UCC/UGC/YCC
Proposal for New Course
1. Effective BEGINNING of what term and year?:
Fall 2012
See effective dates calendar.
2. College: Arts and Letters
4. Course subject and number:
Comparative Cultural
3. Academic Unit: Studies
HUM 394
5. Units: 3
6. Long course title: Identity and Resistance: World Indigenous Film and Media
(max 100 characters including spaces)
7. Short course title: World Indigenous Film Media
(max. 30 characters including spaces)
8. Catalog course description (max. 60 words, excluding requisites):
This course emphasizes an interdisciplinary and topical approach to the study of World
Indigenous Identities and Indigenous Cinema. It explores self-representation in film & other
media among indigenous peoples worldwide as a tool of self- determination, cultural assertion
& preservation, development of sustainable communities, religious revitalization, artistic
innovation, modernization, and resistance to commodification of ethnicity and globalization.
9. Grading option:
Letter grade
Pass/Fail
Both
10a. UGC approval date*:
10. Co-convened with:
(For example: ESE 450 and ESE 550)
*Must be approved by UGC before UCC submission, and both course syllabi must be presented
11. Cross-listed with:
(For example: ES 450 and DIS 450)
Please submit a single cross-listed syllabus that will be used for all cross-listed courses.
12. May course be repeated for additional units?
12a. If yes, maximum units allowed?
12b. If yes, may course be repeated for additional units in the same term?
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Yes
No
Yes
No
1
13. Prerequisites:
14. Co requisites:
15. Is this course in any plan (major, minor or certificate) or sub plan (emphasis or concentration)?
Yes
No
If yes, describe the impact and attach written responses from the affected academic units prior
to college curricular submission.
Cinema Studies Minor. A plan change is being submitted concurrently.
16. Is there a related plan or sub plan proposal being submitted?
If no, explain.
Yes
No
17. Does this course include combined lecture and lab components?
Yes
If yes, note the units specific to each component in the course description above.
No
18. Does this course duplicate content of existing courses?
Yes
No
If yes, list the courses with duplicate material. If the duplication is greater than 20%,
explain why NAU should establish this course.
19. Names of the current faculty qualified to teach this course:
Judith Costello, Astrid
Klocke
20. Justification for new course.
This course will be a beneficial addition to the Cinema Studies Minor and it addresses the
university’s global learning mission, incorporating discussions of diversity, environmental
sustainability, and global engagement. It will directly benefit the HUM major/minor and could
be considered for both the Applied Indigenous Studies and the Ethnic Studies Programs. The
course will add to the AHI global diversity offerings in Liberal Studies.
Answer 21-22 for UCC/YCC only:
21. Is this course being proposed for Liberal Studies designation?
Yes
If yes, forward this form along with the appropriate supporting documentation to the
Liberal Studies Committee.
No
22. Is this course being proposed for Diversity designation?
Yes
If yes, forward this form along with the appropriate supporting documentation to the
Diversity Committee
No
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2
Scott Galland
Reviewed by Curriculum Process Associate
12/7/2011
Date
Approvals:
Department Chair/ Unit Head (if appropriate)
Date
Chair of college curriculum committee
Date
Dean of college
Date
For Committee use only:
UCG/UGC/YCC Approval
Approved as submitted:
Date
Yes
No
Approved as modified: Yes
No
:
Revised 06/22/2011
3
NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY
College of Arts & Letters
DEPARTMENT OF COMPARATIVE CULTURAL STUDIES
COURSE OUTLINE:
HUMANITIES 394
Identity and Resistance: World Indigenous Film and Media
FALL 2012
3 credits
ON-LINE Asynchronous
INSTRUCTOR:
OFFICE:
PHONE:
E-MAIL:
OFFICE HOURS:
Judith A.M. Costello
RILES 109 and on-line
523-5642
judith.costello@nau.edu and via the Bb LEARN email tool within the
course.
By appointment and on-line
Course Prerequisites: None
NOTICE: Some of the films in this course explicitly portray nudity, sexuality & violence,
although never gratuitously. The films have been chosen for their merit, acclaim, relevance,
and as representative of their era or genre.
