Dr. Lanlan Kuang
Philosophy Department
University of Central Florida
Tentative Syllabus
Contents Subject to Change
(Last Updated Aug 1, 2014)
HUM 3320 Contemporary Multicultural Studies
3 credit hours
Fall 2014
Class Time: Tuesday/Thursday 12:00 pm-1:15 pm
Place:
E-mail: lanlan.kuang@ucf.edu
Phone: (407) 823-2195
Office: PHI 242 (It’s on the second floor of the Psychology Building.)
Office Hours: Tuesdays 1:00 to 3:00. Other times by appointment. Email is a good way to communicate
with me.
Course Objective and Description: In this era of globalization and transnationalism there is a continuous
rise in sociocultural, economic and political interactions, conflicts, and negotiations. How do we
approach the increasingly multicultural phenomena in our lives as people of different cultural persuasions
are to co-exist? Should ideas from cultures other than our own sometimes worth careful consideration
and why? How does diverse ways of understanding the world shape our perception of identity, ancestry,
race/ethnicity, art, value, gender, economy, justice, and etc.? In this class, we will explore the
multicultural ways of examining some of these ideas. We will observe how the concept of
multiculturalism is being (de)constructed in North America. This is a Gordon Rule class.
Note: Florida's Gordon Rule (as applied at UCF) requires a passing score (60% or >) on a minimum of
four papers per class. Additionally, students must earn at least a C- in the class as a whole for Gordon
Rule credit.
Announcement and Communication: All official class communications will be sent only to the
Webcourse2. Please check your Webcourse2 announcement frequently for notifications and additional
reading materials. As of 2009, Knightsmail is the only official student email at UCF. Class rosters list
Knightsmail addresses rather than external email addresses. See www.knightsemail.ucf.edu for further
information.
Required Readings:
Kessler, Gary, ed. Voices of Wisdom: A Multicultural Reader. (8th edition)
Lin, Yutang. 1965. The Importance of Living. New York: William Morrow.
Stewart, Rory. 2004. The Place in Between. Orlando: Harcourt Inc.
Films in class (warning: some of the films have strong language, sexuality, and some violence):
Diva (English Sub), 1981
Close-Up (English Sub), 1990
Ghost in the Shell (English Sub), 1995
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen 2011 http://fishingintheyemen.com/
Design of Death (English Sub), 2014
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Assignments:
Note: All writing assignments for this course should be prepared according to the writing format and
guidelines found in the PDF File folder on Webcourse2 server.
Grading Criteria:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
15 points
5 points
60 points
10 points
10 points
Attendance and Participation (see details below)
Reading Questions (see details below)
3 Issue Paper, 20 points each, consisted of 3 essay questions
Film Review or Preliminary Research Paper (see details below)
Course Project (see details below)
100 points
1.
Attendance and Participation
(15 points = 10+5; see details below)
Attendance and Class Participation is valued at 15 points. You may be absent TWICE WITHOUT ANY
PANELTY. Nevertheless, once you reach your 2 times limit, you will lose one point every time you miss
a class —unless you have a medical excuse supported with a doctor’s note, signed and dated. Please
email me if you are ill and will not be attending class. You are asked not to come to class if you are
feeling sick. However, you may earn as many as 5 points back with active participation in class
discussions. For instance, you may earn these 5 points by engaging the class with a question/topic you
prepare from the reading assignments for each lecture.
2.
Reading Questions
(5 points)
You are asked to prepare 2 questions/topics for discussion during each lecture. Please print these
questions/topics out and bring them to class. You may earn 5 points by engaging the class with one of the
2 questions/topics. You will then be placed in a group during each lecture to work together than then
share their findings with the class and get the 5 points.
Grading scale for Reading Questions is as follow:
For every "not so good" (meaning, you read the material and ask relevant questions) assignment, you
receive 0.4 points.
For every "good" (meaning, you know the material and ask intelligent questions) assignment, you receive
0.5 points.
