Time Traveling & Island Hopping: Connecting the Stories

(English 272M & History 288 Learning Community)

Fall 2009, WF 12:15-3:00 p.m. in Olona 205

ENG 272M (31895) – DL & WI Asian & Pacific Literature	HIST 288 (31793) – DH, WI & HAP Survey of Pacific Islands History
Instructor: Sheldon Hershinow	Instructor: Colette Higgins
Office: Kalia 229	Ohia 103B
Telephone: 734-9413	Telephone: 734-9174
Email: shel@hawaii.edu	Email: chiggins@hawaii.edu
Office Hours: Wed & Fri 11:00-12:00 p.m. & by appt.	Office Hours: Mon 2:00-3:00 p.m., Wed & Fri 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. & by appt.
	Web site: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~chiggins/

PREREQUISITE: Completion of English 100, 160, or ESL 100 with a grade of “C” or higher.

COURSE DESCRIPTION

A study of the history and selected literature of the Pacific Islands, focusing on the interaction between cultures, dealing with such themes as place and identity, the meeting of conflicting cultural norms and ideals, colonialism and the response of societies to change, assimilation and alienation. A Service Learning option is provided for those students who want to incorporate community service into their course work. History 288 fulfills both KCC’s and UHM’s HAP requirement in that it provides a native voice to Pacific islands history and includes topics about Hawaii in at least 10 of the 15 weeks.

AA DEGREE COMPETENCIES (KCC Catalog 2008-2009, pg. 117-118)

◊ Critical Thinking (2, 5, 7, 9)

◊ Information Retrieval & Technology (1, 4, 5)

◊ Oral Communication (5, 6)

◊ Written Communication (1-9)

◊ Understanding Self & Community (1-5)

COURSE OBJECTIVES / COMPETENCIES

· Demonstrate an understanding of how geography, migration, identity and sense of place contribute to the complexity of cultural change and cultural persistence in island communities.

· Demonstrate knowledge of culture contact among Native peoples and between Natives and outsiders.

· Describe the process of colonization and decolonization for various Pacific Island nations.

· Demonstrate working knowledge of contemporary issues in Oceania.

· Demonstrate knowledge of some of the 20^th century Pacific authors and their literary works and themes.

· Explain the importance of storytelling in Pacific Island history and literature.

· Analyze a work of literature as a reflection of its cultural milieu and compare that milieu with one’s own.

· Examine both the universality of human experience as well as the qualities that make a particular ethnic or culture group distinct.

· Produce clear and effective written responses to literature.

· Access and retrieve information using electronic media.

· __________________________________________________________________________

· __________________________________________________________________________

REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS

q Robert Barclay's Melal: A Novel of the Pacific

q O.A. Bushnell’s Ka’a’awa: A Novel About Hawaii in the 1850s

q I.C. Campbell’s A History of the Pacific Islands

q Patricia Grace’s Potiki

q Epeli Hau’ofa’s Tales of the Tikongs

q Milton Murayama's All I Asking for Is My Body

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED READINGS

Students will need to retrieve additional required readings using Laulima. Point your browser to https://laulima.hawaii.edu and use your UH username and password to log in. These readings are located under Resources and are formatted as Portable Document Files (.pdf). Thus, you will need to be able to regularly access your Laulima account and have a program like Adobe Acrobat Reader which will open these “pdf” files ranging in size from 72 KB to 2.4 MB.

REQUIRED SUPPLIES

Three Scantron Forms (No. 883-ES)

These sheets have 50 multiple choice questions on the front, fifteen matching questions on the back, and a lined section on the back labeled “Short Essay/Completion.”

COURSE STRATEGY

While a lot of thought and planning has gone into creating the structure of this Learning Community you should know that it is still a work in progress and we welcome your feedback. We (teachers & students) will be learning from each other. We expect you to be prepared for each class and to fully participate in the learning that is occurring. You will notice that your instructors have very different approaches to teaching, but ultimately we have common goals for our students – we want you to think, make connections, understand multiple perspectives, and develop a cross-cultural understanding that will help you better understand your own beliefs and values. We believe that these common goals can be achieved through storytelling and time traveling. When you’re reading a novel you can vicariously immerse yourself in another culture, or see it from the inside out. When you’re learning history you can examine past events from the perspective of its historical characters, and see its impact over time. This is a course in READING, WRITING, THINKING, and DISCOVERING. We are on this journey together. Welcome aboard.

