Honors 200: Colloquium in the Humanities [LASC #6 - WI]
11/27/17 - I propose that our Final Exam be in 2 stages & consisting of 2 typed OBJECTIVE/SUBJECTIVE Essays = each A FULL 1 page minimum - AND you will share your reader's thoughts in our class-discussions on 2 days. So, compose your Essays so that you present in a narrative/descriptive Objective mode WHAT you decide to highlight from the readings, and then express your individual reasons WHY you chose what to highlight to be your in-class, seminar-shared comments.
-- due on MON 12/4 - typed Essay-Options: Civil War & Vietnam War NURSING
-- due on FRI 12/8 - typed Essay-Options: 9/11 Ground Zero experiences from Susan H. & Mary C.'s Introduction to their anthology WOMEN AT GROUND ZERO or from NYPD Lieut. Kim Royster's narrative as read in WGZ
*** On both days we'll watch parts of THE GUYS, expecting to conclude the film on FRI 12/8
*** And on FRI 12/8 I'll ask you do our Course-Evaluations as the Last Act in our semester-long journey into America's past
For MON 12/4: CIVIL WAR & VIETNAM WAR NURSING: Having read from Nurse Eunice Brown's account of "My Two Boy Patients" and Nurse Emma French-Sackett's overview of her service and Prof. Kim Heikkila's introductory essay, choose 1 of the 3 following topic-options:
- Option #1 - Highlight - with brief quotations/striking details - how Nurse Eunice CONTRASTS her 2 young Yankee patients - ages almost 12 years & 16 years - both named Henry. And offer your Reader's Reflections thereon.
- Option #2 - Highlight - with brief quotations/striking details - Nurse Emma's DESCRIPTION&THOUGHTS regarding how her "services were appreciated" by "our suffering soldiers." And offer your Reader's Reflections thereon.
- Option #3 - Kim Heikkila, professor at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, is the author of SISTERHOOD OF WAR - Minnesota Women in Vietnam, which narrates the war-experiences and post-war lives of 15 military nurses - 14 from Minnesota & 1 from Wisconsin. At one point in her Introduction, Prof. Kim H. avers that "a burden shared is a burden relieved." And so, highlight - with brief quotations/striking details - how the 15 women collectively dealt with the war's "lingering" aftereffects in healing ways - both personally together AND publicly with all women veterans. And offer your Reader's Reflections thereon.
For FRI 12/8: 9/11 EXPERIENCES: Having read both Susan H. & Mary C.'s Introduction to WGZ and NYPD Lieut. Kim Royster's 9/11 remembrance-account, choose 1 of the 2 following topic-options:
- Option #1: Having read a good number of first-responder accounts by women service-personnel about their 9/11 experiences, you can well appreciate Susan Hagen & Mary Carouba's Introduction to their interview-collection WOMEN AT GROUND ZERO - Stories of Courage and Compassion. And so, compose your Essay in which you highlight - with brief quotations - the IMPORTANCE as Susan and Mary express it , of their storytelling-anthology by women who acted with "courage and compassion" on 9/11 2001. And offer your Reader's Reflections thereon.
- Option #2: Having read NYPD Lieut. Kim Royster's interviewed account, highlight - with brief quotations/striking details - the POSITIVE TRANSFORMATIONAL IMPACT of her 9/11 experiences on her attitude/perspective/behavior toward herself (as an American police officer), her family (such as her son), and people in general, really New Yorkers in particular. And offer your Reader's Reflections thereon.
Fall 2017 - Course-themes: PRIMARY: Women Nurses in the Civil War of 1861-'65 and the VietNam War of 1955 (advisor-soldiers)-1961 (combat-forces)-1975. SECONDARY: Women first-responders as firefighters, police officers, paramedic/EMTs who rescued, aided and nursed the injured civilians and fellow first-responders on September 11th, 2001 = 9/11 in New York City.
