Eng 410/Unst 421 T Th 12:00-1:50 pm
Office: 414M Neuberger Hall
Phone: 725-4944
E-mail: beth@pdx.edu
Office Hours: 1:30 - 3:00 Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Required Texts

A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn
Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
The Tortilla Curtain by T. C. Boyle
Crazy in Alabama by Mark Childress
Packet at Smart Copy

Required Papers

Midterm (due April 27). Final paper and reflective journals on your outreach projects (due June 1). No Final Exam.

Welcome

Welcome to your Senior Capstone course, Us and Them: A History of Intolerance in the United States. During this term we will explore events in our history when intolerance arose from the fear, suspicion and anger of ordinary people--the same impulses that still cause discord today--and will be brought face-to-face with the negative and often tragic consequences of prejudice and hate. But we will also learn about the hope and heroism that true moral conviction inspires.

Course Description

Exposure to intolerance will include both historical and fictional accounts of the struggles of alienated groups throughout our country's history to the present time, and will lead to class discussions and writings reflecting on important issues the works evoke. Besides the required course work, you will engage in collaborative projects of your choice which will consist of outreach activities in the community. I will provide more information on this in class, but you should be prepared to spend at least four hours per week outside of class to devote to your project.

As the title of this course implies, appreciation of diversity is the central them and heart of this course. You will be exposed to a wide variety of topics, including religious intolerance, the experiences of American Indians, African-Americans, immigrants, as well as issues of gender, age, and sexual preference. You will be challenged to think critically about your assumptions, stereotypes, prejudices, and personal reactions to the material you engage in over the term. Because intolerance is a highly complex issue, for many of the questions and problems that arise there will be no easy answers, so you will need to use critical thinking skills to arrive at resolution and compromise. This will require engagement with the material, with each other, and with the community.

The How and Why of Journals

I would like you to keep journals in which you reflect on your outreach work. Writing in the journals should be on-going. My intention in requiring you to use journals is to encourage you to make connections with the work we do in class and your outreach work. Journals will be collected every other week.

Conferences

I would like to meet with each of you at least once this term to get to know you better and to see how your are doing. I will send a sign-up sheet around so you can choose a time that fits your schedule.

Grading Policy

This is not a correspondence course! In order to pass, you must be on time for class, attend class regularly, and complete all assignments on time. Please note that this is 6 credit hours course and that the class time represents only one-half of the weekly time you are expected to devote to the readings, writings, and projects you will be required to complete this term. If you are unable to attend class for any reason, please notify me in advance.

Course Goals

This course will foster development of senior level skills in critical thinking, organization and writing. Course work and outreach projects will be structured to engage students in a continual process of redefining your perceptions of yourselves and the world around you, based on the topics and themes you explore during the term. This will demand patience and cooperation as you communicate and interact with me and other class members.

Since the future of our democracy hinges on our success at getting along, it is hoped that his course will challenge you to examine your own lives and consider how far we have come toward achieving full equality and how far we still must go. I am looking forward to working with you all on this most important endeavor, and I'm sure you will find great rewards in your efforts.

Reading Schedule

You will be required to read at least 150 pages per week. Assigned novels and short stories will be complimented with historical readings from Howard Zinn as well as lectures and films.

Mar 28-Apr 13: Ralph Ellison (packet), Indian Killer by Sherman Alexie. Zinn Ch I, p. 85, Ch 7, and Chapter 19 (pp 513-28). Tape: "Indian Sovereignty and Self-Determination" by Robert Williams.

April 13-29 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Zinn Ch 9, Forward by Toni Morrison (Packet). Tape: "Does Evil Exist?" by Lance Morrow.

April 25-May 9: Snow Falling on Cedars, Zinn pp 407-8. Film: American Experience-Deceit and Indifference: America and the Holocaust.

May 9-May 23: The Tortilla Curtain by T. C. Boyle, Immigration Statistics (Packet). Film: "Harvest of Shame," "The Beast" by Peter Maas.

May 23- June 1: Crazy in Alabama, Zinn Ch 17, Ch. 6, and Ch 19 (pp 493-504). Film: "Judge Horton and the Scottsboro Boys," "Artificial Nigger" by Flannery O'Connor (Packet), "The Reverse Bug" by Lori Segal.

No Final Exam.

Papers due last class meeting, June 1st.