ENGL 390- Cora Agatucci

[ Syllabus | Course Plan | Assignments | AsianLinks: China, India, Japan |
AsianTimelines: China, India, Japan]

ASSIGNMENTS: Online Handouts
ENGL 390 - Multicultural Literature
Seminars, Seminar #1, Seminars #2 and #3
Midterm Discussion Paper
Term Project, Topic Selection, Stages, Graded Assignments,
Topic Possibilities, Evaluation Checklist
StudentWriting Term Projects by Engl 390 Students

Sorry, personal circumstances in Spring 1998 term have made it impossible for me to post Dialogue assignments on this page. All assignment directions have, however, been given in oral and/or written form in class. Please contact me (cagatucci@cocc.edu) for more information. However, some Hum 210/Engl 390 students have volunteered to let me post selected Dialogues (for extra/make-up participation credit): see
StudentWriting Dialogues by Hum 210/Engl 390 Students

SEMINARS

Credit for Active Seminar Participation in each of the three planned Seminar meetings will be awarded if you do the following:

1. Be prepared for each seminar by having completed and annotated all the assigned seminar readings (see Engl 390 Course Plan). Be an active, engaged reader. Note your questions regarding any parts you do not fully understand and be prepared to raise one or more of the questions you have during the seminar.
2. Be prepared by thinking seriously through the Questions for Thinking and Discussion for Seminar #1. (And feel free to move beyond Cora’s discussion questions to others of your own that you’d like to open for discussion..) Single out some of the questions that interest you most and/or spark the strongest responses from you, and write notes on your responses so you’ll remember what you have to say. Go one further and analyze your responses: where are they coming from? What shaped them?
3. Try to synthesize and apply the various theories and critical orientations of the packet readings to each other and to the practice of Hum210/Engl390 (and perhaps other relevant) classroom sessions. Notice the correspondences, inconsistencies, and gaps between theory and practice. As you become acquainted with more such theoretical and critical frameworks through the Engl 390 packet readings for Seminar #2 and #3, compare/contrast the frameworks and critical ideas themselves. Write down your comparative observations so you don’t forget them and be prepared to discuss them. Packet readings are designed to offer some theoretical and critical frameworks for our study of multicultural/international literature and culture—in this class, the cultures, literatures, and film of India, China, and Japan. These Engl 390 readings ask you to recognize and inquire more closely into the larger theoretical-critical frameworks informing what we are doing in the joint Hum210/Engl390 Mon-Wed meetings, as well as why we are conducting our study in particular ways.
4. Cora has provided some questions for thinking and discussion for Seminar #1. In future Seminars #2 and #3, however, Engl 390 students will be asked to generate such questions as they read and to come prepared to generate discussion questions and topics of their own to introduce and discuss during the seminar sessions. Be prepared at least one of your discussion questions on the whiteboard at the beginning of class, and be ready to lead/generate discussion on that question when/if we get to it. (Try to come to class a bit early to do this. And don’t come with just one question: come with several you can choose among.)
5. We probably won’t get to all the discussions questions during a 50-minute seminar, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth thinking about and discussing. Write down others’ discussion questions from the whiteboard to stimulate your further/future inquiry and thinking, and take notes during the discussion when others make contributions that seem significant, thought-provoking, and/or interesting to you.
6. Speak up during Seminars: seminar meetings are forums for open idea exchange and discussion. Credit for active participation hinges on your willingness to contribute to the discussion, and occasionally take the lead. The experience for all will be enriched, deepened, and broadened only if everyone contributes to the verbal discussion. Having selected the packet readings, Cora is certainly responsible for trying to answer student questions and to clarify student confusions. Asking such questions and articulating any confusions is part of "active participation." However, Cora’s voice shouldn’t be the only one nor the dominant one heard: Seminars are not lectures. Nor does discussion mean a series of isolated dialogues between the instructor and an individual student: students should also address and engage each other in discussion and inquiry whenever possible. If another student’s ideas stimulate questions and/or responses, let him/her know. To facilitate these goals, we’ll sit in a circle so we can see each other (not all facing Cora) and I’ll ask you not to raise your hand and look only at Cora when you have something to say.
7. Do your part to create a respectful, safe environment for seminar discussion, so that everyone feels comfortable airing their questions and opinions. Certainly you can disagree with others’ ideas, but refrain from attacking others or belittling their ideas. Follow the golden rule: treat others as you’d like to be treated. Really listen to what others have to say and try not to rudely interrupt others—if you want to interject, raise your hand, make eye contact with the speaker, and/or otherwise signal that you have something to say when the speaker is finished. Be patient with others’ questions and confusions, even if you don’t have any: better yet, take the lead in trying to help answer others’ questions and clear up their confusions when you can. Remember no one, including Cora, has all the answers, much less the only "right" answers.
8. Everyone need not speak or speak at length at every seminar to earn credit (see #9 below); however, don’t expect to earn full credit for the three seminars if you never contribute and/or have little to say when you do. Attendance alone is not enough. Cora prefers to not to have to call on quiet students reticent to speak up—though I will if necessary. Come prepared with ideas and questions you’re willing to share (or write something out and read it to us, if you prefer), so you’ll feel more ready and confident to contribute when opportunity arises—and it’s your responsibility to look for and take those opportunities. Experience predicts that some students will be more willing to speak up and air their opinions than others; however, our seminar goals will not be achieved if too few students monopolize the conversation too long. 50 minutes is not much time, so please do not be offended if Cora asks some of you to cut it short. Be considerate of our collective time, give others a chance to speak, and really listen to what others have to say.
9. Students are invited to submit their reading annotations and discussion notes for Cora’s review as additional evidence that they have prepared for and actively engaged themselves in the three seminars. But see #8 above. The written tracks of your preparation and engagement cannot fully take the place of orally contributing to seminar discussions.

