MISSOURI WESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY

School of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Journalism

Dr. Elizabeth Latosi-Sawin     

OUTDOOR SEMESTER            Fall 2007

ENGLISH 210 / ENGLISH 450: NATIVE AMERICAN AND WESTERN LITERATURE

Professor:              Dr. Elizabeth Latosi-Sawin  Office:    Eder Hall 215

Phone:                    271-4274                                                 Office hrs: 9:00-9:30 a.m.TTH;  11:00 – 12:30  TTH and by appointment

Email:                      sawin@missouriwestern.edu

Section 38              Time: TTH 9:30-10:50 a.m.            Classroom:  EDER 210

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Upon completion of English 210 a student should be able to:

1. Recognize the major characteristics of literary genres

2. Discuss literature, orally and in writing, with assurance

3. Appreciate literary works encountered

4. Understand the different ways in which literary theme may be treated in literature.

 

Means: To reach these goals, the student is expected to:

1. Read poetry, fiction, and view drama or films

2. Investigate various methods of approaching and understanding literature

3. Write papers, including themes and essay examinations

4. Read a variety of literary works in which a chosen theme is dominant.

 

COURSE QUESTIONS for this section of 210 raised by the texts and poetry to be assigned:

  1. What kinds of lives did Native Americans live prior to contact with white Americans? (Fools Crow)
  2. What did Lewis and Clark know about American Indians before their epic journey west? (Undaunted Courage)
  3. What happens when people conditioned by different social, cultural, linguistic and historical circumstances meet each other? (Fools Crow, Undaunted Courage, The Great Plains Reader)
  4. What conflicts exist within and between the value systems of Native and Euro-Americans? (Ceremony, Pow WowHighway, The Great Plains Reader)
  5. Why and how did Americans displace native peoples? (How the West Was Lost, The Great Plains Reader)
  6. How did native peoples resist or accommodate themselves to the loss of their land? (Pow Wow Highway, The Great Plains Reader))
  7. How do indigenous people maintain a cultural identity and way of life? (Ceremony, Smoke Signals)

 

REQUIRED TEXTS:

    • Fools Crow by James Welch
    • Ceremony by Leslie Marmom Silko
    • The Great Plains Reader
    • Recommended: Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose (Each student will read and report on two chapters of this book for the class or on some other book later in the semester. A library copy may be used.)
    • We will also read Native American poetry online, in the library, and in books owned by the instructor
    • We will see films such as Smoke Signals, Pow Wow Highway, and relevant videos from the historical series How the West Was Lost

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY FOR THIS SECTION OF 210:

Because field treks are part of Outdoor Semester, we are on an extremely tight schedule when we are on campus. Regular and punctual attendance is absolutely necessary. All or part of up to 2 classes (but only 2 on-campus classes for the entire semester) can be missed without penalty. With the third, and each subsequent absence (more than 20 minutes of any class session), you will receive a 5% reduction in points from your semester total.  I reserve the right to waive this penalty for highly unusual (and fully documented) extenuating circumstances, although I accept no obligation to do so. (For example, if you are subpoenaed to appear in court, or are hospitalized, and inform me in writing of the circumstance, I will accept that as an excused absence. However, even with an excused absence, you need to take responsibility for obtaining assignments, notes, and handouts from a responsible classmate (or in advance from me).  Sleeping through your alarm or skipping class to prepare for a test in another course are not excusable absences.

 

Be sure to sign your full name on the DAILY ROSTER that I will hand out for purposes of keeping complete track of attendance. If you do not sign your own name, you are not officially here. If you come late or leave early, you will be considered absent. The films we will see, the in-class writings we will do, the discussions and quizzes we will have, can’t be “made-up.” Once these activities occur they are lost to you. Likewise, your contributions are lost to us when you are not here. 

 

INSTITUTIONAL ATTENDANCE POLICY GOING INTO EFFECT:   In order to improve student learning as well as to achieve compliance with federal financial aid policies, Western has a mandatory attendance policy for all 100-level classes and 200-level for Fall 2007. Excused absences are those in which the student is serving as a representative of the college. The maximum number of unexcused absences allowed for this TTH class before the midterm report, October 17, is 3. Thus, when you have 4 unexcused absences you will be reported to the Registrar’s Office, who will automatically withdraw you from this class. The Financial Aid Office will reduce financial aid as appropriate.

 

INSITUTIONAL ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY:    Honesty is required in all academic endeavors.  Violations of academic honesty include any instance of plagiarism, cheating, seeking credit for another’s work, falsifying documents or academic records, or any other fraudulent activity. Violations of academic honesty may result in a failing grade on the assignment, failure for the course, or expulsion from the University. When a student’s grade has been affected, violations of academic honesty will be reported to the Provost or designated representative on the Academic Honesty Violation Report Forms. Please see the 2007-2008 Student Handbook and Calendar for specifics activities identified as violations of this policy and the student due process procedure.  This handbook is also available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf  Put simply you are expected to do your own reading and writing in this course.  Any student who submits someone else's work as his or her own will receive no credit (0 points) for that assignment. Faculty are now required to report violations to the Provost.  A second infraction will earn an "F" in this course. Students should be aware that expulsion from the university is possible.

 

DISABLED STUDENT POLICY:   If you have a recognized disability that requires special consideration, please make an appointment to see me during the first week of classes so that we can discuss privately how I might help you to succeed.

 

GRADED ASSIGNMENTS:

Four one-page responses to Fools Crow                                                        70 points      ( 17.5%)

FIELD JOURNAL                                                                                                 80 points      ( 20   %)

Work on poetry, short stories and/or nonfiction in Great Plains Reader 70  points     ( 17.5%)

Journal Entries and Essay on Ceremony                                                          70 points      ( 17.5%)

Tests and reports on Undaunted Courage or others as assigned             70 points      ( 17.5%)

In-class discussion, attendance                                                                       40 points      ( 10   %)  

                                                                  400 points    A= 100%-90       B=89.75-80%        C=79.75-70%      D=69.75-60%         F=Less than 60%

 

FIELD JOURNAL  A significant amount of writing to be done daily while on the northern or southern trek of Outdoor Semester. You will visit historical sites, meet Native Americans, face physical challenges, solve problems, cope with weather, view scenes of natural splendor and read brief poems written by Native Americans while you are in the field. As the imaginative writers you will have read in English 210, you will also have the chance to capture the flow and meaning of your own experience. There is no end to the possibilities of what to write about in the field ... from the mundane to the serious, from the speech of Native American elders to jokes in the van; from hints about camping or rafting to probing questions about American culture and what you value in your own life. You will receive journals as part of Outdoor Semester and more specific directions about keeping them shortly before you leave for your trip. 

JOURNAL is due OCT. 4  for northerners (one week after trek). JOURNAL is due NOV. 14 for southerners.

ASSIGNMENTS for this course are in the separate table (merged with English 108/112 for the convenience of those students taking both courses).

 

We are going to have a once-in-a-lifetime learning experience.       WELCOME to Outdoor Semester!