An Evergreen physicist responded, “Coverage is an illusion we use to
hypnotize ourselves into thinking we have done our job. We use it
to cover our butts for those who teach after us. With it we salve
our
conscience.” The movement in science now, he said, is to “find
the lively essentials.... Linkages among science, math, and the world
are desperately needed.” We’re losing potential science majors, he
said,
because we turn students off with survey courses that insist on the
facts and nothing but the facts, which few of them remember well months
later. What we need to do is teach students how to learn science
and
how to work in teams. LCs do both well. Yet he recommended
telling LC students, “If you plan to go on in science, see me about what
you may need to know beyond the focus of this program.”
Mathematicians and other scientists in the session agreed with this physicist. Again and again they claimed that each course can be distilled into ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES, typically five to seven, which can be effectively taught in an LC format. Similarly, philosophers, psychologists, and the like can say, “Here are the nine ‘big guns’ (or concepts or research findings) in our field that you absolutely must know and these are their essential ideas. Now let’s get on with thinking and ‘real learning.’” Of course this statement is overly symplistic, but the underlying idea is compelling: Once instructors have determined what students absolutely need to know to be proficient in an area, they CAN integrate them into the LC readings, activities, lectures, and assignments.
This semester, Spring 1999, Mark Lococo (communication arts) and I are
team-teaching a 6-credit course called “Love, War, and Videotape.”
The course integrates Introduction to Philosophy and Introduction to Film.
We began planning by separately determining what we considered essential
to our respective courses; we kept the essentials in mind as we played
with ideas for integrating texts and delivery; and with considerable
ease, we found appropriate places in the syllabus for all of the essentials.
So far, we’re having an exciting semester. Mark, the students, and
I are learning a lot together and discovering fascinating
connections between scopophilia (the love of seeing) and philosophy
(the love of wisdom).
Back to Table of Contents
In its third year “evolution” at UWBC, LEC 290: Ethnic Studies
Learning Community Seminar has a new theme and a new mix of instructors.
(Nancy Chick, Sue Mofle, and Bob Hasman from English; Sue Patrick from
History; and Renee Gralewicz from Sociology) Before the semester
began, the five instructors met to discuss this course based on insights
gained at the FIPSE Learning Communities Institute at Evergreen State University.
We identified three areas of revision: increasing enrollment by clarifying
the logistics of the cluster, unifying the course around a question about
American identity, and engaging students in the class more effectively.
Student retention will be determined by comparing the number of students enrolled in each course with the number of students returning the following semester. Student performance will be measured by comparing the GPA of control and learning community students. Academic history (ACT) will be used as a baseline for the data. Student development will be based on Perry’s model of cognitive development in which students move through various stages of intellectual development beginning with the view that absolute right answers exist for everything to a more relativistic point of view. Students will be given the Learning Environment Preferences survey (LEP), which consists of 5 sections, each representing a different aspect of learning environments. In each section, students are asked to rate characteristics of these environments in terms of their importance in contributing to an “ideal learning environment.” Pre- and post-evaluations will be used to measure patterns of intellectual development and changes in the complexity of students' thinking styles with respect to Perry's model. For our long-term assessment, students will be given the LEP as entering freshman and again before leaving the Colleges to measure their cognitive gains. Student attitudes about learning communities and the experience will be determined by group interviews (Small Group Instructional Diagnosis - SGID), conducted after mid-semester. These will also be used as formative evaluations to make improvements on the learning communities courses during the semester.
We will have two assessment plans: 1) a currently-running semester assessment
will provide data for the May 1999 conference in Seattle, and 2) a long-term
assessment will compare students upon entering and leaving the Colleges.
The one-semester assessment, for which we are currently collecting
data, will involve two groups of learning community courses: 1) Freshman
Seminar (LEC 100) and Composition I (ENG 101), both taught by Lisa Seale,
and 2) Indians of North American (ANT 314), taught by Ron Lippi, and Multicultural
Literature in America (ENG 278), taught by J. D. Whitney linked by Native
America (LEC 290). Students who are taking ENG 101, ANT 314, or ENG
278, but not the linking seminars will serve as the control groups.
