Documentary - sjsu.edu Course Proposal… · Web viewDepartment of World Languages & Literatures....

Department of World Languages & LiteraturesFORL 25 – World Cultures through Literature and Cinema Course Proposal

FORL 25 is an intensive 6-unit integrative Core GE (C1 & C2)*** online culture course combining the Arts and Letters through literature and cinema. Taught in English by five different World Languages instructors, FORL 25 provides five specialized three-week culture modules on countries where each of the following five languages is spoken: Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish. The purpose of this course is to study the fundamental cultural features of each of the five language-speaking groups. Instructors in each language will be assigned one teaching unit. The sixth unit will be assigned each semester to the FORL 25 Core GE course coordinator who will be responsible for compiling GE course assessment materials for each of the five culture modules and preparing the annual GE assessment report. As a means of providing greater support and ensuring the best possible success rates, students will not only have full access to each individual instructor’s office hours, but will be required to participate on a discussion board and online chat room to complement and enhance online instruction. Writing assignments for each of the three-week culture modules will be a minimum of 900 words totaling a minimum of 4,500 words for all five culture modules over the course of the semester. In addition, there will be a 1,500 word FORL 25 end-of-semester writing assignment bringing the grand total to a minimum number of words of 6,000.

*** Students who obtain an overall grade of C or better in FORL 25 will receive 9 units of University Core GE credit (C1, C2 & C3)

Francophone Cultures Module Proposal

Jean-Luc Desalvo

Overview: The diverse characteristics of the Francophone world and its French-speaking speakers spanning five continents will be explored in an intensive 3-week module. Precisely because the French-speaking world is so socio-historically, culturally and geographically diverse (Metropolitan France and its overseas departments in the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean and South America on the one hand and Asia, Europe and North America (Canada and the U.S.) on the other, this diversity is the key concept and starting point for this culture module. This newfound knowledge and overview will subsequently be applied to the exploration of the characteristics and cultural identity of the French-speaking language groups found in the U.S. (Cajuns or Cadiens and Creoles in Louisiana, Haitians in Florida and New York, and Acadians and Quebeckers in the New England States).

Concept. In order to emphasize the diversity of the French-speaking world, the weekly modules focus on the following areas or threads with the following interdisciplinary goals in mind:

1) to understand, appreciate, and interpret the expression of human ideas and relationships through the interaction between literary imagination and culture, as well as politics

2) to understand through literature and cinema the various beliefs, behavior, values and institutions of the various French-speaking groups

3) to understand how human expression has developed over time

4) to understand how French-speaking cultures and traditions have influenced American culture and society and vice versa

5) to understand through literature and cinema how some of the distinctive features of French-speaking cultures have developed and, conversely, how some are in the process of disappearing

6) to understand how French-speaking cultures interact with other cultures.

As a result, students will have a greater appreciation of the distinctive modality of Western culture created by French-speaking peoples of the world through the study and analysis of source materials, such as supplementary handouts and film materials, which will serve to contextualize and give coherence to the primary sources. Students will first develop an appreciation of the cultural diversity (content objective) found in the Francophone world. The three-week Francophone culture module through literature and cinema includes but is not limited to the discussion of Francophone people from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, North and South America, including Québec and what was formerly known as Acadia. In addition, immigration issues dealing with the presence of large concentrations of French-speakers in the U.S., such as Haitians and Africans, will be explored. Finally, this Francophone culture module will delve into the question of how the U.S. serves as a cultural and linguistic model in the French-speaking world and the effects of this relationship, including a discussion of the perceptions of the U.S. by French speakers and vice versa.

G.E. requirements, connections to the US and gender diversity

The chosen films and literary texts relate directly to the United States and to the experiences of French-speaking immigrants in the US. There is also gender and ethnic diversity among the authors. All the literary texts were written by women, and the selection of short stories were written by Cajun and black Creole women writers.

Films and Literary Texts: Since the course focuses on culture through cinema and literature, the module includes subtitled films as well as short literary texts (short stories, excerpts from novels, and poetry) translated from French into English. This is a three-week module in a 6-unit online course that satisfies at least two (if not three) lower-division GE requirements.

The literary texts are brief and will be made available through the Canvas learning management system.

