Narratives of War
ENGL 122NW - Winter 2007, Rita Raley
Films on reserve in Kerr Hall learning lab: Apocalypse Now, The Mills of the Gods, Hearts and Minds, A Face of War (all Vietnam); Pretty Village, Pretty Flame, No Man's Land (Balkans)
Some of the material we will discuss in this course will be available online; the links are all included on our syllabus. Much of the online reading will require a computer that has programs and plug-ins such as QuickTime, Flash, Shockwave, java, and Real Audio (all free and easy to install; you will generally be prompted if you need to download). If you are working on an older computer and a modem line at home, I recommend you visit our Transcriptions studio in the English department (SH 2509), or one of the computer labs such as Phelps, for your reading.
Note that the "recommended readings" sections will develop throughout the quarter. At times they will be quite extensive: these mini-bibliographies will provide context for some of the primary readings, lectures, and class discussion. The general equivalent in print culture would be the headnote in an anthology. Some of the links will be used as illustrations in lecture and will appear in our "class notes" sub-pages.
Students who are completing the English department's specialization in Literature and Culture of Information (LCI) will have a wiki assignment instead of the second paper. The assignment will relate to the texts and topics assigned for the paper and should be worked out beforehand in consultation with both the professor and your section TA. The Transcriptions project and LCI will also have a TA this quarter: Robin Chin will hold regular lab hours in SH 2509.
As you work on the assignments for this course, you should be particularly mindful of plagiarism and copyright violation. Every external source that you use must be appropriately cited in your work. For your web projects, a link to the original site is the bare minimum for citation. If you are in doubt about whether or not you need citations, you might consult a CLAS tutor or this online guide. Note that UCSB has explicit policies about academic integrity.
All assignments for this course must be completed in order to receive a passing grade. There will be no incompletes.
Section grade
Weight:
10% of final grade
Discuss individual section requirements with your TA. More than two unexcused absences from section will result in a section grade of "0."
First paper
Weight:
25% of final grade Due:
February 6
Questions and topics to be assigned
Second paper
Weight:
25% of final grade Due:
March 1
Questions and topics to be assigned
Final exam
Weight:
40% of final grade Due:
Thursday, March 22, 7:30-10:30 pm
The final exam will require passage identification, close reading, and short take-home essays. The final will be cumulative and count for 40% of your final grade: 2/3 will be the in-class exam and 1/3 will be the take-home essays. Prompts for the take-home essays will be distributed in the last lecture of the quarter; the essays will be due at the time of the final exam.
