Kathryn Conrad, Associate
Professor, English
http://people.ku.edu/~kconrad
kconrad [at] ku.edu
Fall 2008
ENGL 590/ 790:
Blackboard site: http://courseware.ku.edu/?bbatt=Y
**UPDATED 11-3**
requirements | texts | resources
& policies | blogging | reading
& assignment schedule
DESCRIPTION:
This interdisciplinary course will provide an in-depth look into Northern Irish
culture and politics, focusing in particular on contemporary
This course fills requirements for the Global Awareness Program (GAP).
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
Students will be expected to write a substantial interpretive research paper, a
brief (10 minute) preview of which will be presented to the class during the
final two weeks of the semester and a bibliography for which will be due on
November 3. Students have the option to do one long (20-page) research paper or
a shorter (10-page) research paper and another project, subject to instructor
approval and due by October 27.
This course will require internet access for a large portion of the readings
and for participation on Blackboard. You must ensure that Blackboard has
accurate contact information listed for you. Some films will be screened
outside of class time; students who cannot make the film screening must make
arrangements to view it privately.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS:
--complete assigned readings
--take required self-assessments (no grade)
--participate in course blog (see below)
--participate in classroom discussion
--participate in short critical writing assignments
--complete final examination
TEXTS:
Most of the texts and materials for the class will be available through the
Conflict Archive on the Internet (CAIN) and online sources available through
Blackboard. Students are expected to have a command of the texts and other
materials assigned for the class; where printouts are not reasonable, students
should take notes on the materials and be able to discuss them in class. I
recommend that you download online materials so that you may consult them when
you are not connected to the internet. See individual units for readings.
Texts to purchase:
Gerry Adams, The Street
Robert Mcliam Wilson, Eureka Street
RESOURCES, POLICIES, & CONTACTS:
Grading: In this course we will be
using the new +/- grading scale, approved by the College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences to describe intermediate levels of performance between a maximum of A
and a minimum of F. Intermediate grades represented by plus or minus
shall be calculated as .3 units above or below the corresponding letter grade.
Prerequisites: Admission to English
courses numbered 300 and above is limited to students who have completed the
freshman-sophomore English requirements or their equivalents.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is stealing
and passing off someone else's ideas or words as one's own or using information
from another's work without crediting the source. Any detected cheating
offense--including but not limited to plagiarism; the unauthorized use of crib
sheets, texts, or other materials during an examination or quiz; the copying of
another student's work (even with the permission or aid of that student, who is
thereby culpable); the use of prewritten essays (the student's own or someone
else's); the uncredited adoption of another writer's
interpretation of a work; or the unauthorized use of work written for another
assignment or class--will be reported to the University. A record of each
verified offense will be kept throughout the student's association with the
University (Adopted from FSE statement).
Plagiarism is not a game, nor is it simply a "shortcut" when time
presses. It is a very serious form of academic misconduct and will be treated
as such in this class. When you consult outside sources for ideas--through
published or unpublished essays, interviews, the Internet, conversation, etc.--you
must cite those sources in your work. I understand that academic work can be
daunting: if you are struggling with an assignment, are unclear about my
expectations, or are behind on your work, please consult me. There is always a
better path than plagiarism; I can work with you to help you find your own
voice while incorporating others' ideas appropriately. If after reading the
statement above, you are still unclear about what constitutes plagiarism, ask
me BEFORE turning in an assignment.
A plagiarized
assignment will result in failure of the assignment (no credit given); it also
impacts your larger course grade more than a paper that merely receives an F,
and will usually result in failure of the course. The Department of English has
a zero-tolerance policy on plagiarism. Formal records are currently kept by the
Department of English and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. I may also
send a copy of the plagiarism form to the home department of any student who is
found to have plagiarized.
Recording of Classes: At KU, course
materials prepared by the instructor, together with the content of lectures,
are the property of the instructor. Video and audio recording of lectures and
review sessions without the consent of the instructor is prohibited. On
request, the instructor will usually grant permission for students to audio
tape lectures, on the condition that these audio tapes are only used as a study
aid by the individual making the recording. Unless explicit permission is
obtained from the instructor, recordings of lectures and review sessions may
not be modified and must not be transferred or transmitted to any other person,
whether or not that individual is enrolled in the course. (Adapted from KU
Faculty Council statement)
Attendance and Termination of Enrollment:
The Department of English reserves the right to terminate administratively the
enrollment of any student who misses two consecutive class meetings during the
first two weeks of the semester. [This applies to all students in this course,
regardless of the department under which you've enrolled.] Should an emergency
situation cause the student to miss two consecutive class meetings, the student
should contact the instructor(s) immediately. Students are expected to submit
promptly requests to drop should they decide to disenroll
from any classes. The last day to drop classes online is September 11.
