You are on page 1of 9

AFRS 104W AFRS 104W W R II T II N G A B O U T A M E R II C A N I N E Q U A L II T Y :: WR T NG ABOUT AMER CAN INEQUAL TY

A N A L Y Z IIN G D IIF F E R E N C E ,, O P P R E S S IIO N ,, A N D A G E N C Y ANALYZ NG D FFERENCE OPPRESS ON AND AGENCY


T. HASAN JOHNSON, PH.D. FALL 2011 Course Meeting Time: Tue/Thu 2-3:15pm Class Location: Speech Arts, Rm #153 Phone: (559) 278-8805 Email: THJohnson@csufresno.edu Office Location: Science Bldg # 1, Rm#168 Office Hours: Wednesday, 11-2pm

C O U R S E D E S C R II P T II O N COU R S E DES CR IPT ION O U R S E E S C R P T O N Writing About American Inequality will focus on the ways in which researchers analyze American society, emphasizing the myriad forms of micro and macro oppressions that plague the lives of many of its documented and undocumented residents. Students will be expected to study and discuss the various approaches to researching oppression and social difference, while incorporating them into their own writing. Written work will be shared by peers, thus ensuring that each person receive critique, while also developing ones own writing style by reviewing others work.

C A T A L O G D E S C R II P T II O N CAT AL OG DES C R IPT ION A T A L O G E S C R P T O N AAIS 104W. Writing about American Inequality (3) Prerequisite: satisfactory completion (C or better) of the ENGL 5B and 10 graduation requirement. Analysis of poverty, social class, and inequality in America. Students receive feedback in preparing papers on poverty and inequality. Emphasis on research techniques, evaluation and documentation of evidence, and style and mechanics of writing. Meets the upper-division writing skills requirement for graduation. (Formerly ETHS 104W) R E Q U II R E D C O U R S E T E X T S RE Q U I R E D CO U R S E T E XT S E Q U R E D O U R S E T E X T S Marable, Manning. How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America: Problems in Race, Political Economy, and Society. South End Press Classics Series, Vol. 4) (Paperback) ISBN10: 0896085791. ($25) Healey, Joseph F. Diversity and Society: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender. Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge Press, 2010. ISBN: 978-1-4129-7647-3 ($43)

-1-

G R A D II N G P L A N GR A D I N G PL A N R A D N G L A N In-Class Writing Exercises Exams (2) Midterm Research Writing Papers (3) (10%) (40%) (20%) (30%)

G R A D II N G C R II T E R II A GR A D I N G CR I T E R I A R A D N G R T E R A 90 - 100+ A 80 - 89 B 70 - 79 C 60 - 69 D (59 and under is an F) C O U R S E A S S II G N M E N T S COU R S E AS S IG N MEN T S O U R S E S S G N M E N T S Achievement of the preceding goals will be demonstrated by satisfactory completion of exams, papers, group work projects, and class attendance outlined below. 1. IN-CLASS WRITING EXERCISES (10%): Measures in-class presence and participation, interactivity with other students as it pertains to group activities and peer grading, and the completion of in-class written work. IN-CLASS PARTICIPATION RUBRIC +8-10 +5-7 +2-4
Attendance Attends every class. Usually asks questions about the topic Always tries to answer questions in class. Always respects classmates differences. Always tries to work together well. Grades peers papers and gives useful feedback. Completes all online activities Attends most classes. Often asks questions about the topic Usually tries to answer questions in class. Usually respects classmates differences. Usually tries to work together well. Grades peers papers with some feedbacks. Usually turns in assignments and Attends some classes. Sometimes asks questions about the topic. Sometimes tries to answer questions in class. Sometimes respects classmates differences. Sometimes does not work together well. Grades papers with no feedback. Sometimes turns in assignments

+0-1
Does not attend classes regularly. Rarely asks questions about the topic. Rarely tries to answer questions in class. Rarely respects classmates differences. Rarely works together well with other students. Inadequate grading and substandard (to no) feedback. Rarely turns in assignments and

Questioning

Answering

Working with Classmates

In-Class Grading Online Assignments

-2-

and turns them in as per the instructors request.

mostly submits them in the proper format.

and may submit them in the proper format.

seldom submits them in the proper format.

2. EXAMS (2) (40% each): Two online quizzes on BlackBoard will be given to assess student progression. QUIZ RUBRIC
CATEGORY Errors 33-40% Most (90100%) of the answers have no errors. Answers are complete and presented in a neat, clear, organized fashion. 26-32% Almost all (8089+%) answers have no errors. Answers are mostly complete and are presented in a neat and organized fashion that is usually easy to read. 17-25% Some (7079+%) of the answers have no errors. Answers are mostly incomplete and are presented in an organized fashion but may be hard to read at times. 8-16% Some (6069+%) of the answers have no errors. Answers are fairly incomplete and are presented in an somewhat organized fashion but are often hard to read at times. 0-7% Most (0-59%) answers have errors. Answers are incomplete and appear sloppy and unorganized.

