Assignments

Websites:

Course Blog: queermobilities.wordpress.com

• Course blog entries, assignments, readings, policies, & media are found here

CourseWeb

• GradeCenter is found here

Required Texts:

• Articles & book excerpts (on course blog—download, annotate, and bring readings to class)

Course Requirements:

Participation (20%)

• Active participation is crucial to your learning in this course. You should come to class ready to participate, having completed ALL readings and assignments. I allow 1 absence before your grade is affected (save this up for illness, oversleeping, and long lines at the coffee shop). 2 cases of arriving late or leaving early counts as 1 absence. I don’t differentiate between excused and unexcused absences, and this absence policy also applies to adding the course late. The only exception to this is catastrophic, documented illness or family emergency (let me know about this immediately–BEFORE assignments are do if at all possible). You are responsible for all material covered in class, whether present or not.

Discussion Questions (5%)

• For each class meeting you should bring in 2 discussion questions that relate to the course materials for that day. These discussion questions will help to shape our discussion, and as such should be substantial questions intended to spur conversation and debate. You are always welcome to bring in definition-type questions if something is confusing (ie: what exactly does hegemony mean?), but these discussion questions should be more substantial (ie: how do public health discourse and immigration law work together to discipline migrant bodies?). On the days that one of your classmates is leading the class discussion, you should email your questions to them by 11 pm the night before class.

Response Blog (6 entries at 5% each = 30%)

• Each week you will post to the course blog a 700-word (min.) entry in response to the week’s materials. You will also hyperlink images, websites, and videos that relate to the prompt. You should not merely summarize course materials, but critically engage with and analyze them (ask them questions, note their limitations, speculate how they might be useful). The blog is a place to work through the difficult concepts this course will cover, and I encourage close readings of how authors make their arguments as well as what those arguments are. In addition to the weekly blog entry, you will also post 2 comments (75 words min.) on other posts. These comments should be substantive, raising questions of or critically engaging with the other posts (“that’s awesome!” doesn’t count). I will also be posting announcements to the blog so you should check it regularly and/or subscribe via RSS.

Discussion Facilitation (20%)

• Once during the course you design and facilitate half of class discussion for the day. You will prepare discussion questions and topics, introduce the course materials and authors, and lead the class in a conversation about the day’s materials. You will also produce and pass out a handout—this handout may include discussion questions, an outline of discussion topics, key passages you want to address, or related cultural productions/materials you wish to bring in.

Final Project or Paper (25%)

• This assignment is your culminating project for the course and should draw together the various themes and texts we cover. You will choose a topic of interest and complete one of the following options:

1.     Video/film/new media project + critical analysis (UG: 1800 words min., G: 2400 words min.)

2.     Analytic paper (UG: 3000 words min., G: 4500 words min.)

• For either option, your topic needs instructor approval by June 3 (although I encourage you to start thinking about it earlier). Either option should make an original argument that is well-supported by textual evidence and exposition, and must incorporate and critically engage with at least 2 peer-reviewed scholarly sources from the course materials and at least 3 peer-reviewed scholarly sources that you find through outside research. You will present your Final Project/Paper to the class on June 15, and you will also post it to the course blog by the beginning of class  that day.