Course Description:
This course emphasizes an interdisciplinary and topical approach to the study of World
Indigenous Identities and Indigenous Cinema. It explores self-representation in film & other
media among indigenous peoples worldwide as a tool of self- determination, cultural assertion &
preservation, development of sustainable communities, religious revitalization, artistic
innovation, modernization, and resistance to commodification of ethnicity and globalization.
The processes of colonialism have long been aided by literature and cinema. In the 19th Century
national allegories glorified the Christianization and “civilization” of Indigenous peoples for the
purpose of their assimilation and incorporation into the new post colonial nations. In the 20th
Century photographic and filmic images cataloged Indigenous peoples along with the national
flora and fauna in authoritative visions that support the possessive and acquisitive goals of post
colonial states. In the later 20th Century and the 21st Century Indigenous communities fight back
with cinema and media of their own.
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4
DIVERSITY JUSTIFICATION:
This course explores the global diversity of Indigenous groups, their common experience with
colonialism and their external and self-portrayal in cinema. Indigenous groups of North America,
Latin America, Asia and the Pacific/Oceania are represented by Indigenous actors and directors.
The course features a variety of films made by directors from Indigenous nations and by
outsiders, exploring the multiplicity of artistic influences, aesthetic & cultural values, histories,
& philosophies of the individual Indigenous Communities and Cinemas. The course emphasizes
an interdisciplinary approach to Indigenous identity and representation, cultural preservation and
diaspora issues as depicted in cinema through an examination of the most significant social,
cultural & identity issues, historical events, literary influences, and aesthetic concerns that
influence this cinema.
Effective Writing will be developed in this course through experiences and exercises that foster
critical viewing, reading, thinking, and analysis.
We will examine the key historical and social realities and external media representations that
shape popular images of Indigenous groups and Indigenous self-identities and representations in
cinema. This will entail discussions of both external influences on Indigenous groups and
internal responses. These include such external factors as conquest, colonialism, internal
colonialism in post-colonial states, racial stereotypes and racism, inter-marriage and antimiscegenation laws. Indigenous responses include cultural and linguistic revival, and
preservation against attrition, bridging the rural-urban dichotomies, political organization and
activism, including questions of self-governance, autonomy, sovereignty, land, water and
hunting rights, and artistic, literary and filmic responses. We will also discuss and analyze the
most salient theoretical frameworks that relate to Cinema such as the gaze, spectator dialectics,
representation, authority, audience, identity, diversity and the self-conscious gestures of
filmmaking in a globalized world. Through this examination students will greatly enhance their
visual acuity, become more aware of cinematic conventions, attune themselves to visual culture,
and gain a strong understanding of the elements of visual literacy.
Liberal Studies Information:
1. This course supports the Mission of the Liberal Studies Program by helping students
to:
Comprehend and appreciate the cultural traditions and political legacies that shape
popular culture and the arts and thus our world. Specifically, we will examine how the
relationships between cultural, political, social, economic, aesthetic and intellectual
influences inform Indigenous Cinema and shape popular notions of Indigenous groups.
Understand the potential power of technology, particularly film and other media, to
enhance human experience and the limitations of those media. The various expressive
and critical functions of film will be considered.
Cultivate life habits of self-reflection necessary to facilitate engaged, ethical and
responsible living. The films and readings in this course will expand awareness of
international Indigenous peoples and issues beyond the U.S.-North American context and
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5
will raise moral dilemmas and ethical questions relevant to our contemporary
international context.
2. HUM 232 is in the Aesthetic and Humanistic Inquiry Distribution Block (Global
Diversity) and supports the intent of the block by:
Examining how context shapes the understanding of human ethnicities, in particular
Indigenous identities, and informs the scope and focus of filmic and other texts.
Introducing students to a number of the central conceptual frameworks employed to
understand film and make sense of human expression.
Fostering an understanding of human experience and values as expressed in film and
other visual arts, popular media, critical essays, and other creative endeavors.
Cultivating critical thinking and ethical reasoning skills and applying those to understand
the ways in which technological cultural productions such as cinema reflect existing
values and shape emerging values.
Recognizing how film and other creative endeavors impact the way we understand and
view others and ourselves.