The following table summarizes the data we have collected:
15-17
8/10
1.84
17/19
2.05
18-20
5/5
2.34
13/15
2.38
21-23
---
---
8/9
2.56
Total
87%
2.01
88%
2.27
ANT 314
Control
ENG 278
ACT Retention GPA Retention GPA
16-19
6/6
2.45
3/6
2.33
20-24
4/5
2.77
7/7
2.13
25-28
1/1
2.60
6/6
2.79
There were no significant differences noted between groups - most likely because data was only collected for one semester. Hopefully, the long term assessment should provide more interesting results. Students have just completed the post-evaluation LEP survey, and thus, the student development data has not yet been analyzed.
The student interviews indicate that the students in the Freshman Seminar
Learning Comunity did not recognize the course as a "learning community"
and instead identified it as a stand-alone Freshman Seminar, although the
instructor made numerous connections between ENG 101 and LEC 100.
The Native American Learning Community students (all sophomores) expressed
a strong appreciation for the overlap of content from the two courses.
This most likely indicates that students should be exposed to several learning
communities and need time in college to mature in order to fully appreciate
the value of the learning community experience.
Back to Table of Contents
Forming a Learning Community by linking two stand-alone courses through a one-credit seminar and enrolling a common cohort of students in each is a successful Learning Communities model in the UW Colleges. But Sarah Rudolph (Communication and Theatre Arts, UW-Marathon) and I thought we would like to try a variation on this model by linking two of our classes through the production of a play. We received the go-ahead from the Senate Curriculum Committee (CCC) in the form of approval of our course for the Interdisciplinary Studies (IS) Associate’s designation, with Kim Kostka, CCC Chair, writing, “The committee really liked how the two of you chose a laboratory-based course to link the two lecture/discussion-based courses. This is a new model for how to link courses in a learning community” (e-mail communication to author, November 17, 1998).
In Spring 2000, then, Sarah Rudolph will produce the play A Piece of My Heart in CTA 131: Theatre Lab, a one-credit theatre course for students working in various capacities on the production of a play. This course will serve as the linking course for a Learning Community formed by enrolling a common cohort of students in two three-credit courses offered the same semester, CTA 298/WOM 291: Images of Gender in Drama and Performance, taught by Sarah Rudolph, and ENG 370: A Theme in American Literature: Literature about the Vietnam War, which I am teaching. These courses will address issues raised by the play and will include both the play and the book of interviews on which the play is based in their syllabi. Students who enroll in both of these three-credit courses and in CTA 131 will receive three credits of Interdisciplinary Studies (IS) required for the UW Colleges Associate’s degree. (All three courses may also be taken individually by students who do not wish to participate in this Learning Community.)
To develop this model and the courses themselves, Sarah Rudolph and I will share a Campus IS Course Development Grant in Summer 1999. What follows here is an excerpt from our successful proposal to the CCC for the IS designation. It includes descriptions of what we envision happening in our Learning Community and sample syllabi, which will certainly grow from this point. I would like to offer this proposal as an example of how to seek IS approval for a Learning Community, for others who wish to develop Learning Communities on their campuses. Having the IS designation is a way to promote the Learning Community among our admirably practical-minded students. While having virtues inherent in its design that students come to recognize during the courses involved, a Learning Community, especially on a campus that is just initiating them, may not as immediately strike a student’s eye as a very useful degree designation.
While designing our Learning Community, Sarah and I learned that
a Learning Community being offered this Spring 1999 at UW-Marinette, titled
“Love, War, and Videotape” a 6-credit, team-taught course that fully integrates
Introduction to
Philosophy (PHI 101) and Introduction to Film (COM 150), has as a tie-in
a play about Vietnam, In Their Own Words. The play was authored by
Mark Lococo, (Communication and Theatre Arts, UW-Marinette) and others,
based on oral histories. It will be performed April 10-12, 1999,
at Theatre on the Bay at UW-Marinette. Sarah and I are very excited
by this serendipitous event and will be driving over to see it. I
hope any interested souls will do the same.
Here follows the proposal submitted by Sarah Rudolph and I to the CCC for the Learning Community, “Playing War”:
PROPOSAL
Request for a Campus-specific Degree Designation for an Established
Course Offering
(submitted by Lisa Seale and Sarah Rudolph, UW-Marathon to the CCC
in November, 1998)
Course Description
CTA 131 will serve as the linking course for a Learning Community formed
by enrolling a common cohort of students in CTA 298/WOM 291 (Images of
Gender in Drama and Performance) and ENG 370 (A Theme in American Literature:
Literature about the Vietnam War). All three courses may also be
taken individually by students who do not wish to participate in this Learning
Community. Communication and Theatre Arts 131, is a 1-credit theater
lab course for students working in various capacities on the production
of a play.
