assignments

In a nutshell, these are the requirements on which your grade will be based:

Speaking assignments

  • Class discussion
  • Short report on an interview with a faculty member
  • Short book talk
  • 50-minute group presentation and discussion of one of our assigned books

Writing assignments

  • Weekly blog posts and comments
  • Annotated bibliography
  • Four short analytical papers
  • One longer critical essay

And one overall expectation: active, engaged participation in the class

Here are the details:

Participation (20%)

Participation means engaging fully in the course – doing the reading, thinking about it before you come to class, sharing your thoughts in discussion even if you’re shy, giving the assignments your best effort,  preparing short oral reports, working well with the members of your groups, listening actively and carefully, and generally being a good citizen of this seminar community. (See Expectations for more details.) In addition to meeting at our regularly-scheduled class times, I am requiring three out-of-class events:

  • Attend Sonia Nazario’s talk on Sept. 28th, 7pm in Alumni Hall.
  • Attend at least one Nobel Lecture, October 6-7th in Lund Center.
  • Attend Far Away: Seven Jewish Children, Seven Palestinian Children (a play).

In addition to engaging fully in discussion on a regular basis, you will need to prepare two short presentations (3-5 minutes); one on the book you choose yourself and a report on an interview with one of your professors conducted during his or her office hours. These are informal and brief, but you will need to prepare ahead of time. Why does participation count? Because the college is a community, not a television show. To be a successful student, you need to be involved in class and in the life of the college. Being comfortable speaking up and making time for cultural events will enrich your college years – and your life after college.

Group Presentation (20%)

For all of the assigned books except the first one we read (Curious Incident) a group of four students will prepare to lead an entire class period, giving a formal 20-minute presentation that will provide background on one of the books, followed by leading a discussion using questions that you prepare in advance. The presentation will provide information about the setting of the book, some background on the author, and will explore key themes or issues raised in the book. The presentation should not consist of reading facts off sheets of paper or reading PowerPoint bullet points aloud; it needs to be thoughtfully organized and rehearsed. (The library has two rooms that can be reserved where you can work on a large-screen computer and plan and rehearse your presentation as a group.) You should include visual information: maps, photos of the setting, YouTube clips, music – whatever media you feel will inform your audience and liven up your talk. After your presentation you will lead the class in discussion. To do this you need to prepare some thought-provoking questions that involve the class in debate about ethical questions that the book raises (crime and punishment, race and class issues, gender and power relationships, whether a character’s behavior is morally justified or not – that sort of thing). You should also include some questions on how the book functions as a work of fiction: for example, were the characters well-developed and convincing? Was the pacing effective? Did the ending work? Do everything you can to draw out reluctant members of the class. The audience also has a responsibility. If members of the audience appear unengaged or do not participate in the discussion, their grade will be lowered. Why? Because you will need to make formal presentations both at college and later in your professional and civic life. Being comfortable planning and carrying out presentations (and being an involved member of an audience) is a skill everyone needs to develop.

Blog Contributions (10%)

Our blog is a collaborative writing project. We will use it to share our thoughts, to reflect on what we’re reading, to point out interesting things we’ve encountered, to comment on each others’ posts, or just to express ourselves. Unlike some blogs this is not a place for political rants (though it’s all right to write about political topics) or a personal and intimate diary (though it’s okay to write about yourself). It’s a place where you can practice your writing skills and share your thoughts publicly while continuing the classroom discussion.

A blog is public, and the audience is potentially anyone in the entire world. Your entries should be ones you don’t mind anyone reading – your mother, your roommate, a future employer. Feel free to be informal, opinionated, or funny, but do try to write posts that are thoughtful and carefully revised. Luckily, you can save posts as drafts and can go back and edit them at any time. Each student in this class must post a blog entry once a week. You may not “bank” these by posting three times in one week and not at all in two because blogs take constant care and feeding. Before you publish your post, which should be at least five or six sentences long, it’s a good idea to use the “view this page” option and revise as needed. Even better, save the post for a few hours and then look at it again before you publish it. Possible topics include comments on the books we’re reading, thoughts about things you’re reading or discussing in other classes, a topic in the news, a campus speaker or exhibit or sports event . . . there are plenty of possibilities. You also need to read the blog and contribute by posting at least two comments weekly on other people’s posts. Why? Informal communication through the Web is an increasingly important form of expression. Many people do it badly. You’ll have a chance to hone your technical knowledge and communication skills while learning more about yourself and your classmates. You’ll also get weekly practice with what writers call “invention” – coming up with ideas to write about.

Annotated Bibliography (10%)

In preparation for your group presentations, we will spend several days in the library looking for sources. Each student will prepare a list of ten carefully-selected sources presented in MLA format and will write a two to three sentence description of the source. Your list should include at least one reference book article, one book, one popular article, one scholarly article, and one Web source (a site, video, podcast, blog or other item found on the Internet). Though you might use some of the same sources as another member of your group, you must format your references and write annotations on your own. Why? You will have to document sources using a standard format frequently in college; finding and evaluating information is an essential skill that you will use the rest of your life.

Critical Analysis Papers (4 short papers, 20% total)

For each of the books we read together, with the exception of the one your group presents, you will write a two-page analysis focused on a question, a hypothesis, or a thesis (that is, you have to decide on a particular point you want to make about the book). You will develop an argument that addresses that point using evidence from the book (references to scenes or quotations from the book) and will reach a meaningful conclusion. For each of these four short papers you will likely need to produce a second, revised paper since revision based on editorial suggestions is an important part of the writing process. Why? These assignments will develop life-long critical thinking abilities and will give you practice in the kind of formal analysis that is frequently assigned in college.

Final paper (20%)

In the last weeks of the course you will compose a longer paper – 5-7 pages – in which you develop a substantial thesis about some aspect of international crime fiction using at least two of the books we’ve read and one or more critical articles published about the genre. Your paper must raise an interesting and original question, organize an argument that explores and develops your ideas thoroughly, include well-chosen evidence (quotations and examples) from your sources, and draw conclusions. This paper must also include a properly-formatted list of works cited. Why? Formal writing of this kind is something you will do in college, so practice will be handy. But it also develops your ability to organize your thoughts, marshal evidence to prove a point, and persuade an audience that you have a valid argument – skills that you will call on throughout the rest of your life, even after you’ve handed in your last college paper.

photo courtesy of tripu