Class: M & W 3:00-4:15 Bridges 357 (3rd floor)
Office: Maclean 279P - PHIL Dept. tel. 218-477-4666 Hours: M&W 11:00-1:30 + T 3:00-5:00 + Th 4:00-5:00 + Fri 11:00-1:00 + by appointment
e-mail: czynski@mnstate.edu web-page: web.mnstate.edu/czynski
Course Description (BULLETIN): "This course will examine texts from a range of disciplines and periods that define 'Home' as well as the space of 'the Other.' The colloquium will stress formal and informal discussion of ideas. The course is designed to synthesize skills from the Honors Foundation and serve to further develop the capacity for independent thought. Building on the skills practiced in the Honors Foundation courses, students will develop skills through extensive class discussion, analytical and research writing, oral report, and lecture."
Our Fall-2017 course-themes will interweave "Home" and "the Other" as follows: HOME as 1) in the Union North: hospitals in the Washington City area & in Alexandria VA & other locations where wounded Yankee Federal "Billy Yank," as well as even Southern Confederate "Johnny Reb," soldiers were cared for; 2) in New York City and boroughs where the injured and the dead were attended to on 9/11 2001.
The OTHER experienced 1) through Intercultural Conflict between American soldiers and North Vietnamese soldiers (Communist NVA) and peasant guerrillas called the Viet Cong; 2) through Intercultural Cooperation between American soldiers & US gov't personnel and the South Vietnamese soldiers, gov't officials, civilians (city-folk and countryside farmers), and medical workers.
Course Overview: We shall examine the experiences - tragic and devastating as well as heroic and inspiring - of primarily WOMEN who committed themselves to the healing service of rescuing, nursing and comforting those suffering horrific bodily and emotional trauma during the American Civil War of the 1860s, the VietNam War of the 1960s-'70s, and the events of 9/11 2001 as well as the days and weeks after 9/11 in Manhattan and the NYC-area.
Required Books (pbks): 1. Pamela D. Toler, HEROINES OF MERCY STREET - The Real Nurses of the Civil War (2016) - HMS 2. Patricia Rushton, ed. VIETNAM WAR NURSES - Personal Accounts of 18 Americans (2013) - VWN + WGZ: I will provide photocopies of 1st-person memoir-chapters from WOMEN at GROUND ZERO: Stories of Courage and Compassion (2008), Susan Hagen & Mary Carouba, eds.
Our HONORS Colloquium will encourage us to "time-travel" into American social history, esp. during the eras indicated above. Through reading our 2 books + the WGZ-photocopies and viewing documentaries, we will "resurrect" the lives of self-sacrificing, dedicated women as presented in HMS, VWN, and WGZ.. We will "journey" into their Present so as to "live" in our Past by activating our historical imaginations and engaging our intellectual energies in order to be inward dwellers of their life-experiences - and, in so doing, look for similarities/parallels and differences/contrasts with our own lives and times.
LASC/DRAGON CORE #6 - The Humanities: Arts, Literature, Philosophy - SLOs = Competencies envisioned to deepen students' understanding of the human condition and to broaden students' knowledge of cultural achievements in terms of ideas, values, and beliefs expressed in works of creative imagination and rational, life-infused thought. Through studying eminent examples of Literature (including Autobiography and narrative History), the Arts (various media, also sacred and secular), and Philosophy (religion-inspired and society-oriented), students will learn to appreciate the varied expressions of the human heart, mind, and spirit in their historical and cultural contexts. And so, our course will encourage US ALL as intellectually fire-breathing Dragons to develop/improve upon these intellectual Competencies:
1. TO demonstrate, in writing and discussion, awareness of the scope and variety of literary and artistic endeavors
2. TO explain how such artifacts/experiences are expressions of individual and universal values reflective of socio-historical contexts
3. TO analyze and evaluate these works of rich imagination and life-experiences through writing-endeavors and seminar-discussion
4. TO articulate informed personal reflection-responses to the Arts and Humanities (Literature, History, Biography, ...)
5. TO present, logically and articulately, informed aesthetic appreciation and well-pondered judgments regarding the Arts and Humanities.
