ENG 101
Fall 2016
ENG 101: Expository Writing, This Place Called India
Instructor: Palak Taneja
Meeting Place: TBD
Contact: palak.taneja@emory.edu
Meeting Time: TBD
Office Hours: By appointment
Course Website: TBD
Course Description:
“There are some parts of the world that, once visited, get into your heart and
won't go. For me, India is such a place. When I first visited, I was stunned by the
richness of the land, by its lush beauty and exotic architecture, by its ability to
overload the senses with the pure, concentrated intensity of its colors, smells,
tastes, and sounds. It was as if all my life I had been seeing the world in black and
white and, when brought face-to-face with India, experienced everything rerendered in brilliant technicolor.”
-Keith Bellows (Editor-in-chief, National Geographic Traveler)
What are the first things that come to your mind when you hear the word, India?
Bollywood. Curry. Poverty. The way we encounter a place/space and form an
opinion about it has a lot to do with the kind of (popular) cultural representations
that float around, things that have the power to perpetuate (or dispel)
stereotypes. However, there is a lot more that goes on into the making of a place
than we realize. This class would be your introduction to those things (including
the popular representations) about India.
By producing well thought out and carefully researched blog posts, photo essays,
responses, word clouds, movie reviews, interviews, group presentations and more
you will get to engage with various aspects of India through movies, food,
travelogues, advertisements, literature, and newspaper reports. The texts we
develop during the course would be a means to explore the politics of history,
location, image, identity, diaspora, gender and (mis)representations among
others. The underlying idea of this composition class is to help you develop
ENG 101
Fall 2016
critical thinking and writing skills so that you leave the class with your own idea
of this place called India and a pretty diverse composition toolkit.
Course Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course you will be able to:
● Understand how audience, multiple genres/modes shape your work and
adapt your arguments to that effect accordingly.
● Learn how to read, think, write and articulate critically. This will include
summarizing, analyzing, synthesizing, and evaluating the ideas of others to
produce you own, being able to find and work with appropriate resources.
● Practice writing as a process, both at individual and collaborative levels
where you revise and edit your work multiple times to arrive at the final
product keeping in mind, the feedback from your peers (and also
reviewing their work).
● Learn the dos and don’ts of composition or the conventions of academic
writing.
● Produce work in various genres both print and electronic, and understand
how to choose between them keeping the exigencies in mind.
● Talk and write about various aspects of India with some authority and can
be your roadmap to exploring other places/spaces and areas (window to
India, door to the world).
These outcomes have been adapted for Emory first-year writing courses from a
set developed by the Council of Writing Program Administrators.
Required Texts
Since we are reading mostly excerpts from the books, I will try to provide them
via course reserves but here’s a list in case you might want to buy some of them.
Books Bhagat, Chetan. Revolution 2020. New Delhi: Rupa and Co. 2011.
 Dalrymple, William. The Last Mughal: The Fall of a Dynasty: Delhi 1857.
New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 2007.
 Dirks, Nicholas B. The Scandal of Empire: India and the Creation of
Imperial Britain. US: Belknap Press. 2008.
 Ghosh, Vishwajyoti. This Side That Side: Restorying Partiton. New Delhi:
Yoda Press. 2013. (This book is not readily available so don’t worry, the
excerpts will be put on the course reserves).
 Lahiri, Jhumpa. Interpreter of Maladies. New York: Mariner Books. 1999.
 Pandey, Gyanendra. Remembering Partition: Violence, Nationalism and
History in India. New York: Cambridge University Press. 2002.
ENG 101
Fall 2016


Richard, John F. The Mughal Empire. New York: Cambridge University
Press. 1996.
Roy, Arundhati. The God of Small Things. New York: Random House.
2008.
Comics- Amar Chitra Katha Collection. You can pick up any from the list that I
will provide later, all of which would be available at the library.
Films and other videos Gandhi, Richard Attenborough. 1982.
 Swades, Ashutosh Gowarikar. 2004.
 Maqbool, Vishal Bhardwaj. 2004.
