FALL 2008

XIDS 2100-11 -- Arts and Ideas: Jewish American Literature and Culture

Instructor: Dr. Lisa Propst

Office: PAF 332

Office Phone: TBD

Office Hours: Mondays 1-2 PM, Tuesdays and Thursdays 3.30-6.30 PM, and by appointment                                                                   

E-mail: lpropst@westga.edu MyUWG and WebCT serve as the only legitimate modes of university correspondence

URL: www.westga.edu/~lpropst

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND LEARNING OUTCOMES:

This course explores the interrelationships among Jewish American history, fiction, film, painting, and photography. It considers how the experiences of Jewish artists and writers have shaped their works and how these art works, in turn, have contributed to diverse conceptions of Jewish American identity. The course moves from Eastern European legacies to experiences of immigration, acculturation, and self-invention. Within this context, our readings and discussions will focus on people’s abilities to create alternative realities through acts of imagination -- redefining themselves, rewriting their lives, and producing new histories for their loved ones and rivals. These acts of invention can be survival strategies, both literal and psychological: means of escaping danger through trickery or of finding hope under bleak conditions. These fantasies can also be destructive, enabling people to ignore the demands of the world around them or to manipulate others.

Specific Learning Outcomes:

To demonstrate through class discussion, exams, and writing or creative assignments the diverse aspects of a multifaceted and continuously developing American Jewish culture and identity.

To be able to articulate in class discussion, exams, and/or writing assignments how social and historical factors, including immigration, acculturation, and the Holocaust, have affected Jewish American culture and art.

To explore how literature and the visual arts simultaneously reflect and shape cultural identities and to delineate the specific ways in which each medium carries out this reflection and shaping.

To collaborate in the production of a work of literature, visual art, photography, or film that explores the student’s cultural background in relation to the backgrounds of fellow students.

To experience a variety of cultural and artistic events with an audience and to be able to discuss in an informed, sensitive way the diverse meanings of American identity and culture as represented in these events.

XIDS Course Goals

COURSE MATERIALS, ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING

Required Texts:

·          Cynthia Ozick, The Puttermesser Papers (1997)

·          Philip Roth, American Pastoral (1997)

·          Jonathan Safran Foer, Everything is Illuminated (2002)

·          Short readings available online

·          Films: You will need to watch the following films: Avalon, dir. Barry Levinson (1990); The Chosen, dir. Jeremy Kagan (1981); Everything is Illuminated, dir. Liev Schreiber (2005). You may choose to attend screenings organized by Dr. Propst or access and watch these DVDs on your own. Avalon and Everything is Illuminated will be on reserve at the UWG library.

·          Class sessions will include slides of art and photography by people such as Alfred Eisenstaedt, Roman Vishniac, Paul Strand, Ben Shahn, Man Ray, Max Weber, Judy Chicago, Miriam Schapiro, William Steig, and Saul Steinberg.

The three novels are available at the UWG bookstore.

Other Materials:

·          A college-level dictionary

·          A stapler

·          Internet access, a UWG e-mail account, and a reliable printer

·          A flash drive to save work for class

Assignments and Grading:

1.      One 4-5 page textual analysis essay: 20%

2.      Two exams: midterm (15%) and final (20%)

3.      Group creative project with individual reflection: 20%

In small groups (max. 4 people), create a short story, a short film, a photo montage, etc. which explores the points of convergence and divergence among your respective cultural backgrounds. This project can combine multiple artistic genres. It must be accompanied by an individually written reflection on the intentions driving the project (i.e. a reflection on what you set out to explore, what you learned during the process, and the rationale behind your artistic strategies). 10% of your grade will come from the creative project, and 10% of the grade will come from your individual reflection.

4.      Attendance at five cultural events, with a written reflection on each one: 10%

During the semester, you must attend five cultural events related to Jewish literature, art, etc. For each one, you should submit a one-page reflection by the week after the event. The reflection should be accompanied by evidence of your attendance (ex: a ticket stub, your signature on a sign-up sheet, etc.)

I will host a series of evening film screenings and a visit to the Holocaust Teacher Training and Resource Center in Ingram Library. You must attend the screenings of Avalon, The Chosen, and Everything is Illuminated OR watch these films on your own time. Other screenings are optional. You may count your attendance at any of these toward your five cultural events. You might also choose to visit the exhibit “Anne Frank: A History for Today” at Ingram Library (Sept. 7-29), the Bremen Jewish Heritage Museum, or the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta Book Festival (held in November), and identify other events that interest you.

