Dr. Thalia M. Mulvihill and Ms.

Sarah Strohmenger 2012 Syllabus HNRS 390: Honors Colloquium (1 credit) Spring 2012 Wednesdays 3:00pm 4:40pm January 11, 2012 February 29, 2012 Honors College Seminar Room Title: Social, Cultural and Educational Meanings of Tattoos, Piercings and Body Art Course Description For the current generation of college students tattoos, piercings, body art and other related forms of body modification are increasingly common cultural practices. These practices are often explained as ways to signify and express important aspects of personal identity and, in some cases, have become a rite of passage. What are the stories behind particular tattoos, piercings, and body art, and what social, cultural and educational meanings do they hold? Members of this colloquium will conduct an interdisciplinary exploration of the student sub-culture(s) engaging in body modification practices by employing a social science analysis. In addition to sampling the relevant literature, members of this colloquium will also be exposed to documentaries and other popular culture resources. The course description provides the overall meaning as well as goals set for the colloquium. We took time to read as well as explain nearly each sentence of this paragraph so students understood our intent in putting together this 8-week course. Body modification has become a common form of expression for the current generation of student and we felt like creating this course would provide students with the ability to learn about the history of this practice as well as discuss both practical and theoretical ways that body modification is impacting society. There was an underlying goal to project a sense of humanness when addressing this topic. Discussion of body modification rarely seems to move forward beyond the modification and on to the topic of the person who has those modifications. We also wanted to ensure that we were providing a large range of information despite the course only being 8 weeks long. In expressing this to our students, there was an overwhelming desire expressed to discuss the history of body modification, particularly in cultures outside of the United States. This was not anticipated, however we were easily able to accommodate this with several articles as well as documentaries because the history of the practice is much more researched than the current and modern trends. This colloquium will be co-taught by Dr. Thalia M. Mulvihill, Professor of Social Foundations and Higher Education and Sarah Strohmenger, a graduate student in the Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education Masters degree program. Course Objectives:

Dr. Thalia M. Mulvihill and Ms. Sarah Strohmenger 2012 1. to assist students in developing a general knowledge of college student sub-culture(s) as they relate to body modification practices, using historical, sociological, philosophical, psychological and anthropological methodologies. 2. to provide an opportunity for students to analyze and synthesize information by exploring the lived experiences of those who hold membership in the identified subculture(s) as well as popular culture representations of those sub-culture(s). 3. to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to raise critical theoretical and practical questions about the social, cultural and educational meanings of tattoos, piercings and body art. 4. to encourage students to develop strong and vital dialogues with their peers in the colloquium.

Policies and Procedures 1. Special Needs: if you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a disability, if you have emergency medical information to share with me, or if you need special arrangements please contact me as soon as possible. 2. Attendance Policy: students are expected to attend all 8 class sessions and to meet all deadlines for assignments. More than one absence may impact your grade. The reason for the absence is not relevant except in the case of bereavement, in which case the following policy supersedes. ** 3. Bereavement Policy: please consult the following university policy: Right to Funeral and Bereavement Leave a. Students will be excused from class for funeral leave in the event of the death of a member of the student's immediate family or household, including: father, mother, husband, wife, son, daughter, grandfather, grandmother, grandchild, brother, sister, father-in-law, mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, son-in-law, stepfather, stepmother, stepson and stepdaughter. The number of excused absences allowed is determined by the distance of funeral services from Muncie, Indiana, as follows: Three work days - Within 150 miles radius of Muncie Four work days - Between 150-300 mile radius of Muncie Five work days - Beyond 300 mile radius of Muncie Seven work days - Outside of North America

Dr. Thalia M. Mulvihill and Ms. Sarah Strohmenger 2012 If the student is unable to attend the funeral services, the student will be allowed three work days for bereavement. b. In the event of the death of a student's stepmother-in-law, stepfather-in-law, brother-inlaw, sister-in-law, uncle, aunt, nephew, and niece, students will be allowed one work day. c. A student may contact the Office of the Dean of Students to request that an informational notice (without verification) be sent to the student's instructor(s). The student will provide documentation to each instructor. Given proper documentation, the instructor will excuse the student from class and provide the opportunity to earn equivalent credit for assignments missed. If the student is not satisfied with the outcome, he or she may appeal as outlined in the Ball State University's Procedure for Student Bereavement Appeals.