Completene ss

3. MIDTERM (20%): Midterm exam will be given at mid-semester to assess student progression. MIDTERM RUBRIC
CATEGORY Errors +18-20% Most (90100%) of the answers have no errors. Answers are complete and presented in a neat, clear, organized fashion. +15-17% Almost all (8089+%) answers have no errors. Answers are mostly complete and are presented in a neat and organized fashion that is usually easy to read. +13-16% Some (7079+%) of the answers have no errors. Answers are mostly incomplete and are presented in an organized fashion but may be hard to read at times. +9-12% Some (6069+%) of the answers have no errors. Answers are fairly incomplete and are presented in an somewhat organized fashion but are often hard to read at times. +0-8% Most (059%) answers have errors. Answers are incomplete and appear sloppy and unorganize d.

Completen ess

-3-

4. RESEARCH WRITINGS (30%): Students will complete three two-page (single spaced/1,000 word) papers according to the course schedule. Students also will receive information during the first weeks of class on research writing guidelines. Papers may be required on Blackboard and in hardcopy format. RESEARCH WRITINGS RUBRIC
GRADE Length Organization Paper was well ordered and well structured, with a clear structure with supporting sections throughout the paper. Paper was partially structured, with a somewhat cogent argument, but lacks supporting framework for thesis argument. Also, thesis is not detailed and direct. Paper structure was disjointed and poor, with no coherent support for thesis argument (or no thesis argument provided). Structure Font was either Ariel, Times, or Book Antiqua font; 12-point font; singlespaced; used proper references, and had an organized bibliography (with at least two entries) as per the paper-writing handout given at the beginning of the semester. Content

A-B

You wrote no less than two pages/1000 words..

Content was well researched and material was thorough; accurate sources were provided.

C-D

At least a page and a half written (850 words).

Font was not an approved font format, not singlespaced; used other than 12point font; used less than two entries in bibliography.

Sources provided were scattered or random; and research material was not thorough.

Less than one page written.

Proper fonts were not used; did not provide footnotes; did not provide a bibliography.

Content was poorly researched, overly opinionated, and/or sources were not provided.

R E S E A R C H P A P E R G U II D E L II N E S RE S E A R C H P A P E R GU I D E L I N E S E S E A R C H P A P E R U D E L N E S Write 3 two-paged research papers on some aspect of race as studied in course discussions. The paper must be turned in on the day of class listed in the course schedule. After addressing the subject of your study, the paper should describe the subjects historical and cultural antecedents. Also, describe the breadth of your subject by addressing these questions: a) b) c) d) e) f) g) What types of settings does this occur? How long has this been happening? Where does this occur geographically? Is this a regional, national, or international phenomenon? What groups are involved in this occurrence? What types of various meanings do representations of race carry? How race in popular culture influence perceptions of blackness, (or whiteness), color, sexuality, gender, class, health?

-4-

Does their media representation succeed or fail? How have they been read differently from what may have been their intent? If possible, include pictures or other media that might be pertinent (keep in mind that pictures should be at the end of your paper as appendices and they will not be counted as part of your page requirement). Follow the guidelines listed in the Writing Tips handout you will receive in class. Please use at least five text sources (although you may use them, internet sources will not be counted). Remember, your research paper is worth 20% of your course grade, so be thorough! L E A R N II N G O B JJ E C T II V E S LE A R N I N G OB J E C T I V E S E A R N N G B E C T V E S Students will learn relevant histories and theories regarding race from the fields of: Africana Studies, Media Studies, and History. 2. Students will analyze historical and theoretical issues regarding the development of the concept of race in the 20th Century. 3. Students will compare overlapping forms of socio-political oppression and describe how they function in society. 4. Students will learn to formulate their own arguments and pose them in writing. L E A R N II N G E X P E R II E N C E S LE A R N I N G EX P E R I E N C E S E A R N N G X P E R E N C E S 1. Students will attend lectures, read assigned texts, participate in class discussions, and watch in-class films. 2. Students will write reviews on reading assignments. 3. Students will read articles regarding micro and macro-oppressive forms of white supremacy, patriarchy, classism, and heteronormativity. 5. Students will present their research to the class and scrutinize each others work, engaging critique from student peers. L E A R N II N G O U T C O M E S LE A R N I N G OU T C O M E S E A R N N G U T C O M E S 1. Students will learn how to include critiques of academic arguments, beginning with writing an abstract, an outline, and the primary sections of a research paper in drafts (including peer critiques). 3. Students will be able to think critically about concepts of interdisciplinarity and multidimensionality, and apply them to contemporary issues. 4. Students will learn how to formulate an original argument, develop it, and articulate it in both a protracted text presentation. 5. Students will become familiar with written argumentation, learning to defend an argument while incorporating anticipated critiques. C L A S S P O L II C II E S CLAS S POL I CI E S L A S S O L C E S A. Attendance, Tardiness, and Absences: In order to do well in this class, attendance is MANDATORY. If for any reason you need to miss class, you must call or e-mail me in advance. A class roster will be circulated during each class meeting. It is the students responsibility to sign it. The student is also responsible for securing notes on class 1.