5.      Short written responses to readings and topics raised during class discussions: 10%

6.      Participation: 5%

COURSEWORK POLICIES

Office Hours and E-mail:

I encourage you to meet with me during my office hours any time you have questions or would like to discuss the course. If you cannot make it to my office hours, set up an appointment to meet with me at another time. You are also welcome to drop by my office, outside of scheduled office hours, whenever I am there. I welcome e-mail correspondence. However, e-mail cannot replace an actual meeting. It is difficult to respond to your questions and needs solely through e-mail, especially if your questions are general. E-mail is most effective when you have specific questions that don’t require in-depth discussion.

The Writing Center:

I encourage you to visit The Writing Center at various points in the writing process. Regardless of writing skill level, one may always benefit from an intelligent discussion with knowledgeable peers. 

TLC 1201                    678-839-6513

Writing@westga.edu       www.westga.edu/~writing

The University Writing Center works with students and other members of the UWG community to improve writing skills.

What We Do:

·        Discuss ideas, read drafts, and work through revisions of essays; we do not proofread

·        Regents’ Test Preparation (both the reading and essay sections)

·        Creative Writing Consultations

·        MLA, APA, Chicago/Turabian, and other citation formats

Policies:

·        Please make appointments in advance. We accept walk-ins, but we cannot guarantee that a tutor will be available.

·        If you cannot keep your appointment, you must call or email us 24 hours in advance to cancel. If you do not notify us 24 hours in advance, you will be counted as a No Show.

·        Please arrive at your appointment on time. If you are 10 minutes late or more, you will be counted as a No Show and will not be able to have your appointment.

·        If you have 3 No Shows in one semester, you will not be able to have any more appointments for that semester.

Hours:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 10:00am-7:00pm

Thursday 10:00am-3:00pm

Friday 10:00am-12:00pm

Plagiarism & Excessive Collaboration (If a student violates this policy, he or she may receive an F for the assignment or an F for the course, at my discretion):

Plagiarism & Academic Dishonesty

The Department of English and Philosophy defines plagiarism as taking personal credit for the words and ideas of others as they are presented in electronic, print, and verbal sources. The Department expects that students will accurately credit sources in all assignments. An equally dishonest practice is fabricating sources or facts; it is another form of misrepresenting the truth. Plagiarism is grounds for failing the course.

See also “excessive collaboration” (below).

The University policies for handling Academic Dishonesty are found in the following documents:

The Faculty Handbook, sections 207 and 208.0401
http://www.westga.edu/~vpaa/handrev/

Student Uncatalog: "Rights and Responsibilities"; Appendix J.
http://www.westga.edu/~handbook/index.php

The department of English has assembled the following resources to help prevent plagiarism: http://www.westga.edu/~engdept/Plagiarism/index.html

Excessive Collaboration

During this course, you should demonstrate the ability to produce independent writing (writing without collaborative assistance of peers, writing tutors, or professionals in the field) that shows an acceptable level of competence. Although classroom activities and out-of-class assignments may highlight collaborative learning and collaborative research, excessive collaboration (collaboration that results in the loss of a student's voice/style and original claims to course-related work) is considered another form of academic dishonesty and therefore will not be permitted.

Role of the Writing Center

The role of the Writing Center is to offer consultation in which tutors question, respond to, offer choices, and encourage revision in student essays. Tutors do not evaluate or prescribe solutions to problematic areas in student essays, and tutors are specifically trained to avoid appropriating the student's work. For more information, visit the Writing Center online at http://www.westga.edu/~writing.

Late Work:

I will deduct 1/3 of a letter grade (ex. from a B to a B-, or from a B- to a C+) for each day (not each class period) that an essay or project is late. An essay is late if it is not submitted to me at the beginning of the class period. This means that a B level essay submitted up to 24 hours late will go from a B to a B-, a B level essay submitted between 24 and 48 hours late will go from a B to a C+, etc. I will not accept assignments more than one week past the deadline. If you find it necessary to miss class on a day that work is due, you should submit your work to me before the class period in order to avoid losing marks. All assignments must be submitted in hard copy unless I specifically approve e-mail submission in advance. Extensions may be granted, at my discretion, only under exceptional circumstances (for example, serious medical emergencies) and should be arranged in advance. If you have a serious problem that will affect your ability to complete your work on time, talk to me about it as early as possible. Short homework assignments (i.e. reading responses) will not be accepted late.

