Author: prestontaylorstone

ENG 106. Fall 2021. University of Miami

Readings (Requires UMiami authentication)

Navigation:

Course: ENG 106
Institution: University of Miami
Course Location:
Course Time:
Course Credit hours: 3                                                    
Instructor: Preston Taylor Stone
Email: ptstone@miami.edu
Office Hours: By appointment (Virtual)

Course Description:

The University of Miami’s English Composition program has two required introductory writing courses: ENG 105 and ENG 106. Both courses are largely skills-based classes. In ENG 105, students learn inquiry and argumentation. In ENG 105, students continue to develop argumentation strategies and incorporate academic research and interpretation techniques. In this course section of ENG 106, we will focus these skills on a centering topic: queer studies. Developing after the institutionalization of LGBT Studies, queer studies comes to us from a variety of places: rejection of identity politics as liberal fantasy, embrace of solidarity, and on-the-ground activism. In this course, we will begin by asking What was queer studies?, a question of history. Reading important pieces of theory from the late 1990s and the 2000s, we will then turn to different cultural texts, including films, songs, music videos, poems, and television. Finally, we will ask the question What is queer culture? and develop a theoretical and cultural lexicon and network of queer culture.

In order to develop the skills of close-reading, research and annotation, interpretation, and citation, this course will use queer theoretical texts and cultural texts. Throughout the course, we will have in-class and online discussions about the social legibility of gender, sexuality, race, and class as well as the project of justice and solidarity. Those who are interested in LGBTQ studies or culture and those who are within the following disciplines/majors are strongly encouraged to join: gender and sexuality studies, English, sociology, anthropology, sociology, political science, modern languages and literatures, American studies, Africana studies, history, philosophy, psychology, art, theatre arts, cinematic arts, communication studies, pre-law, journalism, and music.

Course Goals and Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, students will exhibit the ability to

• Demonstrate effective written communication skills in relation to specific rhetorical tasks.
• Construct original, well-reasoned arguments using a range of materials
• Find, evaluate, integrate, and synthesize appropriate and relevant primary and secondary sources in their writing
• Engage in close-reading of texts
• Cite sources formally (using MLA, APA, Chicago, or other citation formats)

Required Texts and Materials:

• Regular access to a computer
• Portable storage (flash drive, email, cloud, etc)
• Most texts will be provided on Google Drive and linked on the schedule section of this document. You will be expected to print and bring these to class or have full access to them during class. The text that will not be provided via PDF will be required purchases for students. These required purchases is listed below:

Queer Theory Now: From Foundations to Future by Hannah McCann & Whitney Monaghan

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

IndieBound

Policies & Assignments

Participation
Students are required to attend class, come to class on time and prepared (having done the reading/s or assignment/s), at least attempt all classwork activities, turn in assigned work when due, participate fully in good faith in any peer work, participate in class discussion, focus on the work at hand, and conduct oneself in a manner appropriate to the college classroom.

Rubric for class participation

5	Student is always attentive and contributes relevant insight very often, completing all in-class assignments in a collaborative and receptive manner
4	Student is attentive and completes all in-class assignments in a collaborative and receptive manner
3	Student is distracted but completes all in-class assignments
2	Student is often distracted and off-task, hesitant and unreceptive to collaboration
1	Student does not complete in-class assignments
0	Student is absent

Face coverings are mandatory at all times (with the exception of when drinking water) while in on-campus class sessions. Failure to follow this requirement is grounds for disciplinary action and may lead to removal from the classroom and/or the course.

The seat you select on the first day of class must be from among those identified as meeting the physical distance requirements for COVID-19; this seat will be your assigned seat for the remainder of the semester. This will enable the most effective COVID-19 contact tracing, should it be required.

Students are required to use the Daily Symptom Checker and be cleared to attend class each day. Students may be asked to show the green “Good to Go” notice. You may be required to produce your notice at any time while on campus. Students who fail to comply or to produce their “Good to Go” notice will be asked to leave the classroom.

Attendance – Rubric (click here)
Each student is allotted 5 unexcused absences (one and a half weeks) and 3 tardies. Absences beyond this may result in deductions from the student’s final grade. Excessive absences will result in the student failing the course. After a student has been late (tardy) 3 times, each following time the student is late will result in 1/3 an absence. This means once a student has been late to class 6 times, they will receive an absence. Students who are consistently distracted in class (texting, browsing the internet, etc.) will be warned to pay closer attention to class. After this warning, if a student is continuously distracted in class, they will be marked absent. Students who acknowledge holy days on the same day(s) we have class will be excused if they have alerted the professor of all of these by the end of three days after you are enrolled in class. Absences do not excuse any due dates or work missed.

Unless you are approved to take this course under the Remote Learning Option, physical attendance in the classroom is required as scheduled. You are expected to participate with your video enabled during your non-classroom days. If at some point in the semester you cannot physically attend class sessions due to illness, injury, or other approved absence, you must contact the instructor for permission to temporarily attend the course online. Unexcused absences from the classroom may affect your grade or lead to failing the course.

On Writing and Reading
This class will ask a lot of you in terms of writing and reading. You are likely to do more reading in a quicker time in this course than any other course you have taken before. I will, before class, ask that you respond to several informal prompts on Blackboard in the hopes you will at least attempt to do this work. Homework is a small part of your participation grade but will be immensely helpful to you in thinking about the texts we are discussing and formulating a topic for your final paper. I understand this is not your only class and I respect that you have a personal life beyond our classroom. Nonetheless, I expect you will come to class having at least attempted to do the assigned reading and writing all the way through and having prepared notes, ideas, or questions to discuss with the class.

Revision is a central and integral part of this course and any writing course of merit. In order for your writing to be consistently improving, you must bring it through multiple drafts of revision. Revision, then, is a requirement of this course. You will upload free-write, journaling, even outlines and sketches, to your Google Drive folder. Failure to do so will cast a burden of proof on your having done consistent revision in good faith for each assignment, and this will be reflected in your grades.

Electronics Policy and Google Drive vs. Blackboard
Each student is required to bring a tablet, laptop, or similar electronic device to class in order to take notes, complete and submit in-class writing assignments, access readings or notes for class discussion, and participate in peer review. No electronic device should be a distraction from the activities of the classroom for any student. The use of laptops or tablets is allowed only to complete classroom-related activities. If electronic devices become a distraction or a means by which students avoid class participation, the student(s) in violation will receive an absence for class that day.

We will spend most of our class time working in Google Drive, a cloud-based file sharing system to which each student at the University of Miami has access. To log-in to your Google Drive, visit google.miami.edu and use the same credentials you use to access your email, Canelink, and Blackboard interfaces. You will have your own folder within the classroom’s folder (“ENG 105 D3 – Fall 2020”). Drive is where you will submit your drafts, revisions, in-class writing assignments, reflections, and peer reviews. It is up to you to make sure you have access to your Blackboard and Google Drive accounts and folders at all times. Inability to access Google Drive or Blackboard will not be sufficient excuse for not turning in assignments on time. For IT help, UMIT is located on the third floor of the Richter Library or may be accessed at it.miami.edu.

Students are expressly prohibited from recording any part of this course. Meetings of this course might be recorded by the University. Any recordings will be available to students registered for this class as they are intended to supplement the classroom experience. Students are expected to follow appropriate University policies and maintain the security of passwords used to access recorded lectures. Recordings may not be reproduced, shared with those not in the class, or uploaded to other online environments. If the instructor or a University of Miami office plans any other uses for the recordings, beyond this class, students identifiable in the recordings will be notified to request consent prior to such use. This instructor is the copyright owner of the courseware; individual recordings of the materials on Blackboard and/or of the virtual sessions are not allowed. Such materials cannot be shared outside the physical or virtual classroom environment without express permission.

 Academic Honor Code
As a student of the University of Miami, you have agreed to uphold the Honor Code. Violation of this code includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, or academic dishonesty. Title II, B of the Undergraduate Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook defines each of these violations:

Any student who violates the Honor Code will fail not only the assignment but the entire course. Each of you has the ability to think through your own unique ideas. If you are thinking of violating the Honor Code because you are overwhelmed or in distress, speak with me and we will come up with a better solution.

On Accessibility and Acceptance
Every student, no matter their identity, ideology, or ability, is welcome and valued in this class. This class will require that we confront political, social, and ideological questions that may be deemed controversial. I encourage you not to shy away from this opportunity to think through these issues. No matter what, no student should ever feel unwelcome or unsafe in this classroom. If you find that you feel inappropriately uncomfortable, consistently unsafe, or need help, please let me know immediately and I will direct you to the resources that may help. The University of Miami Counseling Center (UMCC) provides professional support to students no matter their gender expression, sexual preferences, sex, race, financial or immigration status. You can make an appointment by calling 305-284-5511, by visiting counseling.studentaffairs.miami.edu, or by visiting the counseling center on Merrick Dr. (across from the Pavia Garage).

Students with accessibility requirements are provided for by the University of Miami’s Office of Disability Services (ODS) and may contact this office at 305-284-2374 or disabilityservices@miami.edu to make any requests for accessibility. If you have trouble contacting the ODS, let me know and I will help you. If you have contacted the ODS and have any requirements of me, please be sure to let me know as soon as possible.

Turning in assignments 
Papers should be submitted on Blackboard or Google Drive on the day and at the specified time they are due. Each day a paper is late, there will be a deduction of 10% from the grade. All assignments are assigned in due time to be completed by each student on time. It is your own job to make sure you do not forget deadlines and that you turn your assignments into the correct platform (Blackboard, email, or Google Drive). Every deadline is listed on this document in the schedule section, on the assignment sheets themselves, and verbally said in class. If you require an extension(s) for your assignment(s), you must request them of the instructor at least three class periods (over a week) prior to the due date of the assignment. Under no circumstances is the instructor required to grant you an extension(s). No late blackboard posts will be accepted.

The Writing Center (www.as.miami.edu/writingcenter) can help you at any stage of the writing process.  Appointments are suggested, but they also accept ‘walk-in’ visits.  If I think it’s necessary, I will ask you to use the Writing Center on a regular basis. Please note that all appointments are currently being held online until further notice.  To make an online appointment, make an account at the above link/sign in as usual and choose an available time.

OWL @ Purdue is a great online resource for writing and research techniques. It can be located at https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html.

Extra Credit is not available or permitted in this course. I do not allow extra credit for several reasons: put simply, it is unfair to those who have committed to the work required of this class if others are able to do extra work for credit. Moreover, extra credit requires extra effort and time to which I am unable to commit for reading, annotating, grading, and categorizing within the gradebook.

On Communication
I will make a point to learn each of your names and I expect you will learn to use one another’s name in conversation, as well (“I agree with what ___ said”). This will create a welcoming and meaningful culture for our classroom. If you have a question about the policies or assignments for this class, you may speak to me before, during, or after class, via email, or in office hours. I will make a point to reply to your email within 24-to-48 hours. If you have not received a response from me after two days, you should email me again. Please do not email me to ask questions about an assignment one or two days before it is due as this will not allow due time for me to respond and for you to use this answer in writing your assignment.

Grades
If you have a question or concern about an assignment or participation grade, please come and see me during my office hours or talk with me before or after class to arrange a meeting.  Due to federal requirements, UM faculty are not permitted to discuss grades via email or phone, so we will need to meet in person and in private.

Overall Grade Distribution:

Attendance/Class participation	100pts
Close-reading	150pts
Blackboard Posts/Reading Annotations	150pts
Comparative Context Analysis project	100pts
Literature Review	200pts
Research Paper	150pts
Lensing Assignment	150pts
Total	1000pts

Grading Scale:

A	940-1000
A-	900-939
B+	870-899
B	830-869
B-	800-829
C+	770-799
C	730-769
C-	700-729
D+	670-699
D	600-669
F	0-599

Assignments

Blackboard reading responses – Rubric (click here)
The night before most reading assignments are due, you will be asked to respond to a specific prompt or question related to the reading. These responses are designed to stimulate your thinking about the text and the course themes and help prepare you for class discussion. They are also great places to start generating ideas for your essays and research projects. These posts will be graded based on completion, but thoughtful responses will enrich our class discussions and help you develop confidence in your ideas, critical reading skills, and writing. All posts are due before class time. To earn full points on your reading responses, you will need to write thoughtful answers in full sentences and/or paragraphs and submit your post before class time. *200-300 words each*

In-class writing responses
Each Thursday, we will have ‘Through-line Thursday’ where you and a partner will connect a minimum of two and a maximum of four sources, one of which must include the reading for that Thursday. The other sources could be something we have previously discussed in this course or something you read, saw, heard outside of class. The point of this assignment is to practice making connections between different cultural texts, a skill you will be required to showcase in the research paper (discussed below). Whereas the Blackboard reading responses test reading comprehension (that you understand what you read), these in-class writing responses will test argumentation (that you have thoughts about what you’ve read). These assignments are written in groups and while quotations will be helpful to make your connections between sources, this must be original work so the majority of the writing should be that of yourself and your group member(s). These assignments are turned in on Blackboard. *350-500 words each*

Close reading
This brief analysis paper will require you to select a passage from a written text we read in class or another part of digital media (music video, poetry reading, speech, performance art) and examine how the writer/artist uses language and rhetorical strategies. Note that this is not a report on what the author is saying nor is it a summary of the cultural text. While it will be important to understand the cultural text, this assignment is meant to explain how the artist conveys their story or argument (the types of evidence they use, the methods of presenting, the poetic language used, the form of presentation). You may choose to do a close reading of a cultural text (short story, poem, film, mini-series, documentary, music video) or an academic text (peer-reviewed article, monograph chapter). *1000 words min.*

Comparative Context Analysis project
For this assignment, your group will choose a piece from the special collections in the Kislak Center and compare/contrast how this piece has been or might be discussed in three different rhetorical contexts, genres, or academic disciplines. For instance, you might look at the zine The Popstitutes, 86-95: boredom = death and discuss how it might be approached by social sciences, humanities, economics, or healthcare fields and in a popular source such as a magazine, newspaper, or film. You should then use your analysis to make recommendations for writing persuasively in each of these contexts. *group presentation of approx. 20-25 mins*

Annotated Bibliography – Rubric (click here)
This assignment will act as Part 1 of your research project. After selecting a topic for your project, you will conduct research and provide an overview of the existing body of research on the topic—trace the different schools of thought or approaches to the topic, summarize what other scholars have said, and examine how they agree, disagree, and relate to each other. This is, in short, a report on all of the scholarship about a given topic (or as much as you can find). Think of this as if you are stepping into the ongoing scholarly conversation about your topic and your goal is to outline each of the strands of that conversation. This performance of research and abridging arguments of other scholars is an important part of recognizing there is an ongoing interest in the topic you are researching and it will be very important to do as you continue in your academic career. The annotated bibliography will help you situate your own argument (that of your research paper) within the existing scholarly research. Aspects of this will become crucial during your research paper since you will need to reference sources in this list in your paper. Therefore, as you are researching, you would be wise to think about what others are not saying so that you can provide the missing link. *minimum of 10 peer-reviewed sources*