*** Our Colloquium will be conducted as a seminar with class-discussion emphasized - variously instructor-led/guided and student-initiated/directed.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
I - In-class INFORMAL (hand-written) writing-endeavors: 4 Reader's Reflection-Responses = short Essays @ 25 pts. (= 100) focused on assigned-pages (dates given below) + 2 Exams @ 100 pts. (= 200) - Wednesday, OCT. 11 at class-times & Friday, DEC. 8 @ 2-4 pm - with in-class written AND formal typed Parts
II - FORMAL typed writing-endeavors:
A) Two 1-page typed Essays @ 50 pts. as Parts of the 2 exams - topics to be proposed.
B) 8 typed 1-page Reader's Reflection-Response Essays @ 50 pts. (= 400) focused on assigned chapters - dates specified - first alternating between HMS and VWN, and then between HMS & WGZ - with students divided into 2 groups = Group A and Group B. SEE BELOW for your group.
C) One 4-page typed VRR = Viewer's Reflection-Response Essay @ 100 pts. based upon viewing a narrative segment - "chapter"/part - of Ken Burns&Lynn Novick's documentary-film THE VIETNAM WAR (to be broadcast via PBS beginning in mid-September - 10-part, 18-hour docu-film). The purpose is to compose an Objective/Subjective research-paper of modest length yet of intellectual substance. Your task will be to synthesize what you learn from the docufilm that enhances your understanding of our readings. It is your choice as to which "chapter/s" you decide to view in the Viet Nam War docufilm. The due-date is Monday NOV 20th. Reading your essays I will appreciate what you will have learned from viewing the docufilm, which will certainly deepen your own reading-experience of VWN.
III - 1) Dutiful, Mindful Reading-Preparation = be diligent in preparing to discuss in every class 2) Faithful Attendance = be loyal/committed to our course 3) Academic Integrity = be honest in composing YOUR writing-endeavors, proudly using YOUR OWN talents 4) Collegial Courtesy = civil, convivial, mutual respect in our class-conversations. So, be at ease and share your Reader&Viewer's Reflection-Responses in our seminar-setting. And ALWAYS bring your books to class having read in advance, of course, the assigned pages for the day!
Faithful Attendance: Absence is excused ONLY for a good/justifiable reason, such as illness, being out of town for MSUM sports, serious family matter, a critical circumstance beyond your control, really bad weather, ... . Please contact me beforehand if you know in advance, or even if unanticipated, by sending me an email or leaving a voice message - so as to avoid an UNexcused absence. Thus any valid absence is excusable, but only with an honest, if brief, acknowledgement. Otherwise, 2 or more UNexcused absences will lead to a lowering of the final letter-grade either in part (say, from B+ to B or to a B-) or in whole (from B to C), depending upon the number of such absences. And if you are ever absent, a simple, straightforward acknowledgement (no need for private details) will suffice. Honesty is the only policy. So, just attend class regularly and be a diligent reader and thought-full, active class-participant - thus, be committed to your studies! In so doing, you'll breathe your Dragon fire!
WRITING INTENSIVE courses "at the 200-level should extend the Student Learning Outcomes of the Foundation writing-course." The Syllabus "should identify which learning outcomes the course will address as integral components giving students opportunities to convey their knowledge, comprehension, and application of course-content." Hence, the SLOs = the Competencies expected from the above requirements:
1) You will use a coherent writing-process likely including invention, organization, drafting, revising, and editing to form a perfected piece of writing.
2) You will read, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and integrate appropriately and ethically both information and ideas from diverse sources, or perspectives, in composing your pieces. Since research&analysis with critique&reflection is involved, your 8 1-page Essays as well as your 4-page typed VRR formal essay should be substantially supported by "textual evidence" from our class-readings (primary & secondary sources) and the Viet Nam War docufilm in a clearly communicative style.
3) You will compose stylistically engaging and logically persuasive writing endeavors so as to satisfy your expected reader (= me, your prof).
4) You will employ standard grammar, correct spelling, and conventional punctuation in shaping your perfected writing-pieces. See below for Essay-Guidelines correlated to these SLO/Competencies.
