Humanities 210 MIC/WIC- Cora Agatucci
Cultures & Literatures of Asia

 Hum 210 Assignments - Winter 2001 
Online handouts will be posted to this webpage after given and discussed in class.
short cuts:
Weeks #1-#4 Preparation & Participation credited assignments & activities,
including Group Dialogue #1, Mahabharata Viewing, Seminar & Notes, and Make-Up Options
Weeks #4-#5: Individual Dialogue #2 (Chinese Writing, Poetry & Translation Issues)
Weeks #5-#7: Individual Dialogue #3 (Haiku)
Midterm Critical Review General Directions (Deadlines, Specifications, Grading & Advice): 
Topic Description & at least One Source (DUE: Feb. 12);
Film Viewing:  Red Sorghum
Selecting and Reviewing "Good" Sources; Writing the Critical Review (DUE: Feb. 20)
Webpublishing all or part of your Critical Review, as discussed in class: contact Cora for directions
Week #8: Individual Dialogue #4 (Red Sorghum, the novel)
Film Viewing:  Rhapsody in August
Week #9: Individual Notes & Group Dialogue #5 (A Pale View of Hills & Rhapsody in August)
as assigned in class:  Contact Cora for directions
Week #10: In-Class Writings (1.  Final Topics; 2. Cracking India)
as assigned in class:  Contact Cora for directions
"Take Home Final" Discussion Paper Directions & Topic Choices
Finals Week: Final Dialogue (Self Evaluation & Course Reflections,
including Final Student Survey)

Weeks #1 - #4: See also Hum 210 Course Plan 

Preparation and Participation Assignments and Activities (Cr/NoCr or Points), over the term, are worth 40% of your course grade in Hum 210:  Review Hum 210 Syllabus: Grading.
If you have missed any credits for Preparation & Participation during Weeks #1 - #4, then
NOTE WELL that you can make up and/or turn in late these informal assignments and activities “with the instructor’s permission” (see Hum 210 Syllabus: Grading).  Cora hereby grants “permission” to make-up the informal assignments in the following ways (see relevant “Make-Up Option” below), to be turned in to Cora as soon as you complete the “Make-Up Option”:

Group Dialogue #1 (we did this activity on the first day of class, 1/8/01):
Make-Up Option:  Write out your responses to the following questions:

1. Why did you decide to take this course, Hum 210—one among various options you have for completing Humanities area credits?
2. Upon entering this course, briefly summarize how much you already knew about Asia—specifically about India, China, and/or Japan?  And what were the sources of your knowledge?  (e.g. Western media, visit to the country, previous courses in the subject matter, friends who have lived there, etc.)
3. What are your personal course learning goals?  That is, what would you like to get out of this course?  In responding, also consider the Course Competencies, or Learning Objectives stated in the Hum 210 Syllabus, and list any of these that you particularly value.
4. List barriers and facilitators to cross-cultural learning and communication in a course like Hum 210.  (“Barriers” would be obstacles or challenges to learning and communicating across cultures, such as ethnocentrism; while “facilitators” would be things that make cross-cultural learning easier and more rewarding, such as curiosity and an open mind.  Barriers and/or facilitators can be aspects of the cross-cultural content itself; aptitudes in yourself, the learner, and/or our culture, etc.)

Mahabharata, I (on 1/17/01) and/or Mahabharata, II (on 1/22/01) In-Class Videotape Film Viewings.
Make-Up Options:  If you missed one or both of the in-class videotape film viewings, you can check out Part I and/or Part II of the videotape from COCC Library Reserves and view them in the library (NOTE: you will not be able to take the videotape(s) home).  Then you need to let Cora know that you have viewed on your own time the missed part(s) of Mahabharata.  If you also missed the In-Class Writing: Film Questions (from 1/22/01) and/or the Seminar & Notes: Mahabharata (from 1/24/01), then you can kill two birds with one stone by completing the Make-Up Options for those assignments described below.  To ensure full credit for viewing both parts of the film, preface your “make-up” by writing a note to Cora that says something like, “Give me Credit for viewing Part I in the Library.”

