Native American Literature

NAMS 4123.001

TR 11:00-12:15 p.m., 107 Baird Hall

Faculty:    Dr. Sally Emmons-Featherston

Office:   204A Baird Hall      

Hours: 

I will post my office hours on my door during the first week of classes.  You may see me before or after class, during my office hours, make an appointment, or call.  If I am unavailable, please leave a message on my door or on my voice mail and I will get back in touch with you as soon as I am able.  I attend many meetings on campus and may have to alter from my schedule without notice.  If this occurs I will leave a note on the door to inform you of any changes.

Phone:  (918) 343-7976

Fax:     (918) 343-7899

E-Mail: sallyemmons@rsu.edu          

Course Description: Native American Literature

Building on the foundation of the oral tradition, stories, songs and poems of traditional Native Americans, this course is an examination of contemporary authors and issues in Native American Literature.  The course will focus intensively on a few writers and/or poets.

Required Texts:

The White Man’s Indian, Robert Berkhofer

Cherokee Medicine Man: The Life and Work of a Modern-Day Healer, Robert Conley

Nothing but the Truth, John L. Purdy and James Ruppert

Ceremony, Leslie Marmon Silko

Indian Killer, Sherman Alexie

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, Sherman Alexie

Tracks, Louise Erdrich

Bone Game, Louis Owens

The Grass Dancer, Susan Power

Prerequisites:  English 1113 and 1213

Teaching Methods and Evaluation Instruments:

This course will be conducted in a workshop environment where there is open give-and-take between all of us.  I will occasionally lecture over important ideas, but class discussions, occasional group work, and one-on-one working with me will be encouraged.  Your final grade in this class will be based upon your writing projects (including any work completed in class), a group presentation, and participation to the course as a whole on a regular basis.  

Because this class depends so much upon class involvement, your attitude throughout the course is particularly important to me; as such, a positive approach to the class is a must in order to do well.  At the end of the course, I frequently re-assess borderline grades for individuals who work hard and who encourage a positive, friendly atmosphere in the class and demonstrate a strong work ethic. 

Do not forget that the grade which you ultimately receive in this class is the grade which you have earned.  If at any time during the course you are concerned about your standing in the class, please come see me so that we can discuss it while there is still enough time remaining in the class for you to raise your grade.  Do not wait until the last few weeks of the course to make an appointment with me to discuss your grade because there will not be enough time left to boost low grades at this point.  It is your responsibility to earn the grade which you want/need to receive by completing the course requirements during the course.  

Learning Objectives:

In accordance with the Rogers State University mission and the mission of the Department of Communications and Fine Arts, this course is intended to provide the opportunity for students to develop and display critical and creative thinking; multicultural exposure; global perspective, an appreciation for the diverse views of art, knowledge, culture, and the world; and effective communication skills, both written and oral.

        This course leads to the following outcomes:

1.       Native American Literature is designed for those students aspiring to baccalaureate degrees.

2.       Native American Literature is designed to build and display effective communication skills and creative and critical thinking in an atmosphere of academic freedom which encourages interaction in a positive academic climate.

3.       Native American Literature is designed to create opportunities for cultural, intellectual, and personal enrichment for students.

During the semester, you will

 1.  Develop an appreciation for Native American literatures and cultures

2.  Identify the themes underlying contemporary Native American literature

3.  Identify the world views afforded by various American Indian cultural traditions

4.  Develop an understanding of contemporary issues affecting Native American people and communities 

5.  Apply literary terms

6.  Criticize and evaluate works of literature

7.  Write criticisms, analyses and evaluations of literary works

8.  Respond to questions about literature

Important considerations:

Expectations

·         Come to class prepared, having read the material to be discussed.  Be prepared to ask and answer questions, and to raise and discuss issues of significance to this class.  Readings are to be completed before the lecture on the day on which they are to be discussed.

·         If you have a paper due, come to class with your paper assembled and stapled for submission.  All papers will be typed and will use MLA documentation. 