EVALUATION
ENGLSH 272M
Writing Assignments	3x100 points each =	300	(23%)
Literature Album	1x100 points each =	100	(8%)
Travelogue	1x50 points each =	50	(4%)
HISTORY 288
Unit Examinations	3x100 points each =	300	(23%)
Writing Project (3 parts)	(25 + 50 + 75) =	150	(12%)
COMMON
Class/Homework Assignments	=	220	(17%)
Think/Writes	6x15 pts ea, 2x20 pts ea =	130	(10%)
Group Presentation	1x50 points each =	50	(4%)
	Total points possible =	1300

Please note that you will be receiving one letter grade that will be applied to both courses on your transcript.

ENGLISH 272M WRITING ASSIGNMENTS

Written Communication

Critical Thinking

Writing is a way in which we can discover feelings and ideas and begin to define—and refine—our responses to literature. Knowing what happens at the plot level is the beginning point for the study of literature. Response, interpretation and analysis proceed from there. The in-class activities, think/writes, travelogue, and literature album are all intended to help prepare you for the three formal writing assignments that deal specifically with the literary texts. The intent is to help you, in a sense, build the papers from the inside. You will be given a choice of topics and have the opportunity for peer feedback before submitting a final draft. Papers are due by midnight on the day they are due. Late papers will be assessed a penalty of five points for each class day a paper is late. If you are having trouble writing the paper or cannot meet the deadline, you should talk to Shel ahead of time. These papers are, in a sense, public and may be shared with the class as a whole. THE FIRST TWO PAPERS MAY BE REVISED FOR A NEW GRADE, to be averaged with the old grade. For each paper you should attach a process and self-assessment reflection—a paragraph or two in which you discuss the paper’s strengths and weaknesses: What were the particular challenges the paper presented and how did you go about meeting them? With what degree of success?

ENGLISH 272M LITERATURE ALBUM

Understanding Self & Community

Written Communication

The album is a way for you to keep a record of your developing thoughts about Asian-Pacific literature that you share with classmates and the instructor. The idea is that you 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. Please refer to the Literature Album guidelines on the course web site for more details.

ENGLISH 272M TRAVELOGUE

Understanding Self & Community

Written Communication

One of the most important activities in this class will be informal writing--writing that allows you to express your feelings, explore ideas, and try out new thoughts. Your travelogue will be made up of all your informal writing, including freewriting and other in-class writing, plus the eight Think/Writes. The travelogue is particularly helpful for synthesizing and evaluating ideas. It can also help you to find what you want to say in your "published" Think/Writes every other week. Please refer to the Travelogue guideline on the course web site for more details.

HISTORY 288 EXAMINATIONS

Information Retrieval & Technology

Critical Thinking

To measure knowledge and understanding of historical information, there will be three examinations that will include in-class objective questions (i.e. multiple choice, matching) and take-home essay questions. By allowing essay questions to be taken home, the instructor hopes to promote a more critical analysis of course content. The take-home essay questions will be given to students the class day prior to the objective exam, and your essay is due on exam day. I will not accept late essays (see Class Schedule online for exam dates). Exam questions will be based on reading assignments and the material presented in class lectures. A study guide for each unit is available on the instructor’s web site. These study guides should help students focus on the important concepts, terms, and people. You must come prepared for each exam with your scantron form, #2 pencil, and an eraser. Examinations cannot be made up without a good reason, and a student may be asked to provide written documentation to take a make up exam (i.e. doctor's or employer's note). Make up exams are essay in nature and must be taken at the testing center in the library.

HISTORY 288 WRITING PROJECT

Written Communication

Critical Thinking

To teach writing as a process, there will be one writing project that must be done in three parts over the course of the semester to earn full credit. Each part of the assignment will require you to submit a computer generated paper (see Writing Project online for specific details). You may submit drafts of each part to the instructor for review and feedback, but drafts will only be accepted up to one week prior to a paper's deadline. You will need to meet specific deadlines for each part of this project (see Class Schedule). Late papers will not be accepted for Parts I & II because there will be in-class peer review sessions directly related to these. Late papers will be accepted for Part III, but will be assessed a penalty of five points for each class day a paper is late. Students who attempt to put papers in the instructor’s mail tray, or send it via e-mail, will assume all risks and responsibilities inherent in those methods of submission.