Make-Up Work:

Missed midterm or final exams may be made up, at my discretion, under exceptional circumstances (ex. serious medical emergencies). If you miss a quiz or a short in-class writing exercise because of lateness or absence, it cannot be made up.

Revision Policy:

You may revise and resubmit an essay that earns a C- or lower, provided that you originally submitted your essay on time and that you participated fully in peer editing (i.e. you had a full-length essay on peer editing day, you peer edited someone's essay, and someone peer edited yours). Your revision is due one week after you receive your graded paper, and you should submit the original essay along with your revision. The revision can receive no higher than a C+. Some revisions may result in a lower grade. In this case, I will count the higher of the two grades. If you choose to revise and resubmit a paper, I encourage you to consult me during your revision process.

Format for All Papers:

All work should be typed and stapled, in 12-point Times New Roman font, with 1-inch margins, and should use MLA format.

Extra Credit and Previous Work Policy

·          There is no extra credit work in this course

·          Work completed for another class will not be accepted for fulfilling the requirements of this course.

Paperless Policy:

In accordance with the “Paperless Policy” followed by the Department of English, all materials (handouts, assignment sheets, notes, etc.) will be made available online. You may print these necessary course documents, including the syllabus, on your home computer.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Due Dates:

Mon. Sept. 22                            Essay Final Draft Due

Fri. Oct 3                                    Midterm Exam

Fri. Dec. 5                                  Group Creative Projects Due;

Last day to submit reflections on cultural events

Final Exam Period                       Final Exam

                                     Holidays:

Mon. Sept. 1                               No classes: Labor Day

Thurs.-Fri. Oct. 9-10                   No classes: Fall Break

Wed.-Fri. Nov. 26-28                 No classes: Thanksgiving Holiday

CLASSROOM POLICIES

Attendance Requirements:

You are expected to attend every class, arrive on time, and be prepared to discuss the reading. Because attendance and participation are important to your success in this course, students will be allowed only four absences; any student who misses five classes will be withdrawn from the course. There will be no distinction between excused and unexcused absences.

If the withdrawal occurs prior to October 8, the student will receive a grade of W. If the withdrawal occurs after October 8, the student will receive a grade of WF.

Communication Policy:

The official communication method for this class will be through campus e-mail (MyUWG). You will be responsible for checking your MyUWG email, since I will be using that address to correspond with you. You should also look under “My Courses” on your MyUWG for relevant files, announcements and so on.

Disruptive Behavior:

Students may be dismissed from any class meeting at which they exhibit behavior that disrupts the learning environment of others. Such behavior includes – but is not limited to – arriving late for class, allowing cell phones to ring, speaking disrespectfully to the instructor and/or to other students, checking email or surfing the web, and using personal audio or visual devices. Each dismissal of this kind will count as an absence and will be applied toward the attendance policy above. If you are sleeping during class, you may be counted as absent.

Participation:

Participation is essential to your success in this course. Five percent of your grade is based on it. Participation does not mean right answers or brilliant comments; it includes any productive contribution to class discussion. Making thoughtful comments on the class material, asking questions, and responding supportively to your classmates all count.

Special Needs:

I pledge to do my best to work with the University to provide all students with equal access to my classes and materials, regardless of special needs, temporary or permanent disability, special needs related to pregnancy, etc. If you have any special learning needs, particularly (but not limited to) needs defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and require specific accommodations, please do not hesitate to make these known to me, either yourself or through Disability Services in 272 Parker Hall at (770) 839-6428.

Students with documented special needs may expect accommodation in relation to classroom accessibility, modification of testing, special test administration, etc. This is not only my personal commitment: it is your right, and it is the law! For more information, please contact Disability Services at the State University of West Georgia.

COURSE CALENDAR

While this syllabus is carefully planned, I may occasionally change portions of it (for example, readings, assignments, and due dates). I will announce changes in class. You are responsible for periodically checking the online syllabus for modifications, particularly if you have been absent. Unless otherwise noted, all readings and assignments are due the day they are listed on the syllabus.