In Spring 2000, Sarah Rudolph will produce the play A Piece of My Heart in CTA 131. Two 3-credit courses offered the same semester, CTA 298/WOM 291 (Images of Gender in Drama and Performance) and ENG 370 (A Theme in American Literature: Literature about the Vietnam War) will address issues raised by the play and will include both the play and the book of interviews on which the play is based in their syllabi. Students who enroll in both of these two 3-credit courses may also enroll in CTA 131 for a 3-credit IS designation. A fuller discussion of how the two 3-credit courses will be linked by production of the play to form a Learning Community follows.
Rationale for the IS Designation
The practice of linking two 3-credit courses by a 1-credit integrative
course which receives the IS designation is not new in the UW-Colleges,
and, in fact, forms the backbone of the Learning Communities at UW-Marinette
and UW-Marathon. We propose a different way to link two courses with
a 1-credit course, also for the purpose of forming a Learning Community.
We believe this to be a creative, innovative approach to promoting Learning
Communities, which seek to blend intellectual and so-called “extra-curricular”
activities into the curriculum. Using LEC 290 as an integrating seminar
in this case would not be appropriate, as CTA 131 provides the essential
components needed to link the two 3-credit courses, as described in the
paragraphs below.
Students taking CTA 131 as an integrating experience between the two 3-credit courses will find that the course content of each 3-credit course reinforces and intensifies the other. Working on the production of a play offers a unique opportunity for students and instructors to fuse intellectual and practical experiences in ways that a Learning Community most seeks to foster. Students enrolled in all three courses will be required to complete a substantial research project for CTA 131 in addition to working on the play. The topic will be related to the play's content or to the issues raised by the intersection of the two 3-credit courses.
Students who enroll in CTA 131 for the IS designation may work in any of a variety of ways on the production--as actors, certainly, but also as production managers, set and light crews, writers, and publicity workers. While at first blush this may seem to offer little in the way of intellectual engagement for those working in other capacities than as actors, this production will, in fact, uniquely engage each participant, even those involved in set design, intellectually. This is so because with A Piece of My Heart, UWMC Theatre will initiate the use of an experimental space, “black box theatre,” which the scene shop has been equipped to facilitate. The unique challenges and aesthetic philosophy accompanying the use of “black box theatre” will most likely be foreign to most students: briefly, it involves a very intimate use of space that places emphasis on immediate engagement with the script on all levels of production.
Thus, all of those students working as part of the Learning Community on A Piece of My Heart will be engaged in discussions attending design and other production choices as they relate to the unique demands of the intimate stage space. Full intellectual engagement on the part of all students, actors or not, is not only expected but inevitable in this particular style of production. And, necessarily, all students will have full participation in the play's ultimate success, which is to bring to those involved in its production, and to those school and community audiences who will see the play, a richer and more intellectually grounded understanding of how women are perceived in drama and in particular how women involved in the Vietnam War have been perceived.
The following descriptions of the two 3-credit courses to be linked by the production show in more detail how each course will contribute the intellectual background needed to fully understand the issues raised in the play.
CTA 298/WOM 291 (Images of Gender in Drama and Performance) explores cultural understandings of how gender is perceived, performed, and depicted through a variety of texts and other materials. This course has always been designed to take advantage of the production simultaneously being done on campus as a forum for studying gender in performance. Study of both the play, A Piece of My Heart, and the longer prose work on which it is based will provide a foundation for considering the dynamics of production and representation of gender in that work. The nature of this particular work allows for a valuable consideration of the interaction between theatrical style and the representation of historical events and figures, specifically women in the Vietnam War.
ENG 370 (A Theme in American Literature: Literature about the Vietnam
War) will focus on literature by and about U. S. veterans, both men and
women, as well as literature by and about Southeast Asian refugees of the
war, including the Hmong, Vietnamese, and other groups. One of the
texts will be the book of interviews (by the same title) on which the play
A Piece of My Heart is based. The course will be enhanced by visits to
the class by one of the women interviewed in the book, who lives in the
Wausau area, a former U. S. Army nurse who served in Vietnam, Lynn Kohl.
