108B W22 Smyth

ENGL 108B

Territorial Acknowledgement

I acknowledge that the University of Waterloo is on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. This university is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised and given to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. All of us, learners and instructor, are participating in this online course from different traditional territories. I am a settler living and teaching from Toronto, the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples, and which is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit. I encourage you to learn the history of the land and traditional peoples where you live and reflect on the mutual responsibilities that we inherit as Treaty people.

Contact Information

Dr. Heather Smyth - Instructor Associate Professor, English

hsmyth@uwaterloo.ca

Office Hours: 9-10 am Thursdays, in MS Teams

Announcements

Welcome to the course! I will use the Announcements widget on the Course Home page during the term to communicate new or changing information regarding due dates, instructor absence, etc., as needed. You are expected to read the announcements on a regular basis.

To ensure you are viewing the complete list of announcements, you may need to click Show All Announcements.

Discussions

We will meet once a week for about an hour on Thursdays (1-1:50 pm) using Microsoft Teams. At that time we will discuss the week's lecture videos and reading material and related topics arising. Those meetings will be videotaped and uploaded to LEARN to ensure access for anyone who could not be at the meeting.

I created a General Discussion forum for class-wide discussions and an Ask the Instructor discussion forum. Use the Ask the Instructor Forum when you have a question that may benefit the whole class. Also, check this forum to see if your question has already been answered before reaching out to me.

Say hello to the class by posting in the Introduce Yourself discussion forum. Discussions can be accessed from the Course Home page by clicking Connect and then Discussions on the course navigation bar.

The Discussions space will also be used for Discussion Question Prompts and for Peer Workshopping of your essays.

Contact Us

Who and Why	Contact Details
Instructor and TA Course-related questions (e.g., course content, deadlines, assignments, etc.) Questions of a personal nature	Post your course-related questions to the Ask the Instructor discussion topic*. This allows other students to benefit from your question as well. Questions of a personal nature can be directed to your instructor. Instructor: Dr. Heather Smyth hsmyth@uwaterloo.ca I check email and the Ask the Instructor discussion topic* frequently and will make every effort to reply to your questions within 24 hours, Monday to Friday. When emailing me, please indicate the course code in the subject line.
Technical Support Technical problems with Waterloo LEARN	learnhelp@uwaterloo.ca Include your full name, WatIAM user ID, student number, and course name and number. Technical support is available during regular business hours, Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM (Eastern Time). LEARN Help Student Documentation

Who and Why	Contact Details
Student Resources	Student Resources Academic advice Student success WatCards Library services and more

*Discussion topics can be accessed by clicking Connect and then Discussions on the course navigation bar above.

Course Description

In this course we will discuss works of literature in English from around the world that explore themes such as colonialism, migration, transnationalism, and the global. We will address the many ways--chosen and involuntary--that people and cultures become global, and the motivations and consequences of mobility: forced movement through the Atlantic slave trade, war and refugeeism, economic and academic migration, tourism, the creation of diasporas, and the ways we make places our home.

 Undergraduate Studies Calendar 

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of this course, students should be able to:
• Identify some of the major themes in global literatures;
• Understand and apply literary concepts such as genre, narrative, and poetics;
• Reflect on and engage closely with works of literature;
• Collaborate with peers in discussion and through essay workshop; Outline, draft, revise, and polish a university-level academic essay.

Grade Breakdown

The following table represents the grade breakdown of this course.

