ARW Course Philosophy, Class Policies, and Syllabus: Fall
Dr. Paul Wadden * ILC 365-C * Office 0422-33-3210
Office Hours: Monday 3rd period and Friday 5th period (And Before and After our Classes)
What distinguishes your study of English at ICU—or should distinguish it—from that of language schools and language skills courses at other universities is that it is a vital portion of your education in the College of Liberal Arts. The study of liberal arts (and the study of English within the liberal arts) invites you to consider your own experience and the views of scholars to form thoughtful opinions on significant topics as you use and improve your language skills. During the fall term, we will be engaged in thinking about some of the most important intellectual issues of our times. The first reading, “Stumbling Blocks to Intercultural Communication,” examines how cultural differences and the assumption that “all humans are more or less the same” causes significant misunderstanding and miscommunication. As the lives of people around the globe become more intertwined and internationalized, sophisticated understanding of culture and cultural difference will become more and more important in everything from business marketing to foreign policy. “Perception of Self,” the next reading, goes even deeper as it explores the most fundamental connection between humans and the world: the means by which we perceive and interpret the physical-mental world around us and the principles by which we “see” ourselves. It raises questions about how reliable or trustworthy our everyday judgments are, and whether “reality” is actually as we believe it to be. The next reading for the topic, “Selection, Slanting, and Charged Language,” continues this critical inquiry in the realm of language. It questions whether humans—and their languages—can ever be neutral and suggests that all language is filtered and slanted, and in many important instances (such as love and politics) highly charged.
During the second half of the term, we will investigate one of the most important social and intellectual issues of the early 21st century: race and racism. “The Geometer of Race” introduces you to some of the earliest thinking and categorization of races as it places current racism (and conceptions of race) within an historical context; “Terms of Estrangement” demonstrates how problematic and mixed up our current notions of race are, especially when race is carefully analyzed from a biological perspective; “Race Without Color,” what will probably be the other race reading, offers abundant genetic and biological and environmental evidence to argue that our “common sense” views of race are as ridiculous as the old-fashioned belief that the Earth is flat. These readings show us, as Meiland urges, to question even the most obvious beliefs.
Taken as a whole, these readings directly connect with core issues in nearly every department and traditional area of study at ICU—Language, Social Science, Natural Science, International Studies, Education, and Humanities. I personally view this course as (1) an introduction to intellectual life at ICU; (2) a chance for you to think about your own experience and opinions in relation to some of the most important issues of our time; and (3) above all, a valuable opportunity for you to improve your English skills by allowing you to refine the expression of your thoughts in both spoken and written English. Ultimately, my goal in teaching you is to “develop language and critical thinking abilities” (which is how the ICU College Bulletin describes the aims of this course [26]), and to try to fulfill the purpose of an ICU liberal arts education, which is to cultivate “adventurous minds capable of critical thinking and sensitive to questions and meaning and value” (Bulletin 5).
Core Readings (articles from the ELP Reader):
“Stumbling Blocks in Intercultural Communication,” LaRay M. Barna
“Perception of Self,” Aubrey Fisher
“Selection, Slanting, and Charged Language,” Newman and Genevieve Birk
“The Geometer of Race,” Stephen Jay Gould
“Terms of Estrangement,” James Shreeve
“Race Without Color,” Jared Diamond
plus various supplementary readings
Writing
1 review essay of the particular novel you chose for summer reading
2 essays which present a thesis and support it with a variety of evidence that can include logical reasoning, personal experience, analogy, and thought experiment as well as expert opinion and facts from sources which you find in the library, in course texts, in computer databases, and on internet sites.
Other Activities
P&D’s (presentation and discussion)
Small-group discussions
Large-group discussions
Quizzes
The writing of discussion questions
Writing activities such as brainstorming, organizing and peer editing
To support your writing, we will use The Student Guide to Writing (SGW) and The Little Brown Compact Handbook (LBH). You will not need to bring your writing texts to every class, but only when I specifically ask you to.
Grading and Attendance
Later in the term I will distribute my thoughts and philosophy on grading. Practically speaking and in brief, however, your grade will be based on (1) the quality of your participation in class and the quality of your attention during class (which makes attendance particularly important since you cannot participate if you are not there), and (2) your independent work such as the reading of assigned articles, your dialoguing with these texts, your writing of study questions, and your taking of quizzes, and (3) your essays and presentations. Please don’t bother me for handouts and assignments if you are absent from class but rather make an agreement with at least one friend to collect handouts for you and give you information about assignments if you are not there. Also, you don’t need to telephone or email me if you are sick—just let me know when you return. Since much of this course revolves around class activities and the intellectual community of the classroom, the more you attend class—and participate—the higher your grade will be; the more classes you miss, the lower your grade will be. Coming on time is also important: Twice late equals one absence.
Tutorials Tutorials will not be held every week but only for writing-related activities, particularly during the essay-writing process. You must leave that time free as we will often use it as an extra class period or for individualized writing instruction. When writing tutorials are held, they will be in my office (ILC 365-C).
Tests: Please check the ELP website for all test information
Expected Component-wide Test: October 9th (Culture)
Important Dates: (I will give you specific assignments, page numbers and due dates in class later)
Holidays: afternoon Friday November 2nd; morning Monday November 5
NOT Holidays: Monday September 20 and Monday October 11
Last Day of ELP Classes: Monday November 12
There’s an old saying that “college is a machine that transfers information from the notes of the professor to the notes of the student without it passing through the mind of either.” This class will not be like that!