Research paper – Rubric (click here)
You will produce a research paper in a scholarly format on a topic of your interest that relates to our focus of study: black feminism. I encourage you to think about topics addressed by your area of study. This is not a report or summary of different sources (literature review). Though you will use your literature review to situate your own argument, the majority of your paper should be dedicated to developing your own argument and situating your own contribution to (or criticism of) the arguments of others. Your essay must use research from scholarly sources (min. of 7 peer-reviewed sources), put forward a clear and convincing position on your topic, and follow a single citation style, format, and set of conventions (MLA, Chicago, or APA). *1500 words min.*

Lensing assignment – Rubric (click here)
This assignment asks you to use a theoretical or conceptual text as a framework to read a primary text, such as a creative or fictional work. One way to approach this is to imagine yourself as the author of the theoretical text and respond to the second text from their perspective. Therefore, the goal of this assignment is to use the concepts and ideas of the theoretical text as a “lens” to evaluate and interpret the cultural text. *1500 words min.*

ENG 106 Fall 2021 Course Schedule

(subject to change—any changes will be announced with due notice.  Homework is due for the next class session)

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3                                             

 

Week 4                                              

Week 5                                              

Week 6                                              

Week 7                                              

Week 8                                              

Week 9                                              

Week 10                                            

Week 11                                            

Week 12                                            

Week 13                                            

Week 14                                            

Week 15                                            

*

Week 16                                            

**FINAL DRAFT OF LENSING ASSIGNMENT DUE TO GOOGLE DRIVE NO LATER THAN 11:59 P.M. ON **

ENG 106. Spring 2021. University of Miami

Readings (Requires UMiami authentication)

Navigation:

Course: ENG 106, Sections T2 and U3
Institution: University of Miami
Course Location: Dooly 211
Course Time: T/TH 6:00-7:15pm (T2), T/TH 7:40-8:55pm (U3)
Course Credit hours: 3
Instructor: Preston Taylor Stone
Email: ptstone@miami.edu
Office Hours: By appointment (Virtual)

Course Description:
Contrary to popular belief, socialist ideas are not new to the American political scene. Throughout American history, there have been several left-leaning political movements who found their inspiration from Karl Marx’s writings and the philosophers and political economists who came after calling themselves Marxists. The so-called red scares of American history reveal a concerted effort by government officials and their proxies to stifle left-leaning political movements that would encourage class solidarity or redistribution of wealth in America. Unfortunately, what this has meant is that the majority of people in today’s United States do not have an accurate understanding of Marxism, its philosophy of history or its politics of economy. This course attempts to right this wrong. We will consider the economic, historical, and anthropological as well as sociological inspirations and outcomes in the American political system of Marxist thought. In short, the class will provide students with a deeper understanding of Marx, the Marxist view of history, philosophy, and political economy, and the internationalist and anti-imperialist politics that developed in the United States inspired by Marxist ideologies throughout the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries.

By reading the work of writer-activists like Emma Goldman, Eugene V. Debs, Claudia Jones, Huey P. Newton, George Jackson, Angela Y. Davis and many others, we will connect the theoretical terms Marx and other philosophers developed to different political movements of the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Finally, we will consider the contemporary moment: what kind of Marxist politics are developing in America in the 21^st century? What version of left-leaning politics can exist in the U.S. after the ‘fall’ of communism in the early 1990s? Where and how does Marxism reside in the U.S. today? 

As the purpose of ENG 106 at the University of Miami is to prepare students to enter the academic community of the university through writing, students will be required to read, interpret, research, contextualize, and write about the works introduced in the course. Students will be introduced to primary and secondary research strategies, argumentation and contextualization, and citation styles required of all successful researchers. All of these skills will pertain to the central theme of the course, in this case Marxism.

Course Goals and Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, students will exhibit the ability to

• Demonstrate effective written communication skills in relation to specific rhetorical tasks.
• Construct original, well-reasoned arguments using a range of materials
• Find, evaluate, integrate, and synthesize appropriate and relevant primary and secondary sources in their writing
• Engage in close-reading of texts
• Cite sources formally (using MLA, APA, Chicago, or other citation formats)

Required Materials

• Regular access to a computer
• Portable storage (flash drive, email, cloud, etc)
• Most texts will be provided on Google Drive and linked on the schedule section of this document. You will be expected to print and bring these to class or have full access to them during class.
• Access to Netflix streaming services and YouTube
• As far as textbooks for this class are concerned, there are two required purchases. All others will be shared via PDF

Marxism in the United States: A History of the American Left by Peter Buhle (2013 Edition)
Verso
Bookshop
Amazon

Why Marx Was Right by Terry Eagleton (2018 Edition)
Yale University Press
Bookshop
Amazon

Policies & Assignments

Participation
Students are required to attend class, come to class on time and prepared (having done the reading/s or assignment/s), at least attempt all classwork activities, turn in assigned work when due, participate fully in good faith in any peer work, participate in class discussion, focus on the work at hand, and conduct oneself in a manner appropriate to the college classroom.

Rubric for class participation

5	Student is always attentive and contributes relevant insight very often, completing all in-class assignments in a collaborative and receptive manner
4	Student is attentive and completes all in-class assignments in a collaborative and receptive manner
3	Student is distracted but completes all in-class assignments
2	Student is often distracted and off-task, hesitant and unreceptive to collaboration
1	Student does not complete in-class assignments
0	Student is absent

On Writing and Reading
This class will ask a lot of you in terms of writing and reading. You are likely to do more reading in a quicker time in this course than any other course you have taken before. I will, before class, ask that you respond to several informal prompts on Blackboard in the hopes you will at least attempt to do this work. Homework is a small part of your participation grade but will be immensely helpful to you in thinking about the texts we are discussing and formulating a topic for your final paper. I understand this is not your only class and I respect that you have a personal life beyond our classroom. Nonetheless, I expect you will come to class having at least attempted to do the assigned reading and writing all the way through and having prepared notes, ideas, or questions to discuss with the class.

Revision is a central and integral part of this course and any writing course of merit. In order for your writing to be consistently improving, you must bring it through multiple drafts of revision. Revision, then, is a requirement of this course. You will upload free-write, journaling, even outlines and sketches, to your Google Drive folder. Failure to do so will cast a burden of proof on your having done consistent revision in good faith for each assignment, and this will be reflected in your grades.

Attendance
Each student is allotted 4 unexcused absences (two whole weeks) and 3 tardies. Absences beyond this may result in deductions from the student’s final grade. Excessive absences will result in the student failing the course. After a student has been late (tardy) 3 times, each following time the student is late will result in 1/3 an absence. This means once a student has been late to class 6 times, they will receive an absence. Students who are consistently distracted in class (texting, browsing the internet, etc.) will be warned to pay closer attention to class. After this warning, if a student is continuously distracted in class, they will be marked absent. Students who acknowledge holy days on the same day(s) we have class will be excused if they have alerted the professor of all of these by the end of three days after you are enrolled in class. Absences do not excuse any due dates or work missed.

Electronics Policy and Google Drive vs. Blackboard
Each student is required to bring tablet, laptop, or similar electronic device to class in order to take notes, complete and submit in-class writing assignments, access readings or notes for class discussion, and participate in peer review. No electronic device should be a distraction from the activities of the classroom for any student. The use of laptops or tablets is allowed only to complete classroom-related activities. If electronic devices become a distraction or a means by which students avoid class participation, the student(s) in violation will receive an absence for class that day.

We will spend most of our class time working in Google Drive, a cloud-based file sharing system to which each student at the University of Miami has access. To log-in to your Google Drive, visit google.miami.edu and use the same credentials you use to access your email, Canelink, and Blackboard interfaces. You will have your own folder within the classroom’s folder (“ENG 106 S20”). Drive is where you will submit your drafts, revisions, in-class writing assignments, reflections, and peer reviews. The only thing you will not submit to this folder is your final draft to each assignment, which must be uploaded to Blackboard. It is up to you to make sure you have access to your Blackboard and Google Drive accounts and folders at all times. Inability to access Google Drive or Blackboard will not be sufficient excuse for not turning in assignments on time. For IT help, UMIT is located on the third floor of the Richter Library.

 Academic Honor Code
As a student of the University of Miami, you have agreed to uphold the Honor Code. Violation of this code includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, or academic dishonesty. The Undergraduate Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook defines each of these violations:

Cheating – Implies the intent to deceive. It includes all actions, devices and deceptions used in the attempt to commit this act. Examples include, but are not limited to, copying answers from another student’s exam, and using a cheat sheet or crib notes in an exam.

Plagiarism – is representing the words or ideas of someone else as your own. Examples include, but are not limited to, failing to properly cite direct quotes and failing to give credit for someone else’s ideas.

Collusion – is the act of working together on an academic undertaking for which a student is individually responsible. Examples include, but are not limited to, sharing information in labs that are to be done individually.

Academic Dishonesty – includes any other act not specifically covered that compromises the integrity of a student or intrudes, violates, or disturbs the academic environment of the university community. Examples are attempting or agreeing to commit, or assisting in or facilitating the commission of, any scholastic dishonesty violation, failing to appear or testify without good cause when requested by the Honor Council, failing to keep information about cases confidential, supplying false information to the Honor Council and accusing a student of a violation of this Code in bad faith.

Title II, B

Any student who violates the Honor Code will fail not only the assignment but the entire course. Each of you has the ability to think through your own unique ideas. If you are thinking of violating the Honor Code because you are overwhelmed or in distress, speak with me and we will come up with a better solution.

On Accessibility and Acceptance
Every student, no matter their identity, ideology, or ability, is welcome and valued in this class. This class will require that we confront political, social, and ideological questions that may be deemed controversial. I encourage you not to shy away from this opportunity to think through these issues. No matter what, no student should ever feel unwelcome or unsafe in this classroom. If you find that you feel inappropriately uncomfortable, consistently unsafe, or need help, please let me know immediately and I will direct you to the resources that may help. The University of Miami Counseling Center (UMCC) provides professional support to students no matter their gender expression, sexual preferences, sex, race, financial or immigration status. You can make an appointment by calling 305-284-5511, by visiting counseling.studentaffairs.miami.edu, or by visiting the counseling center on Merrick Dr. (across from the Pavia Garage).

Students with accessibility requirements are provided for by the University of Miami’s Office of Disability Services (ODS) and may contact this office at 305-284-2374 or disabilityservices@miami.edu to make any requests for accessibility. If you have trouble contacting the ODS, let me know and I will help you. If you have contacted the ODS and have any requirements of me, please be sure to let me know as soon as possible.

Turning in assignments 
Papers should be submitted on Blackboard or Google Drive on the day and at the specified time they are due. Each day a paper is late, there will be a deduction of 10% from the grade. All assignments are assigned in due time to be completed by each student on time. It is your own job to make sure you do not forget deadlines and that you turn your assignments into the correct platform (Blackboard, email, or Google Drive). Every deadline is listed on this document in the schedule section, on the assignment sheets themselves, and verbally said in class. If you require an extension(s) for your assignment(s), you must request them of the instructor at least three class periods (over a week) prior to the due date of the assignment. Under no circumstances is the instructor required to grant you an extension(s). No late blackboard posts will be accepted.

The Writing Center (www.as.miami.edu/writingcenter) can help you at any stage of the writing process.  Appointments are suggested, but they also accept ‘walk-in’ visits.  If I think it’s necessary, I will ask you to use the Writing Center on a regular basis. Please note that all appointments are currently being held online until further notice.  To make an online appointment, make an account at the above link/sign in as usual and choose an available time.

OWL @ Purdue is a great online resource for writing and research techniques. It can be located at https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html.

Extra Credit is not available or permitted in this course. I do not allow extra credit for several reasons: put simply, it is unfair to those who have committed to the work required of this class if others are able to do extra work for credit. Moreover, extra credit requires extra effort and time to which I am unable to commit for reading, annotating, grading, and categorizing within the gradebook.

On Communication
I will make a point to learn each of your names and I expect you will learn to use one another’s name in conversation, as well (“I agree with what ___ said”). This will create a welcoming and meaningful culture for our classroom. If you have a question about the policies or assignments for this class, you may speak to me before, during, or after class, via email, or in office hours. I will make a point to reply to your email within 24-to-48 hours. If you have not received a response from me after two days, you should email me again. Please do not email me to ask questions about an assignment one or two days before it is due as this will not allow due time for me to respond and for you to use this answer in writing your assignment.

Grades
If you have a question or concern about an assignment or participation grade, please come and see me during my office hours or talk with me before or after class to arrange a meeting.  Due to federal requirements, UM faculty are not permitted to discuss grades via email or phone, so we will need to meet in person and in private.

Overall Grade Distribution:

Attendance/Class participation	10%
Blackboard Posts	15%
Quizzes	10%
Reading Annotations	15%
Annotated Bibliography	20%
Research Essay	15%
Lensing Assignment	15%
Total	100%

Grading Scale:

A	940-1000
A-	900-939
B+	870-899
B	830-869
B-	800-829
C+	770-799
C	730-769
C-	700-729
D+	670-699
D	600-669
F	0-599

Assignments

Blackboard reading responses
The night before most reading assignments are due, you will be asked to respond to a specific prompt or question related to the reading. These responses are designed to stimulate your thinking about the text and the course themes and help prepare you for class discussion. They are also great places to start generating ideas for your essays and research projects. These posts will be graded based on completion, but thoughtful responses will enrich our class discussions and help you develop confidence in your ideas, critical reading skills, and writing. All posts are due before class time. To earn full points on your reading responses, you will need to write thoughtful answers in full sentences and/or paragraphs and submit your post before class time. *200-300 words each*

In-class writing responses
Often on Thursday, we will have ‘Through-line Thursday’ where you and a partner will connect a minimum of two and a maximum of four sources, one of which must include the reading for that Thursday. The other sources could be something we have previously discussed in this course or something you read, saw, heard outside of class. The point of this assignment is to practice making connections between different cultural texts, a skill you will be required to showcase in the research paper (discussed below). Whereas the Blackboard reading responses test reading comprehension (that you understand what you read), these in-class writing responses will test argumentation (that you have thoughts about what you’ve read). These assignments are written in groups and while quotations will be helpful to make your connections between sources, this must be original work so the majority of the writing should be that of yourself and your group member(s). These assignments are turned in on Blackboard. *250-350 words each*

Quizzes
Throughout the semester, we will have brief quizzes on common grammatical mistakes, citation formatting, and comprehension of reading assignments. All of these will be reviewed ahead of time and all will be open-notes, so you should not stress about these. However, because you will only be allotted a certain amount of time to complete these quizzes, you should still familiarize yourself with the material before the day of the quiz.