Documentary films: David McCullough's Heroes of History: “From Paris to the Brooklyn Bridge” (2012)

Gladu, André. Maroon: On the Trail of Creoles in North America (2005)

---. Tintamarre - On the Trail of Acadians in North America (2005)

Ignatieff, Michael Reconquering the Conquest (1993)

Literary Texts:

Pelagie by Antonine Maillet

Selection of short stories written by Cajun and black Creole women writers

Désirée’s Baby by Kate Chopin

Structure of the Module

Each of the three weeks begins with an Introductory Content Module which includes an introduction to the topics for the week and some background information and preparation material to help students understand the context of the films and literary readings.

Week 1 begins with the David McCullough 60 Minutes interview stressing the historical and cultural connection the U.S. has with France and providing to students an overall historical and cultural context for the study of Francophone cultures. Students are also provided accompanying historical handouts for that purpose. Students are required to complete a Francophone geography exercise and a famous Americans of French or Francophone descent exercise. At the end of the week, students are asked to submit a Reflection paper on that week’s activities (minimum of 150 words).

In Week 2, the module progresses to show different aspects of diversity of the French-speaking world with special focus on French-speaking groups in New England (Acadians and Quebeckers) and in Louisiana (the Cajuns and the Creoles). Students are required to view three films: Michael Ignatieff’s Reconquering the Conquest (Quebec) and two films by André Gladu: Maroon: On the Trail of Creoles in North America and Tintamarre - On the Trail of Acadians in North America. At the end of the week, students are asked to submit a Reflection paper on that week’s activities (minimum of 150 words).

In Week 3, the module focuses on diversity as linked to the formation of cultural identity. There is a shift from films to short literary texts. These include excerpts from the epic novel, Pelagie, by Acadian female author Antonine Maillet who retraced the footsteps of her Acadian ancestors up the East Coast of the United States back to what was known as Acadia. Students will also have the opportunity to read short stories written by Cajun and black Creole authors, as well as excerpts from Kate Chopin’s Désirée’s Baby which highlights the author’s own experiences with the French Creoles of Louisiana, the atmosphere of plantation life and slavery, racism and the question of mixed cultural and ethnic identities, such as those of the mulattos.

GE Writing Assignments. At the end of Week 1, there is a Reflection paper (approximately 150 words) on the first film. At the end of Week 2, there is another Reflection paper (approximately 150 words) on one (or both) of the other films. The last writing assignment is the Culminating Experience Essay (approximately 600 words) in which students must compare or compare and contrast the treatment of a common theme in at least two of the films or literary texts.

Tentative Calendar:

Week 1: Introduction: Francophone Cultures: Cultural and Geographic Diversity

Introductory Content Module: Francophone Cultures

Film: David McCullough's Heroes of History: “From Paris to the Brooklyn Bridge”

Francophone geography exercise

Famous Americans of French or Francophone descent exercise

Study/Discussion questions (for online discussion board)

Writing Assignment #1 Reflection Paper (approximately 150 words) on the film

Overall General Education Program Objectives addressed

* GEPO 5: Understand the historical and cultural contexts in which such specific texts / works of art were created

* GEPO 3: Respond to such works by writing both research-based critical analyses and personal responses

* GEPO 2: Write clearly and effectively

Week 2: Diversity in the Francophone World in Film

Introductory Content Module: Ethnic, Religious, and Cultural Diversity among French-speaking Cultures

Film: Maroon: On the Trail of Creoles in North America


Film: Tintamarre - On the Trail of Acadians in North America


Writing Assignment #2 Reflection Paper (approximately 150 words) on one (or both) of the films


* GEPO 1: Recognize how significant works illuminate enduring human concerns

* GEPO 6: Examine the interaction of analytical and creative processes in the production and perception of such works, and the significance of the historical and cultural contexts in which the works are created and interpreted

* GEPO 4: Identify and discuss issues related to censorship and freedom of speech



Week 3: Cultural identity in the Francophone World in Literary Texts

Introductory Content Module: Diversity and the Formation of Cultural Identity

Literary reading: Pelagie by Antonine Maillet

Literary readings: Selection of short stories written by Cajun and Creole women writers

Literary reading: Désirée’s Baby by Kate Chopin


Writing Assignment #3 Culminating Experience Essay (approximately 600 words)

This is a comparison or comparison-contrast essay focusing on one of the unifying threads (French or Francophone diaspora, the immigrant experience, the formation of cultural identity) as presented in at least two of the texts (films or literary texts).


