COURSE GUIDELINES
COURSE WEBSITE AND READINGS
You will find the syllabus and all the electronic readings for this course on Moodle. You can purchase the books for this course in the campus bookstore or from Amazon, Alibris, Powell’s, or other online bookstores.
FILM SCREENINGS
Film screenings will be held every Sunday 7-10pm in Chambers 2146. The first film screening will be held on Sunday, February 1st. You are required to attend all film screenings. Attendance will be taken. Occasionally, you will watch the films through digitized format, which will be available online, through youtube or Moodle. Please refer to attached schedule of readings and films.
MODERN SOUTH ASIA TIMELINE
For those of you unfamiliar with South Asian history, I urge you to use the this timeline as a frame with which you can follow along important historical dates/moments/events.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADE BREAKDOWN
You are expected to complete the reading assigned for each class by the day that it is listed on the syllabus. Completing the reading means that you have not only literally read the assignment, but that you have spent some time putting together your thoughts and questions about the readings, the subject, and how all of these relate to the themes of the course. The participation portion of your final grade will take in to account your attendance, preparation for, and active participation in class.
Your final grade will be calculated as follows:
25% Participation – Class Presentation and Weekly Written Assignments
25% Response Paper (5 pages)
25% Mid-Term Essay (7-10 pages)
25% Final Paper (10-15 pages)
WEEKLY FILM JOURNAL
It would be useful for students to keep a film journal, to take notes as you watch the films, and to record your thoughts and responses to the film screening for that week.
PAPERS
In addition to weekly written assignments, you will write 3 papers in this course. The prompts / instructions for the response paper, the mid-term and final essays will be handed out separately.
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
Each week, one to two students will be expected to present to the class, for up to 15 minutes, their critical reading of the texts assigned that week. For the presentation, you must be required to: A) summarize the author’s argument; B) pose two major questions from the reading for class discussion; C) choose a passage from the reading that you wish to discuss with the class. Before your presentation, you are required to meet with me during office hours (Monday 9-10:30, Thursday 1:30-3:30) or schedule an appointment if you cannot make office hours.
ESSAYS
The due dates and questions for each of your papers appear in the schedule below, on the date that they are due. The format for the essays is that they should be double-spaced, in Times New Roman 12-point font. You will be evaluated based on your grasp of the readings in this course. You must cite both primary and secondary sources within your essays. You can do so by using the MLA citation guide here.
ATTENDANCE and EXTENSION POLICY
You will be expected to attend class regularly. If you are absent for two or more class days in a row without a reasonable explanation presented before your absences, your advisor will be contacted before appropriate action is taken. In the event of illness or family emergency, please let me know via e-mail. If you need an extension, you must e-mail me at least 36 hours prior to the due-date of the paper. Students will not be granted more than two extensions per semester. There will be no extension granted for the final paper. If an extension is granted and the paper is not handed in by the agreed upon deadline, the paper will receive an F. Barring extensions, all assignments must be handed in on the date they are due in class. Assignments turned in after class will be considered late. The grades for all assignments turned in late will be reduced by a 1/3 of a letter grade (ie. an A to an A-) for each day that they are late.
I only accept paper copies (NO electronic submissions) of your work unless otherwise stated. Please bring a printed, stapled copy of your paper to class to turn in. I will mark off papers that are not stapled, and will not read papers that do not have a name. There will be a penalty for papers handed in via e-mail unless otherwise stated.
RE-DOING ASSIGNMENTS / REVISIONS
I have a no revisions policy. I do not read drafts of papers e-mailed to me. I am, however, available via e-mail for specific questions you may have about understanding the readings / texts assigned. If you do wish to discuss questions you have about your paper, you will be required to make an appointment during my office hours, and bring a printed copy of your rough draft to our meeting.
INSTRUCTOR AVAILABILITY
In addition to my office hours, I am available via e-mail for specific, short questions you may have related to the course. I do not respond to lengthy e-mails. If you have a longer, more involved question about an assignment or about the course, please come see me during office hours. If you cannot make my office hours, please e-mail me to schedule an appointment. Please note: I do not respond to e-mails sent after 6pm M-F, until the middle of the next day. I typically do not respond to student e-mails over the weekend. Office hours are the best place to have your questions answered.
IN-CLASS GUIDELINES: Please…
Switch off all cell phones, laptops, and other electronic devices for the duration of the class. Here is why.
