Fall, 2004

Instructors

Dr. Paul Hodapp
Office: Weber House (1015 20th St.)
Telephone: 351–2574
Office Hours: TR 1:00–3:15 p.m. and by appointment
E-mail: paul.hodapp@unco.edu

Dr. Sharon Wilson
Office: Ross 1170B
Telephone: 351–2985
Office Hours: TTh 2:00–3:15 p.m., W 1:30-2:45 p.m., and by appointment
E-mail: sharon.wilson@unco.edu
Web site: http://asstudents.unco.edu/faculty/swilson/

Required Books

Plato. The Republic of Plato.
Kurt Vonnegut. Cat’s Cradle. Dell. l973. American.
Salman Rushdie. Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Penguin. 1990. Indian/ English.
Margaret Atwood. Oryx and Crake. Popular Library. 2003. Canadian.
Albert Camus. The Plague. French-Algerian.
Noam Chomsky. Hegemony and Survival.
Peter Singer. The President of Good and Evil.
Essay Packet: Available in the Book Stop.
Handouts

Description

In his book titled Tradition, Edward Shils contends that human beings are, by their very natures, beings in time. “Indeed, an individual cannot become a person, in the full anthropological sense, without incorporating large sediments of the past within his[/her] own consciousness.” In this course we will seek to place ourselves in time by inquiring about the modern and postmodern periods in the context of traditional ethical concerns and speculating about the nature of the period into which we are currently moving.

In attempting to identify ourselves and our time, we will explore ethical responsibility—of the artist, the scientist, the individual, and societies. Some attention will also be given to related issues:

the quest for meaning, order, wholeness and justice
choice vs. fate, conditioning, determinism
creation and destruction
responsibility in time of war
the individual and the community
friendship
coming of age in reference to gender, race, class, and sexual orientation
gender, racial, class, economic oppression
prejudice and multiculturalism
twentieth-century alienation and identity
the fragmented self, the becoming self
twentieth-century innovations in the arts

Objectives

To enable students to develop a sense of personal ethics and to examine national, historical, and cultural ethics and interdisciplinary methods in the context of readings.
To develop students’ abilities to demonstrate critical and independent thought and skillful oral and written expression.

To meet these objectives, this course will raise these questions in reference to assigned and extra-credit readings:

What are our moral responsibilities in time of war?
Who are we in the context of our age? in the context of former and future times?
What wider personal, historical, and cultural connections do we share?
What conditions shape our lives personally and culturally?
How do cultural artifacts such as literature, film, and social comment enable us to understand ourselves and this century?
How have we changed, and how are we evolving?

General Education Objectives

Category 7—Interdisciplinary and International Studies and Multicultural Studies

The student will understand the interrelation of theory, issues and knowledge, including historical frameworks and methodology of relevant disciplines.
The student will demonstrate critical and independent thought.
The student will demonstrate skills in oral and written expression.
The student will demonstrate proficiency in analysis and reporting of research.
The student will demonstrate a sense of cultural, multicultural, or intercultural identity.
The student will demonstrate the ability to integrate the perspectives of multiple disciplines.

Extra-Credit Readings and Media

International Film Series
Margaret Atwood video interview

Some texts are relevant for several topics.