Seminar #1

See Week #2 Course Plan for assigned Engl 390 Packet readings.

Some Questions for Thinking and Discussion:

What is multicultural education? What is "monocultural" education? Which kind of education have you had? In your opinion, what should education be?

What are some of the major rationales supporting multicultural education? Do you find them convincing? Why or why not? What role does the study of multicultural/global literatures and cultures play in multicultural education?

How would you summarize the major distinctions among the four curricular models/developmental stages of implementing multicultural education in schools and colleges? An attempt is being made to formalize multicultural/international "infusion" in the curriculum at COCC (see MIC Course Proposal for Hum 210). Do you think Hum 210 (part of an A-list Humanities sequence, one among many choices for degree-seeking students) and/or Engl 390 meet Geneva Gay’s definition of the "infusion stage"?

After reading the "Discussion Draft: Sequence Proposals Rationale…" and the Hum 210 Learning Objectives, and experiencing the Week#1 introduction to Hum210/Engl 390, consider the following questions:

How do you feel about studying Asian cultures and literatures? Why?—what factors have shaped your attitude?

Identify what seem to you some of the most significant goals, topics, assumptions, emphases, methods of study, and/or approaches to teaching and learning, etc., proposed to unite coursework in Non-European culture and literature and American multiculturalism.

Have you detected any of these in operation in Hum 210/Engl 390 thus far?

What questions and/or reservations have been raised for you by the sequence proposal, the courses, the learning objectives, and/or the course learning experience thus far?

How do you feel about such study? Why? What do you perceive as the special demands of such study? What are the enablers (for you and/or others)? What are the barriers?

Seminars #2 and #3

Engl 390 students are asked to supply questions for thinking and discussion, to be written on the board at the beginning of class. See Weeks #3 and #4 Course Plan for assigned Engl 390 Packet readings.

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MIDTERM DISCUSSION PAPER

DEADLINES:
ENGL 390 Midterm Discussion Paper will be assigned in class on Friday, 4/24/98, and workshop groups will be constituted. A Preliminary Draft of the Midterm Discussion paper, with 3 readable copies, is due on Wed., 4/29, when copies will be distributed to your Workshop group members. Reader’s Reports on drafts will be due on Friday, May 1, when an in-class Workshop will be held to discuss Preliminary Drafts of the Midterm Discussion paper.

FINAL DRAFT DUE: Mon., May 4, 1998

LATE POLICY (from Syllabus): A maximum of one formal graded writing assignment will be accepted late with a one grade penalty. Thereafter, no further late graded writing assignments will be accepted

TOPIC SELECTION AND DESIGN . . . is yours, within these parameters:

1. Choose topic of interest relevant to Hum 210/Engl 390: Choose a topic of interest to you that will allow you to discuss at least one primary Asian "text" (encompassing epic film and handout poetry) that we are studying in Hum 210/Engl 390. Use this assignment to stimulate, for you, a meaningful learning experience, and allow you to delve into a more sustained creative/critical analysis, literary/cinematic interpretation, and/or cross-cultural exploration of selected cross-cultural texts, contexts, and/or issues discussed in class, packets, handouts. Feel free to use or build on your Dialogues and our Seminar discussions, as relevant to your topic. To further get into the spirit of this assignment, see also "[Goals]…" reproduced from the Hum 210 Discussion Paper directions handout at the end of this handout.

