Dr. Sara D. Schotland
Syllabus HONR 209W
Spring 2016
War Stories: Examining the War Experience through Personal Narratives, Fiction, and
Film
This course examines the experience of war by from the perspective of the soldier, his or her
family, veterans, and prisoners. We will read fictional works and personal narratives, and watch
documentary films and Hollywood movies, dating from the Civil War up to and including the
War in Iraq. Through these stories we will examine how soldiers cope with the challenges of
war, including the “fog” of the battlefield; tests of personal courage; fear of death and injury; the
role of peer bonding; survivor guilt; and post-traumatic stress disorder. We will examine moral
questions that arise for soldiers and commanders. We will look at the challenges of war from the
perspective of families on the home front and the difficulties that veterans face in reentry into
civilian life. We will consider how the experience of war may differ for women soldiers and
veterans. We will also consider the enemy’s “war stories,” including narratives that convey the
experiences of German and Japanese soldiers. We will gain an appreciation of significant
differences in how specific wars are portrayed given the perspective and rhetorical agenda of
authors and producers.
Course Goals
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Analyze how literature and films reflect and also shape public attitudes toward war,
peace, and foreign policy initiatives.
Analyze how literature and films convey to the public the true impact of war—casualties
to soldiers, impact on civilians, potential for life-altering effects on returning veterans.
Analyze the role of personal narratives in conveying the combat experience—both the
effect on the civilian audience and the therapeutic effect on the veteran narrator.
Understand how representations of war in film and literature contribute to mythmaking and
truth-telling about war.
Investigate the different ways that particular wars (e.g., WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam,
the Gulf War, the Iraq War) are portrayed in literature and film.
Investigate the experience of African American, Asian-American, and women soldiers
based on their personal narratives
Develop skills in analyzing rhetoric in literature and film.
Schedules of Readings for Class Meetings (Tuesdays 2-430 pm)
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Class 1 January 26 Introduction to Course; World War I: Life and Death in the Trenches
o Read Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front
o Film in class: Gallipoli
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Class 2 February23 : Our World War II
o Read Vonnegut, Slaughter House Five (at least chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 10)
o Film in class: Saving Private Ryan
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Class 3 February 9 Their World War II: The View from Japan
o Read: Cook, Japan at War: An Oral History Part One (ELMS)
o Read: Kuwahara and Allred, Kamikaze: A Japanese Pilot’s Own Spectacular
Story (ELMS)
o Film in class: Letters from Iwo Jima
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Class 4 February 16 Short essay due; Their World War II, cont.
o Read: Letters from Stalingrad (ELMS)
o Post essays to ELMS dropbox and bring copy to class
o In class: discussion of student essays
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Class 5 February 23 Concentration Camps; The African American Experience
o Read Levi, Survival at Auschwitz (ELMS)
o Read Kessler, Stubborn Twig (ELMS)
o Watch in advance of class: Tuskegee Experiment Oral Histories from the
Collection of the National WWII Museum
 www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCmceCQQW1Q
o Read Terry, Bloods: Black Veterans of the Vietnam War (ELMS)
o In class: Glory
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Class 6 March 1 Home Front; Veteran Re-Entry
o Read: Fallon stories, You Know When the Men are Gone (ELMS)
o Read: Jones, “They Were Soldiers Once” (ELMS)
o Read: Finkel, “The Return” (ELMS)
o Read: PTSD Articles (ELMS)
o Review in advance of class: PTSD Vet Admin web site
o Film in Class: Born on the Fourth of July
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March 8 Deadline for signing up on Discussion Board –Topic for Midterm Film
Class 7 March 8 Vietnam
o Read: Broyles, “Why Men Love War” (ELMS)
o Read: McLean, Loon (ELMS)
o Read: Smith, “Ia Draing” (ELMS)
o Read: O’Brien, “The Things They Carried,” The Man I Killed,” “How to Tell a
True War Story” (ELMS)
o Film in class: Full Metal Jacket
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No class March 15 Spring Break
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Class 8 March 22 Vietnam continued (class meeting)
o Read: Caputo, Rumor of War (ELMS)
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o Watch in advance of class: Interviews with Mylai veterans (You Tube)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H69nExfUh34
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Klx4TB33BRU
o Film in class: Platoon
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Class 9
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Class 10 April 5 Student PowerPoint Presentations on War Films (10)
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Class 11 April 12 Visit to Hornbake Library; Iraq Experience: Women in Combat;
o Read: “Dear Home Front” New Yorker (June 2006) (ELMS)
o Read: Klay, Redeployment stories (ELMS)
o Read: Holmstedt, Band of Sisters (ELMS)
o Read: Holmstedt, The Girls Come Marching Home: Stories of Women Warriors
Returning from the War in Iraq (ELMS)
o Meet at Hornbake Library Special Collections
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Class 12 April 19 Ethical Issues: The Inhumanity of War
o Read Cook, Japan at War, Part 2 (“Hiroshima”) (ELMS)
o Read: Human Rights Watch, “Torture in Iraq” (ELMS)
o Read: Winter Soldier-testimony of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans (ELMS—also
available on You Tube-Democracy Now)
o Film in Class: Abu Ghraib (Kennedy documentary) (You Tube)
o Film in class : Soldiers of Conscience (You Tube)
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Class 13 April 26 Student Presentations of final projects (10).
