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Assignments
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There are three assignments for this course that require work outside of class:
the two critical analysis papers, seminar leadership (a group project you will
do twice), and the final research paper. Directions for these follow; identical
directions for the seminar leadership presentations are available from the Leadership
tab to the left , and topic ideas for the research paper are available at the
Research tab to the left.
- If
you are interested in writing an extra credit report, use the link to the left
for directions and a list of eligible events.
Critical Analysis Papers
The course is organized into four major sections exploring the origins of
postcolonial theory, some of its chief theoretical concepts, the light these shed
on the origins of the New Testament, and the ways they inform new readings of
the Bible today. Because the first two units are foundational for our work in
the rest of the course, you will write a paper at the end of 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.
First Paper: Orientalism
Discuss briefly the changing definitions of the term "orientalism," then present
and analyze both the criticisms of it and the responses to those criticisms. In
a final paragraph, develop your working definition of orientalism.
Second
Paper: Postcolonial Theory: Key Concepts
Define the terms "hegemony,"
"alterity," "ambivalence" and "hybridity," noting the interplay of these terms
with each other and analyzing how power, land, and gender are affected in the
colonial articulations of them.
Format
Each of the
papers should be 5-6 pages typed and double spaced. For formatting directions
(margins, footnote format, title page format), 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.
Each of these two papers is due on the first class day after the unit has ended.
Plan also to submit an electronic copy of each to TurnItIn.com. 20% of grade total.
The grading rubric for this assignment is:
Unacceptable |
Marginal |
Acceptable |
Exemplary |
Evidence
of your completion and comprehension of the reading is not provided, unconvincing
or very incomplete. Depth of reflection inadequate. Grammar, style and spelling
are poor. Formatted improperly and/or submitted late. |
Evidence that you
have done the reading and gotten something from it, but comprehension of core
concept, coverage of readings, and or evidence of the progress of your own thought
are superficial or incomplete. [ Or ] serious problems with grammar and style
substantially affect your ability to communicate clearly. |
The central concept
is adequately explored, though reference to readings or evidence of the progress
of your thought could be clearer. Cedes too much space to quotations from the
material rather than digesting the reading and putting it in your own words. Style
of self-expression is acceptable, though there may be problems of spelling and
grammar. Formatted properly and submitted on time. |
Demonstrates deepening
comprehension of the core concept. Covers the required readings thoroughly and
cites them appropriately, but puts them in your own words and maintains a critical
distance (the ability to evaluate/judge the thesis). Your style of expression
is clear; no spelling and grammar errors. Formatted properly and submitted on
time. |
Seminar 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 (5
minutes max), and then to guide a class discussion that explores the biblical
text, the secondary author's analysis of the biblical text, and the relevance
of postcolonial theoretical concepts and prior course readings to the day's topic.
Since the other class members will each have prepared the readings and (usually
also) an impression page, you should spend no more than five minutes on summarizing
the readings; just refresh our memory about the thesis of each secondary author.
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, and presents your questions and sub-questions to stimulate
class discussion. Plan to send a copy to the professor by email by 5:00 p.m. the
night before your presentation. She will post it on the course syllabus so that
the class can review it in advance, and she will bring hard copies to class as
well.
Your group is exempt from the impression page on each of your presentation
dates (if your presentation date coincides with a day when no impression page
is due, you may take your exemption any other day during that course unit).
Each leadership event is worth 10% of your total grade, thus 20% total. Your
grade will be based partly on your individual performance and partly on group
performance, following the rubric below (the first two objectives are for each
individual, while the last two apply to the group as a whole):
Objective |
Unacceptable |
Marginal |
Acceptable |
Exemplary |
Evidence of Comprehension of Reading [3] |
You don't capture the key ideas or understand the relationship of the ideas to one
another. |
You don't capture the key ideas very well or understand the relationship of the ideas to one another. Some of the basic concepts are present. |
Your
presentation of the key ideas is adequate, but some are left out and/or the relationships of the ideas are not presented accurately. |
You accurately and fully represent your part of the topic, capturing the key ideas and understanding the relationship of ideas. |
Clarity of Expression [3] |
You speak too quietly and in a monotone, and the logic and content of your presentation is unclear. |
Your presentation is unclear or interrupted by pauses or unnecessary words. |
You have solid material, but are hesitant or quiet in your delivery. |
You speak clearly and with adequate volume; you know what you want to say and you deliver it well. |
Facilitation of Discussion [2] |
Questions posed to the class are unclear, address peripheral issues, and/or do not cover
all the readings adequately. Questions are dead-ends, asking for personal opinions
or requiring yes/no answers. |
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The questions you posed to the class are clear and address the central issues
raised by the readings. They require answers that are not opinions, but positions that can be demonstrated from the readings. All readings are covered. |
Flow [2] |
Group members have not planned the presentation in advance and do not deliver it well. |
Some students are unprepared, and the group as a whole shows some confusion about the
order. |
The presentation runs smoothly for most parts. |
Presentation is well-organized ahead of time; all members know what to do and when. |
Research
Paper
Each student will prepare a research paper on some aspect of postcolonial
interpretation and the New Testament. The topic should differ from those you and
your partners chose for your in-class presentations. There are three basic types
of paper:
- Exegetical
Paper: You could study a New Testament passage or theme in its original Roman
imperial context, and analyze it in terms of postcolonial theory. Historical
Paper: You could examine the use made of the New Testament in a particular
colonial situation on the part of the colonizers.