 Omkara, Vishal Bhardwaj. 2006.
 Rang De Basanti, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. 2006.
 Indian Summers, David Moore and Anand Tucker. 2015.
 Floyd’s India, 2001.
 India’s Daughters, Leslee Udwin. 2015.
 Being Indian Videos.
Other works (articles and essays)- Look at the course schedule for required
links.
Recommended Sources Graff, Gerald, Cathy Birkenstein and Russel Durst. They Say, I Say: The
Moves that Matter in Academic Writing. New York: W.W. Norton &
Company. 2015. 3rd edition.
 Bullock, Richard, Michal Brody and Francine Weinberg. The Little Seagull
Handbook. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. 2014. 2nd edition.
Course Policies and Resources: These course policies are for your benefit
and for the smooth running of this course. I would request you to go through
them and make good use of the resources available at hand.
Email policy: Email is the best way to contact me if you have questions or
concerns. Generally, I will respond to all student email within 24 hours (although
on weekends and holidays, it may take a little longer). Likewise, there may be
instances when I will need to contact you by email. It is your responsibility to
check your Emory-based email account at least once every 24 hours.
Late Assignments: Extensions will be granted, if the request is made to me at
least 48 hours before the paper's due date and adequate reasons are given. Papers
arriving after the due date (or extension date) will be down-graded one-third of a
grade for each elapsed class session.
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Fall 2016
Technology Policy: If you prefer to use a computer in class, I ask that you do
so respectfully. Cell phone use will not be tolerated. I reserve the right to ask
students to stop using their devices if they become a distraction. Students who
are using their devices for purposes unrelated to the class will be marked absent
for the day.
Attendance policy: Much classroom time in this course will be devoted to
classroom discussions and writing workshops. As such, your attendance in class
is necessary not only to your success but also to the success of your classmates.
Students are allowed 3 unexcused absences without penalty.
Academic honesty: See
http://catalog.college.emory.edu/academic/policy/honor_code.html. for
information regarding Emory's honor code. I take academic honesty very
seriously, and I expect my students to do the same. Any assignment found to be
plagiarized will receive a zero at the minimum, but I also plan to report instances
of academic misconduct to the Honor Council.
Emory counseling services: Free and confidential counseling services and
support are available from the Emory Counseling Center (404) 727-7450. This
can be an invaluable resource when stress makes your work more challenging
than it ought to be.
Access and disability resources: I strive to create an inclusive learning
environment for all. I am invested in your success in this class and at Emory, so
please let me know if anything is standing in the way of your doing your best
work. This can include your own learning strengths, any classroom dynamics that
you find uncomfortable, ESL issues, disability or chronic illness, and/or personal
issues that impact your work. I will hold such conversations in strict confidence.
Students with medical/health conditions that might impact academic success
should visit Access, Disability Services and Resources (ADSR formerly the Office
of Disability Services, ODS) to determine eligibility for appropriate
accommodations. Students who receive accommodations must present the
Accommodation Letter from ADSR to your professor at the beginning of the
semester, or when the letter is received.
Emory Writing Center: The Emory Writing Center staff includes talented and
welcoming undergraduate and graduate students from a range of disciplines.
They are eager to work with all writers at all stages of the composing process.
Whether you are exploring ideas, revising a draft, or polishing a final version of a
project, the Writing Center is the place for you. They offer discussion- and
workshop-based tutorials for individuals and groups that enable writers to
approach their work with fresh eyes and to consider a variety of strategies for
writing, revising, and editing.
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Fall 2016
Tutors can talk with you about the purpose, organization, and audience of your
work, your design choices, or how you engage other texts. They can also work
with you on sentence-level concerns, including grammar, syntax, and word
choice; however, they will not proofread for you. Instead, they will discuss
strategies and resources you can use to become a better editor of your own work.