DISABILITY ACCESS STATEMENT: MSUM is committed to providing equitable access to learning opportunities for ALL students. The Accessibility Resources (AR) in Flora Frick 154 is the campus office collaborating with students with disabilities to provide/arrange for necessary accommodations. Needless to say, do speak to me whenever you wish for any accommodation that I most willingly will implement. So, if you have, or think you may have, a disability (mental health, attentional, learning, chronic health, sensory or physical), please contact the AR at 218-477-4318 (V) or 800-627-3529 (MRS/TTY) to schedule an appointment for an intake. If you are registered with the AR and have a current Accommodation Letter, please schedule an appointment with me, your Prof, to settle on how best to accommodate you. Additional information is available on the AR website http://www.mnstate.edu/accessibility
WEEKLY SCHEDULE of READINGS & EXAMS & WRITING-ASSIGNMENTS
WEEK I - Mon 8/21: Intro to our Course & Ourselves - Syllabus & Names
-- W 8/23: READINGS: HMS: Foreword: pages vii-ix + Introduction: pp. 1-8 & VWN: Intro: pp. 1-4 & WGZ: Intro: pp. xi-xvi
WEEK II - M 8/28: HMS: 9-31: Ch. 1 - Dorothea Dix Goes to War * Topic-focus for Informal RRR #1 @ 25 pts.
-- W 8/30: VWN: 5-21: Elizabeth R. Barker & Catherine (Kay) M. Bauer * In-class Informal RRR #1
WEEK III - M 9/4: LABOR DAY - no class
-- W 9/6: VWN: 22-42: Lou Ellen Bell
WEEK IV - M 9/11: HMS: 33-50: Ch. 2 - The Army Is Unprepared + WGZ: firefighter Captain Rochelle "Rocky" Jones* Group A's TRRR #1 due
-- W 9/13: VWN: 43-63: Karen Born & Mary Breed * Group B's TRRR #1 due
WEEK V - M 9/18: HMS: 51-71: Ch. 3 - Volunteers * Group A's TRRR #2
-- W 9/20: VWN: 64-77: Linda Caldwell + 100-106: Lois Gay * Group B's TRRR #2
WEEK VI - M 9/25: HMS: 73-97: Ch. 4 - Nurses on the Hospital Transport Ships * Group A's TRRR #3
-- W 9/27: VWN: 78-89: Alene B. Duerk + 119-127: Lynn C. Kohl * Group B's TRRR #3
WEEK VII - M 10/2: HMS: 99-119: Ch. 5 - Arriving at Mansion House Hospital * Group A's TRRR #4
-- W 10/4: VWN: 107-118: Sandra K. Holmes + 135-141: Mary Lou Ostergren-Bruner * Group B's TRRR #4
WEEK VIII - M 10/9: HMS: 121-142: Ch. 6 - Learning by Experience *** Comments on the Midterm Exam-format
-- W 10/11: MIDTERM EXAM @ 100 pts. will include a typed Essay-Part and in-class written Parts - paper provided
WEEK IX - M 10/16: HMS: 143-158: Ch. 7 - Becoming Indispensable
-- W 10/18: VWN: 142-156: Ruth E. Purinton & Maria V. Rossi * Topic-focus for Informal RRR #2
WEEK X - M 10/23: HMS: 159-173: Ch. 7 cont'd - Becoming Indispensable * In-class Informal RRR #2
-- W 10/25: VWN: 157-165: Mary S. Warne + 173-181: Odette P. Willis * Group A's TRRR #5
WEEK XI - M 10/30: HMS: 175-196: Ch. 8 - Leaving Mansion House Hospital * Group B's TRRR #5
-- W 11/1: WGZ (photocopy-handout): Hospital-paramedic Mercedes Rivera (EMT) + Major Molly Shotzberger (Salvation Army) * Group A's TRRR #6
WEEK XII - M 11/6: HMS: 197-219: Ch. 9 - Reporting Back to Duty * Group B's TRRR #6
-- W 11/8: WGZ: Captain Janice Olszewski (EMS) + Lieutenant Kathleen Gonczi * Group A's TRRR #7
WEEK XIII - M 11/13: HMS: 221-243: Ch. 10 - After the War * Group B's TRRR #7 * Topic-focus for Informal RRR #3
-- W 11/15: WGZ: Lieutenant Amy Monroe + FDNY EMT Christine Mazzola * In-class Informal RRR #3 * Group A's TRRR #8
WEEK XIV - M 11/20: HMS: 245-253: Afterword: A Different Viewpoint + 259-262: App. B Letter of Commendation ... *** All VRR Essays DUE by this date!!! * Group B's TRRR #8
