Requirements (Fall 2022)
Late Paper Policy: Deadlines are strict. Barring personal crisis, family emergency, or illness, all late papers will be subject to one half grade point off (out of 10) per day late. I do not give paper extensions for time management issues. I also cannot guarantee detailed comments for late assignments. If you are struggling, please reach out and talk to me! We can come up with an alternative plan together.
2) Five informal blog commentaries (35%)
- Comments on your blog partner's Moodle forum due the following Monday, 8 pm.
Analysis of a contemporary event, controversy, performance, media product, or set of debates about race/ethnicity and transnational China utilizing anthropological approaches to racialization (defining your terms!), with reference to course materials (at least 5 course texts) and credible sources on relevant contexts and histories.
4) Extra Credit!!
Attend an online "race" or "ethnicity" or China-related lecture or event at Reed or elsewhere and upload to our Moodle Course-Related Announcements, News and Events forum an informal commentary (250 words) relating the event to issues raised in course readings/films.
Avoid Plagiarism! Plagiarism is the failure to acknowledge one's use of another's work. Many people mistakenly believe that plagiarism can occur only if the writer willfully appropriates someone else's words or ideas in a paper. This is not the case. Whether by intent or by omission, plagiarism occurs whenever one utilizes another's language, concepts, or creative work in any medium and fails to accurately cite the author or source. The Reed Honor Principle, which you have agreed to uphold as a student at Reed College, prohibits such acts of academic dishonesty. To avoid plagiarism, take comprehensive, accurate notes and consult a writers' manual for the proper form with which to cite your sources. More questions? See the Doyle Writing Center's Guidelines on Plagiarism and Citation.
Course Organization:
Classes will revolve around faculty and student-led discussions of course readings and video clips. The main assignment is a series of five informal blog commentaries on the course materials, which will culminate in a final paper proposal. This work will be interactive all along, with assigned blog commentary partners reading and commenting on each other's commentaries. We will switch blog partners three times across the semester. Your commentaries will help you prepare for your final 10-12 page paper, in which you will discuss and analyze a relevant event, controversy, performance, media product, or set of debates with reference to anthropological approaches to race, ethnicity and racialization and course materials (at least five course texts), in addition to credible sources on the contexts and histories of your chosen event(s).
I will expect your avid participation--including regular attendance, prompt completion of assignments, and active involvement in discussions and Moodle forums whenever possible. In fact, participation will comprise a significant portion of your grade. Beginning week 2 class members will take turns posting discussion questions on the class moodle and helping to lead class discussions. Further, all students will sign up to be "film discussants" in class and online for at least 2 of the 5 assigned films.
Reading and writing assignments are meant to encourage close, critical engagement with the history and cultural politics of race, ethnicity and other forms of social differentiation, hierarchy and inequality in transnational China, as well as your thoughtful reflection on the issues they raise in the context of the anthropological perspective on racialization presented in class. The reading load is moderate and it is assigned per week. On average, you should expect to put in two to three hours of work outside of class for every hour of in-class time.
In the online syllabus, in addition to assignment guidelines, weekly further readings, links and related films are provided for your use. These materials are especially relevant or provide differing viewpoints; they offer points of departure for deepening your understanding of particular issues.
Required readings are marked on the syllabus for where they can be found. Several books are available in the bookstore (these have multiple chapters assigned); they will also be on book reserve (some in the form of ebooks). In addition, all required readings are available on-line, through ereserves. Ereserves can be accessed at the top of the course Moodle page. Please let me know if you have any trouble obtaining the readings. To facilitate discussion, you should have all the readings for the day and your notes ready to consult during class.
For Guidelines on how we will organize our interactions online, see the Anth 363/CRES 393 Online Interactions Guidelines.
Sensitive Topics and Ethical Use of Images
Anthropology courses address some of the most sensitive issues humans face (kinship, race, gender, sexuality, class inequality, violence, state politics, etc.). At the same time, class discussion is the central activity of this course and students are required to be proactive in their preparation for it. I define active participation in class as promoting a positive and inclusive learning environment through respectful discourse with students and me about the topics at hand. While most of our readings, films and assignments will not directly portray graphic or violent material, I will use "Content Notes" to alert class members to any such content ahead of time. I prefer that term (vs. "Trigger warnings") because it avoids psychologizing us and does not assume what our responses to material will be. I also prefer the more neutral-sounding "Content Notes" because it encourages us not to prematurely foreclose our engagements with difficult material, but just to be aware of our own needs and to provide extra care for ourselves if necessary.
Similarly, please be thoughtful and respectful in your image-sharing practices (in your blogs, photo essays, and Moodle posts). All images or videos shared with class members or me should be framed or contextualized with some information about their sources, why they are relevant to the discussion and any Content Notes you feel are needed.
Disability and Accessibility Resources and this course
If you have a disability that may impact your work in this class and you have received an accommodations letter from Disability and Accessibility Resources, I encourage you to meet with me early in the semester or as soon as possible after receiving your letter. Discussing your accommodation needs early on can help clarify expectations and allow time to implement accommodations that require some coordination. If you have not yet requested accommodations through Disability and Accessibility Resources for this semester, or you are interested in learning about disability and accessibility resources at Reed, I encourage you to contact DAR at dar@reed.edu to request an appointment.
Ilness-related Absences
When your health allows, you are expected to be present and engaged in class. At the same time, each community member has an individual responsibility to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus and other infectious diseases. Following public health guidance is part of living in an honorable community.
The following recommendations should guide your decision about coming to class:
- Self-isolation is the recommended course of action for anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms, whether due to possible coronavirus or to other illnesses. Please stay at home if you feel sick, and contact the Health and Counseling Center (HCC) or your healthcare provider to discuss.
- If you test positive for COVID-19, you should not attend class for five days. Please contact the HCC and continue to isolate until you receive a negative antigen test, or until 10 days have passed since your positive test. You can find more information on Reed’s COVID policies here.
- The CDC suggests that people with the following symptoms may have COVID: fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea. As always, please consult a medical professional (members of the HCC or otherwise) if you have any questions about your health or health safety.
- If you need to miss a class, or series of classes, due to illness, self-isolation, and/or quarantine, you are responsible for emailing me to let me know as soon as possible. You are also responsible for coordinating with me to complete work that you might miss due to absences. I will always provide makeup options in cases of excused absence; this might include a written response, a Moodle post, or other check-in assignments.
Covid Protocol for Our Class
As a community of learners, we have obligations to protect one another’s health. Please wear your masks at all times in class. If you have a medical issue that will make this challenging for you, please see me and/or Disability and Accessibility Resources to discuss accommodations. It is also possible that we may have bigger disruptions due to COVID. We will navigate the situation together, and I will try to maintain open communication so that we all know what is going on.