Gabriel García Márquez (left) and journalist Roberto Pombo (right) interview Marcos in Mexico City in March, 2001.
|
Instructor | ||||
|
Office Hours: MWF 9-10am and by appt. | ||||
1. Zapatista readings, on reserve or on-line. They include:
Carrigan, Ana. "Chiapas, The First
Postmodern Revolution." Our Word Is Our
Weapon: Selected Writings, Subcomandante Marcos. Juana Ponce de León, ed. New York: Seven Stories,
2001: 417-443.
Collier, George A. Basta! Land
and the Zapatista Rebellion in Chiapas.
Chicago: Food First, 1999: 1-36; 155-176.
Daniels, Anthony. "Zapped Out: Adiós to the Zapatistas.
(Don't come back)." National Review
Apr 30 (2001): 27-28.
Dávila-Villers, David R. "From Two Mexicos to
Three Mexicos: International Integration/Domestic
Disintegration." http://www.uoregon.edu/~ucurrent/uc6/6-dvillers.html n.d.
Guillermoprieto, Alma. "Zapata's Heirs" and "The
Unmasking." Looking for History: Dispatches
from Latin America. New York: Pantheon,
2001: 185-223.
Hansen, Tom. "Zapatista Timeline." Our Word Is Our Weapon: Selected Writings, Subcomandante
Marcos. Juana Ponce de León, ed.
New York: Seven Stories, 2001: 445-451.
Katzenberger, Elaine, ed. First
World, Ha Ha Ha! The Zapatista Challenge.
San Francisco: City Lights, 1995: i-vii; 33-34; 57-70; 99-107;
157-167.
Marcos, Subcomandante. "The Story of the Sword, the Tree,
the Stone, and the Water." Questions and
Swords: Folktales of the Zapatista Revolution. El Paso: Cinco Puntos Press, 2001: 61-99.
Poniatowska, Elena. "Can a Book Explode Like a Bomb?"
Questions and Swords: Folktales of the
Zapatista Revolution. El Paso: Cinco
Puntos Press, 2001: 100-108.
Robinson, Linda. "Speedy Gonzalez Lives! The
Zapatista Leader Is Back; the Rebels Are There to Stay."
U.S. News and World Report Aug 3 (1998).
2. Fuentes, Carlos. The Death of Artemio Cruz. 1962. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1991.
3. García Lorca, Federico. The Selected Poems of Federico García Lorca. Eds. Francisco García Lorca and Donald M. Allen. New York: New Directions, 1961.
4. García Márquez, Gabriel. One Hundred Years of Solitude. 1967. New York: Harper & Row, 1992.
5. Cervantes, Miguel de. The History and Adventures of the Renowned Don Quixote. Trans. Tobias Smollett. New York: Modern Library, 2001.
6. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet.
Wild, Nettie. A Place Called Chiapas: Eight Months Inside the Zapatista
Uprising. (1998)
Sayles, John. Men with Guns
(Hombres armados) (1997)
Zurita, Félix. Rigoberta
Menchú: Broken Silence
(1992).
Fernández, Emilio. Rebelión de los colgados
[Rebellion of the Hanged, 1954]
Rage Against the Machine
About the band
Interview with Zach de la Rocha: "Our music has become a
bridge."
"Wind Below" Lyrics
A
Zapatista Reading List
An English translation of a portion of Gabriel
García Márquez' interview with Subcomandante Marcos
(July 2, 2001 The Nation)
Zapatistas
in Cyberspace
The most comprehensive outline of what's available on
the Zapatistas on-line.
Subcomandante
Marcos Interview
In this excerpt, Marcos speaks to the question, "What
does a struggle between indigenous peasantry and the Mexican
government have to do with the rest of the world? Produced by Kerry
Appel. RealVideo.
Carlos Fuentes on the Zapatistas
Irish
Mexico Group
Despite its apparently odd name, this site offers a
fairly coherent overview of the situation in Chiapas.
Each student will be assigned to 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 Topic |
|
Silpa Dhoma |
Group 1 |
Artemio Cruz | |
|
María González |
Group 2 |
Lorca's poetry | |
|
Ross Jackson |
Group 3 |
One Hundred Years of Solitude | |
|
Sheri Wilson |
Group 4 |
Don Quixote |
What do great works of literature have to do with the "real" world? With everything going on today, who has time to read literary works that are dozens or even hundreds of years old? Why are these works relevant to our lives?
Earlier this year, Subcomandante Marcos (former university professor Sebastián Guillén) left the Lacandón jungle in southeastern Mexico for the first time in seventeen years. He led a peaceful march of Zapatistas across hundreds of miles to the capital, Mexico City, in order to fight for the constitutional rights of ten million Mexicans from 57 indigenous groups. The Mexican constitution has never recognized these Mexicans as real citizens.