The course will, in addition to reading literary works, include a history
about the Vietnam War. The content of this course will
provide both immediate personal insight into the play's content (through
visits by Lynn Kohl) and historical background necessary for students (most
of who were born after the end of the war) to understand its context and
significance.
Both instructors will coordinate their syllabi for and visit one another's classes during discussion of A Piece of My Heart (the book of interviews and the script). The bulk of their collaboration will take place during the several weeks of theater rehearsal and production of the play itself, in which both instructors will be fully involved (Sarah Rudolph, of course, as the play’s director, and Lisa Seale in a capacity yet to be determined). Because of the intensive time commitment involved for both students and instructors, because of the complementary nature of the readings in both classes, and because of the substantial research project to be assigned in CTA 131, we feel that an IS designation is appropriate.
Notes on Attached Syllabi
A preliminary syllabus for CTA 131 is attached. The two instructors
will seek funding from the UW Colleges “Last Round of Campus Interdisciplinary
Studies Course Development Grants” announced by Dick Berke over e-mail
on Oct. 28, 1998, to fully develop the coordination of their syllabi for
the two stand-alone courses and for CTA 131.
The syllabus for ENG 370 (A Theme in American Literature: Literature about the Vietnam War), to be taught by Associate Professor Lisa Seale for the first time in Spring 2000, is still in draft form, but is nevertheless attached. This instructor previously offered two composition courses with content closely related to ENG 370, about the history and enduring impact (particularly on individual lives) of the Vietnam War, in Summer 1998. Her personal experiences as a military dependent in Thailand during the latter part of the war are the subject of fiction she is now writing.
A syllabus used in the past for CTA 298/WOM 291 (Images of Gender in Drama and Performance), taught by Associate Professor Sarah Rudolph, is attached. Please note that it was used during the time of Sarah Rudolph’s production of Keely and Du which revolved around the issue of reproductive rights and activism. As can be seen on the syllabus, an extended period of time is devoted not only to the play, but to placing it within a context as a performance and volatile social concern. In the Spring of 2000, the course would be adjusted to give prominence to biographical theatre in general and the gender dynamics related to the Vietnam War.
SAMPLE SYLLABUS
Communication and Theatre Arts 131: Theatre Lab
Spring 2000
Sarah Rudolph and Lisa Seale
PLAYING WAR: A Learning Community about Gender, Vietnam, and Theatre
This is a preliminary syllabus for those students who are enrolled in CTA 131 as part of a Learning Community that links three courses: CTA 298/WOM 291 (Images of Gender in Drama and Performance), ENG 370 (A Theme in American Literature: Literature about the Vietnam War), and CTA 131, the production of the play A Piece of My Heart. By enrolling in this class, you will become part of the UWMC Theatre activities for the Spring 2000 semester and our production of Shirley Lauro’s A Piece of My Heart. This production will initiate our experimental box theatre space (located in the scene shop), thereby giving you the opportunity to realize the unique aesthetic demands of black box staging.
What is a Learning Community?
A Learning Community strives to develop the whole student, engaging
him or her in an intensive learning experience with a cohort of other students
who share not only the intellectual demands of several courses together,
but who form bonds through team work, in this case, through work on a play.
Working on the production of a play offers a unique opportunity for students
and instructors to fuse intellectual and practical experiences in ways
that a Learning Community most seeks to foster. Students taking CTA
131 as an integrating experience between the two 3-credit courses will
find that the course content of each 3-credit course reinforces and intensifies
the other. In addition to working on the play, students enrolled in all
three courses will also be required to complete a substantial research
project for CTA 131 in addition to working on the play. The topic
will be related to the play's content or to the issues raised by the intersection
of the two 3-credit courses.
What Section of CTA 131 Should I Enroll In?
Students who enroll in CTA 131 for the IS designation may work in any
of a variety of ways on the production--as actors, certainly, but also
as production managers, set and light crews, writers, and publicity workers.
While at first blush this may seem to offer little in the way of intellectual
engagement for those working in other capacities than as actors, this production
will, in fact, uniquely engage each participant, even those involved in
set design, intellectually. This is so because with A Piece of My
Heart, UWMC Theatre will initiate the use of an experimental space, “black
box theatre,” which the scene shop has been equipped to facilitate.
