Syllabus ASTU 100 2020 PDF

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ASTU 100 M04/M03 – Strange Futures Coordinated Arts Program: Media Studies Stream

CONTACT INFORMATION Instructor: Dr. Katie Fitzpatrick Email: [email protected] Live Class Time M04: Fridays 9-9:50am, via Zoom. Live Class Time M03: Fridays 11-11:50am, via Zoom. Online office hours (a chance to talk to me about the course, get help/feedback): Mondays 11am-12pm and Thursdays 2-3pm, via Collaborate Ultra.

WARNING During this pandemic, the shift to online learning has greatly altered teaching and studying at UBC, including changes to health and safety considerations. Keep in mind that some UBC courses might cover topics that are censored or considered illegal by non-Canadian governments. This may include, but is not limited to, human rights, representative government, defamation, obscenity, gender or sexuality, and historical or current geopolitical controversies. If you are a student living abroad, you will be subject to the laws of your local jurisdiction, and your local authorities might limit your access to course material or take punitive action against you. UBC is strongly committed to academic freedom, but has no control over foreign authorities (please visit http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=3,33,86,0 for an articulation of the values of the University conveyed in the Senate Statement on Academic Freedom). Thus, we recognize that students will have legitimate reason to exercise caution in studying certain subjects. If you have concerns regarding your personal situation, consider postponing taking a course with manifest risks, until you are back on campus or reach out to your academic advisor to find substitute courses. For further information and support, please visit: http://academic.ubc.ca/support- resources/freedom-expression **How this impacts ASTU 100 M03/M04**: One of the novels we will be reading in Term 2 (Severance) contains content that would be considered illegal or highly controversial by some world governments. If you will be physically located outside Canada during Term 2, you may not be able to obtain a copy of the book, or, you may feel unsafe reading and discussing it. If you

think that this will impact you, you may want to switch to another section of ASTU 100. You can also reach out to me to discuss ways to stay in my course without experiencing undue risk.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The Vancouver campus of UBC is located on the traditional, ancestral, unceded territory of the xwməθkwəy^əm (Musqueam) people. The land it is situated on has always been a place of learning for the Musqueam people, who for millennia have passed on their culture, history, and traditions from one generation to the next on this site. I, like many of us, am now joining our class from other territories of Coast Salish peoples, to whom we should also be grateful.

COURSE DESCRIPTION It’s safe to say that the future has never been stranger: learning is going remote and AI is getting smarter; seas are rising and political tides are shifting. In this course, we will consider how the future is envisioned in contemporary media – examining essays, novels, and films. Throughout the course, we will also discuss what these images of the future tell us about our current social and political world: what do our dreams and nightmares about the future tell us about our current hopes and anxieties? How, for example, does Ling Ma’s pandemic zombie novel, Severance, envision the future of work and consumerism? How do Kazuo Ishiguro and Boots Riley use ‘unrealistic’ sci-fi tropes to probe the realities of exploitation and racism? Through our study of these texts, you will learn the foundations of university-level literary interpretation, research, and scholarly writing. You will learn to write a variety of scholarly genres, including the research proposal, literature review, and research paper.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES In ASTU 100, you will develop new knowledge, skills, and practices related to research in community, academic writing, and literary & cultural studies. 1. Research in Community At the end of the course, students should be able to: a. define, value, and fulfill the principles and practices of ethical scholarship (this includes, but is not limited to, UBC's policy on academic integrity) b. participate in scholarly community in and beyond your CAP classes and stream. 2. Academic Writing At the end of the course, students should be able to: a. summarize scholarly sources b. describe key features of scholarly writing c. develop an original research project, using relevant and credible sources, including UBC library

d. produce scholarly research and writing in different genres e. participate in peer review by recommending and responding to revisions 3. Literary & Cultural Studies At the end of the course, students should be able to: a. apply methods and concepts from literary and/or cultural studies to literary and/or cultural texts. b. produce original research that includes analysis of literary and/or cultural texts in conversation with existing scholarship.