-- W-F 11/22-24: HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
WEEK XV - M 11/27: WGZ: 3 firefighters: most-decorated woman/20-year veteran FDNY Lois Mungay + Lieutenant Ella McNair + Captain Brenda Berkman * Topic-focus for Informal RRR #4
-- W 11/29: WGZ: 2 NYPD police officers: Lieutenant Terri Tobin + Officer Patty Lucci + Port Authority Commanding Officer Captain Kathy Mazza (died on 9/11) * In-class Informal RRR #3
WEEK XVI - M12/4: RETROSPECTIVE with every student's brief summary of her/his VRR on the VietNam docufilm * Comments on Final Exam-format
-- 12/6: Study Day - no class
-- FRIDAY 12/8: Final Exam @ 2-4 p.m. for in-class written Parts - typed Essay-Part DUE + Course-Evaluations
-------------- On the Writing-Assignments --------------
I - In-class INFORMAL (hand-written) writing-endeavors: 4 Reader's Reflection-Response mini-essays (@ 25 pts. = 100 pts.) focused on the assigned pages for dates given below. Topics/Themes to be announced in advance for you to keep in mind as you read.
- W 8/30: WGZ - M 10/23: HMS - W 11/15: WGZ - W 11/29: WGZ
II - 2 EXAMS (@ 100 pts. = 200 pts.) - Oct. 11 & Dec. 8 - with in-class Informal Parts (within 2 pp.) & Formal typed Essay-Part @ 1-page
III - FORMAL Writing-Endeavors - Objective&Subjective:
A) 8 1-page typed Reader's Reflection-Response Essays (@ 50 pts.= 400 pts.) - due on specified dates: see below for the schedule of 9 students in GROUP A and 9 students in Group B. Essentially, these are half-Objective and half-Subjective = first, you present WHAT grabbed your interest, and, second, you explain WHY your attention was "grabbed." 1st-person voice is perfectly suitable for your RRR & TRRR & VRR essays.
Group A = Abigail B, Sara D, Danielle D, Alexandra F, Jane G, Ali G, Jacob H, Emily H, Zachary H
Group B = Sydney J, Anna J, Trevor L, Megan M, Mia P, Maren S, Bailey S, Ty T, Kanako W
B) Your 4-page typed Viewer's Reflection-Response Essay @ 100 pts. DUE NO LATER than Monday NOV. 20th.
-- The total points-potential for all the writing-assignments + the 2 exams = 800 points. Your final letter-grade will be based on the # of points you attain out of the possible total, and will be proportioned on the basis of a 100 points, using + and - signs. So, for ex., B+ = 89-87; B = 86-83; B- = 82-80. I will use decimals, then round it all at the end. I will not "curve" the grades. Needless to say, your dedicated reading-prep for every class will assure your grade-success - and will propel your academic advancement, leading to delight and enlightenment.
ON YOUR WRITING-ENDEAVORS
As a Writing Intensive course, the expectation is that, by the semester's end, you will have composed 16 Formal writing-assignment pages and several Informal pieces of writing. The Formal Writing-Endeavors (typed) will be graded according to the 5 Standards/Criteria with specified Goals/Outcomes given in the "Essay Guidelines" below. You will also be required to do some in-class Informal writing (on dates specified as well as Parts of the exams) to be evaluated in terms of Content, not grammar, spelling, ... . In both cases, the principal goals are #1) to stimulate and maintain OUR class-involvement with, and YOUR personal interest in, our 2 books, AND #2) to encourage you to advance/develop as reading-writing thinkers by guiding your written and spoken expression of your Objective Understanding and Subjective Interpretation of our 2 books + the WGZ chapters + the VietNam War documentary-film.