The unique challenges and aesthetic philosophy accompanying the use of
“black box theatre” will most likely be foreign to most students: briefly,
it involves a very intimate use of space that places emphasis on immediate
engagement with the script on all levels of production. Those students
enrolled in Lec. O1 of CTA 131 will need to audition for a part.
Audition schedule and perusal scripts will be made available early in the
semester. Students enrolled in Lec. 02 or 03 will be required to
put in a minimum of 40 hours. Work times and responsibilities will
be arranged early in the semester.
What Are Some of the Goals of this Learning Community?
All of those students working as part of the Learning Community on
A Piece of My Heart will be engaged in discussions attending design and
other production choices as they relate to the unique demands of the intimate
stage space. Full intellectual engagement on the part of all students,
actors or not, is not only expected but inevitable in this particular style
of production. And, necessarily, all students will have full participation
in the play's ultimate success, which is to bring to those involved in
its production, and to those school and community audiences who will see
the play, a richer and more intellectually grounded understanding of how
women are perceived in drama and in particular how women involved in the
Vietnam War have been perceived.
How Will the Two 3-Credit Courses Relate to CTA 131?
CTA 298/WOM 291 (Images of Gender in Drama and Performance) explores
cultural understandings of how gender is perceived, performed, and depicted
through a variety of texts and other materials. This course has always
been designed to take advantage of the production simultaneously being
done on campus as a forum for studying gender in performance. Study
of both the play, A Piece of My Heart, and the longer prose work on which
it is based will provide a foundation for considering the dynamics of production
and representation of gender in that work. The nature of this particular
work allows for a valuable consideration of the interaction between theatrical
style and the representation of historical events and figures, specifically
women in the Vietnam War.
ENG 370 (A Theme in American Literature: Literature about the Vietnam
War) will focus on literature by and about U. S. veterans, both men and
women, as well as literature by and about Southeast Asian refugees of the
war, including the Hmong, Vietnamese, and other groups. One of the
texts will be the book of interviews (by the same title) on which the play
A Piece of My Heart is based. The course will be enhanced by visits to
the class by one of the women interviewed in the book, who lives in the
Wausau area, a former
U. S. Army nurse who served in Vietnam, Lynn Kohl. The course
will, in addition to reading literary works, include a history about the
Vietnam War. The content of this course will provide both immediate
personal insight into the play's content (through visits by Lynn Kohl)
and historical background necessary for students to understand its context
and significance.
When Do We Start?
We will begin meeting as a Learning Community in the first week of
the semester, when students will receive a detailed syllabus with dates
of assignments and research topics. Both instructors will be fully
involved in the play’s production and in interacting with students in the
Learning Community. We encourage you to participate fully in this
Learning Community, which we are very excited to be offering, and from
which we hope to learn alongside of our students about women in the Vietnam
War, about dramatic representations of them, and about ourselves as people
who live with the many legacies of that war.
SAMPLE SYLLABUS: ENG 370
UW-Marathon County Office Hours: MWF 9:00-9:50 and
by appt
English 370: A Theme in American Literature Office Tel.: (715)
261-6263
Spring 2000 .
Dr. Lisa Seale
LITERATURE ABOUT THE VIETNAM WAR
Syllabus
Vietnamese History/U. S. Combat
Week 1 Introductions and Michael Maclear, The Ten Thousand Day War, Vietnam: 1945-1975 (Ch. 1-4)
Week 2 Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried
Maclear, Ch. 5-8
Week 3 Philip Caputo, A Rumor of War
Maclear, Ch. 9-12
Women in the War: Gender Issues and Images of Gender
Week 4 Winnie Smith, American Daughter Gone to War
Maclear, Ch. 13-16
Week 5 Lynda Van Devanter, Home Before Morning
Maclear, Ch. 17-20
Week 6 Keith Walker, A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American
Women who Served in Vietnam
Visit by Lynn Kohl (former U.S. Army nurse in Vietnam)
Week 7 Shirley Lauro, A Piece of My Heart
Classes co-taught with Sarah Rudolph, director, A Piece of My
Heart
First set of journal entries due
Production: A Piece of My Heart
Week 8 Shirley Lauro, A Piece of My Heart (and attend opening night)
Classes co-taught with Sarah Rudolph
Week 9 Keith Walker, A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American Women who Served in Vietnam (cont.)