ONLINE COURSE STRUCTURE Rather than hold three “live,” synchronous classes each week, I will be asking you to complete asynchronous activities instead of class on Mondays and Wednesdays. I will hold a regular synchronous class on Fridays. Although there are some exceptions (listed in the calendar below), generally speaking, you will be expected to do the following each week: Mondays: Complete an Individual Learning Activity by 2pm. Wednesdays: Participate in a Group Discussion/Activity (often: post by 2pm Weds; reply to a peer by 2pm Thurs. Sometimes the structure will be different though.) Fridays: Attend a Live Class, via Zoom, at your section’s time (9am/11am). Note that the Monday and Wednesday tasks only replace the time students would normally spend in class. In addition to these tasks, you will need to complete the readings and major assignments that students would normally complete outside class time. All assigned readings and tasks are listed in the calendar below; I will make the “Individual Learning Activities” and group activity prompts available online the Friday before they are due, at the latest, so you can get ahead a little bit, if you want.

REQUIRED TEXTS

You will need physical or electronic copies of the following novels: Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro (Term 1) White Noise, by Don DeLillo (Term 1) Severance, by Ling Ma (Term 2) Moon of the Crusted Snow, by Waubgeshig Rice (Term 2) In addition, I will post pdfs or links to relevant articles, films, and other resources on Canvas.

OPTIONAL TEXTS Textbook (e-version available for purchase or rental on the UBC Bookstore website): Giltrow, Janet et al. Academic Writing: An Introduction. 3rd edition. Broadview, 2014. Across the course, I’ll indicate chapters from Giltrow’s Academic Writing: An Introduction that would help you better understand the research and writing skills covered in class or in homework activities.

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENTS TERM ONE 5%

Scholarly Summary

Mon, Oct 5, 11:59pm

10%

Literature Review

Mon, Nov 16, 11:59pm

15%

Lens Analysis Essay

Fri, Dec 11, 11:59pm

4.5%

Individual Learning Activities (9 x 0.5 each)

Various deadlines

5%

Term One Participation

No deadline

TERM TWO (deadlines & details provided in January) 15%

Research Proposal

Late Feb/Early March

30%

Final Research Paper

Late March

5%

Book Review

Early/Mid-April

5.5%

Individual Learning Activities (11 x 0.5 each)

Various deadlines

5%

Term Two Participation

No deadline

ASSIGNMENTS AND ASSESSMENTS CONT’D Major Writing Assignments: The major writing assignments (Scholarly Summary, Literature Review, Lens Analysis Essay, Research Proposal, Final Research Paper, & Book Review) will be explained in class. We will also spend a lot of time (via lectures, homework activities, and group activities) going over the expectations for these and practicing the relevant skills. Individual Learning Activities (usually due Mondays): These are opportunities for you to learn the fundamentals of research writing and literary interpretation on your own time. Each “Individual Learning Activity,” or ILA, will ask you to: 1) write a short response to a novel we are reading for class, based on a prompt from me; OR 2) watch a pre-recorded lecture about a particular writing or research skill and then practice that skill. Much of the most important content in the course will be delivered through ILAs, so I strongly encourage you to complete them! I’ll expect you to apply ILA skills in your major writing assignments and will count them as 10% of your grade across the whole year. Each ILA will be worth 0.5% of your grade and they will be graded on this scale: 0 0.25 0.4 0.5

Incomplete or Late Below Expectations Meets Expectations Exceeds Expectations

components missing or late work suggests that minimal effort has been applied work suggests that meaningful effort has been applied works demonstrates sophisticated understanding of/application of the material

I will try to grade these promptly, then address common errors and share successful examples during the live class at the end of the week. Note that I give out “Exceeds Expectations” pretty rarely; you can expect to get 0.4 most of the time, provided you make sufficient effort.