The Writing Center is located in Callaway N212. Regular appointments are 45
minutes long. You should bring a copy of your assignment, any relevant writing
(notes, a draft, the URL for your website, etc.), and a plan for what you want to
work on. If you have a laptop, we encourage you to bring it, especially if you’re
working on a digital text. If you are working on a traditional paper, please also
bring a hard copy of your work. In addition to our regular appointments, we offer
walk-in visits, a good resource when you have a quick question or can’t get an
appointment. To view our hours, make an appointment, and get more
information, go to www.writingcenter.emory.edu.
Tutoring for Multilingual Students: If English is not your first language and
if you need additional help with assignments in this or other college classes, you
may benefit from working with specially trained ESL Tutors. The tutors are
undergraduates who will support the development of your English language
skills. Like Writing Center tutors, ESL tutors will not proofread your work.
Language is best learned through interactive dialogue, so when you come to an
ESL tutoring session, be ready to collaborate! ESL tutors will meet with you in
the ESL Lab in Callaway S108 and other designated locations, and they will help
you at any stage of the process of developing your essay or presentation. You may
bring your work on a laptop or on paper. If you schedule an appointment in the
ESL Lab, you may also bring your work on a USB stick - computers are available
in the lab.
Visit the website of the Office for Undergraduate Education
(http://college.emory.edu/oue/.) and select "Student Support" and then "ESL
Program" to schedule an appointment, read the tutoring policies, and view the
offerings of the ESL Program (direct link to ESL Tutoring:
http://college.emory.edu/oue/student-support/esl-program/esl-tutoring.html.).
If you do not have a scheduled appointment, you may want to meet with a dropin tutor in the ESL Lab, Callaway S108. Here, you may have less time with a tutor
if other students are waiting, but you can briefly discuss an assignment and some
of your concerns. For more information, visit the website or contact Levin
Arnsperger at larnspe@emory.edu.
Public nature of the course: As learning to respond to feedback from an audience
is a major goal of the class, we will be devoting much time—both in and out of
class—to sharing our work as it progresses towards a graded copy. Keep this in
mind as you develop your ideas. Likewise, I expect that students take their role as
listener and reader seriously: this classroom aims to be a safe space for all to
express their opinions and experiences without judgment or ridicule.
ENG 101
Fall 2016
Disagreements can and will happen, of course, but those disagreements will be
investigated in a way that respects every participant's right to her or his own
opinion.
Course Assessment:
Assignments: Grading Breakdown
Class Participation
10%
In Class Assignments
15%
Annotated Bibliography
10%
Interview
20%
Final Project
20%
Blog Posts
15%
Portfolio
10%
Throughout the semester you will assemble a portfolio of your work. The
portfolio will include short writing assignments, drafts, reflections about writing
in progress, and final drafts. Toward the end of the semester, you will use this
collection as evidence to argue in a reflective essay that you have achieved the
learning outcomes for the course.
Explanation of Letter Grades
A: An excellent response to the assignment. Demonstrates a sophisticated use of
rhetorical knowledge, writing, and design techniques.
B: A good response to the assignment. Demonstrates an effective use of
rhetorical knowledge, writing, and design techniques. May have minor problems
that distract reader.
C: An average response to the assignment. Demonstrates acceptable use of
rhetorical knowledge, writing, and design technique. May have problems that
distract reader.
D: A poor response to the assignment. Demonstrates a lack of rhetorical
knowledge and writing and design technique. May have significant problems that
distract reader.
F: A failure to respond to the assignment appropriately.
ENG 101
Fall 2016
Grading Scale
93.00-100
90.00-92.99
86.00-89.99
83.00-85.99
80.00-82.99
76.00-79.99
73.00-75.99
70.00-72.99
66.00-69.99
60.00-65.99
0-59.99
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
4.0
3.7
3.3
3.0
2.7
2.3
2.0
1.7
1.3
1.0
0.0
Course Schedule/Logistics
Final Exam
There would be no class. You will use this time to finish up your final project and
portfolio.
Tentative Schedule
Note. Sometimes, course schedules end up having to shift. If anything below
changes, the change will be communicated to you both in person and on the
Course Updates page of our website. If there are changes, I will also modify the
syllabus and post a new version with a new date in the file name to the Syllabus
section of our website. Once I have notified you, you are responsible for following
the altered plan.
