ASSIGNMENTS:
Seminar
leadership 15% various
Reading journal 20% various
In-class participation 15% ongoing
Draft of major project to readers/pick up colleague's drafts March
11th
Reader reports 10% March18th
Major Project 40% April 1st
Seminar leadership 15%: This course will be run as a seminar and all
students will have two opportunities to formally lead the discussion. Your
presentations will be in small groups of 2 or 3. You will be required to
present orally on a topic of your choice related to the week’s readings and
intersecting with your special interests. Illuminate your work with critical
insights gained from the term's readings and your preparation for your major
project as well as from your focused listening and participation in class
discussion. The presentation should be 20-30 minutes in length and include a
concluding interlude that opens discussion with other participants in the
class. Give the kind of seminar you’d
like to listen to.
Participation 15% (in-class and
online): Being part of an intellectual community means attending class
regularly and punctually, reading thoughtfully in advance and involving
yourself in class discussions in a way that enables you and other students to
learn. All students must also subscribe to the class listserv, called
"facs4920". The listserv will be used to circulate announcements and
to foster a sense of the intellectual community we are building here. I expect
it to be low traffic, but you will use it to share reading responses, if you
wish, ask questions, give assistance and share information, advice, resources
and announcements. After you are subscribed, to send messages to the listserv address
them to "facs4920@yorku.ca". Please give me your preferred email
address during our second meeting. If you do not have an email account yet and
aren't sure how to get one, please come to see me.
Reading responses: 20%
You are
required to respond to readings on a weekly basis. You will record critical
responses to the readings and seminars and engage with embedded assumptions and
claims made in the readings about gender, feminist practices and 'culture'.
Critical responses are designed to aid you in clarifying issues, formulating
questions, and articulating your opinion. Write them in a way that will help
you to do these things. I recommend a synopsis of the argument with a
collection of your questions or reservations at the end -- but I do encourage you
to approach this aspect of your coursework as creatively as you like. It would
be perfectly appropriate – and helpful to the class – if you would consider
posting your responses to the class email list before the class in question. This would give me the opportunity to see
what you’re getting from the material and enable me to direct the seminar to
best suit your needs. For those who do not
post to the list, be aware that while I will not collect responses every
week, I will, however, expect you to be
prepared to hand in responses or read them aloud every week. Everyone can have three ‘passes’ – meaning
that for whatever reason you may decide not to hand in or read a response. In weeks where more than one reading is
assigned you may elect to respond to only one reading. Please don’t worry about this aspect of your
coursework – if you are keeping up with the readings, the responses needn’t
take up much of your time.
Reader Reports 10% This assignment consist of two peer reviews of your classmates' essay
drafts. We will discuss how to review drafts in class. On November 2nd, you
will finish a good working draft of your essay (or its equivalent) and bring
two copies to class to exchange with other students. Over the next week, you
will read and comment on these drafts. Complete the reports and return it with
the draft of the paper to the author. Each of you will have two peer reviews of
your draft essay, then, before you do your final edit with corrections. Hand in
the peer reviews and your draft with the final paper so that I can assess the
reviews. Please note that you must
participate in this part of the course in order to pass and you must hand your
draft in on time.
Major project 40%. This will be either a formal essay or an
equally rigorous creative project chosen in consultation with Caitlin. I know
that you will bring diverse experiences and perspectives to this class and I am
prepared to entertain any ideas you may have.
GROUND RULES
This
syllabus lays out deadlines for assignments clearly, and the seminar
presentation allows you to choose your own deadline. If any of these dates pose
a problem for you, please consult me well in advance to negotiate a
different due date. Exceptions can always be made for reasons of domestic
affliction or illness, with proper documentation; otherwise, work must be
turned in on time.
I encourage you to contact me whenever you are having trouble with your
work for this course or would like to bounce your ideas off me. I am in my
office regularly on Mondays during the Winter term, but I realize that since
you all lead busy lives, these times may not work for you. I am available at
other times, too. The best way to ensure that I'll be around is to set up
an appointment in advance. Approach me after class, telephone or email me so we
can work out something that suits both our schedules.
Academic Honesty:
York
Students are subject to policies regarding academic honesty as
set out by the Senate of York University and by the Faculty of
Fine Arts. Please read the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty
in the 'University Policies and Regulations' section of the Undergraduate
Programmes Calendar.