Scholarly Questions & Reading Annotation
This project asks each student to annotate readings and post questions about the readings. This is an on-going assignment throughout the first half of the semester—you have until March 1 to complete 1000 words of annotations and log them onto your annotation sheet that you turn in. The instructor will explain how to do this logging; however, the annotation that you do should be fairly simple. For each reading, the link will take you to a PDF in Google Drive. Highlighting certain words and phrases will result in a comment button appearing next to where you have highlighted words. You can annotate by clicking on this “Add Comment” button. For scholarly questions regarding the readings, you should use Dr. Kyla Tompkins’ pointers to make sure that the question you are posing is the best it can be. *1000 words min.*

Annotated Bibliography 
This assignment will act as Part 1 of your research project. After selecting a topic for your project, you will conduct research and provide an overview of the existing body of research on the topic—trace the different schools of thought or approaches to the topic, summarize what other scholars have said, and examine how they agree, disagree, and relate to each other. This is, in short, a report on all of the scholarship about a given topic (or as much as you can find). Think of this as if you are stepping into the ongoing scholarly conversation about your topic and your goal is to outline each of the strands of that conversation. This performance of research and abridging arguments of other scholars is an important part of recognizing there is an ongoing interest in the topic you are researching and it will be very important to do as you continue in your academic career. The annotated bibliography will help you situate your own argument (that of your research paper) within the existing scholarly research. Aspects of this will become crucial during your research paper since you will need to reference sources in this list in your paper. Therefore, as you are researching, you would be wise to think about what others are not saying so that you can provide the missing link. *minimum of 10 peer-reviewed sources*

Research paper
You will produce a research paper in a scholarly format on a topic of your interest that relates to our focus of study: Marxism in America. I encourage you to think about topics addressed by your area of study. This is not a report or summary of different sources (literature review). Though you will use your annotated bibliography to situate your own argument, the majority of your paper should be dedicated to developing your own argument and situating your own contribution to (or criticism of) the arguments of others. Your essay must use research from scholarly sources (min. of 7 peer-reviewed sources), put forward a clear and convincing position on your topic, and follow a single citation style, format, and set of conventions (MLA, Chicago, or APA). *1500 words min.*

Lensing assignment (potential multimodal presentation)
This assignment asks you to use a theoretical or conceptual text as a framework to read a primary text, such as a creative or fictional work. One way to approach this is to imagine yourself as the author of the theoretical text and respond to the second text from their perspective. Therefore, the goal of this assignment is to use the concepts and ideas of the theoretical text as a “lens” to evaluate and interpret the cultural text. Your paper may be given in multimodal form (with graphics, animations, etc.) or in a traditional written format. *1500 words min.*

Schedule*

Week 1

T   1/26 PPT for reviewing Syllabus, Drive, Topic

(If time permits) “What is an argument?” assignment

Homework: Read through syllabus to prepare for open-notes quiz, discussion board post: what do you think of when you think of Marxism? What perceptions do you have about it?; Watch Chicken Run on Hulu or Spirited Away on HBO Max

R   1/28 Quiz #1 on the Syllabus

“The Beast” by Claude McKay

Discuss Scholarly Questions & Reading Citations Assignment

Karl Marx and the Commodity

Homework: Watch The Gilded Age on PBS; Read from Kathleen Sears, Socialism 101 p. 1-32; discussion board post

Week 2

T   2/2 Introduce close-reading

Basics of Socialism, Marxism

The Gilded Age in America and Why it Created Labor Movements

Homework: Read from Kathleen Sears, Socialism 101 p. 33-47 & listen to RevLeft Radio ep. From Oct 11 2020 or ep. from Sep 22 2017; discussion board post

R   2/4 Christian Socialism, Liberation Theology, and Associationism

Review citation style: MLA, APA, Chicago

Homework: Read from Immanuel Wallerstein, Historical Capitalism Ch. 1, “The Commodification of Everything: The Production of Capital”; listen to RevLeft Radio ep. From Oct 1 2020; discussion board post

Recommended/Further Reading: 

• Immanuel Wallerstein, Historical Capitalism Ch. 2
• Listen to RevLeft Radio ep. from Dec 8 2018
• Listen to RevLeft Radio ep. from Feb 3 2019

Week 3

T   2/9 The Commodification of Everything

Homework: Read from Tony Michels, A Fire in Their Hearts: Yiddish Socialists in New York p. 1-25 (Introduction); discussion board post

R   2/11 Grammar I

Socialism in American Jewish History / Immigrant Socialism

Homework: Read from Toni Michels, Jewish Radicals: A Documentary History p. 41-69, 93-94, 97-98, 104-108; discussion board post

Recommended/Further Reading: 

• Toni Michels, A Fire in Their Hearts: Yiddish Socialists in New York p. 69-124
• Paul Buhle, Marxism in the United States: A History of the American Left p. 46-57
• History and Periodicals of the United States on Marxists.org

Week 4

T   2/16 Jewish Radicalism & the Socialist Party

Close-reading Workshop 

Homework: Read from Paul Buhle, Marxism in the United States: A History of the American Left Ch. 2 (pp. 58-85); discussion board post

R   2/18 Quiz #2

American Socialism, American Culture

Guest Talk on Radical Periodicals at the Turn of the Century, John Funchion (Associate Professor of English at University of Miami)

Homework: Read from Paul Buhle, Marxism in the United States: A History of the American Left Ch. 3 (pp. 86-120 — see below, you should try to read as much as you can but focus your energy on the pages assigned to you); discussion board post

Pgs	Who focuses on them
pp. 86-97	Trey, Abigail, Sam, David, Richard, Pablo
pp. 97-106	Abiel, Jasmine, Vittorio, Melanie, Noelle, Nathan, Noah
pp. 107-120	Jonathan O., Nick-Richard, Jonathan P., Clara, Eddy, Jesse

Recommended/Further Reading: 

• Listen to RevLeft Radio ep. from Mar 19 2020

Week 5

T   2/23 The First Red Scare

Homework: Read from Paul Buhle, Marxism in the United States: A History of the American Left Ch. 4 (pp. 121-154) and “The Black Bolsheviks” in Socialist Worker; discussion board post

Recommended/Further Reading:

• Listen to RevLeft Radio ep. from Sep 10 2019

R   2/25 Black Bolshevism & Leninism in America

Homework: Read from Angela Davis, Women, Race & Class ch. 10 and Claudia Jones, “An end to the neglect of the problems of the Negro woman!” & “We Seek Full Equality for Women”; discussion board post // Reminder: Reading Annotations due by 11:59pm on 3/1

Week 6

T   3/2 Grammar II

Communist Women

Review Annotated Bibliography assignment

Homework: Read “Propaganda of History” from W.E.B. DuBois’s Black Reconstruction in America; discussion board post

R   3/4 Close-Read Prologue of ZAMI

Culture Critique

Homework: Read from Paul Buhle, Marxism in the United States: A History of the American Left p. 199-220 [for those who do not have the physical book, this is the subheading “Trotskyism and the Search for Alternatives” in Chapter 6 until the end of the chapter]; discussion board post

Week 7

T   3/9 Quiz #3

CLR James and the Beginning of the New Left

Homework: Read from Paul Buhle, Marxism in the United States: A History of the American Left Ch. 7 (221-257); Watch The Trial of the Chicago 7 on Netflix; discussion board post

R   3/11 The New Left

Homework: Read Foreword by Jonathan Jackson, Jr. from Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson (p. xiii-xxv)

Recommended/Further Reading: 

• Ch. 3 from Assata Shakur, Assata: An Autobiography

Week 8

T   3/16 Midterm Reflections

Black Radicalism in the 1970s-1980s: George Jackson, Angela Davis, and Assata Shakur

Homework: Read from Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson p. 3-31

Recommended/Further Reading: 

• Ch. 1-2 from Angela Y. Davis, Are Prisons Obsolete?
• Listen to RevLeft Radio ep. from Feb 8 2018

R   3/18 2 Letters by George L. Jackson

Angela Y. Davis

Homework: Read from The Huey P. Newton Reader p. 160-179 and at least 3 sections from the following

1. From “In Defense of Self-Defense” I: June 20, 1967 (p. 134-137)
2. From “In Defense of Self-Defense” II: July 3, 1967 (p. 138-141)
3. The Correct Handling of a Revolution: July 20, 1967 (p. 142-146)
4. A Functional Definition of Politics, January 17, 1969 (p. 147-149)
5. The Women’s Liberation and Gay Liberation Movements: August 15, 1970 (p. 157-159)
6. Uniting Against a Common Enemy: October 23, 1971 (p. 234-240)
7. On Pan-Africanism or Communism: December 1, 1972 (p. 248-255)

Recommended/Further Reading:

• Introduction to The Huey P. Newton Reader by David Hilliard
• “On the Peace Movement: August 15, 1969” from The Huey P. Newton Reader (p. 150-153)
• “Black Capitalism Re-analyzed I: June 5, 1971” from The Huey P. Newton Reader (p. 227-233)
• Listen to RevLeft Radio ep. from Feb 24 2019
• Listen to RevLeftRadio ep. from Jan 22 2018

Week 9

T   3/23 Huey P. Newton and the BPP

Homework: Prepare draft of Annotated Bibliography before class for in-class workshop

R   3/25 Annotated Bibliography workshop **Class Held On Zoom**

Homework: Read all of Stuart Hall’s essay “Cultural Studies: two paradigms” and Section I of “Gramsci’s relevance for the study of race and ethnicity”; discussion board post; Annotated Bibliography due no later than Wed March 31 at 3pm EST

Recommended/Further Reading:

• Sections II and III of “Gramsci’s relevance for the study of race and ethnicity”
• Raymond Williams, Marxism and Literature Chapter 1-4
• Antonio Gramsci, “Questions of Culture” and “Socialism and Culture”
• Listen to RevLeft Radio ep. from Feb 12 2020
• Listen to RevLeftRadio ep. from Sep 10 2017

Week 10

T   3/30 Review Research Essay assignment

Antonio Gramsci and Cultural Studies

Homework: Read “Introduction: Queer of Color Critique, Historical Materialism, and Canonical Sociology” from Aberrations in Black: Toward a Queer of Color Critique by Roderick A. Ferguson; discussion board post

R   4/1 Black Queer Marxism

Homework: Read the Introduction of Histories of Racial Capitalism, edited by Destin Jenkins and Justin Leroy; Listen to RevLeft Radio ep. from Oct 23 2017 or RevLeft ep. from Feb 14 2018 discussion board post

Recommended/Further Reading:

• Listen to RevLeft Radio ep. from Mar 26 2018

Week 11

T   4/6 Racial Capitalism

Geographies of Racial Capitalism (Short Documentary)

Homework: Read from Terry Eagleton, Why Marx Was Right Preface of Second Edition, Original Preface and Ch. 1-2; discussion board post; watch Bee Movie on Netflix

R   4/8 Grammar III

Eagleton Preface i, ii and Ch. 1-2

Homework: Read from Terry Eagleton, Why Marx Was Right Ch. 3 and watch In Time (2011) – links below; Prepare draft for research essay workshop

iTunes Google Play Amazon YouTube Movies

Week 12

T   4/13 Ch. 3 of Eagleton

Research Essay Workshop

Homework: Watch Children of Men (2006) on Peacock for free, or rent on other platform; Read from Terry Eagleton, Why Marx Was Right Ch. 4; discussion board post

R   4/15 Ch. 4 Eagleton

Homework: Research essay due no later than Fri., 4/16 at 11:59pm; Read from Terry Eagleton, Why Marx Was Right Ch. 7 and watch 13th on Netflix; discussion board post

Week 13

T   4/20 Review Lensing Assignment

Ch. 7 Eagleton

Homework: Read from Terry Eagleton, Why Marx Was Right Ch. 8 and watch Capital in the Twenty-First Century on Netflix; discussion board post

R   4/22 Ch. 8 Eagleton

Homework: Read from Terry Eagleton, Why Marx Was Right Ch. 9 and watch Saving Capitalism on Netflix; discussion board post

Week 14

T   4/27 Ch. 9 Eagleton

Homework: Read from Terry Eagleton, Why Marx Was Right Ch. 10-Conclusion and watch Requiem for the American Dream on YouTube; discussion board post

R   4/29 Ch. 10 Eagleton

Conclusion of Class

Final Reflections

Homework: Draft of Lensing Assignment due no later than Friday, April 30th in order to receive comments from professor;

**Lensing Assignment due no later than May 7 at 11:59 p.m.**

*Course schedule is fluid and may require alterations throughout the semester depending on different, unforeseen events or complications. All changes will be announced both in class and via Blackboard/email announcements in due time for students to receive and adjust their plans accordingly.

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). Summer 2. 2021

Course Title: “Introduction to Critical Theory”
Duration: Six Weeks
Course: Summer 2 of 2021
Dates: June 11-July 16, 2021
Time: Fridays 3:00pm-4:45pm

Course Description:
The contemporary world has seen more changes in status of citizenship, nationality, legal personhood, and migration than ever before. It is, therefore, important that we discuss how these changes impact our lives and the lives of others with whom we share this world. This course will center around arguments of citizenship, migration, and incarceration. We will read different accounts of experience, theory, and law surrounding these themes in order first to have a better and more holistic understanding of the issues of our present day and second to deconstruct the arguments and evidence each of the readings put forward so that we can understand how to make compelling arguments of our own. No previous knowledge is required for enjoyment of this course.

Suggested purchases (in order of importance):

1. The Penguin Book of Migration Literature (2019) ed. by Dohra Ahmad
2. Regarding the Pain of Others (2003) by Susan Sontag

Schedule (readings are meant to be done before the class during which they will be discussed)

June 11 – Migration Studies: Discipline and Literature

June 18 – The Migrant Crises in America before 1950

June 25– The Migrant Crises in America since 1950 

July 2 – Policing the Crises: Militarization of Borders, Incarceration of Migrants, and the Wealth Behind It All

July 9 – Migration Literature, Part 1

July 16 – Migration Literature, Part 2 

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). Summer 1. 2021

Course Title: “Introduction to Critical Theory”
Duration: Six Weeks
Course: Summer 1 of 2021
Dates: April 23-May 28, 2021
Time: Fridays 3:00pm-4:45pm

Course Description:
Black Feminism largely developed out of the writings and speeches of nineteenth century black women abolitionists like Ida B. Wells and Sojourner Truth. Since then, it has developed into an academic form of study that focuses largely on the systems of power that structure the institutions of our society: the economy, the state, culture, race and gender. This series will familiarize attendants with the writings and teachings of black feminists like Truth and Wells. At the root of Black Feminism is the notion that lived experience is itself theory. We will trace the historical and rhetorical development of black feminist practice and theory by discussing the work of scholars like Claudia Jones, M. Jacqui Alexander, Barbara Smith, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Patricia Hill Collins, Angela Y. Davis, bell hooks, and Hazel V. Carby, along with writers like Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde, Roxane Gay, Claudia Rankine and musical and cultural artists like Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Nina Simone, Beyoncé, Janelle Monáe, Nicki Minaj, Young M.A., Megan Thee Stallion, and SZA.