In-Class Writing:  Mahabharata Film Questions (completed during about 5 minutes of in class time on 1/22/01 -  after we finished viewing the film)

Make-Up Option:  Write out brief responses to the following questions:

1. Did you find the Mahabharata Film Notes provided in the Hum 210 Course Pack helpful?
2. What unanswered questions do you have about the Mahabharata after viewing the entire film?
3. What is your general reaction to the film? 

Seminar & Notes: Mahabharata (Class and small group discussion in class on 1/24/01)  To prepare for this in-class discussion on Jan. 24, students were asked to bring their own notes on topics of particular interest and/or questions raised by the film.
Make-Up Option:  Submit to Cora your own Mahabharata film notes and reactions that identify/discuss topics of particular interest to you, related questions, and your responses (e.g., about the themes and the events; the characters and their relationships; the integration of Hindu principles such as dharma, karma, daiva (fate); cross-cultural similarities such as mythological archetypes or defining features of the “Epic” genre - see Hum 210 Course Pack; etc.) 

Weeks #4 - #5

Individual Dialogue #2 (Chinese Poetry, Characters, & Translation Issues)

DUE:  Mon., Feb. 5; & Wed., Feb. 7

HUM 210 Resources: 

Part I:  Translation Issues.  Write out your individual responses to all three of the the following topics.

1.  Background readings and illustrations should have given you some sense of what the Mandarin language and Chinese Writing System are like—and that they are very different from English language and writing, arising from these different cultures.

List some of the qualifications that you believe a good Chinese-English translator would need to have.

2.  The handouts have also given you examples of variant translations of the same Chinese texts & characters: 

Compare two or three pairs of these variant translations of the same Chinese texts more closely:  Identify differences and similarities that seem significant.  Explain which translations you prefer and why. 

3.   In your opinion, what can be lost from reading Chinese literature in translation?  On the other hand, what can be gained?

Part II:  Chinese Characters.  

Copy two Chinese characters of your choice, from those included in the handouts.  Label the characters that you have drawn. Examples:

  Shen à Spirit

Fu à Happiness

© Jessica Savio, 2001

Weeks #5 - #7

Individual Dialogue #3 (Haiku)

DUE:  By Wed., Feb. 21

HUM 210 Resources:   

Create a haiku:  Create your own haiku--out of a “haiku moment” (if possible).  
It takes years, lifetimes, some might say, to master this form, so don’t expect your haiku to be masterful—just try it, after reading the "Haiku" handout.

Comment:  Then write a commentary on your haiku, explaining the experience or “haiku moment” that gave rise to your poem. 

Midterm Critical Review Directions & Grading

[MLA STYLE HEADER:]
Juanita Student [Your Name]
HUM 210, Dr. Agatucci [Identify course & instructor]
Critical Review [Identify assignment]
20 February 2001 [Type Date assignment is DUE]

  HUM 210 Critical Review Directions
(Worth 20% of Course Grade)

What is a Critical Review?  This Hum 210 assignment will ask you to conduct limited research to locate 3-to-5 useful sources on an Asian topic of interest to you.  The body of the Critical Review is similar to an Annotated Bibliography: you will briefly summarize and evaluate the best sources that you can find on your topic.  The Critical Review also includes an introduction to your topic interest and a conclusion summarizing your learning experience.  You will also select at least one of your source reviews for web-publication on the Hum 210 course website so that future students may benefit from what you have learned.  Read some example online student Critical Reviews from my Hum 211 course website, by visiting:

http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/studwrtg.htm

DEADLINES:

·        MON., Feb. 12 - DUE:  Topic Description & at least one Source; and
In-Class Seminar: Present & Discuss Critical Review Topics & Sources

·        TUES., Feb. 20 – DUE:  Critical Review (to be letter graded)
NOTE WELL:   Revision Option will be extended if Critical Review is turned in on time.

CRITICAL REVIEW GOALS: That you use this assignment . . .

