Class Syllabi

Syllabus for ENG 1B – Chicano/a Perspective

Instructor: Ms. Maria Garcia Teutsch

Office: C318

Office Hours: T/Th 12:30-1:30 and Wednesday 3-5 Online and by appt.

Email Address: mteutsch@hartnell.edu

Course Description

Focus is on academic writing forms, especially critical analysis of literature through a variety of modes such as comparison and contrast, classification, and causal analysis.

Course Introduction

This course aims to assist you in acquiring the tools you need to communicate effectively not only in your academic classes but also at your workplace and throughout your lives.

Students will analyze short stories, poetry, and non-fiction.

Literary analysis requires MLA style documentation. Students learn how to sharpen their research and documentation skills.

The syllabus is tentative. Topics, assignments, and due dates are subject to change. For the writing assignments, I provide some topic choices for you to select. Don't hesitate to ask questions; I'm only an e-mail away: mteutsch@hartnell.edu.  

Course Goals/Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, you will have

Increased your awareness of literature and literary analysis. Developed and organized sentences into clear paragraphs and essays. Approached reading and writing both analytically and critically. Learned about MLA and the research and documentation process.  Learned exactly what plagiarism is. Improved your overall written communication skills.

Student Learning Outcomes1.Apply literary terms and interpretive techniques to read, discuss, and write competent academic prose about literature.
2.Critique and evaluate the formal elements of poetry, fiction, and drama.  
3.Produce an analytical research project on a literary work using MLA format that demonstrates understanding of acknowledged methods of critical thinking and writing.

Required texts

When Living Was a Labor Camp, Diana Garcia

If I Die in Juarez, Stella Pope Duartes

Bordering Fires, ED. Cristina Garcia

Keep a good dictionary nearby (or use some of the online dictionaries) to check your spelling and the meanings of words. Ideally, your dictionary should be no more than five years old. (Although I personally prefer the American Heritage Dictionary, I also use Webster's.)

Keep in mind that spell checkers cannot detect errors in words like “you're” versus “your.” The computer finds these words spelled correctly but cannot know that you've confused them. You yourself must scout out those errors when you proofread your paper. Moreover, don't completely rely on the grammar checker in your word processing software program. For complicated reasons related to the nature of language and technology, sometimes its suggestions are incorrect.

Due Dates for Assignments

8/16-8/18 Course Introduction, Questionnaires, Story Sharing

8/25-8/27 Read When Living was a Labor Camp--TBA

Reading must be concluded by this date, and for all future assignments by the date indicated next to each reading. One page typed response to story due.

8/30-9/1 When Living was a Labor Camp —TBA. One page typed response due.

9/6-9/8 When Living was a Labor Camp —TBA. One page typed response due.

9/13-9/15 When Living was a Labor Camp —TBA. One page typed response.

9/20-9/22 When Living was a Labor Camp —TBA. One page typed response.

9/27 Journals due.  Read Aloud.

9/29 PAPER #1 DUE-Border Project Check-in

10/4-10/6 GROUP PRESENTATIONS on Bordering Fires

10/11-10/13 GROUP PRESENTATIONS

10/18-10/20 REVIEW FOR ESSAY EXAMINATION

10/27-Essay Exam

11/1-11/3 Begin If I Die in Juarez  one page typed response due.

                                   

11/8-11/10 If I Die in Juarez one page typed response due.

11/15-11/17- If I Die in Juarez  one page typed response due.

11/19-Border Project Check-in

11/29 PAPER # 2 DUE

12/1 Begin BORDER PROJECT

General Policies:

Students are expected to attend class.  This is an interactive learning environment and your attendance is important to me and to your classmates.  More than three unexcused absences will result in a drop of 10-20% of your letter grade as factored into your class participation.  Perfect attendance is encouraged. FIVE unexcused absences will result in your being dropped from this class (state law).  Cell phones are to be turned off when entering the classroom.  Late papers will NOT BE ACCEPTED unless cleared by instructor: That means that if you are absent on the day the assignment is due, you must make arrangements to get your paper to me or it will not be accepted. If you do not turn in all of the assigned papers, you will most assuredly not receive the grade you want since each paper is worth 10-20% of your grade. Homework assignments will not be accepted if turned in late. If you turn in your assignment via email on the day it is due because you are absent, I will accept it, but you will not receive credit unless YOU print it out and turn it in to me during our next class meeting.  No homophobic, racist or sexist remarks will be tolerated in this classroom.     

Grading Policy

95-100 A        67-70 D+

91-94 A-        63-66  D                                                 Labor Camp Paper 20%

87-90 B+        61-62 D-                                                Group Presentations/Exam 20%

81-84 B-                                                                        If I Die in Juarez Paper 20%

83-86 B                                                                         Border Project/Presentation 20%

77-80 C+                                                                       Portfolios/Homework 20%

73-76 C                                                                         

70-72 C-                                                                       

All essays and responses must demonstrate mastery of MLA documentation style.

Chicano/a Perspective

Border Project

Due Date TBA

Your Border Project will culminate in an individual and/or group presentation and a portfolio/essay. In your portfolio I would like a brief definition and/or summary of the following:

The Treaty of the Guadalupe Hidalgo

Define Chicano/a

Name five Chicano/a artists and show examples of their work.

Briefly describe the conflict in Oaxaca

Repatriation

The Bracero Movement

5 books written in English by Chicano/as or Mexicanos

5 movies about Mexican/American relations

What exactly is this fence business?  Describe the bill enacted by Congress and made into law by former President Bush regarding the 700 mile fence.

Mexican-American police relationships, give an example.

Name three Chicano/a musicians

Define: Aztlan

Name three Pre-Columbian gods or goddesses and give a brief description of each.

Name one Pre-Columbian religion and briefly describe.

Name three Chicano/a poets.

Find one website based on false premises regarding border politics. (These are usually quite racist and easy to find).

Find three reliable online sites regarding border issues.

Name all the states bordering Mexico-United States.

How would you solve some of the issues regarding illegal immigration?

What are three of the issues involving illegal immigration?

Name the civilizations who invented a written language independently.

Define: Coyotes

Human smuggling along the border, cite a specific example

The missing and/or murdered women of Juarez

The conflict in Chiapas

The conflict in Guatemala

Minutemen

I will continue to add to this list all semester long.