LITERATURE ALBUM

Your literature album provides another way for you keep a record of your growing understanding of Asian and Pacific cultures that you share with your classmates and the instructor. It is also intended to help you make connections between what happens in class and the rest of your life, going back to childhood if you like. You will put in some sort of memento and then explain its significance for your development of cross-cultural understanding. Since English 272M is a literature course, I want you to give special emphasis to ways in which literary products (broadly interpreted to include books, movies, plays, even song lyrics) have helped you gain cross-cultural awareness. You can also include direct experiences, but I would like you to try to include in your reflection a connection to literature.

Supplies: One photo album. You don't necessarily need to buy a new one. You can temporarily take the photos out of one you or your parents already have and replace the photos at the end of the semester. Or you can buy photo pages that fit in a three ring binder, or you might even want to make your own album.

Album Entries:

a) Mementoes. For these you will want to include anything which has been important in your development of cross-cultural understanding. Maybe it's a xerox copy of a poem you particularly like or the cover of a book that is important to you or the program of a play or reading you attended. The possibilities are plentiful--use your imagination.

b) Reflections. For each memento you should write a page or two explaining why the memento is important to you. Describe how it relates to your understanding of other cultures. What were the circumstances in which you encountered it? For your reflections you can, if you like, include revised entries from your travelogue or even revised class commentaries.

Required Entries. Approximately half the entries should have a direct connection to Eng 272M.

Process: Midway through the semester we will ask you to bring your album-in-process to class and share it with a small group of classmates. On the last day of class you will share your completed album with classmates, and then submit it for formal evaluation.

Grading Criteria:

1. 7 - 10 entries (mementoes with reflective comments).

2. At least a few of the entries should be full, lengthy, descriptive.

3. Entries should be relevant to your development of cross-cultural awareness and approximately half should have a direct connection to Pacific Island literature or history.

4. The album should contain some good writing, without careless errors.

5. You should try for interesting layouts or visual presentations.

Meeting these 5 criteria in a minimum way (e.g. 7 entries, mostly short) will earn you a 'C'. Doing an outstanding job on 4 of the 5 criteria (and a good job on the 5th) will earn an 'A-'.