1.      To stimulate a meaningful learning experience on a topic relevant to HUM 210 and of genuine interest and curiosity to you:  Review/scan the Hum 210 course pack, course syllabus, course plan, course website (e.g. Asian Links) to help you identify possible topics or questions that you would like to investigate further;

2.      To extend and/or deepen your learning experience of Asian cultures and language arts beyond the Hum 210 course topics, texts, films, resources that we have only limited time to study together this quarter;

3.      To broaden or deepen your competency in selected course learning goals (See Hum 210 Syllabus: Course Learning Outcomes or Competencies, which include:

    “A.  Build knowledge of [Asian] language arts and cultures different from one’s own . . . ” and . . .

B. “6. Identify topics of personal interest, unanswered questions, controversial claims and alternative viewpoints arising from one’s comparative study for further research and investigation.”

SPECIFICATIONS for the Final Draft of the Critical Review - to be letter graded:

1.      Type/wordprocess and double space your Final Project or it will not be accepted.

2.      Suggested length:  4-to-5  typewritten/wordprocessed double-spaced pages.

3.      Use Standard Manuscript Format—e.g., leave 1 inch margins at top-bottom-sides; type/print on standard sized 8 ½” x 11”white paper, using only one side of each page; use readable fonts in standard point sizes (10 point for larger fonts, 12 point for smaller fonts), etc.  Please label your assignment completely, using MLA-style heading (illustrated above on the first page of this handout) in the upper left-hand corner of the first page, and give running page headers (illustrated on the second and subsequent pages of this handout) in the top right-hand corner of second and subsequent pages of your Critical Review.

4.      Write to communicate with other Hum 210 readers and Cora.  Edit and proofread your papers before submission.  NOTE:  Grammatical errors will not be considered in the grading unless they hurt the clarity, coherence, and/or effectiveness of your written expression.

5.      Plagiarism must be avoided and citations must be properly documented when you summarize, quote (direct quotation), and paraphrase (indirect quotation) from sources.  The good news is, the nature of the Critical Review allows us to simplify documentation procedures immensely!  Models of creating MLA style bibliographical entries for the sources you review will be given in class, and example critical reviews will illustrate simple parenthetical citation practices.

A.  Selecting a Topic, Conducting Preliminary Research,
& Preparing the Topic Description DUE: Mon. Feb 12

Since time is limited, the sooner you commit to a topic, the better.  If you don’t already have some topics in mind, a half hour invested in scanning through the Hum 210 course pack, handouts, or the Hum 210 course website can yield potential topics, as well as lead you to sources.  Choosing a topic and conducting research often go hand in hand: a half hour invested in the library and/or online trying out two or three quick subject searches can stimulate topic ideas and/or help you narrow your topic focus, as well as give you a realistic idea of how easy or difficult it will be to lay hands quickly on 3-to-5 “good” sources so that you can complete the Critical Review on time.  If you start on this project as soon as possible, you will also have time to obtain even traditional or electronic sources that COCC Library does not have, through ORBIS or Interlibrary Loan.  You will need to commit and focus on a topic and have at least one source in hand by Monday, Feb. 12.

Directions for Written Topic Description, due on Mon., Feb. 12:

1. State your chosen topic and/or related subtopics

2. Use or rephrase (and thus focus and open up) your topic and/or subtopics to pose one or more leading questions that you hope your research will help you answer or address.
3. Explain why you have chosen this topic:  e.g.: Why or how did you become interested in investigating this topic further?  Why does it appeal to you?
4. Point out why/how your chosen topic is relevant to, and/or might deepen or broaden our Hum 210 study and understanding of Asian cultures and language arts.
5. Work-in-Progress Report:  briefly comment on (a) how you found the source(s) that you are bringing with you to class on Feb. 12; (b) how many and what kind of additional sources on your topic that you have already located and/or that you believe are available; and (c) how easy or difficult you think that it will be for you to locate sources and complete the Critical Review assignment on time—and explain why you think so.

B.  Selecting & Reviewing “Good” Sources

Part of your Critical Review grade will be determined by the nature of the 3-to-5 sources that you select for inclusion in your Critical Review. 

Basic requirements are that you locate and review:

But if you want a B or A on your Critical Review, you should also select your sources based on the following evaluation criteria:

1.      At least one book (though you need not read the whole book to review it successfully:  preview & skim, locate and read those sections most relevant to your topic.  Browse stacks or reference sections of COCC Library; do a subject or key word search on COCC Library’s online Catalog; use ORBIS to order a book quickly that our library doesn’t have.)