Suggested purchases (in order of importance):

1. Seeking the Beloved Community: A Feminist Race Reader by Joy James (2013)
2. Women, Race & Class by Angela Y. Davis (1981)

Schedule (readings are meant to be done before the class during which they will be discussed)

April 23 – What We Don’t Know We Don’t Know: Black feminism during Slavery

April 30 – From Emancipation to Women’s Suffrage: How Racism Got Into the Women’s Movement

May 7 – From Claudia Jones to the Combahee River Collective 

May 14 – The Peak of Theory: Black Feminism from 1974-1990

May 21 – The Long 1990s

May 28 – Queer Black Feminism; or, Black Feminism in the 21st Century 

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). Spring 2. 2021

Course Title: “Introduction to Critical Theory”
Duration: Six Weeks
Course: Spring 2 of 2021
Dates: March 5-April 9, 2021
Time: Fridays 3:00pm-4:45pm

Course Description:
Often seen as institutionally beginning with the Frankfurt School after the end of the Second World War, Critical Theory names the set of methodologies that come from scholars in order to understand social, political and historical phenomena of the modern world. Mostly inspired by Georg Hegel, Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Sigmund Freud, the writers of the ‘first generation’ of critical theorists sought to re-assess critical theory given the horrors of totalitarianism during WWII and the Stalinist reign of terror. By the 1980s, critical theory had become the preeminent mode of academic writing for disciplines as varied as anthropology, sociology, literature, and political science. After the founding of the Centre for Critical Cultural Studies (CCCS) in Birmingham, UK, a new form of critical theory arose, what is called today cultural studies. This course follows the trajectory of critical theory from Marx to contemporary cultural studies. Students will be introduced to theoretical and methodological approaches to history, science, politics, and literature that have for many decades seized the academy. No previous knowledge is required for enjoyment of this course.

Suggested purchases (in order of importance):

1. Global Literary Theory edited by Richard J. Lane / $26 (used) from Amazon
   [definitely make sure to get a used copy or else you will end up paying a pretty hefty price]

2. Literary Theory: An Introduction by Terry Eagleton / $18 from Amazon
   Luckily, I was able to find the PDF version of this text online. So, if you don’t mind having the digital version of the book as opposed to the physical book itself, then don’t buy this one. I’ve emailed the full text as a PDF.

Schedule (readings are meant to be done before the class during which they will be discussed)

March 5 – The Object of Critical Theory: Society in Hegel, Marx, Weber, & Freud

March 12 – The Frankfurt School: Adorno, Horkheimer, Marcuse, Benjamin, Habermas

March 19 – Structuralism and Post-Structuralism: Claude Lévi-Strauss, Jacques Derrida, and Michel Foucault

March 26 – Cultural Studies: Antonio Gramsci, Raymond Williams, Stuart Hall

April 2 – After the 1960s: Critical Black Studies and Native American Studies

April 9 – Gender and Sexuality Studies, Affect Studies, Performance Studies

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). Spring 1. 2021

Course Title: “The Harlem Renaissance”
Duration: Six Weeks
Course: Spring 1 of 2021
Dates: January 15 – February 19, 2021
Time: Fridays 3:00pm-4:45pm

Course Description:
Amiri Baraka referred to the Harlem Renaissance as a “BangClash” and “Vicious Modernism.” In this course we will commit to reflecting, interrogating, and delighting in the literary and cultural moment in the African American community of the first quarter of the Twentieth Century, known today as the Harlem Renaissance. While the Renaissance centered urban metropoles like New York, the aesthetic regime of the renaissance was felt around the world. We will encounter the works of Claude McKay, Nella Larson, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Countee Cullen, Richard Bruce Nugent, Alain Locke, Marita Bonner, Paul Robeson, George Schuyler, as well as the intellectual work of thinkers like W.E.B. DuBois and the musical work of blues legends like Ma Rainey. Important to this constellation of thought are the movements known today as Marcus Garveyism, Afrocentrism, and Négritude, which we will discuss in due time, as well.

Suggested purchases (in order of importance):

1. The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader. Edited by David Levering Lewis. Penguin, 1994.
2. The New Negro: Readings on Race, Representation, and African American Culture, 1892-1938. Edited by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Gene Andrew Jarrett. Princeton University Press, 2007.

Schedule (readings are meant to be done before the class during which they will be discussed)

January 15 – “The New Negro”: What was the Harlem Renaissance?

January 22 – Aesthetics, Politics: Alain Locke and W.E.B. DuBois alongside Nella Larson’s Passing

January 29 – Harlem in the South: Zora Neale Hurston and Jean Toomer

February 5 – Claude McKay: poetry, novels, politics

February 12 – Gay Harlem: Ma Rainey, Richard Brice Nugent, Langston Hughes

February 19 – Négritude, Marcus Garveyism, and the Global Echoes of the Renaissance

Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). Fall 2. 2020.

Course Title: “Who is Looting Whom?”: James Baldwin and the Right to Riot
Duration: Six Weeks
Course: Fall 2 of 2020
Time: Fridays, 3:00pm-4:45pm

Course description:
Eminent queer black essayist, novelist, and public intellectual James Baldwin says in an interview published in Esquire’s July 1968 issue (published just after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.):

How would you define somebody who puts a cat where he is and takes all the money out of the ghetto where he makes it? Who is looting whom? Grabbing off the TV set? He doesn’t really want the TV set. He’s saying screw you. He wants to let you know he’s there…

The mass media—television and all the major news agencies—endlessly use that word ‘looter.’ On television you always see black hands reaching in, you know. And so the American public concludes that these savages are trying to steal everything from us, and no one has seriously tried to get where the trouble is. After all, you’re accusing a captive population who has been robbed of everything of looting.

James Baldwin in July 1968 for Esquire magazine

In an interview after the LA riots of 1992, Nobel Laureate Toni Morrison says, “What struck me most about the people who were burning down shops and stealing was how long they waited.” And famously, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. himself said, “The riot is the language of the oppressed.”

In this 6-week course, we will discuss the nonfiction works of James Baldwin—essays about his writing, about the place of literature in politics, about ‘the Negro’ in the American imaginary—and ask the question ‘what politics do the riot represent?’ As Baldwin points out, media representations of what we call ‘looting’ offers a particular set of assumptions about who is looting and from whom they are looting—almost always assumptions along racial lines. This course, therefore, will use the essays of James Baldwin and others to discuss how the riot has been formed in the American imaginary.

Suggested purchases: James Baldwin: Collected Essays

Schedule (readings are meant to be done before the class during which they will be discussed)

ENG 106. Spring 2020. University of Miami

Readings (Requires UMiami authentication)

Navigation:

Course: ENG 106, Section U4
Institution: University of Miami
Instructor: Preston Taylor Stone (pts25@miami.edu)
Office hours: W 1:30-3:30pm (Ferré 101)
Course Location: Dooly 109
Course time: T/R   6:35-7:50pm
Course Credit Hours: 3

Course Description:
In this class, we will embark on a hermeneutic analysis of cultural texts that focus on power, race, and migration. In other words, we will examine how we create, experience, and interpret cultural texts that feature narratives of race and migration in order to think through the human cost of structures of power. We will encounter different ways that researchers have focused on this issue and ask how we undermine or validate the structures of power in our society. Turning to cultural texts like films, novels, and memoirs will help us situate narratives of migration and race into wider frameworks like cultures and societies.This course is broken up into two parts: (1) Migration and Power and (2) Race and Power. Please note that you do not need any previous knowledge on this subject to succeed in this course.

This course will sharpen your analytical reading and writing skills as well as introduce you to academic research methods through a multidisciplinary approach to studying different forms of exploitation during our contemporary and preceding eras. In this course, we will work on writing strategies and skills applicable to all fields and majors, such as textual analysis, researching and locating scholarly sources, and constructing an argument in conversation with existing research. However, we will also consider the differences in academic writing styles among disciplines such as the natural sciences, social sciences, business, and the humanities. As such, you will be responsible for learning the citation style and academic writing conventions of your chosen field or discipline. 

Course Goals and Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, students will demonstrate the ability to:

• Demonstrate effective written communication skills in relation to specific rhetorical tasks.
• Construct original, well-reasoned arguments using a range of materials
• Find, evaluate, integrate, and synthesize appropriate and relevant primary and secondary sources in their writing
• Engage in close-reading of texts
• Cite sources formally (using MLA, APA, Chicago, or other citation formats)

Required Texts

• Regular access to a computer
• Access to Netflix streaming services
• Portable storage (flash drive, email, cloud, etc)
• Most texts will be provided on Blackboard and linked on the schedule section of this document. You will be expected to print and bring these to class or have full access to them during class. The texts that will not be provided via Blackboard PDF will be required purchases for students. These required purchases are listed below:

Heads of the Colored People: Stories by Nafissa Thompson-Spires
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
IndieBound

Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
IndieBound

Policies & Assignments

Participation
Students are required to attend class, come to class on time and prepared (having done the reading/s or assignment/s), at least attempt all classwork activities, turn in assigned work when due, participate fully in good faith in any peer work, participate in class discussion, focus on the work at hand, and conduct oneself in a manner appropriate to the college classroom.

Rubric for class participation

5	Student is always attentive and contributes relevant insight very often, completing all in-class assignments in a collaborative and receptive manner
4	Student is attentive and completes all in-class assignments in a collaborative and receptive manner
3	Student is distracted but completes all in-class assignments
2	Student is often distracted and off-task, hesitant and unreceptive to collaboration
1	Student does not complete in-class assignments
0	Student is absent

On Writing and Reading
This class will ask a lot of you in terms of writing and reading. You are likely to do more reading in a quicker time in this course than any other course you have taken before. I will, before class, ask that you respond to several informal prompts on Blackboard in the hopes you will at least attempt to do this work. Homework is a small part of your participation grade but will be immensely helpful to you in thinking about the texts we are discussing and formulating a topic for your final paper. I understand this is not your only class and I respect that you have a personal life beyond our classroom. Nonetheless, I expect you will come to class having at least attempted to do the assigned reading and writing all the way through and having prepared notes, ideas, or questions to discuss with the class.

Revision is a central and integral part of this course and any writing course of merit. In order for your writing to be consistently improving, you must bring it through multiple drafts of revision. Revision, then, is a requirement of this course. You will upload free-write, journaling, even outlines and sketches, to your Google Drive folder. Failure to do so will cast a burden of proof on your having done consistent revision in good faith for each assignment, and this will be reflected in your grades.

Attendance
Each student is allotted 4 unexcused absences (two whole weeks) and 3 tardies. Absences beyond this may result in deductions from the student’s final grade. Excessive absences will result in the student failing the course. After a student has been late (tardy) 3 times, each following time the student is late will result in 1/3 an absence. This means once a student has been late to class 6 times, they will receive an absence. Students who are consistently distracted in class (texting, browsing the internet, etc.) will be warned to pay closer attention to class. After this warning, if a student is continuously distracted in class, they will be marked absent. Students who acknowledge holy days on the same day(s) we have class will be excused if they have alerted the professor of all of these by the end of three days after you are enrolled in class. Absences do not excuse any due dates or work missed.

Electronics Policy and Google Drive vs. Blackboard
Each student is required to bring tablet, laptop, or similar electronic device to class in order to take notes, complete and submit in-class writing assignments, access readings or notes for class discussion, and participate in peer review. No electronic device should be a distraction from the activities of the classroom for any student. The use of laptops or tablets is allowed only to complete classroom-related activities. If electronic devices become a distraction or a means by which students avoid class participation, the student(s) in violation will receive an absence for class that day.

We will spend most of our class time working in Google Drive, a cloud-based file sharing system to which each student at the University of Miami has access. To log-in to your Google Drive, visit google.miami.edu and use the same credentials you use to access your email, Canelink, and Blackboard interfaces. You will have your own folder within the classroom’s folder (“ENG 106 S20”). Drive is where you will submit your drafts, revisions, in-class writing assignments, reflections, and peer reviews. The only thing you will not submit to this folder is your final draft to each assignment, which must be uploaded to Blackboard. It is up to you to make sure you have access to your Blackboard and Google Drive accounts and folders at all times. Inability to access Google Drive or Blackboard will not be sufficient excuse for not turning in assignments on time. For IT help, UMIT is located on the third floor of the Richter Library.

 Academic Honor Code
As a student of the University of Miami, you have agreed to uphold the Honor Code. Violation of this code includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, or academic dishonesty. The Undergraduate Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook defines each of these violations:

Cheating – Implies the intent to deceive. It includes all actions, devices and deceptions used in the attempt to commit this act. Examples include, but are not limited to, copying answers from another student’s exam, and using a cheat sheet or crib notes in an exam.

Plagiarism – is representing the words or ideas of someone else as your own. Examples include, but are not limited to, failing to properly cite direct quotes and failing to give credit for someone else’s ideas.

Collusion – is the act of working together on an academic undertaking for which a student is individually responsible. Examples include, but are not limited to, sharing information in labs that are to be done individually.

Academic Dishonesty – includes any other act not specifically covered that compromises the integrity of a student or intrudes, violates, or disturbs the academic environment of the university community. Examples are attempting or agreeing to commit, or assisting in or facilitating the commission of, any scholastic dishonesty violation, failing to appear or testify without good cause when requested by the Honor Council, failing to keep information about cases confidential, supplying false information to the Honor Council and accusing a student of a violation of this Code in bad faith.

Title II, B

Any student who violates the Honor Code will fail not only the assignment but the entire course. Each of you has the ability to think through your own unique ideas. If you are thinking of violating the Honor Code because you are overwhelmed or in distress, speak with me and we will come up with a better solution.

On Accessibility and Acceptance
Every student, no matter their identity, ideology, or ability, is welcome and valued in this class. This class will require that we confront political, social, and ideological questions that may be deemed controversial. I encourage you not to shy away from this opportunity to think through these issues. No matter what, no student should ever feel unwelcome or unsafe in this classroom. If you find that you feel inappropriately uncomfortable, consistently unsafe, or need help, please let me know immediately and I will direct you to the resources that may help. The University of Miami Counseling Center (UMCC) provides professional support to students no matter their gender expression, sexual preferences, sex, race, financial or immigration status. You can make an appointment by calling 305-284-5511, by visiting counseling.studentaffairs.miami.edu, or by visiting the counseling center on Merrick Dr. (across from the Pavia Garage).

Students with accessibility requirements are provided for by the University of Miami’s Office of Disability Services (ODS) and may contact this office at 305-284-2374 or disabilityservices@miami.edu to make any requests for accessibility. If you have trouble contacting the ODS, let me know and I will help you. If you have contacted the ODS and have any requirements of me, please be sure to let me know as soon as possible.

Turning in assignments 
Papers should be submitted on Blackboard or Google Drive on the day and at the specified time they are due. Each day a paper is late, there will be a deduction of 10% from the grade. All assignments are assigned in due time to be completed by each student on time. It is your own job to make sure you do not forget deadlines and that you turn your assignments into the correct platform (Blackboard, email, or Google Drive). Every deadline is listed on this document in the schedule section, on the assignment sheets themselves, and verbally said in class. If you require an extension(s) for your assignment(s), you must request them of the instructor at least three class periods (over a week) prior to the due date of the assignment. Under no circumstances is the instructor required to grant you an extension(s). No late blackboard posts will be accepted.