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Class 14 May 5 Student Presentations of final projects (10).
March 29 Student PowerPoint Presentations on War Films (10)
May 5 Final Projects due
Texts Required to be Purchased
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Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five (Dell 1991) ISBN 978-0440180296
Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front (Ballantine Mass Market 1987)
ISBN 978-0449213940
Assignments
As discussed in the discussion of course requirements below, students are asked to prepare (a)
one short essay based on a personal narrative or on a work of fiction that a short story that has
been published addressing a war experience (four double spaced pages), (b) an individual ten
minute presentation to the class on rhetoric in film, and (c) a final power point presentation or,
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optionally, an original work of fiction of twelve pages. The final paper or project will be due at
the end of the course. In addition, students are expected to attend class regularly and will be
graded in part on the quality of class participation, in particular participation that reflects mastery
of the reading and close attention in class.
Course Requirements and Policies

I missed class because I was ill or joined the course late: what do I do?
o Catch up on the reading
o Contact your classmates through discussion board and ask for their notes (I don’t
make notes while I teach and can’t catch up students individually)
o Take notes for other students: one day you may need to miss class due to flu, sports
event, interview, religious holiday or some emergency and you will appreciate the
reciprocity.
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How can I get in touch with you?
o By email, if question is best posed in writing. sschotland@cgsh.com or
ss735@georgetown.edu or schotlan@umd.edu.
o Be sure to “unspam” sschotland@cgsh.com as I often send emails to students from
my blackberry.
o Before or after class, if you want to talk
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When should I expect a response?
o Two business days. If you don’t hear back, maybe email did not go through so
please tell me in class or send another email.
o Do not expect a same day response as I am often in transit or teaching other courses.
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What are the requirements for the short essays?
o Page limits are on the syllabus; all papers should be double spaced.
o Short essay should be paginated, include your name and email on the first page
o Short essays should have a relevant title (not “essay one”) but a title that conveys
the gist of your topic or argument.
o Short essays should have a strong thesis statement (see owl@purdue for examples)
o Short essays may consist of
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A personal narrative you find on a web site
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A personal narrative involving a family member
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Combatant or non-combatant stories, so long as it is a “war story”
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Writing about a published short story, play, or poetry about war
o What doesn’t work:
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You can’t cover a novel in four pages. If a novel makes passing reference
to war, e.g., in a single chapter, that might be doable
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Well-known works about which so much has been written you can’t show
originality.
o You may NOT center your short essay on any work that is on the syllabus; goal is
to find a new narrative or work of fiction that is not on the course reading list.. Of
course you can compare to class readings and course discussion but your focus
should be on a narrative or story not on the syllabus.
o You may NOT center your short essay on film as that is the topic of the midterm
powerpoint
o Please see ELMS course site for many, many web site references for personal
narratives about war and references to short fiction
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How do we submit our short essay?
o Please submit your short essay on ELMS in the assignment drop box
o Also bring a stapled copy to class which I will collect at the end of class on the date
the paper is due. We will also briefly discuss your short essays in class on the day
they are due
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What is the requirement for our midterm powerpoint?
o Time yourself to take 10 minutes—remainder is for questions.
o Midterm powerpoint should be on a film--ollywood or documentary film, video
game or a single TV episode (don’t try to cover a whole series)
o Please see ELMS for example of student film powerpoints.
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What are examples of good powerpoint topics?
o Please see examples of student powerpoints on ELMS
o Even if you see that a topic was covered last term, go deeper and more specific.
E.g., the memorials at Gettysburg or WWII memorials. Civil War music; memoirs
of ambulance driver during WWI, etc.
