Syllabus: ENGL 308/GSJ 307 F21: Race and Resistance
Contact Information
Professor: Dr. Heather Smyth: hsmyth@uwaterloo.ca
Office Hours: Wed/Thurs 9-10 am in MS Teams (if you prompt me with a message in Teams I'll answer with a video or phone call)
Announcements
Welcome to the course! I'm Professor Heather Smyth and I'm looking forward to working with you this term as we learn about and discuss the roles that race and racism play in structures of power and means of resistance. Our focus will especially be on social justice movements and the affordances and tactics offered by cultural, artistic, and literary means. Critical race theory and social movement theory will help guide us during the term.
I'll 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 Wednesdays (10-11:20 am) 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 have provided a General Discussion for class-wide discussions and an Ask the Instructor discussion forum, both in LEARN. 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 your instructor.
Some of the Ask the Instructor questions will probably be factual things I will reply to right away, but for the more substantive and pondering questions I will raise them in our Wednesday meeting and/or answer them via video.
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.
Contact Us
| Who and Why | Contact Details |
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Instructor and TA
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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: Heather Smyth hsmyth@uwaterloo.ca Your instructor checks email and the Ask the Instructor discussion topic* frequently and will make every effort to reply to your questions within 24 hours, |
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Technical Support
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learnhelp@uwaterloo.ca Include your full name, WatIAM user ID, student number, and course name and Technical support is available during regular business hours, Monday to Friday, LEARN Help Student Documentation |
| Student Resources | Student Resources
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*Discussion topics can be accessed by clicking Connect and then Discussions on the course navigation bar above.
Course Description and Learning Outcomes
Course Description
An examination of how contemporary literary and cultural texts represent, reconfigure, and resist ideas of race. Analyzing literature, film, art, popular culture, and social movements, this course covers major debates in critical race theory and anti-racist practices.
Undergraduate Studies Calendar
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
Understand some key concepts in critical race theory
Identify and analyze persuasive strategies used in social movements
Critically reflect on their own positionality
Design and write analyses of various lengths
Grade Breakdown
The following table represents the grade breakdown of this course.
| Activity | Weight |
|---|---|
| My Stakes | 20% |
| Foraging x4 | 40% |
| Project Interview | 10% |
| Mojor Project | 30% |
Your Instructor
I have been teaching in the English department at the University of Waterloo since 2003. My Ph.D is from the University of Alberta, where I wrote a dissertation on Caribbean women's writing, theories of cultural hybridity, and feminist politics of difference. I have taught broadly in world literatures with a focus on critical race theory and gender. My current research interests are focused on advocacy and activism from several directions: as a distinct field in humanities and rhetorical study; as a unique thread in Canadian literature; and as a theorized practice I am pursuing through research projects at Sistering, an agency for marginalized cis women and trans people in Toronto, where I was co-chair of the Board of Directors and chair of the Social Advocacy committee. For more info, here is my department profile page.
Materials and Resources
Textbook(s)
Required (available at W Store)
- Diverlus, Rodney, Sandy Hudson, and Syrus Marcus Ware, eds. Until We Are Free: Reflections on Black Lives Matter in Canada. University of Regina Press, 2020. [This book is available at Porter Library, online, and for unlimited users]
- Hill, Gord. The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book. Arsenal Pulp, 2010.
Booklook info
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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.
Schedule
IMPORTANT: ALL TIMES EASTERN - Please see the University Policies section of your Syllabus for details.