2. Construct your own working cross-cultural theory & approach. In a preface to or integrated into the body of your Discussion Paper, briefly but clearly and explicitly describe key tenets of your theory and approach to the kind of cross-cultural study and (literary) interpretation that you are undertaking in your Midterm Discussion Paper (e.g., goals or rationale, assumptions about cross-cultural reading and interpretation, your "code of conduct," your methods of inquiry, desirable learning outcomes, etc.). In describing your theory and approach, you are encouraged to address issues relevant to your paper topic which have been raised in Hum 210/Engl 390 course discussions, reading materials, and seminars—such as the following:

1. THEORY OF and APPROACHES TO MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION and/or CROSS-CULTURAL (LITERARY) STUDY: to help you identify core elements of your theory and/or approach, see Engl 390 packet readings such as "Mapping Theories of Multicultural Education, " "Discussion Draft: Sequence Proposals Rationale for American Multiculturalism and Non-European Culture and Literature," Royster’s "Code of Conduct for ‘Cross-Boundary Discourse," and/or "Toward New Models of Cross-Cultural Reading and Interpretation."
2. INSTRUMENTAL DEFINITION(S) OF "CULTURE," and/or INTERDISCIPLINARY APPLICATIONS which inform your theory and approach to cross-cultural study (see "So What Is Culture?" and "Culture and Power");
3. CROSS-CULTURAL CONTEXTS: your view of the course/Cora’s emphasis on examining the Asian and multicultural text(s) in context of the culture(s) that produced the text(s), and on self-reflecting on the ways one’s interpretation is shaped by one’s own culture
4. TRANSLATION ISSUES relevant to your paper’s focus and primary text(s)—especially, when an Asian and/or other non-English "text"(s) you are working with is/are translated from another language into English;
5. LEARNING OUTCOMES of cross-cultural study: See Hum 210 Learning Outcomes (in ENGL 390 syllabus and "MIC Course Proposal Form") and "Mapping Intercultural Developmental Models."

3. Discuss alternative perspectives, limitations of your cross-cultural knowledge and interpretation, and/or gaps between your theory and your practice. Seriously consider and acknowledge possible alternative perspectives/interpretations to your own; limitations of your cross-cultural knowledge, theory, approaches, interpretation; and/or perceived gaps or inconsistencies between your declared theory/approach and your actual practice (your reading/viewing and interpretation of cross-cultural text[s]) in this discussion paper. Include this section either in your preface or in a concluding section, or integrate into the body of your discussion paper.

• See description of the "Alternative Perspectives and Cross-Cultural Limitations" requirement from the Hum 210 Discussion Paper handout directions, reproduced at this end of this handout.
• I would normally expect that the body of your discussion paper would be consistent with and demonstrate your cross-cultural theory and approach in action. Perhaps even more interesting, however, is to look for the gaps, discrepancies, and/or inconsistencies between your stated theory/approach and how you try to apply it in your Discussion Paper. Thus, if you perceive such gaps or inconsistencies, identify and examine them to try to understand why they are there.

4. Suggested length: 4-to-5 typed or wordprocessed, double-spaced pages (it shouldn’t be shorter than 4 pages, and try not to go over 8 pages);

5. Genre or Writing format: You may write your Midterm Discussion Paper in the form of an essay; however, you are also free choose a different genre or to design a different writing format. If you present your Discussion Paper as an essay, with a thesis (the central point or perspective of your interpretation), even as an argument intended to convince others that your interpretation has validity, note well that you will also have to satisfy the "Alternative Perspectives, Cross-Cultural Limitations, and/or Gaps between Theory and Practice" requirement (#3 described above), either within your essay or in a separate section at the end of your essay. For discussion of the essay and other possible writing formats, see the "The Essay and Other Possible Writing Formats" reproduced from the Hum 210 Discussion Paper directions handout at the end of this handout. If you need more assistance with your writing your Discussion Paper, please seek help from Cora, from the Jefferson Writing Lab during posted drop-in tutoring hours, and/or other knowledgeable resources

