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Syllabus
Description
This course is an introduction to traditions and innovations in Native American
literature through textual analysis and an examination of cultural contexts.
Because Native American writing has flourished in recent decades, our primary
focus will be on contemporary literature; however, we will also read selections
from earlier texts. We will explore how Native writers draw from both European
and Native traditions, and how their works reflect histories of struggle both
in style and content. Although written texts will form the core of the course,
we will also examine contemporary popular media-especially film-by Native writers/directors.
While this course is a substantial writing component course, it is not a writing class, and we will not spend class time on writing instruction. If you are unsure of your writing skills, please use the resources available to you: come see me during office hours, visit the Undergraduate Writing Center, and refer to the recommended texts on the writing process.
Texts
Vizenor, Gerald (editor), Native American Literature: A Brief Introduction
and Anthology
James Welch, Winter in the Blood
Luci Tapahonso, Blue Horses Rush In
N. Scott Momaday, House Made of Dawn
Leslie Marmon Silko, Storyteller
Sherman Alexie, The Toughest Indian in the World
Supplemental readings on Native American history and culture will be available
online or on reserve. You will also be asked to select one of five texts for
your presentation.
* When a text is being discussed in class, you are expected to have a copy
in class.
Additional Requirements
* Two folders: one pocket folder in which you turn in your final drafts,
and one ring binder in which you keep all of your coursework for this class.
* Access to a computer and a photocopier - both are available in the UGL, and
computers are available to you in CWRL labs as well.
* UT EID, IF number and e-mail account (see below).
* Two methods of document storage. I suggest a Zip disk and, as a backup, e-mailing
your files to yourself, but you may use any two methods. Any disks should be
labeled with your name, phone number, e-mail address, and my name and course
number. This will help ensure that the disk is returned to you if it gets lost.
(Make sure you format your Zip disk on a PC. Macs can read PC Zip disks, but
PCs cannot read Mac Zip disks.) Disk crashes are no excuse for not having your
work done!
* Membership in the class
listserve
If you have any questions about computer use/computer classrooms, try the CWRL Student FAQ.
Grading and Requirements (descriptions follow)
In-class assignments and participation 15%
Oral presentation and handout 15%
Four response papers (2 pages each) 20%
Reading quizzes/tests 10%
Midterm paper (4-6 pages) 15%
Final paper (7-8 pages) 25%
Regular attendance is required.
In-class assignments and participation: Demonstrating your completion
of out-of-class assignments by participating constructively in discussions and
other in-class assignments. Being unprepared for class will have a negative
effect on this aspect of your grade.
Oral presentation and handout: You will choose a group to work with,
and you will be asked to present a particular text and its context to the class.
Those texts are available in small quantities at the bookstore. You will be
asked to give a 20-25 minute presentation that reflects your work as a group.
You will be graded as a group unless it becomes clear that some group members
are doing significantly more or less work. If you notice that this is the case,
please let me know. I strongly suggest that your group meet with me in the week
prior to your presentation to clarify any open questions and discuss your plan
for the presentation.
Four response papers: These are two-page papers (not 1 ½, not
1 ¾, but two pages, double spaced). You should use them to reflect on
the reading you are doing. These are primarily idea papers, so transition and
structure aren't vitally important, but you must use correct grammar, spelling
and punctuation.
Reading quizzes and tests: These will consist primarily of short-answer
questions. Reading tests will be announced in advance; reading quizzes may be
given at the beginning of any class. Missed quizzes cannot be made up; if you
are late to class you will not be allowed extra time.
Midterm paper, final paper: You will be asked to choose your own topic,
based on issues and texts we have discussed in class. These will be persuasive
research papers; you will be expected to have an arguable topic and use outside,
scholarly sources to support your claim. More detailed assignments will be handed
out later.
Attendance and Tardiness
Regular attendance is expected and required. You are expected to be punctual,
to attend class daily, and to participate in all in-class editing, revising,
and discussion sessions. It is university policy to allow six absences; after
six absences, you will automatically fail the course unless I receive a note
from the Dean. After four absences, your final course grade will drop by 1/3
letter for each absence - for example, from a B+ to a B, or a B- to a C+. Save
any absences to use when you are sick, or when you have an emergency. While
the attendance policy is the same for excused and unexcused absences, it's a
good idea to let me know when and why you'll be gone. If you find that an emergency
prevents you from attending class, please discuss the problem with me as soon
as possible.
Should you miss a class, it is your responsibility to contact me or another
student in the class to see what you have missed and get the next day's work
assignment. Absence is not an excuse for not having work done. If you are absent
the day an essay is due, give it to a friend or fellow student to turn in. Your
syllabus will note those assignments which can be turned in via e-mail or other
electronic routes.
Tardiness disrupts the class and is disrespectful to your instructor and your
fellow students. If you are not present when class begins at 9:30, you are tardy.
If you are more than 10 minutes late for class, you will be marked as absent.
Two tardies of less than 10 minutes also constitute an absence.
All out of class assignments must be typed and double-spaced. I will not accept handwritten work. No, not even topic proposals.
Late work
All out of class work is due at the beginning of class. I do not accept
late work. If you must be absent on a day an assignment is due, turn it in beforehand
or make arrangements to have someone else drop it off at the beginning of class.