|
Week |
Date |
Topic |
Readings |
Activities and Assignments |
Due Date |
Weight (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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1 |
Sep 8 |
Introduction |
Dionne Brand, “On narrative, reckoning and the calculus of living and dying” |
Watch this week's lecture(s) |
ungraded |
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2 |
Sep 13- 17 |
Background |
Omi and Winant "The Theory of Racial Formation" Leanne Betasamosake Simpson “Nishnaabeg’ Resurgence: Stories from Within” Browse the website "beautifulrising.org" |
Watch this week's lecture(s) "My stakes" 1 |
Sep 17 |
Part of 20% component |
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3 |
Sep 20- 24 |
Black Lives Matter |
Diverlus ed. Introduction, Ch 1 "The Origin Story of Black Lives Matter Canada" (Hudson and Diverlus), Ch 7 "Organizing Direct Action in the Digital Age" (Khan) |
Watch this week's lecture(s) Foraging 1 |
Sep 24 |
Part of 40% component |
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4 |
Sep 27- Oct 1 |
Black Lives Matter: Pride |
Diverlus ed. Ch 19 "Black Lives Matter - Toronto Sit- in at Pride" (Keleta-Mae) |
Watch this week's lecture(s) |
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5 |
Oct 4-8 |
Black Lives Matter: Abolition |
Diverlus, ed. Ch 3 "Revolution and Resurgence: Dismantling the Prison Industrial Complex Through Black and Indigenous Solidarity" (Ware and Dias), & Ch 22 "Black Lives Matter - Toronto Freedom School" (Jordan) |
Watch this week's lecture(s) Foraging 2 |
Oct 8 |
Part of 40% component |
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Reading Week |
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6 |
Oct 18- 22 |
No One is Illegal |
Walia, “Permanently Temporary: Managed Migration in Canada” in Border & Rule Watch documentary Migrant Dreams dir. by Min Sook Lee (TVO link) https://www.tvo.org/video/documentaries/migrant- dreams |
Watch this week's lecture(s) and documentary "My stakes" 2 |
Oct 22 |
Part of 20% component |
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7 |
Oct 25- 29 |
Coalitions and Solidarity |
Diverlus ed. Ch 5 "Towards Black and Indigenous Futures on Turtle Island - a Conversation" (Maynard and Betasamosake Simpson) & Ch 21 "Indigenous and Black Solidarity in Practice: #BLMTOTentCIty" (Hudson); Fujino “Black-Asian Solidarity Requires us to Think and Act Relationally” https://www.societyandspace.org/articles/black- asian-solidarity |
Watch this week's lecture(s) Foraging 3 |
Oct 29 |
Part of 40% component |
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8 |
Nov 1-5 |
Indigenous Resistance |
Gord Hill The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book |
Watch this week's lecture(s) |
Part of 40% component |
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9 |
Nov 8-12 |
#IdleNoMore |
Glen Coulthard "#IdleNoMore in Historical Context" Pam Palmater "Idle No More: What do we want and where are we headed?" Harsha Walia "Decolonizing Together" |
Watch this week's lecture(s) Foraging 4 |
Nov 12 |
Part of 40% component |
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10 |
Nov 15- 19 |
#IdleNoMore |
Ryan McMahon "The Round Dance Revolution" Hayden King #Ottawapiskat Multiple artists: Round Dances |
Watch this week's lecture(s) "My Stakes" 3 |
Nov 19 |
Part of 20% component |
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11 |
Nov 22- 26 |
This week you upload your draft to the Peer Review Discussion and do the peer review exercise with your group. Details to follow. |
Peer review |
5 pts Part of 20% component |
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12 |
Nov 29- Dec 3 |
Conclusion |
Course project due |
Dec 3 |
30% |
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Final Assessment Period |
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Course and Department Policies
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.
Department Policies University Policies
Purpose: for students to understand the University Policies that pertain to them being a student in the course.
Academic integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. [Check the Office of Academic Integrity for more information.]
Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.
Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity to avoid committing an academic offence, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. [Check the Office of Academic Integrity for more information.] A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course instructor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate associate dean. For information on categories of offences and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71, Student Discipline. For typical penalties, check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.
Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71, Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72, Student Appeals.
Note for students with disabilities: AccessAbility Services, located in Needles Hall, Room 1401, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with AccessAbility Services at the beginning of each academic term.
Turnitin.com: Text matching software (Turnitin®) may be used to screen assignments in this course. Turnitin® is used to verify that all materials and sources in assignments are documented. Students' submissions are stored on a U.S.
server, therefore students must be given an alternative (e.g., scaffolded assignment or annotated bibliography), if they are concerned about their privacy and/or security. Students will be given due notice, in the first week of the term and/or at the time assignment details are provided, about arrangements and alternatives for the use of Turnitin in this course.
It is the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor if they, in the first week of term or at the time assignment details are provided, wish to submit alternate assignment.
University policies are from the course outline template: June 15, 2009 (updated March 2018)
Coronavirus Information
Coronavirus Information for Students
This resource provides updated information on COVID-19 and guidance for accommodations due to COVID-19.
Mental Health Support
All of us need a support system. I encourage you to seek out mental health supports and resources when they are needed. You can reach out to Campus Wellness and learn about the variety of services available to promote your mental health and wellbeing.
Territorial Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that we live and work on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo 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. As we begin this course, members of the traditional government of the Haudenosaunee nation have been mobilizing near Caledonia for over a year to stop the Mackenzie Meadows housing project on portions of original Haldimand Tract land that are in dispute.
Copyright
© Heather Smyth and University of Waterloo.