3. This course will help students develop essential skills as defined in the University’s
Liberal Studies Program. The course will emphasize:
Effective Writing. The essential skill of effective writing is one of the target goals of
the development of critical reading, thinking and analytical skills. Our examination
images of Indigenous nations in cinema and Indigenous Cinema will provide various
opportunities to apply thoughtful consideration to the films and their attendant issues in
various writing tasks, which include:
Four (4) vocabulary assignments designed to foster careful reading and an enriched
productive vocabulary, particularly in the area of film critique and analysis,
Four (4) discussion assignments, which require intensive written participation,
interaction and debate with the class community to develop clear argumentation and
interpretation strategies and structures, and
Four (4) short film response essays of 3-5 pages meant to enhance the students’ written
expression and organization in the persuasive treatment of text and to monitor viewing
compliance with assigned films.
One (1) final research paper of 10-12 pages on a topic proposed by the student &
approved by the instructor.
All written work (including the discussions) will be formally evaluated for content,
organization, style and mechanics.
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6
Student Learning Expectations/Outcomes for this Course:
Active engagement with the content of this course will enable students to:
Identify and discuss various cinematic forms with attention to contextual issues such as cultural
& historical framework, place of origin, literary, artistic, and political influences.
Critically analyze filmic technique in the use of music, color, light, shot and angle, and the
treatment of political repression, violence and race/gender/sexuality difference, ethnicity &
regional/national identity.
Effectively write about film, employing the terminology of film analysis.
Emerge with a broad understanding and appreciation of international colonialism and post
colonial realities, Indigenous cultural responses and how these issues have been both effectively
portrayed or manipulated for political ends in cinema.
Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes:
Assessment of the goal learning outcomes will include evaluated exercises, which include the
essays, participation in discussions and vocabulary assignments.
Requirements: Students are expected to read and complete all assignments by the due date and
to actively participate in discussions & write effectively on the topic at hand. Assignments
include reading the instructor’s lectures and several assigned articles, viewing feature films and
documentaries, compiling a vocabulary list with definitions for each module, participating in the
on-line discussions for each module & writing four 3-5 page film-response essays, one for each
module. Each essay will be due at the conclusion of module. The essays must demonstrate an
understanding of the lectures, readings & the films themselves as well as original thought on the
topic. Participation in the discussions is mandatory and will be graded for content, organization,
style, and mechanics, just like an essay.
Please refer to the Policies Statement of the Department of Comparative Cultural Studies for
more information.
Methods of Assessment:
GRADING: All the written work done for the course (including the discussions) is evaluated on
strength of the thesis, quality of information/content, correct facts, proper use of quotations and
citations, organization, insight, coherence, effective use of vocabulary and terminology and
correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.
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The scale of grading is as follows:
90-100 = A
80-89 = B
70-79 = C
60-69 = D
0-59 = F
The final grade is based on the following breakdown:
Participation in Four Module Discussions:
4 Film Response Essays (3-5 pages):
4 Vocabulary Assignments:
Research Paper (10-12 pages)
20%
60%
5%
15%
Timeline For Assessment:
SYLLABUS
NOTE: The over-view of the course work provided here (below) is a basic outline. The
specific dates for viewing the films and the due dates for assignments are listed in each module
and in the on-line course calendar. All required films and readings are linked into the course
sequentially as assigned. The readings are chapters/ articles from books and journals linked into
the module as PDFs or websites that are linked into the module.
MODULE ONE: WEEKS One-Four
SEEN FROM WITHOUT: EXTERNAL VISIONS OF THE “NATIVE”
LECTURE: Early Cinema and The “Natives”
FILMS:
The Last of the Mohicans. USA, 1920. Maurice Tourneur, director.
O DESCOBRIMENTO DO BRASIL (The Discovery of Brazil) Brazil, 1937. Humberto Mauro,
director.
DOCUMENTARIES:
Nanook of the North: A Story Of Life and Love In the Actual Arctic. USA, 1922. Robert J.
Flaherty, director.
The Song of Ceylon, UK, 1934. Basil Wright, director.
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READING ASSIGNMENT:
Rogério Santana Lourenco, Rogério. Video-identity : images and sounds of citizenship
construction in Brazil. From: Community media: international perspectives. edited by Linda K.
Fuller.
Selected readings from:
Ruby, Jay. Picturing culture : explorations of film & anthropology.