Computer Classroom Etiquette
· When we are talking as a class, no messing around on the web, checking
email and especially no chat - that's disrespectful to everyone! If I see you
checking e-mail or buddy lists or chatting while we are in class, I will ask
you to leave and mark you absent for the day. Come to the tables immediately
when we begin a class exercise.
· I will take roll at 9:30. If you are late for roll, it is your responsibility
to make sure I mark you as present at the end of class. If you are tardy twice,
it will count as one absence.
· There is no chat or checking buddy lists during class time. EVER.
· Though this is a computer lab, you may still bring food and drink,
but please keep it on the seminar tables, not at your station. This is a miraculous
policy on the part of the CWRL; don't abuse it!
· Have your password and IF number memorized. If you log on to a computer,
be sure to log off at the end of class, so the next class can get started. Before
you log off, make sure you have saved any work you have been doing! Raise your
hand and remind me if it looks like I've forgotten to leave you time to log
off.
· Not everyone has the same degree of computer experience, so please
help out your neighbor if you can - if you're getting it, look around to see
if everyone is on the same page as you are. (Please be respectful when offering
and accepting help.)
Thanks for your cooperation!
Syllabus
We will follow the assignments on the syllabus
unless I announce a change in class. While we will discuss a number of the assignments
in advance, I expect you to complete the assignments on the syllabus regardless
of whether I announced them in class or not.
Cell Phones
Cell phones will not be tolerated in class. Turn them off when you walk
in the classroom door. If your cell phone rings in class, you will be asked
to leave for the day and will be marked absent.
Scholastic Honesty
Turning in work that is not your own, or any other form of scholastic dishonesty,
will result in a major course penalty, possibly failure of the course. A report
of the incident will also be made to the Office of the Dean of Students. Be
sure you read and understand the Statement
on Scholastic Responsibility.
We will be covering the use of sources in class. In general, I will ask you to provide me with photocopies of or URLs for all sources you use. I will explain the procedures for presenting this material later in the course. If you have any questions about the use you are making of sources for your assignments, see me before you turn in the project.
Computer Use and Availability
Computers are available to you in CWRL labs, in
the Student Microcomputer Facility (SMF) on the second floor of the Flawn Academic
Center (FAC) (the same building as the Undergraduate Library, or UGL). You should
plan to get a user number for the SMF immediately if you have not already done
so. Become familiar with this facility! Some departments also provide computer
labs, so check with your advisor. There is a list of computer locations in The Student Guide
to First-year Writing.
Computing Accounts, IF Numbers, etc
All students in CWRL courses need to have IF (Individually Funded) account numbers
in order to have access to the computers in the Lab. These accounts are free
and are available from ACITS (Academic Computing & Instructional Technology
Services). IF accounts also enable you to use the other computing resources
here at UT. The simplest way to set up your IF account is to use the ACITS web site, which has step-by-step
instructions for requesting an account number. Alternatively, you can go to
the Student Microcomputing Center (SMF)
and ask for help.
Students often have email accounts before coming into CWRL courses. However,
for various reasons, it may be useful for you to have an email account that
they can access here in the CWRL using a dedicated email client such as Eudora
(free for all UT students). For this purpose, students may wish to activate
their free email account through
the University. Usually, this account ends with @mail.utexas.edu. Students can
activate their accounts either by following the instructions at the UMBS web site,
If you need to access the University computer network from off-campus, you will need to activate and pay for a Telesys account. Information on how to do this is available at the Telesys site on the ACITS web.
Students With Disabilities
The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic
adjustments for qualified students with disabilities. For more information,
visit the Office of the Dean of Students website
or call the office 471-6259, 471-4641 TTY
Other Resources
I strongly encourage you to use services offered by the Undergraduate
Writing Center (FAC 211, 471-6222). The consultants at the UWC are trained
to help you improve your writing skills so that all your writing reflects what
you have learned. (Many of them have taught Rhetoric and English classes, so
they are familiar with the types of papers you'll be asked to write.)
Office Hours and Contacting Me
If you need to contact me outside of class, you should either stop by during
my office hours or contact me via e-mail at mschacht@mail.utexas.edu.
As I sometimes do not have time to read all my e-mail, begin the subject line
of your e-mail with STUDENT so that I will know to read it right away. For example,
if you wanted to ask about due dates, your subject line would read, STUDENT:
Due dates? If you do not mark the subject line in this way, I may not read your
e-mail for several days.
If you know in advance that you'll be coming to my office hours, it is helpful
to let me know that in class or via e-mail ahead of time. Particularly when
a number of people want to stop by, this will help ensure that I am available
when you come by. (If you set up an appointment in advance, I will meet with
you at that time, regardless of whether there are other people who have dropped
in.) However, feel free to drop by on the spur of the moment. The usual office
hours location will be in the computer lab in Parlin 6; however, we will use
a different location for paper conferences and group conferences - I'll announce
any changes in class and on the listserv.
If you cannot make it to my office hours, feel free to contact me to set up
a meeting at a different time. I am usually not available on Fridays, so plan
ahead.
If you make an appointment with me during office hours and cannot make it, I would appreciate notification, but it is not necessary. If you make an outside appointment with me and cannot attend, you must let me know a day in advance. If you miss an appointment with me more than once, any further missed outside appointments (without adequate notification) will count as an absence from class.
updated 28. August 2002