Print out all the required readings and bring them with you to class.
OFFICE OF DISABILITY SERVICES
Appropriate accommodations will always be granted to students with documented disabilities. If you have a documented disability and need reasonable accommodation to participate in class or complete course requirements, contact the Dean of Students as soon as possible. To receive any academic accommodation, you must be appropriately registered with the Dean of Students Office, which works with students confidentially and does not disclose any disability-related information without their permission. Any additional questions should be addressed to the Disability Resources Coordinator.
HONOR CODE AND PLAGIARISM
The Honor Code applies to all assignments in this course. This means that any student found cheating, plagiarizing, turning in another person’s work as his/her own will be subject to the appropriate action for violating the Honor Code. Anything you hand in is pledged work. As a reminder of the Honor Code’s importance, please write out the following on each paper you submit: “I have adhered to the Honor Code” or “On my honor I pledge that I have neither given nor received help on this work, nor am I aware of any violation on the part of others.”) Please make sure you understand the honor code, especially the definition of plagiarism. If you are unsure how to cite material used in an essay, please discuss it with me beforehand.
GRADE APPEALS
You are always welcome to discuss a paper, but if you want the grade reconsidered, you must first submit a four-paragraph written appeal in which you evaluate your paper in each of the four criteria: thesis, organization, evidence, and style. Remember that a grade does not reflect process (it does not measure whether you worked hard) and it certainly does not reflect a value judgment about you as a person. A grade constitutes an evaluation of the quality and analytical rigor of the thesis, organization, evidence, and style of a single piece of work, so ensure that your written appeal addresses your finished paper in terms of those criteria rather than time and effort expended on it. Appeals must be submitted in hard copy no later than one week after graded papers are returned in class.
WHERE TO ACCESS THE READINGS
Unless otherwise indicated, all the texts we will be reading for this course will be either available online via a link, from the books assigned for this class, or from Moodle. Make sure you register for the course to access Moodle.
FILM SCREENINGS
While it is not required, it would be useful to have a Netflix account if you anticipate not being able to attend the required film screenings or unable to view the film on your own time from the library. All the films are on reserve at the library. All of the films are also available via Netflix.
You will find the syllabus and all the electronic readings for this course on Moodle. You can purchase the books for this course in the campus bookstore or from Amazon, Alibris, Powell’s, or other online bookstores.
FILM SCREENINGS
Film screenings will be held every Sunday 7-10pm in Chambers 2146. The first film screening will be held on Sunday, February 1st. You are required to attend all film screenings. Attendance will be taken. Occasionally, you will watch the films through digitized format, which will be available online, through youtube or Moodle. Please refer to attached schedule of readings and films.
MODERN SOUTH ASIA TIMELINE
For those of you unfamiliar with South Asian history, I urge you to use the this timeline as a frame with which you can follow along important historical dates/moments/events.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADE BREAKDOWN
You are expected to complete the reading assigned for each class by the day that it is listed on the syllabus. Completing the reading means that you have not only literally read the assignment, but that you have spent some time putting together your thoughts and questions about the readings, the subject, and how all of these relate to the themes of the course. The participation portion of your final grade will take in to account your attendance, preparation for, and active participation in class.
Your final grade will be calculated as follows:
25% Participation – Class Presentation and Weekly Written Assignments
25% Response Paper (5 pages)
25% Mid-Term Essay (7-10 pages)
25% Final Paper (10-15 pages)
WEEKLY FILM JOURNAL
It would be useful for students to keep a film journal, to take notes as you watch the films, and to record your thoughts and responses to the film screening for that week.
PAPERS
In addition to weekly written assignments, you will write 3 papers in this course. The prompts / instructions for the response paper, the mid-term and final essays will be handed out separately.
STUDENT PRESENTATIONS
Each week, one to two students will be expected to present to the class, for up to 15 minutes, their critical reading of the texts assigned that week. For the presentation, you must be required to: A) summarize the author’s argument; B) pose two major questions from the reading for class discussion; C) choose a passage from the reading that you wish to discuss with the class. Before your presentation, you are required to meet with me during office hours (Monday 9-10:30, Thursday 1:30-3:30) or schedule an appointment if you cannot make office hours.
