Transnational Whisperings — Selected Writings of Michael Ondaatje
Requirements
The requirements of this course are connected to the learning outcomes in which the WSU MENG Program is grounded. Below please find a list of the Program's Learning Outcomes (LO) and, in brackets, how they correlate to particular requirements.
LO 1: Demonstrate an ability to gather, analyze, and
communicate information effectively.
LO 2: Demonstrate in texts cultivated skills in careful
reading, critical thinking, logical argument from
evidence presented, creative expression, and
persuasive writing.
LO 3: Apply various theoretical perspectives and literary terminology to interpretations
of literary texts to showcase an understanding of
theoretical perspectives.
LO 4: Demonstrate knowledge of and interaction with foundational and current
scholarly criticism.
LO 5: Acknowledge and articulate
the significance of key primary texts in one specific
literary genre, period, culture or style.
LO 6: Demonstrate an ability to employ academic conventions
and protocols for written or multimodal presentations, including the application
of appropriate conventions, citation formats and style manuals, such as the MLA
style sheet for literary papers or the
Chicago or APA formats for papers that range into
historical or sociological areas of study.
- ATTENDANCE: I expect
regular and punctual attendance,
which will enable you to make sustained contributions to our discussions and make our
seminar into a community of learners. If you miss more than 1 class (the equal of
three 50-minute day class periods), please drop the course this semester
and enroll at another time. There are no "excused absences." (LO 1, 2, 3, 6)
- WEEKLY RESPONSE PAPERS: I will ask you to hand in 3 self-directed
response papers (of about 500 words) to the assigned readings, to
which you should add at least two (=2) substantive discussion-oriented
questions. You are free to pick whatever weeks fit your
schedule best. I will collect these responses as a hard copy at the
end of each class, so that you can use your WRP/questions during class
discussion. Please note that you cannot "hand them in" electronically.
Bottom line: WRPs are not essays, but a space of exploration and experimentation. Please
take risks! (LO 1-6)
- TALK & CLASS FACILITATION: Since this seminar is meant to be a networked community of learners, you will—above and beyond regular class contributions—need to present your research and thinking (or work in progress) on a particular author or related project. Your talk, of about 20 minutes (and perhaps in groups), should serve as a point of departure for further discussion, which you then facilitate, and must be accompanied by a typed handout that you distribute in the class period before your report. The handout should not exceed two pages (one sheet, front and back) and contain the following information:
|
|
A sign-up sheet for these presentations is posted on my door. To enhance your learning (and, let's be honest, to kill two birds with one stone, different as these birds may be), I encourage you to consider building upon your oral report for your final research essay. Use the class as a testing ground for your ideas! Here is a Sample Handout (LO 1, 2, 3, 6)
- RESEARCH ESSAY: You are required to write a 8-10+ page essay that should engage some of the major critical statements relating to the writer(s)/themes of your choice. You may, of course, also write a longer paper if you wish. . . . . Message: let's talk! Here are some Sample Essays (LO 1-6)
Your final grade will be made up as follows:
|
|
Please note that you will have to fulfill all of these requirements to pass the class.
It is your responsibility to become familiar with the standards of academic integrity at WSU. Passing off someone else's work or ideas as your own is grounds for failure.
Disability Accommodation: PPM 3-34 notes: "When students seek accommodation in a regularly scheduled course, they have the responsibility to make such requests at the Center for Students with Disabilities (SSD, #181 of Student Services Center, 801-626-6413) before the beginning of the semester in which the accommodation is being requested. When a student fails to make such arrangements, interim accommodations can be made by the instructor, pending the determination of the request for a permanent accommodation."
Emergency Closure: In the unlikely event of an extended campus closure, we will conduct our course electronically via email and virtual discussion groups. In this case, please make sure that you check your email account regularly for messages and attachments (in Word, PowerPoint, or audio) coming from me and/or your fellow seminar participants. Such messages may function as lecture substitutes, provide directions for reading and writing assignments, and contain other relevant information. Also make sure that your account has adequate storage capacity for transmitting documents. I will collect your email address and verify its availability during the first week of class. Please let me know by the end of the first week of the semester if you do not have access to a computer and/or the Internet from your home. Thanks.
Core Beliefs: According to PPM 6-22 IV, students are to "[d]etermine, before the last day to drop courses without penalty, when course requirements conflict with a student's core beliefs. If there is such a conflict, the student should consider dropping the class. A student who finds this solution impracticable may request a resolution from the instructor. This policy does not oblige the instructor to grant the request, except in those cases when a denial would be arbitrary and capricious or illegal. This request must be made to the instructor in writing and the student must deliver a copy of the request to the office of the department head. The student's request must articulate the burden the requirement would place on the student's beliefs."