2.      At least one periodical article (e.g., from a journal, magazine, newspaper—i.e., an article from a resource published periodically.  Use COCC Library’s online databases such as the Oregonian or Ebscohost, which often make a “full text” article available to you at the click of a button!)

3.      At least one good electronic source available on the World Wide Web. (There are increasing numbers of very good sources out there in cyberspace, though there are also a lot of very bad or unreliable sources:  be selective.)

4.      Other types of sources are also valued, so long as you judge them good sources (e.g., films or videotapes, course or public lectures, TV program, audiotape, art exhibit, etc.).

1.      authority, expertise, professional or other relevant qualifications to speak on the topic, of the source author and/or website sponsor;

2.      currency or recency (look at dates!) of the information;

3.      reliability, accuracy, and accountability of the source and its information;

4.      objectivity, degree of bias of the author and/or in the presentation of the information

5.      special contributions on the topic, unique perspective of the author—e.g. a “primary source” with direct (personal) experience on the topic and/or access to information or point of view that perhaps is not available in other sources; or perhaps special visual aids such as maps, photographs, artwork, other graphics or audio features.

6.      readability, organization, style, etc. of the source—is it easy to read, use, and understand for general readers, non-specialists, introductory students wishing to study this topic?  Is it well organized, does it include useful table of contents or index, is it presented in a vivid, interesting way?

C.  Writing your CRITICAL REVIEW DUE: Tues., Feb. 20

Grading will also take into consideration:

A complete Critical Review will follow the directions given below for the (1) introduction, (2) critical reviews of selected 3- to-5 sources, and (3) conclusion.

(1) Introduction (in paragraph form) should do the following:

(2) Critical Review of Sources.  The main and longest (body) portion of your Critical Review will present a review of the three-to-five best sources that you located and reviewed on your selected topic. 
Each Source review should include the following:

(a)   Complete MLA (Works Cited) style bibliographical entry

(b)   Concise but clear descriptive summary of the contents of the source (in paragraph form), characterizing the scope and subtopics that the source covers, and summarizing key content points (i.e. answers to your leading research question/s) that are particularly relevant and important to your topic and/or your major research question/s (i.e. the most valuable information that this source contributes to understanding your topic);

(c)    Brief critique or evaluation of the source’s major strength(s), as well as any significant weakness(es).  Remember that you are recommending this source as valuable, so either its strengths should outweigh its weaknesses, and/or it offers something unique and special to understanding your topic.

EXAMPLE critical review of one source (on a Hum 211 African topic)

Thompson, Stith.  The Folktale.  New York: Dryden, 1986.  Thompson, folklorist and linguist, offers a useful survey of forty-six popular folktales used in Euro-American literary works.  He traces the histories of predominantly European folktales from their oral cultural roots to their literary transformations, and examines their literary functions with some illuminating results.  I found some interesting cross-cultural correlations to the ways African oral folktales are used in modern African literature and fiction: for example, multiple and changing versions of an oral tale give Western fiction writers freedom to select and adapt a folktale to make it serve new literary uses and messages.  Still, it is clear that oral arts traditions do not carry the same social and spiritual weight in European works as they do in African arts and literatures.  Thompson’s sometimes dense and jargon-ridden prose style may frustrate non-specialist audiences, but the persistent reader interested in the oral roots of world literatures will find many rewards in this knowledgeable, well-researched, and thoroughly indexed reference book.

(3) Conclusion (in paragraph form) should do the following:

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Midterm Critical Review Grading & Evaluation

I.  These Basic Specifications are met:
_____1. Final Draft Preparation: typed or word processed, and double spaced (or it will not be accepted for grading);
_____2. Suggested Length: 4 to 5 typed, double-spaced pages - Bottom line:  Critical Review is as long as it needs to be to satisfy basic specifications and requirements.
_____3. Standard Manuscript Format:  good faith effort to adhere to standard manuscript format (MLA style heading, identified topic choice, centered descriptive title, and running page headers;

II.  These Basic Requirements for the Critical Review are also met:

  III.  In addition, the Quality of key Critical Review components is evaluated below:

____A.  Topic Selection serves important HUM 210 Critical Review Goals and/or is particularly relevant to HUM 210 study of Asian cultures and literatures, as student explains in the Critical Review Introduction.