Nichols, Bill. Introduction to documentary
Nicholson, Heather Norris, ed. Screening culture : constructing image and identity
SUBMIT VOCABULARY ASSIGNMENT FOR MODULE ONE
BEGIN MODULE ONE DISCUSSION PARTICIPATION
LECTURE: Still “Savage” After All These Years
FILMS:
Apocalypto, USA, 2006. Mel Gibson, director.
Dances With Wolves, USA, 1990. Kevin Costner, director.
How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman, Brazil, 1971. Nelson Pereira dos Santos, director.
READING ASSIGNMENT:
Averbach, Mrgara. "Dancing with wolves" : how to repeat old tricks and look new at the same
time. From: Screening culture : constructing image and identity. edited by Heather Norris
Nicholson.
Johnson, Daniel Morley. From the Tomahawk Chop to the Road Block: Discourses of Savagism
in Whitestream Media. American Indian Quarterly, Winter 2011, Vol. 35 Issue 1, p104-134, 31p
Mayans Irked by Violence in Apocalypto.
Friedel, David. Betraying the Maya: Who Does the Violence in Apocalyto.
Greenwald, Rachel T. Models of Identity Exploration in Film: How Tasty Was My Little
Frenchman. Radical History Review, Spring2002, Issue 83, p175, 5p
SUBMIT ESSAY ASSIGNMENT FOR MODULE ONE
COMPLETE MODULE ONE DISCUSSION PARTICIPATION
MODULE TWO: WEEKS Five-Eight
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WHO IS “NATIVE”? WORLD INDIGENOUS POPULATIONS AND CINEMA
LECTURE: Natives Aren’t Only “Indians”
FILMS:
Sami People of Scandanavia
Pathfinder, Norway, 1987. Nils Gaup, director.
Give Us Our Skeletons, Norway, 2000. Paul-Anders Simma, director.
ǃXun People of Southern Africa
The Gods Must Be Crazy, South Africa, 1981. Jamie Uys, director.
DOCUMENTARIES:
Tokyo Ainu, Japan, 2011. Hiroshi Moriya, director.
Wedding Ceremony of the Ainu, Japan, 1971. Tadayoshi Himeda, director.
Womanhood and Circumcision: Three Maasai Women Have Their Say, USA, 2002. Barbara G.
Hoffman, director.
READING ASSIGNMENT:
Tomaselli, Keyan G. Rereading The Gods Must Be Crazy Films. Visual Anthropology, Apr2006,
Vol. 19 Issue 2, p171-200.
Irimoto, Takashi. Political Movement, Legal Reformation, and Transformation of Ainu Identity.
From: Hunters and gatherers in the modern world : conflict, resistance, and self-determination
edited by Peter P. Schweitzer, Megan Biesele and Robert K. Hitchcock.
Minde, Henry. The challenge of indigenism: the struggle for Sami land rights and selfgovernment in Norway 1960-1990. From: Indigenous peoples : resource management and global
rights / [edited by] Svein Jentoft, Henry Minde and Ragnar Nilsen.
Selected Readings from:
Sjöberg, Katarina.The return of the Ainu : cultural mobilization and the practice of ethnicity in
Japan.
Brask, Per and William Morgan, eds. Aboriginal voices : Amerindian, Inuit, and Sami theater
Harrow, Kenneth W., ed. African cinema : postcolonial and feminist readings
Diawara, Manthia. African cinema : politics & culture.
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SUBMIT VOCABULARY ASSIGNMENT FOR MODULE TWO
BEGIN MODULE TWO DISCUSSION PARTICIPATION
LECTURE: Filming Aboriginal Australia
FILMS: Rabbit Proof Fence, Australia, 2002. Philip Noyce, director.
Bran Nue Dae (Brand new day), Australia, 2010. Rachel Perkins, director
DOCUMENTARIES:
Stolen Generations, Australia, 2000 Darlene Johnson, director.
READING ASSIGNMENT:
Hughes D’ aeth, Tony. Which Rabbit-Proof Fence? Empathy, Assimilation, Hollywood.
Austrailian Humanities Review.
Kral, Inge. Youth Media as cultural practice: Remote Indigenous youth speaking out. From:
Australian Aboriginal Studies, Jul2011, Vol. 2011 Issue 1, p4-16.
Rennie, Ellie. Making It On Your Own: Australian Indigenous Television.Metro, Sep2008, Issue
158, p104-107,
LECTURE: ADDRESSING LINGERING COLONIALISM IN THE PACIFIC
FILMS:
Once Were Warriors, New Zealand, 1994. Lee Tamahori, director.