The Writing Center (www.as.miami.edu/writingcenter) can help you at any stage of the writing process.  Appointments are suggested, but they also accept ‘walk-in’ visits.  If I think it’s necessary, I will ask you to use the Writing Center on a regular basis. Please note that all appointments are currently being held online until further notice.  To make an online appointment, make an account at the above link/sign in as usual and choose an available time.

OWL @ Purdue is a great online resource for writing and research techniques. It can be located at https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html.

Extra Credit is not available or permitted in this course. I do not allow extra credit for several reasons: put simply, it is unfair to those who have committed to the work required of this class if others are able to do extra work for credit. Moreover, extra credit requires extra effort and time to which I am unable to commit for reading, annotating, grading, and categorizing within the gradebook.

On Communication
I will make a point to learn each of your names and I expect you will learn to use one another’s name in conversation, as well (“I agree with what ___ said”). This will create a welcoming and meaningful culture for our classroom. If you have a question about the policies or assignments for this class, you may speak to me before, during, or after class, via email, or in office hours. I will make a point to reply to your email within 24-to-48 hours. If you have not received a response from me after two days, you should email me again. Please do not email me to ask questions about an assignment one or two days before it is due as this will not allow due time for me to respond and for you to use this answer in writing your assignment.

Grades
If you have a question or concern about an assignment or participation grade, please come and see me during my office hours or talk with me before or after class to arrange a meeting.  Due to federal requirements, UM faculty are not permitted to discuss grades via email or phone, so we will need to meet in person and in private.

Overall Grade Distribution:

Attendance/Class participation	100pts
Comparative Context analysis	150pts
Lensing Assignment	150pts
Short Close Reading	150pts
Literature Review	150pts
Research Paper	300pts
Total	1000pts

Grading Scale:

A	940-1000
A-	900-939
B+	870-899
B	830-869
B-	800-829
C+	770-799
C	730-769
C-	700-729
D+	670-699
D	600-669
F	0-599

Rubric for written assignments

A	Student’s argument is clear, concise, and thought-through.Student’s essay has little to no grammatical errorsStudent’s essay is carefully crafted to suit its reader and contains a strong personal voiceStudent’s writing itself is effective because it offers fierce insight, vivid details, strong analysis, and solid evidence Evidence is selected and presented carefully for relevance and effectivenessStudent’s essay demonstrates the writer’s ability to actively read and respond to difficult textsStudent’s essay is turned in on time.
B	Student’s argument is fairly clear and concise but lingers about at times.Student’s essay has a few grammatical errorsStudent’s essay needs further development in areas such as organization, textual support, or analysisStudent’s essay needs further revision to adjust sentence structure and/or provide smoother transitions between sentences and paragraphsStudent’s essay showcases clear and strong writing but the writer may still be unsure of her voice, audience, or styleWriting demonstrates strong awareness of assignment goals and purpose but may not incorporate relevant evidence effectivelyStudent’s essay is turned in on time.
C	Student’s argument is unclear but the essay meets the word requirementStudent’s essay has more than a few grammatical errors but is still readableStudent’s essay contains all the requirements of the assignment in adequate form, but shows vague or confused awareness of assignment goals and purposeStudent’s essay does not include relevant evidence or does not connect this evidence effectively to argumentStudent’s assignment is turned in late
D	Student’s argument is unclear and awkwardly phrasedStudent’s essay under the word requirement Student’s grammar is nearly unreadableStudent’s writing shows a carelessness in structure and mechanics which detract from the overall quality of the workWriting reflects serious problems with development of ideas, organization, and minimal effort toward revisionStudent’s essay offers no evidence from the text to support claims
F	Student did not turn in assignment

Assignments

Blackboard reading responses
The night before most reading assignments are due, you will be asked to respond to a specific prompt or question related to the reading. These responses are designed to stimulate your thinking about the text and the course themes and help prepare you for class discussion. They are also great places to start generating ideas for your essays and research projects. These posts will be graded based on completion, but thoughtful responses will enrich our class discussions and help you develop confidence in your ideas, critical reading skills, and writing. All posts are due before class time. To earn full points on your reading responses, you will need to write thoughtful answers in full sentences and/or paragraphs and submit your post before class time. *200-300 words each*

Close reading
This brief textual analysis paper will require you to select a passage from a written text we read in class and examine how the author uses language and rhetorical strategies. Note that this is not a report on what the author is saying nor is it a summary of the text. While it will be important to understand the text, this assignment is meant to explain how the author conveys their story or argument (the types of evidence they use, the methods of presenting). You may choose to do a close reading of a cultural text (short story, poem, film, mini-series, documentary) or an academic text (peer-reviewed article, monograph chapter). *1000 word min.*

Comparative Context analysis
For this assignment, your group will choose a piece from the special collections in the Kislak Center and compare/contrast how this piece has been or might be discussed in three different rhetorical contexts, genres, or academic disciplines. For instance, you might look at the map “Carte figurative et approximative représentant pour l’année 1858 les émigrants du globe, les pays dóu ils partent et ceux oú ils arrivent” and discuss how it might be approached by social sciences, humanities, economics, or healthcare fields and in a popular source such as a magazine, newspaper, or film. You should then use your analysis to make recommendations for writing persuasively in each of these contexts. *group presentation of ~20-25 mins*

Literature review 
This assignment will act as Part 1 of your research project. After selecting a topic for your project, you will conduct research and provide an overview of the existing body of research on the topic—trace the different schools of thought or approaches to the topic, summarize what other scholars have said, and examine how they agree, disagree, and relate to each other. This is, in short, a report on all of the scholarship about a given topic (or as much as you can find). Think of this as if you are stepping into the ongoing scholarly conversation about your topic and your goal is to outline each of the strands of that conversation. This performance of research and abridging arguments of other scholars is an important part of recognizing there is an ongoing interest in the topic you are researching and it will be very important to do as you continue in your academic career. The literature review will help you situate your own argument (that of your research paper) within the existing scholarly research. Aspects of this will become crucial during your research paper since you will need to reference sources in the literature review in your paper. Therefore, as you are researching, you would be wise to think about what others are not saying so that you can provide the missing link. *minimum of 10 peer-reviewed sources*

Research paper
You will produce a research paper in a scholarly format on a topic of your interest that relates to our focus of study: power, migration, and race. I encourage you to think about topics addressed by your area of study. This is not a report or summary of different sources (literature review). Though you will use your literature review to situate your own argument, the majority of your paper should be dedicated to developing your own argument and situating your own contribution to (or criticism of) the arguments of others. Your essay must use research from scholarly sources (min. of 7 peer-reviewed sources), put forward a clear and convincing position on your topic, and follow a single citation style, format, and set of conventions (MLA, Chicago, or APA). *2000 word min.*

Lensing assignment
This assignment asks you to use a theoretical or conceptual text as a framework to read a primary text, such as a creative or fictional work. One way to approach this is to imagine yourself as the author of the theoretical text and respond to the second text from their perspective. Therefore, the goal of this assignment is to use the concepts and ideas of the theoretical text as a “lens” to evaluate and interpret the cultural text. *1500 word min.*

ENG 106 Spring 2020 Course Schedule*

Week 1

T   1/14 “Power” by Audre Lorde

Review Syllabus, Google Drive, Blackboard

“What is an argument?” assignment

Homework: Watch Mudbound on Netflix, read “XVI. The Propaganda of History” from Black Reconstruction by W.E.B. Du Bois, respond to Blackboard prompt

R   1/16 Introduce close reading

Discuss Mudbound and Du Bois 

Review citation style: MLA

Homework: Watch 13th on Netflix, read “I. Of Our Spiritual Strivings” from The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois and “The Condition of Black Life Is One of Mourning” by Claudia Rankine, respond to Blackboard prompt

Week 2

T   1/21 Discuss 13th, Du Bois, and Rankine

Discuss Close-reading assignment

Review citation style: APA

Homework: Watch When They See Us ep. 1 on Netflix, read pp 1-16 of “The Wake” from In the Wake: On Blackness and Being by Christina Sharpe, respond to Blackboard prompt

R   1/23 Discuss When They See Us ep. 1 and Sharpe

Review citation style: Chicago

Homework: Watch When They See Us ep. 2 on Netflix, read the first three stories of Heads of the Colored People: stories by Nafissa Thompson-Spires, respond to Blackboard prompt; close-reading free-write due Monday 1/27

Week 3

T   1/28 Discuss When They See Us ep. 2 and Thompson-Spires

Watch parts of LEMONADE by Beyoncé

Homework: Watch When They See Us ep. 3, read the second three stories of Heads of the Colored People: stories by Nafissa Thompson-Spires, respond to Blackboard prompt

R   1/30 Discuss When They See Us ep. 3 and Thompson-Spires

Homework: Watch When They See Us ep. 4, watch Dirty Computer by Janelle Monáe, read the final three stories of Heads of the Colored People: stories by Nafissa Thompson-Spires, respond to Blackboard prompt

Week 4

T   2/4 Discuss Thompson-Spires, When They See Us ep. 4, and Janelle Monáe

Review comparative context analysis group assignment

Homework: Read “Defining Diaspora, Refining a Discourse” by Kim D. Butler, respond to Blackboard prompt

R   2/6 Discuss Butler article

Homework: Watch “Immigration: Then and Now” from Children of the Revolución on PBS.org, read “Survival Migration: A New Protection Framework” by Alexander Betts, Close reading assignment due no later than Sunday, 2/9 at 11:59 pm

Week 5

T   2/11 Discuss Betts article & “Immigration: Then and Now”

Homework: Watch Living Undocumented on Netflix (ep. 1) and Living Undocumented on Netflix (ep. 2), read “Juan Crow: Progressive Mutations of the Black-White Binary” by John D. Márquez, respond to Blackboard prompt

R   2/13 Discuss Living Undocumented ep. 1-2 and Márquez article 

Watch Deportation Nation on Youtube

Homework: Watch Living Undocumented on Netflix (ep. 3), read “Introduction” by Viet Thanh Nguyen and “The Ungrateful Refugee” by Dina Nayeri from The Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives, respond to Blackboard prompt

Week 6

T   2/18 Discuss Living Undocumented ep. 3 and The Displaced readings 

Watch “Trump, Immigration, and Power” from MetroFocus

Homework: Watch Living Undocumented on Netflix (ep. 4), read “Enforcing the Politics of Race and Identity in Migration and Crime Control Policies” by Yolanda Vázquez, respond to Blackboard prompt

R   2/20 Discuss Living Undocumented ep. 4 and Vázquez article

Homework: Watch Living Undocumented on Netflix (ep. 5) and Living Undocumented on Netflix (ep. 6), read “Gender, Race, and the Cycle of Violence of Female Asylum Seekers from Honduras” by Lirio Gutiérrez Rivera, respond to Blackboard prompt; Comparative context analysis presentation drafts due in Google Drive no later than 2/21 at 11:59 p.m.

Week 7

T   2/25 Discuss Living Undocumented ep. 5-6 and Rivera article

Homework: Groups 1 & 5 prepare for comparative context analysis project presentations

R   2/27 Groups present comparative context analysis project:

Group 1 (Brianna, Alexandra, Felisa, Katie)

Group 5 (Ethan, Karrington, Avner)

Homework: Groups 2, 3, & 4 prepare for comparative context analysis project presentations

Week 8

T   3/3 Groups present comparative context analysis project

Group 2 (Alexa, Adam Florman, Roy)

Group 3 (Cidnee, Adam Edelstein, Rocío, Lucas)

Group 4 (Greg, Luis, D’Andre, Matthew)

Homework: Read “Conclusion: The Burdens of White Supremacy” by David C. Atkinson from The Burden of White Supremacy: Containing Asian Migration in the British Empire and the United States, respond to Blackboard prompt

R   3/5 Discuss Atkinson reading

Review Literature review assignment

Midterm Reflections

Homework: Listen to “The Non-United States of Asian America” episode of the podcast Self Evident: Asian America’s Stories; Literature review draft due to Google Drive before class Tuesday, 3/24

* * * SPRING RECESS 03/07-03/15 * * *

* * Coronavirus extension of Spring Recess: 03/16-03/22 * *

Week 9

T   3/24 Literature Review draft due before class

Literature Review workshop

Homework: Adjust literature review based on comments from peers and professor; Listen to “The Non-United States of Asian America” episode of the podcast Self Evident: Asian America’s Stories

R   3/26 Review Research Essay assignment

Discuss Self Evident episode

If time permits: listen to “Filipino Americans: Blending Cultures, Redefining Race” from NPR

Homework: Literature Review due no later than Sunday 3/29 at 11:59pm; Read Ch 1-2 of The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race by Anthony Christian Ocampo, listen to “The Talk We Were Supposed To Have” episode of Self Evident: Asian America’s Stories, respond to Blackboard prompt

Week 10

T   3/31 Discuss Ocampo and Self Evident episode

Homework: Prepare draft for research essay workshop

R   4/2 Research Essay Workshop

Homework: Adjust research essay draft based on workshop feedback

Week 11

T   4/7 Research Essay Workshop

Homework: Read Prologue and pp 1-30 of of Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas, respond to Blackboard prompt

R   4/9 Discuss Vargas

Review Lensing assignment

Homework: Read pp 31-62 of Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas, respond to Blackboard prompt

Week 12

T   4/14 Discuss Vargas

Homework: Read pp 63-96 of Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas, respond to Blackboard prompt

R   4/16 Discuss Vargas

Homework: Research essay due no later than Fri., 4/17 at 11:59pm; Read pp 97-135 of Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas, respond to Blackboard prompt

Week 13

T   4/21 Discuss Vargas

Homework: Read pp 136-164 of Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas, respond to Blackboard prompt

R   4/23 Discuss Vargas

Homework: Read pp 165-198 of Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas, respond to Blackboard prompt

Week 14

T   4/28 Discuss Vargas

Homework: Read pp 199-end of Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas, respond to Blackboard prompt

R   4/30 Discuss Vargas

Homework: prepare draft of Lensing Assignment for workshop

Week 15

T   5/5 Lensing Assignment workshop

Homework: Lensing Assignment due no later than May 8 at 11:59 p.m.

*Course schedule is fluid and may require alterations throughout the semester depending on different, unforeseen events or complications. All changes will be announced both in class and via Blackboard/email announcements in due time for students to receive and adjust their plans accordingly.

ENG 106. Fall 2020. University of Miami

Readings (Requires UMiami authentication)

Navigation:

Course: ENG 106, Section T1
Institution: University of Miami
Course Location: Dooly 204
Course Time: T/R 5:05pm-6:20pm
Course Credit hours: 3                                                    
Instructor: Preston Taylor Stone
Email: ptstone@miami.edu
Office Hours: By appointment (Virtual)

Course Description:
The University of Miami’s English Composition program has two required introductory writing courses: ENG 105 and ENG 106. Both courses are largely skills-based classes. In ENG 105, students learn inquiry and argumentation. In ENG 105, students continue to develop argumentation strategies and incorporate academic research and interpretation techniques. In this course section of ENG 106, we will focus these skills on a centering topic: black feminism. Black Feminism largely developed out of the writings and speeches of nineteenth century black women abolitionists like Ida B. Wells and Sojourner Truth. Since then, it has developed into an academic form of study that focuses largely on the systems of power that structure the institutions of our society: the economy, the state, culture, race and gender. 