4. Grading: grades will be determined by the quality of work demonstrated by each student and will be administered based on the University's marking system: "A" represents work of excellent quality and is recorded for students who do outstanding work. "B" represents work of good quality and is recorded for those who do work which is clearly above the average. "C" represents work of average quality and is recorded for students who do average work. "D" represents work which is below average, but above failure. "F" represents work that is not of an acceptable quality. A plus or minus may be applied to the above scale, with the exception of "A+" "F+" and "F-" A plus or minus indicator after the grade indicates quality earned slightly above or below the grading scale. Assignments Because the course is only 8 weeks long, we wanted to find a way to provide the most material possible, while keeping in line with the 1-credit that the course was worth academically. We also knew that we would only meet in the classroom once per week and wanted to provide a way to continue the education outside of that 100 minute time frame. Thus, we created a system in which we met for our 100 minutes in class, but there were active online assignment components as well. These online components fostered reflection as well as continued dialogue amongst the students. The combination of in class and online education has allowed us to provide the most well-rounded amount of information to our students.

Dr. Thalia M. Mulvihill and Ms. Sarah Strohmenger 2012 Readings: Provided by instructors on Blackboard in the Discussion Board Area and/or the Course Documents Area, as well as the materials located by students. Reaction Papers (RPs) (25%) Reaction Papers (RPs) need to be approximately 200 300 words each and focused on some portion of the readings due for that day. These writing pieces will help shape the in-class discussions. ** 5 (total) Reaction Papers (RPs) are due, one on each of the following dates: Week Two: Week Three: Week Four: Week Five: Week Six: The following questions may assist you in making decisions about how to organize Reaction Papers (RPs) however, you are encouraged to design your own questions as well. * How has the author positioned herself/himself in relation to their topic? * What ISSUES are at stake within this reading? * What more do I want to know regarding the topic? * How do I feel about the ideas being presented to me by this author? * What CLAIMS and EVIDENCE are presented by this author? * What questions, thoughts, and reactions do I have about the arguments being presented by the author? * How does this reading impact my understanding of social and/or educational policy in the US? Additional examples of how to think about organizing the writing assignments called Reaction Papers will be provided.

Dr. Thalia M. Mulvihill and Ms. Sarah Strohmenger 2012

Electronic Discussions (EDs) (25%) ** Electronic Discussions (EDs) will be posted on Blackboard in the Discussion Board area each week for weeks two six. You will be asked to contribute to each of these discussions by posting your comments (at least ONE Original Post), and by reading and responding to the comments of your colleagues (at least ONE Response Post). In most cases, the Original Post will ask you to respond to a particular prompt and the Response Post will allow you to read and respond to one colleague of your choice. The directions for each discussion will be provided so that you will know where to place your attention. These EDs will expose you to a variety of sources (print, visual and audio). Final Project (50%) Due Wednesday Feb. 29th, 2012 The final project for the course was created broadly and with the purpose of providing the students the ability to create their own final experience. There are many methods of project completion that could be educational, so we created a preliminary list of options. An interview project would provide students with the chance to discuss this topic with one or more other people this could be any one from a tattoo artist to family members to modified individuals in their lives. A popular culture analysis paper provides the frame to assess the impact of body modification through any number of popular culture medias including but not limited to art, reality television, music, and product promotions. The third option is video production in which the students could create any sort of film or mini-documentary to exhibit a final learning piece for the course. The final option, multimodal essay, is the truly creative option in which the students can use any combination of the above mentioned methods or discuss any other ideas they have with us. The most difficult part of this experience was providing context on the length or work requirement while keeping in mind the 8-week, 1-credit course perspective. Students were also provided the option to work individually or with one other person in the class to create their final piece. Please select one of the following options for the Final Project: (Note: You may select to produce a final project on your own or to team up with one or two others). Project Options: 1. Interview Project 2. Popular Culture Analysis Paper 3. Video Production (e.g., TedTalk) 4. Multi-modal Essay

Dr. Thalia M. Mulvihill and Ms. Sarah Strohmenger 2012