Activities and Assignments	Weight (%)
Introduce Yourself	ungraded
Participation	15%
Writing Prompts	30%
Thesis statement	2%
Essay Outline	4%
Quotation Practice	4%
Essay	20%
Peer Workshop	5%
Take Home Exam	20%

Participation

It is critical that everyone participate and have a voice in our discussions -- to bring your own insights and experiences to the classroom; to amplify, disagree, nudge, cheer, and collaboratively learn with each other and the instructor; and to form your own classroom community for learning. I recognize that this can be difficult in an online course, and that each student has their own talents and capacities for contributing to the course. I recognize a range of ways that you can gain your participation grade in this course, including but not limited to:

• Attending the weekly synchronous class discussion;
• Talking and commenting in the synchronous class, or commenting in the chat window;
• Listening to your peers in synchronous class, engaging with them, including them;
• Participating in your breakout group: being the notetaker if you prefer not to talk, or presenting if you do; helping draw ideas from your groupmates; encouraging quieter students; facilitating discussion or disagreement;

• Writing a question or observation in the "General Discussion" forum, including something you'd like discussed in synchronous class, or emailing me privately if you prefer;
• Attending my office hours to talk with me or ask questions;
• Extending care to another student in need.

Your participation grade will be a collaboration between us. You will write a self-assessment at the term midpoint and revise it at the end of the course: a one-page reflection on the ways you have participated in the course, including efforts you made that are not reflected in the list above or that I may not have been aware of, and how you participation fits your strengths and your personal goals for the course. You will assign a participation grade to yourself. Full marks or no marks would require a significant explanation and are not expected. I will review your self-assessment and assign a participation grade from my standpoint, reserving the right to raise or lower your self-assigned grade - but will communicate that with you. If needed the conversation about your participation grade can continue to be negotiated.

Writing Prompts

Throughout the term, there will be writing prompts posted in the Discussion forum in Learn, a total of 5. You will read the prompt then start your own thread in response to the questions in that prompt. You will write 500-750 words reflecting on and answering the question. Then, read your classmates' writing and offer 150-200 word responses to three of them, using the reply function. Reflections and responses are due by the posted dates.

Peer Workshop

You will be assigned to peer workshop groups for the purpose of sharing a draft of your essay and giving/receiving constructive feedback.

Essay

Details will follow for your course essay. Ahead of the drafting of your essay you will be handing in a thesis statement (2%), outline (4%) and Quotation Practice (4%). Further information will be provided.

Take Home Exam

The final assignment for the course will be a take-home or open-book exam with essay-style answers covering material from the full course.

Your Instructor

I've been teaching in the Department of English Language and Literature since 2003. I began my research and teaching in social justice studies in the humanities and literature: postcolonial and transnational studies with an emphasis on gender and sexuality, and guided by critical race studies approaches. Caribbean literature and Canadian multiracial literature are areas of focus. I've gradually been moving towards social science approaches to research, including community- based research. I am pursuing qualitative data-gathering projects in collaboration with social services and nonprofit agencies and people with lived experiences of homelessness, substance use, sex work, transphobia, and racial oppression. These projects’ findings are used for education and advocacy by community partners and for academic publication (e.g. my work in progress on discourses of harm reduction, & advocacy and narrative change). These two fields cross over in my work exploring literatures and rhetorics of advocacy and activism.

Textbooks

Required

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, The Thing Around Your Neck

Dionne Brand, What we all long for

Ruth Ozeki, A Tale for the Time Being

Ocean Vuong, Night Sky with Exit Wounds

Booklook info

For textbook ordering information, please contact the W Store | Course Materials + Supplies.

For your convenience, you can compile a list of required and optional course materials including both print and digital formats, through UWaterloo BookLook using your Quest userID and password. If you are having difficulties ordering online and need support, please contact the Waterloo Store by email wstore@lists.uwaterloo.ca, by local phone +1 519-888-4673 or by toll-free at +1 866-330-7933. Please be aware that textbook orders CANNOT be taken over the phone.

Course Reserves

Course Reserves can be accessed using the Library Resources widget on the Course Home page.

Resources

Library COVID-19: Updates on library services and operations.

Course Policies

For this term, I am not going to set late penalties for work that is submitted past the due date. During this pandemic, all of us are dealing with many pressures and difficulties, and I trust you are going to figure out how best to manage your workload during the term. It's better for both of us if you try to submit your work on time so you can pace yourself during the course (and so can I), but I am not going to ask you to explain if you do miss a deadline. If you are having troubles keeping up please contact me so I can help.