|
|
|
|
|
Assignments
|
| |
|
|
|
-
There are four assignments for this course that require work outside of class. Directions for these follow. Topic ideas for the research paper are available at the
Research tab to the left (this takes you to a list of topics I maintain for a seminar version of this class, SCTR 158R).
-
- If
you are interested in writing an extra credit report, use the link to the left
for directions and a list of eligible events.
Tuesday Papers (Perspectives and Evaluation)
For every Tuesday session except our first class, you will type a single-spaced, two-page paper that demonstrates comprehension of key ideas in the course readings for the previous Thursday and current Tuesday. In each of these papers, you will identify at least two different perspectives on a single issue raised in the secondary readings (not the biblical texts, but essays by contemporary authors), and then evaluate the ethical merits of these perspectives. In addition to this requirement, the remainder of the paper (perhaps two paragraphs or so) should raise issues from the readings that you agree or disagree with or otherwise found interesting or provocative. Discuss what interests you and raise questions for the class to consider, or questions you yourself have. For margins, typeface, header and citation requirements, see the Style Sheet tab above left; but note that the prompt here to single-space this paper overrides the usual direction to double-space all papers.
There are eight of these papers, and they will be marked each week (+ √ -) and graded as a group at the end of the quarter (10% of your overall grade; part of class participation).
Critical Analysis Papers
The course is organized into four major sections exploring postcolonial theory, the imperial context of
the Bible in its origins and early interpretation, the use of the Bible to support recent empire-building
projects, and the ethical challenges posed to current biblical interpretation by people who have experienced colonization. Because the first two units are foundational for our work in
the rest of the course, you will write a 4-5-page paper after we've concluded each of those units
presenting and critically analyzing the material read and discussed in class.
It will be your responsibility to shape your presentation of each topic: you will
need to discern the chief points about each and organize your discussion of each
so that ideas are clearly articulated. Be sure to demonstrate that you've read and comprehended the course readings by referencing and citing assigned texts accurately. These papers are designed to support the research paper you ultimately write.
First Paper: Postcolonial Theory: Key Concepts
In a 4-5 page, double-spaced paper, define the terms "orientalism," "hegemony,"
"alterity," "hybridity," "ambivalence" and "mimicry," noting the interplay of these terms
with each other. After an introductory paragraph orienting the reader to your paper, each paragraph should provide a concise definition of a term in an introductory sentence, followed by an amplification of that definition that explains it more fully. For your first term, "orientalism," amplify it in terms of the changing definition of the term and the current ethical debates over its exercise. As you turn to each of the remaining five terms and paragraphs, transition by indicating how this new term is related to the term(s) you've already introduced. Due Thursday, January 24. 15% of grade.
Second
Paper: Intersections
In a 4-5 page, double-spaced paper, select one of the biblical books we’ve read about and analyze
the intersections of at least three factors (e.g., race, class [or socio-economic position], ethnicity, gender, national origin) at the level of the story, the author, and the interpretation of the book. We will be practicing this kind of analysis in class on each day of our second unit. Due Thursday, February 21. 15% of grade.
Format
Each of the
papers should be 4-5 pages typed and double spaced. For formatting directions
(margins, footnote format, header format for first page), please refer to the Style Sheet (available from the tab to the left). In these short papers, you do not need a
bibliography; just use footnotes to reference the course readings. No outside
reading is required, but if would like to include references to other material
you've studied, just follow the standard footnote conventions on the Style Sheet.
Evaluation is based on how well you meet the learning objectives for the assignment. For a copy of the rubric, click here.
Class Leadership
Working with one or two other people, you will be responsible for presenting
a critical analysis of the primary and secondary readings for two separate meetings
during the quarter. You will select your group and topics in the second week of
class.
Your task will be to introduce the secondary reading briefly (7
minutes max), and then to generate 6-8 discussion questions that you use to guide a class discussion (for at least 45 minutes). Steer clear of questions that merely ask for yes/no answers or personal opinions; strive for questions that explore the biblical
text, the secondary author's analysis of the biblical text, and the relevance
of postcolonial theoretical concepts and prior course readings to interpreting that text.
Leave some time after your prepared discussion questions to field questions "from
the floor"— questions that others in the class might have had from the reading.