Participation (applies to Wednesday discussions and Friday live classes): As noted in the UBC Academic Calendar, the university expects regular attendance from students. In an online format, students’ regular, informed, and active participation during class and in online activities is a crucial factor in academic success. It is also an important way to uphold your responsibility to your academic community, as we learn and produce knowledge together. This is a course where you’ll learn some content from the instructor, but you’ll learn just as much from yourself - by practicing skills and working through ideas - and from your peers - by modelling interpretation and argumentation for each other. The course will be much more successful for you, me, and your peers if you put real effort into participation. For these reasons, students should expect to:

• • • •

•

watch/read all asynchronous material and participate fully in online activities (e.g. discussion boards, blogs, wikis, peer reviews, etc.) attend all synchronous classes, except under extenuating circumstances (e.g., personal or medical emergency) inform their instructors, ideally before class, should they be unable to attend due to such circumstances take responsibility for covering the course materials they missed by reviewing the syllabus and Canvas page, and seeking input from classmates. Instructors do not have a responsibility to cover this material with you or to allow you to complete tests, quizzes, or assignments done in class. connect with Arts Academic Advising should these circumstances require the student to seek Academic Concession

Students who do not attend regularly may be contacted first by their instructors, then by the CAP Chair, to discuss this issue. ASTU also expects that students will: • arrive to synchronous sessions on time and stay for the entire class so as not to disrupt others • come to class prepared for the day’s lesson: e.g., having completed readings, problem sets or assignments. • Engage in the learning activities of the class, e.g., through active listening, asking questions, contributing to group work and class discussion, and abstaining from activities (e.g., other browser windows, texting, sleeping) not related to the activities of the class. Participation in ASTU 100 M03 and M04 will be graded as follows: A

Posted meaningful, thoughtful contributions and responses to every group discussion/activity. During live classes, regularly raised hand and spoke in class (when invited), regularly participated in chat (when invited), and stayed consistently on task during breakout groups.

B

(between A description and C description)

C

Participated and responded in almost every group discussion/activity. Sometimes made meaningful, thoughtful contributions but sometimes made only minimal contributions. During live classes, rarely raised hand and spoke in class, but sometimes participated in chat (when invited), and stayed consistently on task during breakout groups.

D

(between C description and F description)

F

Either did not participate in many/all group discussions/activities or made only minimal contributions. Did not seem to participate in live classes, either through raising hand, typing in chat, or contributing to breakout group activities.

POLICIES & RESOURCES Communication You can email me questions at [email protected]. I don’t check email after 5pm or on weekends, but otherwise, I will try to answer within 24 hours. For longer conversations or feedback on your writing, please attend my virtual office hours (Mondays 11am-12pm and Thursdays 2-3pm, via Zoom) or set up an appointment at another time. Academic Integrity In CAP, and with the UBC and the scholarly community at large, we share an understanding of the ethical ways in which knowledge is produced. A core practice of this shared value of academic integrity is that we acknowledge the contributions of others to our own work. It also means that we produce our own contributions that add to the scholarly conversation. We don’t buy or copy papers or exams, or have someone else edit them. We also don’t falsify data or sources, or hand in the same work in more than one course. Because it is so important that research be done ethically, we expect students to meet these expectations. Any instance of cheating or taking credit for someone else’s work, whether intentionally or unintentionally, can and often will result in receiving at minimum grade of zero for the assignment, and these cases will be reported to the Department Head or Chair, the First-Year Programs Chair, and the Faculty of Arts Associate Dean, Academic. See the UBC Calendar entries on “Academic Honesty,” “Academic Misconduct,” and “Disciplinary Measures,” and check out the Student Declaration and Responsibility. See “Tips for Avoiding Plagiarism” from the Chapman Learning Commons, and bookmark the OWL website for how to use MLA citation style. Grading: All faculty at UBC are required to follow UBC’s grading scale for student assessment. The overall average in ASTU classes typically falls between 68-74%. Percentage 90-100 85-89 80-84 76-79 72-75 68-71