6. Adhere to upper division college-level standards of writing and research (see Eng 390 Syllabus). When citing Hum 210/Engl 390 course packet or handout materials, please clearly introduce your sources and/or cite authors (or titles if unsigned), page numbers, etc., parenthetically in your paper. Include a Works Cited or References list at the end of your Midterm Discussion Paper, listing alphabetically all course materials and any "outside" [non-course] sources you have cited (i.e. quoted, paraphrased, or summarized) in your paper. For course handouts and packet materials, something like the following formats will do:

[MLA format for Works Cited entry - NOTE that Works Cited entry should be double spaced and second lines indented 5 spaces:]

Mutta. [So free am I, so gloriously free]. Trans. Uma Chakravarti and Kumkum Roy. Buddhism and Indian Woman’s Writing [unpubl.course handout]. Ed. Cora Agatucci. English 390: Multicultural Literature, Spring 1998. 5.

An Introduction to the Japanese Language. Humanities 210 Course Packet [unpubl.]: Culture and Literature of Asia. Ed. Cora Agatucci. Spring 1998. 34-37.

From the Hum 210 Discussion Paper Directions Handout:

[Goals] Discussion Papers are intended to:

• grow out of students’ thoughtful reading/viewing of Asian works, their own and others’ responses, interpretations, and Dialogues on major course "texts" (including handouts of selected poetry and in-class film viewings);
• stimulate a meaningful learning experience by allowing students to examine in more depth course topics that interest and engage them;
• stimulate more sustained creative and critical thinking, literary/film interpretation and/or cultural analysis of selected Asian works, and related cross-cultural issues discussed previously in class, packet, or handouts;
• encourage students to try to understand Chinese, Indian, and Japanese creative work(s) from within Asian cultural contexts, by applying what students are learning from the relevant course background materials (i.e. presented in handouts, the packet, and class presentations; generated in class or small group discussion and exchange readings; and/or other class learning experiences);
• help students learn more about themselves and their own cultures by exploring the nature of and reason(s) behind students’ cross-cultural responses to Asian cultures, literatures, and other arts.

Alternative Perspectives and Cross-Cultural Limitations
Your goal here is not to persuade others your way of thinking and interpreting is the only way. So you’ll also be asked to integrate or add an "Alternative Perspectives and Cross-Cultural Limitations" [and/or, for Engl 390 students, discussion of Gaps between Your Theory/Approach and Your Practice] section to your Discussion Paper*. That is, I want you to open your interpretation up to continued discussion and inquiry, rather than try to close down the conversations we’ve begun in Hum 210 [and Engl 390]. Imagine, seriously consider, and acknowledge possible alternative interpretations of one or more key points in your paper. Acknowledge when you feel yourself running up against the limits of your own cross-cultural knowledge and understanding. Honestly voice, rather than try to hide, the questions, the confusions, the complications, the problems, and the contradictions that emerge.
*I know this request may sound unorthodox, risky, or uncomfortable to those of you who are used to writing essays and arguments to support a single thesis: this kind of academic writing promotes a particular kind of thinking, usually asking you to answer all the questions and clear up the confusions; simplify the complications and "unify" the contradictions in neat (but false?) little packages; ignore alternative perspectives or argue down opposing viewpoints; and come to "final"-seeming judgments and conclusions. But I don’t believe this kind of thinking is very productive for open inquiry and serious study across cultures and literatures. Let’s try delaying judgment, and remember we’re here to make a solid beginning, not to reach "final" authoritative conclusions. Acknowledging our own limitations and ignorance can be the beginning of real wisdom, not necessarily a sign of deficiency. In studying others’ cultures, especially those very different from our own, needing and wanting to know more is a healthy sign of cross-cultural curiosity, learning, and growth. And let’s try viewing individual and cultural differences of opinion, value, and perspective as important pieces of the big human puzzle; everyone is encouraged to contribute his/her piece and try to fit them together: the pieces probably won’t all fit together neatly, but I expect the results to be sometimes surprising, maybe disconcerting or upsetting, but ultimately invigorating and enriching.