CLASS/HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

Understanding Self & Community

Oral Communication

To truly experience the power of a learning community you must attend class and participate in the various activities. Two hundred and twenty points (or 17 % of your grade) will come from class assignments, which vary from 3 to 10 points, depending on the level of difficulty and the time needed to complete each assignment. These class assignments will include focused freewrites, small group discussions, and answering questions based on videos shown in class. In general, class assignments will be completed during class, but if time doesn’t permit and/or more thought is needed, students will be asked to complete the task as homework. For History based class assignments that you do as homework, please note that they will be accepted “late” (i.e. past the preferred deadline announced in class), but only while we’re still working on that unit.

THINK/WRITES

Understanding Self & Community

Written Communication

To help you make connections between your existing knowledge and the new insights and information being acquired in this class, you will write eight Think/Write assignments during the semester. These will give you the opportunity to share your perspective on what has been happening in class during the previous weeks. You will be choosing from a list of Think/Write questions on the instructor’s web site. Questions will be added to the list on a weekly basis, and students are encouraged to submit potential Think/Write questions for extra credit. Each Think/Write should be approximately 250-500 words in length and must be posted in the discussion area of Laulima by 11:59 p.m. on the date it’s due (see Class Schedule for due dates).

Be mindful that your readers for these Think/Writes are your classmates and the instructors. Since everyone already knows what the class has been doing, you need to do more than a retelling. Instead, answer the question with YOUR thoughts and ideas. We want you to share your experiences and points-of-view regarding the various issues raised in class. Students must read all Think/Writes posted by their classmates by the class day after the due date so we can have an “open forum” discussion about what students learned from their classmates’ Think/Writes.

These Think/Writes are part of your travelogue, so be sure to include them. If you choose the Service Learning option, you will submit four Journals instead of Think/Writes #1, 3, 5 & 7 (see pg. 6 & 8 of this syllabus), however you must still do Think/Writes #2, 4, 6 & 8. Late Think/Writes (or Service Learning journals) will not be accepted (see Class Schedule for due dates).

GROUP PRESENTATION

Oral Communication

Critical Thinking

This assignment is intended to help you pull together the various sub-themes of the course by sharing individual insights with working groups and the class as a whole. Each group can choose a more specific topic from the following: the importance of place; storytelling; identity; assimilation and alienation; colonialism and post-colonialism; conflicting cultural norms and ideals; insiders and outsiders; the response of Pacific Island societies to a changing world. These themes will have been connecting threads throughout the semester. The job of each group is to help the rest of the class gain more insight into or knowledge of the topic. Feel free to make the presentation fun—dress like historical or literary characters, play roles, bring props, re-arrange the room. Just be sure to provide insight into the topic. Also, students should include an entry about their group's topic in their travelogue.

A SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING COLLABORATIVE LEARNING AND PLAGIARISM

In this class we expect you to be helping each other. We will even ask you to read drafts of each others' papers and give feedback to help each other improve your papers before handing them in. This is not cheating. We want you to share insights with each other, outside of class as well as in class, if you like. And we encourage you to get help with your papers. BUT ANY WRITING YOU DO MUST BE YOUR OWN. You should get ideas and insights from wherever you can, especially from your classmates. But you must make the ideas your own by synthesizing them in your own way and by expressing them in your own words. Collaboration is not the same thing as plagiarism. Just keep in mind that the purpose of plagiarism is usually to cover up ignorance or to get a better grade than you think you could get on your own. The purpose of collaboration, on the other hand, is to help each other learn. As with murder, intent is all-important. If you are not sure of the difference, keep asking until you get an answer that makes sense to you. Students should consult the Student Conduct Code at http://kcc.hawaii.edu/page/policies#2 for specific examples of cheating and plagiarism, and its consequences.

KCC RESOURCES

o Various workshops are offered here at Kapi‘olani Community College to assist students with their study skills. The Secrets of Success (SOS) series of workshops are strongly recommended to all college students, especially first year students who find it difficult to cope with the many challenges of college life. For the Fall 2009 SOS schedule go to http://library.kcc.hawaii.edu/SOS/schedule.html.

o Extended time for exams in a distraction-free environment is an appropriate accommodation based on a student's disability. If you have a disability and have not voluntarily disclosed the nature of your disability and the support you need, you are invited to contact the Disability Support Services Office (DSSO) at 734-9552 (V/TTY), 'Ilima 103, for assistance.

o This and all other materials are available in alternate format upon request.

