ENG 254/LAS 254: Latino/a Literature
and the Americas
Spring 2004
Professor:
Dr.
Kelli Lyon Johnson
217
Rentschler Hall; 785-3036
johnso58@muohio.edu
Office Hours: M 12:45-4:15 and 6:15-7:15;
TR 2:15-4:15; and by
appointmen
t
Course Web Site:
www.users.muohio.edu/johnso58
Required Texts:
Alvarez,
Julia. How the García Girls Lost Their Accents.
Anaya, Rudolfo. Bless
Me, Ultima.
Cisneros, Sandra.
The House on Mango Street.
Kanellos, Nicolás. Herencia:
The Anthology of Hispanic Literature of the United
States.
Thomas, Piri. Down These Mean Streets.
Course Description
An introduction to the literature and culture of Latinos and
Latinas writing in English in the United
States.,
this course will focus on the ways displacement, bilingualism,
political
conflicts, exile, and memory influence and emerge in literature. We
will read
texts in a variety of genres—fiction, poetry, drama, memoir—including
works by
writers from New York, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Texas,
Mexico, El
Salvador, Cuba, New Mexico, Guatalama, California, and Illinois.
This course fulfills Miami Plan
requirements in U.S.
Cultures (IIIA) and Humanities (IIB) as well as CAS-B-LIT. ENG 254 may
fulfill requirements for the English major (see your advisor for
details). LAS 254 may also fulfill a requirement for students minoring
in Latin American Studies
(see
your advisor for details).
Course Grading
Analytical Papers
50%
Voices from the Gaps “Author Page”
10%
Short Writings
10%
Participation + Map
Quizzes
10%
Final Exam
20%
Course Requirements
Class Participation. You will be graded on your
active and positive participation. You may choose to participate by
completing
homework, engaging in group work, and volunteering during class
discussion. You
should bring the assigned readings to every class meeting.
Participation in
these areas will be graded on the following criteria:
A = Regular active
participation demonstrating superior understanding and analysis of assigned
material; willingness to engage theories, perspectives, and group
members
B = Frequent
participation that demonstrates accurate and thoughtful familiarity
with the material; participation in
group interaction
C = Contributions
are infrequent and/or demonstrate little familiarity with the material;
or contributions are not
relevant to material being discussed
D = In attendance
but does not participate in discussion
0 = Not in
attendance or sleeping in class
Map Quizzes.
At three points during the semester, you will take a map quiz at the
beginning
of class. These quizzes will be included in your participation grade
and will
be an easy way (with a little study) to improve that grade. Map quizzes
cannot
be made up.
Group Work. At the beginning of the semester, I will
assign you to a group with which you will work all semester. Groups
will
collaborate for in-class assignments, small-group discussion, and an
“Author
Page” for Voices from the Gaps.
Papers. You will write three analytical essays in this course. You
will receive in class both written explanation and detailed
descriptions of the
assignments. All papers must conform to stated guidelines. Papers may
not be
submitted electronically. Papers turned in after 7:25 p.m. will be
considered late. Late papers will be penalized 10% each calendar day
until the paper is turned in. Students who fail to turn in one of the
three major papers cannot pass the course.
Short Writings. Throughout the
semester, I will
assign fourteen short papers, based on readings or lectures, to be
word-processed in advanced and
brought to class. Short writings are formal papers and should be
revised and
formatted according to paper guidelines. These assignments offer you
the
opportunity to focus your ideas and comments before coming to class.
The short
assignments will be collected at the end of each class. Your best ten
scores on
the fourteen assignments will count in the calculation of your final
grade. No
late papers will be accepted. Electronic submissions will not be
accepted. You
must be in attendance for the entire class
period in order to turn in a short writing.
