MWF 10:00-10:50 Fall 1996 Admin. 203
| Instructor: Dr. Patrick Duffey, Assistant Professor of Spanish | ||
| Office: AD 309 | Office Hours: MWF 9:00-10:00 & by appt. | |
| Office Phone: 2364 Home Phone: 892-4474 | HomePage Address: http://artemis.austinc.edu/acad/cml/pduffey/PD.html | |
| Suite number: 61555 | Email: pduffey@austinc.edu | |
Required Texts:
Students will read selections from the following works:
1. St. Augustine of Hippo, Confessions
2. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Confessions
3. Henry Brooks Adams, The Education of Henry Adams
4. Simone de Beauvoir, Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter
5. Malcolm X with Alex Haley, The Autobiography of Malcolm X
6. Rigoberta Menchú, I, Rigoberta Menchú, An Indian Woman in Guatemala
Students will view the video versions of the following classic films:
1. Citizen Kane
2. Zorba the Greek
3. Casablanca 
4. A Man for All Seasons
5. The Seventh Seal 
Viewing times and places will be announced as the semester progresses.
Each student will be assigned to one of the following Student Leaders. See section III below for a full explanation of the role of the Student Leader in this class.
| Student Leaders | Oral Presentation Group | ||
| Angie Smith | Suite 60410 | Group 1 | St. Augustine and/or Rousseau |
| Amy Meschke | Suite 60959 | Group 2 | Adams and/or de Beauvoir |
| Antonia Ramos | Suite 60854 | Group 3 | de Beauvoir and/or Menchú | Jim Williamson | Suite 60289 | Group 4 | Malcolm X and/or Menchú |
I. Basic Description.
Life is the best teacher, but sometimes it is less painful to learn from the lives of others. In six autobiographies and five films, we will learn that life is a process of transformation and that there are at least three abilities essential to this process:
*openness, the ability to listen to new ideas;
*originality, the ability to be yourself courageously;
*commitment, the ability to hold on to your well-examined convictions.
Our goal will be to develop the three abilities by examining to what degree each author or cinematic protagonist does or does not embody them.
The course, like your college experience, will be an adventurous exploration of a variety of ideas about history, literature, gender, race, and politics, among other things.
II. Course Objectives.
The primary objective of this course is to help students develop a wide variety of skills necessary for academic success, in the context of exploring one particular topic in depth. Specific skills addressed will be: critical reading and critical thinking; effective written and oral communication; study skills and time management; examination skills; and collaborative learning. This course also has a social dimension to promote learning and social experiences with the student's peer group.
III. Role of Student Leaders.
I have assigned 5-6 students to each of the student leaders (see the last page of this syllabus for a complete list of group assignments). All four of them are wonderful people, so I am sure that they will be very helpful to you. You should feel free to ask them questions about any aspect of this course or of AC life. In general, their activities will include the following:
1. They will read the first drafts of the three short essays and of the research paper. They will make corrections and suggestions (which the student is NOT obliged to follow) and will return the students' work the following Monday.
2. They will contribute to the preparation of all 6 quizzes. They will administer the quizzes.
3. About every other Friday, the class will divide into four groups for 30 minutes. Each group will take a quiz, discuss readings, work on group oral presentations, improve writing skills, and/or tour academic or other important facilities of the College.
4. The leaders will utilize two of the Friday sessions in order to guide students with their group oral presentations.
5. The student leaders will also organize certain social activities during the semester.
IV. Attendance.
Students should attend all class meetings (including video presentations), unless there is a valid excuse which is conveyed to the instructor in a timely manner. After three unexcused absences the student's grade will be lowered by 10 percent for each class missed. With six or more unexcused absences the student may be dropped from the course. In-class work (quizzes, reports, writing assignments) missed due to an absence cannot be made up except in extreme circumstances, unless arrangements are made in advance of the day the class meets.
V. Academic Integrity.
All students are required to abide by the College's Policy on Academic Integrity. Aspects of this policy, especially plagiarism, will be covered in class.
VI. Grading.
 A. Three short essays (750 words; 2-3 pages) | ||
| B. Research paper (2,000 words, excluding bibliography; 7-8 pages) | 20% | |
| C. Final Exam | 16% | |
| D. 6 Reading Quizzes (and other misc. quizzes) | 15% | |
| E. Group Oral Presentation | 15% | F. 4 World Wide Web Assignments | 10% |
A. Three short essays (750 words; 2-3 pages). 24%.
The purpose of the short essays is to help the student learn and refine the most important academic skill of all: the ability to write clearly, succinctly, and persuasively. I will assign each topic based on the readings. The student will turn in the first draft to their student leader, who will return it with corrections and suggestions (which the student is NOT obliged to follow) to the student the following Monday. The student will then turn in a second version to me by the following Friday. I will likewise return this second version to the student the following Monday. The final version of the essay is due the following Friday. First, second, and final versions should all be typed and double-spaced.
B. Research Paper (2,000 words, excluding bibliography; 7-8 pages). 20%.
Another academic skill is research. This class will acquaint you with the numerous resources of the library and the World Wide Web. Hopefully, the class will enable you to see research not as a tedious assignment but as a marvelous treasure hunt.
The research paper may pertain to any one or more of the six autobiographers. You will complete your paper in three stages. By November 20 (just before Thanksgiving), you will turn in an annotated bibliography of at least five secondary sources (2 books, 2 articles, and 1 internet source). By November 27, you will turn in a two-page outline of the paper. The first draft of the paper is due to the respective student leader on December 2nd. The final version is due to me on December 9th. The grading percentages break down as follows: bibliography=2%; outline=3%; final version=15%.
C & D. Final Exam and 6 Reading Quizzes (and other misc. quizzes). 16% & 15%.