·         Regular, active attendance. 

·         Please do not use ANY tobacco products in the classroom; do not wear hats or caps. 

·         Do not bring pagers or cell phones with audible notifications into the classroom.

·         Failure to comply with these requests will be seen as denoting lack of respect for the class, the instructor, and your classmates.

Coursework:

• Short (1-2 pages) critical responses to each assigned reading. You do not have to do any research or additional reading, but should merely write about the ideas you had while reading.
• Short essay (3-4 pages) in which you discuss how Native people are misrepresented in today’s popular culture (use 1-3 examples).
• Two analytical essays (8-10 pages each) in which you explore in depth one or more works of Native American literature or film, or an issue affecting contemporary Native communities.
• A group oral presentation.
• A final exam in which you discuss (in essay form) the works read during the semester. Your discussion should show an ability to synthesize class readings and discussions with your own original insights.

Attendance Policy:

Understanding that there will be times that you will need to miss class due to illness or emergency, I urge you to remember that regular attendance is an essential ingredient to doing well in a course.  In this class, you may miss class if you need to; keep in mind, however, that none of the work assigned during your absences can be made up for credit.  This means that it will be your responsibility to contact me or someone else in the class to find out what you have missed in order to submit it by the due date; no extensions will be allowed on daily assignments.  Because this class depends heavily upon discussion, you may miss essential information about the novels that we are discussing when you are absent.  Periodically, I will do a roll check during the semester.  On these days, you will receive ten points for being in class.  If you happen to be absent on these days, you will not receive credit.  Please make every effort to be in class on time, and exercise professional judgment when deciding whether to enter a class once it is in session.     

Late Assignments/Rewrites:

You may submit late papers, however, I will deduct 10% from your paper grade every day that it continues to be late.  I will allow you one extension (usually, of an extra week) on an assignment of your choice; due to time constraints, however, this will not apply to the last assignment for the course.  No other late work will be accepted.

I will allow rewrites on any paper (up to the last two weeks of the semester).  If the rewrite is acceptable (if you have made the corrections, followed the guidelines and suggestions for revision noted on the paper, and turned the paper in within one week) you will receive a 10% higher grade.  Do not forget to submit the original, graded essay with your rewrite. 

Papers that do not display a university level of written proficiency will not be accepted.      

E-Mail Addresses:

It is imperative that we have a means of communicating with each other outside of class.  To this end, I require all students to establish an e-mail account where I (and others in the class) can reach you if the need should arise.  Occasionally, I will send course e-mails to the entire class which will remind you of upcoming assignments and readings, will give advice on class assignments, will answer commonly asked questions, will announce extra credit opportunities, etc.  Please check your e-mail several times a week so that you remain informed of all updates.  

Academic Integrity:

Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty.  Plagiarism is representing someone else's ideas or work as your own.  To avoid plagiarism, when you use someone else's data, arguments, designs, words, ideas, project, etc., you must make it clear that the work originated with someone else by citing the source. Please review the Student Code of Responsibilities and Conduct published by Rogers State University for a full discussion of “Code of Academic Conduct” and plagiarism penalties.  The RSU web site has links to the “Code.” Students found plagiarizing are subject to penalties.

RSU Communications and Fine Arts Definition of Plagiarism:

The RSU Student Code defines plagiarism as “presenting the work of another as one’s own (i.e., without proper acknowledgment of the source or sources), or submitting material that is not entirely one’s own work without attributing the unoriginal portions to their correct sources. The sole exception to the requirement of acknowledging sources occurs when ideas or information are common knowledge” (see Title 12 in the Student Code, available online at www.rsu.edu/scode).

Integrating the words and ideas of others into your own work is an important feature of academic expression.  But plagiarism occurs whenever we incorporate the intellectual property of others into our own work without proper acknowledgement of whose words, ideas, or other original material we are bringing into our work, either with quotation marks and direct mention of the source or through other means of clear and precise acknowledgement. 