EXTRA CREDIT OPTION (maximum of 50 points)

Students are encouraged to watch for articles in newspapers & magazines, programs on television, and events around town for reaction paper topics. If you find anything relating to this learning community and would like to write an extra credit reaction paper on it, you should consult with an instructor first to verify its relevance. You may also attend the Secrets of Success (SOS) workshops, answer additional Think/Write questions, or propose Think/Write questions for extra credit. A typical extra credit assignment is worth 10 points and usually consists of a reaction paper (250-500 words in length). Handwritten extra credit papers will be accepted only if they are legible. You may submit these throughout the semester. See Class Schedule for the final extra credit deadline.

SERVICE LEARNING OPTION (SL)

Written Communication

Understanding Self & Community

Critical Thinking

Kapi‘olani Community College's Service Learning Program encourages students to serve in the community as a way to integrate "real life" experiences with classroom learning. It can be a very rewarding experience as you "learn to serve and serve to learn." If you choose this option you will need to complete a minimum of 20 hours of service during the semester at an approved site. If you are already doing Service Learning, and you think that it could apply to this course, you should meet with an instructor to discuss the possibility of continuing that service for this class.

Approved Site	Contact	Phone # or email
International Cafe	Linda Fujikawa	734-9712 or lindaf@hawaii.edu
S.H.I.N.E. (starts: 9/5/09)	Candice Sakuda	csakuda@chaminade.edu
Adopt an Ahupua’a	Nelda Quensell	734-9428 or nquensel@hawaii.edu
Palolo Pipeline Project	Ulla Hasager	956-4218 or ulla@hawaii.edu
‘Iolani Palace	Volunteer Services Asst.	522-0821 or info@iolanipalace.org
Mission Houses Museum	Elizabeth Nosek	enosek@missionhouses.org
Kalaupapa Names Project	Colette Higgins	chiggins@hawaii.edu
Celebrate Reading	Lorna Hershinow	hershinow@gmail.com

You may serve at a site that is not listed here if we can determine its relevance to this class.

Requirements

1. Attend a Service Learning Orientation session. There are eleven scheduled at various times between 9/2 and 9/15.

2. Submit the Community Partner Agreement by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, September 21^st in Naio 214.

3. Follow the Service Learning Office guidelines and complete the necessary forms by the required deadlines. Go to http://www.kcc.hawaii.edu/object/servicelearning.html for more information.

4. You will substitute SL Journals for Think/Writes # 1, 3, 5 & 7. Watch for the special SL Journal questions in the online list of Think/Write questions. Like the Think/Writes, your readers for these SL journals are your classmates and the instructors who may comment on what you’ve written during the “open forums.”

5. In addition, if you choose this option you must submit a SL Reflection Essay (double-spaced, about 500-800 words in length) that will count for 30 extra credit points. In this paper you will summarize what you learned and explain how your SL experience helped meet at least one of the course objectives/ competencies listed on page one of this syllabus. This should be a polished paper (i.e. well organized, clearly written, free of grammar and spelling errors). Due: December 7^th (submit three copies; one to each instructor & one to the SL office via Laulima)

A Sampling of Service Learning

If you can’t commit this semester to 20 hours of service at one site, but you’d like to give Service Learning a try, you may participate in instructor-announced service opportunities throughout the semester. The hope is that you will experience the benefits of SL and will consider a 20 hour commitment in a future semester. These will be stand alone service events that are usually held on Saturdays.

Requirements

1. You may choose to participate in whichever events fit your schedule:

a. Lo`i kalo (taro patch) at Waialua on September 27^th or Ulupo Heiau on October 10^th.

b. Waikalua Loko I`a Fishpond on September 12^th or November 14^th

c. Kaniakapupupu (Kamehameha III’s Summer Palace) on October 4^th

d. Other events that may be announced as opportunities present themselves.

2. You will need to inform the instructor of your intent to participate by the deadline specified for the event. This can be done in person or via email.