Whale Rider, New Zealand, 2003. Niki Caro, director.
DOCUMENTARIES:
Hotere, New Zealand, 2001. Merata Mita, director.
Velvet Dreams, Samoa, 1997. Sima Urale, director.
Cannibal Tours, Papua New Guinea, 1987. Dennis O’Rourke, director.
Act of War: The Overthrow of the Hawaiian Nation, 1993. Puhipau and Joan Lander, directors.
READING ASSIGNMENT:
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Salazar, Juan Francisco. Self-determination in practice: the critical making of indigenous media.
Development in Practice, Jun2009, Vol. 19 Issue 4/5, p504-513, 10p,
Okamura, Jonathan Y. The illusion of paradise : privileging multiculturalism in Hawai‘i
From: Making majorities : constituting the nation in Japan, Korea, China, Malaysia, Fiji,
Turkey, and the United States. edited by Dru C. Gladney.
Webster, Steven. The postmodernisation of Maori culture From: Patrons of Maori culture :
power, theory and ideology in the Maori renaissance.
Selected readings from:
Wassmann, Jurg, ed. Pacific answers to Western hegemony : cultural practices of identity
construction New York : Berg, 1998.
SUBMIT ESSAY ASSIGNMENT FOR MODULE TWO
COMPLETE MODULE TWO DISCUSSION PARTICIPATION
MODULE THREE: WEEKS Nine-Twelve
NATIVE NORTH AMERICA ON FILM
LECTURE: United States of Native America
FILM: Smoke Signals, USA, 1998. Chris Eyre, director.
DOCUMENTARIES:
Our Spirits Don’t Speak English: Indian Boarding Schools, USA, 2008. Chip Richie, director.
Message from the original people to the human family: Indians get real or get lost, USA, 1996.
Pierre Hoffmann, director.
We shall remain: America through native eyes. USA, 2009. Sharon Grimberg, executive
producer
The Exiles, USA, 1961. Kent Mackenzie, director.
Imagining Indians, USA, 1992. Victor Masayesva, Jr., director.
Images of Indians Series: The Great Movie Massacre, How Hollywood Wins the West, Warpaint
and Wigs, Heathen Injuns and The Hollywood Gospel, The Movie Reels Indians. Native
American Public Broadcasting Consortium, USA, 1979. Phil Lucas and Robert Hagopian,
directors.
READING ASSIGNMENT:
Hearne, Joanna. "John Wayne's Teeth: Speech, Sound and Representation in 'Smoke Signals' and
'Imagining Indians'. Western Folklore 2005 64(3-4): 189-208.
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Rony, Fatimah Tobing."Victor Masayesva, Jr., and the Politics of Imagining Indians." Film
Quarterly, vol. 48 no. 2. 1994-1995 Winter. pp: 20-33.
Shively, JoEllen. Cowboys and Indians: Perceptions of Western Films Among American Indians
and Anglos. From: Film and theory: an anthology. Edited by Robert Stam and Toby Miller.
Leuthold, Steve. Rhetorical Dimensions of Native American Documentary
Arndt, Grant. The making and muting of an indigenous media activist: Imagination and ideology
in Charles Round Low Cloud's "Indian News" From: American Ethnologist Volume 37. Issue 3.
August 2010 (Pages 499 - 510)
Selected readings from:
LaDuke, Winona. Recovering the Sacred: The Power of Naming and Claiming.
Mankiller, Wilma, Vine Deloria, Jr., and Gloria Steinem. Every Day Is a Good Day: Reflections
by Contemporary Indigenous Women
Churchill, Ward. Fantasies of the master race : literature, cinema, and the colonization of
American Indians
Raheja, Michelle H. Reservation reelism : redfacing, visual sovereignty, and representations of
Native Americans in film Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, c2010.
Wilson, Pamela & Michelle Stewart Global Indigenous Media: Cultures, Poetics, and Politics
SUBMIT VOCABULARY ASSIGNMENT FOR MODULE THREE
BEGIN MODULE THREE DISCUSSION PARTICIPATION
LECTURE: Northern Visions and Environmental Concerns
FILMS:
Atanarjuat The Fast Runner, Canada, 2001, Zacharias Kunuk, director.