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o If you have an ethnic background or interest, it would be a great contribution to
bring that to the class (e.g., a film from your family’s culture…)
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What are some tips for doing well on powerpoints?
o Select an original topic. Focus in on a narrow well-defined topic so that depth can
be achieved.
o Make a thesis statement: a claim or argument, rather than simply summarizing and
providing an overview.
o Address problems or issues or challenges rather than simply providing summary
descriptive material
o Engage in independent research of academic data bases rather than simply consult
Wikipedia and other Internet sources.
o Students have a tendency to identify all possible reference to course themes and
texts read or movies watched in class. Some comparison is good but don’t stretch
to make comparisons. What is most interesting is how the subject of your
powerpoint differs from or expands upon texts, films, and themes already discussed
in class.
o Avoid formulaic organization that “copy cats” other powerpoints
o Practice your presentation so that it is polished and you adhere to time limits.
o Practice your presentation so you can avoid slang, “like,” “you know,” and other
teen-speak; presenter acts as if (s)he were presenting in a professional setting as if
interviewing for a job or grad school. I will grade down half step where students
overuse “like” and other slang in their powerpoints
o Limit any video clips to 1-2 minutes. Avoid excessive use of photos—I am
interested in your analysis not in your ability to copy and paste.
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Don’t worry about “prettiness” of the presentation-content is the focus.
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Don’t worry about spoilers. Goal is to give best possible presentation and it doesn’t
matter if you reveal the ending.
Do we need to clear essay or powerpoint topics?
o For the final powerpoint, I recommend you check your topic with me, for short
essay and mid semester powerpoint, topic clearance is optional.
o I do not review drafts
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May I change my midterm powerpoint topic?
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o A change in powerpoint topics is strongly discouraged. In the past there have been
problems when students changed films and found that since they checked for
duplication another student had selected their new film.
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Where do we submit our midterm powerpoint?
o Your powerpoint presentations should be posted in the ELMS discussion board
section (the reason is that your posting in an assignment drop box is private while
your class presentations are shared and become part of our course web site archive)
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What is the requirement for our final project if we choose to do a powerpoint?
o Time yourself to take 10 minutes-remainder is for questions.
o If you have more material, just put in extra slides and I will read them (eg you may
only present 10 slides orally but have 15 in your presentation
o Format is similar to that of individual presentations but I expect more depth, more
research, and the learning that you have achieved in the course of the term relative
to your theme. In other words, your final work product should be one that you
would not have been able to present at the beginning of the course and address
significant themes. These themes may be take aways from the course or alternative
areas that are gaps or points you think are significant that we may not have
discussed in class.
o Please select a topic other than film as that was the subject of the midterm
powerpoint.
o Your powerpoint presentations should be posted in the ELMS discussion board
section (the reason is that your posting in an assignment drop box is private while
your class presentations are shared and become part of our course web site
archive)
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Is collaboration on powerpoints encouraged?
o Yes, and both students will receive the same grade for the presentation.
o If two students collaborate, double the time for the presentation
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What if we choose to write original fiction for our final project?
o No powerpoint is needed. Do post your short story to the discussion board so
classmates can read it a day or two before your presentation date
o Read from or summarize your story as you think best (sometimes students who
write fiction present a very short powerpoint so their classmates can follow the plot
or characters but that is at your election)
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
May I turn in an essay for this course based in part on a paper or project I did in another
course?
o Only with permission. I assume that every paper that is turned in for this course
reflects work that is first prepared for this course.
o However, I am flexible and open to exceptions where you propose an extension of
work done in another course and explain the “new effort” you plan to make for this
course.
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Why do you emphasize class participation so much?
o It is one of the best ways for you to learn
o It is boring to sit passively, much more fun to dive in and become part of the
discussion
o After each of the courses that I teach, several students in each class ask me to write
recommendations. It is very difficult to do a recommendation for students who
don’t speak in class because the professor doesn’t “get to know” the student. In this
period of economic downturn where jobs are scarce it is a valuable tool to get to
know faculty and thus enhance your recommendations.
o There are very few jobs where communication does not matter, so learning to speak
is a valuable skill
o This classroom should be a low-pressure and welcoming scenario for participation
o We all benefit when ideas are shared
o Students who have a major problem speaking in class should (a) let me know; (b)
prepare a few sentences about one of the readings in advance of class, which is
often less intimidating than spontaneous participation; (c) contribute more
frequently to the course blog.
o Class participation will affect your grade up or down. If you are “grade conscious,”
then class participation is something that you can control that will affect your final
mark. It is very difficult to get an A or A- in this course if you don’t participate.