The Essay And Other Possible Writing Formats
A. ESSAY FORM means:
(a) Introduction: in the introductory paragraph of your discussion paper, reintroduce the topic issue or question and present your thesis - that is, the gist of your response to the topic; your main idea; the core opinion or conclusion or perspective you will explain, develop, and support in your essay. You may also wish to preview the major supporting points you will develop in detail in the ensuing paragraphs of your essay.
(b) Body: In the second and following paragraphs of your essay -- the body -- develop the thesis and supporting points presented in your introduction. Remember that others may not necessarily interpret course materials and personal experiences the same way you do, so it is your responsibility to explain, support, defend, provide examples and evidence, and/or summarize as needed to ensure that you make your point clearly and persuasively. Be sure to accompany your body paragraphs, ideas, examples, details, etc. with thesis transitions, which connect your body points to each other and to your thesis presented in the introduction. Organize your essay response such that your writing is coherent and your ideas unfold in a logical, sensible arrangement. In general you should devote at least one well-developed body paragraph (usually 5-to-8 sentences) to each major subpoint you are offering in support of your thesis. Begin a new paragraph when you start discussion of a new point or aspect of your essay: that is, adhere to the principle of paragraph unity. Do not ignore important course materials and ideas that seem to contradict your thesis or that do not fit your central opinion or theory: you must try to take these diverse elements into account, reconcile them to your thesis interpretation, if possible, or consider revising your thesis interpretation.
(c) Conclusion: at the end of your essay, provide at least a brief concluding statement, preferably in a paragraph of its own. The concluding sentence(s) should try to tie all the strands of your discussion together and reemphasize your thesis or central point.
(d) Alternative Perspectives and Cross-Cultural Limitations [and/or, for Engl 390 students, discussion of Gaps between Your Theory/Approach and Your Practice]: Include in your Discussion Paper exploration of interpretations that might be different from or even in conflict with your own; and/or acknowledge the limitations of your interpretation and cross-cultural knowledge, perhaps suggesting questions or topics you’d like to investigate further. You can satisfy this requirement either by integrating discussion of alternative perspectives and/or cross-cultural limitations into your essay, or by including them in a separate section or paragraph at the end of your essay. By the way, "essay" comes from the French essai, meaning to make an attempt, to explore and develop a point or an interpretation, and to do it, if possible, in an interesting way. The essay can be an extremely flexible form. Let’s stretch it in Hum 210!

B. IMAGINED DIALOGUE, INTERVIEW, or PANEL DISCUSSION between you and/or two or three fictionalized characters who represent different cultures and/or interpretations, in order to present cross-cultural views and/or your own and alternative interpretations. This format easily lends itself to addressing the Discussion Paper’s "Alternative Perspectives and Limitations" requirement.

C. JOURNAL that you, a global traveler-seeker (albeit from the armchair and Hum 210 desk), might have kept over the first four weeks of Hum 210 to trace the development of your cross-cultural interpretation, as well as to present the current interpretation(s) you have arrived at. Progressive entries might develop key moments or stages of confusion, discovery, resistance, change, insight, and/or understanding in your first few weeks of cross-cultural journey into the foreign and/or familiar landscapes of Chinese, Indian, and Japanese orature, literature, film.

D. OTHER POSSIBILITIES ??? Your topic and/or your interpretation may suggest other writing formats: e.g., writing a new scene for Mahabharata or a monologue from a particular character’s perspective as a way to dramatize and explain your interpretation of the film. If you have ideas or questions, please see me to discuss.

I look forward to reading and learning from your Discussion Papers! Cora

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TERM PROJECT
StudentWriting Term Project Papers by Spring 1998 Engl 390 Students

The Eng 390 Term Project Paper on multicultural/global literature will be prepared and written as the culmination of a research project that you design, based on your personal and professional interests in course topics and methods, and on your pursuit of course learning goals and growth. I offer you this preliminary handout now, because some of you may wish to begin early thinking about your research project and conducting some exploratory research.

NOTE WELL: Engl 390 students may do the term project individually OR two or three students may elect to collaborate, propose, design, research, present, and write a TEAM Term Project.

Term Project Topic Selection

Choose a topic in the field of multicultural/global literature that allows you to build upon your study of Asian cultures and literatures in Eng 390/Hum 210, and of various theoretical and critical orientations and issues relevant to cross-cultural literary study. See list of topic possibilities at the end of this handout. Choose a topic that:

• is valuable, interesting, and relevant to you and your personal, academic, and/or professional learning goals;
• allows you to apply what you are learning from English 390/Hum 210 Asian text(s) and/or course resources.
• allows you to extend, through outside research, beyond what you are learning from English 390/Hum 210 about Asian cultures & literatures, on a course or related topic that you genuinely would like to learn more about through further research, inquiry, thinking, and writing.