-5-

lectures and announcements. ARRIVE ON TIME!! Late arrivals disrupt the lecture and you may miss important announcements as well as lecture material. B. Cell phone policy: cell phones may be kept on vibrate or silent only. If a call must be answered, it must be answered outside of the class. No text messaging or emailing should be done in class. In the best interest of the class, please be considerate of your classmates by following these guidelines. C. Make-up essays and extensions of due dates: Requests for approved absences must be submitted in writing prior to missing class. Requests for an extension or make-up opportunity must be submitted prior to the assignment due date, in writing. However, submission of request in no way guarantees professors approval. D. Participation: Even though this class is primarily a lecture course, active--not passive-participation in class is a MUST. By active, I do not mean just being in class physically. Active participation entails being engaged with the material and being able to comment/critique the readings and films. I will not hesitate to call on you, so it would be in your best interest to come to class prepared to discuss the issues addressed in the material. In borderline cases, your participation level will determine your final grade. C E R T II F II C A T E O F S P E C II A L S T U D Y II N R A C II A L CER T I FI C AT E O F SPE C IA L ST U DY IN RA CI A L E R T F C A T E O F P E C A L T U D Y N A C A L U N D E R S T A N D II N G UN DERS T AN DI N G N D E R S T A N D N G The Africana and American Indian Studies Program and the Department of Social Work Education jointly offer the Certificate of Special Study in Racial Understanding. This 12unit program consists of three required courses and one related interdisciplinary elective. The certificate is designed to prepare students and practicing professionals to develop knowledge and skills necessary to understand racial difference and underlying racism and manage conflict resulting from it. The special study seeks to promote racial awareness and racial harmony, diversity competency, and cultural understanding in our multiracial and multicultural society. UPPER-DIVISION REQUIREMENTS (9 UNITS) AAIS 104W, 144; SWRK 136 ELECTIVES (3 UNITS) Select one of the following courses: AAIS 137 (same as WS 137); AAIS 189; ANTH 120; CI 140; CLS 170; CRIM 175, 176; PAX 120; SOC 111; SSCI 180; SWRK 137; WS 120 TOTAL (12 UNITS) In addition, three units of field experience may be available from the National Coalition Building Institute (NCBI) Train-the-Trainer seminar offered through the Women's Resource Center. ADVISING NOTES 1. Open to all students.

-6-

2. Coursework must be completed with a minimum grade of 2.5. H O W T O S U C C E E D II N T H II S C O U R S E HO W T O SU C C E E D I N T H I S CO U R S E O W T O U C C E E D N T H S O U R S E A. If you are not used to reading a lot, GET USED TO IT!!! This course is the equivalent of a course offered at any UC, Cal State, or private college/university (USC, Stanford, Chapman, Pomona, etc.). Therefore, the reading load for this course may be heavy. It is expected that you spend a minimum of at least eight (8) hours a week on the reading and preparation for this course. There may be times when you feel overwhelmed by the reading material. However, here are some suggestions that may help you along the way: 1) Find a quiet space away from any distractions so that you can concentrate fully on the reading assignments. 2) When you are doing the reading, do it as if you are on a mission. This means that you should look for the main ideas, concepts, and arguments in each textbook chapter, article, and document that is assigned. Ask yourself questions when you read: What are the main points in this chapter/article/document? What does the author of the textbook/article/document want me to know? 3) Outline and/or summarize the assigned chapters, articles, and documents in your notes. When you are reading chapters from the textbooks, look for headings and subheadings. Write down the main points that are addressed under each heading and subheading. When you are reading articles or documents, outline the points that are made in each paragraph of the article or document. 4) DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!!! While it is human nature to wait until the last possible minute to do the work assigned for your classes, this strategy has been proven, time and time again, to lead to a student's downfall. Do not wait until the night before a quiz/exam to do all of the reading that the quiz/exam will cover. If you do, you will find yourself trying to cram a large amount of reading material that most likely you will not remember when you take the quiz/exam. The reading for this course has been broken up so that you will have reading assigned for days when there will not be a quiz. It is extremely important that you do the reading assignments for those days so that you will not have to cram at the last minute for quizzes or exams. In addition, the readings will help you to understand the lectures for those days on which they are assigned. 5) Review your notes after you have written them!! 6) If it is possible, form study groups with your colleagues. Obtain the phone numbers of some of your colleagues and schedule times when you can get together and discuss the readings. 7) If you are having trouble with the concepts addressed in the readings, do not hesitate to contact me. U N II V E R S II T Y P O L II C II E S UN IV ERS IT Y POL I CI ES N V E R S T Y O L C E S STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Upon identifying themselves to the instructor and the university, students with disabilities will receive reasonable accommodation for learning and evaluation. For more information, contact Services to Students with Disabilities in Madden Library 1049 (278-2811).

