Memoirs and Travelogues Across Cultures |
IDST 101
Autumn 2020, Module 2
Monday and Wednesday 8:15-10:00
Friday "Focused Work"
 [a] Travel Portal RL |
Robert André LaFleur Office Hours: Email me
Morse Ingersoll 206 (what a weird era this is)
363-2005
lafleur@beloit.edu 363-2005
Required Books for All Enrolled Students
Bowen, Elenore Smith, Return to Laughter.
Hurston, Zora Neale. Mules and Men
LaFleur, Robert André. Writing, History, and Culture.
McPhee, John. Coming into the Country.
Orwell, George. Down and out in Paris and London.
All books are on library reserve.
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This seminar will introduce some of the most engaging personal writings and travel narratives ever written. Our readings and discussions will highlight the kind of reading and writing that will be useful not only for a liberal arts college education, but also for a lifetime of thinking and reflection (in the best spirit of a Beloit College liberal arts education). The professor will discuss some of his own travels in North America, Europe, and Asia. The course will include brief exercises in cultural observation, whether in one's own hometown or living across the world.
Evaluation
Quizzes 20% Every Class Session
Focused Work (beginning Week 2) 10% Every Friday
Memoirs and Travelogues Letter 20% Week Three
Exam 20% Week Five
Final Writing Assignment 30% Week Seven
Class attendance and participation is expected.
Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course.
In particular, if you have a physical, psychological, medical, or learning disability or health consideration that may impact your coursework and/or require accommodations, please feel free to approach me and/or the Learning Enrichment and Disability Services (LEADS) located on 2nd floor Pearsons (north side), 608-363-2572, learning@beloit.edu, or make an appointment through joydeleon.youcanbook.me. LEADS will work with you to determine what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. Contact that office promptly, however, since accommodations are not retroactive. Every effort will be made to give you agency over disclosure of your disability status. Confidentiality is maintained to the extent possible but at times others need to know to some information to provide you appropriate accommodations.
Memoirs and Travelogues Across CulturesMemoirs and Travelogues Letter 20% Week Three
Exam 20% Week Five
Final Writing Assignment 30% Week Seven
Class attendance and participation is expected.
Students with diverse learning styles and needs are welcome in this course.
In particular, if you have a physical, psychological, medical, or learning disability or health consideration that may impact your coursework and/or require accommodations, please feel free to approach me and/or the Learning Enrichment and Disability Services (LEADS) located on 2nd floor Pearsons (north side), 608-363-2572, learning@beloit.edu, or make an appointment through joydeleon.youcanbook.me. LEADS will work with you to determine what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. Contact that office promptly, however, since accommodations are not retroactive. Every effort will be made to give you agency over disclosure of your disability status. Confidentiality is maintained to the extent possible but at times others need to know to some information to provide you appropriate accommodations.
IDST 101
Autumn 2020, Module 1
Week I
(October 19-23)
(October 19-23)
Consult this excellent "Quick Guide" to Chicago-style Citation.
Introduction
Wednesday, October 21
Round and Square
Quotidian Quizzes It's o.k. to skim a-d, but read e-h carefully
Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, 1-21
Section I
Section III
*** ***
Week II
(October 26-30)
Week III
(October 26-30)
Consult this excellent "Quick Guide" to Chicago-style Citation.
Monday, October 26
Wednesday, October 28
Hurston, Mules and Men, xiii-xxiii, 1-4
Introduction
McPhee, Coming into the Country, 5-29
The Encircled River
Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, 21-37
Section IV
Section V
Section VI
Wednesday, October 28
Hurston Mules and Men, 7-17
Chapter One
McPhee, Coming into the Country, 29-39
The Encircled River (continued)
Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, 37-50
Section VII
Section VIII
Friday, October 30
Focused Work
(1) Write a paragraph describing a bit about your letter reader.
(2) How do you react to things that you disagree with (or are quite upset by) in historical events, writings, or the like (slavery and civil rights suppression in the United States are examples). Your assignment is to read the following blog post from Round and Square.
(3) Write a paragraph with responses to your three major books in this course (Hurston, Orwell, and McPhee). Specifically, speak to both opportunities you see in reading the text and challenges you are experiencing (or anticipating) in those books.
*** ***
You will meet with your clans for a discussion (20-30 minutes) at 9:30 a.m. Beloit time and 8:30 p.m. in China. Make sure that your group discusses these questions, and send me your paragraphs. Send them to me in the same way that you send me your quizzes (.doc, .pdf, or even a photo).