Term Project Stages

You will be asked to complete the term project in stages (see syllabus description and course plan deadlines), preparing copies of and engaging in in-class workshops as indicated in the course plan:

1. Topic Ideas for Term Project (Week #6)
2. Term Paper Proposal (to be graded), with 3 readable copies for workshopping (Week #7)
3. Sign up for Oral Presentation Schedule (Week #7)
4. 10-minute Oral Presentation (to be graded), with enough copies of audience response forms for all Engl 390 students & Cora (spread out over Weeks #8, 9 & 10)
5. Outline/Progress Report (Week #8)
6. Preliminary Draft and Working Bibliography, with 4 readable copies for workshopping (Week #9)
7. Term Project (Final Draft to be graded), including electronic version (of all or portions) for website posting/publication (Finals Week).

Graded Term Project Assignments

1. The Proposal (5% of course grade)
The Term Paper research project Proposal, with copies for the in-class workshop group, is scheduled to come due on Fri., 5/16: 2:00 p.m. in class. However, I would be happy to meet with you to discuss your research topic ideas and/or to review and respond to a written description before that time. In the case of Team Term Projects, a single grade will be given the Term Project Proposal itself, and each team member will be awarded that grade as 5% of their individual course grade.

Suggested Length: 2 typed, double-spaced pages (including source list)

In your Proposal:

(a) Introduce your proposed research topic, with a brief description of how/why you became interested in and have chosen the topic, and how it fits in with course and personal learning goals and interests;

(b) Describe briefly the projected form, subtopics or sections, approach(es), etc. that you envision for your Term Paper, and the multicultural/global culture(s), literary text(s), oral arts, and/or film(s) you will use or examine in your study;

(c) Project how/what you will apply and extend what you have been learning in Eng 390/Hum 210, and list the research questions you want to answer and/or the topics/issues/texts you wish to investigate further through your research; and

(d) Provide a list (in progress) of Hum210/Engl 390 course resources relevant to your topic; and at least 4 outside sources that you have already located and reviewed in preliminary research. You may also identify any additional sources or leads that you plan to investigate for this research project. NOTE: Please present your source list in standard MLA (for languages and literatures) or Chicago Author-Date (an option if your project is education-oriented) style. See Eng 390 Packet "Documenting Sources" for guidance and models of these documentation formats.

2. 10-Minute Oral Presentation & Audience Response Form (5% of course grade)
Ten minutes is not very long and time limits will be strictly enforced so that everyone gets his/her 10 minutes; thus, you must select and plan what you will say carefully, and time yourself in advance to ensure you can complete your oral presentation to the class in 10 minutes. The time limit means that you cannot expect to give a full account of your term project and research findings. You will be expected to make your oral presentation clearly and effectively—so don’t simply plan on speaking fast—so fast that your audience can’t follow you. If you prefer, you may write out what you want to say and read it to us. In the case of a Team Term Project, the 10 minutes allocated each Engl 390 student will be multiplied by the number of team members: e.g., a two-person team will be given 20 minutes of class time to make the oral presentation of their collaborative Term Project. Again, all team members will share the grade earned on the Oral Presentation.

Some members of your audience will know little or nothing about your project, so you must give some time to at least a brief introduction to your topic. Use the rest of your time to focus on a small portion or a limited number of points from your project in progress. Select what seems most interesting to you, what you are best prepared to address at this point in your progress, and/or what you anticipate may be most interesting, accessible, and instructive to others. You may choose to augment your oral presentation with handouts.

Prepare an audience response form in advance and duplicate enough readable copies for the entire Engl 390 class (including Cora). Limit your response form to perhaps 5 questions and/or requests for feedback, formulating a balance of general and specific, "closed" (yes/no) and "open" (inviting short answer) follow-up questions/response topics. The response form is not intended to be primarily evaluative (ie. asking your audience to evaluate how "good" your oral presentation was). Rather, use the response form to solicit feedback on your presentation that might help you complete your term project more successfully, give you fresh or alternative points of view to consider, identify additional sources and/or avenues of inquiry relevant to your project, survey class opinions on an issue relevant to your project, answer a genuine question or research problem that you are trying to work through, etc.

