COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING
Reading. Each week's assigned readings should be completed before class.
Blog Posts. (35%) Each week, students must write a blog post that analyzes that week's film in light of the assigned readings. The post should be approximately 500 words, and must engage film with the readings, from a historical point of view. How successful was the film in communicating historical facts and interpretations? What does the film express about national identity in the context of its particular subject? Did the film have other goals, and did it successfully achieve these? Students must post on 12 of the 15 weeks during the semester. In order to accomplish this task, each student must establish their own blog using any of the free blogging systems out there. The most common are Wordpress and Blogger, but you can use any that you'd like. If at all possible, please make your blog name the same as your user name on the class wiki. Tutorials on setting up a blog are available here. Once you have established your blog, go to the course website and add it to the course feed. You must then tag each post with the category or tag: hist475. This will filter your posts and only display those related to class on our course site. Blog posts are due to be posted no later than Sunday night.
Commenting. (15%) Each student must comment on someone else's blog for 12 of the 15 weeks of class. It's hard for us to keep track of who has posted, so at the end of the semester you must email the list of posts that you commented on during the semester. This is very easy to do if you keep a running list of the urls of those post you commented on. (A url is the website address.) Just copy and paste the url into a document, and email that document to us no later than May 1st.
Final Project. (50%) The bulk of your grade this semester will come from a semester-long group project on one of the films from this semester. This group project will be to construct a comprehensive wiki on the film and historical issues it engages on the class wiki. Full instructions are available here. Break down:
- Project Plan (15%) -- due March 9.
- Wiki site (35%) -- Final edits due no later than Wednesday, May 4 at 5pm.
Attendance. Class attendance is mandatory. Because we meet just once a week, each student is allowed one (1) absence for whatever reason. Each ensuing absence will result in one letter grade reduction of the student's final grade.**
TEXTS
For purchase:
John Charles Chasteen, Born in Fire and Blood: A Concise History of Latin America, 2nd Edition (New York: Norton, 2006).
All other readings will be placed available online on [the course website][/readings].
OTHER COURSE POLICIES
Please Note: If any special accommodations are needed to complete the course requirements, please come see me at the beginning of the semester.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism occurs when someone knowingly or unknowingly presents another person's words or ideas as his or her own. Any work turned in for this class must meet University standards for academic honesty. Any students unsure about how to apply these rules are urged to consult with me prior to turning in any written work.
Deadlines: Assignments that are due in class must be turned in at the start of class. If you anticipate problems, please contact me before the assignment is due, not after!
Office Hours: Students are strongly encouraged to speak with me outside of class. I am available during office hours on a first-come, first-served basis. If you cannot come during office hours, please contact me via email or phone to schedule an appointment.