IDH 2004: Honors Seminar IV
Inhabiting Other Lives
Spring 2002, M/W 2:00-3:15

Room: Academic One--226A
Prof. Bruce Harvey

Office: AC1 351, (305) 919-5254
Office Hours: M/W 1:00-2:00, 3:30-4:30 and by appointment
Home phone: to be given in class
www.fiu.edu/~harveyb       harveyb@fiu.edu

This is the second seminar of our two-semester sequence exploring the mentalities and cultures of those who are "other" to ourselves.  Last semester, we were globe-hoppers; this semester we linger with more intensity first on modern Chinese/Japanese cultures and then on Polynesian culture from the period of European discovery in the Pacific to the contemporary post-Colonial scene in New Zealand and Hawaii.  As with the previous semester, this seminar is interdisciplinary, designed to introduce you to a number of subject areas--literature, history, anthropology, comparative religion, politics, psychology--that will provide a strong basis for your later courses at FIU.  Another major goal is to improve your analytical abilities and to develop your skill (and pleasure) in communicating ideas, both in class and on paper.  The final goal—perhaps the most important—is to give you a chance to develop your intellectual curiosity.  We will be discovering "other" worlds; to do so, is also to discover your responses to those worlds, and thus to engage in self-discovery.

This course will be web-assisted--via my homepage listed above and via "PageOut" (to be used for discussion threads).

TEXTS
 

    --Anchee Min, Red Azalea (Berkley Publishing Group)

    --Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha (1999)

    --Yasunari Kawabata, Thousand Cranes (Vintage)    cancelled; do not buy

    --Yukio Mishima, The Temple of the Golden Pavilion (Vintage) 

    --Keri Hulme, The Bone People (Viking Press) 

GRADES

25% participation (2 out of 3 options averaged)

50% 10-page research project

25% oral report

ASSIGNMENTS & POLICIES

Class Website:  The address for my homepage (which then links you to the "Inhabiting Other Lives" website) is at the top of this page.  The site provides links to other sites relevant to our readings, e-texts, assignments, and summary/study sheets.

Attendance:  Frequent absences (more than three days) will severely lower your final grade, and you cannot pass the course if you miss more than six days.  A tip: skipping class because you have not done the reading or because you do not have an essay prepared to turn in is not a great idea (I would rather have you plead your case for an extension than to miss out on class discussion).

Participation:  Every student is a vital part of the class community, and I will expect you to work to make the class an energizing experience.  The flow of good class discussions will result in a course more satisfying for everyone.  You get to choose to fulfill 2 out of 3 participation options:

--In-class participation can take a variety of forms—the raising of questions or issues, stating opinions about the work or topic being discussed, responding to other students’ or my comments, involvement in group activities, and so on.  To get an "A" for in-class participation you should contribute regularly and thoughtfully; you should also be a good listener of other students' contributions.  I will provide you with your in-class participation grade approximately 1/3rd and 2/3rds of the way through the semester.  Note: all Honors students should, of course, be active in class; this should be an easy "A" for you!    

--Online participation will occur through "PageOut" discussion threads, which I will explain the first or second week of class.  If  you have problems logging on, then or later, you should immediately contact me.  You may initiate topics ("threads") or respond to topics I or other students propose.  To get an "A" for online participation, you should post messages fairly regularly, but I don't want "PageOut" to become only busy work for you.  Heated debate is fine; but remember that basic rules of etiquette apply--be polite and avoid vulgarities.  Respectable grammar, spelling, and sentence style are expected.  If the online discussion creates awkwardness for you in any form, please talk to me and we'll work the problem out.  For those of you who do not have easy access to the Internet at home, there are many facilities on campus, available virtually all the time.  I will provide you with your online participation grade approximately 1/3rd and 2/3rds of the way through the semester.    

--Reactions papers are one-page responses to the readings that you email me, which I then selectively (and with your OK) will post on the "PageOut" discussion threads; you may also post them yourself, if you're eager to get your classmates' opinions.  If you choose this option, for each of the ** dates marked on the syllabus, submit a reaction paper for the reading for that day, for a total of 8 by the end of the semester.  If emailing doesn't work for you, then you must bring a hardcopy to class.  You should use correct grammar, sentence structure, and punctuation.  In them, you can ponder whatever especially interested or provoked you about the work currently being read, as long as your ideas cohere around a central point or issue (don't ramble or summarize the plot).  These reaction papers are a chance for you to explore your intellectual reactions to the texts; write what you think, not what you believe I may want to hear.  For each, you will receive either a check (thoughtful and competently written) or a check minus (not very thoughtful or poorly written or not turned in).  The collective grade for the responses will be calculated on the accumulated number of checks: A(8), A-(7), B+(6), B(5), B-(4), C+(3), C(2), etc.  Late reaction papers will not be accepted, except under extraordinary circumstances.  I will give you your grades for the reactions in class or via email.

Please note: I have tried to make the participation requirement flexible, to pull forth what you excel in and feel comfortable with.  If you are shy in class, then be vocal in the discussion threads and submit reaction papers; if you dislike electronic/online stuff, then turn in hardcopy reaction papers and talk in class; if you're a spontaneous, dialogue-oriented student, participate in class and online.  You should decide and tell me which two of the three options you prefer by the due date of the first reaction paper.  If you change your mind later, speak to me and we'll negotiate a fair means for you to switch.  Those who do well in all three categories--online discussions, classroom participation, and reaction papers--will be taken note of, and such will help bump grades up in borderline cases (or even raise a grade a notch or two) at the end of the semester.  The 2 out of 3 categories will be averaged, and will equal 25% of your final grade.       

Research Project: This ten-page report is worth 50% of your grade.  The goal is not just to be a conveyor belt from the library.  You should choose a topic that requires not only research (history, cultural traditions, and so on) but also substantial analysis on your own part.  Thus, rather than writing on, say, Japanese art, select a particular artist's work to analyze in terms of both its individuality and how it fits into distinctive cultural preoccupations.  It is crucial that you choose your topic early and that you follow the schedule below:

Oral Report:  The report, worth 25% of your course grade, should be similar in delivery as last semester: organized and focused, but not mechanical in presentation (do not read! use few notes!).  The report must help your classmates immerse themselves in a culture we studied either this semester or last semester, or be significantly related to an issue of "othering."  If you know your material, reporting on it is relatively easy.  Most likely the oral report will be based on your longer project.  Do not be encyclopedic.  Focus is key.  A general tip: try to tackle an aspect of the culture that initially seems "odd," but through analysis can be "translated" and appreciated.  Sample topics for the oral report and research report from previous years follow:

--martial/spiritual Japanese arts

--Japanese wrestling

--function of the Middle East veil

--female circumcision in Africa or Middle East

--traditional medical practices in Africa

--Polynesian hula

--the meaning of Polynesian tattoos

--Chinese opera

--the selling of African masks and other cultural art in Western boutiques

Incompletes:  These will only be given to students who have legitimate health or family emergencies.

Conferences:  I am always happy to meet with you during office hours to talk more about the readings or other course matters.  I also usually am available on most weekday afternoons.  For brief questions or to set up a conference outside of my regular office hours, you may call me at my home number, leave a message on my office phone (305-919-5254), or email me at harveyb@fiu.edu.

SYLLABUS:

** = email me your reaction papers before you come to class, or bring equivalent, hardcopies to class.
e-texts = materials at this site or at other sites that you need to print out

Prof's Stuff = my study questions, summary sheets, etc.
Web Links = selected links relevant to the cultural periods or authors the class is reading