For all your typed Formal Writing-Endeavors = the 8 1-page TRRR Essays + the 4-page typed VRR, I propose an Objective/Subjective structure: that is, it is your choice to highlight WHAT intrigued/informed/interested you and, then, explain WHY, offering your personal thoughts about it all. In general, for every typed essay, I expect you to select something/s or some person/s that is/are SIGNIFICANT/IMPORTANT = any topic/theme/event/person/situation/... from the assigned pages on a given date in HMS, VWN & WGZ. You'll first write about it by presenting the WHAT = the Objective part (in the 3rd-person voice); then, in the second-half, you'll explain WHY you chose what you chose to write about = the Subjective part (in the 1st-person voice). So, half-Objective (for ex., "When Clara Barton arrived at the Confederate Andersonville prison-camp, her immediate emotional response, as historian Stephen Oates describes it, was ... ."), and half-Subjective (for ex., "The scene describing Clara Barton raising the Stars and Stripes at the Andersonville cemetery let me imagine how she must have felt ... . It reminded me of when ... .").
As for your 4-page typed VRR Essay, it will be your OWN choice of whichever SECTION/CHAPTER in the Viet NamWar docufilm which you will write about - using the same half-Objective & half-/Subjective structure. See also above: Course Requirements II.
ESSAY GUIDELINES
These are meant as ENCOURAGEMENT for you to write your best, and are also meant to guide you as Thinkers and Readers and Writers. So, do your best to compose your thoughts, present your knowledge, and share your understanding with high standards as to logical organization, correct spelling, proper English grammar, etc. . Be your own self-scrutinizing editor&proofreader. Be PROUD of the writing you submit to me - for my delight, I hope! Make me smile! Feel inspired about what you CHOOSE to write about and talk about in class and HOW you express your personal choice.
As mentioned above, our Writing Intensive course stipulates certain Competencies and Student Learning Outcomes - here they are in summary-statements:
COMPETENCIES: 1. Students will use a coherent writing-process including organization, drafting, revising, editing, and invention (= originality in design, choice of topic, style, ...) to form an effective, final written-product.
2. Students will consult effectively and appropriately with others (= me, your prof, and your classmates - and the Write Site) to produce quality written-products.
3. Students will read, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and integrate appropriately and ethically both information and ideas derived from diverse sources or points of view in their writing.
4. Students will locate, use, and cite appropriately primary sources (= actual words of historical persons from diaries, letters, speeches, ...) and secondary sources (such as the Ken Burns&Lynn Novick docu-film).
5. Students will use correct grammar and mechanics in writing. THUS, students should be logical in their idea-expression, and coherent in structuring their essays' paragraph-sequence, and grammatically proper in formulating sentences. Students should PROOFREAD for spelling (easy to do in a WORD document - the red color alerts you) and punctuation in writing. Be aware of your own "style" of writing - express your own thinking voice - no need to sound "academic." Have the highest standards in mind - aim for the stars! Be conscientious as you ponder and compose your thoughts. Ideally, a descriptive TITLE at the top of the page is the perfect "opener" for your reader. On one typed line at the page-top put Your Name + Date + Title. Use ONLY 12-point font and double-spacing between lines, with reasonable (1-inch) margins.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Area 1: COMMUNICATION - Students will be able to
- locate, evaluate, and synthesize in a responsible manner material from diverse sources and points of view.
- construct logical and coherent arguments
- employ syntax and usage appropriate to academic disciplines and the professional world.
Area 2: CRITICAL THINKING - Students will be able to
- imagine and seek out a variety of possibly goals, assumptions, interpretations, or perspectives that can give alternative meanings or solutions to specific situations or problems
- recognize and articulate the value-assumptions which underlie and affect decisions, interpretations, analyses, and evaluations made by ourselves and others.
Area 6: HUMANITIES (Genres of Literature: biography, memoir, novel, ...) and the Arts (photography, film, ...) - Students will be able to
- respond critically to creative works in the Arts and Humanities
- articulate an informed personal reaction (= reflection-response) to creative works in the Arts and Humanities.
* * * Regarding all of the above, I thank you in advance for your diligent cooperation. Take advantage of this course-opportunity to cultivate improved reading-habits and better writing-skills. I fully expect our fall semester 2017 together to be a very fruitful and enjoyable experience. So Dragons, light your intellectual fire!
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