Course Requirements
The Earth at night, 2012. NASA, NOAA NGDC, Suomi-NPP, Earth Observatory, Chris Elvidge and Robert Simmon
Attendance and Participation (20%)
Attendance and in-class participation are mandatory. You are allowed only FOUR absences for ANY reason (including illness, family difficulties, athletic events, etc.).
Up to four absences, I do not need to see *any* documentation. Upon your fifth absence, you will be docked 1/3 of a letter grade. Any further absences will be docked one full letter grade except in cases of extreme necessity with accompanying documentation, advisor corroboration, and my approval. After SEVEN absences, you cannot pass the class (please remember that eight absences equals nearly three full weeks of class). Two tardies count as an absence. If you are more than 7 minutes late, you should not come—it is disruptive and disrespectful. It is a morning class, which I know is difficult, but you are adults, and should purchase an alarm clock (don’t just use your phone) to wake you at least a ½ hour before class begins. This will give you time to dress and to grab a caffeinated beverage.
In-class participation is a part of your grade, and will be a portion of the points per class (depending on how much full class discussion or group work we’re doing on a given day). If you are painfully shy, then please talk to me at the beginning of the semester, and we will work out a way for you to fulfill the participation requirement. Unless I have talked with you about it, I am not averse to calling on you randomly in class if my questions are met with silence.
Points per class are awarded as follows: 1=butt in seat, 2=mostly paying attention, 3=definitely paying attention, 4=offers short answer, 5=offers substantive answer. You must substantively participate in large group discussion at least once per week to get full credit at the end of the term--there are 32 classes, and at least 20 of them will have some discussion. So, for example, if you always come prepared to talk about the material and regularly respond, if there are 20 class discussions, you will receive 100/100. If you simply clearly pay attention, you will receive a 60/100.
As a final note, you must complete all of your reading and be able to discuss it in order to get full points for the day.
Design and maintenance of your own website (no knowledge of coding is required)
Unless you have a specific preference, please use Weebly as your basic site. I will walk you through the steps for set-up in class.
Blog of short in-class assignments
Up to four absences, I do not need to see *any* documentation. Upon your fifth absence, you will be docked 1/3 of a letter grade. Any further absences will be docked one full letter grade except in cases of extreme necessity with accompanying documentation, advisor corroboration, and my approval. After SEVEN absences, you cannot pass the class (please remember that eight absences equals nearly three full weeks of class). Two tardies count as an absence. If you are more than 7 minutes late, you should not come—it is disruptive and disrespectful. It is a morning class, which I know is difficult, but you are adults, and should purchase an alarm clock (don’t just use your phone) to wake you at least a ½ hour before class begins. This will give you time to dress and to grab a caffeinated beverage.
In-class participation is a part of your grade, and will be a portion of the points per class (depending on how much full class discussion or group work we’re doing on a given day). If you are painfully shy, then please talk to me at the beginning of the semester, and we will work out a way for you to fulfill the participation requirement. Unless I have talked with you about it, I am not averse to calling on you randomly in class if my questions are met with silence.
Points per class are awarded as follows: 1=butt in seat, 2=mostly paying attention, 3=definitely paying attention, 4=offers short answer, 5=offers substantive answer. You must substantively participate in large group discussion at least once per week to get full credit at the end of the term--there are 32 classes, and at least 20 of them will have some discussion. So, for example, if you always come prepared to talk about the material and regularly respond, if there are 20 class discussions, you will receive 100/100. If you simply clearly pay attention, you will receive a 60/100.
As a final note, you must complete all of your reading and be able to discuss it in order to get full points for the day.
Design and maintenance of your own website (no knowledge of coding is required)
Unless you have a specific preference, please use Weebly as your basic site. I will walk you through the steps for set-up in class.
Blog of short in-class assignments
TimeLine (10%)
The first short project will see you engaging with the history and artistic representations of the Japanese internment camps as represented in The Buddha in the Attic.
- Must be unique—focus on aspects of the text that stood out most to you
- Include images, video, sound clips
- Include interviews, segments of the novel, photographs, etc.
TimeMapper (10%)
The second short project with work with the intersections between the de Leon family represented in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao and the history of the Dominican Republic and the Dominican Diaspora.
- Must be unique—focus on aspects of the text that stood out most to you
- Include images, video, sound clips
- Include interviews, segments of the novel, photographs, etc.
Possible points of focus: the canefields, the mongoose, Dominican-American diaspora, the family
Midterm Project (20%)
The midterm project will be either a TimeLine or a TimeMapper related to one of the selections we have worked with since The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. You may choose to focus on theme, character, plot, historical milieu, or another focusing device, but you must have a one page single-spaced project description that includes your rationale for choosing the software and for choosing the focusing device. If you are using Arranged Marriage, you will focus on the Indian Diaspora based on descriptions in the short stories, related religious and cultural texts, and historical information.If you are using Thirst, you will complete your own Timeline or TimeMap about the Jewish Diaspora based on the descriptions in the novellas, the related Biblical passages, and historical information.
Mini Podcast (10%)
A 10 minute podcast on Americanah or one of the shorter selections that integrates at least three different media sources. If you are using Americanah, you will complete your own podcast on the Nigerian diaspora in the contemporary context.
Presentation on One Digital Humanities Project (10%)
You will present on a digital humanities project of your choosing. You may choose any number of possible projects, and the only parameters in terms of topic is that it must in some way deal with spatiality, diaspora, transnationality, or another related theme.
Guidelines:
Guidelines:
- 10 minute presentation
- Focused on one digital humanities project
- First, give a summary of the project (topic, focus, parameters, goals, and uses)
- Next, demonstrate some of the features of the project
- Finally, comment on the practical applications of this project (both in terms of scholarly work and public uses), and why this project took this form rather than being a traditional essay
Final Project (20%)
A podcast with accompanying timeline/timemap on a diasporic literary tradition of your choice. You may choose to focus on a group with which we worked over the course of the semester, or you may choose to work with a group in which you are independently interested.