You will prepare a handout (2 sides of one page) that lists your topic
and the day's readings, your team members' names, and an outline of the chief points in the reading (this should total no more than one page), and then list your 6-8 questions to stimulate
class discussion. Plan to send a copy to the professor by email by Noon the
day of your presentation. She will copy it for the 20 people in class (if you can't make that deadline, you will need to make the copies yourselves).
The first leadership event is worth 7% of your total grade, the second 8%, for 15% total. Your
grade will be based partly on your individual performance and partly on group
performance. To viewthe rubric with the learning objectives and how they'll be evaluated, click here.
Research
Paper
Each student will prepare a 12-15 page research paper on some aspect of postcolonial
interpretation and the Bible. In this paper, you'll use one of the heuristic or interpretive "tools" from postcolonial theory—for example, one of the terms from your first critical analysis paper or one of the reading strategies we see postcolonial interpreters use—and use this to analyze your biblical text or historical moment. There are three basic types
of paper:
- Exegetical
Paper: You could study a biblical passage or theme in its original
imperial context, and analyze it in terms of postcolonial theory.
- Historical
Paper: You could examine the use made of the Bible in a particular
colonial situation on the part of the colonizers.
- Theological
Paper: You could examine how a particular postcolonial critic reads/interprets
a biblical passage today.
After
you submit your general topic of interest and bibliographies, the list of projects
will be posted at the Research tab to the left, and the professor will make further
bibliographic recommendations there.
This paper will be due in the stages
listed below. The final paper will
be submitted with all prior stages in a folder. 12-15 pages, 30% of grade total.
| Topic
statement and working bibliography |
4th
week |
Thursday,
January 31 |
| Application
of Theoretical Concept & Outline |
9th
week |
Thursday, March 7
|
| Oral presentation of research |
10th
week |
Thursday,
March 14 |
|
Final Research Paper and all prior stages in a pocket folder; you will also turn
in an electronic copy of your research paper to TurnItIn.com by midnight
|
Exam
week |
Tuesday,
March 19 |
Here are some specific directions for the various stages of the paper:
- Topic
Statement and Working Bibliography
- A
one-page assignment that includes a one- or two-sentence definition of your general
topic and six to seven professional or academic
sources that you've found that you believe will help you examine that topic.
For the format of a short assignment (header, title, margins, etc.) and for proper
bibliographic format, see the Style Sheet.
Here is a sample
of what it should look like (this sample is from an intermediate-level course;
you should have at least six professional sources, and you can single-space them).
-
- Application of Theoretical Concept and Outline
- A two-
to three-page assignment that presents the central postcolonial concept you will
use and breaks down your argument. Think of this document as the strategic plan
of your paper: what postcolonial concept will help you analyze your topic, what
do you want to demonstrate, and how will you demonstrate it? Lay out the paper
like an outline, single-spaced. Choose some logical framework for the presentation
of your argument, so that the presentation builds upon itself. In a paper like
this, a common outline will include some historical background, an introduction
of the theoretical concept you will use to "read" your evidence (e.g.,
the construction of the other in Said or the notion of hybridity in Bhabha; see
below), and then an application of your concept to your data, which is the core
of your paper and so should have several subsections itself. Include references
to the "proofs" or warrants for your claims, whether these be primary
texts (like the New Testament or a postcolonial critic's reading), secondary source
citations, or established facts. Don't type in entire quotes at this point; it
wastes too much space. Just use some notation system to remind yourself of the
particular source you will need at that point in your argument. If you include
chapter:verse and page references for your proofs here, it will save you
looking them up all over again later. There are no requirements for how you choose
to outline (I.A.1 or bulleted lists are fine), but all normal formatting styles
apply (see Style Sheet). In the part of
your outline that lays out your central theoretical concept, write a short paragraph
about what the concept means and how you will apply it to your particular topic. Click
here for a sample of the
assignment.
-
- Oral Presentation of Research
- On the last day of class, you'll offer a 8- to 10-minute summary of your paper.
-
- Final
Paper
- A
clean, corrected copy of the final paper should be submitted to the professor in a pocket
folder with all prior submitted stages in the folder as well. Templates for the paper are available here (Word, Pages, Google Docs).
-
- To view the rubric with the learning objectives and how they'll be evaluated, click here.
|
|
|
|
|