Pre-Capitalist Values:
- Grand Illusion (duty)
- Mother and Son (emotions)
- opera Madame Butterfly
- Madame Butterfly film
Dehumanized or Alienated Labor and Capitalism:
- John Steinbeck. In Dubious Battle
- Death of a Salesman
- Death of a Salesman film
- Modern Times
- Citizen Kane. Dir. Orson Welles
- McCabe and Mrs. Miller
- Heaven’s Gate
- Treasure of Sierre Madre
- Battleship Potemkin
- Salt of the Earth
Socialism and Labor History:
- A. Philip Randolf video
- Strike
- Salt of the Earth
Discrimination in Capitalistic, Patriarchal Society:
- The Grapes of Wrath
- Eve’s Bayou
- August Wilson video interview and any play
- Dead Ringers
- Compare The Lady Eve and Body Heat with any American action movie since 1990
- Once Were Warriors
- Ozu. Late Spring
- Beloved
- The Color Purple
- The Makioka Sisters
- Michael Warner. “Homo-Narcissism; or, Heterosexuality” l990.
- Donna Haroway. “A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century.” l985
Feminism and Sexual Politics:
- Visual art:
  - Website under HUM 331—Frida Kahlo, Remedios Varo
  - Videos—Faith Ringgold, Frida Kahlo, Frida
- Entre Nous. Dir. Diane Kurys
- Orlando. Dir. Sally Potter
- Riane Eisler. The Chalice and the Blade
- Jean Rhys. Wide Sargasso Sea
- Estelle Lauter Women as Mythmakers: Poetry and Visual Art by Twentieth-Century Women
- Beloved
- Toni Morrison. Beloved
- The Piano
- The Color Purple
- Alice Walker. The Color Purple
- Zora Neale Hurston. Their Eyes Were Watching God
- opera Madame Butterfly
- Jean Rhys. Wide Sargasso Sea
- Laura Mulvey. “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”
Existentialism and Responsibility:
- Jean-Paul Sartre. No Exit
- _____. Being and Nothingness
- Albert Camus. The Stranger
- _____. The Myth of Sisyphus
- _____. The Rebel
Alienation and Solipsism:
- The Conversation
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (50’s or 70’s version)
- 2001
- Samuel Beckett. Play. May be performed in class
- _____. ÝPing
- The Graduate
War:
- Picasso’s “Guernica”
Social Satire:
- Michael Moore. Stupid White Men
- _____. Bowling for Columbine
Colonialism and Beyond:
- Once Were Warriors
- Wide Sargasso Sea
- Jean Rhys. Wide Sargasso Sea
- Keri Hulme. The Bone People
- Earth
- Star Wars

General Requirements

7 Brief Papers—on each book, which advance a position regarding questions and ideas raised in class. Support one main idea with reference to details and passages. Do not summarize. Due on first day of discussion (see Syllabus). Suggested length: about 1–3 typed, double-spaced pages. 40%.
Paper or Project—on an ethical issue, such as individual or social responsibility, with reference to figures, movements, or texts important in the century’s development. If your draft is approved, you may perform or present orally, using media if you wish. The project must be focused, organized, and supported. Research is required. Students are encouraged to work on projects in areas where they excel. Approximate time: 15 minutes. 60%. See Syllabus for Due Dates.
- First complete draft of paper or project. 7-10 pages. 10%.
- Final draft. 40-50%.
- If Draft earns a grade of B or beter, presentation/explanation of paper or project in class during specified periods. Additional 10%.
Regular attendance and participation in discussions is encouraged.
Extra credit for analyzing, not summarizing, 5-10 additional readings or topics in one or more reports.

Writing Rubrics

Essays will be graded holistically based on quality and effective expression of ideas.

Papers must have a clear thesis on one focused aspect of the reading(s).
The thesis needs to take a position.
The thesis needs to be supported with details and short passages from the works.
The paper should show understanding of the texts.
The paper must be clear, organized and use transitions.
The paper must be relatively free of mechanical, punctuation, sentence structure, and grammatical errors and should be free of academic jargon.

Grading

Grades may be viewed on Blackboard: http://unco.blackboard.com/

PFH: My aim is to help each student achieve the grade that he/she wishes to work for. I encourage students to hand in drafts of the paper or project ahead of the due date. To insure fairness in grading, at a minimum for a “C” you must show that you have read or viewed all the required materials, or have previously discussed with Sharon or me the substitution of alternative material. For an “A” you must demonstrate extra effort to evaluate independently using logical arguments, the reasoning in the philosophy materials, and to make the class succeed for you and for your fellow students. Especially good work that can be or is shared with other students in class, extra-credit short presentations, or help with grading are examples of work that can contribute to a better grade.

SRW: I want you to do excellent work, the most analytical and creative that you can, and I will help you to do this by discussing course texts or papers with you and by reviewing drafts of your paper or project before the due dates. I am interested in your appreciating and understanding the form as well as the content of the readings and viewings and will view the form of your work as part of its content. Extra-credit readings or viewings will contribute to higher grades. If you need help with writing skills, I also suggest that you work with a tutor in one of the Writing Labs.

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Students with disabilities who believe they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the Disability Support Services at (970) 351-2289 as soon as possible to better ensure such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.