Before Tomorrow, Canada, 2009. Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Madeline Ivalu, directors.
DOCUMENTARIES:
Arviq! (Bowhead!), Canada, 2002. Isuma Productions.
You Are On Indian Land, Canada, 1969. Mort Ransen, director.
READING ASSIGNMENT:
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Pratt, Yvonne Poitras. Merging New Media with Old Traditions. FROM: Native Studies Review,
2010, Vol. 19 Issue 1, p1-27, 27p
Wilkes, Rima, Catherine Crrigall-Brown and Daniel J. Myers. Packaging Protest: Media
Coverage of Indigenous People's Collective Action Packaging Protest., FROM: Canadian
Review of Sociology, Nov2010, Vol. 47 Issue 4, p327-357, 31p;
Selected Readings From:
Geller, Peter Geoffrey. Northern exposures: photographing and filming the Canadian north,
1920-45.
SUBMIT ESSAY ASSIGNMENT FOR MODULE THREE
COMPLETE MODULE THREE DISCUSSION PARTICIPATION
MODULE 4: WEEKS Thirteen – Fifteen
INDIGENOUS LATIN AMERICA
LECTURE: Cultural Evolution: From Indios to Indígenas
FILMS:
Birdwatchers, Brazil, 2008. Marco Bechi, director.
Hamaca Paraguaya, Argentina/Paraguay, 2006. Paz Encina, director.
Ukamau (And So It Was), Bolivia, 1966. Jorge Sanjinés
Madeinusa, Peru, 2005. Claudia Llosa.
Tonta, Tonta, Pero No Tanto, Mexico, 1972. Fernando Cortés
READING ASSIGNMENT:
Kroll, Juli A. BETWEEN THE “SACRED” AND THE “PROFANE”: CULTURAL FANTASY IN
MADEINUSA BY CLAUDIA LLOSA. From: Chasqui (01458973), nov2009, Vol. 38 Issue 2,
p113-125,.
De la Garza. Diversity, Difference and Nation: Indigenous peoples on Mexican Screen
Schiwy, Freya. Indigenous Media and the End of the Lettered City. From: Journal of Latin
American Cultural Studies (13569325), Mar2008, Vol. 17 Issue 1, p23-40.
Castells-Talens, Antoni, José Manuel Ramos, Rodríguez, and Marisol Chan Concha. Radio,
control, and indigenous peoples: the failure of state-invented citizens’media in Mexico.
Chiapas Media Project: http://www.chiapasmediaproject.org/cmp/events
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Selected Readings from:
Middents, Jeffrey. Writing national cinema: film journals and film culture in Peru Publisher
Hanover, N.H. ; London : Dartmouth College, c2009.
Sánchez, José. The art and politics of Bolivian Cinema.
Schiwy, Freya. Indianizing Film: Decolonization, the Andes, and the Question of Technology.
SUBMIT VOCABULARY ASSIGNMENT FOR MODULE FOUR
BEGIN MODULE FOUR DISCUSSION PARTICIPATION
SUBMIT ESSAY ASSIGNMENT FOR MODULE FOUR
COMPLETE MODULE FOUR DISCUSSION PARTICIPATION
FINAL EXAM WEEK: Week Sixteen
SUBMIT RESEARCH PAPER
VOCABULARY DEFINITIONS ASSIGNMENTS
5% of the Final Grade
You must compile and submit a list of 5 terms with definitions from each module.
For each module, start a WORD document in which to compile and save your vocabulary list.
When you complete your vocabulary assignment, copy it and paste it into the drop box in the
vocabulary assignment tool. DO NOT submit attachments for the vocabulary assignments.
While reading the module lectures and the linked PDF articles and websites, simply jot down the
new or unfamiliar terms you come across. Copy the entire sentence in which each term is found
and note the title of the article or lecture in which it appears. Put that information into your
WORD document.
Then go to an on-line encyclopedia, such as Wikipedia or Britannica on-line, NOT a dictionary,
and read the complete definition for each term. Copy and paste a definition of several-sentences
for each term into your WORD document.