What does literature have to do with such "real-world" problems?
Quite a lot, it turns out.
In an interview with Nobel laureate Gabriel García Márquez, Marcos expresses how important his own literary education has been in his struggle for human rights. In fact, the Zapatista leader suggests that the best way to understand the Mexican political system is not to read a columnist´s latest political analysis but, rather, to read the following literary works, among others: Cervantes´ Don Quijote, García Márquez´ One Hundred Years of Solitude, Fuentes´ The Death of Artemio Cruz, and Shakespeare´s Hamlet. He goes on to say that he usually carries a copy of Lorca´s Gypsy Ballads with him wherever he goes.
What does literature have to do with revolution? Can a novel change your life? Is poetry relevant to what´s going on in the world today? What are the dangers and benefits of being "inspired" by literature?
The course will explore these texts and these questions.
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 interaction within the student's peer
group.
I have assigned 4-5 students to each of the student leaders (see the last page of this syllabus for a complete list of group assignments). All four student leaders 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 responsibilities will include the following:
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.
They will contribute to the preparation
of all 6 quizzes. They will administer the quizzes.
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.
The leaders will utilize two of the
Friday sessions in order to guide students with their group oral
presentations.
The student leaders will also organize
certain social activities during the semester.
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.
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.
|
A. Three short essays (750 words; 2-3 pages) |
|
24% |
|
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 final version of the essay is due to me the following Friday. Both versions should be typed and double-spaced.
B. Research Paper (2,000 words, excluding bibliography; 7-8 pages). 20%.
Another academic skill is the ability to carry out 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 five literary works. You will complete your paper in three stages. By November 21 (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 28, 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 3rd. The final version is due to me on December 10th. 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 announced quizzes over excerpts from Strunk & White's The Elements of Style, MLA bibliographic style, etc., as needed.
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 in some way relate or contrast the ideas of one of the literary works with the ideas behind the Zapatista movement. All presentations should include the following:
1. At least two or three original ideas about how the literary text relates to the ideas behind the Zapatista movement.
2. Analyses of at least three specific texts that support your point(s).
3. At least one visual aid.
4. At least one handout.
5. 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 topics to be announced.
Abbreviations
AC=The Death of
Artemio Cruz
FGL=The Selected
Poems of Federico García Lorca
GGM=One Hundred
Years of Solitude
DQ=The History and
Adventures of the Renowned Don Quixote
Week 1
W Sept 5 Introduction. View part of
A Place Called Chiapas .
Assignment:
1. Readings, ON RESERVE:
Carrigan, Ana. "Chiapas, The First Postmodern Revolution." Our Word Is Our Weapon: Selected Writings, Subcomandante Marcos. Juana Ponce de León, ed. New York: Seven Stories, 2001: 417-443.
Marcos, Subcomandante. "The Story of the Sword, the Tree, the Stone, and the Water." Questions and Swords: Folktales of the Zapatista Revolution. El Paso: Cinco Puntos Press, 2001: 61-99.
Poniatowska, Elena. "Can a Book Explode Like a Bomb?" Questions and Swords: Folktales of the Zapatista Revolution. El Paso: Cinco Puntos Press, 2001: 100-108.
2. Complete the questions, Handout #1. Be ready to discuss in class.
F Sept 7 Discussion.
Assignment:
1. Reading, on-line:
Robinson, Linda. "Speedy Gonzalez Lives! The Zapatista Leader Is Back; the Rebels Are There to Stay." U.S. News and World Report Aug 3 (1998). http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/980803/3zapa.htm
2. Readings, on reserve:
Collier, George A. Basta! Land and the Zapatista Rebellion in Chiapas. Chicago: Food First, 1999: 1-36; 155-176.
Katzenberger, Elaine, ed. First World, Ha Ha Ha! The Zapatista Challenge. San Francisco: City Lights, 1995: i-vii; 33-34; 57-70
Hansen, Tom. "Zapatista Timeline." Our Word Is Our Weapon: Selected Writings, Subcomandante Marcos. Juana Ponce de León, ed. New York: Seven Stories, 2001: 445-451.
3. Complete the questions, Handout
#2. Be ready to discuss in class.
Week 2
M Sept 10 Discussion.
Assignment:
1. 7-8:30pm: View the remainder of A Place Called Chiapas [BI Room, Abell Library].
2. Reading, on-line:
Dávila-Villers, David R. "From Two Mexicos to Three Mexicos: International Integration/Domestic Disintegration." http://www.uoregon.edu/~ucurrent/uc6/6-dvillers.html n.d.
3. Readings, ON RESERVE:
Katzenberger, Elaine, ed. First World, Ha Ha Ha! The Zapatista Challenge. San Francisco: City Lights, 1995: 99-107; 157-167
Daniels, Anthony. "Zapped Out: Adiós to the Zapatistas. (Don't come back)." National Review Apr 30 (2001): 27-28.
