Email:
juliejohnson@missouristate.edu
Course page:
http://courses.missouristate.edu/juliejohnson . Click on link to your
particular section.
Required
Texts (hard copy, available used at Amazon and elsewhere):
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (Ballantine Books or
any edition)
Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat by James McDonough (Praesidio
Press)
Remembering Korea 1950: A Boy
Soldier’s Story by H. K. Shin
(University of Nevada Press)
Online Texts:
The Iliad by Homer
at
http://classics.mit.edu/Homer/iliad.html
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane at
http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/CRANE/badge.html
Films: Red Badge of Courage, All Quiet on the Western Front, Tae Guk Gi, Green Dragon
| Schedule | Study Guides |
| Syllabus |
Tentative Class Plan Reading/Writing Assignments
Wk
1 Introduction: Heroes and Course Books
1 & 2
Homer, Books 1 & 2
(Aug 26/28) Ancient Greek warriors –
Values?
Journal #1
Homeric Warfare
Trojan War Basics
Wk 2 Greek domestic side &
Rules in War - Discussion
Homer, Books 6 & 7
(Sep 2/4) Challenges to the ethos - Archilochus
Journal #2
Books 6 & 7
Wk 3 Culmination of the
clash – Who wins? - Discussion
Homer, Books 21 & 22
(Sep 9/11) Troy in video Books
21 & 22
Journal #3
Wk 4 16th-Quiz
1; Journals 1-3 due.
Crane, Chapt I-VI
(Sep 16/18) Ranks & Units - Civil War Journal #4
Source on
Ordinary Soldiers
Wk 5 23rd-Guest:
Professor Piston, Civil War Historian
Crane, Chapt VII-XV
(Sep 23/25) Film:
Gettysburg
Journal # 5
Sep 26
"Billy
Yank, Johnny Reb, and GI Joe" Double Tree Hotel,
Rathdangan Ballroom
Charles P. Roland (Civil War Historian & veteran of WWII)
7:45 pm Ballroom
open
Possible 10 bonus points (out of course 30) for attending and summarizing in one
page, along with your own reflections
Wk 6 30th- SSG Mark Hinterleiter,
USA, formerly Afghanistan & Iraq on Crane, et al. Crane, Chapt XVI-XXIV
(Sep 30/Oct 2) Other views, e.g., Bret
Harte
Journal #6
Wk 7 26th-Quiz 2; Journals 4-6
due.
Remarque, Chapts 1-5
(Oct 7/9) ‘Modern War’ WWI
background
Journal #7
Wk 8 Discussion; Film:
All Quiet on the Western Front
Remarque, Chapts 6-7
(Oct
14) WWI
Online Game - Try a battle plan! Journal #8
----------------------------------------Fall Holiday &
Break-------------------------------------------------
Wk 9
21st-Cpt. Paul Herzberg, USMC, on All Quiet and Iraq
Remarque, Chapts 8-12
(Oct 21/23)
Discussion Journal #9
Wk 10 28th-Quiz
3; Journals 7-9 due
Shin, pp 1-59
(Oct 28/30) Korean War
background
Journal #10
Wk 11 4th- Denzil Batson, US Army
formerly Korea Shin, pp 60-113
(Nov 4/6) 6th-Bob Brose & Doyle Cox, US Army formerly Korea
Journal #11
You Tube
Mortar display
Wk Film: Tae Guk Gi Shin, pps 114-163
(Nov 11/13) iChat with Professor Shin?
Journal #12
Wk 13 15th-Quiz 4; Journals
10-12 due
McDonough, Chapts 1-6
(Nov 18/20) Background
Vietnam
Journal #13
McDonough
Wk 14 Film: Green
Dragon
McDonough, Chapts 7-12
(Nov 25)
Discussion
Journal #14
----------------------------------------Thanksgiving
Break-----------------------------------------------------
Wk 15 4th-
Jack Hunter Jr.- formerly US Army, Vietnam McDonough, Chapts 13-17
(Dec 2/4) Heroics in Vietnam - Discussion
Journal #15
Wk 16 Discussion on
Vietnam
McDonough, Chapts 18-end
(Dec 9/11) 11th- Quiz 5; Journals 13-15
due
Final Quiz and Reflection due – Tuesday, Dec 16th
Class:
We have undertaken to discourse here for a little on
Great Men, their manner of appearance in our world's business, how they have
shaped themselves in the world's history, what ideas men formed of them, what
work they did;--on Heroes, namely, and on their reception and performance; what
I call Hero-worship and the Heroic in human affairs. Too evidently this is a
large topic; deserving quite other treatment than we can expect to give it at
present. A large topic; indeed, an illimitable one; wide as Universal History
itself. For, as I take it, Universal History, the history of what man has
accomplished in this world, is at bottom the History of the Great Men who have
worked here.