Week 11 Conferences (bring returned journal entries); Group Presentations assigned; Group meetings begin
Coming Home/Making a New Home: Returning Soldiers/Refugees
Week 12 Robert Olen Butler, A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain
Week 13 Bobbie Ann Mason, In Country
Week 14 JoAnn Kolytk, New Pioneers in the Heartland: Hmong Lives in Wisconsin
Week 15 Group Presentations
Second set of journal entries due (for those who wish to have
their entries returned with comments at the final
exam)
Week 16 Group Presentations
Preparation for Final Exam.
Final Examination
The final exam will consist of essay questions covering all of assigned
course reading.
For those who wish to have their journal assignment graded without
accompanying comments, the last five entries will be due at the beginning
of the final exam. I will return entries submitted in Week 15, at
the exam
Other Dates
Deadline to ADD a class:
Deadline to DROP a class:
Required Texts
Tim O'Brien, The Things They Carried; Robert Olen Butler, A Good
Scent from a Strange Mountain; Philip Caputo, A Rumor of War; Bobbie Ann
Mason, In Country; Winnie Smith, American Daughter Gone to War; Lynda Van
Devanter, Home Before Morning; JoAnn Kolytk, New Pioneers in the Heartland:
Hmong Lives in Wisconsin; Michael Maclear, The Ten Thousand Day War, Vietnam:
1945-1975; Keith Walker, A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American
Women who Served in Vietnam (available through UWMC Bookstore in xerox
packet); Shirley Lauro, A Piece of My Heart (script).
Recommended: An unabridged college dictionary, such as the American
Heritage Dictionary, College Ed.
Learning Community
Those students enrolled in this course who also enroll in CTA 298 or
WOM 291 (Images of Gender in Drama and Performance) and CTA 131, the production
of the play A Piece of My Heart, will be part of an innovative Learning
Community offered for the first time on this campus. This common
cohort of students will take part in the play’s production, thus putting
into practical use ideas and issues raised in the two linked courses.
They will also be assigned a substantial research project related to the
play’s content or to the issues raised by the intersection of this course
and Images of Gender in Drama and Performance.
Journal Assignment
The journal assignment will consist of ten one-page, typed, double-spaced
entries on topics that are described on a handout you will receive in Week
1 (these include literary analysis of theme, character, symbolism, setting,
tone, plot, and point of view, using such methods of development as comparison/contrast,
discussions of figurative language, and close reading, all of which will
be reviewed in class).
Due Dates
Journal entries are due on the dates indicated on this syllabus.
The first set of entries must be submitted on time, so that midterm grades
can be turned in. There are two alternate due dates for the second
set of entries. Before the due date of the first set of entries,
I will collect drafts of one entry and provide brief written comments to
let students know if they are going in the right direction. Students
are always welcome to bring drafts of their work to my office hours (listed
at the top of this syllabus). The English tutors in the Resource Room are
also an excellent source of help for writing about literature.
Reading Assignments
Classes are conducted seminar-style, with each student being expected
to contribute daily to class (this includes much small-group work, so those
uncomfortable with speaking before large groups will still have plenty
of opportunities to participate). To arrive
at ideas to contribute in class, it is a good idea to jot down impressions
while reading, either in the margins or on a card that can be slipped into
the book. Those students involved in the Learning Community will
be encouraged to incorporate into such notes and class discussion any insights
gained in the Gender Images course and in work on the play.
Group Presentations
Working in small groups of three, students will read, discuss, and
present its interpretations of and insights into one of several books held
on reserve in the library regarding the Vietnam War, Southeast Asian refugee
experiences, or other works of literature by writers covered in the course.
Guidelines on these presentations will be distributed.
Course Guidelines
All ten journal entries, the group presentation, the in-class writing,
and the final exam must be completed to receive a passing grade in the
course. In addition, attendance is important: Missing any more classes
than three (with or without an excuse) will affect the course grade because
of in-class writing assignments. If, because of a medical or family
emergency, a student must miss classes or turn in a journal assignment
late, he or she should telephone me within two days, leaving a message
that includes a telephone number if I am not at my desk. My UWMC
office telephone number is (715) 261-6263.