* GEPO 7: Recognize the accomplishments of and issues related to women and diverse cultures reflected in such texts






German Culture Module

Content Summary

For the students in the US, probably the most interesting and relevant aspect of German history and civilization is its development after World War II up to the contemporary state of the nation after its reunification. Issues such as the Cold War, the confrontation between communist and capitalist systems represented by East- and West Germany respectively, the division of the

country, and the Berlin Wall are still somewhat present in the consciousness of our current students.

Issues of repression and opposition in totalitarian regimes are still current and universal. The role of artists and intellectuals and their responsibility in society are fundamental existential concerns. The examination of the collective and concrete personal experience of Germans will challenge the students’ ethical standards and moral codes. The recent revelation of NSA surveillance strategies in the US and abroad raises parallels and makes a study of the German situation for students in the US even more understandable and also highly relevant.

The information will be presented through lecture by faculty with extensive expertise in the area (week 1), the viewing – out of class – and analysis of a movie that illustrates life under a repressive and totalitarian regime (week 2), and the reading and discussion of literature, which contemplates the artists’ and intellectuals’ dilemma as moral authorities in an oppressive state (week 3).

Writing Exercises

The German unit will require writing exercises of 900+ words. There will be two brief writing assignments of 150+ words each, which should help the students to reflect on the movie and the book and to synthesize their impressions and understanding of these works of art. At the conclusion of the German three-week block, the students will write a culminating essay on the German situation, in which they also will have to reflect on their personal attitudes and moral convictions and their role as responsible citizens in society.

Overall General Education Program Objectives (GEPO)

The German section of this course will address all but one of the Overall General Education Program Objectives as outlined in the GE Objectives Assessment Table [http://www.sjsu.edu/ugs/docs/assess_report/GE_Objective_Assess_Table.pdf]. Only GEPO 8/9 (Enable students to participate in social and cultural communities associated with artistic and literary endeavors, enriching their personal and professional lives) is not possible to realize in this section of the course.

Syllabus

Week 1:

View The Wall - A World Divided, a documentary film from PBS available online (http://video.pbs.org/video/1530672088/) in conjunction with supplementary reading materials about Germany from the end of World War II to reunification (1945-1990)

* this will provide the necessary historical and cultural background to understand the occupation and the subsequent division of the country into the Federal Republic of Germany (west) and the German Democratic Republic (east)

* it will examine major developments during the Cold War (blockade of Berlin and airlift by the allies, erection of Berlin Wall, gradual detente and rapprochement)

http://video.pbs.org/video/1530672088/

* it will illustrate events that led to the reunification of the country (Gorbachev era, economic constrains of the Eastern Bloc, flow of refugees, fall of the Berlin Wall)

Questions by the students

* it will provide students with the opportunity to close gaps in understanding

* it will show the instructor the extent to which the students have understood the lecture and conceptualized the historical events

Online class discussion

* on the fundamentally opposed ideologies of a free market and a socialist society

* Germany’s place in the context of world events

* prevailing tensions between democratic and state-controlled societies

Homework assignment for the following week

* to view the movie The Lives of Others

* to write 150+ words responses to questions from the instructor regarding the film





Week 2:

Class discussion of the movie The Lives of Others

* critically acclaimed (Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film) German film from 2006 that illustrates the work of a successful dramatist in the GDR and the repression he faces through censorship, surveillance, and governmental repression

Lecture on the purpose and methods of the secret service of the GDR (STASI) and the consequences for its citizens and society

* explanation of the immense and excessive surveillance program of the GDR, comparisons to the secret service of the Nazis (Gestapo), analogies to the surveillance program of the NSA in the US and abroad

Presentation of similar example of surveillance of artists and intellectuals by the STASI

* countless people deemed dissidents (artists from all disciplines, church leaders, politicians, actors, musicians, athletes, etc.) were under surveillance by the STASI. After the end of the GDR, the STASI archives – where surveillance information was stored – were opened. Many victims (especially artists) have published books on their files and the role the state repression played in their lives


* to read the book What remains by Christa Wolf

* to write 150+ words responses to questions from the instructor regarding the book







Week 3:

Class discussion of the book What Remains

* the book was written by celebrated GDR author Christa Wolf (nominated repeatedly for the Nobel Prize for Literature) in 1979 in the GDR, but only published in 1990 after the reunification of Germany

* it illustrates the purposely open and obvious surveillance by the STASI from the point of view of the victim and the personal consequences of these scare tactics, such as self-censorship, self-doubt, and paranoia

Lecture on the life and work of Christa Wolf

* while being a victim of the government’s surveillance program, it later was revealed that Christa Wolf also worked for the secret service of the GDR as an informal informant

Student discussion about the ethical dilemma in repressive regimes and the role of artists and intellectuals in such societies

* what can an individual citizen do in a repressive regime?