Make sure that you write "Memoirs" and/or "Focused Work" in your email's subject header, so that I can file them properly before printing.
Week III
(November 2-6)
Consult this excellent "Quick Guide" to Chicago-style Citation.
Monday, November 2
LaFleur, Writing, History, and Culture (Rob's Writing Guide)
Wednesday, November 4
LaFleur, Writing, History, and Culture (Rob's Writing Guide)
Read Part Three: look through Part One, just looking at the subject headers.
Bowen, Return to Laughter, ix-xviii
Foreword
Hurston, Mules and Men, 19-37
Chapter Two
McPhee, Coming into the Country, 39-72
The Encircled River (continued)
Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, 50-66
Section IX
Section X
Section XI
Wednesday, November 4
Bowen, Return to Laughter, 1-12
Chapter One
LaFleur, Longevity Mountain
Posts 5-8 (read all four posts)
McPhee, Coming into the Country, 72-95
The Encircled River (continued)
Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, 66-74
Section XII
Section XIII
Friday, November 6
Focused Work
Write the opening page of your "Memoirs and Travelogues" letter, as well as an outline of what you will cover after that (including some thoughts about how you will conclude). It is just fine for the first paragraph to say "hello" to your reader, and to explain why you are writing. Your second paragraph should begin to explain what "memoirs" and "travelogues" are. From your third paragraph on, you need to decide how best to use your 1,500 words (roughly five pages).
*** ***
You will meet with your clans for a discussion (20-30 minutes) at 9:30 a.m. Beloit time and 8:30 p.m. in China. Make sure that your group discusses your opening paragraphs. Send your opening page and outline to me in the same way that you send me your quizzes (.doc, .pdf, or even a photo).
Make sure that you write "Memoirs" and/or "Focused Work" in your email's subject header, so that I can file them properly before printing.
Week IV
(November 9-13)
Consult this excellent "Quick Guide" to Chicago-style Citation.
Monday, November 9
No Class Today!
No Class Today!
Use class time to prepare for the longer reading expectations for Wednesday. There is a good deal of reading to do before class (so use your time well). This reading must be done over several hours—maybe even five or six of them.
Wednesday, November 11
Wednesday, November 11
LaFleur, Writing, History, and Culture (Rob's Writing Guide)
Part One—The Writing Process (Writing for Life)
Read this all very carefully; do not just assume that you can't (or won't) do it.
LaFleur, Longevity Mountain
Posts 9-12 (read all four posts)
Bowen, Return to Laughter, 13-67
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Hurston Mules and Men, 39-57
Chapter Three
McPhee, Coming into the Country, 183-221
Coming into the Country (continued
Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, 75-99
Section XIV
Section XV
Section XVI
Section XVII
Section XVIII
Friday, November 13
Focused Work
[1] Think about your letter, and reflect upon what I said in class about the final essay assignment. Write about what you think are your skills are in writing a more complex assignment, which the final project is (and is the kind explained in section one of the writing guide). Along with a list of the skills you possess, what are your weaknesses (think, again, of the writing guide). Write a paragraph about both your skills and weaknesses.
[2] Now that you have read the Longevity Mountain posts, write a series of five or six questions that you now have about other aspects of the mountain, the temple, or anything else covered in the posts.
[3] Choose three sentences from any of our books that you find to be especially strong. Write them out, even if it means that you have to write more than a page for the entire "Focused Work" for this week.
*** ***
Please make sure to put your name on the text of all Focused Work (do not just assume that I can figure it out when I print them)
You will meet with your clans for a discussion (20-30 minutes) at 9:30 a.m. Beloit time and 8:30 p.m. in China. Make sure that your group discusses these questions, and send me your paragraphs. Send them to me in the same way that you send me your quizzes (.doc, .pdf, or even a photo).
Make sure that you write "Memoirs" and/or "Focused Work" in your email's subject header, so that I can file them properly before printing. Please put your name on the document.
*** ***
Week V
(November 16-20)
Consult this excellent "Quick Guide" to Chicago-style Citation.
