Spr08LLT180

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)

Wk 1 Introduction: Heroes and Course Trojan War basics. Homer, Books 1 & 2
(Jan 15/17) Ancient Greek warriors – Values? Journal #1

Wk 2 Greek domestic side & Rules in War Troy, Books 1,2,6,7 Homer, Books 6 & 7
(Jan 22/24) Challenges to the ethos - Archilochus Journal #2

Wk 3 Culmination of the clash – Who wins? Homer, Books 21 & 22
(Jan 29/31) Troy, Books 21 & 22 Journal #3

Wk 4 5th Quiz 1; 7th Journals 1-3 due.                                                                                Crane, Chapt I-VI
(Feb 5/7) US – 19^th Henry’s hopes/fears; basic ranks & units                                                   Journal #4
               Professor Bill Piston - Guest           Online source for Civil War infantry life.

Wk 5 Differences from Homer to Crane Crane, Chapt VII-XV
(Feb 12/14) Film Journal #5

Wk 6 Point of the novel? 19^th century heroics?                                                                 Crane, Chapt XVI-XXIV
(Feb 19/21)  19th- Guest, Denzil Batson, formerly MSG US Army Infantry, Korea                  Journal #6

Wk 7 28th-Quiz 2; Journals 4-6 due.                                                                                                           Genjirou Inui, Part I
(Feb 26/28) 26th-Guest, SSG Mark Hinterleiter, US Army, formerly Infantry, Iraq & Afghanistan             Journal #7

Wk 8 WWII background; US film: "Guadalcanal Diary" Genjirou Inui, Part II
(Mar 4/6) WWII Background Journal #8

Wk 9 11th- Professor Stephen Trobisch on the Battle of Stalingrad Genjirou Inui, Part III
(Mar 11/13) German Film: "Stalingrad" Journal #9

Wk 10 "Stalingrad" continued....
(Mar 18) WWII Images [18th - Deadline for 'No-Penalty' drop.]

----------------------------------------Spring Holiday & Break-------------------------------------------------

Wk 11 3rd- Quiz 3; 1st-Journals 7-9 and 1st Interview Summary due Shin, pps 1-80
(Apr 1/3) Korean War background Journal #11

Wk 12 8th-Korean Film: "Tae Guk Gi" Shin, pps 81-163
(Apr 8/10) 10th-Videoconference with Prof. Shin in Reno Journal #12

Wk 13 17th-Quiz 4; Journals 11 & 12 due & 2^nd Interview Summary McDonough, Chapts 1-6
(Apr 15/17) Background Vietnam Journal #13

Wk 14 French Film “317^th Platoon” McDonough, Chapts 7-12
(Apr 22/24) French in Vietnam Journal #14

Wk 15 29th- Jack Hunter II, formerly USA, Vietnam McDonough, Chapts 13-17
(Apr 29/May 1) Wil Dailey & Brian Weekes, formerly USAF & USA, Vietnam Journal #15

Wk 16 Film: “Platoon Leader” – Hollywood heroics? McDonough McDonough, Chapts 18-end
(May 6/8) Quiz 5; Journals 13-15 due & 3^rd Interview Summary

Syllabus

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 profitablecompany. We cannot look, however imperfectly, upon a great man, withoutgaining 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 19^th century philosopher/historian/essayist)

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, 19^th century America, 20^th century America, Japan, Germany, and Korea.

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 (Japanese, German, Korean, French, 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: 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.

I. Journal of Weekly Readings/Classes/Thoughts – 100 points (20 points each unit)

IV. Final Quiz & Reflective Essay (2 page reflection on course materials ) - 45 points

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, and 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. 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.

Students will, during the units on WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, make use of Meyer Library’s Harry E. Appleby Veterans History Collection in the Special Collections section of the library (3^rd floor). You should view at least one recording of a veteran from each era (identifiable by 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 will be due at the time the journal entries for each of the 20^th century wars are due.

There will be a 20 point quiz covering each of the five units (Greek, Civil War, WWII, 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.

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.

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 (365) 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/registrar/acintegrity.html 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 Katheryne Staeger-Wilson, http://www.missouristate.edu/disability/11035.htm Director, Disability Services, Plaster Student Union, Suite 405, (417) 836-4192 or (417) 836-6792 (TTY), . 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 Lea rning Diagnostic Clinic, which also provides diagnostic testing for learning and psychological disabilities. For information about testing, contact Dr. Steve Capps, 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 Jana Estergard, Equal Opportunity Officer, Siceluff Hall 296, (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.

LLT 180.1 Hero & Quest: Heroics in War 11:00 TTH, 315 Craig Hall

Instructor: J. A. Johnson Office Hours: 8-9:15 & 1:45-2:00 TTH, 9-10:00 MW

Office: 382 Craig Hall and by appointment
Campus telephone: 836-5122

LLT 180.1 Hero & Quest: Heroics in War 11:00 TTH, 315 Craig Hall

Instructor: J. A. Johnson Office Hours: 8-9:15 & 1:45-2:00 TTH, 9-10:00 MW

Office: 382 Craig Hall and by appointment Campus telephone: 836-5122

Office: 382 Craig Hall and by appointment
Campus telephone: 836-5122