Plagiarism can of course be a purely intentional attempt at deceit, but whether or not there is conscious intent to deceive, plagiarism occurs any time you do not give proper acknowledgement of others’ contributions to your work.  Ignorance of the responsibility of acknowledging sources is not a legitimate defense against a charge of plagiarism, any more than not knowing the speed limit on a given road makes a person stopped for speeding less at fault.  Since the consequences of being charged with plagiarism are serious, the Communications and Fine Arts Department has adopted the following definition of plagiarism to ensure your more precise understanding of what constitutes plagiarism, intentional or unintentional. 

1. It is plagiarism to copy another’s words directly and present them as your own without quotation marks and direct indication of whose words you are copying.  All significant phrases, clauses, and passages copied from another source require quotation marks and proper acknowledgement, down to the page number(s) of printed texts.*

Source material from the “Notice” to Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: “Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.”

Plagiarized: Surely it is an exaggeration to say that persons attempting to find a moral in Huckleberry Finn will be banished and persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot. 

Proper acknowledgement of source: Perhaps the author is exaggerating when he says that “persons attempting to find a moral” in his novel “will be banished” and “persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot” (Twain 3).

Note that even brief clauses and phrases copied from source material require quotation marks. Also note that acknowledging the source without putting the quoted words in quotation marks is still plagiarism: put all quoted words in quotation marks.

2. It is plagiarism to paraphrase another writer’s work by altering some words but communicating the same essential point(s) made by the original author without proper acknowledgment.  Though quotation marks are not needed with paraphrasing, you must still acknowledge the original source directly.

Source material from Adolph Hitler, by John Tolland: “Ignored by the West, the Soviet Union once more looked to Germany.  Early in 1939 it accepted a Hitler overture to discuss a new trade treaty by inviting one of Ribbentrop’s aides to Moscow; and a few days later Stalin gave credence to a sensational story in the London News Chronicle that he was signing a non-aggression pact with the Nazis” (721).

Plagiarized: When Western nations continued to shun the Soviet Union, the Russians drew closer to Germany, meeting with a senior Nazi official in Moscow to arrange a trade agreement in early 1939.  Shortly after, Stalin admitted his intent to sign a pact of non-aggression with Germany.

Proper acknowledgement of source: In Adolph Hitler, John Tolland notes that when Western nations continued to shun the Soviet Union, the Russians drew closer to Germany, meeting with a senior Nazi official in Moscow to arrange a trade agreement in early 1939.  Shortly after, Stalin admitted his intent to sign a pact of non-aggression with Germany (721).

3. Plagiarism includes presenting someone else’s ideas or factual discoveries as your own.  If you follow another person’s general outline or approach to a topic, presenting another’s original thinking or specific conclusions as your own, you must cite the source even if your work is in your own words entirely.  When you present another’s statistics, definitions, or statements of fact in your own work, you must also cite the source.

Example 1: Say that you read Paul Goodman’s “A Proposal to Abolish Grading,” in which he claims that an emphasis on grades results in students’ caring more about grades than learning subject matter, causing them to have a bad attitude when their grades are low and sometimes even leading them to cheating.  In order to make these same essential points in your own work without plagiarizing—even if your development of these ideas differs markedly from Goodman’s in examples and order of presentation—you must still acknowledge Goodman as the basis for your approach to the topic.

Plagiarized: Abolishing grades at the college level would allow students to focus on subject matter instead of grades, it would prevent students from getting a bad attitude towards a class when they receive low grades, and it would virtually eliminate the temptation to cheat or plagiarize.

Proper acknowledgement of source: As Paul Goodman argues in “A Proposal to Abolish Grading,” doing away with grades would allow students to focus on subject matter instead of grades, it would prevent students from getting a bad attitude towards a class when they receive low grades, and it would virtually eliminate the temptation to cheat or plagiarize.