For every "very good" (meaning, you know the material, think about it, and ask excellent questions)
assignment, you receive 0.8 points.
If you submit 10 good assignments, you should have a 5/5 already. Any additional assignments you may
have completed will carry over the credits for the next few weeks. However, please note, starting
September 30, for every assignment you missed, I will take off 0.5 points. If you wish to stop
submitting the reading questions but keep your 5/5, you should make sure you've earned enough
"carry-over" credits.
You may come over to my office during office hour to check on the copies you submit if you think the
calculation is questionable.
Grading scale for Participation is as follow:
Excluding the first week of class (2 classes), excluding the 2 classes that I give "free" credits to the entire
class (if you were absent during those 2 classes, you wouldn't get the "free" credits), you have 15 chances
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to participate during the group discussion sessions. Each time you participate, you earn 0.5
points. Therefore, if you have participated 8 times, you'd have earned 5/5 already (because I give you 2
"free" credits, so 8+2=10; 10x0.5=5); so, if you participated 7 times, you'd have a 4.5/5 because
9x0.5=4.5; similarly, if you participated 5 times, 3.5/5 because 7x0.5=3.5
However, please note, starting September 30, for every group discussion you missed, I will take off
0.5 points.
You may come over to my office during office hour to check on the marks if you think the calculation is
questionable.
3.
Film/Music/Art Review or Preliminary Research Paper
(10 points)
You are asked to write a 3-4 page film/music/art review or a preliminary research paper for your final
course project. This assignment will be handed out on August 30; it will be due on September 18. I
expect you to send a copy to me via e-mail and place a hard copy in my mailbox. This paper is worth 10
points. (Meets the standards for Gordon Rule)
4.
Three Issue Paper
(20 points each)
Three issues papers, at least 5 pages each. Each paper is worth 20 points. These papers ask you to reflect
on the readings and class discussions while comparing and contrasting varying viewpoints, including your
own. The topics will be difficult ones that relate to contemporary issues. You MUST reflect carefully,
and specifically, on the readings to get a good grade. Your paper must also be well written. The first
issue assignment will be handed out on September 13 and will be due on Oct 2. The second will be
handed out on September 27 and will be due Oct 16 (UCF has Game Day on October 4, 2014 and the
campus will close at 12pm noon; we wouldn’t have class on that day). The third will be handed out on
Oct 11 and will be due on November 8. (Meets the standards for Gordon Rule)
5.
Course Project (10 points)
A final course project worth 10 points. This can be a presentation consisted of power point/website, an
art project, a live performance, a research paper based on your preliminary research (5 pages), or a book
review (5 pages). An assignment sheet will be handed out by October 2. You need to prepare a 1-2 project
rough draft/description, which is due for peer review on October 23. Presentations will take place the last
two weeks of classes. No work of any kind will be accepted after this date.
Important Dates to Remember (Tentative, will be updated):
August 21
August 22
September 1
October 27
November 11
November 13
November 27-29
December 1
December 2
December 4
December 12,
December 16
Drop/Swap Deadline/Last Day for Full Refund
Add Deadline
Labor Day Holiday
Grade Forgiveness Deadline/Withdrawal Deadline
Veterans Day Holiday
No Class
I will be in Iowa City for a conference
Thanksgiving
Classes end; last day to remove incomplete
I will be in Helsinki, Finland for a conference
Final Examination
Please make sure you are present for the in-class essay exam.
Grades due
Grades available on myUCF
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NOTES:
1. Incomplete in this course is not an option unless it is absolutely unavoidable. You must have a
legitimate reason.
2. Please keep a copy of all papers you turn in to me.
3. I only accept hard copies of your paper that are present to me no later than its due day, UNLESS
OTHERWISE SPECIFIED. Electronic copies of your issue paper will not be graded.
4. I would like to see students in this class on an individual basis from time to time so that I can help you
with problem areas. Since this class deals with many difficult issues, one can easily feel conflicted and
uncomfortable. You should feel free to express these feelings.
5. No class assignments (excluding Final Paper) will be accepted after November 20th, 2014. NO
EXCEPTIONS!
6. We will meet on our regularly scheduled exam day, please come to class during the final exam time,
NOT REGULAR CLASS TIME.
7. Late papers are not advisable. Each assignment will be graded on a point system, depending on the
percentage of your grade. (For example, if a paper is worth 20% of your grade, you will get somewhere
between 0 and 20 points.) Five points will be taken off your grade each day a paper is turned in late.
Please do not put late papers under my office door. Instead, take them to the office staff in Philosophy
and ask someone who works in the office to date and initial the paper. If this is not done, I will count the
paper late based on the day that I receive it.
8. Attendance is important. Please try not to miss classes, especially the guest lectures.
9. Plagiarism is a very serious matter and will be dealt with accordingly.
Grading is done on a point system in order to precise with the plus and minus system: A=95-100 points;
A- =90-94 points; B+ =87-89; B= 83-86; B-=80-82; C+=77-79; C=73-76; C-=70-72; D+=67-69; D=6366; D-=60-62, and anything lower than 60 is an F. Grades will reflect the plus and minus system.
Letter of Recommendation: Please note that I will be more than happy to write Letter of
Recommendation for you given that you provide me with the following materials AT LEAST two weeks
prior the deadline of submission: a) scholarship information; b) your letter of statement; and c) your
resume.
Scholarships:
McNair Scholars Program:
https://www.aap.ucf.edu/application
Fulbright US Student Program: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/
Class Schedule:
You should be prepared to discuss your reading assignments in class. You are expected to know the
contents and think critically. You are expected to come to class with two questions/topics prepared to
share and discuss with the class. This will earn you 5 points, which will be added to your attendance and
class participation (see Assignments Section). You will be called upon randomly at least once during the
semester. Please go to the Content Section on your Webcourse2 for a sample of the types of
questions/topics you should prepare for each lecture.
A rough draft or outline of your project/presentation may be turned in advance for critical feedback from
your peers (see schedule). I want you to have plenty of time to make any changes.
Note: You must check your Webcourse2 on a regular basis for updated materials and announcements.
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Aug 19
Tuesday
Read:
“Thick Description: Toward an Interpretive Theory of Culture” in The interpretation of cultures: Selected
essays (1973) by Clifford Geertz, pp. 3-30, PDF file;
How Culture Misdirects Multiculturalism
Author(s): Murray L. Wax
Source: Anthropology & Education Quarterly, Vol. 24, No. 2 (Jun., 1993), pp. 99-115
Published by: Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Anthropological Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3195720
There's No Such Thing as Culture: Towards a Reconceptualization of the Idea of Culture in
Geography
Author(s): Don Mitchell
Source: Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, New Series, Vol. 20, No. 1 (1995),
pp. 102-116
Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of
British Geographers)
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/622727
Aug 21
Thursday
Read:
Michel Foucault, “The Discourse of Language,” PDF file;
Michel Foucault, “Truth and Power,” PDF file;
Stuart Hall, “Foucault: Power, Knowledge and Discourse”, PDF file;
The Importance of Living, Preface (p. v-ix);
The Importance of Living, “On Conversation” (p. 209-218);
Aug 26
Tuesday