Unit 1: The Beginnings of India.
Week 1: Mythology:
 General introduction. Discussion of the syllabus and a go through about
setting up the wordpress blog.
 Google up and write about the first impressions you gather. Wikipedia
level.
 Amar Chitra Katha. Miscellaneous readings and a short blog post about
the genre and subject.
Week 2: Mughals:
 Introduction about the Mughals in general. Read Two chapters from the
book The Mughal Empire (Intro till second chapter maybe approx. 30
pages).
 In-Class activity: Creating a Mughal timeline. Class divided into various
groups. Would pick up one ruler and talk about his reign (Timetoast, Prezi,
etc.)
ENG 101
Fall 2016

Reading the Mughal Art. We will have a look at the Mughal paintings and
architecture and blog about it.
Week 3: The Indian Empire
 Read: Excerpts from William Dalrymple’s The Last Mughal (optional) to
make the necessary links and BBC’s page on British Raj. Also look at
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/uknews/9252893/Pho
tos-of-life-in-the-British-Raj-in-India-are-found-in-a-shoebox.html?frame=2214161. In class activity: making a story/narrative out of
these pictures as a group.
 Read: Excerpts from The Scandal of Empire: India and the Creation of
Imperial Britain. Write: A diary entry as a British Official living in India.
 Watch: One episode of Indian Summers. Write an argumentative piece
about the role of women characters in the show.
Week 4: Partition: The New India.
 Watch: Gandhi. (Screening time TBD) and Write: Movie Review and post
it on IMDB or Rotten Tomatoes.
 Read: Excerpt from Gyan Pandey’s Remembering Partition (Chapter 2).
 Read: A story or two from This Side That Side (Graphic Narrative) and
produce a similar work in that genre.
Unit 2: India in the US.
Week 5: Traveling to India.
 Analyzing the tourism ads. Incredible India (Links to be provided).
 Make a travel plan. Consider you are planning a trip to India. Make a
detailed plan of the things you would need to know, the Visa requirements,
the itinerary, the resources you’ll need, the precautions to be taken, the
approx. amount of money you’ll spend among other things. You’ll also
compile a list of resources that you use in collecting all of this information,
a bibliography of sorts.
 In-class activity: Selling India. You have already observed the ads and
made a travel plan so you know most of the selling points about India.
Now I want you to pitch your own idea about India. It would take the form
of the advertisement and you would later write a one-page long process
reflection.
Week 6: Diaspora
 Read: Excerpts from Jhumpa Lahiri’s Interpreter of Maladies. Pay a visit
to the Indian supermarket (Patel Brothers) on Church Street and write a
blog post about your experience.
 The class will look at sample interviews (job interviews, celebrity
interview, news pieces, and others) and talk about the differences. This
will also include a discussion of the technical aspects of the interview, the
things to be kept in mind while conducting an interview, for example,
ENG 101
Fall 2016

posing well articulated questions, listening, making the interviewee feel
comfortable and the art of transcribing. They will write a 1-2 page
reflection piece on the same.
The class will be divided into groups of two and students will conduct
mock interviews. This will give them a chance to have hands on experience
before they conduct the actual interview and review each other’s skills.
Both the interviewer and interviewee will write a journal entry about this
experience.
Week 7: Diaspora Contd.
 You will conduct the interview over the weekend/break. We’ll post a rough
draft of the information collected and then do an in-class activity about
how to convert that draft into finished product.
 Final interviews due on the blog. An in-class peer review would be
conducted of the various interviews and a marking scheme arrived at?
 Screening: Swades. (Time: TBD). Write: A stream of consciousness piece
from point of view of one of the major or not so major characters of the
movie (categories broadly divided into the NRI native, the strong woman,
the mother, the native etc.)
Week 8: India’s relations with the US.
 The Modi-Obama visit. Look up the various articles on these visits and
draw up a fictional conversation between the two heads. Since the piece is
fictional, you can choose the tone, it can be funny, positive, sarcastic,
condescending, tense, etc. as long as the conversation is coherent.