- Theological
Paper: You could examine how a particular postcolonial critic reads/interprets
a New Testament 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, which include a required draft and rewrite. The final paper will
be submitted with all prior stages in a folder. 15-20 pages, 30% of grade total.
Topic
statement and sources |
4th
week |
Thursday,
January 31 |
Annotated
bibliography |
7th
week |
Tuesday,
February 17 |
Application
of Theoretical Concept & Outline |
8th
week |
Thursday,
February 26 |
Required
draft of entire paper |
10th
week |
Tuesday,
March 10 |
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
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Exam
week |
Wednesday,
March 18 |
Here are some specific directions for the various stages of the paper:
- Topic
Statement and Initial Plan for Sources
- 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).
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- Annotated
Bibliography
- A
two- to four-page assignment. By this point, you should have 5-6 professional
sources. For each, you will offer its full bibliographic citation in bold, flush
left margin, followed by a précis or summary of the thesis and argument
of the piece. You may choose to indicate for your own reference whether
and in what way the source is useful for your research. Click here for a sample
of this assignment.
- 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.
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- Conversation
with Professor
- You'll
meet with the professor for 10-15 minutes in the 9th week to discuss your topic
and your progress on it and to get your outline back (a schedule
of conversations is posted here).
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- Draft
- Your
15-20 page paper, complete with title page, footnotes or endnotes, and bibliography.
Check it in advance for spelling and grammar errors, and ask a friend to review
it for coherence of argument and clarity of style before you submit it. All of
the formatting expectations at the Style Sheet
should be observed.
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- Final
Paper
- A
clean, corrected copy of the final paper should be prepared based on peer and
professor feedback from the draft version. Present it to the professor in a pocket
folder with all prior submitted stages in the folder as well.
You are also required to submit an electronic copy of the paper to TurnItIn.com
(you may either attach the paper or cut and paste the body into the window they
provide).
The grading rubric for this assignment is:
Objective |
Unacceptable |
Marginal |
Acceptable |
Exemplary |
Quality
and Control of Argument [8] |
Paper
reads like a list of citations with no conceptual thread governing their presentation.
Synthesis and analysis of material lacking. |
There is a thesis
or descriptive agenda for the paper set out in the introduction, but the paper
doesn't deliver on its promises. Synthesis and analysis of material lacking. |
Thesis or flow of
argument sometimes gets lost, or argument follows the sources too heavily. Good
synthesis and analysis of material. |
Your voice (thesis
or descriptive agenda) controls the flow of the paper. The argument is original
and insightful, moving beyond any given source to a perspective informed but not
governed by the sources used. Strong synthesis and analysis of material. |
Comprehension
& Integration of Sources [7] |
Discussion of quotations
or references indicates poor comprehension of them. Some citations dropped in
to paper but not introduced or discussed (you need to show the reader exactly
how they relate to your argument). Serious problems with citations in notes and/or
bibliography. Sources are not professional and/or do not go far beyond required
class readings. |
Comprehension
of sources is adequate, but there are some problems in how you've integrated them
in your paper, such as lack of appropriate correlation to your argument in that
particular paragraph, or inadequate citation. Some sources are not professional/peer-reviewed. |
Good selection,
comprehension and citation of the sources, but the integration into your argument
could be improved. |
Excellent selection and critical comprehension of sources. Citations never overtake
paragraph, but are well introduced and their implications for your argument are
discussed clearly. All source references and quotations are cited properly in
notes. |
Clarity
of Expression [8] |
Poor
grammar and spelling seriously impede effective communication. |
Grammar and spelling
are a problem, but your ideas are nevertheless apparent. |
Occasional
grammar and spelling problems, but good variation in sentence styles. |
No grammar and spelling
errors. Good variety of sentence styles. |
Format
and Style [3] |
Failure
to conform paper to Style Sheet. |
Some
serious problems in notes, bibliography, margins, or type face size. |
Margins,
type face and general format fine; some problems with note or bibliography style. |
Paper conforms to
Style Sheet. |
Timely
Submissions [4] |
Stages
of paper chronically late or incomplete. |
A few stages late
or incomplete. |
One stage submitted late or incomplete. |
All stages submitted
on time and complete. |
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