Core 7
MF 10-10:50 Shen Auditorium
Core 7H TR 10-10:50 C127
Core 7J TR 11-11:50 C127

Fall 2004

Instructor: Peter Watkins                                                                                                                                     Office Hours: M-F
Office: C208                                                                                                                                                              8-8:50 and by 
Office Phone: x6350                                                                                                                                                Appointment
peterw@saintjoe.edu

Introduction

Thus far in the Core program you have to a large extent contemplated developments in the West. This semester your feet will be firmly planted in the East. In addition to contemplating the histories of China and India, we will discuss their cultural traditions, religious practices, and political and economic systems. In addition to introducing you to China and India this course of study is also designed to continue to develop your oral and written communication skills.

The readings we will be considering this semester are varied. The texts you are required to purchase are as follows:
 The readings noted above will be supplemented by a large number of additional syllabus readings. Please note: We will also be reading portions of The Everyday Writer during the semester. The due dates for these reading assignments will be announced as the semester unfolds.

If for any reason you are unable to purchase the texts for this class, please come and see me at your earliest opportunity.

In addition to the above selections I also urge you to read newsmagazines and watch the nightly news. I also encourage you to be a frequent visitor to CNN Interactive,The New York Times on the Web, The Washington Post, and the BBC.

A variety of additional Internet sources on India and China can be found at a site maintained by Fr. Tim McFarland.

If you are a student with a disability, please meet with me at your earliest opportunity to discuss any accommodations you will need during class activity, examinations, and out of class assignments in order to participate fully and demonstrate your abilities.

Class Requirements

The reading and lecture schedule can be found in the Core 7 syllabus. To fulfill the collegial agreements noted in that document you will be completing a number of writing assignments and taking a number of short quizzes throughout the semester. A comprehensive examination will be administered during exam week. .

You will take a 15-point quiz every Thursday throughout the semester. No quiz will be administered on August 26. The comprehensive final examination will be given on Thursday, December 16 @ 1:00 (Core 7H) and Monday, December 13 @ 10:00 (Core 7J). The quizzes and final examination will draw upon reading, lecture, and discussion material.

Three writing assignments will be completed. The role playing exercise, due on September 30, is to be five pages in length. It is to have a minimum of five sources. The research paper, due on November 18, is to be ten-fifteen pages in length. You should have have a minimum of ten sources for this paper. I will discuss each of these assignments in more detail with you as the semester unfolds.

Papers must possess a cover page and must be stapled in the top left-hand corner. They must be typed and double-spaced. The font size used in the papers must be no larger than 12 pt. The right and bottom margins are to be 1 inch wide. The left margin is to be 1.25 inches wide. The top margin, with the exception of the first page, must be 1 inch wide. The top margin on the first page must be 2 inches in width. Papers must be handed in during class on the date the assignment is due. You are responsible for keeping an extra copy of your paper. Failure to follow these requirements will lead to penalties being assigned.

I strongly urge you to take all your papers to the Writing Clinic. The Writing Clinic is located in Core 212. I also urge you to consult The Everyday Writer as you begin the writing process. If you do not have a copy of this text, please let me know.

A portion of your grade will be determined by the quality, and to a lesser extent the frequency, of your class participation. In order to effectively participate in class discussion you must keep up with the reading assignments. I tend to enjoy lively argument and debate in my classroom. I will frequently call upon students by name to address an issue that we are considering. Please come prepared to express your views about the issues at hand.

You will receive a zero if you absent yourself from quizzes. Half a letter grade (e.g. C+ to C) will be deducted every day a writing assignment is handed in late. I will discuss exceptions to these rules at our first class meeting.

Your grade will be calculated as follows:

                                                                       Quizzes @ 15 points each         210 points
                                                                       Role Playing Exercise                 100 points
                                                                       Research Paper                            250 points
                                                                       Class Participation                      100 points
                                                                       Final Examination                        100 points

                                                                       Total                                             760 points

No extra credit is available.

Half of your class participation grade will be assigned at mid-semester.

A=100%-94.5%, A-=94.4%-89.5%, B+=89.4%-86.5%, B=86.4%-83.5%, B-=83.4%-79.5%, C+=79.4%-76.5%, C=76.4%-73.5%, C-=73.4%-69.5%, D+=69.4%-64.5%, D=64.4%-59.5%, F=59.4% and below.

A Special Note About Research Papers

A brief review of the information presented above will reveal the considerable weight given to the research paper. A number of potential research topics, some more finely tuned than others, are provided below. Other research topics can of course be selected.

Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, B. R. Ambedkar, Rabindranath Tagore, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Indira Gandhi, Salman Rushdie, Emperor Ashoka, Emperor Akbar, Shah Jehan, the Mughal Empire, the caste system, Hindu funeral rites, caste violence in Bihar, the dispute at Ayodhya, the economic reforms of P. V. Narasimha Rao, sati, dowry deaths, the Indian film industry, Satyajit Ray, American corporate investment in India, affirmative action in India, the development of nuclear weapons in India and Pakistan, the conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir, Bangladesh, the BJP, the Congress Party, the British in India, the Indian software industry, Mother Teresa, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, cricket, Buddhism, Islam, Jainism, Parsees (Parsis), Parsi funeral rites, the Sikh religion, Deng Xiaoping, the KMT, t'ai chi, Mao Zedong, Chiang Kai-shek, Sun Yat-sen, the Gang of Four, foot binding, Tiananmen Square, the Cultural Revolution, the Great Leap Forward, Tibet, Feng shui, Falun Gong, Christians in China, Taiwanese-Chinese relations, US-Chinese relations during the administration of Richard Nixon, traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, China's One Child policy, the Three Gorges Dam, Chinese adoptions, health care in India and China, the environmental movement in India and China, the education system in India and China.

Office Hours

My office hours for this semester can be found printed at the top of this syllabus. If you are unable to meet me during those times, please do not hesitate to contact me to make alternative arrangements. I can be contacted by e-mail. You can also contact me at x6350. My home telephone number is 866-8768. 

Attendance Policy

A discussion of the college's attendance policy can be found in the Saint Joseph's College 2004-2005 Catalog. See pp. 47-48.

While your class participation grade is largely based on the quality of your participation, failure to attend class will have an adverse impact on your class participation grade. Failure to attend scheduled classes could also have an impact on your performance on quizzes given the fact that questions on these quizzes will occasionally be taken from class discussion. Attendance at class will also profit you because attention will be given during those sessions to some of the reading/lecture material assigned for each quiz.

If you are a member of an athletic team, please identify yourself during the first class session. Professor Teresa Massoels, the Faculty Athletic Representative, has prepared an information sheet for members of the faculty, which addresses questions of athletic-related absences. I will distribute this sheet to those identified as members of athletic teams. You, not your coach, are responsible for informing me of any athletic related absences.

Academic honesty

A discussion of academic honesty can be found in the Saint Joseph's College 2004-2005 Catalog. Please reference pp. 52-54.