Instructor: Dr.
Julie Barak Office: 446/456/452 Lowell Heiny
Hall
Homepage: http://www.mesastate.edu/~jbarak
Office Hours: MW
·
To
explore various definitions of ethnicity, prejudice, discrimination, racism and
privilege. We tend to think that reading
ethnic literature means hearing what others have to say. This course will also pry into the concepts
of whiteness and white privilege. Well think about questions like the
following: How have whites constructed and maintained their advantage over
various ethnic groups and peoples of color?
How can whites become race traitors, acting to break down the
systematic racism of our culture? Do you
have to be white to be white?
·
To
investigate and expand our understanding of the interactions between self and
text and self and other, as well as the connections between various texts.
·
To
develop critical thinking skills, particularly those skills that enable you to
analyze, critique and respond to the assertions of others.
·
To
gain some limited exposure to the recent, but vast, outpouring of texts by
ethnic writers and writers of color in the
·
To
compose lucid, articulate responses to the texts that employ various
theoretical perspectives
The methods employed n this
course are based on the feminist pedagogical theory that students are not
vessels into which knowledge is poured, but rather that knowledge emerges as a
result of the exploration and comparison of our ideas with the ideas of others.
This is NOT a lecture class. Your participation is absolutely necessary for a
successful experience in the course. There are many ways youll be called on to
participate over the course of the semester: discussions, essays, quizzes,
journals are among the tools well use to share what we know and are
discovering.
|
Author |
Title/Edition |
Publisher |
ISBN |
|
Diaz, Junot |
The Beacon Best of 2001 : Great Writing by Women and Men of all
Colors and Cultures |
Beacon |
0807062391 |
|
Omi and Winant |
Racial Formation in the 2nd |
Routledge |
0415908647 |
|
R Radhakrishnan |
Theory in an Uneven World |
Blackwell |
0631175385 |
|
Nahid Rachlin |
Foreigner |
Norton |
0393319083 |
|
Helena Maria Viramontes |
Under the Feet of Jesus |
Plume/Penguin |
0452273870 |
|
Charles Johnson |
Middle Passage |
Schribner |
0684855887 |
|
Silko,
Leslie Marmon |
Ceremony |
Penguin |
0140086838 |
|
|
Lucy |
Penguin |
045290101 |
|
Tillie Olsen |
Tell Me a Riddle |
Delta |
0385290101 |
|
Bharati
Mukerjee |
Jasmine |
Grove |
0802136303 |
|
George Schuyler |
Black No More |
The X Press |
1874509638 |
|
Cristina Garcia |
Dreaming in Cuban |
Ballentine |
0345381432 |
|
Lan Cao |
|
Penguin |
0140263616 |
|
Louise Erdrich |
Antelope Wife |
Harpers |
0060930071 |
1.
Attendance and Participation. While showing
up is a sign of interest and commitment to the course, active, lively and
productive discussions require vocal participants. So, show up and speak up. Youll lose one letter grade for every
absence after the first 2. Additional
penalties will be assessed for late work.
2.
Reading
Quizzes: Over the novels
only. Sporadically and unpredictably,
but more regularly if I feel that you are coming to class unprepared. (20% of
the final grade.)
3.
Theory Reading Journal. As we read Winant and Radhakrishnan, you should keep a journal recording your
responses. Write down questions, ideas
that you find challenging, points of disagreement/agreement, connections to
texts and experiences the readings call to your mind. One-half single-spaced
page every day. (25% of the final
grade.)
4.
Analytical Paper and Oral Report on one
of the novels. Mostly this paper will be a summary of
published criticisms of the text youll be assigned to work with. I would, however, like you extend the
criticism you review by asserting your response to others ideas and commentary
on the novels. Your paper should be 9-10
pages in length and summarize and respond to at least 3 pieces of
criticism. If you need help finding
essays to work with, please see me. The
oral report will be due on the day we discuss the text in class. The paper will be due on December 12th. (Oral Report 15%, Paper 30% of your final
grade.)
5.
Poetry Report. Each of you
will choose a poet from the list provided and share some of his or her work
with us (by reading aloud and providing copies or posting the work to the K:
drive where we can all access it). You
should also provide necessary contexts (personal, social, political,
philosophical, literary) to help us understand the
works youve chosen. (10% of the final
grade.)
1.
Academic
Misconduct. Please read the section on
cheating and plagiarism in the student handbook. The consequences for cheating and plagiarism
are severe, including failure for the assignment, possible failure of the
course, disciplinary referral to the dean, and possible expulsion from the
college. If you have questions about
these violations of academic honesty, please come and see me.
2.
Disabilities. If you have any condition, such as a physical
or mental disability, which will make it difficult for you to carry out the
work for the course, please talk to me and we will work with the support
services here at
Schedule
August 22
Intro to Diaz 1-3, 5 and 6 out loud. Discussion. Where, in your life, have you seen the
discrepancy between what you see and what is reported? Or, between what you see and what is real?