One comfort is, that Great Men, taken up in any way, are profitable company. We
cannot look, however imperfectly, upon a great man, without tgaining something
by him. He is the living light-fountain, which it is good and pleasant to be
near. The light which enlightens, which has enlightened the darkness of the
world; and this not as a kindled lamp only, but rather as a natural luminary
shining by the gift of Heaven; a flowing
light-fountain, as I say, of native original insight, of manhood and heroic
nobleness;--in whose radiance all souls feel that it is well with them. On any
terms whatsoever, you will not grudge to wander in such neighborhood for a
while. –Thomas Carlyle (great 19th century
philosopher/historian/essayist)
Course:
LLT 180 is designed to examine conceptions of the hero from diverse perspectives and to prompt explorations into our own value systems and their foundations. This particular section will deal with heroes and heroics in the context of war drawing from a multicultural and multi-temporal sources, including fiction, non-fiction, and film. The course aims both to understand non-US points of view and to illuminate, expound, and refine our own. In consequence, the course will be highly interactive. You are expected, as Dewey, the great American educator urged, to ‘learn by doing’. We will cover war literature and films from ancient Greece, 19th century America, 20th century America, Germany, Korea, and Vietnam.
Objectives:
Class: Class time will be spent in discussion of the sources, in conversations with frontline veterans, and in viewing a number of films that present combat from various viewpoints (German, Korean, Vietnamese, American). I will provide background materials as needed. This is not a lecture course; it is hands-on and predominantly interactive. There will be invited speakers, films, presentations, and term activities. All students are expected to participate in all class conversations. Always come prepared to respond to the week’s assigned reading. Engagement with class activities will be weighed in your course achievement as the “participation” grade.
Attendance Policy: It is policy that students should attend class. Attendance is necessary, but not sufficient for a grade of “C” or above in ‘Participation’. In extraordinary circumstances (e.g., accident, or sickness) notify Ms. Miriam Burlison , 836-5122 and your instructor via email as soon as possible.
Cautionary:
The class will deal with war. Some of the assigned texts and the planned films
contain language and images that some may construe as offensive and disturbing.
Psychic distance should be applied. Should these matters become a difficulty for
you, please discuss it with me.
Weather Advisory. Let rationality and prudence be your guides: if the roads are bad, stay home. Whenever a question arises about whether class might be/has been cancelled due to hazardous road conditions, you can check the course web page and/or check your email and/or call the MCL department secretary at 836-5122 for the latest information.
Graded Assignments/Activities
I. Journal of Weekly
Readings/Classes/Thoughts – 100 points (20 points each unit)
II. Quizzes – 100 points (5 @ 20 points each)
III. Final Quiz & Essay (2 page reflection on course materials) – 45 points
V. Participation – 25
points Total: 270
(Plus up to 30 bonus
points possible. See below.)
Journal of Weekly Readings/Classes/Thoughts
Weekly one page journal:
Because experience shows that there is benefit from keeping a regular record of
readings, activities, and reactions, and because writing both clarifies ones own
thinking and creates a record for future reviews, each student will maintain a
weekly journal. Each page of the journal will cover one week and
will be organized into
three parts:
I.
A short, neutral synopsis of the week’s reading assignment
II.
A short, neutral synopsis of class activities for the week
III.
Your own, thoughtful evaluation of the readings and the classes (e.g. Did the
writer deal with
matters that are significant or
interesting to you? If so, what? If not, why not? Did you learn
anything from the classes or films or
videos? If so, what? If not, why not?)
Grading will be based on coherence, clarity, grammar, and punctuation, as well as thoughtfulness. Incomplete journals can receive no higher grade than ‘C’. In order to receive an ‘A’ a journal must be complete, free of grammar or spelling errors, and must display original thinking as necessary elements.
N.B.: Each weekly entry should be produced on a word processor or typewriter and should be no more than one sheet of paper (2-sided printing is permissible). Shrink the font or widen margins as you please. These entries will be collected for grading at three times during the semester. A fouled printer is NOT AN EXCUSE for failure to turn in journal entries on time. Have work ready in advance and avoid last minute SNAFUs. I do not accept electronically transmitted assignments unless I have agreed to it in advance. These will be collected at five times during the semester as scheduled.
Quizzes
There
will be a 20 point quiz which will cover each of the five units (Greek, Civil
War, WWI, Korean War, Vietnam) using any of the
following: essay, short answer, identification, matching, ordering, and multiple
choice questions. Study guides for each book will be
posted on the internet and linked to the course page.
Final Reflection Paper
On the day of our final, you
will hand in a two page reflection
on the course materials, including what was most useful to you and
what you learned from all the class sources.