* what responsibilities carry persons of public interest, especially artists and intellectuals

* reflection on the students’ own behavior in hypothetical and actual situations (even in their daily lives in the US or in other countries they have lived in)


* Culminating experience: assignment of an essay of 600+ words that summarizes and synthesizes the two works of art within their historical and cultural context and a reflection of the students’ own role as responsible citizens in society (repressive or not)








Hispanic Cultures Module Proposal

Eleanor Marsh

Overview: Because the concept of Hispanic (or Hispanophone) culture(s) is so broad, the challenge is to find cultural concepts that are “representative” and that can be explored in an intensive 3-week module. Precisely because the Spanish-speaking world is so culturally and geographically diverse, this diversity is the key concept and starting point.

Concept. In order to emphasize the diversity of the Spanish-speaking world, the module focuses on debunking three common misconceptions about Hispanic culture(s) and the Hispanic world that are widely held—and still perpetuated—in U.S. society.

1. Misconception #1: the idea that “Hispanic” is an ethnicity. “Hispanic” is not an ethnicity, but rather a linguistic group. Hispanic people are of many races, ethnicities, and cultural traditions, held together by a language that has many variants. Through films and short literary texts, the module emphasizes the racial and ethnic diversity of Spanish-speaking people not only in the United States and Latin America, but also in contemporary Spain.

2. Misconception #2: the idea that Hispanic culture is synonymous with Mexican or Mexican-American culture. Especially in the Western United States, the concept of “Hispanic” is widely associated with Mexico, Mexicans, and Mexican-Americans. However, Mexican culture is only one aspect of the Spanish-speaking cultural world. The module emphasizes the cultural/ national diversity of Hispanic people by including films and literary texts by or about not only Mexicans and Mexican-Americans but also Argentines, Cubans, Dominicans, Salvadorians, Puerto Ricans, Peruvians, and Spaniards.

3. Misconception #3: the idea that Hispanic people are mostly Catholic and very religious. Although Roman Catholicism is a dominant religion in the Spanish-speaking world, there is religious diversity—including a lack of religiosity or religious beliefs—among Hispanic people. The films and literary texts show not only Catholic Hispanics, but also Hispanic Jews, Hispanics of Protestant Christian denominations, Hispanic Buddhists, followers of indigenous religious traditions, and non-religious people.

The module is held together by three unifying threads that lend themselves to discussion, to comparison and contrast, and to possible points of connection with the students’ own cultures.

1. Unifying thread #1: the importance of family ties. The films and literary texts emphasize different aspects of the importance of family ties in Hispanic culture(s). These include multigenerational families, blended families (with step-parents and stepchildren), multiracial families, and non-traditional family relationships.

2. Unifying thread #2: the role of the immigrant experience. Several of the films and literary texts deal with issues related to immigration and the experiences of immigrants from and to Spanish-speaking countries. The films and literary texts focus on Mexican and Puerto Rican immigrants in the United States, Caribbean Latin American immigrants in Spain, and children of Japanese immigrants in Peru.

3. Unifying thread #3: the formation of cultural identity. The literary texts especially grapple with issues of forming a cultural identity. In some cases, they explore the role of language as part of one’s cultural identity.

G.E. requirements, connections to the US and gender diversity

The chosen films and literary texts (especially the first film and literary texts by two of the authors) relate directly to the United States and to the experiences of Spanish-speaking immigrants in the US. There is also gender and ethnic diversity among the authors and directors of the films. Three of the four short literary texts are by women, and one of the three films is directed by a woman. One of the literary authors is a black woman from Cuba while another is a Japanese-Peruvian woman.

Films and Literary Texts: Since the course focuses on culture through cinema and literature, the module includes subtitled films as well as short literary texts (short stories, memoir excerpts, and poetry) originally written in English or in English translation. This is a three-week module in a 6-unit online course that satisfies at least two (if not three) lower-division GE requirements. If this were a traditional-format course taught in person in the classroom, three weeks of a six unit course would be the equivalent of 900 minutes of classroom time (not counting time outside the classroom for doing homework, for completing writing assignments, and for general studying). Thus, it is not unreasonable for some 400 of those 900 minutes to be devoted to watching three films over the course of the three weeks. The literary texts are brief and can be made available on the Canvas learning management system.