Evaluation of short writing assignments will be based on the
following guidelines (the criteria each week may be tailored slightly
to the
specifics of the individual assignment):
10 =
Demonstrates superior familiarity with the
material as well as analytical and critical thinking; points are
clearly articulated and easy to follow
8 = Demonstrates
basic familiarity with the material; points are raised but not
developed or supported; or provides
a solid summary of material but little analysis or reflection
6 = Demonstrates
only passing familiarity with material; analysis is absent or
simplistic; points are poorly
articulated or hard to follow; or provides only crude summary of
material
5= Turns in
assignment, but demonstrates no significant familiarity with material
or analysis of material
0 = Does not
complete assignment
Extra Credit. You
may earn extra credit at any time throughout the semester by 1)
watching a
Latino/a film and writing a two-page analysis, a short paper worth
up
to five
points of extra credit; or 2) reading an additional Latino/a novel
and
writing
a two-page analysis, a short paper worth up to ten points of extra
credit.
Student Responsibilities
Paper Guidelines. All papers will be word processed
and double-spaced in 12-point Times New Roman with standard 1”- or 1
¼”-inch
margins. You may use either Word or WordPerfect, but papers may not be
typed on
a typewriter. If you do not have a computer, please take advantage of
the
campus computer labs, which I will be happy to show you at any time
during the
semester. You are expected to use MLA citation style.
Reserve Readings. Some of
the readings for this course
have been placed on electronic reserve for your convenience. I will
give you
our course password in class so that you may access the readings. You
may
access those through the MiamiLink homepage at www.lib.muohio.edu
and read them on-line.
You may also print them out at home or at Rentschler Library. (NB: If you choose to print them at King
Library, you will have to pay $.07 in MUlah for each page, but you may
print
them for free in our library at the Hamilton
campus.) You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free
on-line,
to read and/or print these files.
Attendance. Attendance will be taken at each class meeting.
Regular
attendance is expected. The University’s attendance policy is
available at
http://www.miami.muohio.edu/documents_and_policies/handbook/academic_regulations/acadregspvii.cfm.
Beyond this policy, students may miss one class without penalty.
No explanation is required, and that absence is considered
“excused.” Students who miss two classes
will have their final course grade lowered ten percent; each subsequent
absence
will result in a further 5% reduction of the course grade. Students who
miss
more than three classes will be dropped from the class with a grade of
F.
Students receiving financial aid should consider carefully their
absences as
they are ultimately responsible for complying with regulations, and
exceptions
to the attendance policy will not be made for financial aid
eligibility.
Individual exceptions may be negotiated on a case-by-case basis under
extraordinary circumstances.
Tardiness. You are expected to arrive before the appointed
class hour
so that we may begin class on time. Because students who arrive late
disrupt
class, tardiness will be penalized. Everyone will be allowed one tardy.
After
that initial late arrival, I will count two tardies as an absence. After
four late arrivals, students will dropped from the course.
Technology. Please turn your
cells phones and pagers OFF (not to vibrate) when you enter the
classroom. Students who use cell phones or check messages--either voice
or text--will be asked to leave the classroom and marked absent for the
day.
Information for
Students with Disabilities. If you
have a disability or any other special circumstance that may have some
impact
on your work in this class, and for which you may require
accommodations,
please contact me early in the semester so that appropriate
accommodations can
be made in a timely manner. The Office of Disability Services at Hamilton,
located in Rentschler Hall, is the designated office on campus to
provide
services and accommodations to students with disabilities. For more
information, contact the Mary Vogel, Coordinator of Disability
Services, by
telephone at 513-785-3211 (TTY/TDD accessible) or via email at
vogelmm@muohio.edu.
Plagiarism.
Academic honesty is expected and
required. All cases of plagiarism will be referred to the Office of
Judicial
Affairs. Miami University’s
policy in plagiarism can be found in your student handbook and on-line
at http://www.miami.muohio.edu/documents_and_policies/handbook/academic_regulations/acadregspv.cfm
For information about
how to avoid inadvertent plagiarism,
visit this web site:
http://www.lib.muohio.edu/inet/instruction/subj.php?category=Plagiarism
By remaining in this course, you are
agreeing to the terms of this
syllabus.