3. Final Draft of the Term Project Paper, including electronic version (of all or part) for website posting/publication (30% of course grade)

Suggested Length: 7 typed/wordprocessed, double-spaced pages.

Minimum number of sources: The Final Draft of the Term Project Paper should include a Works Cited or Reference list of a minimum of 7 valuable and usable outside research sources—beyond others drawn from Hum 210/Engl390 course resources.

The topic possibilities given below are meant to be suggestive. Cora’s critique of your Term Project Proposal will give you more individual guidance regarding the quality and appropriateness of their topic choice and project design. But you need not wait until Week #7! Please come and discuss your Term Project topics and ideas with me whenever you’re ready.

All sources should be correctly and carefully documented.

Again, for team Term Projects, the final paper will be awarded a single grade, which all team members will be awarded for 30% of their respective course grades. The Term Project Paper Evaluation Checklist below will further clarify Cora’s expectations for the final project.

Topic Possibilities

• Conduct research to deepen your understanding of and/or identify new/adapted critical approaches, interpretive practices and/or theories of value for reading and interpreting multicultural/global literatures, oratures, and/or film. Then "test" two or more these approaches, practices, and theories on one or more of the Asian "texts" (that can include film) we have been studying in Eng 390/Hum 210. What conclusions do your research and applications lead you to? (E.g. you might wish to respond to questions like these: Do the approaches, practices, and/or theories work? Are they valuable? What are their strengths and/or weaknesses? Do different approaches and practices yield different (complementary or contradictory) ways of understanding the Asian text(s) in question? Does cross-cultural literary study really engender mutual understanding and empathy across different cultural groups, and develop the skills and aptitudes needed for genuine intercultural dialogue?)
• Choose as your research topic one or more of the Hum 210/Engl 390 Asian literary texts and/or films which you’d like to study further. (You may include the same Asian text that you examined in the Midterm Discussion Paper if you add a new Asian text to your research project.) Or focus on an Asian text we haven’t studied in Hum 210/Engl 390. Try to apply as well as go beyond course materials to conduct more in depth research on the literary, biographical, cultural, and/or historical contexts of the chosen Asian text(s). Integrate what you have learned from your research to writing a detailed interpretative introduction or study guide for the chosen Asian text(s) to deepen and broaden your own and others’ understanding of the text(s) in its (their) cultural context(s). Bring to bear insights from your research to enrich your introduction and/or study guide, and provide an annotated list of sources for further reading and study.
• Choose as your topic literary, oral, and/or film "texts" from two different Asian cultures, or from one Asian and one Western culture, and conduct comparative research which educates you more deeply on significant similarities and/or differences between the two "texts" and their cultures.
• Extend our study of Japanese, Indian, or Chinese culture, literature, orature, and/or film to its counterpart in Japanese-American, Indian Diasporic, and/or Chinese-American culture and creative expression. Conduct research to investigate cultural/creative continuities and/or differences between the originating culture and Apply what you have learned to a cross-cultural comparison of a Japanese and a Japanese-American "text, " or a Chinese and Chinese-American "text."
• Conduct research to deepen your understanding of issues of translation in relation to cross-cultural study of Asian literature, orature, and/or film. Investigate the theory and practice of literary translation and/or film subtitling. Present criteria others can use to evaluate "good" and not so good translations and translators. Go into specific cases to illustrate the desirable training translators should have and the decisions translators must make. You may wish to focus on a specific genre (e.g., translation of poetry) or to compare two genres (e.g., translation of poetry vs. fiction). What does your research lead you to conclude? (E.g. What can be lost and gained from translation? What seem to you "sound" principles of translation? What criteria distinguishes a "good" translation from a "bad" one?