-7-

CHEATING AND PLAGIARISM: Cheating is the actual or attempted practice of fraudulent or deceptive acts for the purpose of improving one's grade or obtaining course credit; such acts also include assisting another student to do so. Typically, such acts occur in relation to examinations. However, it is the intent of this definition that the term 'cheating' not be limited to examination situations only, but that it include any and all actions by a student that are intended to gain an unearned academic advantage by fraudulent or deceptive means. Plagiarism is a specific form of cheating which consists of the misuse of the published and/or unpublished works of others by misrepresenting the material (i.e., their intellectual property) so used as one's own work. Penalties for cheating and plagiarism range from a 0 or F on a particular assignment, through an F for the course, to expulsion from the university. For more information on the University's policy regarding cheating and plagiarism, refer to the Class Schedule (Legal Notices on Cheating and Plagiarism) or the University Catalog (Policies and Regulations). Any student wishing to submit a written assignment that is the partial or entire product of work completed for another course must FIRST obtain WRITTEN permission from the instructor specifying the extent to which the earlier work is acceptable, and also include a copy of the earlier work with the current submission. Note that in NO case is a paper that was prepared for another course acceptable as a submission in the General Education courses. Failure to comply with these requirements will result in the initiation of actions regarding breaches of policy on Cheating and Plagiarism. COMPUTERS: At California State University, Fresno, computers and communications links to remote resources are recognized as being integral to the education and research experience. Every student is required to have his/her own computer or have other personal access to a workstation (including a modem and a printer) with all the recommended software. The minimum and recommended standards for the workstations and software, which may vary by academic major, are updated periodically and are available from Information Technology Services (http://www/csufresno.edu/ITS/) or the University Bookstore. In the curriculum and class assignments, students are presumed to have 24-hour access to a computer workstation and the necessary communication links to the University's information resources. DISRUPTIVE CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR: The classroom is a special environment in which students and faculty come together to promote learning and growth. It is essential to this learning environment that respect for the rights of others seeking to learn, respect for the professionalism of the instructor, and the general goals of academic freedom are maintained. Differences of viewpoint or concerns should be expressed in terms which are supportive of the learning process, creating an environment in which students and faculty may learn to reason with clarity and compassion, to share of themselves without losing their identities, and to develop and understanding of the community in which they live. Student conduct which disrupts the learning process shall not be tolerated and may lead to disciplinary action and/or removal from class. COPYRIGHT POLICY: Copyright laws and fair use policies protect the rights of those who have produced the material. The copy in this course has been provided for private study, scholarship, or research. Other uses may require permission from the copyright holder. The user of this work is responsible for adhering to copyright law of the U.S. (Title

-8-

17, U.S. Code). To help you familiarize yourself with copyright and fair use policies, the University encourages you to visit its copyright web page. http://www.lib.csufresno.edu/libraryinformation/campus/copyright/copyrtpolicyfull.pdf Digital Campus course web sites contain material protected by copyrights held by the instructor, other individuals or institutions. Such material is used for educational purposes in accord with copyright law and/or with permission given by the owners of the original material. You may download one copy of the materials on any single computer for noncommercial, personal, or educational purposes only, provided that you (1) do not modify it, (2) use it only for the duration of this course, and (3) include both this notice and any copyright notice originally included with the material. Beyond this use, no material from the course web site may be copied, reproduced, re-published, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way without the permission of the original copyright holder. The instructor assumes no responsibility for individuals who improperly use copyrighted material placed on the web site. HONOR CODE: Members of the CSU Fresno academic community adhere to principles of academic integrity and mutual respect while engaged in university work and related activities. You should: a) understand or seek clarification about expectations for academic integrity in this course (including no cheating, plagiarism and inappropriate collaboration) b) neither give nor receive unauthorized aid on examinations or other course work that is used by the instructor as the basis of grading. c) take responsibility to monitor academic dishonesty in any form and to report it to the instructor or other appropriate official for action. Instructors may require students to sign a statement at the end of all exams and assignments that "I have done my own work and have neither given nor received unauthorized assistance on this work." If you are going to use this statement, include it here. Please refer to the policies document at http://academicaffairs.csufresno.edu/undergrad_studies/RequiiredSyllabusPolicyStateme nts.htm SPECIAL NOTE: This syllabus is subject to change in relation to the needs of the class (and in the best interest of learning) as assessed by the instructor.

-9-

You might also like