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AMST 3113: American Cultural Diversity—Extension
University
of Minnesota
Summer
Session II 1998
Blegen
Hall 110
T
Th 6:00 - 8:30
Instructor:
Eric Drown
Office: Meet in Blegen Hall Commons Writing
Lab: 306 Lind Hall
Office Hours: 5-6, T, Th. American
Studies Office: 104 Scott Hall
E-mail address: drown001@maroon.tc.umn.edu
Introduction
Discussions of “cultural diversity”
often conceive of it as a “problem” to be “solved” by acts of individual
tolerance and good will. Alternatively,
“cultural diversity” is understood as one of America’s greatest national
resources, to be celebrated, cherished, and exploited in a world increasingly
forced by geo-politics and economics to confront the realities of cultural
diversity. In this class, we’ll examine
the concept of “cultural diversity,” starting from the claim that the present
fascination with “cultural diversity” has little to do with interpersonal
“problems” created by actual encounters with people from “diverse” cultures
(white folks like me often use “diversity” as a euphemism for those significant
racial or ethnic differences which continue to shape American economic, political,
and cultural life). Instead, our thesis
will be that the current debates about the history, meaning, and value of
“cultural diversity” in the United States are an important feature of an
on-going political struggle to define, defend, and exploit a dominant
understanding of America’s past, present, and future. Further, we’ll test the claim that this struggle manifests itself
in competing visions of “American tradition,” and that these visions are often
constituted in relation to a narrative of American history I call “The Story of
America.”
In order to understand these claims
in a concrete way, we’ll seek out the ways Americans’ tell themselves stories
about their past, present, and future.
One way we’ll do this work is by reading novels which meditate on the
history of racial, ethnic, and cultural conflict by linking the process of
identity formation to larger economic, political, or social circumstances. We’ll ask of these novels what roles such
conflict has played in the establishment, development, and maintenance of
American society, and consider along with them the prospects for a just
American future. Titles include: Orson Scott Card, Pastwatch: The
Redemption of Christopher Columbus; Octavia Butler, Kindred; Amy
Tan, The Joy Luck Club; Gerald Vizenor, The Heirs of Columbus. These novels will be supplemented by
non-fiction writings by a wide-range of “experts”, ranging from former
President George Bush to college newspaper editors. Additionally, in order to see how “cultural diversity” functions
as an idea in everyday life, I’ll ask you to collect the opinions of a few of
your acquaintances, and to research some examples of how journalists have
This course will use lecture and
large and small-group discussion formats, with highly-interactive class
sessions being the rule rather than the exception. Throughout the class, students will be asked to make interpretive
claims about the texts they read and the world they (and their parents and
grandparents) have lived in. Since I
believe that writing is thinking, students can expect to write formally and
informally, both inside and outside of class.
Students will be asked to write 1
short research report, and two medium-length essays on topics to be assigned by
the instructor.
A Word on Office Hours and/or E-mail
My office hours are
intended to be opportunities for students to come for one-on-one discussions
about anything: from writing and research problems to problems with class
dynamics. You just want to talk about
ideas or something interesting you’ve read?
Come on in. I like talking with
students. I’ll do my best to make you
feel comfortable. Please, please,
please take advantage of this time.
Sometimes students are
intimidated by one-on-one talks with instructors. If you’re one of these students, use e-mail to write me a
memo. It may take a day or two or three
for me to get back to you, but I will.
If you don’t know about e-mail, call Sheppard Labs or stop into any of
the computer labs on campus to initiate your account. If enough students use E-mail, I can send class announcements and
assignments electronically.
Policy
for Human Dignity
All members of the
class will be treated with respect. I
do not believe that honest differences in passion, point of view, and politics
must be erased to facilitate harmony. But throughout this class, thoughtful
dialogue will replace violent confrontation and demeaning behavior whenever
disagreements arise.
Writing
You should make a
backup disk or photocopy of all your work.
Error or breakdown—your, mine, or the machine's—can happen. I will hold you responsible to have copies
of your work.
In order to be
accepted, all work must be: word processed in a reasonable font with 1 inch
margins, double-spaced, stapled (not paper clipped or dog-eared), and
accompanied by notes and bibliography that conform to MLA or APA
standards. You are responsible for
correct grammar, spelling, and typography.
Pages must be numbered, and your name must appear on each page. I must receive all papers by the meeting
time of the date due.
All
writing will be judged according to how well it meets these criteria:
1) content: How well have you considered/discussed the
task at hand, the meaning of what you have read, thought, seen, or said? How
well have you mustered pertinent information and evidence in support of meaningful
claims? Have you handled facts
accurately?
2) clarity: How well have you expressed your ideas,
arguments, or interpretations? Is your
prose clean and clear, intelligible and jargon-free?
3) insight: How complete is your paper—have you
considered potential objections to your argument or interpretation? Have you
thought through the social, political, or logical implications of your
argument? How persuasive are your
arguments and interpretations. Have you
gone beyond the conventional wisdom to consider alternative explanations or
interpretations of your data? Does your
paper pass the “So What?” test?
In order to earn an
A for a paper, your writing must excel in all three categories.