____B.  Especially “Good” Sources on the selected topic are reviewed: that is, quality of research and source selection is evidenced in the Types, Variety, and Quality (i.e. strong selection criteria--beyond just “relevance” to the topic—have been applied and are discussed in the critical evaluation of each source).

____C.  Written Presentation is particularly Clear, Coherent, and Effective.

____C.1  Introduction:  (1) of Focused Topic/subtopics; (2) of leading Research Question(s); (3) of your Reasons for choosing this topic; (4) of topic’s Relevance to Hum 210 study; (5) of Processes used to research your sources; (6) of special Difficulties and/or Challenges.

____C.2  Critical Review of Sources:  Each source Review includes (1) Complete & correct MLA Works Cited style  bibliographical entry; (2) Concise and clear Summary of the contents, scope, and key points relevant to your topic/research questions; (3) Critique / Evaluation of source’s major strength(s) and any significant weakness(es).

____C.3  Conclusion:  (1) Explains what student has gained from this project, in answer to student’s research question(s), comments any other valuable aspects of this learning experience; and (2) identifies unanswered questions, “gaps” in the existing research, and/or topics that could be investigated further in future.

Week #8

Individual Dialogue #4 (Red Sorghum)

DUE:  by Mon., Feb. 26.

Write a 200 - 400 word Dialogue on Red Sorghum, the novel.  Choose a Topic of interest to you. We discussed several topic possibilities in class on Wed., Feb. 21 - see Cora if you need more direction.  In developing your ideas, be sure to cite and analyze specific textual examples from the novel to illustrate and support your interpretive points. 

Week #10 & Finals Week

"Take-Home" Final Discussion Paper Directions & Topics

Janet Yourlastname
Hum 210, Prof. Agatucci
Final Discussion Paper
22 March 2001

DIRECTIONS FOR FINAL DISCUSSION PAPER:
Interpretation of One or More Asian “Texts”
(Worth 30% of Course Grade)

The Hum 210 Final Discussion Paper is a formal written “discussion” and interpretation of one or more Asian works studied during the second half of the term. Given the limitations of an introductory class like Hum 210, the Final Discussion Paper should be approached as an opportunity to examine more closely Asian text(s), theme(s), and/or issue(s) of interest to you--a more sustained and in-depth, but still exploratory attempt at “making sense” across cultures and communicating your interpretation effectively in writing to other serious students of Asian cultures and literatures (i.e. the rest of us in this class).

FINAL DRAFT PREPARATION: Your Final Discussion Paper must be typed, wordprocessed, and double-spaced, or it will not be accepted for grading.  Please give your discussion paper a title relevant to the subject matter and identify the topic that you are addressing.  Use the heading given above and number your pages.  Please use standard sized white paper and leave 1” margins on right and left sides of each page.

Suggested LENGTH:  4 typed/wordprocessed double-spaced pages.  Analyze the topic you choose carefully, focus on a limited number of main points you wish to address in your response, and plan to develop your points in some depth.

SOURCE CITATIONS:  You will need to illustrate and support your discussion points by citing and interpreting passages from the Asian text (novel and/or film) under discussion.  When you use Hum 210 materials in your Discussion Paper, please be sure you make clear which Asian “texts” and/or other course sources you are quoting, paraphrasing, or summarizing.  In the case of Hum 210 texts and materials that we all have access to, you can use quick parenthetical citations.  Identify titles of sources (e.g of a film, novel, handout or other source) and give a page number (if applicable) in parenthesis following the citation.  If you draw upon outside source(s) that your Hum 210 audience is likely not to be familiar with, you’ll need to give more complete information (author, title, publication date, especially).  You must avoid plagiarism (review plagiarism statement in Hum 210 Syllabus).  You also want to enable interested readers to find a reference for themselves and better understand your interpretation.