Monday, November 16
New York Review of Books—Review Essay (sent as a .pdf file with the quiz)
New York Review of Books—Review Essay (sent as a .pdf file with the quiz)
Make sure that you read the review questions for every single review essay (click the link)
LaFleur, Writing, History, and Culture (Rob's Writing Guide), 32-46
Wednesday, November 18
Part Two—Styling Culture: Navigating Grammatical Forests
Bowen, Return to Laughter, 68-115
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
McPhee, Coming into the Country, 221-272
Coming into the Country
Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, 99-125
Section XIX
Section XX
Section XXI
Section XXII
Section XXIII
Wednesday, November 18
New York Review of Books—Review Essay (sent as a .pdf file with the quiz)
Make sure that you read the review questions for every single review essay (click the link)
LaFleur, Chicago Style Citation (RSQ Post)
Bowen, Return to Laughter, 116-143
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Hurston, Mules and Men, 59-75
Chapter Four
McPhee, Coming into the Country, 272-290
Coming into the Country (continued
Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, 125-138
Section XXIV
Section XXV
Friday, November 20
Focused Work
Please Put Your Name on The "Focused Work" Document You Send Me!
[1] Read the review essay about Marie Antoinette. Write a paragraph about what this review essay "teaches" you about how to both write an essay and review several books.
[2] Make a one page (8.5x11", or, the standard sheet size in your country if you are not on campus. As I will describe in class, I want you to put down everything you would want for an in-class exam (even though this one won't be actually in-class, but I have explained why I want you to do so). Discuss your outline strategy, as well as your preparation for the exam, with your clan at 9:30 a.m. in Beloit and and 8:30 p.m. in China. Make sure that you put your name on the document (not only on your email message). It is the only way I can keep track of them.
Make sure that you write "Memoirs" and/or "Focused Work" in your email's subject header, so that I can file them properly before printing. Again, please put your name on the document.
Week VI
(November 23-27)
Consult this excellent "Quick Guide" to Chicago-style Citation.
Monday, November 23
New York Review of Books—Review Essay (sent as a .pdf file with the quiz)
Make sure that you read the review questions for every single review essay (click the link)
New York Review of Books QuestionsExam in Class (in your email by 7:45 a.m.; 9:45 p.m. in China).
Wednesday, November 25
Because of the challenges presented by the exam this week, please the following things in place of a class meeting on the day before Thanksgiving (they are required):
[1] Read John McPhee's "Draft No. 4"
[2] Read through every item on "Rob's Style Sheet" (pages 37-67). This means that you should read the bold-print title after each number (and do a quick check of the text below; you do not have to read every detail in the lists, but you should look at them).
[3] Make a list of things on the style sheet that you feel that you need to work on.
[4] Send me the list in an email message.
Friday, November 27
No Focused Work Today
Week VII
(November 30-December 4)
Consult this excellent "Quick Guide" to Chicago-style Citation.
Monday, November 30
LaFleur, Writing, History, and Culture (Rob's Writing Guide), 46-57
Wednesday, December 2
LaFleur, Writing, History, and Culture (Rob's Writing Guide), 46-57
Part Two—Styling Culture: Navigating Grammatical Forests
Bowen, Return to Laughter, 144-155
Chapter Eleven
McPhee, Coming into the Country, 365-418
Coming into the Country
Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, 138-149
Section XXVI
Section XXVII
RECOMMENDED:
Draft 1 of your final assignment
due at 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, December 1
This is now "recommended" (because of this awful module that we are all trying to manage). If possible, just try to get a few thoughts on paper in any form, just to get started. If this were a regular semester, it would work better, and I just chalk it up to another failure of the modular arrangement.
My recommendation would be to give your review essay a little bit of thought, and write down a few ideas, possibly in the "spoke outline" form on page 12 of the writing guide. Other ways are possible, too. Only if you're ready (but most people aren't, and I don't blame them) is to put together an actual draft...the way that might well have been possible in a real semester. In other words, Tuesday's "assignment" is a recommended "something" on paper assignment...just to get your started.
Wednesday, December 2
LaFleur, Writing, History, and Culture (Rob's Writing Guide), 57-67
Part Two—Styling Culture: Navigating Grammatical Forests
Bowen, Return to Laughter, 156-171
Chapter Twelve
Hurston Mules and Men, 77-90
Chapter Five
McPhee, Coming into the Country, 418-438
Coming into the Country (continued
Orwell, Down and Out in Paris and London, 149-160
Section XXVIII
Section XXVIV
RECOMMENDED:
Draft 2 of your "final analysis" assignment
due at 5:00 p.m. Thursday, December 3
Friday, December 4
Focused Work Work through your draft of the "final analysis" assignment in advance of Friday (there has been ample time for this work; DO NOT begin writing your essay now—this will not be possible, in any case, if you have done the assignments). You do not need to discuss your final plans with your clans, but write to me (put your name on the text that you send me).