 A look and discussion of the Indian/semi-Indian characters in the media
(think The Mindy Project, The Big Bang Theory, Parks and Recreation
etc.) and coming up with a word cloud of stereotypes (or not) that we find.
 Critiquing the current political policies between the two countries. Links to
be provided. You will agree/disagree with (and give valid reasons for the
same) one of these articles/reports that is provided, in a traditional letter
to the editor format.
Unit 3: Food For Thought (India’s Culture).
Week 9: Literature
 General introduction and discussion of the excerpts from Francesca
Orsini’s “India in the Mirror of World Fiction”. Live tweets.
 Read: Excerpts from Arundhati Roy’s novel, The God of Small Things and
Chetan Bhagat’s novel, Revolution 2020.
 In class activity: Let’s analyze both the works together in class and come
up with a comparison list of sorts.
Week 10: Curries and Sweets.
 Eat: Try some sort of Indian delicacy and Watch: Americans trying Indian
snacks and sweets for the first time (what not to do).
ENG 101
Fall 2016


Write a blog post in the manner of a food blog. You would be reviewing the
food as an expert/food critic so you would have to read up on what the
food you tried tastes like and evaluate it accordingly.
Watch: two episodes of Floyd’s India. Write: Blog post on analysis of
genre: look up a source on the genre (keep in mind, what is the genre: food
show? Documentary? Travel?) and summarize that source. Write one or
two paragraphs relating the episodes you watched to what you read in your
chosen source.
Week 11: The Indian Shakespeare.
 Watch: The class would be divided in groups of two and each class would
be assigned a movie, Maqbool (Macbeth) and Omkara (Othello).
 Read: The Sacred and the Profane in Omkara: Vishal Bhardwaj’s Hindi
Adaptation of Othello or "'It is the bloody business which informs thus . .
.': Local Politics and Performative Praxis, Macbeth in India." Links to both
the pieces would be provided.
 Write: This will be a group activity. I would want both groups to do a short
presentation on the elements of the two adaptations. Each member will
pick up a certain aspect and talk about it for 5min.
Recommended Source: http://globalshakespeares.mit.edu/india/#.
Unit 4: India Now.
Week 12: What’s trending
 The analysis of the ticker on an Indian Facebook Account. We will have a
general discussion of these trends and you’ll live tweet on at least three of
the above. I want you to start thinking about your multi-modal project or
at least your topic of research that deals with the overarching question:
“How do I see this place called India?” or “What is this place called India?”
and start looking for and making a list of the resources. Use Zotero to aid
with your annotated bibliography.


Recommended: Zotero workshop at the ECDS during the course of the
semester.
Screening: India’s Daughters (Time: TBD). We’ll have a class discussion of
the genre itself and other things to be kept in mind. Write: A 2-3-page
essay (to be posted on the blog) critiquing the documentary.
Discussion of a current issue (with regard to gender, politics, or
censorship) and a related in class activity to be decided later.
Week 13: The Youth (or the Future?).
 Commenting on the Being Indian videos on youtube.
 Watch: Rang De Basanti. Devise an alternate ending for the movie and be
ready for a class discussion. Just for fun: Try to memorize one of the
dialogues from the movie.
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
Discussion of the issues of community engagement and state of education
in India (links to be provided). Write a brief article with the underlying
theme: Youth and/as India’s future.
Week 14 Final Project: Scaffolding
 A discussion of the various multimodal technologies: the genres available,
the difficulties involved (exigencies), the reach (and audience) and the
structuring and specific writing styles of these projects, so that you can
choose what appeals to you. At the end of this activity, you will produce a
pros and cons sheet comparing the option you opt for against something
else that is discussed in this mix.
 Annotated Bibliography due.
 Compulsory office hours for the discussion of the project and the portfolio.
Week 15 Final Project: Scaffolding contd.
 Student Presentations and peer reviews of the medium and the blueprint.
Week 16 Final Project and Portfolio
 No classes. Submission of the final project and portfolio.