LEARNING GOALS.  The HUM 210 Discussion Paper assignment has been designed to help you achieve major Hum 210 Course Learning Goals (see Hum 210 Syllabus):

TOPIC CHOICES will be given, and I will expect you to write on one of these choices--or to propose to me in advance an alternative topic relevant to what we have studied in Hum 210.  The Final assignment will ask you to demonstrate and apply what you have learned in Hum 210 about Asian creative forms of expression (i.e. orature, literature, film), as well as relevant historical backgrounds and cultural traditions that produced them.  You will be expected to show that you have been an active and serious student in this class, that you are thoroughly and thoughtfully acquainted with the Asian text(s) and its contexts.  You will need to support and illustrate your points with well-selected specific examples from the Asian text(s) and from relevant historical/cultural background material relevant to your interpretation of the text(s). 

However, the Final Discussion Paper is not meant to be an exercise in regurgitation.  Topics typically will be open-ended discussion questions subject to multiple interpretations.  Bear in mind that there are no definitively “right” or “wrong” answers or interpretations--though some interpretations may certainly be more thoughtful, insightful, convincingly developed, and coherent than others.  And I’ve asked for your input on Discussion Paper topics so that you can address one that genuinely interests you.  I believe you’ll think and write at your best if the topic and Asian text(s) engage you to inquire seriously, open yourself to new discoveries, work through questions and problems, deepen and broaden your understanding—and thereby enrich your own as well as others’ Hum 210 learning experience. 

AUDIENCE: Do not write only for yourself or for Cora; rather, write to communicate with others and engage us in a serious dialogue as well--to help us all arrive at a new or different or better informed cross-cultural understanding the selected Asian work(s) and/or topic.  Think of the Discussion Paper as your contribution to an ongoing class conversation in pursuit of intercultural understanding.   Develop your own perspective and interpretation as just one among many possible perspectives and interpretations.  Recognize that others may not necessarily see, read, and interpret as you do: it is your responsibility as the writer to illustrate, support, analyze, and explain your responses, points, and interpretation as well as you can.  Let your imagined Hum 210 readers inside your thinking so we can try to understand the Asian creative work(s) and cultural contexts as you do--and, if possible, to come away feeling we have gained something meaningful and enriching from reading your paper.

WRITING FORMAT: You may present your Discussion Paper as an expository essay (with the purpose to explain) with a thesis (the central point or perspective of your interpretation), or even an argument (intended to convince others that your interpretation has validity).  A brief description of what writing an essay typically means is given below.  Some topic choices will suggest other writing formats, such as a cross-cultural dialogue between you and an Asian writer, an imagined panel discussion among characters from different Asian works, or an imagined scene left out of a film we’ve studied.  In any case, you will have to satisfy the “Alternative Perspectives and Limitations” requirement described below, either within or in a separate section at the end of your paper.  Start your paper as soon as you can, and if you need more assistance with writing you’ll have time to seek help from Cora (by appointment during Finals Week) or from the COCC Writing Lab (open only through Friday, March 16).

ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVES & CROSS-CULTURAL LIMITATIONS:  An interpretation is an attempt to make sense and create meaning on the focused topic and Asian text(s) you’ve chosen in order to contribute some of your perspectives to a better understanding of that topic.  Again, you will be expected to show that you have been an active and serious student in this class, that you are thoroughly and thoughtfully acquainted with the Asian text(s) and their contexts.  Offer your interpretation as one serious attempt to understand the text and topic—but recognize that it is only one among other possible (perhaps even contradictory and conflicting) interpretations.  Your primary here is not to persuade others that they must accept your way of thinking and interpreting as the only way.  (As Chinua Achebe says, citing an Igbo proverb:  “Beside one thing always stands another.”)  In this spirit, you’ll be expected to integrate or add an “Alternative Perspectives and Cross-Cultural Limitations” section to your Final Discussion Paper.  That is, I want you to open up your interpretation to continued discussion and inquiry, rather than try to close down the conversations we’ve begun in Hum 210.  You can fulfill this requirement by doing one or more of the following:

(a)    Imagine, acknowledge, and seriously consider one or more possible alternative interpretations of one or more key points in your paper.

(b)   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, any unanswered questions, confusions, unresolved problems, and/or contradictions that may emerge. 