Read: Kessler, “A Definition of Philosophy,” p.1-12
“Philosophy, Philosophia, and Zhe-xue”
Author(s): Wu Xiao-ming
Source: Philosophy East and West, Vol. 48, No. 3 (Jul., 1998), pp. 406-452
Published by: University of Hawai'i Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1400334
The Importance of Living, Chapter 1 (p.1-14);
The importance of Living, Chapter Seven (p. 144-164)
Aug 28
Thursday
Film/Music/Art Review or Preliminary Research Paper handout
Read: Stuart Hall
“Representation & the Media: Featuring Stuart Hall”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTzMsPqssOY
“Is Knowledge Possible?” (Kessler 332)
“Should we believe beyond the evidence” (Kessler 359)
John M. Koller, “Knowledge and reality” (Kessler 368-371)
Lorraine Code, “Knowledge and Subjectivity,” PDF file (7th edition 349)
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The Importance of Living, p. 181-199, p. 229-253, p.254-262;
The Important of Living, Chapter 12 (p.364-367)
September 1
Labor Day
Sept 2
Tuesday
Film in Class: Design of Death (Eng Sub), 2014 Part I (00:00-00:46)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOdD_xEYNK8
Read:
The Importance of Living, p. 86-93
Stuart Hall, “Who needs identity?” PDF file;
Peter Adler, “Beyond Cultural Identity: Reflections on Multiculturalism”, PDF file;
Sept 4
Thursday
Film in Class: Design of Death (Eng Sub), 2014 Part II (00:46-end)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOdD_xEYNK8
Read:
“How Can I Know What is Right?” (Kessler 107)
“Groundwork of the Metaphics of Morals,” (Kessler 109-116)
“Subjective Idealism” (Kessler 464-477)
“Social Identity”, (in Kessler p. 558-559);
Gloria Anzaldua, “How to Tame a Wild Tongue”, (Kessler 559-565)
Sept 11
Tuesday
Read: “Gender Identity,” (Kessler 584)
Jack Hernandez, “Job’s Wife,” (Kessler 604)
Rosemary Ruether, “Is Christianity Misogynist?” (Kessler 606)
The Importance of Living, p. 165-181; p. 280-290
Sept 11 Thursday
Issue Paper I Handout
“Women and Art,” (Kessler 307)
Linda Nochlin, “Why have there been no great women artists?” (Kessler 307)
Deirdre (Donald) N. McCloskey, “Crossing” (Kessler 586);
The Tea Ceremony: A Transformed Japanese Ritual
Barbara Lynne Rowland Mori
Gender and Society, Vol. 5, No. 1 (Mar., 1991), pp. 86-97
Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/189931
Sept 16 Tuesday
Film/Music/Art Review or Preliminary Research Paper Due
Read: The Importance of Living, p. 219-228;
Thomas Hooer, “The Tea Ceremony” PDF file
Zen Culture, (Kessler 318);
D.T. Suzuki, “Japanese Culture and Art” (Kessler 319)
Sept 18
Thursday
The Importance of Living, p. 378-398
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Abu-Lugbod, “Writing against Culture”, PDF file
George E. Marcus, “ETHNOGRAPHY THROUGH THICK AND THIN”, PDF file
Anti-Anti-Multiculturalism
Author(s): Jack David Eller
Source: American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 99, No. 2 (Jun., 1997), pp. 249-256
Published by: Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Anthropological Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/682207
Sept 23
Tuesday
Film in Class: Diva, Part I
Read: The Importance of Living, p. 368-377;
What is Aesthetic Value? (Kessler 296)
Art as Experience (Kessler 297);
John Dewey, “Having an Experience” (Kessler 299);
Sept 25
Thursday
Issue Paper II Handout
Film in Class: Diva, Part II
Read: “The end of art and the Citizen Artist” (Kessler 322)
Arthur C. Danto, “After the End of Art” (Kessler 324);
Emily Hicks, “The Artist as Citizen” (Kessler 327)
Sept 30 Tuesday
Issue Paper I Due; Final Project Guideline distributed
Terence Turner, “Anthropology and Multiculturalism”, PDF file
The Importance of Living, p. 413-end
Read: Please revisit all previously assigned reading materials and summarized the topics and themes; we