(Adapted from University Timetable)
Students with Disabilities: The staff of
Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD), 135 Strong (Lawrence),
785-864-2620 (v/tty), coordinates accommodations and
services for KU courses. If you have a disability for which you may request
accommodation in KU classes and have not contacted them, please do as soon as
possible. Please also see me privately in regard to this course (Adopted from
SSD statement).
Writing Resources:
o Writing Center: Most
colleges and universities have a writing center, a place for students to talk
about their writing with trained peer consultants. At KU, we call our writing
centers Writer's Roosts. When you visit, bring your work in progress and an
idea of what you would like to work on-organization, support, documentation,
editing, etc. The Roosts are open in several different locations across campus;
please check the website at http://www.writing.ku.edu/ for current locations
and hours. The Roosts welcome both drop-ins and appointments, and there is no
charge for their services. For more information, please call 864-2399 or send
an e-mail to writing@ku.edu (Adapted from Writing Center Statement).
o
Jack Lynch's guide to grammar and usage--a really
useful guide. Jack's "How to get an A on an English paper" is
pretty interesting, too (though I offer no guarantees!).
Weather cancellations: Call 864-SNOW to discover whether classes have been
cancelled by the University due to inclement weather. Cancelled classes will be
held online; see this website for details. Be sure that Blackboard has
your correct contact information, since I will use it to send e-mail in case of
a cancellation.
BLOGGING:
We'll
be using a course blog much the same way other
courses use Discussion Boards. The benefit of a blog
is that it is easy to follow the thread of the discussion visually.
Blogging allows you to share your ideas on the
material, starting from a prompt provided by the instructor. Unlike classroom
discussion, which is spontaneous and sometimes fast-paced, blogging
offers an opportunity for you to provide a thoughtful, articulate response.
A
substantial blog posting is a short paragraph
response either to the instructor prompt or to another student's posting on the
topic. A substantial posting also takes into consideration the entire conversation,
even if it is directed primarily toward one comment. In other words, read other
people's posts before posting.
Blog discussions, like any discussions, can get off
topic; that's fine, but the blog postings that count
toward your requirement are those that are on-topic.
Not at all. You are
welcome to use the blog informally, just as in any
discussion. When postings are required, however, you must offer a substantial
post.
Yes,
you can post a new thread. Please do so only if you feel it is a significantly
different issue than that raised by the initial thread.
READING AND
ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE
(subject to change: see Blackboard Site for details.)
August 25:
Introduction. Background. Intro
questionnaire.
August 27: The
Troubles: Loyalism, Nationalism, and Partition.
Articles.
Sept 1: No
class: Labor Day
Sept 3:
Civil Rights, Paramilitaries, and the Peace Process. Articles.
Sept
8: Troubles Lit 1: Cal (movie) in class, and discussion.
Sept 10:
Sept 15: poetry
selections 1:
Heaney,
'Punishment'
Anderson, 'Gang
Bang, Ulster Style'
Muldoon, 'The
Sightseers' & 'Anseo'
Sept 17:
poetry selections 2:
from Ormsby,
ed., Rage for Order. Read the whole (substantial) selection;you may post your preference for a selection of
poems on which you'd like to focus.
Two blog postings on Troubles Lit 1 due by today.
Sept 22: The
Peace Process. Articles and agreements. One blog posting due by today.
Sept 24: Troubles
Lit 2: Republican West Belfast. Devlin, 'Naming the
Names.' (Note: two blog postings
on Troubles Lit 2 by 10-1).
Sept 29: Gerry
Adams, The Street
Oct 1: Gerry
Adams, cont. Two blog postings on Troubles Lit
2 due by today.
*****
updated from here on:
Oct 6: Loyalist
Traditions. Articles.
Oct 8: Harkin
film in class.
Oct. 9: Blog posting on marching and tradition due.
Oct 13: Murals.
Articles, murals and graffiti photos. Blog posting
due.
Oct 15: Barr,
'The Wall Reader.'
Oct 16: Blog posting on murals
Oct 20: Photography.
Articles and photography.
Oct 21: Blog posting on photography due.
Oct 22: Troubles
Lit 3: Protestant
Oct. 27 Bloody Sunday. Articles. Bloody Sunday in class.
Oct. 29 Finish
Bloody Sunday. Discussion. Blog posting on first film due before class.
Nov 3: Sunday in class.
Nov 5 Sunday
cont. Discussion.
Blog posting on second film due
before class.
Nov 10: Bibliography
Due. Finish discussion of
Bloody Sunday. Seamus Heaney,
"Casualty."
Nov 12: Troubles Lit 3 (continued). Patterson
essays.
Nov 17:
Nov 19:
Nov 24 TBA
Nov 26: No
class: Thanksgiving
Dec 1: student
presentations
Dec 3: student
presentations
Dec 8: student
presentations
Dec 10: student
presentations. Last day
Dec 15, 1:30-4
pm: Final examination