Shipwrecked: Castaways and Colonial Fantasies

The awareness of our own and others' unique perspectives is a vital part of our learning community, and the diversity of students' perspectives is an asset in our class. I will do everything I can to create a high trust, low stress community where we can all learn from each other's unique encounters with the texts we are reading, but it will take all members of the class to maintain that environment by actively participating and valuing each other's contributions so that we can all learn from our texts and from each other.

At the end of the semester, students will be able to:

• Understand nuanced ways of thinking about how questions of civilization, race, colonialism, and the relationship between a human subject and the world inhere in literary tropes of shipwrecks, islands, and castaways;

• Think critically and creatively;

• Selectively use information to investigate a point of view or conclusion by analyzing evidence from texts in support of claims;

• Communicate complex thesis-driven and evidence-based ideas effectively orally and in writing, while taking into account the complexities of an issue and acknowledges other viewpoints.

Senior Capstone courses are required to meet all of the following criteria:

• The course will require students to write effectively in formats appropriate to an advanced level of the discipline.

• The course will require students to analyze discipline-specific materials to produce effective writing at an advanced level in the discipline.

• The course will require students to document correctly in the conventions of the discipline.

• The course will require students to reflect on their own development in the areas of thinking critically and creatively, communicating effectively, making local to global connections, and understanding responsibilities of community membership.

Native peoples—including the ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ (Cherokee)² and the yeh is-WAH h’reh (Catawba)—lived, hunted, and traded in this region long before the colonization of North America. The English Department recognizes the Indigenous peoples of the land now called North Carolina and acknowledges their displacement, dispossession, and continuing presence. Their influence echoes in the words that name the places we live and learn in: Watauga, Cherokee for “village of many springs” or “beautiful water,” Catawba, “people of the river,” and Appalachian, Muscogee for “other side of the river” or “dwelling on one side.” This statement stands as a reminder to reflect on our interconnected pasts while we contemplate our path forward and to register our gratitude and appreciation for those on whose territory, a place rich with stories, ceremony, and spiritual significance, we reside today.

See the source of this acknowledgement here.

What you can expect from me:

• Timely feedback on your work

• Rigorous engagement with your ideas in class or in writing

• Facilitation of a variety of ways of engaging with texts and the ideas of other students

• Compassion and patience when you need extra time or help

• Availability to meet with you throughout the week (with advanced notice)

• Frequent communication about the course

• Accommodations for your learning style whenever possible (whether or not you have a documented disability)

What I expect from you:

• Completion of readings in a timely manner

• That the work you submit represents your own thoughts and ideas, and does not constitute plagiarism (see Course Policies for more information)

• Participation in discussions, including serious, thoughtful and compassionate engagement with the ideas of your classmates

• Communication with me if you are struggling with any aspect of the course material. You can find information about how to contact me at this link.

This course meets in person three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1:00-1:50pm in Sanford 502. Please see the schedule for more information.

You should make frequent use of our ASULearn site, which will go live at the beginning of the semester to find announcements about the class, as well as readings that aren't included in the required texts.

On Friday of each week I'll send out a reminder for the next week's tasks, but keep in mind that all of the readings for the class are posted at the Schedule page.

The App State Syllabi Policies all obtain in this class. You can find those at this link, and you should read them carefully. I won't repeat them here, but I'll point out a few things particular to this class.

Plagiarism: Please don't plagiarize! You have made a (great!) choice to be in this course and to attend this university, presumably in order to learn. No one suffers more from acts of plagiarism than you do because it robs you of the opportunity to learn and to develop your own ideas. If you plagiarize or allow your own work to be plagiarized by another student, you will fail the assignment and likely the course regardless of the amount of plagiarized text. If you need more information about how to properly cite sources, please refer to the “Writing Tips” on our course site or make an appointment to meet with me. And please always get in touch with me if you aren't sure what plagiarism is, or if you're feeling tempted to plagiarize in order to complete an assignment. I'm sure we can come up with a better solution.

Disability Resources: I know that we all learn in different ways, and you may need accommodations in order to learn better regardless of whether or not you have a documented disability. I'm committed to making this course as inclusive and accessible as possible. If I can do something to support your learning in a different way, please let me know!

Attendance: As this is an upper-level English course, I expect that every student will do their best to attend every class. This is also a very small seminar class, and each person's presence will heavily contribute to our community. If you cannot be in class for whatever reason, let me know, and I will arrange for a zoom link so that you can join the class remotely. Note, however, that this is not a hybrid class, and that this option should only be used in emergent situations (i.e. a positive COVID test or family emergency). If you miss class more than 3 times this semester, I'll get in touch with you to talk about how and whether you'll be able to complete the course successfully this semester.

You can also find more information about course policies at the FAQ page, linked here.