will be addressing them more specifically as we read Stewart’s book; SEND ANY THREE QUESTIONS
YOU MIGHT HAVE TO ME VIA E-MAIL BY THURSDAY
Oct 2 Thursday
Read:
Does Science Tell Us the Whole Truth and Nothing but the Truth? (Kessler 388-390)
Science and Traditional Thought (Kessler 415)
Where is there something rather than nothing? (Kessler 477)
Oct 7
Tuesday
Review of all revisited articles
Film in Class: Ghost in the Shell
Read:
You are not a Machine (Kessler 544)
John Searle, “Can Computers Think?” (Kessler 546)
You are meat (Kessler 552)
Terry Bisson, “They are made out of meat” (Kessler 553)
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Oct 9
Thursday
Issue Paper III Handout
Read: The Place In Between, Preface and Part One (p. xi-34)
Find and read three news articles on Afghanistan, the Taliban, and Muslim customs
D. Kellne, “Cultural studies, multiculturalism, and media culture”, PDF file
Oct 14
Tuesday
Issue Paper II Due
Film in Class: Fishing Salmon in the Yemen Part I
Read: The Places in Between, Part Two
Philosophy in a Time of Terror (Kessler 270)
Jurgen Habermas, “Fundamentalism and Terror” (Kessler 272)
Jacques Derrida, “Autoimmunity: Real and Symbolic Suicides” PDF file
Oct 16
Thursday
Film in Class: Fishing Salmon in the Yemen Part II
Read:
The Places in Between, Part Three
The Places in Between, Part Four
The Important of Living, Chapter 3 (32-37)
Animal Rights (Kessler 288)
Tom Regan, “The case for Animal Rights” (Kessler 289)
Oct 21
Tuesday
Project rough draft due for peer review
Prepare feedback for each of your peers’ project draft.
Read:
The Places in Between, Part Five
God and Justice (Kessler 170)
Khaled Abou El Fadl, “Islam and Democracy” (Kessler 172);
Oct 23
Thursday
Peer feedback handed back.
We will be discussing the feedbacks
Read: The Places in Between, Part Six
The Places in Between, Part Seven
Globalization and Justice (Kessler 254)
Peter Singer, “One World: The Ethics of Globalization (Kessler 254)
Terrorism and Morality (Kessler 260)
Bat-Ami Bar On, “Why Terrorism is Morally Problematic” (Kessler 261)
“Theory in Anthropology: Center and Periphery”
Author(s): Arjun Appadurai
Source: Comparative Studies in Society and History, Vol. 28, No. 2 (Apr., 1986), pp. 356-361
Published by: Cambridge University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/178976
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Oct 28
Tuesday
Read:
Revaluation of Values (Kessler 122)
Friedrich Nietzsche, “Beyond Good and Evil” (124)
Friedrich Nietzsche, “On the Genealogy of Morality” (126)
Kai Nielsen, “Ethics Without God” (132)
Confucius and the Life of Virtue (Kessler 57)
D.C. Lau, “Confucius and Moral Character” (Kessler 59)
Oct 30
Thursday
Read: The Problem of Too Many People (Kessler 277)
Garrett Hardin, “The Tragedy of the Commons” (Kessler 278)
Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels, “Manifesto of the communist Party” (Kessler, 182)
Spooner, Brian. “Weavers and dealers: the authenticity of an oriental carpet” PDF file
Nov 4
Tuesday
Read: Are All Religions True? (Kessler 615)
The Dalai Lama, “The Role of Religion in Modern Society” (Kessler 617)
Stuart Hall, “The Centrality of Culture: Notes on the Cultural Revolution of Our Time”, PDF file
Nov 6
Thursday
Prepare for Final Project Presentation
Issue Paper III Due
Nov 11
Tuesday
Veterans Day Holiday
No Class
Nov 13
Thursday
No Class
I will be in Iowa for a dance research conference
Nov 18
Tuesday
Final Project Presentation Group I
6 people x 10 min = 60 min
Last Class Meeting
Thursday
Final Project Presentation Group II
7 people x 10 min = 70 min
Nov 20
Nov 27
Thanksgiving
December 4
Final Exam Thursday: 10:00-12:50 PM
I will be in Helsinki, Finland for a conference on intangible heritage culture
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