Course Grade
The course grade will be determined by the percentages below:
10 one-page journal entries 50%
In-class writing assignments 20%
Group presentation 10%
Final Examination 20%
Office Hours
I would like to invite each student to come to my office at least once
in the first four
weeks of the course, bringing a draft of a journal entry to discuss
or any
concerns, suggestions, or questions. Office hours are listed
at the top of this syllabus; I can also meet by appointment or with students
who drop in.
Meeting with Other Students
Many students find it helpful to meet outside of class to discuss reading
and writing
assignments. Also, students who must miss a class will need to
call a classmate in order to
catch up on any new material. For these reasons, I suggest that
each student record here
the names and telephone numbers of two classmates:
1)___________________________________ Phone: ____________________________
2) __________________________________ Phone: _____________________________
SAMPLE SYLLABUS: CTA 298/WOM 291
Communication Arts 298/Women's Studies 291 Spring Semester 1997
TR 10-11:15 a.m. Room 040
Professor Sarah J. Rudolph, Rm 118, 261-6290
Office Hours M,W 1:00-3:30 and by appointment
Images of Gender in Drama and Performance
Offered as a Special Topics course in Women's Studies and Communication Arts, Images of Gender in Drama and Performance exposes students to various theories of gender identity in relation to a sampling of dramatic texts and performances. Through these offerings, the course seeks to build critical thinking skills, the appreciation of theatre and drama, and the diversity of thought on issues related to gender. The course further strives to foster written and oral communication skills.
In addition to in-class assignments and responsibilities, students
enrolled in Images of Gender in Drama and Performance are required to see
a minimum of three productions. All students are expected to attend
Keely and Du and Journey of the Ten Moons; the third production can be
of the student's choosing as long as it meets with instructor approval.
The syllabi provides information about recommended productions.
The course will require in-class presentations which are attached
to three paper assignments. The first two of these will be
an individual reaction to research done on the contemporary issues of lifestyle
differences and abortion. The third presentation will be done in
cooperation of other class members.
In addition to the three papers, students need to keep a journal. Occasionally we will devote class time to journaling on the subject under discussion; on other occasions short journal assignments will be made with the intention they be done outside class. Each student must include thoughtful discussion of the productions they have attended over the course of the semester.
Midterm and final examinations will test student understanding of course materials. These examinations will emphasize objective testing in the form of multiple choice questions.
Finally, this class does require the input of all its members. Regular attendance and active participation are considered fundamental to successful completion of the course.
page 2
Course Schedule and Due Dates
DATE TOPIC
DUE
T 1-21 Introduction to Course
Growing up Male/Female
R 1-23 "Cinderella" Journal Assignment
"Notes on Childhood"
T 1-28 Fairy Tales and Gender Identification
R 1-30 Cloud Nine Cloud Nine, Act I
T 2-4 Cloud Nine Cloud Nine, Act II
R 2-6 Issues in Gender: Lifestyle Paper 1
Student Presentations
T 2-11 Lifestyle, cont.
Group Assignments
R 2-13 Ways of Seeing Journal Assignment
Group Meeting "Visualizing Gender"
T 2-18 Kiss of the Spiderwoman Kiss of the Spiderwoman
R 2-20 Kiss of the Spiderwoman
Sunday, February 23: Attend Kiss of the Spiderwoman, professional touring company, Madison Civic Center. Tickets and transportation, c. $50.00 (optional)
T 2-25 Kiss of the Spiderwoman Journal Entry
R 2-27 Midterm Review
Issues in Gender: Abortion Paper 2
Saturday March 1: Attend La Boheme, New York City Opera in tour, Madison Civic Center. Tickets and transportation negotiable.
T 3-4 Issues in Gender: Abortion, cont.
R 3-6 Keely and Du Keely and Du
T 3-11 Keely and Du
R 3-13 Keely and Du Attend Opening Night
(no regularly scheduled class)
Friday March 14, Saturday March 15: Attend Keely and Du, UWMC Theatre, Admission Free (required)
T 3-18 Performance Review Journal Assignment
"Audience/Performance Comparison"
page 3
R 3-20 Midterm Examination
SPRING BREAK
March 25-March 30: Attend Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Madison Repertory
Theatre, Ticket and transportation negotiable
T 4-1 Angels in America Angels, Part I
R 4-3 Angels in America
T 4-8 Angels in America Angels, Part 2
R 4-10 Angels in America
T 4-15 Angels in America
R 4-17 Angels in America
T 4-22 Group Meetings
R 4-24 Group Meetings
T 4-29 Group Presentations Paper 3
April 30: 3:00-4:30 Mask Workshop presented by Dell'Arte Players ENCOURAGED HEARTILY!!!!