Provide the proper and complete MLA 2009 citation for EACH definition. (Each definition you
copy is a web page and all web pages must be cited when you copy them.) To provide the
proper MLA 2009 citation, consult these sources:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
http://www.library.illinois.edu/learn/tutorials/mla.html
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You may also find the MLA citation for your definitions on Wikipedia. On each definition page,
you will see a menu on the left margin. Click on, “cite this page” in that menu. When that
window opens, scroll down to find the MLA citation and copy that citation. Paste it into your
assignment below the definition.
Your vocabulary list must be made up of terms taken from a variety of the various readings in
each module: PDF articles, websites, and lectures. (The terms may NOT be only from the
lectures.)
Once your list of 5 terms, each with all the required information, the quoted sentence from the
reading, the definition and the citation for that definition, is complete, copy it and paste it into the
box in the vocabulary assignment. Do NOT submit the WORD document.
FOUR ESSAYS = 60 % of the final grade
Each essay must be 3-5 pages of actual essay text. Doubled-spaced, Times New Roman, size 12
font, default or normal margins. No TITLE PAGE. Put your name at the top of the first page.
You must include a SEPARATE Works Cited page. Use MLA 2009 format for the set up,
citations and Works Cited page.
SUBMITTING THE ESSAYS:
Students MUST submit the essays as WORD document attachments, to the essay assignment
tool by the due date listed in the calendar.
NOTE: NAU cannot accept attachments in WORD PERFECT. Please be sure to attach
MICROSOFT WORD documents or use the .rtf format.
CHOOSING AN ESSAY TOPIC: Prior to the essay due date, students must submit
a proposed essay topic to the instructor, via the course e-mail for instructor approval of the topic.
Along with the topic proposal also include a preliminary bibliography of 3-5 sources and a
working thesis statement.
THESIS STATEMENT: Each essay must have an arguable thesis. An essay is not a simple
reporting of facts. An essay must assert a particular position on some issue and argue that
position. The thesis is your statement of your position; it presents your argument. The best
thesis statements are provocative; they give the reader a good reason to read the essay. Your
thesis statement should be no more than 2-3 sentences and ideally it should be one sentence in
length. Do NOT use the first person in your thesis or in the essay at all. You can express
opinions without saying, “I think…” For example, instead of saying, “I think economic fears are
central to the border controversy in Arizona…” Instead you simply say, “Economic fears are
central to the border controversy in Arizona.”
WORKS CITED: A separate Works Cited page must be included with each essay. The
bibliography must contain at least three appropriately academic sources. Students may use the
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PDF articles linked into the course modules as sources for the essays but every essay must
include at least one source not from the syllabus readings.
Use the NAU Cline Library website [www.nau.edu/cline] to search for appropriate articles
available electronically from the library. Do a search for articles by clicking on “Find Articles &
Research Information” under “Research Resources,” on the library home page.
Articles must be from scholarly journals. Appropriate books or chapters from university presses
are also appropriate sources. Websites must be from .org .edu .gov sites to insure quality. NO
.com sites may be listed. Instructor lectures, encyclopedias and dictionaries are NOT permitted
as essay sources.
All essays must be at least 3-5 pages, of text in length, exclusive of the Works Cited page. The
essay must be in font size 12, double-spaced, with normal (default) margins. Use the MLA 2009
format, which calls for Times New Roman font style. NO script, carton, bubble or poster fonts.
Essays must be proofread, spell-checked and should be submitted for editing help to the NAU
Writing Center (on-line through the NAU English department homepage) or a qualified
composition tutor. All essays must have a clear thesis, appropriate quotes and citations, and a
strong conclusion that is NOT a simple reiteration of the thesis. Every paragraph must have a
topic sentence.
THE FINAL RESEARCH PAPER FOLLOWS THESE SAME GUIDELINES EXCEPT
THE PAPER MUST BE 10-12 PAGES AND YOU MUST HAVE AT LEAST 5 SOURCES.
DISCUSSIONS: 20% of the Final Grade
Each module requires participation in a discussion. There are three required components to your
discussion participation.
Original Post: You must post an original discussion item that addresses the discussion
questions I pose in the module. That original discussion post must be at least 15 sentences in
length. You may answer just one of my discussion questions or you may address several or all
of my questions. That choice is yours as long as you comply with the minimum of 15 sentences.
The goal is to produce a meaningful and substantive discussion that engages the entire class.
