Welcome to Core 7: India Lecture ~ M 10:00 Section D ~ WF 9:00 C125

Taj Mahal, Agra, taken June of 1999

Jody Taylor Watkins Office: Library Hours: open, but appointments advised for extensive assistance 6210

ASSIGNMENTS

Assignment	Percentage of overall grade	Total points
Quizzes	25%	125
Role-playing paper	20%	100
Geography assignment	20%	100
Discussion	15%	75
Film analysis	10%	50
Final exam	10%	50

• Quizzes: Weekly quizzes will be given that cover readings, lectures and other relevant classroom activities. These quizzes will, for the most part, be of the short answer variety (T/F, multiple     choice, fill-in-the-blanks). Occasionally they may deviate from this format.
• Role-playing paper: This paper is a research-based creative writing assignment. For this assignment, you will assume the role of someone living in the geographical area you will be researching throughout the semester (see Geography Assignment). You will create a scenario for that person and tell his/her story. For example, you could assume the role of someone who is upwardly mobile and part of India’s growing middle class, living in one of India’s cities. Or you assume the role of a peasant and tell what a peasant’s life is like in that specific region. The possibilities are many. The important thing is that you draw upon the research that you have done on your chosen geographical area to make your story credible. What are the major issues in or characteristics of that region? Use those to help shape your role-playing paper. This paper will be a minimum of seven pages and employ a minimum of seven sources. A sample role-playing paper written by an SJC student will be distributed in class to give you a sense of what such a paper entails. The role-playing paper is due on Wednesday, October 31.
• Geography assignment: India encompasses a lot of territory and many diverse ways of life. This assignment is designed to get you to explore a particular area in more detail than the Core 7 general curriculum allows. A more detailed description of the assignment will be distributed in class. At the beginning of the semester, you will sign up for an area of India (city or province) to learn about throughout the course of the semester and become our class “expert”. You should consult articles, books, reference sources and reputable websites to learn as much as you can about the general background of your region and important contemporary issues in your locale. Keep the materials you gather together in a journal/folder, with a brief, typed annotation of each containing a few sentences about how each helps increase your understanding of your chosen area. I will from time to time collect your journals to make sure you are keeping up with your research. You should expect me to collect them on the following dates: Sept. 28, Oct. 24, Nov. 14. They will be returned to you at the next class. You will be using this research to assist you with your role-playing paper (see above). We will set aside some classes to discuss these regions you all have been researching. You will sign up for a date in class. The following dates have been marked for presentations: October 24, and 26, November 2, 7, 9, 16, 28, and 30, and December 5. When presenting your area, you may bring in audiovisuals or other “props.” Your creativity is encouraged! You should concentrate on giving us a sense of the place you have gotten to know throughout the semester. In addition to the class presentation, you should also prepare a three-page written summary of the contemporary issues in your area. That written summary, along with your completed journal, is due on Wednesday, December 5.
• Discussion: Core classes should be discussion-driven and your willingness to participate in class is very important. However, in order to have an effective discussion, we must all have something in common to discuss. Therefore, it is crucial that you regularly complete and reflect upon all assigned readings as they are assigned and attend all lectures. You will be evaluated on your general commitment to and involvement in the class throughout the semester, as evidenced by attendance and class participation. A separate grading rubric for class discussion is found at the back of this syllabus.
• Film analysis: During the semester you will be required to watch one of the Indian films listed in your syllabus and to analyze it in light of the following criteria: 1) its value as a learning tool about India; 2) its value in relation to the objectives of the intercultural component of core, as described in your course syllabus. More information on this assignment will be distributed in class. The film analysis is due on Wednesday, November 14.
• Final exam: Your final exam will consist of essay questions that you are given in advance. These questions will be distributed on Friday, December 7. You are to complete them and bring them to our scheduled final exam time – Wednesday, December 12 at 3:00. We will discuss these questions as a group. The essays ask you to reflect on the semester’s curriculum and activities.

GRADE SCALE

Percentage of Available Points Earned	Grade
94% to 100%	A
90% to 93%	A-
87% to 89%	B+
84% to 86%	B
80% to 83%	B-
77% to 79%	C+
74% to 76%	C
70% to 73%	C-
67% to 69%	D+
60% to 66%	D
≤59%	F

WRITING GUIDELINES

• If you use anything other than Microsoft Word (do not use Works!) for your papers, please do not attempt to send them to me electronically because of technical difficulties in doing so.
• If you are using Vista and the most recent version of Microsoft Word, please save your document to the old version of Word before you send anything to me electronically.
• Always keep a copy of your written work, both in paper format and electronically, until the end of the semester, after final grades have been turned in. 
• Double-space all papers, except where The Everyday Writer indicates that single spacing is appropriate.
• Please use reasonable margins and do not try to artificially raise your page count by manipulating margins.  The default margins for a normal document in Microsoft Word should be your regular model.
• Please use no larger than 12-point type and please use the Times New Roman font, using boldface print only  when highlighting is appropriate.   
• Please include a title page.
• Please use page numbers.
• Please include a bibliography of all sources you use in your paper and please cite them in the body of the paper wherever you use them.
• Please use one of the formats given in The Everyday Writer for citing sources and compiling bibliographies:  MLA, APA, CBE or Chicago Style.  While it does not matter which of these you use, please use a style consistently.
• Please get in the regular habit of proofreading your work.
• For your role-playing paper, you must cite at least seven sources.  This must include at least three journal articles (at least two of which must be peer-reviewed) and at least one book.
• Encyclopedias are too general to be used for anything other than background information.  Use no more than one in either paper or electronic form. 
• Wikipedia is a controversial source because of how it is compiled. While you are not forbidden to use it, you will be expected to verify the accuracy of its information with other sources such as a conventionally edited book or article. You must attach a note to your paper describing for me how you went about verifying the accuracy of any Wikipedia information you use.
• Please exercise caution when using web pages since, unlike books and journal articles, many web sites don’t go through a rigorous editorial or other “quality control” process.  It is often difficult to tell the expertise level of web page authors.  Be very careful!  Fr. Tim McFarland has information about evaluating web sites on his homepage under student links (http://www.saintjoe.edu/~timm/student_links.html).   A brochure is also available in the library entitled “Evaluating Web Pages.”  You may pick up a copy at the circulation or reference desk.
• Please use the interlibrary loan service to obtain articles, books and other materials that are not available in paper or electronic form at the SJC library.  Details are available in the library.