Films: My Family /Mi Familia (Gregory Nava, USA, 1995).

Autumn Sun (Sol de Otoño) (Eduardo Mignogna, Argentina, 1996)

Flowers from Another World (Iciar Bollaín, Spain, 1999)

Literary Texts:

“Inside Out” by Francisco Jiménez

“American Invasion of Macún” and “Shot at it” by Esmeralda Santiago (Puerto Rico)

“Black Woman” (poem) by Nancy Morejón (Cuba)

Selection from Chambala was a Path (poetry) by Doris Moromisato (Peru)

Structure of the Module

Each of the three weeks begins with an Introductory Content Module which includes an introduction to the topics for the week and some background information and preparation material to help students understand the context of the films and literary readings.

Week 1 begins with what students in California probably already know about (or associate with) Hispanic culture. This is presented through a Hollywood film, My Family/ Mi Familia, that showcases and dramatizes the history of Mexican Americans by depicting three generations of a Mexican family in Los Angeles from the late 1920s through the 1980s. This film serves as a backdrop for presenting (and breaking) many of the stereotypes commonly associated with Hispanic culture(s). The film tries to incorporate (or cram) a wide array of historical situations, social issues, and cultural aspects associated with the Mexican and Mexican-American experience in the US. Some of these include the following: California as historically part of Mexico, immigration, deportation of US-born Mexican-Americans in the 1930s, the perils of crossing the border illegally, Pachuco culture in the 1950s, gang violence, discrimination, police brutality, the plight of Central American immigrants in the 1980s, cultural and linguistic assimilation, machismo, Catholicism, family celebrations, importance of the family.

In Week 2, the module progresses to show different aspects of diversity of the Spanish-speaking world across continents as seen in films. The main texts are two films, from Argentina and Spain, respectively. Autumn Sun focuses on an Argentine Jewish woman and her relationship with a non-Jewish man whom she must make her family believe is Jewish. Flowers from Another World tells the stories of black women from Cuba and the Dominican Republic who emigrate to Spain. Although the Latin American immigrants speak the same language as the native-born Spaniards, they still face numerous obstacles and culture clash.

In Week 3, the module focuses on diversity as linked to the formation of cultural identity. There is a shift from films to short literary texts. These include an autobiographical short story by the Mexican writer Francisco Jiménez, excerpts from a memoir by the Puerto Rican writer Esmeralda Santiago, and poems by the Cuban author Nancy Morejón and the Japanese-Peruvian Doris Moromisato.

GE Writing Assignments. At the end of Week 1, there is a Reflection paper (approximately 150 words) on the first film. At the end of Week 2, there is another Reflection paper (approximately 150 words) on one (or both) of the other films. The last writing assignment is the Culminating Experience Essay (approximately 600 words) in which students must compare or compare and contrast the treatment of a common theme in at least two of the films or literary texts.

Tentative Calendar:

Week 1: Introduction: Hispanic Culture(s): Some common misconceptions

Introductory Content Module: Hispanic Culture(s) or Hispanophone Culture(s)

Film: My Family /Mi Familia


Writing Assignment #1 Reflection Paper (approximately 150 words) on the film





Week 2: Diversity in the Hispanic World in Film

Introductory Content Module: Ethnic, Religious, and Cultural Diversity among Spanish-speaking Cultures

Film: Autumn Sun (Sol de Otoño)


Film: Flowers from Another World (Flores de otro mundo)


Writing Assignment #2 Reflection Paper (approximately 150 words) on one (or both) of the films







Week 3: Cultural identity in the Hispanic World in Literary Texts

Introductory Content Module: Diversity and the Formation of Cultural Identity

Literary reading: “Inside Out” by Francisco Jiménez

Literary readings: “American Invasion of Macún” and “Shot at it” by Esmeralda Santiago

Literary reading: “Black Woman” by Nancy Morejón

Literary reading: Selection from Chambala was a Path by Doris Moromisato


Writing Assignment #3 Culminating Experience Essay (approximately 600 words)

This is a comparison or comparison-contrast essay focusing on one of the unifying threads (the treatment of family ties, the immigrant experience, or the formation of cultural identity) as presented in at least two of the texts (films or literary texts).








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