Participation is a component of the grade that you control so don’t hurt yourself.
o Class participation tells the professor that you have read the material; if a student
is mute, the professor can’t be sure whether the student is prepared
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Try to avoid saying “like” and other teen speak in class. This is good practice for presenting
yourself professionally on the job and in interviews and in grad school.
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How can I do well in this course?
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o Enjoy the course! Do the reading, participate in class and on the blog, talk about it
with your classmates.
o Bring your text to class (hard copy or on your laptop as you prefer)
o Review the writing tips that I have posted because paper grades reflect not only
originality and content, but to a lesser extent style and sentence mechanics.
Especially if I have raised a question about your writing, go see the Writing Center
and look up the errors I pointed out on Owl @ Purdue or another site.
o I find students who have trouble writing generally improve their grade by a half to
a whole grade after meeting with the writing center.
o Read your paper out loud before you turn it in. You will discover sentences that are
awkward, or gaps in logic that otherwise you might not catch.
o Consult the syllabus regularly. The latest version is always on ELMS. Please
consult the syllabus re due dates and page limits (I can’t keep these in my head).
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How can I do poorly in the course?
o By checking email and internet sites such as Facebook during class time. It is very
obvious to professors when students aren’t taking notes but have their eyes on the
screen. This is a courtesy that I and your class mates will much appreciate.
o This is a pet peeve of mine. I consider it rude not to pay attention in class and it will
reduce the class participation component of your grade
o HOWEVER, every rule has an exception. If Grandma is in the hospital, let me know
and then of course it is okay to keep your cell phone on or check for a text message.
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How do we participate on the course blog on ELMS discussion board?
o Informally! Many of you will do a posting to recommend an article, attach a news
item, or offer a brief review of a movie or television show. Your posting may be a
couple of sentences long, or a paragraph or two.
o As an example, see posts on discussion board from last term’s war stories course.
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I need an extension or I have a question about an assignment
o Email me with your question or catch me before or after class. However, because I
teach many students I can’t remember if I said it was okay to submit your paper a
week late because of x or y. Please briefly confirm responses through email.
o Your questions are welcome not only because I want to help you but because if you
have a question or concern about something, probably your classmates do as well.
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
I was ill. Do I need a note from the health center?
o No. Get notes from a classmate.
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I joined the course late. What should I do?
o Carefully read the syllabus and these course requirements
o Ask a classmate for notes
o Catch up on the reading
Office Hours
Before and after class or please arrange an appointment by email: sschotland@cgsh.com,
Academic Integrity & the Honors College
The University is an academic community. Its fundamental purpose is the pursuit of knowledge.
Like all other communities, the University can function properly only if its members adhere to
clearly established goals and values. Essential to the fundamental purpose of the University is the
commitment to the principles of truth and academic honesty. Accordingly, the Code of Academic
Integrity is designed to ensure that the principle of academic honesty is upheld. While all members
of the University share this responsibility, The Code of Academic Integrity is designed so that
special responsibility for upholding the principle of academic honesty lies with the students.
All University of Maryland students are asked to write and sign the following Honor Pledge to all
submitted assignments and exams:
I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this
assignment/examination.
The University of Maryland honor system is fully described in the Code of Academic Integrity.
Please read: www.studenthonorcouncil.umd.edu/code.html. The Code is administered by an allstudent Honor Council. The student Honor Council office is located in room 2118 Mitchell
Building and can be reached at 301-314-8204.
The Honors College works to enrich its community life by promoting an atmosphere of honesty,
trust, and mutual responsibility. In the event that a Honors College student is found responsible
for a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity by the Student Honor Council, he or she will be
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dismissed from the Honors College for the semester in which the violation took place and for all
subsequent semesters in which the student is enrolled as an undergraduate at Maryland.
Course Evaluation
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to the improvement of teaching and learning at the University as well as to the tenure and
promotion process. CourseEvalUM will be open for you to complete your evaluations for fall
semester courses between Tuesday, December 1 and Sunday, December 13. You can go directly
to the website (www.courseevalum.umd.edu) to complete your evaluations starting December 1.
By completing all of your evaluations each semester, you will be able to access the summary
reports for thousands of courses online at Testudo.
Grading
Late submissions without prior extension are graded down half a step per day.