Example 2: If you found a source indicating that Americans consume more beer on Friday than on any other day of the week, to make this claim in your work you must cite the source to avoid plagiarism.  If the source indicated that American beer-drinking on Fridays accounts for 21% of the whole week’s total consumption, mentioning this statistic, or even approximating it, requires acknowledgement of the source.

Plagiarized: Americans consume more beer on Fridays than on any other day of the week.
Proper acknowledgement of source: Americans consume more beer on Fridays than on any other day of the week (Cox 31).

Plagiarized: Beer consumption on Fridays accounts for more than 20% of total U.S. consumption throughout the week.
Proper acknowledgement of source: Beer consumption on Fridays accounts for more than 20% of total U.S. consumption throughout the week (Cox 31).

4. Plagiarism includes allowing someone else to prepare work that you present as your own.

Allowing a friend, parent, tutor, or anyone else to compose any portion of work you present as your own is plagiarism.  Note that plagiarism includes copying, downloading, or purchasing an essay or any other material in part or in whole via the Internet.  Note also that plagiarism includes using online “translator programs” in foreign language classes.

5. Plagiarism applies in other media besides traditional written texts, including, but not limited to, oral presentations, graphs, charts, diagrams, artwork, video and audio compositions, and other electronic media such as web pages, PowerPoint presentations, and postings to online discussions.

Conclusion:

·         If you are uncertain about any portion or aspect of this definition of plagiarism, ask your instructor to clarify or explain immediately.  If at any point later in the semester you have questions about potential plagiarism issues, talk to your instructor about them before submitting the work in question.

·         Students who plagiarize often feel pressured into submitting plagiarized work because they have either struggled with the assignment or waited until the last minute to get the work under way.  You will always be better served discussing your situation with your instructor, however grim it seems, rather than submitting any work that is not entirely your own. 

*The examples of proper acknowledgement of sources above follow the MLA (Modern Language Association) conventions for in-text parenthetical citation used in English classes and many other courses in the humanities.  The parenthetical references point the reader to a list of “Works Cited” at the end of an essay.  Other courses and disciplines may follow different conventions, such as footnotes, endnotes, or a variety of other methods of documentation (APA, Chicago Style, etc.) 

Course and section:___________________________  

CFA Plagiarism Definition Acknowledgement

I understand and accept the following definition of plagiarism:

1. It is plagiarism to copy another’s words directly and present them as your own without quotation marks and direct indication of whose words you are copying.  All significant phrases, clauses, and passages copied from another source require quotation marks and proper acknowledgement, down to the page number(s) of printed texts.

2. It is plagiarism to paraphrase another writer’s work by altering some words but communicating the same essential point(s) made by the original author without proper acknowledgment.  Though quotation marks are not needed with paraphrasing, you must still acknowledge the original source directly.

3. Plagiarism includes presenting someone else’s ideas or factual discoveries as your own.  If you follow another person’s general outline or approach to a topic, presenting another’s original thinking or specific conclusions as your own, you must cite the source even if your work is in your own words entirely.  When you present another’s statistics, definitions, or statements of fact in your own work, you must also cite the source.

4. Plagiarism includes allowing someone else to prepare work that you present as your own.

5. Plagiarism applies in other media besides traditional written texts, including, but not limited to, oral presentations, graphs, charts, diagrams, artwork, video and audio compositions, and other electronic media such as web pages, PowerPoint presentations, and postings to online discussions.

My signature below indicates that I have read and do understand and accept the “RSU Communications and Fine Arts Definition of Plagiarism,” which contains examples and explanation of the various types of plagiarism listed above. 

Print your name here:                                                    Sign your name here:
__________________________________            _________________________________   

Rogers State University ADA Statement

If you have special physical, psychiatric or learning disabilities, please let me know immediately so that your learning needs may be appropriately met.  You will need to provide documentation to the office of Student Relations, Prep. Hall 110.

Computer Labs

Computers are available in the UPA, Thunderbird Library, and Student Support Services.  Computers are available for class use in BH 205.

Closure Statement

The schedule and procedures in this course are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances.