ASIAN AMERICAN LITERATURE

Syllabus 2014-2015

Dr. Julie Achettu

773.534.8600 x26035 preferred contact:

Department Mission and Targeted Area of Instruction

The Jones College Prep Department of English is committed to helping students improve their skills in rhetoric, writing, and text analysis according to the English ACT® College Readiness Standards, which naturally align with the Illinois State Standards and Advanced Placement skills. Through their English courses, students will develop their critical-thinking ability: the well-reasoned problem-solving process where one examines evidence and decides what to believe, communicate, or do.

Course Description

This thematically designed course is a survey of Asian American literature. We will explore major works from the late 19th century to the present, with a focus on classic and contemporary literature. While reading and writing, we will identify the writers' recurring themes, as well as examine the social and political contexts of each written or oral piece. In addition, we will concentrate on the immigrant experience as it relates to the following significant themes of identity, memory, alienation, assimilation, solidarity, and resistance. The course focuses on prose (the novel, short stories, and autobiography), poetry, drama, and film. In addition, we will discuss what lies ahead for Asian Americans and all Americans in a multicultural world. Preparation for service learning and an extensive research paper will be incorporated during the year through the application of critical thinking skills in class discussions and assignments.

Grad @ Grad

The JCP Department of English selects texts that will help students explore and demonstrate the Grad @ Grad values:

●Socially Skilled and Mature

●Socially Just and Responsible

●Well-Rounded and Holistic

●Compassionate

●Intellectually Competent

Texts:

The following tentative textsexemplify these particular values:

Bold Words: A Century of Asian American Writing
Asian American Literature: A Brief Introduction and Anthology
Secret Identities: The Asian American Superhero Anthology
Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (novel and DVD)
Interpreter of Maladies by JumphaLahiri
Kite Runner by KhaledHousseni (novel and DVD)
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden (novel and DVD)
Orientalism by Edward Said
The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson / The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie
Fury by Salman Rushdie
Seventeen Syllabus and Other Stories
All the Conspiratorsby Carlos Bulosan
The Namesake and Slumdog Millionaire (DVD)
*Various scholarly nonfiction articles
*We will have an Asian lit mini-library in our classroom. If you sign a book out, be aware that you will incur the cost if you lose the book or if the book comes back in a poor, deteriorated state.

Writing Instruction

Jones College Prep English teachers instill the English ACT® College Readiness Standards within all grade levels, thereby ensuring that students are thoroughly exposed to all six standards. Therefore, various writing instruction lessons will regularly be woven into this class using Grammar and Language Handbook, Writing First, Write Source, and Writers, Inc. Additionally, to enhance your writing skills, you will work one-on-one with the teacher, and participate in peer editing and writing workshops sessions.

Assessment and Grading Policies

Students will be assessed by way of regular in-class assignments, weekly homework assignments, group work, quizzes, tests, and papers. Students will be required to submit all major paper assignments through a plagiarism-prevention service paid for by Jones.

Major Assessments (Writing, Presentations, Recitation, Tests, Projects, Service Learning) – 50%

Minor Assessments (Class Work, Homework, Quizzes, Journal Entries) – 30%

Course Final Exam - 20%

The JCP grading scale guidelines will be followed:

A=90-100% B=80-89% C=70-79% D=65-69% F=Below 65%

Midterm and Finals

At the end of the first and third quarters, students will take a midterm. At the end of each semester, students will take a comprehensive final. Although we will review a bit in class for midterms and finals, students will only do well if they attend class, keep up with the assignments, read the material, and participate during classroom discussions.

Homework Policy

Students are expected to turn all work in on time. Students can only earn half credit for a major assignment that is turned in late. That means whether the assignment is turned in one day late or four days late, the student automatically loses 50% of the possible points. The student will earn even fewer points if the assignment is incomplete or if it is not done well. Additionally, students can turn in major assignments late only during the school week that the assignment is due. For example, if the assignment is due Tuesday, the student has until Friday to turn it in late (with the automatic 50% deduction once the assignment is collected by the teacher). If the assignment is due Thursday and there is no school on Friday, the student may not turn the assignment in late and will not receive any points for the assignment.

Smaller in-class and homework assignments are an integral component of class the day they are due and students will miss out on valuable writing, reading, and discussion opportunities if they are not prepared. With that in mind, smaller assignments will not be accepted late unless the student has an excused absence and staples to the assignment a general notefrom a primary care service provider. If a student knows s/he will be absent the day an assignment is due, it would behoove the student to turn it in early or email it to the teacher by the time his/her class period starts. Students must recognize the fallibility of technology and should therefore save documents often and in more than one place. If a student fails to turn an assignment in on time because of technological failure (a student’s computer crashes or a student misplaces a flash drive), a parent must call the teacher to explain the situation. Allotting credit is then up to the teacher’s discretion.

Extra Credit

As this is an Honors course in a college preparatory school; therefore, no extra credit assignments will be offered. Students may receive a bonus point on a vocabulary quiz, which can then be applied to any previous or future minor assignment within that semester.