Just like in a face-to-face class discussion, sometimes you will wish to discussion all the issues
brought up in the module and sometimes you will only wish to comment on one or a few of the
issues.
Reply Post: You must also post at least one reply post in which you reply directly to the post of
another person in the class. You must post the reply by opening the original post of another
person and then clicking on “reply,” so the post will be counted as a “reply.” In that reply you
must either add support to the argument/position of that other individual or you must debate
his/her opinions by providing support for the counterargument. This reply must also be at least
15 sentences in length. You will often find that you do not have “reply” material to meet the 15sentence requirement. In that case, you may post TWO separate reply items, each of 8 sentences
in length.
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Reading The Posts: Finally, you must read at least 25% of the TOTAL posted discussions in
each module. A discussion means that you are engaged with the ideas of others so you have to
read their ideas or the assignment becomes a monolog instead of a dialog! You should read my
discussion posts but you should also read the posts of your fellow students.
Each of these three components is worth 1/3 of the discussion grade.
Recommended Optional Materials/References: Several optional resources are linked within
the course that may be used as sources for the writing of the essays. These include articles,
chapters from books and websites. The instructor may also make individual, bibliographic
recommendations tailored to the needs of each student for the writing of the two essays.
Students will also be encouraged to share approved sources with the class through an on-line
forum.
Course Policies: There are NO re-writes of essays. No extra credit work is accepted, no
exceptions. Late work is accepted at instructor’s discretion. Academic dishonesty will NOT be
tolerated; this includes cheating & plagiarism. Please refer to the departmental & university
policies for more information. Any academic dishonesty will result in an F for the course.
NOTICE: Some of the films used in this course explicitly portray nudity, sexuality &
violence, although never gratuitously. The films have been chosen for their merit, acclaim,
relevance, and as representative of their era or region. As such, students will be required to
view all films.
University Policies—Links to the following NAU policies are provided below: Academic
Integrity, Safe Working and Learning Environment, Students with Disabilities, and Institutional
Review Board policies.
Academic Integrity
According to the NAU academic integrity policy, “academic integrity means that students and
faculty jointly agree to adhere to a code of conduct appropriate to the mutually trusting
relationship that must exist between student and teacher. Those values will not allow either to
take credit for work not their own, or to be deceitful in any way, or to take unfair advantage of
other students or of each other, or to be other than totally truthful and straightforward in all that
they do.” (NAU Student Handbook, Appendix G).
The university takes an extremely serious view of violations of academic integrity. It is the
responsibility of individual faculty members to identify instances of academic dishonesty and
recommend penalties to the department chair or college dean in keeping with the severity of the
violation. Any violation of the academic integrity policy will result in a failing grade in the
course. The complete policy on academic integrity as well as the following definition of
academic dishonesty can be found in Appendix G of the NAU Student Handbook. Appendix G
of the NAU Student Handbook
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY is a form of misconduct that is subject to disciplinary action under
the Student Code of Conduct and includes the following: cheating, fabrication, fraud, facilitating
academic dishonesty and plagiarism.
1. Plagiarism: any attempt to knowingly or deliberately pass off other's work as your own.
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2. Cheating: any attempt to gain an unfair advantage over one's fellow students.
3. Fabrication: any attempt to present information that is not true when the author knows the
information presented is false.
4. Fraud: any attempt to deceive an instructor or administrative officer of the university.
5. Facilitating Academic Dishonesty: any attempt to assist an act of academic dishonesty by
another individual.
Please read the policies via the following links:
Classroom Management Statement
Institutional Review Board
Safe Working and Learning Environment Policy
Student Code of Conduct
Disciplinary Procedures
Students with Disabilities: If you have a documented disability, you can arrange for
accommodations by contacting Disability Resources (DR) at 523-8773 (voice)or 523-6906
(TTY), dr@nau.edu (e-mail) or 928-523-8747 (fax). Students needing academic
accommodations are required to register with DR and provide required disability related
documentation. Although you may request an accommodation at any time, in order for DR to
best meet your individual needs, you are urged to register and submit necessary documentation
(www.nau.edu/dr) 8 weeks prior to the time you wish to receive accommodations. DR is strongly
committed to the needs of student with disabilities and the promotion of Universal Design.
Concerns or questions related to the accessibility of programs and facilities at NAU may be
brought to the attention of DR or the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity (5233312).
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