In order to properly exercise the analytical reading skills, interpretive models of inquiry, and argumentative and metacognitive writing skills required of every student at the university, this course will use primary and secondary sources to familiarize you with common academic research techniques and citation styles. Structured by the writings and teachings of black feminists like Truth and Wells, we will analyze the methods by which black feminists articulate their lived experiences. We will trace the historical and rhetorical development of black feminist practice and theory by reading, discussing, and researching the work of scholars like Claudia Jones, M. Jacqui Alexander, Barbara Smith, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Patricia Hill Collins, Angela Y. Davis, bell hooks, and Hazel V. Carby, along with writers like Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde, Roxane Gay, Claudia Rankine and musical and cultural artists like Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Nina Simone, Beyoncé, Janelle Monáe, Nicki Minaj, Young M.A., Megan Thee Stallion, and SZA. 

Most importantly, you should note that the multidisciplinary approach to study that black feminism provides means that we will work on writing strategies and skills applicable to all fields and majors. Textual analysis, researching and locating scholarly sources, and constructing an argument in conversation with existing research are skills that you will be required to use no matter where your academic study resides. You do not need any prior or prerequisite knowledge in this topic in order to succeed in this course. 

Course Goals and Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, students will exhibit the ability to

• Demonstrate effective written communication skills in relation to specific rhetorical tasks.
• Construct original, well-reasoned arguments using a range of materials
• Find, evaluate, integrate, and synthesize appropriate and relevant primary and secondary sources in their writing
• Engage in close-reading of texts
• Cite sources formally (using MLA, APA, Chicago, or other citation formats)

Required Materials

• Regular access to a computer
• Portable storage (flash drive, email, cloud, etc.
• Most texts will be provided on Google Drive and linked on the schedule section of this document. You will be expected to print and bring these to class or have full access to them during class. The texts that will not be provided via PDF will be required purchases for students. These required purchases are listed below:

Required Texts and Materials:

• Regular access to a computer
• Portable storage (flash drive, email, cloud, etc)
• Most texts will be provided on Google Drive and linked on the schedule section of this document. You will be expected to print and bring these to class or have full access to them during class. The texts that will not be provided via PDF will be required purchases for students. These required purchases are listed below:

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

IndieBound

As a result of English 105, students will demonstrate how to: 

• Discuss writing metacognitively
• Engage in critical forms of inquiry about culture, writing, and structures of power
• Use texts as invitations and opportunities for writing and thinking
• Deploy more sophisticated rhetorical strategies in writing 
• Achieve the smooth flow of ideas through appropriate use of transitional words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs 
• Express ideas clearly and concisely 
• Edit and proofread writing in order to correct mechanical errors
• Maintain the focus of an argument 
• Reflect on their own writing and the writing of others (peers and professionals) 
• Describe the choices made in composing texts and why those were or were not appropriate or effective
• Cite sources informally

Policies & Assignments

Participation
Students are required to attend class, come to class on time and prepared (having done the reading/s or assignment/s), at least attempt all classwork activities, turn in assigned work when due, participate fully in good faith in any peer work, participate in class discussion, focus on the work at hand, and conduct oneself in a manner appropriate to the college classroom.

Rubric for class participation

5	Student is always attentive and contributes relevant insight very often, completing all in-class assignments in a collaborative and receptive manner
4	Student is attentive and completes all in-class assignments in a collaborative and receptive manner
3	Student is distracted but completes all in-class assignments
2	Student is often distracted and off-task, hesitant and unreceptive to collaboration
1	Student does not complete in-class assignments
0	Student is absent

Face coverings are mandatory at all times (with the exception of when drinking water) while in on-campus class sessions. Failure to follow this requirement is grounds for disciplinary action and may lead to removal from the classroom and/or the course.

The seat you select on the first day of class must be from among those identified as meeting the physical distance requirements for COVID-19; this seat will be your assigned seat for the remainder of the semester. This will enable the most effective COVID-19 contact tracing, should it be required.

Students are required to use the Daily Symptom Checker and be cleared to attend class each day. Students may be asked to show the green “Good to Go” notice. You may be required to produce your notice at any time while on campus. Students who fail to comply or to produce their “Good to Go” notice will be asked to leave the classroom.

Attendance
Each student is allotted 5 unexcused absences (one and a half weeks) and 3 tardies. Absences beyond this may result in deductions from the student’s final grade. Excessive absences will result in the student failing the course. After a student has been late (tardy) 3 times, each following time the student is late will result in 1/3 an absence. This means once a student has been late to class 6 times, they will receive an absence. Students who are consistently distracted in class (texting, browsing the internet, etc.) will be warned to pay closer attention to class. After this warning, if a student is continuously distracted in class, they will be marked absent. Students who acknowledge holy days on the same day(s) we have class will be excused if they have alerted the professor of all of these by the end of three days after you are enrolled in class. Absences do not excuse any due dates or work missed.

Unless you are approved to take this course under the Remote Learning Option, physical attendance in the classroom is required as scheduled. You are expected to participate with your video enabled during your non-classroom days. If at some point in the semester you cannot physically attend class sessions due to illness, injury, or other approved absence, you must contact the instructor for permission to temporarily attend the course online. Unexcused absences from the classroom may affect your grade or lead to failing the course.

On Writing and Reading
This class will ask a lot of you in terms of writing and reading. You are likely to do more reading in a quicker time in this course than any other course you have taken before. I will, before class, ask that you respond to several informal prompts on Blackboard in the hopes you will at least attempt to do this work. Homework is a small part of your participation grade but will be immensely helpful to you in thinking about the texts we are discussing and formulating a topic for your final paper. I understand this is not your only class and I respect that you have a personal life beyond our classroom. Nonetheless, I expect you will come to class having at least attempted to do the assigned reading and writing all the way through and having prepared notes, ideas, or questions to discuss with the class.

Revision is a central and integral part of this course and any writing course of merit. In order for your writing to be consistently improving, you must bring it through multiple drafts of revision. Revision, then, is a requirement of this course. You will upload free-write, journaling, even outlines and sketches, to your Google Drive folder. Failure to do so will cast a burden of proof on your having done consistent revision in good faith for each assignment, and this will be reflected in your grades.

Electronics Policy and Google Drive vs. Blackboard
Each student is required to bring a tablet, laptop, or similar electronic device to class in order to take notes, complete and submit in-class writing assignments, access readings or notes for class discussion, and participate in peer review. No electronic device should be a distraction from the activities of the classroom for any student. The use of laptops or tablets is allowed only to complete classroom-related activities. If electronic devices become a distraction or a means by which students avoid class participation, the student(s) in violation will receive an absence for class that day.

We will spend most of our class time working in Google Drive, a cloud-based file sharing system to which each student at the University of Miami has access. To log-in to your Google Drive, visit google.miami.edu and use the same credentials you use to access your email, Canelink, and Blackboard interfaces. You will have your own folder within the classroom’s folder (“ENG 105 D3 – Fall 2020”). Drive is where you will submit your drafts, revisions, in-class writing assignments, reflections, and peer reviews. It is up to you to make sure you have access to your Blackboard and Google Drive accounts and folders at all times. Inability to access Google Drive or Blackboard will not be sufficient excuse for not turning in assignments on time. For IT help, UMIT is located on the third floor of the Richter Library or may be accessed at it.miami.edu.

Students are expressly prohibited from recording any part of this course. Meetings of this course might be recorded by the University. Any recordings will be available to students registered for this class as they are intended to supplement the classroom experience. Students are expected to follow appropriate University policies and maintain the security of passwords used to access recorded lectures. Recordings may not be reproduced, shared with those not in the class, or uploaded to other online environments. If the instructor or a University of Miami office plans any other uses for the recordings, beyond this class, students identifiable in the recordings will be notified to request consent prior to such use. This instructor is the copyright owner of the courseware; individual recordings of the materials on Blackboard and/or of the virtual sessions are not allowed. Such materials cannot be shared outside the physical or virtual classroom environment without express permission.

 Academic Honor Code
As a student of the University of Miami, you have agreed to uphold the Honor Code. Violation of this code includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, or academic dishonesty. The Undergraduate Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook defines each of these violations:

Cheating – Implies the intent to deceive. It includes all actions, devices and deceptions used in the attempt to commit this act. Examples include, but are not limited to, copying answers from another student’s exam, and using a cheat sheet or crib notes in an exam.

Plagiarism – is representing the words or ideas of someone else as your own. Examples include, but are not limited to, failing to properly cite direct quotes and failing to give credit for someone else’s ideas.

Collusion – is the act of working together on an academic undertaking for which a student is individually responsible. Examples include, but are not limited to, sharing information in labs that are to be done individually.

Academic Dishonesty – includes any other act not specifically covered that compromises the integrity of a student or intrudes, violates, or disturbs the academic environment of the university community. Examples are attempting or agreeing to commit, or assisting in or facilitating the commission of, any scholastic dishonesty violation, failing to appear or testify without good cause when requested by the Honor Council, failing to keep information about cases confidential, supplying false information to the Honor Council and accusing a student of a violation of this Code in bad faith.

Title II, B

Any student who violates the Honor Code will fail not only the assignment but the entire course. Each of you has the ability to think through your own unique ideas. If you are thinking of violating the Honor Code because you are overwhelmed or in distress, speak with me and we will come up with a better solution.

On Accessibility and Acceptance
Every student, no matter their identity, ideology, or ability, is welcome and valued in this class. This class will require that we confront political, social, and ideological questions that may be deemed controversial. I encourage you not to shy away from this opportunity to think through these issues. No matter what, no student should ever feel unwelcome or unsafe in this classroom. If you find that you feel inappropriately uncomfortable, consistently unsafe, or need help, please let me know immediately and I will direct you to the resources that may help. The University of Miami Counseling Center (UMCC) provides professional support to students no matter their gender expression, sexual preferences, sex, race, financial or immigration status. You can make an appointment by calling 305-284-5511, by visiting counseling.studentaffairs.miami.edu, or by visiting the counseling center on Merrick Dr. (across from the Pavia Garage).

Students with accessibility requirements are provided for by the University of Miami’s Office of Disability Services (ODS) and may contact this office at 305-284-2374 or disabilityservices@miami.edu to make any requests for accessibility. If you have trouble contacting the ODS, let me know and I will help you. If you have contacted the ODS and have any requirements of me, please be sure to let me know as soon as possible.

Turning in assignments 
Papers should be submitted on Blackboard or Google Drive on the day and at the specified time they are due. Each day a paper is late, there will be a deduction of 10% from the grade. All assignments are assigned in due time to be completed by each student on time. It is your own job to make sure you do not forget deadlines and that you turn your assignments into the correct platform (Blackboard, email, or Google Drive). Every deadline is listed on this document in the schedule section, on the assignment sheets themselves, and verbally said in class. If you require an extension(s) for your assignment(s), you must request them of the instructor at least three class periods (over a week) prior to the due date of the assignment. Under no circumstances is the instructor required to grant you an extension(s). No late blackboard posts will be accepted.

The Writing Center (www.as.miami.edu/writingcenter) can help you at any stage of the writing process.  Appointments are suggested, but they also accept ‘walk-in’ visits.  If I think it’s necessary, I will ask you to use the Writing Center on a regular basis. Please note that all appointments are currently being held online until further notice.  To make an online appointment, make an account at the above link/sign in as usual and choose an available time.

OWL @ Purdue is a great online resource for writing and research techniques. It can be located at https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html.

Extra Credit is not available or permitted in this course. I do not allow extra credit for several reasons: put simply, it is unfair to those who have committed to the work required of this class if others are able to do extra work for credit. Moreover, extra credit requires extra effort and time to which I am unable to commit for reading, annotating, grading, and categorizing within the gradebook.

On Communication
I will make a point to learn each of your names and I expect you will learn to use one another’s name in conversation, as well (“I agree with what ___ said”). This will create a welcoming and meaningful culture for our classroom. If you have a question about the policies or assignments for this class, you may speak to me before, during, or after class, via email, or in office hours. I will make a point to reply to your email within 24-to-48 hours. If you have not received a response from me after two days, you should email me again. Please do not email me to ask questions about an assignment one or two days before it is due as this will not allow due time for me to respond and for you to use this answer in writing your assignment.

Grades
If you have a question or concern about an assignment or participation grade, please come and see me during my office hours or talk with me before or after class to arrange a meeting.  Due to federal requirements, UM faculty are not permitted to discuss grades via email or phone, so we will need to meet in person and in private.

Overall Grade Distribution:

Attendance	200pts
Class Participation	100pts
Blackboard Posts	250pts
3 Peer Reviews	150pts
3 Essays	300pts
Total	1000pts

Grading Scale:

A	940-1000
A-	900-939
B+	870-899
B	830-869
B-	800-829
C+	770-799
C	730-769
C-	700-729
D+	670-699
D	600-669
F	0-599

Rubric for written assignments

A	Student’s argument is clear, concise, and thought-through.Student’s essay has little to no grammatical errorsStudent’s essay is carefully crafted to suit its reader and contains a strong personal voiceStudent’s writing itself is effective because it offers fierce insight, vivid details, strong analysis, and solid evidence Evidence is selected and presented carefully for relevance and effectivenessStudent’s essay demonstrates the writer’s ability to actively read and respond to difficult textsStudent’s essay is turned in on time.
B	Student’s argument is fairly clear and concise but lingers about at times.Student’s essay has a few grammatical errorsStudent’s essay needs further development in areas such as organization, textual support, or analysisStudent’s essay needs further revision to adjust sentence structure and/or provide smoother transitions between sentences and paragraphsStudent’s essay showcases clear and strong writing but the writer may still be unsure of her voice, audience, or styleWriting demonstrates strong awareness of assignment goals and purpose but may not incorporate relevant evidence effectivelyStudent’s essay is turned in on time.
C	Student’s argument is unclear but the essay meets the word requirementStudent’s essay has more than a few grammatical errors but is still readableStudent’s essay contains all the requirements of the assignment in adequate form, but shows vague or confused awareness of assignment goals and purposeStudent’s essay does not include relevant evidence or does not connect this evidence effectively to argumentStudent’s assignment is turned in late
D	Student’s argument is unclear and awkwardly phrasedStudent’s essay under the word requirement Student’s grammar is nearly unreadableStudent’s writing shows a carelessness in structure and mechanics which detract from the overall quality of the workWriting reflects serious problems with development of ideas, organization, and minimal effort toward revisionStudent’s essay offers no evidence from the text to support claims
F	Student did not turn in assignment