Participation
Learning is not a spectator sport (Cf. John
Dewey, Democracy and Education). You learn not only from books, films,
and speakers, but also from each other. Turn up. Speak up. Engage the
material. Make suggestions. Always come with a short list of questions,
puzzles, topics of interest, or
other material that you want to present for class consideration.
Failure to do so can substantially impact your participation grade.
Note well: Should you find it necessary to
miss a class, you are nonetheless responsible for the material covered.
Bonus Point Possibles – 3 Interview Summaries (up to 10 points each)
Students may make use of Meyer Library’s Harry E. Appleby Veterans History Collection in the Archive Special Collections section of the library (3rd floor). You may view a recording of a veteran from any 20th century war—WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq (identifiable by veteran’s birthdate) and write up one page that both summarizes the veteran’s experience and reflects on its meaning for the topic of ‘military heroes’. These summaries may be done for extra points, but must be turned into me in hard copy before the 13th week of class. This is an optional assignment. Information about the collection, and a list of veteran interviews available, can be found at http://library.missouristate.edu/archives/speccoll/m013.htm . Interview summaries will be graded both on form and on content.
Grade Calculation: At the end of term all points from graded assignments will be totaled and a course grade will be assigned based on the percentage achieved out of the total possible points (270) based on the following scale: 100-90% = A; 89-80% = B; 79-70% = C; 69-60% = D; 59-0% = F.
Some of you (e.g., athletes, pledges, scholarship recipients, etc.) may require regular feedback on your grade. If so, please let me know at the start of term. ‘Snapshot’ estimates of participation grades are available at any time upon email request.
If you feel that I have misjudged your performance on any point, please arrange a conference with me and make your case. (Note the Procedures below.)
Procedures for Grade Inquiries: To raise an enquiry about course formalisms (grades, procedures, progress) you should consult your instructor in the first instance. Should we be unable to resolve the matter, I shall then refer you to Professor Madeleine Kernen, Head of Modern & Classical Languages, as the next step in the process. All inquiries about individual grading during the term should be made within one week of the date on which the quiz/exam/paper in question was returned to the class. Questions about final course grades should be raised within one semester.
Courtesies: Please attend to ordinary courtesies and show due respect to other members of the class, to the instructor, and to all guests. (For example, it is dismaying for a speaker to observe students doing homework, leafing through books or notes, napping, etc.) Class guests are veterans who served with honor and picked up the tab for all of us. Treat them accordingly. Further, as late arrivals to and early departures from class can be both rude and disruptive to the entire group, do not come late or leave prematurely except under extreme duress. If special circumstances pertain (e.g., a 50-mile drive coming in), please let me know at the start of term.
Integrity:
I presume at the outset that
everyone is of the highest moral character and probity. However, in a case
of suspected cheating or plagiarism (‘Plagiarism’ means the theft of
intellectual property, stealing the ideas or words of another and passing
them off as one’s own.), I shall return the assignment without a grade,
and the student must see me immediately. If good faith has been
restored, a grade will be given. In the case of unquestioned dishonesty, the
test or written material will be given an automatic zero; and the student
must still see me immediately. In the latter instance, the student will be
counseled to drop the course and the Academic Integrity Council may be
notified.
Missouri State
University
is a community of scholars committed to
developing educated persons who accept the responsibility to practice
personal and academic integrity. You are responsible for knowing and
following our student honor code, Student Academic Integrity Policies and
Procedures, available at
http://www.missouristate.edu/assets/provost/AcademicIntegrityPolicyRev-1-08.pdf
and also available at the Reserves Desk in Meyer Library. Any student
participating in any form of academic dishonesty may be subject to sanctions
as described in this policy.
Accommodations:
To request academic accommodations for a
disability, contact the
Director, Disability Services,
Plaster Student Union, Suite 405, (417) 836-4192 or (417) 836-6792 (TTY),
www.missouristate.edu/disability .
Students are required to
provide documentation of disability to Disability Services prior to
receiving accommodations. Disability Services refers some types of
accommodation requests to the Learning Diagnostic Clinic, which also
provides diagnostic testing for learning and psychological disabilities. For
information about testing, contact the Director, Learning Diagnostic Clinic,
(417) 836-4787,
http://psychology.missouristate.edu/ldc/.
Nondiscrimination:
Missouri State is an equal
opportunity/affirmative action institution, and maintains a grievance
procedure available to any person who believes he or she has been
discriminated against. At all times, it is your right to address inquiries
or concerns about possible discrimination to the Office for Equity and
Diversity, Park Central Office Building, 117 Park Central Square, Suite 111,
(417) 836-4252. Other types of concerns (i.e., concerns of an academic
nature) should be discussed directly with your instructor and can also be
brought to the attention of Professor Madeleine Kernen, Head, Department of
Modern & Classical Languages, 376 Craig Hall. Please visit the OED website
at
www.missouristate.edu/equity.