24 Racial Formation 1-76:
Diaz, 17, 35, 48, 100
29 Racial Formation
77-end: Senza in Diaz, 49, Holt in Diaz, 163
31 Johnson 1/3, Preface Radhakrishnan, Poetry
Reports _______________,
____________
September 5 no class
7 Johnson to end, 1-10 Radhakrishnan 1. Oral Report:
__________________
12 Schuyler ½, 11-20 Radhakrishnan Poetry Reports _______________,
____________
14 Schuyler ½, 21-30 Radhakrishnan 2. Oral Report: __________________
19 Olsen ½, 31-40 Radhakrishnan 3. Oral Report:
__________________
21 Olsen ½, 41-50 Radhakrishnan 4. Oral Report: __________________
Poetry
Report:: _____________________
26 Silko
1/3, 51-60 Radhakrishnan 5. Oral Report:
__________________
28 Silko
1/3, 61-70 Radhakrishnan 6. Oral Report:
__________________
Poetry
Report: ____________________
Oct. 03 Silko 1/3, 71-80 Radhakrishnan 7. Oral Report:
__________________
05 Viramontes
1/2, 81-90 Radhakrishnan Poetry Reports _______________, ____________
10 Viramontes 1/2, 91-100 Radhakrishnan 8. Oral Report: __________________
12 Mukherjee -- 1/3, 101-110 Radhakrishnan Poetry Reports _______________,
____________
17 No class
19 Finish Mukherjee, 111-120 Radhakrishnan 9.
Oral Report: __________________
24 Cao
1/3, 121-130 Radhakrishnan Poetry Reports _______________, ____________
26 Cao
1/3, 131-140 Radhakrishnan Poetry Reports _______________,
____________
31 Cao
1/3, 141-150 Radhakrishnan 10.
Oral Report: __________________
Nov. 02 Kinaid ½, 151-160 Radhakrishnan
11. Oral Report: __________________
07 Kincaid ½, 161-170 Radhakrishnan 12. Oral Report: __________________
09 Rachlin
1/3, 171-180 Radhakrishnan Poetry Reports
_______________, ____________
14 Rachlin
1/3, 181-190 Radhakrishnan Poetry Reports _______________ ,
16 Rachlin
1/3 13. Oral Report:
__________________
21 Garcia ½ 14. Oral Report:
__________________
Poetry
Report: ________________
23 No class
28 Finish Garcia 15. Oral Report:
__________________
30 Erdrich -- 1/3 16. Oral Report:
__________________
December 5
Erdrich 1/3 17. Oral
Report: __________________
7 -- Erdrich 1/3 18. Oral Report:
__________________
Finals 11-14
Poet Choices
August 31st,
September 12: Jean Toomer,
Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Gwendolyn Bennett,
Sterling Brown, Claude McKay, Gwendolyn Brooks, Amiri
Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, June Jordon, Etheridge Knight,
Michael S. Harper, Ishmael Reed, Audre Lorde, Lucille Clifton, Rita Dove
September 21: Amiel Alcalay, Charles Bernstein, Chana
Bloch, Michael Castro, Marcia Falk, Norman Finkelstein, Albert Goldbarth, Allen Grossman, Marilyn Hacker, Anthony Hecht,
John Hollander, Rodger Kamenetz, Maxine Kumin, Philip Levine, Jacqueline Osherow,
Alicia Ostriker, Bob Perelman, Marge Piercy, Hilda Raz, Jerome
Rothenberg, Howard Schwartz, Alan Shapiro, Hal Sirowitz,
Gerald Stern, C.K. Williams, Eleanor Wilner (Jewish American Poetry:
Poems, Commentary, and Reflections. Barron, Jonathan N., and Selinger, Eric Murphy, eds.)
September 28: N Scott Momaday,
Joy Harjo, Wendy Rose, Simon Ortiz, Louise Erdrich, Mary TallMountain, Diane
Glancy, Linda Hogan, Sherman Alexie,
Luci Tapahonso, Elizabeth
Cook-Lynn, Paula Gunn Allen
October 12, 24, 26, Nov. 09,
14: Laureen Mar, Diana Chang, Jessica Hagedorn, Janice Mirikitani, Ai,
Karen Tei Yamashita, Garrett Karou
Hongo, Hisaye Yamamoto,
Li-Young Lee, Cathy Song, Shirley Geok-lin Lim, Jeff Tagami, David Mura, Kimiko Hahn
October 05, November 21: Nicholasa Mohr, Pat
Mora, Victor Hernandez Cruz, Judith Ortiz Cofer,
Julia Alvarez, Tato Laviera,
Gary Soto, Lorna Dee Cervantes, Aurora Levins
Morales, Sandra Cisneros, Jimmy Santiago Baca