academic Integrity The Honor Code of American Jewish University was written by a committee of undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and administrators. Under the Honor Code, students have a two-fold obligation: individually, they must not violate the code, and as a community, they are responsible to see that suspected violations are reported. Academic Dishonesty includes, but is not limited, to the following definitions: A. Examination Behavior: Unless expressly permitted by the instructor, the use of external assistance during an exam shall be considered academically dishonest. Inappropriate exam behavior includes but is not limited to: (1) communicating with anyone in any way during an exam, (2) copying material from another student’s exam, (3) allowing a student to copy from one’s exam, (4) using unauthorized notes, calculators, or other sources of unauthorized assistance. B. Fabrication: Any intentional falsification, invention of data, or citation in an academic exercise will be considered to be academic dishonesty. Fabrication involves but is not limited to: (1) inventing or altering data for a laboratory experiment or field project, (2) padding a bibliography of a term paper or research paper with sources one did not utilize, (3) resubmitting returned and corrected academic work under the pretense of grader evaluation error when, in fact, the work has been altered from its original form. C. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the appropriation and subsequent passing off of another’s ideas or words as one’s own. If the words or ideas of another are used, acknowledgement of the original source must be made through recognized referencing practices. Use of another’s ideas or words must be properly acknowledged as follows: (1) Direct Quotation: Any use of direct quotation must be acknowledged by footnote citation and by either quotation marks or proper indentation and spacing. (2) Paraphrase: If another’s ideas are borrowed in whole or in part and are merely recast in the student’s own words, proper acknowledgement must, nonetheless, be made. A footnote or proper internal citation must follow the paraphrased material. D. Other Types of Academic Dishonesty: Other forms of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to: (1) Submitting a paper written by or obtained from another person. (2) Using a paper or essay in more than one class without the instructors’ expressed permission. (3) Obtaining a copy of an examination in advance without the knowledge and consent of the instructor. (4) Altering academic records outside of official institutional procedures. (5) Using another person to complete academic assignments such as homework, take-home exams or using another person posing as oneself to take classroom examinations. GRADING BREAKDOWN: 5
Classwork 30% Classwork includes oral presentations, small writing assignments, attendance, participation, attitude, preparedness and completion of all assignments in a timely manner. As noted above, more than two absences will result in a lowering of your grade. Oral Presentation
20%
Written Assignments 50% -Writing assignments will be made up of two graded papers and smaller writing assignments. Graded assignments include: - A descriptive essay; and an essay in which you present a thesis of their own (based on the readings in class) and then prove it, using concrete evidence.
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