ESSAYS
The due dates and questions for each of your papers appear in the schedule below, on the date that they are due. The format for the essays is that they should be double-spaced, in Times New Roman 12-point font. You will be evaluated based on your grasp of the readings in this course. You must cite both primary and secondary sources within your essays. You can do so by using the MLA citation guide here.
ATTENDANCE and EXTENSION POLICY
You will be expected to attend class regularly. If you are absent for two or more class days in a row without a reasonable explanation presented before your absences, your advisor will be contacted before appropriate action is taken. In the event of illness or family emergency, please let me know via e-mail. If you need an extension, you must e-mail me at least 36 hours prior to the due-date of the paper. Students will not be granted more than two extensions per semester. There will be no extension granted for the final paper. If an extension is granted and the paper is not handed in by the agreed upon deadline, the paper will receive an F. Barring extensions, all assignments must be handed in on the date they are due in class. Assignments turned in after class will be considered late. The grades for all assignments turned in late will be reduced by a 1/3 of a letter grade (ie. an A to an A-) for each day that they are late.
I only accept paper copies (NO electronic submissions) of your work unless otherwise stated. Please bring a printed, stapled copy of your paper to class to turn in. I will mark off papers that are not stapled, and will not read papers that do not have a name. There will be a penalty for papers handed in via e-mail unless otherwise stated.
RE-DOING ASSIGNMENTS / REVISIONS
I have a no revisions policy. I do not read drafts of papers e-mailed to me. I am, however, available via e-mail for specific questions you may have about understanding the readings / texts assigned. If you do wish to discuss questions you have about your paper, you will be required to make an appointment during my office hours, and bring a printed copy of your rough draft to our meeting.
INSTRUCTOR AVAILABILITY
In addition to my office hours, I am available via e-mail for specific, short questions you may have related to the course. I do not respond to lengthy e-mails. If you have a longer, more involved question about an assignment or about the course, please come see me during office hours. If you cannot make my office hours, please e-mail me to schedule an appointment. Please note: I do not respond to e-mails sent after 6pm M-F, until the middle of the next day. I typically do not respond to student e-mails over the weekend. Office hours are the best place to have your questions answered.
IN-CLASS GUIDELINES: Please…
Switch off all cell phones, laptops, and other electronic devices for the duration of the class. Here is why.
Print out all the required readings and bring them with you to class.
OFFICE OF DISABILITY SERVICES
Appropriate accommodations will always be granted to students with documented disabilities. If you have a documented disability and need reasonable accommodation to participate in class or complete course requirements, contact the Dean of Students as soon as possible. To receive any academic accommodation, you must be appropriately registered with the Dean of Students Office, which works with students confidentially and does not disclose any disability-related information without their permission. Any additional questions should be addressed to the Disability Resources Coordinator.
HONOR CODE AND PLAGIARISM
The Honor Code applies to all assignments in this course. This means that any student found cheating, plagiarizing, turning in another person’s work as his/her own will be subject to the appropriate action for violating the Honor Code. Anything you hand in is pledged work. As a reminder of the Honor Code’s importance, please write out the following on each paper you submit: “I have adhered to the Honor Code” or “On my honor I pledge that I have neither given nor received help on this work, nor am I aware of any violation on the part of others.”) Please make sure you understand the honor code, especially the definition of plagiarism. If you are unsure how to cite material used in an essay, please discuss it with me beforehand.
GRADE APPEALS
You are always welcome to discuss a paper, but if you want the grade reconsidered, you must first submit a four-paragraph written appeal in which you evaluate your paper in each of the four criteria: thesis, organization, evidence, and style. Remember that a grade does not reflect process (it does not measure whether you worked hard) and it certainly does not reflect a value judgment about you as a person. A grade constitutes an evaluation of the quality and analytical rigor of the thesis, organization, evidence, and style of a single piece of work, so ensure that your written appeal addresses your finished paper in terms of those criteria rather than time and effort expended on it. Appeals must be submitted in hard copy no later than one week after graded papers are returned in class.
WHERE TO ACCESS THE READINGS
Unless otherwise indicated, all the texts we will be reading for this course will be either available online via a link, from the books assigned for this class, or from Moodle. Make sure you register for the course to access Moodle.
FILM SCREENINGS
While it is not required, it would be useful to have a Netflix account if you anticipate not being able to attend the required film screenings or unable to view the film on your own time from the library. All the films are on reserve at the library. All of the films are also available via Netflix.