Assignments

Blackboard reading responses
The night before most reading assignments are due, you will be asked to respond to a specific prompt or question related to the reading. These responses are designed to stimulate your thinking about the text and the course themes and help prepare you for class discussion. They are also great places to start generating ideas for your essays and research projects. These posts will be graded based on completion, but thoughtful responses will enrich our class discussions and help you develop confidence in your ideas, critical reading skills, and writing. All posts are due before class time. To earn full points on your reading responses, you will need to write thoughtful answers in full sentences and/or paragraphs and submit your post before class time. *200-300 words each*

In-class writing responses
Each Thursday, we will have ‘Through-line Thursday’ where you and a partner will connect a minimum of two and a maximum of four sources, one of which must include the reading for that Thursday. The other sources could be something we have previously discussed in this course or something you read, saw, heard outside of class. The point of this assignment is to practice making connections between different cultural texts, a skill you will be required to showcase in the research paper (discussed below). Whereas the Blackboard reading responses test reading comprehension (that you understand what you read), these in-class writing responses will test argumentation (that you have thoughts about what you’ve read). These assignments are written in groups and while quotations will be helpful to make your connections between sources, this must be original work so the majority of the writing should be that of yourself and your group member(s). These assignments are turned in on Blackboard. *350-500 words each*

Close reading
This brief analysis paper will require you to select a passage from a written text we read in class or another part of digital media (music video, poetry reading, speech, performance art) and examine how the writer/artist uses language and rhetorical strategies. Note that this is not a report on what the author is saying nor is it a summary of the cultural text. While it will be important to understand the cultural text, this assignment is meant to explain how the artist conveys their story or argument (the types of evidence they use, the methods of presenting, the poetic language used, the form of presentation). You may choose to do a close reading of a cultural text (short story, poem, film, mini-series, documentary, music video) or an academic text (peer-reviewed article, monograph chapter). *1000 words min.*

Literature review
This assignment will act as Part 1 of your research project. After selecting a topic for your project, you will conduct research and provide an overview of the existing body of research on the topic—trace the different schools of thought or approaches to the topic, summarize what other scholars have said, and examine how they agree, disagree, and relate to each other. This is, in short, a report on all of the scholarship about a given topic (or as much as you can find). Think of this as if you are stepping into the ongoing scholarly conversation about your topic and your goal is to outline each of the strands of that conversation. This performance of research and abridging arguments of other scholars is an important part of recognizing there is an ongoing interest in the topic you are researching and it will be very important to do as you continue in your academic career. The literature review will help you situate your own argument (that of your research paper) within the existing scholarly research. Aspects of this will become crucial during your research paper since you will need to reference sources in the literature review in your paper. Therefore, as you are researching, you would be wise to think about what others are not saying so that you can provide the missing link. *minimum of 10 peer-reviewed sources*

Research paper
You will produce a research paper in a scholarly format on a topic of your interest that relates to our focus of study: black feminism. I encourage you to think about topics addressed by your area of study. This is not a report or summary of different sources (literature review). Though you will use your literature review to situate your own argument, the majority of your paper should be dedicated to developing your own argument and situating your own contribution to (or criticism of) the arguments of others. Your essay must use research from scholarly sources (min. of 7 peer-reviewed sources), put forward a clear and convincing position on your topic, and follow a single citation style, format, and set of conventions (MLA, Chicago, or APA). *2000 words min.*

Lensing assignment
This assignment asks you to use a theoretical or conceptual text as a framework to read a primary text, such as a creative or fictional work. One way to approach this is to imagine yourself as the author of the theoretical text and respond to the second text from their perspective. Therefore, the goal of this assignment is to use the concepts and ideas of the theoretical text as a “lens” to evaluate and interpret the cultural text. *1500 words min.*

ENG 106 Fall 2020 Course Schedule

(subject to change—any changes will be announced with due notice.  Homework is due for the next class session)

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3                                             

 

Week 4                                              

Week 5                                              

Week 6                                              

Week 7                                              

Week 8                                              

Week 9                                              

Week 10                                            

Week 11                                            

Week 12                                            

Week 13                                            

Week 14                                            

Week 15                                            

**THANKSGIVING RECESS 11/21-11/29**

Week 16                                            

**FINAL DRAFT OF LENSING ASSIGNMENT DUE TO GOOGLE DRIVE NO LATER THAN 11:59 P.M. ON DECEMBER 5, 2020**

ENG 105. Fall 2020. University of Miami

Readings (Requires UMiami authentication)

Navigation:

Course: English 105 (Fall 2020) at the University of Miami
Course Title: English Composition I
Class Location: Lakeside Village 1084
Class time: M/W/F at 11:15-12:05pm (Section D3)
Instructor: Preston Taylor Stone (pts25@miami.edu)
Office hours: Zoom/by appt only

Course Description:
English 105 is intended to serve as an introduction to the kind of writing, reading, and thinking that take place at a university. We will read challenging essays that will help to formulate our own writing. Peer review, collaboration with classmates, active participation in classroom discussions, and revision are some of the methods that you will employ in order to develop your own writing. The primary goal of this course is to polish your writing skills and help you become a more expedient, more thorough, and more sophisticated writer. Students will work with multiple sources, engage in inquiry-based projects, and present their findings in non-written formats (e.g., oral, visual, multimodal) where appropriate. 

Citizenship and Migration: This course will center around arguments of citizenship, migration, and incarceration. We will read different accounts of experience, theory, and law surrounding these themes in order first to have a better and more holistic understanding of the issues of our present day and second to deconstruct the arguments and evidence each of the readings put forward so that we can understand how to make compelling arguments of our own. The contemporary world has seen more changes in status of citizenship, nationality, legal personhood, and migration than ever before. It is, therefore, important that we discuss how these changes impact our lives and the lives of others with whom we share this world.

Required Texts and Materials:

• Most of the required reading texts will be provided on Google Drive and linked on the schedule page on the course site. You will be expected to print and bring these to class or have full access to them during class. Those which are not available in digital form are listed below with their respective ISBN numbers. You are expected to purchase these.
• Laptop, tablet, or smart device to write and submit in-class assignments
• Access to Netflix streaming services
• Portable storage (flashdrive, email, cloud, etc)

Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag
ISBN: 0-312-42219-9
Amazon // Barnes & Noble // IndieBound // AbeBooks

The Drowned and the Saved: essays by Primo Levi
ISBN: 978-1-5011-6763-8
Amazon // Barnes & Noble // IndieBound // AbeBooks

As a result of English 105, students will demonstrate how to: 

• Discuss writing metacognitively
• Engage in critical forms of inquiry about culture, writing, and structures of power
• Use texts as invitations and opportunities for writing and thinking
• Deploy more sophisticated rhetorical strategies in writing 
• Achieve the smooth flow of ideas through appropriate use of transitional words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs 
• Express ideas clearly and concisely 
• Edit and proofread writing in order to correct mechanical errors
• Maintain the focus of an argument 
• Reflect on their own writing and the writing of others (peers and professionals) 
• Describe the choices made in composing texts and why those were or were not appropriate or effective
• Cite sources informally

Policies & Assignments

Participation
Students are required to attend class, come to class on time and prepared (having done the reading/s or assignment/s), at least attempt all classwork activities, turn in assigned work when due, participate fully in good faith in any peer work, participate in class discussion, focus on the work at hand, and conduct oneself in a manner appropriate to the college classroom.

Rubric for class participation

5	Student is always attentive and contributes relevant insight very often, completing all in-class assignments in a collaborative and receptive manner
4	Student is attentive and completes all in-class assignments in a collaborative and receptive manner
3	Student is distracted but completes all in-class assignments
2	Student is often distracted and off-task, hesitant and unreceptive to collaboration
1	Student does not complete in-class assignments
0	Student is absent

Face coverings are mandatory at all times (with the exception of when drinking water) while in on-campus class sessions. Failure to follow this requirement is grounds for disciplinary action and may lead to removal from the classroom and/or the course.

The seat you select on the first day of class must be from among those identified as meeting the physical distance requirements for COVID-19; this seat will be your assigned seat for the remainder of the semester. This will enable the most effective COVID-19 contact tracing, should it be required.

Students are required to use the Daily Symptom Checker and be cleared to attend class each day. Students may be asked to show the green “Good to Go” notice. You may be required to produce your notice at any time while on campus. Students who fail to comply or to produce their “Good to Go” notice will be asked to leave the classroom.

Attendance
Each student is allotted 5 unexcused absences (one and a half weeks) and 3 tardies. Absences beyond this may result in deductions from the student’s final grade. Excessive absences will result in the student failing the course. After a student has been late (tardy) 3 times, each following time the student is late will result in 1/3 an absence. This means once a student has been late to class 6 times, they will receive an absence. Students who are consistently distracted in class (texting, browsing the internet, etc.) will be warned to pay closer attention to class. After this warning, if a student is continuously distracted in class, they will be marked absent. Students who acknowledge holy days on the same day(s) we have class will be excused if they have alerted the professor of all of these by the end of three days after you are enrolled in class. Absences do not excuse any due dates or work missed.

Unless you are approved to take this course under the Remote Learning Option, physical attendance in the classroom is required as scheduled. You are expected to participate with your video enabled during your non-classroom days. If at some point in the semester you cannot physically attend class sessions due to illness, injury, or other approved absence, you must contact the instructor for permission to temporarily attend the course online. Unexcused absences from the classroom may affect your grade or lead to failing the course.

On Writing and Reading
This class will ask a lot of you in terms of writing and reading. You are likely to do more reading in a quicker time in this course than any other course you have taken before. I will, before class, ask that you respond to several informal prompts on Blackboard in the hopes you will at least attempt to do this work. Homework is a small part of your participation grade but will be immensely helpful to you in thinking about the texts we are discussing and formulating a topic for your final paper. I understand this is not your only class and I respect that you have a personal life beyond our classroom. Nonetheless, I expect you will come to class having at least attempted to do the assigned reading and writing all the way through and having prepared notes, ideas, or questions to discuss with the class.

Revision is a central and integral part of this course and any writing course of merit. In order for your writing to be consistently improving, you must bring it through multiple drafts of revision. Revision, then, is a requirement of this course. You will upload free-write, journaling, even outlines and sketches, to your Google Drive folder. Failure to do so will cast a burden of proof on your having done consistent revision in good faith for each assignment, and this will be reflected in your grades.

Electronics Policy and Google Drive vs. Blackboard
Each student is required to bring a tablet, laptop, or similar electronic device to class in order to take notes, complete and submit in-class writing assignments, access readings or notes for class discussion, and participate in peer review. No electronic device should be a distraction from the activities of the classroom for any student. The use of laptops or tablets is allowed only to complete classroom-related activities. If electronic devices become a distraction or a means by which students avoid class participation, the student(s) in violation will receive an absence for class that day.

We will spend most of our class time working in Google Drive, a cloud-based file sharing system to which each student at the University of Miami has access. To log-in to your Google Drive, visit google.miami.edu and use the same credentials you use to access your email, Canelink, and Blackboard interfaces. You will have your own folder within the classroom’s folder (“ENG 105 D3 – Fall 2020”). Drive is where you will submit your drafts, revisions, in-class writing assignments, reflections, and peer reviews. It is up to you to make sure you have access to your Blackboard and Google Drive accounts and folders at all times. Inability to access Google Drive or Blackboard will not be sufficient excuse for not turning in assignments on time. For IT help, UMIT is located on the third floor of the Richter Library or may be accessed at it.miami.edu.

Students are expressly prohibited from recording any part of this course. Meetings of this course might be recorded by the University. Any recordings will be available to students registered for this class as they are intended to supplement the classroom experience. Students are expected to follow appropriate University policies and maintain the security of passwords used to access recorded lectures. Recordings may not be reproduced, shared with those not in the class, or uploaded to other online environments. If the instructor or a University of Miami office plans any other uses for the recordings, beyond this class, students identifiable in the recordings will be notified to request consent prior to such use. This instructor is the copyright owner of the courseware; individual recordings of the materials on Blackboard and/or of the virtual sessions are not allowed. Such materials cannot be shared outside the physical or virtual classroom environment without express permission.

 Academic Honor Code
As a student of the University of Miami, you have agreed to uphold the Honor Code. Violation of this code includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, or academic dishonesty. The Undergraduate Student Rights and Responsibilities Handbook defines each of these violations:

Cheating – Implies the intent to deceive. It includes all actions, devices and deceptions used in the attempt to commit this act. Examples include, but are not limited to, copying answers from another student’s exam, and using a cheat sheet or crib notes in an exam.

Plagiarism – is representing the words or ideas of someone else as your own. Examples include, but are not limited to, failing to properly cite direct quotes and failing to give credit for someone else’s ideas.

Collusion – is the act of working together on an academic undertaking for which a student is individually responsible. Examples include, but are not limited to, sharing information in labs that are to be done individually.

Academic Dishonesty – includes any other act not specifically covered that compromises the integrity of a student or intrudes, violates, or disturbs the academic environment of the university community. Examples are attempting or agreeing to commit, or assisting in or facilitating the commission of, any scholastic dishonesty violation, failing to appear or testify without good cause when requested by the Honor Council, failing to keep information about cases confidential, supplying false information to the Honor Council and accusing a student of a violation of this Code in bad faith.

Title II, B

Any student who violates the Honor Code will fail not only the assignment but the entire course. Each of you has the ability to think through your own unique ideas. If you are thinking of violating the Honor Code because you are overwhelmed or in distress, speak with me and we will come up with a better solution.

On Accessibility and Acceptance
Every student, no matter their identity, ideology, or ability, is welcome and valued in this class. This class will require that we confront political, social, and ideological questions that may be deemed controversial. I encourage you not to shy away from this opportunity to think through these issues. No matter what, no student should ever feel unwelcome or unsafe in this classroom. If you find that you feel inappropriately uncomfortable, consistently unsafe, or need help, please let me know immediately and I will direct you to the resources that may help. The University of Miami Counseling Center (UMCC) provides professional support to students no matter their gender expression, sexual preferences, sex, race, financial or immigration status. You can make an appointment by calling 305-284-5511, by visiting counseling.studentaffairs.miami.edu, or by visiting the counseling center on Merrick Dr. (across from the Pavia Garage).

Students with accessibility requirements are provided for by the University of Miami’s Office of Disability Services (ODS) and may contact this office at 305-284-2374 or disabilityservices@miami.edu to make any requests for accessibility. If you have trouble contacting the ODS, let me know and I will help you. If you have contacted the ODS and have any requirements of me, please be sure to let me know as soon as possible.

Turning in assignments 
Papers should be submitted on Blackboard or Google Drive on the day and at the specified time they are due. Each day a paper is late, there will be a deduction of 10% from the grade. All assignments are assigned in due time to be completed by each student on time. It is your own job to make sure you do not forget deadlines and that you turn your assignments into the correct platform (Blackboard, email, or Google Drive). Every deadline is listed on this document in the schedule section, on the assignment sheets themselves, and verbally said in class. If you require an extension(s) for your assignment(s), you must request them of the instructor at least three class periods (over a week) prior to the due date of the assignment. Under no circumstances is the instructor required to grant you an extension(s). No late blackboard posts will be accepted.