(c)    Identify topics and/or sources that you would need to investigate further in order to deepen, test, and/or expand the interpretation presented in your Hum 210 Final Discussion Paper.

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Postscript:  Writing in ESSAY FORM typically means:

(a) Introduction: in the introductory paragraph of your discussion paper, reintroduce the topic issue or question and present your thesis interpretation: that is, the gist of your response to the topic; your main idea; the core opinion or perspective – that you will explain, develop, and support in the body your essay.  In your introduction, you may also wish to preview the major supporting points you will develop in detail in the body 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 parts of the Asian text(s) or relevant 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 Limitations:  You can satisfy this requirement for the Discussion Paper by either integrating alternative perspectives, acknowledgment of limitations, and topics for further investigation into the body of your essay, or by including them in a separate section or paragraph at the end of your essay.

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Final Discussion Paper Topic Choices

Alternative Topic Ideas?  Contact Cora.

  1.      Single "Text" Topic:

1. Choose one of these Hum 210 texts as the subject of your Discussion Paper: Red Sorghum (film), Red Sorghum (novel), Rhapsody in August, A Pale View of Hills, or Cracking India.

2. Focus on one or two significant aspects of the selected text, such as a theme, major character(s), the narrator/point of view, plot structure, setting, symbol or image, style, cultural values or practices, folk traditions, etc.
3. Cite and interpret well-selected specific passages from the text that you judge significant in understanding how that aspect(s) is developed or used in the text.
4. Present your theory of the significance of that aspect(s) of the text --what it contributes to the impact of the text and our understanding of the text.

**Student & Cora suggestions included these topics:

2.   Comparative Topic (2 or 3 Texts):

a.  Chose at least two of these Hum 210 texts to compare (and/or contrast) in your Discussion Paper:  Red Sorghum (film), Red Sorghum (novel), Rhapsody in August, A Pale View of Hills, Cracking India.

b.  Choose a common basis for your comparison and/or contrast -- such as genre (e.g. film vs. novel), theme, character, narrative structure or plot, symbolism, imagery, setting, style, narrator/point of view, cultural values or practices, folk traditions, etc.  Focus on one (or more) points of similarity and/or difference that seem significant to you.

c.  Cite and interpret well-selected specific passages from the texts that best illustrate/support your points of comparison/contrast and interpretation.

d.  Present your theory of the significance of your comparison and/or contrast of the texts  - e.g. how understanding these similarities and/or differences can help readers better understand these Asian texts across cultures.

**Student suggestions included these comparative topics:

3.  Historical Fiction: The twentieth-century novels and films that we have studied since mid term are all examples of historical fiction:  that is, actual historical events, people, settings etc., are interwoven with the imagined stories of fictional individuals, events, etc.  History can be used in fiction to serve different purposes or achieve different effects.  For example, the fictionalized stories and experiences of individuals may represent the communal experiences of a people or nation; or history can be used to "authenticate" the realistic illusion of a work of fiction

1. Interpret the purpose and/or effect of the use of history in one or more of these Asian texts:  Red Sorghum (film), Red Sorghum (novel), Rhapsody in August, A Pale View of Hills, Cracking India.
2. Cite and interpret well-selected specific passages from the text(s) that illustrate and support your interpretative points.

4.  Cross-Cultural Comparison/Contrast

a.  Identify and examine at least two differences and/or similarities between your culture(s) and Asian cultures (values, beliefs, behaviors, etc.) represented in at least one of these Asian texts:   Red Sorghum (film), Red Sorghum (novel), Rhapsody in August, A Pale View of Hills, Cracking India.

b.       Choose differences and/or similarities that seem significant to you, and explain how/why you think that they are significant or illuminating.

c.       Illustrate and support your points with well-selected specific examples from both (1) the Asian text(s) and (2) your own culture(s). 

d.      Analyze the possible reasons for these cultural similarities/differences, drawing upon relevant background information about Asian culture and history.