Guillermoprieto, Alma. "Zapata's Heirs" and "The Unmasking." Looking for History: Dispatches from Latin America. New York: Pantheon, 2001: 185-223.
3. Complete the questions, Handout #3. Be ready to discuss in class.
W Sept 12 Discussion. View Rigoberta Menchú: Broken Silence in class.
Due: WWW Assignment #1: Zapatistas.
Assignment:
1. AC 3-57
2. Complete the questions, Handout #4. Be ready to discuss in class.
F Sept 14 Artemio
Cruz
Assignment:
1. AC 57-140
2. Complete the questions, Handout #5. Be ready to discuss in class.
SL class: QUIZ #1.
Week 3
M Sept 17 Artemio
Cruz.
Assignment: AC 140-201
W Sept 19 Artemio
Cruz
Assignment: AC 201-241
F Sept 21 Artemio
Cruz
DUE: First draft of Essay #1 to student
leader.
Assignment: 242-end
7-9:00pm: View Men with Guns (Hombres armados) [BI Room, Abell Library].
W Sept 26 Lorca
DUE: WWW Assignment #2: Lorca.
Assignment: TBA
F Sept 28 Lorca.
DUE: FINAL version of Essay #1 to
prof.
SL class: QUIZ #2.
Assignment: TBA
Week 5
M Oct 1 Lorca GROUP 2
ORAL PRESENTATION (Lorca's poetry)
Assignment: GGM 1-40
W Oct 3 Magical realism, the Zapatistas, and
GGM
Assignment: GGM 41-86
F October 5 Library research activities: Dr.
Carolyn Vickrey, Abell Library
Assignment: GGM 87-153
W October 10 One Hundred
Years of Solitude
Assignment: GGM 197-262
F October 12 FALL
BREAK--NO CLASS.
7-9:00pm: View Rebelión de los colgados [Rebellion of the Hanged, 1954] [BI Room, Abell Library].
W October 17 One
Hundred Years of Solitude
Assignment: GGM 315-381
F October 19 One Hundred
Years of Solitude
Assignment:GGM 383-end
SL class: QUIZ #3.
DUE: First draft of Essay #2 to student
leader.
W October 24 Don
Quixote
Assignment: DQ 97-108; 141-175
F October 26 Don
Quixote
Assignment: DQ 176-231; 320-335
DUE: FINAL version of Essay #2 to prof.
SL class: QUIZ #4.
W October 31 Don
Quixote
Assignment: DQ 474-500; 508-516;
527-539
F Nov 2 Don
Quixote
Assignment: DQ 543-547; 557-636
Readings, on-line:
Marcos, Subcomandante. "Seven Questions to Whom It May Concern." January, 1997.
W Nov 7 Don
Quixote
Assignment: DQ 709-751
F Nov 9 Don
Quixote
Assignment: DQ 751-842
SL class: QUIZ #5.
DUE: First draft of Essay #3 to student leader.
Week 11
M Nov 12 Don
Quixote
Assignment: DQ 843-886
W Nov 14 Don
Quixote
Assignment: DQ 886-930
F Nov 16 Don
Quixote
Assignment: DQ 931-959; 969-989;
1029-1055
DUE: FINAL version of Essay #3 to prof.
Week 12
M Nov 19 Don
Quixote
Assignment: DQ 1055-end
W Nov 21 Don
Quixote. GROUP 4 ORAL
PRESENTATION (Don Quixote)
Assignment: Hamlet, ACT I
DUE: Annotated Bibliography (2%).
THANKSGIVING BREAK
Readings, on-line:
Hamlet and the Zapatistas
W Nov 28 Hamlet
Assignment: ACT III
DUE: Outline of research paper (3%).
SL class: QUIZ #6.
F Nov 30 Hamlet
Assignment: ACT IV
Week 14
M Dec 3 Hamlet
Assignment: ACT V
DUE: First draft of research paper to student leader.
W Dec. 5 Hamlet
F Dec 7 Hamlet
M Dec 10
DUE: Final version of research paper.
Tues. Dec.
11 3-5pm FINAL
EXAM
|
|
|
|
|
|
Silpa Dhoma |
María González |
Ross Jackson |
Sheri Wilson |
|
Laura Amlin |
Verónica García |
Happy Rahman |
Ashwini Shridhar |
|
Leena Chacko |
Heather Mallory |
Allison Schmitz |
Christopher Murray |
|
Santiago Balado |
Jacob Hartwright |
Tobe McCann |
Cody Stapp |
|
Adam Bean |
Elliot Jorgensen |
Christopher Moore |
Sofía Natalia Muñoz |