Future Teachers may choose research topics like the ones above, or they may wish to choose a topic related to teaching multicultural/global literatures. For example:

• Conduct research to investigate one or more issues or goals informing the theories and practices of multicultural education in the U.S. today--issue(s), that is, with particular relevance to teaching and reading multicultural/global literatures and cultures. Draw upon your research, as well as you your own cross-cultural reading and learning experiences in Eng 390/Hum 210, to develop your points, and perhaps to "test" theory and/or practices (E.g., Does cross-cultural literary study really engender mutual understanding and empathy across different cultural groups, as multicultural educationists claim? How can reading imaginative literature, viewing films, and/or learning oral arts of other cultures develop the skills and aptitudes multicultural educationists say is needed for genuine intercultural dialogue? Which models of cross-cultural "reading," teaching, and learning sound most promising for understanding and appreciating a different culture and its form(s) of creative expression?)
• Conduct research to survey some of the theories, approaches, and methods recommended for teaching one or more specific multicultural/global literatures and their cultures. Develop a bibliography of multicultural/global literary texts, oral arts, and/or films of a particular (sub)culture that you might teach in future--perhaps geared for a specific grade level, perhaps set within the objectives of Oregon educational reform. Then apply what you’ve learned: drawing on your research and your own cross cultural learning, reading, and viewing experiences with Asian works, describe how you might teach a particular multicultural/global "text" and the particular cross-cultural theories, approaches, and/or methods you would use.

Term Project Paper Evaluation Checklist
Evaluation Guide: +=Excellent; Check+ =Very Good; = Satisfactory; Check-=Poor/Needs work

____1. RESEARCH TOPIC CHOICE

___a. Scope, focus, and choice of Term Paper project meet assignment parameters and learning goals as outlined in the "English 390 Term Paper" directions handout, class and/or individual discussion, and instructor’s critique of Term Project Proposal.

___1. Topic scope and focus lend themselves to effective treatment in suggested 7-page length
___2. Topic choice allows student to apply what s/he has been learning in Hum 210/Engl 390 and relevant course materials
___3. Topic choice allows student to extend what s/he has been learning from Hum 210/Engl 390 the same or a related research focus that student wishes to learn more about through further research and study

___b. Topic choice is clearly shaped by the student’s personal investment: ie., that author believes this project is worth investigation (valuable, interesting and/or relevant) and this paper is worth writing

_____2. WRITING & RESEARCH PURPOSE(S)
___a. Author’s intentions and research purpose(s) are clearly stated and communicated.
___b. Presentation conveys author’s investment and engagement in the project appropriate to the project’s academic and/or personal tone and purpose;
___c. Author is writing to be read and enlighten others: purpose(s) and presentation are responsive to general/academic audience, convey why this term research project is worth reading for the audience, clearly introduce and develop ideas for readers:--particularly that portion of the Term Project which is prepared for website posting/publication

_____3. WRITING PURPOSES AND TERM PAPER RESEARCH GOALS ARE EFFECTIVELY ACHIEVED.

_____4. QUALITY OF THINKING, RESEARCH, AND WRITING (for example . . .)

• Insightful critical/creative thinking offered through probing analysis or sustained examination of selected multicultural topic and/or literary text(s);
• Ideas or examples from research sources are effectively applied and synthesized to develop the author’s points and interests; and help readers understand multicultural texts and/or theories in new and enlightening ways;
• Enabling and relevant critical/creative theory, critical approach(es), and/or practices for cross-cultural literary study are identified, developed, applied, tested through research;
• Study of multicultural literature effectively carried beyond the scope of Hum 210/Engl 390 and applied instructively to new texts and/or contexts (e.g., to understand Asian/multicultural text(s) and cultural contexts/perspectives more thoroughly and/or empathetically, to inquire more deeply into cross-cultural differences/similarities, to extend and apply research and course resources to new classroom applications, etc.)
• Insightful use of and/or reflections on research findings pertinent to cross-cultural literary study, building demonstrably on student’s cross-cultural learning experiences in Hum 210/Engl 390;
• Risk-taking with challenging materials in pursuit of growth, enlightening investigation of new ideas and learning applications;
• Other criteria most relevant to your Term Paper learning goals and achievement, which you are invited to propose in advance of grading.

_____5. PROFICIENCY IN STANDARDS FOR WRITING AND RESEARCH
___a. Focused, well-organized, and well-developed paper communicates points clearly, coherently, effectively, and correctly, with stylistic sophistication and few grammatical errors.
___b. A minimum of 7 outside research sources are cited and documented, and additional Hum 210/Engl 390 course resources relevant to the Term Project are also used and cited.
___c. Source citations are smoothly integrated into student’s paper, with stylistic effectiveness and grammatical correctness.
___d. Manuscript form, in-text citations (quotation, paraphrase, summary) of sources, and Works Cited or References list at end conform to chosen documentation style and upper-division college-level standards; plagiarism is avoided.

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