Attend Journey of the Ten Moons, Dell'Arte Players, UWMC Theatre, Admission Free (required)
R 5-1 Group Presentations
T 5-6 Prostitution/Pornography Journal Assignment:
T 5-8 Prostitution/Pornography
"Not a Love Story'-Response
T 5-15 Final Examination, 10:30
Break Down for Final Grade
Paper 1: Issues in Gender: Lifestyle 10%
For this 3-4 page paper, find at least one article concerned with gay/lesbian
identity and lifestyle. Your essay should provide both a summary
and a response to the article(s) in question. All papers need to
be typewritten, double spaced, and in accordance to the MLA Style Sheet
(on reserve in the UWMC library).
Paper 2: Issues in Gender: Abortion 10%
This paper should resemble paper one, but address your response to
published treatment of the pro-choice/pro-life issue.
page 4
Paper 3: Group Project 20%
This paper, between 4 and 5 pages, should address some aspect of the
work you have done with your group on an in-class presentation.
Group Project Presentation 10%
Early in the semester, you will be assigned to a group responsible
for a creative project addressing some area of interest pertinent to the
course focus. This portion of the grade will be determined by the
success of the project, your responsibility to the project, and feedback
provided by other members of the group.
There are many possibilities for this assignment. Your group might,
for example, write and perform a play, put together a video, create music/visual
art, critique film(s), work with an existing script to somehow acquaint
the class with its ideas, etc . . . Each group will have between
fifteen and twenty minutes for its presentation.
Midterm Examination 10%
Final Examination 15%
The final examination will be comprehensive.
Journal 15%
You are required to write thoughtful critiques of the three productions
you see in the journal. You will see Keely and Du twice and should
include a comparison of the two performances in your journal. Other
journal assignments are listed in the course schedule and include "Notes
on Childhood," "Envisioning Gender," "Not a Love Story--Response," and
"On TV." Each of these entries are required reflections on
materials covered in class. However, I expect that you make regular
entries about thoughts raised by the course materials. All journal
entries are confidential.
Participation and Attendance 10%
This grade will cover your presentation of papers 1 and 2 as well as
your regular participation in class discussions. Anything beyond
two unexcused absences will be grounds for lowering this grade.
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To implement our linked course, we met on a number of occasions to discuss
different ways of identifying and analyzing thematic issues and conceptual
connections relevant to the linkage of our two disciplines.
We both developed individual syllabi for each of our respective subject
areas, and then coordinated them to ensure that the topics we intended
to cover were relevant to both economics and women's studies. They
included topics such as the economics of marriage, women's house and
paid labor, childcare costs, economics and social consequences of inequality
based on gender, feminization of poverty, the economics of the family,
prostitution, and sex tourism. We felt that our linked course allowed students
to humanize the consequences of economic theory and practice in the U.S.
For example, we helped students make the connection between women's problems
and economic theory by using existing statistical data and labor market
theories to show that women
and children's issues are inextricably linked to economics since much
of women's lives (and of necessity, the lives of children) are affected
by their more limited access to money and other economic resources.
At the end of our linked course, we developed a survey instrument to gather information on the experiences and perspectives of the students in the course. Although students remarked that they were sometimes distressed at how their expectations about the realities of women were called in question by the application of economic theory to reality, their experiences were overwhelmingly positive. In particular, the students agreed that they had developed a deeper understanding of economic theories and how they could be applied in a more specific way to the realities of women.
Our experiences as instructors were equally positive. We both felt that
teaching the linked course was intellectually rewarding and professionally
challenging. There are certainly a number of things we
would do differently if we decide to teach this course again. Perhaps
a better approach to linking the two courses would be to teach it as an
interdisciplinary course. We also hope to broaden the scope of the
course to include discussions about the economics of pornography, and
the consequences of not including housework in GDP measures.
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