**Student suggestions included these comparative topics:

·         The Generation Gap in U.S. culture compared to its depiction in Rhapsody in August

·         Japanese vs. U.S. attitudes toward WWII & dropping of the atomic bomb

5.   Film Review:

a.  Write a review of one or both films (Red Sorghum and/or Rhapsody in August), evaluating the film(s) in terms in terms of its value or effectiveness in introducing U.S. viewers to Asian culture and/or creative achievement. 

b.   Be sure to make a recommendation on the film--i.e. do your recommend that other U.S. viewers see this film?--and explain why or why not. 

c.       In the process, be sure to identify the evaluation criteria you are using to judge the film.

d.      Support and illustrate your points by citing and interpreting well-select specific examples from the film(s).

Final Dialogue: Hum 210 Course Reflections & Self-Evaluation
Worth 10% of Course Grade; Winter 2001, Prof. Agatucci

Final Dialogue is due during or before our scheduled Final Exam period on March 22: 

(1) Complete Final Student Survey of Hum 210 Learning Outcomes (see below)

(2)  Course Reflections: Reflect back over the entire course learning experience . . .

To focus your course reflections, you may wish to respond to one or more of the following questions:

•     Why study Asian cultures and literatures?

•     Is cross-cultural study important and valuable?  Why or why not?  Do you plan to do more of such study?  Why or why not?

•     What do you value most out of the varied Hum 210 “texts” and/or learning experiences this term?  Why?  What did you value least?  Why?

•     Hum 210 has undoubtedly exposed you to Asian “texts,” films, novels, issues, etc., you might not otherwise have sought out on your own.  Choose one or two you particularly glad you became acquainted with, and explain why.  How has such expansion of your reading, viewing, listening, etc. experiences benefited you and/or others?

(3) Self-Evaluation: Write a personal assessment of the quality of your performance and learning experience in Hum 210 this term, to include:

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Final Student Survey:  Hum 210 Learning Outcomes
Winter 2001, Dr. Agatucci

Directions:  Below I’ve listed the major Course Learning Objectives given in the Hum 210 Syllabus at the beginning of the term.  Read these outcomes statements over and circle the number on the 5-point scale that is closest to your self-assessment.  Feel free to comment on any of the outcome statements or your ratings.

As a result of Hum 210, I am able to…

1.                  … Identify some distinctive characteristics, genres, and periods of traditional and modern Asian language arts, literature, and film (e.g., early Indian epic and Chinese folk poetry,  Japanese haiku, modern historical fiction and film, etc.). 

  2.                  … Situate individual Asian “texts” in their specific cultural, historical, and intellectual contexts, and analyze significant ways these texts reflect or represent those contexts (e.g. cultural values and beliefs, intellectual and creative traditions, historical and biographical backgrounds, and/or social and political realities)

  3.                  …Evaluate the limitations and benefits of studying Asian works in cross-cultural translation (e.g. across one or more different languages; across different writing systems and cultures; and/or from written literature to film media).

As a result of Hum 210, I am able to…

4.                  …Identify and analyze significant cross-cultural differences and similarities (e.g. among different Asian texts and their cultures; between Asian language arts/cultures and my own; and/or between Asian works/cultures and those of other non-Western groups).

5.                  …Examine the effect of individual and culturally-determined factors (such as race, gender, class, nation, biases of information sources, prior cross-cultural experiences, ethnocentrism) in my own and/or others’ responses to Asian texts and cultures.

  6.                  … Identify topics of personal interest, unanswered questions, controversial claims, and alternative viewpoints arising from my comparative study for further research and investigation.

As a result of Hum 210, I am able to…

7.                  … Formulate responses and interpretations using varied strategies and resources (such as active reading/viewing skills, self-reflection, critical and empathetic thinking, oral discussion and writing, multiple perspectives, comparative analysis, and/or interdisciplinary knowledge).

  8.                  …Create persuasive cross-cultural interpretation of an Asian text that integrates ethno-relative perspectives and analytical criteria appropriate to Asian literature, film and their cultural contexts. 

9.                  …Communicate my interpretations in informal and formal writing, using relevant, well-selected evidence from Asian texts and their cultural contexts to support my points.

URL of this webpage: http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum210/assignments.htm
Online HUM 210 Course Resources:
HUM 210 Syllabus Course Plan Assignments Student Writing 
Asian Film Asian Links: India China Japan
Asian Timelines: India China Japan
Epic Genre & Mahabharata  Red Sorghum Study Guide