Grades will be determined as follows: 20% class participation, including course blog; 20% short
essay, 20% individual presentation, 40% final paper or project.
A+
100 – 97
A
96.9 – 93
A-
92.9 – 90
B+
89.9 – 87
B
86.9 – 83
B-
82.9 – 80
C+
79.9 – 77
C
76.9 – 73
C-
72.9 – 70
D+
69.9 – 67
D
66.9 – 63
D-
62.9 – 60
F
Below 60
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The necessary minimum condition for all passing papers is that the student avoids plagiarism and
accurately attributes his or her sources. Beyond that, here are some general, non-binding
guidelines…
An A range paper demonstrates significant originality of thought and has an extremely welldeveloped argument.
… has a thesis that makes a non-obvious, non-trivial argument
… avoids plot summary
… marshals specific textual evidence from the text(s) under consideration.
… participates in a wider critical conversation about the text(s) under consideration and
shows judicious use of related critical sources (articles, books, etc).
… has arguable topic sentences for all body paragraphs. All of these topics sentences relate
directly to the thesis.
… employs identifiable transitions between each paragraph. It is clear why one paragraph
necessarily follows from the next. The argument builds rigorously on the earlier points in order to
achieve the later points.
… begins with a compelling introduction and concludes with a discussion of the
argument’s wider significance.
…citations follow MLA, APA, Chicago or other recognized systems of citations
… has no grammatical, punctuation or spelling errors. It has no typos or other proofreading
errors.
A B range paper is a clear and interesting essay which may not attain to the originality or stylistic
execution of an A paper. It also
… is well-organized and demonstrates logical analysis and well-developed writing skills.
… may contain a few superficial errors, but these do not detract from the writer’s argument.
… may reflect that the author has chosen too broad a topic or has not done sufficient research to
have mastered the topic.
A C range paper demonstrates a college freshman’s mastery of the basic essay form. It lacks the
fresh insights of the A and B range papers as well as the organization.
It also…
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… lacks a thesis that is original (the paper may argue a truism)
…covers such a broad topic that it is superficial
…rocks back and forth between several arguments
…repeats class discussion rather than providing fresh analysis
… contains more description than argument.
… lacks arguable topic sentences for more than one of its body paragraphs.
… contains several typos or proofreading errors.
… lacks a coherent note system or applies one inconsistently.
… may not meet the appropriate length requirement.
Other remarks about papers
Papers should comply with page guidelines using standard margins and double spacing-no
stretching by adding unneeded margins or spaces
Students who have writing challenges and ESL students are especially encouraged to make use of
the Writing Center in Tawes-they give wonderful help and demonstrably improve student grades
Powerpoint Rubric
The A powerpoint is well-researched and original. It also
…focuses in on a narrow well-defined topic so that depth can be achieved
…avoids repetition of material that has been covered in class and is assigned on the syllabus.
…avoids overview and instead makes a thesis statement. Thus the student addresses
problems or issues or challenges rather than simply providing summary descriptive material
…reflects that the student has done independent research of academic data bases rather
than simply consulted Wikipedia and other Internet sources.
…avoids formulaic organization that “copy cats” other powerpoints
…reflects that the student has rehearsed the presentation for content and timely completion
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…avoids slang, “like,” “you know,” and other teen-speak; presenter acts as if (s)he were presenting
in a professional setting as if interviewing for a job or grad school
The B powerpoint tends to be a competent overview of the subject matter but lacks the
original or insight of the A presentation. The B powerpoint presentation tends to be less
professional than the A presentation (more “like”, “you know,” “sort of,” slang usage). There are
a few typos and glitches.
The C powerpoint either provides material that is too basic (already known to the class) or
reflects a lack of reflection about the topic (generally because insufficient thought has gone into
the preparation). Often the C powerpoint reflects that the student did not rehearse the presentation
and did not appreciate that it was too long or short or that the slides were not coherent.
Class Participation Rubric
The student with the A participation grade frequently participates in class, making on point
observations and showing that (s)he has read and thought about the material. The A student attends
every class absent illness, family emergency, employment interviews or other circumstances that
would excuse absence.
The student with the B participation grade attends class regularly but rarely participates in
a manner that demonstrates familiarity with the material.
The student with the C participation grade very rarely participates OR frequently misses
class.
This is a part of your grade that you control up or down—it is really up to you. Students
who have reservations about oral participation should contact me early in the course to work
through participation strategies.
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