The final exam and the reading quizzes will be based on the readings. If you do the assigned readings, you should do fine on the tests. I do not use "pop" quizzes, so as long as you listen and come to class, you will know what to study for these tests.
There will also be a few little announced quizzes over such topics as excerpts from Strunk & White's The Elements of Style, MLA bibliographic style, etc.
E. Group Oral Presentation. 15%.
Two other important academic skills are group work and oral presentation. You will learn about both as you prepare this project with the members of your group, guided by your student leader. The oral presentation will pertain to one or two of the autobiographers. All presentations should include the following:
1. Interesting information about one of the autobiographies based on parts that the rest of the class did not read.
2. At least one visual aid.
3. At least one handout.
4. Two to three minutes of speaking time for each group member.
F. 4 World Wide Web Assignments. 10%.
Since the Web has become one of the most important academic tools, all students should learn to use it effectively. If you don't know how already, you will learn to "surf the net" in order to do serious research. The four assignments will consist of one-page summaries of information obtained while surfing the net for information about four of the biographers.
Course Outline
Abbreviations
AUG=Confessions, St. Augustine
ROU=Confessions, Jean-Jacques Rousseau
ADA=The Education of Henry Adams, Henry Adams
BEA=Memoirs of a Dutiful Daughter, Simone de Beauvoir
MAX=The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Malcolm X with Alex Haley
MEN=I, Rigoberta Menchú, Rigoberta Menchú
Week 1
W Sept 4 Introduction to course and to World Wide Web.
Assignment: Book I, AUG
F Sept 6 Augustine and Childhood Memories.
Assignment: Book II, AUG
M Sept 9 Augustine as Teenage Problem Child.
Assignment: Book III, AUG
W Sept 11 Augustine as Freshman.
Due: WWW Assignment #1: St. Augustine.
Assignment: Book IV, AUG
F Sept 13 Augustine as Adult
Assignment: Book VI, AUG
SL class: QUIZ #1.
W Sept 18 The Conversion of Augustine
Assignment: pp. 7-30, ROU
F Sept 20 Rousseau.
DUE: First draft of Essay #1 to student leader.
Assignment: pp. 31-51, ROU
W Sept 25 Rousseau.
DUE: WWW Assignment #2: Rousseau.
Assignment: pp. 72-89, ROU
F Sept 27 Rousseau.
DUE: Second version of Essay #1 to prof.
SL class: QUIZ #2.
Assignment: pp. 90-111, ROU
W October 2 Rousseau.
Assignment: pp v-22, ADA
F October 4 Henry Adams.
Assignment: pp. 23-39, ADA
DUE: FINAL version of Essay #1 to prof.
W October 9 Henry Adams in Washington and at Harvard.
Assignment: pp. 70-97, ADA
F October 11 Henry Adams in Berlin and Rome.
Assignment: pp. 224-236; 284-298, ADA
SL class: QUIZ #3.
DUE: First draft of Essay #2 to student leader.
W October 16 Henry Adams and Medieval French Cathedrals
Assignment: pp. 5-31, BEA
F October 18 Simone de Beauvoir.
Assignment: pp. 31-66, BEA
DUE: Second version of Essay #2 to prof.
W October 23 Simone de Beauvoir.
Assignment: pp. 97-127, BEA
F October 25 Simone de Beauvoir.
Assignment: pp. 127-169, BEA
SL class: QUIZ #4.
DUE: Final version of Essay #2 to prof.
W October 30 Malcolm X.
Assignment: pp. 47-97, MAX
F Nov 1 Malcolm X
Assignment: pp. 98-145, MAX
W Nov 6 Malcolm X
Assignment: pp. 195-242, MAX
F Nov 8 Malcolm X
Assignment: pp. 243-296, MAX
SL class: QUIZ #5.
DUE: First draft of Essay #3 to student leader.
W Nov 13 Malcolm X
Assignment: pp. 340-393, MAX
F Nov 15 Malcolm X
Assignment: pp. 394-440, MAX
DUE: Second version of Essay #3 to prof.
W Nov 20 Malcolm X.
Assignment: pp. xi-6; 21-37, MEN
DUE: Annotated Bibliography (2%).
DUE: FINAL version of Essay #3 to prof.
F Nov 22 Rigoberta Menchú
Assignment: pp. 38-49; 87-116, MEN
DUE: Outline of research paper (3%).
W Nov 27 Rigoberta Menchú
Assignment: pp. 141-171, MEN
SL class: QUIZ #6.
F Nov 29 THANKSGIVING BREAK
DUE: First draft of research paper to student leader. Assignment: pp. 172-203, MEN
W Dec. 4 Rigoberta Menchú
Assignment: pp. 220-247, MEN
F Dec 6 [TBA]
DUE: Final version of research paper. C/I final Wed. Dec. 13 12:00-2:00
GROUP ASSIGNMENTS
| Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 |
| Leader: Angie Smith | Leader: Amy Meschke | Leader: Antonia Ramos | Leader: Jim Williamson |
| Mary Nikolopoulos Lisa O'Neill Maya Pillay Kimberly Richard Reza Zamanian | Thad Cox Chris Dempsey Lauren Gillespie Jake Frost Josh Godbey | Tim Hardesty Autumn Humphrey Kelly Klotz Sara McIver Rebecca Nicholas | Edee Berngen Casey Blair Russell Bryce Ann Buinger Justin Burrow Jonah Carson |
| Addtional group reading:AUG I-X; ROU 129-257 | Addtional group reading:ADA 98-223; BEA 171-282 | Addtional group reading:BEA 171-282; MEN 6-20,50-86,172-end | Addtional group reading: MEN 6-20,50-86,172-end |