REQUIREMENTS
This Web Syllabus is the definitive source of information for our course. Your paper syllabus will soon be out of date. You should consult this site at least twice a week. I will change assignments and add mandatory readings and links throughout the semester. You are responsible for knowing about any of these changes in requirements.
NOTE: I have not yet recorded the lecture dates for the second half of the semester. I will update this information when I have finalized my course plans.
PAPER SOURCES
- Roger Scruton, The West and the Rest
- John Kingdon, America the Unusual
- Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto
- Václav Havel, Open Letters: Selected Writings, 1965-1990
- Carolina Maria de Jesus, Child of the Dark
- Course Reader: Buy this immediately in the Decio Copy Center, 131 Decio Hall.
All of these books (with the exception of the Reader) are available in the Hesburgh Library Reserve Room.
To supplement these assignments, I recommend that you get into the habit of reading any decent newspaper, news magazine, or online forum on a regular basis. The online version of the The New York Times is free. You might also find this survey of the world press useful and even annoying: Watching America
VIRTUAL SOURCES
You, your classmates, and your TAs will engage in regular discussions and debates over a medium called Concourse. You will find this link above. Participation in these virtual discussions is one of the most beneficial segments of this course. This format will help you prepare for your Friday sections by testing your ideas and disagreeing with your classmates. This course is all about conflict. A little conflict in the defense of one’s views is a good thing!
Other sources are available on this syllabus. These include: Web links and links to online electronic sources in the Hesburgh Library. If your assignment says PRINT, you must print it immediately for use at your discussion section.
VISUAL SOURCES
There are several required films in the course. The first and the third films will oblige you to attend evening showings on alternative nights. Please mark in your calendars for either Monday September 22 or Tuesday, September 23 for the first film; both showings will be at 7:00 p.m. I will announce the dates for the third film later.
EARNING YOUR GRADES
You will earn your grades in this course on the basis of different types of assignments. We will have two take-home essays during the semester and one in-class final examination. The take-home essays will be docked 1/3 of a grade for every day they are late.
Your participation in discussion sections is a major part of your grade. By “participation,” I mean the quality of your comments during the section, your weekly written assignments, and your virtual discussions over Concourse. You will earn a lower grade by failing to attend class or discussion sections. We are watching!
First Reflective Essay
Second Reflective Essay
Participation
Final Examination
|
15 percent
15 percent
30 percent (15 percent + 15 percent)
40 percent (20 percent + 20 percent) |