Letter Grade A+ A AB+ B B-

64-67 60-63 55-59 50-54 0-49

C+ C CD F

Concessions, Extensions, & Accommodations Late penalty: If you turn in an Individual Learning Activity late you will receive a 0 for that activity. If you turn in any other assignment late, I will deduct 5% for every 24 hours it is overdue (beginning after the first 24hrs). Extensions: The late penalty will not apply if you request and receive an extension in advance. I am often flexible about extensions but may say no, or may offer a shorter extension than you’ve requested. Make sure to contact me at least 24 hours before the deadline to ask for an extension. Other Concessions: You may also receive a concession on missed or late assignments, or missed classes. According to UBC, these can be approved for: medical issues, compassionate grounds (ie. the death of a close family member), or conflicting responsibilities (part-time work that you knew about when you signed up for my course doesn’t count; neither do time-zones conflicts, travel, or studying for other courses). The first time you request a concession from me, you can use the Student Self-Declaration form: https://students-2016.sites.olt.ubc.ca/files/2019/09/Student-Self-Declaration-Form-1.6Arts.pdf This just asks you to declare that you need a concession for medical, compassionate, or conflicting responsibility reasons. It does not ask you to explain or provide documentation, but it does state that lying will be considered academic misconduct. However, if you ask for any more concessions after this, or if your first request is particularly large or complex, I will ask you to go through Arts advising. They will then determine whether the concession should be awarded. Accessibility Accommodations: If you have an ongoing medical condition or disability that impacts your campus activities, or if you have received academic or other disability-related accommodations at another educational institution, then the Centre for Accessibility can assist in removing barriers to your learning at UBC. They are currently conducting appointments via phone or video call and can be reached at [email protected] and at: https://students.ubc.ca/about-student-services/centre-for-accessibility

Academic Support * Arts Advising: CAP has two dedicated Advisors who will be available to our students on a drop-in basis twice every week, and are always available to contact at [email protected]. Our Advisors can help with course and degree planning, and connect you with the services that will help you most. * UBC Centre for Writing and Scholarly Communication (CWSC): The CWSC offers online writing feedback from peer writing consultants (starting September 21). Visit their website to request written feedback on your work (asynchronous) or book an appointment for a virtual consultation (synchronous): https://learningcommons.ubc.ca/improve-your-writing/writing-consultations/ * WriteAway, UBC’s eTutoring platform: https://ikblc.ubc.ca/resources/write-away/ Well-Being University is demanding at the best of times. Now, during the Covid-19 outbreak, you may be facing new stressors and mental health challenges. Be sure to take care of yourself and look out for each other. UBC offers many types of support for students for a range of concerns: * Wellness Centre: The Wellness website offers a range of resources to help you learn how to manage your mental health during the Covid-19 outbreak. These are available here: students.ubc.ca/health * UBC Counselling Services: is currently offering individual appointments via phone. Call 604822-3811 to book an appointment. They are also offering online group counselling programs. Visit students.ubc.ca/health/counselling-services *Empower Me: UBC students who are located in Canada also have free access to Empower Me, where, according to their website, you “can get support for issues of any kind, including relationships, family care, depression, anxiety, addictions, stress, work conflicts, and much more. Empower Me also offers a full suite of academic life services, such as life coaching, financial planning, and nutritional counselling.” Call the 24-7 helpline at 1-844-741-6389 or visit http://www.studentcare.ca/rte/en/UniversityofBritishColumbiaAMSGSS_EmpowerMe_Empow erMe *LGBTQ+ Students: Resources for sexually diverse students: https://students.ubc.ca/campuslife/diversity-campus/sexual-diversity * Trans and gender diverse students: https://students.ubc.ca/campus-life/diversity-campus0/trans-gender-diversity If I am concerned for your wellbeing, I will reach out. I may also report my concerns to Early Alert, which is a UBC program that quickly connects students with support services. The information I provide is kept confidential and is sent because I wish to support your wellbeing and academic success, which I can do best by helping connect you to helpful resources. For more information on Early Alert, see: earlyalert.ubc.ca.

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