3. You will have the option of answering Think/Write questions about your service experience.

ADVICE FOR A SUCCESSFUL SEMESTER

Don't miss class. It is not possible to pass this college course by merely showing up for the examinations and submitting the required papers. As instructors, we have frequently observed the direct correlation between class attendance and a student's final course grade. To successfully pass this class you need to attend regularly.

Be mindful of deadlines. Do not procrastinate! Students are responsible for knowing when papers are due. Failure on the teachers’ part to remind students when assignments are due, does not constitute a valid excuse. It is your job to know. A Class Schedule has been provided online to assist you in your time management. Do not miss the due dates for the writing assignments in this course, since it is nearly impossible to make up the points. Only 50 extra credit points are allowed in this course, therefore it is not practical to think that you can make up the missed points with extra credit. As your instructors, we can tell you that this strategy rarely works.

Do the assigned readings before class. This will help you understand the lectures and will enable you to participate in class discussions. You may want to attend the Secrets of Success Textbook Reading Strategies workshop to learn how to be an active reader.

Take good lecture notes. While lecture outlines are provided for you on the web site and Powerpoints will be used during lectures (and posted on Laulima), students are responsible for all supporting information as well. If you do not take additional notes based on what the teacher says, then you are not getting the most out of each lecture. The key to easy studying is good note taking. You may want to attend the Secrets of SuccessTaking Notes in Collegeworkshop to learn notetaking strategies.

Ask questions. Don't be afraid to ask questions. All inquires will be welcomed by the instructors. Please ask for clarification on information and assignments at the moment of confusion, even if it means "interrupting" the lecture or discussion. Whenever you’re confused, let the instructors know. If you say nothing, we assume you understand the material.

Talk to the instructors. We are here to assist you. Feel free to talk to us if you are having any difficulties in class. Even if you are not having difficulties, you are invited to visit with us in our offices. Let's get to know each other.

Be considerate. It is essential that you listen to what is being discussed in class and participate in a respectful manner. Be considerate of the instructors and your peers by refraining from any unnecessary side conversations. During class, please turn off your cellular phones or put them on vibrator to avoid any interruptions. It is considered rude to answer your phone in class and carry-on a phone conversation. Please do not text message or surf the internet during class lectures or discussions. Please make every attempt to be in class by the starting time. If you are late, try to be as inconspicuous as possible when entering the classroom. If, for some unavoidable reason, you need to leave class early, please inform one of the instructors at the start of class and sit near the door to make for an easier exit with minimal distraction.

Forwarding e-mail. Please note that important information from the college and your instructors will be sent to your hawaii.edu e-mail address. Faculty are required to use this e-mail address when corresponding with their students. If you don’t regularly check that e-mail and would prefer to receive your messages through a non-University account that you already have, you may forward mail from hawaii.edu. Go to http://myuhinfo.hawaii.edu/object/IO_695.html for specific directions on how to do it.

If both instructors are absent,

college policy requires students to wait 15 minutes before leaving.

GRADE BREAKDOWN WORKSHEET

This sheet has been provided for your convenience. Recording your points as you get the results can be very useful in determining your grade for this course. For individualized grade advising, please make an appointment. Last day to withdraw from this class with a "W" is Tuesday, October 27, 2009.

CLASS ASSIGNMENTS (220 points total)

ENG 272M HIST 288

Potiki paper (100 pts)	Exam #1 (100 pts)
Ka’a’awa paper (100 pts)	Exam #2 (100 pts)
Melal paper (100 pts)	Exam #3 (100 pts)
Literature Album (100 pts)	Writing Project
Travelogue (50 pts)	Part I (25 pts)
	Part II (50 pts)
	Part III (75 pts)

Think/Writes & SL Journals Extra Credit (10 pts. ea.)

Think/Write #1 (or SL Journal) 15 pts

Think/Write #2 (Tikongs) 20 pts

Think/Write #3 (or SL Journal) 15 pts

Think/Write #4 15 pts

Think/Write #5 (or SL Journal) 15 pts

Think/Write #6 (All I Asking...) 20 pts

Think/Write #7 (or SL Journal) 15 pts

Think/Write #8 15 pts

Group Presentation (50 pts)

Final Grade Breakdown

A = 1170-1300	C = 910-1039
B = 1040-1169	D = 780-909