The Writing Center (www.as.miami.edu/writingcenter) can help you at any stage of the writing process.  Appointments are suggested, but they also accept ‘walk-in’ visits.  If I think it’s necessary, I will ask you to use the Writing Center on a regular basis. Please note that all appointments are currently being held online until further notice.  To make an online appointment, make an account at the above link/sign in as usual and choose an available time.

OWL @ Purdue is a great online resource for writing and research techniques. It can be located at https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/purdue_owl.html.

Extra Credit is not available or permitted in this course. I do not allow extra credit for several reasons: put simply, it is unfair to those who have committed to the work required of this class if others are able to do extra work for credit. Moreover, extra credit requires extra effort and time to which I am unable to commit for reading, annotating, grading, and categorizing within the gradebook.

On Communication
I will make a point to learn each of your names and I expect you will learn to use one another’s name in conversation, as well (“I agree with what ___ said”). This will create a welcoming and meaningful culture for our classroom. If you have a question about the policies or assignments for this class, you may speak to me before, during, or after class, via email, or in office hours. I will make a point to reply to your email within 24-to-48 hours. If you have not received a response from me after two days, you should email me again. Please do not email me to ask questions about an assignment one or two days before it is due as this will not allow due time for me to respond and for you to use this answer in writing your assignment.

Essays
Each student will write three essays. These will be inquiry-based exercises modeled after the respective readings we will discuss during class time throughout the semester. Emphasis will be placed on being able to make and hold a worthwhile argument while exhibiting discipline in your use of language and evidence in support of your argument. Each essay must be 1000-1500 words in length, in Times New Roman 12-point font, and double-spaced with your name and page numbers on each page. All three essays must be uploaded to Google Drive by the specified time and date. Each day an assignment is late, the student risks losing ten points from their final possible grade.

One-page essays
Each student will be asked to write in-class assignments at random points in the semester. These will most likely be one-page in length and submitted to Google Drive upon completion. These short assignments are an opportunity to put down thoughts and reactions as well as ideas about the readings and in-class discussions. Similar to Blackboard posts, these will be a good exercise in writing off-the-cuff based on very initial reactions. The purpose of these exercises will be to prepare writing before drafts are due for each paper. Additionally, these exercises will function as good practice for students who may have trouble sitting down and putting thoughts to paper. The instructor will provide feedback for these assignments, making them a crucial part of the process toward essay completion and graded work for the course.

Blackboard reading responses
The night before most reading assignments are due, you will be asked to respond to a specific prompt or question related to the reading. These responses are designed to stimulate your thinking about the text and the course themes and help prepare you for class discussion. They are also great places to start generating ideas for your essays and research projects. These posts will be graded based on completion, but thoughtful responses will enrich our class discussions and help you develop confidence in your ideas, critical reading skills, and writing. All posts are due before class time. To earn full points on your reading responses, you will need to write thoughtful answers in full sentences and/or paragraphs and submit your post before class time. *200-300 words each*

Grades
If you have a question or concern about an assignment or participation grade, please come and see me during my office hours or talk with me before or after class to arrange a meeting.  Due to federal requirements, UM faculty are not permitted to discuss grades via email or phone, so we will need to meet in person and in private.

Overall Grade Distribution:

Attendance	200pts
Class Participation	100pts
Blackboard Posts	250pts
3 Peer Reviews	150pts
3 Essays	300pts
Total	1000pts

Grading Scale:

A	940-1000
A-	900-939
B+	870-899
B	830-869
B-	800-829
C+	770-799
C	730-769
C-	700-729
D+	670-699
D	600-669
F	0-599

Rubric for class participation

5	Student is always attentive and contributes relevant insight very often, completing all in-class assignments in a collaborative and receptive manner
4	Student is attentive and completes all in-class assignments in a collaborative and receptive manner
3	Student is distracted but completes all in-class assignments
2	Student is often distracted and off-task, hesitant and unreceptive to collaboration
1	Student does not complete in-class assignments
0	Student is absent

Rubric for written assignments

A	Student’s argument is clear, concise, and thought-through.Student’s essay has little to no grammatical errorsStudent’s essay is carefully crafted to suit its reader and contains a strong personal voiceStudent’s writing itself is effective because it offers fierce insight, vivid details, strong analysis, and solid evidence Evidence is selected and presented carefully for relevance and effectivenessStudent’s essay demonstrates the writer’s ability to actively read and respond to difficult textsStudent’s essay is turned in on time.
B	Student’s argument is fairly clear and concise but lingers about at times.Student’s essay has a few grammatical errorsStudent’s essay needs further development in areas such as organization, textual support, or analysisStudent’s essay needs further revision to adjust sentence structure and/or provide smoother transitions between sentences and paragraphsStudent’s essay showcases clear and strong writing but the writer may still be unsure of her voice, audience, or styleWriting demonstrates strong awareness of assignment goals and purpose but may not incorporate relevant evidence effectivelyStudent’s essay is turned in on time.
C	Student’s argument is unclear but the essay meets the word requirementStudent’s essay has more than a few grammatical errors but is still readableStudent’s essay contains all the requirements of the assignment in adequate form, but shows vague or confused awareness of assignment goals and purposeStudent’s essay does not include relevant evidence or does not connect this evidence effectively to argumentStudent’s assignment is turned in late
D	Student’s argument is unclear and awkwardly phrasedStudent’s essay under the word requirement Student’s grammar is nearly unreadableStudent’s writing shows a carelessness in structure and mechanics which detract from the overall quality of the workWriting reflects serious problems with development of ideas, organization, and minimal effort toward revisionStudent’s essay offers no evidence from the text to support claims
F	Student did not turn in assignment

ENG 105 Fall 2019 Course Schedule

(subject to change—any changes will be announced with due notice.  Homework is due for the next class session)

Week 1	In Class	Homework
M    8/19	-Review syllabus-Read and discuss “Academia, Love Me Back” by Tiffany Martínez-In-class assignment: “What is an argument/thesis statement?”	-Read “The Parent Who Stays” by Reyna Grande-Write a post on Blackboard introducing yourself.
W	-Discuss “The Parent Who Stays” by Reyna Grande-Discuss Essay 1 Assignment	-Read “Beside Oneself: On the Limits of Sexual Autonomy” by Judith Butler-Post on Blackboard an answer to the question “How does culture define our identity?”
Week 2	In Class	Homework
M    8/26	-In-class exercise on “Beside Oneself: On the Limits of Sexual Autonomy” by Judith Butler-Discuss Butler’s argument and evidence	-Read first half of “Survival Migration: A New Protection Framework” by Alexander Betts.-Post on Blackboard what survival migration is, according to Betts.
W	Discuss “Survival Migration: A New Protection Framework” by Alexander Betts	-Read the rest of “Survival Migration: A New Protection Framework” by Alexander Betts.
Week 3	In Class	Homework
M      9/2	Labor Day Holiday	Labor Day Holiday(don’t forget to read the remainder of Betts article)
W	-Discuss “Survival Migration: A New Protection Framework”-Watch Deportation Nation from The Atlantic on YouTube and discuss argument/evidence from each side Last Day to Drop Course Without a “W”	-Read Independent article “Donald Trump’s new immigration rule would have kept his German grandfather out” (BB)-Read Wikipedia list of US immigration laws: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ List_of_United_States_immigration_ laws-Post on BB what you think the argument and evidence are in the Independent article
Week 4	In Class	Homework
M      9/9	-Discuss Independent article, Immigration Laws-Watch Ch 1 of The Chinese Exclusion Act from American Experience (PBS)	-Post draft thesis statement for Essay 1 on Blackboard AND respond to The Chinese Exclusion Act that we watched in class. (150 word min)-Read “Useless Violence” by Primo Levi
W	-Discuss “Useless Violence” by Primo Levi-Introductory paragraphs	-Post feedback for at least 3 of your peers’ theses (50-100 words each) before Friday at midnight.-Post a draft of your introductory paragraph for Essay 1 on Blackboard before noon Monday.
Week 5	In Class	Homework
M    9/16	-Go over MLA formatting-“What is Peer Review?” in-class assignment-Peer Review introductory paragraphs	-Write a draft of Essay 1 (bring 2 printed copies of draft to class)
W	-Peer review Essay 1 in class-Go over peer review letter format	-Write peer review letter, email to partner (cc professor) before Friday at midnight-Essay due Monday
Week 6	In Class	Homework
M    9/23	–Essay 1 Due; Post-mortem-Review Essay 2 Assignment-Watch “Economics of Immigration” from CrashCourse in class and discuss	-Read “Foucauldian Resonances: Agamben on Race, Citizenship, and the Modern State” by Elvira Basevich-Post a discussion question for the class on Blackboard.
W	-Discuss Basevich’s argument	-Read “From Zoēpolitics to Biopolitics: Citizenship and the Construction of ‘Society’” by Willem Schinkel-Post on Blackboard an answer the question “What is the difference between zoēpolitics and biopolitics? Give an example of each/both.”
Week 7	In Class	Homework
M    9/30	-Discuss Schinkel’s argument	-Read “Coloniality and Modernity/Rationality” by Aníbal Quijano-Post on Blackboard the definition of “intersubjective construction” and give an example.
W	-Discuss Aníbal	-Read “What is a nation?” by Ernst Renan-Post on Blackboard Renan’s answer to the title question “What is a nation?”
Week 8
M    10/7	-Discuss Renan	-Read “The Decline of the Nation-State and the End of the Rights of Man” by Hannah Arendt-Post a discussion question based on the Arendt reading
W	-Discuss Arendt	-Read “The Creation of a Geoculture: Ideologies, Social Movements, Social Science” by Immanuel Wallerstein-Post an answer to the discussion question based on the Wallerstein reading that is on Blackboard (150 word min)
Week 9	In Class	Homework
M  10/14	-Discuss Wallerstein	-Read “Stereotypes” by Primo Levi-Post draft thesis for Essay 2 on Blackboard
W	-Discuss Levi	-Read “Conclusion” of Primo Levi book-Post feedback for at least 3 of your peers’ theses (50-100 words each) on Blackboard before Friday at midnight.-Post a draft of your introductory paragraph for Essay 2 on Blackboard before Monday at noon.
Week 10	In Class	Homework
M  10/21	-Discuss LeviLast Day to Drop a Course (Receive “W” on transcript)	Write a draft of Essay 2 (bring 2 printed copies of draft to class)
W	-Peer review Essay 2 in class-Go over peer review letter format	-Write peer review letter, email to partner (cc professor) before Friday at midnight-Essay 2 due Monday
Week 11	In Class	Homework
M  10/28	–Essay 2 due; Post-mortem-Go over assignment for Essay 3-Watch videos of European migrant camps	-Read Ch 1-2 of Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag-Post an answer to the following question on blackboard: Why does Sontag disagree with Woolf’s “general” abhorrence of war? (150 word min)
W	Discuss Sontag	-Read Ch 3-4 of Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag-Post an answer to the following question on Blackboard: What are the reasons for censorship/suppression of photography according to Sontag? (150 word min)
Week 12	In Class	Homework
M    11/4	Discuss Sontag	-Read Ch 5-6 of Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag-Post and answer to the following question on Blackboard: How does collective instruction work? (150 word min)
W	Discuss Sontag	-Read Ch 7-9 of Regarding the Pain of Others by Susan Sontag-Post an answer to the following question(s) on Blackboard: Is there a seductiveness to images of suffering? Is it moral to look at photos that depict suffering? (150 word min)
Week 13	In Class	Homework
M  11/11	Discuss Sontag	-Read “Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving?: Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others” by Lila Abu-Lughod-Post on Blackboard what you think Abu-Lughod’s argument is.
W	Discuss Abu-Lughod	-Read “My Muslim American Life” by Moustafa Bayoumi-Post an answer to the following question on Blackboard: According to Bayoumi, why is it important that all Americans understand the treatment of Muslim Americans? (150 word min)
Week 14	In Class	Homework
M  11/18	Discuss Bayoumi	-Read “Introduction” of Inter/Nationalism: Decolonizing Native America and Palestine by Steven Salaita-Post on Blackboard an answer to the questions “What is inter/nationalism? Why is it important, according to Salaita?”
W	-Discuss Salaita	-Post draft thesis for Essay 3 on Blackboard-Watch Life and Debt film (available on Amazon for $4)
	NOVEMBER 23–DECEMBER 1: THANKSGIVING RECESS
Week 15	In Class	Homework
M  11/25	-Discuss Life and Debt	-Post feedback for at least 3 of your peers’ theses (50-100 words each) on Blackboard.-Post a draft of your introductory paragraph for Essay 3 on Blackboard.
W	-Peer Review Introductory paragraphs for Essay 3	– Write a draft of Essay 3 (bring 2 printed copies of draft to class)
Week 16	In Class	Homework
M    12/2	-Peer review Essay 3 in class	**Essay 3 must be submitted on Blackboard by Monday, December 9 at 11:59pm EST**

Essay 1 – Identity

(1000-1500 words double-spaced)

Prompt: How is one’s identity defined? 

As a framework, consider the following scaffolding. These are by no means a laundry list of things you ought to include; they are just places that may help you begin.

Examine your identity or the identity of others. What most defines our identification? We have encountered readings that have rendered identity in economic means (Betts), migratory means (Betts, Grande, Deportation Nation), criminal and legal means (Grande, Deportation Nation), and socio-personal means (Butler, Grande). What, then, is most essential about one’s identity? In what situations are we required to identify and how do we do so? Is our identity meant to capture the fullness of our selfhood or does it depend on context? Write an analysis paper including evidential information that begins with a thesis statement arguing how identity is defined. In considering this, you might discuss the readings and viewings from the first part of our course; although, you are not required to do so.

Essay 2 – Citizenship

(1000-1500 words double-spaced)

Prompt: How does citizenship define us?

As a framework, consider the following scaffolding. These are by no means a laundry list of things you ought to include; they are just places that may help you begin.

Think back to the first essay and our discussions of identity, politics, and citizenship. How has citizenship arisen to define our experience today? Does one’s citizenship dictate the experience one has in any given situation? Does citizenship capture the fullness of our selfhood or does it offer something else meaningful? Consider how the readings of the course so far have thought through issues of citizenship, nationality, and race. How do these inter-relate? Write an analysis paper including evidential information that begins with a thesis statement arguing how citizenship defines us. In considering this, you might discuss the readings and viewings from the course so far; although, you are not required to do so.

Essay 3 – Observation Assignment

(1000-1500 words double-spaced)

Prompt: How is identity and/or citizenship shown in portrait art? 

As a framework, consider the following scaffolding. These are by no means a laundry list of things you ought to include; they are just places that may help you begin.

A portrait is defined by the OED as “A drawing or painting of (a) person(s), often mounted and framed for display, esp. one of the face or head and shoulders; (also) an engraving, photograph, etc., in a similar style.” Consider the portraits available in the Portraits folder in the class Blackboard platform. Choose one and write an analysis paper including evidential information that begins with a thesis statement arguing how identity and citizenship is shown in the art. You may not use outside sources for this assignment. Instead, use specific elements of the portrait as evidence for your argument. Be sure to include the name of the portrait in your title.