Students will be required to come to each class prepared with:

● A 2-inch binder that includes at least 100 pieces of paper or a spiral notebook (whichever you get, it is to be used only for this class)

●A folder with pockets on both sides for your writing portfolio and handouts

●Black and/or blue pens, a few #2 pencils, at least two differently-colored highlighters or pens

●School-issued Literature textbooks and novels (Loss of these books will result in mandatory replacement fees)

Standards: Common Core State Standards and College Readiness Standards

Key Ideas and Details

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.2 Determine two or more themes or central ideas of a text and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they interact and build on one another to produce a complex account; provide an objective summary of the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.3 Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama (e.g., where a story is set, how the action is ordered, how the characters are introduced and developed).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.

Craft and Structure

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. (Include Shakespeare as well as other authors.)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.6 Analyze a case in which grasping a point of view requires distinguishing what is directly stated in a text from what is really meant (e.g., satire, sarcasm, irony, or understatement).

Range of Writing

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.10 Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

Text Types and Purposes

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1 Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1a Introduce precise, knowledgeable claim(s), establish the significance of the claim(s), distinguish the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and create an organization that logically sequences claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1b Develop claim(s) and counterclaims fairly and thoroughly, supplying the most relevant evidence for each while pointing out the strengths and limitations of both in a manner that anticipates the audience’s knowledge level, concerns, values, and possible biases.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1c Use words, phrases, and clauses as well as varied syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships between claim(s) and reasons, between reasons and evidence, and between claim(s) and counterclaims.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1d Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.1e Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2a Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2b Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2c Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2d Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2e Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.2f Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3a Engage and orient the reader by setting out a problem, situation, or observation and its significance, establishing one or multiple point(s) of view, and introducing a narrator and/or characters; create a smooth progression of experiences or events.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3b Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3c Use a variety of techniques to sequence events so that they build on one another to create a coherent whole and build toward a particular tone and outcome (e.g., a sense of mystery, suspense, growth, or resolution).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3d Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.3e Provide a conclusion that follows from and reflects on what is experienced, observed, or resolved over the course of the narrative.

Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.11-12.10

By the end of grade 11, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 11-CCR text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

Production and Distribution of Writing

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.4 Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 1–3 above.)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.5 Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a specific purpose and audience. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of Language standards 1–3 up to and including grades 11–12 here.)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.6 Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products in response to ongoing feedback, including new arguments or information.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.9a Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literature (e.g., “Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics”).

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.9b Apply grades 11–12 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., “Delineate and evaluate the reasoning in seminal U.S. texts, including the application of constitutional principles and use of legal reasoning [e.g., in U.S. Supreme Court Case majority opinions and dissents] and the premises, purposes, and arguments in works of public advocacy [e.g., The Federalist, presidential addresses]”).

Research to Build and Present Knowledge

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the strengths and limitations of each source in terms of the task, purpose, and audience; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and overreliance on any one source and following a standard format for citation.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.11-12.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

CRS

This course is designed to develop student proficiency in CCS that are being implemented this year. However, it is also designed to develop proficiency in the ACT College Readiness Standards. Throughout the year, this skill band will be developed in conjunction with the Common Core Standards. Specific details can be found at : Please peruse sections for English and reading.

Course Policies and Expectations

Both the Chicago Public Schools Student Code of Conduct and JCP policies will be enforced in the classroom. The following are of utmost importance to me:

Assignments: Students must write legibly. If I cannot read it easily, I will not read it at all and you will have to redo it more carefully. Typed materials must have 12-point Times or Times New Roman font and must be double spaced. All work is due when the teacher collects it.

Seating Assignments: You must sit in your assigned seats. Do not interrupt the flow of the class by getting out of your seat while people are speaking. You may get up from your seat (to throw something away, sharpen your pencil, etc.) during appropriate times only, such as when you are working in groups, working alone, or the teacher has asked you to move.

Respect: Be respectful of others’ opinions and ideas. I will not tolerate put-downs or laughing. I encourage discussion, but discourage interrupting others.

Tardiness: Students must arrive to class on time. If you are not in your seat by the time the bell has rung, you are late and will be reported as such. Tardiness affects your grade, slows down the pace of the class, and prevents others from learning. If you have an unexcused tardy, you may not take a bell ringer or quiz that has been given out in class. You will lose those points.

Academic Dishonesty: Plagiarizing, cheating or copying another student is a flagrant violation of ethics, let alone JCP policy. Group work is important and a vital aspect of the class, but the teacher will clearly let students know when they can work with others. When this is not expected, do your own work. Use the Internet as a resource only; it will not have the “answers” for you.

Makeup Work: If a student is absent, the student must to talk to the teacher (before or after school, or during a preparation period) to determine what the student missed. If it is an unexcused absence, what s/he is able to make up is up to the teacher. Most work cannot be made up due to an unexcused absence. If it is excused (with evidence), the teacher will give the student an equal amount of time that classmates had to complete the work. In some cases, an alternative assignment will be given to the student. If the student knows in advance s/he will be absent on a particular day, it is a good idea to communicate that with the teacher before the absence, rather than after. It is also good to have a buddy in class; this is someone who can pick up handouts for you or let you know what you missed.

Revisions: Revising is an important aspect of the writing process. Details for revisions will be included with each assigned paper. You MUST meet with me prior to rewriting your paper.