POLICIES

Here are some class and College policies with which you should become familiar. 

• Attendance: All SJC students are bound by the mandatory attendance policy found in the College’s catalog (p. 47 of the 2007-2008 Catalog).  You must attend all regularly scheduled classes and

lectures, barring reasonable causes preventing you from doing so.  The instructor is the judge of what constitutes an excused absence.  Please understand that your work in other classes or

extracurricular activities, no matter how intense, cannot be used as an excuse for not attending and meeting all responsibilities in your Core 7 class.  Please work around class and lecture time when scheduling appointments with doctors, dentists, and so forth.  Repeated absences due to illness may well result in my asking you for medical verification.  You must let me know ahead of time when you must miss a class for any reason.  You are responsible for finding out about and completing any work that you miss.  Each unexcused absence will result in a deduction of three points

from the class participation grade.

• Academic honesty: On pages 52-53 of the 2007-2008 College Catalog, you will find the Academic Honesty policy.  This is crucial reading for all students; please be familiar with the actions that constitute violations of academic honesty and if you have questions, please ask me.  All of your work at SJC should be your own.  If I discover cases of academic honesty violations, I will generally turn them over to the Provost for adjudication, as directed by College policy.
  

• Deadlines and Makeups: Please adhere to all due dates.  Since you know from the beginning what those due dates are, there should be no general need for extensions.  Papers will be assessed the equivalent of a half letter grade penalty for each day in which they are late.  Makeup quizzes will be given for documented excused absences only.
  

• Turning In and Keeping Copies of Assignments: Assignments should generally be put in my hands during class on the day they are due.  However, you will have until the library closes on the day something is due to slide an assignment under my office door (make this about 10:45 pm to be safe).  The exception to this is the final exam, which must be submitted to me during our scheduled final exam period and no later.  Do not place any material for me in my Core building mailbox.  This is a public area and security cannot be guaranteed.  If you leave things there, you do it at your own risk.  Also do not rely on anyone else to turn in your written work for you.  If I cannot locate your work, you will be asked to produce another copy.  You are required to keep copies of all written work, including quizzes, until you have received your final grade.  For papers, it is advisable that you keep both an electronic and a hard copy.

• Disabilities: If you are a student with a documented physical or learning challenge, please meet with me immediately to discuss the accommodations you will need during class activities, examinations and out of class assignments in order to participate fully and demonstrate your ability. 

ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE

• The Writing Clinic: The Writing Clinic, located on the second floor of the Core Education Center (Room 212), is staffed by students who will read your paper and assist with grammatical and other technical aspects of writing.  If you have problems with writing, please call the Writing Clinic at 866-6138 or sign up for an appointment at the Clinic office.  This service is free.

• Student tutors: The Counseling Services Office, in Room 200 of Halleck Center, maintains lists of available student tutors.  If you find yourself running into difficulties with reading material and feel that you need help outside of the classroom setting, please contact the staff in person or by phone (219-866-6116).  This service is free.

CALENDAR

Assignment or Event	Date
Film “Devi, the Goddess” shown in Courtney at 6:30 pm	Thursday, August 30
Labor Day, no classes	Monday, September 3
Film “Water” shown in Courtney at 6:30 pm	Tuesday, September 4
Turn in geography journal for inspection	Friday, September 28
Film “Earth” shown in Courtney at 6:30 pm	Thursday, October 4
Midterm break, no class	Friday, October 12
Indian dance performance by SJC student Anisha Gohil	Sunday, October 14, 7-8 pm
Film “Mr. and Mrs. Iyer” shown in Courtney at 6:30 pm	Tuesday, October 16
No class, instructor at AGLS conference	Friday, October 19
Turn in geography journal for inspection	Wednesday, October 24
Class presentations – will sign up in class for a slot	October: 24, 26; November: 2, 7, 9, 16, 28, 30; December: 5
Role-playing paper due	Wednesday, October 31
Film “Monsoon Wedding” shown in Courtney at 6:30 pm	Thursday, November 1
Film “Sarfarosh” shown in Courtney at 6:30 pm	Tuesday, November 6
Happy Diwali!	Friday, November 9
Film analysis due	Wednesday, November 14
Turn in geography journal for inspection	Wednesday, November 14
Thanksgiving vacation, no classes	Week of November 19-23
Geography assignment journal and written summary due	Wednesday, December 5
Final exam questions distributed	Friday, December 7
Final exam discussion	Wednesday, December 12 at 3:00 pm, regular classroom