Grading
My grading policy
conforms to CLA guidelines. Be advised
that CLA considers a C to be equivalent to basic fulfillment of the course
requirements. In order to get
anything higher than a C, you will have to perform beyond the basic course
requirements. If your are concerned
about your grade, please consult with me early and often. A's and B's are honors grades. Please read the following grading scale
carefully.
F.........You turned in the assignment but
did not attempt to fulfill the requirements, or you did not turn in the
assignment.
D.........You attempted to fulfill the
requirements, but did not meet basic standards in content, clarity, and
insight.
C.........You completed the assignment and
satisfied all requirements.
B.........You completed the assignment and
satisfied all requirements. Further, your paper is mechanically perfect, and
you developed and supported an argument, generating new insights.
A.........You completed the assignment and
satisfied all requirements. Your paper is mechanically perfect, and you
expressed your ideas with particular elegance, style, and/or wit. Finally, you developed and supported an argument with
exceptional skill, generating new insights, and placing them in a meaningful
context.
Acts
of scholastic dishonesty may result in an F for the course and additional
disciplinary action.
Course-Grade Breakdown
1 research report @ 20%, 2
essays @ 40% each
Course-Grade Calculation
All grades in this course will be given in letter
form. The following grades are
available:
|
A+ |
A |
A- |
B+ |
B |
B- |
C+ |
C |
C- |
D+ |
D |
D- |
F |
In order to facilitate calculation, letter grades
correspond to numbers; thus,
|
A+ = |
A = |
A- = |
B+ = |
B = |
B- = |
C+ = |
C = |
C- = |
D+ = |
D = |
D- = |
F = |
|
12 |
11 |
10 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
The formula I use to calculate your grade is:
(G1
x .20) + (G2 x .40) + (G3 x .40) = Final Grade
Your final letter grade is assigned based on the result of this calculation (figures are rounded to one decimal place).
Incompletes
Incompletes will not be
given. If you do not complete an
assignment you will receive no credit for that assignment and your course grade
will reflect this. If there are specific
attenuating circumstances, please contact me immediately.
Readings/Books
These
required books are available at the U of MN bookstore in Williamson Hall, but
Card and Tan are widely available as mass-market paperbacks. Butler is often found used or new at Uncle
Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore or at Dreamhaven Books. For used copies of all titles, check
Cummings Rare & Used Books (Dinkytown) or The Bookhouse (Dinkytown and St.
Paul) or your favorite used bookstore.
• Orson Scott Card, Pastwatch: The
Redemption of Christopher Columbus.
• Amy Tan, The
Joy Luck Club.
• Octavia Butler,
Kindred.
• Gerald Vizenor, The Heirs of Columbus.
The following readings
will be on 2-hour reserve at Wilson Library:
|
• George Bush, et.
al., “Mosaic” |
• Martin Duberman,
“Gay and Lesbian Studies for Everyone” |
|
• Shawn Wong,
“Stereotypes and Sensibilities” |
• Roger Wilkins, “Bad
Old Days” |
|
• Todd Gitlin, “On
the Virtues of a Loose Canon” |
• Patricia Williams,
“Defending the Gains” |
|
• Troy Duster,
“Beyond the Myth” |
• Katharine Bartlett,
“Surplus Visibility” |
|
• Teachers for a
Democratic Culture, “Statement of Principles” |
National Association
of Scholars, “The Wrong Way to Reduce Campus Tensions” |
|
• Dinesh D’Souza,
“Visigoths in Tweed” |
• Arthur Schlesinger,
Jr., “Multiculturalism v. The Bill of Rights” |
|
• John Higham,
“Multiculturalism and Universalism” |
• Mazie, et. al, “To
Deconstruct Race, Deconstruct Whiteness” |
|
• Marilyn Frye, “On
Being White” |
• bell hooks,
“Representations of Whiteness” |
|
• bell hooks, “Eating
the Other” |
|
Tentative
Reading Schedule
Wilson
Reserve Summer Hours:
M-Th,
9-8
Fri,
9-5
Sat,
12-5
Sun,
4-8
|
Week |
Reading [* = @ Wilson Reserve; (#) = # of pages] |
|
0 |
Th. 7/23--First class |
|
1 |
T. 7/28--Butler, Kindred;
hooks, “Representations of Whiteness”* (8), Higham, et. al* (27). Th. 7/30--Butler,
Kindred; Frye* (9); Definition assignment due. |
|
2 |
T. 8/4--Card, Pastwatch;
Bush, et. al. “Mosaic”* (6), Duberman* (2), Wong* (2), Wilkins* (2), Gitlin*
(4). Th. 8/6--Card, Pastwatch;
Williams* (6), Duster* (2), Bartlett* (2), Teachers for a Democratic Culture*
(4), National Association of Scholars* (3), D’Souza* (7) |
|
3 |
T. 8/11--Tan, The
Joy Luck Club; Essay 1 due. Th. 8/13--Tan, The
Joy Luck Club; Schlesinger* (5), hooks, “Eating the Other”* (10). |
|
4 |
T. 8/18--Vizenor,
The Heirs of Columbus; Mazie, et. al.* (7) Th. 8/20--Vizenor,
The Heirs of Columbus |
|
5 |
T. 8/25-- Essay
2 due. |
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