Anatomies
of Change
Winter Quarter 2004-05
IHUM 20A: Anatomies of Change Section Syllabus Winter 2005
Seminar Leader: Erin Ferris, PhD Comparative Literature
Course Coordinator: Erin Ferris
Email : eferris@stanford.edu
Office: Building 300, Room 209
Office Hours: T/Th 7-8 and by appointment*
(*please sign up in advance for office hour s)
Intern (s. 3) : Jessica Payette (Music) payette@stanford.edu
Course Website : http://www.stanford.edu/class/ihum20A/
Seminar Sections: Evaluation: Dates:
s.2 T/Th 1:15-2:45 200-201 Paper (4-5 pages) 20% Th Feb 3
s.3 T/Th 3:15-4:45 Sweet 403 Paper (6-7 pages) 30% Th Mar 3
s.4 T/Th 5:15-6:45 250-251K Final Exam 25% M Mar 14
Participation 25%
Course Goals:
The programmatic goals of winter/spring IHUM courses are: to build upon the critical, analytic, and close-reading skills learned in fall IHUM courses; to continue improving the listening and discussion skills learned in fall IHUM courses; and to introduce students in a sustained way to a body of material in a specific discipline, in this case, to understand the multiple approaches to the interpretation of texts that characterize interdisciplinary humanities.
Seminars:
Seminars will be geared toward learning and experimenting with different techniques for critical thinking and textual analysis. Seminars will require your active participation. Your seminar grade will involve the following: 1) showing up to seminar regularly with the text of the day, prepared to discuss it and the lectures, 2) treating your fellow classmates with respect and responding to their comments and ideas, 3) engaging in whatever activity we may have planned, which may include in-class writing-assignments. Your section participation grade additionally may include unannounced pop quizzes on lectures and/or reading, peer editing assignments, essay drafts, discussion questions, and other writing assignments.
The Grim Realities :
Attendance at lectures and seminars is required. Missed seminars will cause your grade to suffer. For every unexcused absence starting with #3, your participation grade will drop one third of a grade (and so on …). Similarly, late work is unacceptable and will be penalized. Students should ensure they make up missed seminar work. Papers (hard copies and email attachments) are due on the scheduled deadlines at or before 11 a.m.—the beginning of lectures. Late papers generally will lose 1/3 of a grade for each day the paper is overdue, excepting special circumstances. Revisions for re-grading will not be accepted. If you anticipate missing seminars and/or any difficulty completing any assignment by the deadline, consult your individual section leader in advance.
Resources:
Stanford Writing Center : http://swc.stanford.edu. The writing center offers help for your overall writing skills including one-to-one conferences and writing workshops. You can make appointments online.
Disability Resource Center (DRC), 723-1066; TDD 725-1067.
Grading Guidelines:
Essays : Area One courses are mandated to foster rigorous inquiry and critical thinking, and to promote effective written argumentation.
A range: This paper is outstanding in form and content. The thesis is clear and insightful; it expands in a new way on ideas presented in the course. The evidence presented in support of the argument is carefully chosen and deftly handled. The argument is not only unified and coherent, but also complex and nuanced.
B range: This paper's thesis is clear; the argument is coherent and presents evidence in support of its points. The argument shows comprehension of the material and manifests critical thinking about the issues raised in the course. The paper is reasonably well written and proofread. The argument, while coherent, does not have the complexity, the insight, or the integrated structure of an A range paper.
C range: This paper has some but not all of the basic components of an argumentative essay (i.e., thesis, evidence, coherent structure): for example, it may offer a thesis of some kind, but it presents no evidence to support this thesis; or it may present an incoherent thesis; or it may simply repeat points made in class without an overall argument. Such a paper is usually poorly organized, written and proofread. A paper will fall below a "C" if it lacks more than one of the basic components of an argumentative essay.
Section Participation : Area One courses are mandated to encourage vigorous intellectual exchange, the expression of various viewpoints, and the ability to speak effectively and cogently. Participation in discussion will be evaluated on the following guidelines, which stress the quality rather than the mere quantity of contributions to discussion.
A range: The student is fully engaged and highly motivated. This student is well prepared, having read the assigned texts, and has thought carefully about the texts’ relation to issues raised in lecture and section. This student's ideas and questions are productive (either constructive or critical); they stimulate class discussions. This student listens and responds to the contributions of other students.
B range: The student attends class regularly, is well prepared for discussion, and participates consistently. This student contributes productively to the discussion by sharing thoughts and questions that demonstrate familiarity with the material. This student refers to the materials discussed in lecture and shows interest in other students' contributions.
C range: The student meets the basic requirements of section participation: preparedness and regular attendance. This student participates rarely in class discussion. This student may offer a few interesting or insightful ideas from time to time, but these ideas do not connect well to the general discussion: they do not help to build a coherent and productive discussion. (Failure to fulfill satisfactorily any of these criteria will result in a grade of "D" or below.)
The Honor Code:
Violating the Honor Code is a serious offense, even when the violation is unintentional. The Honor Code is available at: www.stanford.edu/dept/vpsa/judicialaffairs/honor_code.htm. You are responsible for understanding the University rules regarding academic integrity; you should familiarize yourself with the code if you have not already done so. In brief, conduct prohibited by the Honor Code includes all forms of academic dishonesty, among them copying from another’s exam, unpermitted collaboration and representing as one’s own work the work of another. If you have any questions about these matters, see your teaching fellow during office hours.