Home!                                Combat Memoirs  
                                      GEP 397.998 - Spring 2007

                                                                               12:30-1:45  TTH; 201 Madison
                                                                                                       
(updated   12/28/07  )             

 Instructor: J. A. Johnson          
Office Hours: 8:00-9:00 382 Craig; 9-9:30 am, 201 Madison TTH                                                                                                
                           9:00-10:00 382 Craig MW
and by appointment
Office: 382 Craig                                                            
Telephone: 836-5122                                                                                                                                                                

Email: JulieJohnson@missouristate.edu

Texts:  Colder Than Hell: A Marine Rifle Company at Chosin Reservoir, by Joseph R. Owen (Ballantine) [paperback]                                                          Remembering Korea 1950: A Boy Soldier’s Story, by H.K. Shin (U. of Nevada Press) [paperback]
             Korea: We Called It War!, by Denzil Batson (
Leathers Publishing) [paperback]
             A Death March And Nightmares, by Donald E. Donner (Trafford Publishing) [available online www.trafford.com
or 
                                     Amazon.com]
                                               
            The Last True Story I’ll Ever Tell: An Accidental Soldier’s Account of the War in Iraq, by John Crawford (Penguin Group)[paperback]
                                and assorted handouts                      
Films: Florida PB Chosin, Korean War Stories, The Rack, Retreat, Hell!, Tae Guk Gi

Schedule Syllabus
Recommended Further Reading Site for Korean War photos, maps, history, weapons
Veterans History Project

Map of Korea and route to Chosin

Missouri State Releases: Veteran, Interviewer, Cameraman (Required for Project) Library of Congress Releases and Forms (Required for Project)                                                         
Quiz Study Guides

Map Showing Lines of Forces 1950-1953 (courtesy of Rebecca)

Map of Iraq  

                                                      
Schedule

                                          Class                                                                          Reading Assignments

Wk  1      Classes Cancelled                                                                                    Owen, pp 1-96
(Jan 16/18)  

Wk  2     23rd US Army sniper team                                                                        Owen, pp 97-188
(Jan 23/25) 25th  Mortars – Sergeant First Class Clayton D. Finch, US Army

Wk  3     KW 1st 6 months; Ranks & Units                                                            Owen, pp 198-276
(Jan 30/Feb 1)    Chosin video; discussion            

Wk  4    6th VHP Orientation                                                                                     Shin, pp 1-80
(Feb 6/8)  8th- Quiz 1

Wk  5  13th Meet in 205 Kemper for videoconference with Prof. Hyung Kyu Shin       Shin, pp 81-163
(Feb 13/15)  15th- Doyle Cox & Bob Brose, KW veterans on Interviewing Techniques
            VHP iMovie Guide                  
Collect Journals 1-3/4 (depending how you count)

Wk  6 Discussion; Film Clips: Tae Guk Gi                                                                   Batson, pp 1-61
(Feb 20/22) 22th- Quiz 2

Wk  7  Video: Korean War Stories; KW 1951-53 Background                                 Batson, pp 63-142
(Feb 27/Mar 1)  1st- KW Veterans Harold Reynolds, formerly USMC, and Bob Dimond, formerly US Army

Wk  8  Discussion                                                                                                      Batson, pp 143-198
(Mar 6/8) 8th-KW Veterans Denzil Batson, Sam Watts, Bob Brose, Doyle Cox

Wk  9 13th – Quiz 3                                                                                                   Donner, pp 1-60
(Mar 13/15) Collect Journals 5-8

                  ---------------------Spring Break-----

Wk 10  Film: The Rack                                                                                            Donner, pp 61-127
(Mar 27/29) 27th - John Kelly, US Army, formerly Korea, 11th Field Artillery, 24th Division

                                          [Mar 27th – Deadline for no penalty drop.]

Wk 11  3rd – Quiz 4                                                                                                Crawford, pp 1-73
(Apr 3)   
            Comedy Central, Jon Steward interview with Crawford (6-7 min.)

Wk 12  10th- Staff Sergeant Mark Hinterleiter, US Army, formerly Iraq                    Crawford, pp 74-143
(Apr 10/12) 12th- SPC Michelle Dillow, Army National Guard, formerly Iraq

Wk 13  Guests                                                                                                            Crawford, pp 145-220
(Apr 17/19)

                 NPR audio interview with Crawford, 2005   

Wk 14  24th – Quiz 5 ; Collect Journals 9-13
(Apr 24/26)  26th - 12:35-12:55 Hannah & Ayssa
                                1:00-1:20  Caleb & Johanna

Wk 15    1st - 12:35-12:55 Carrie, Maddie, Miranda     
(May 1/3)                   Course Evaluations                                       
               3rd - 12:35-12:55 Rebecca
                          1:00-1:20 Darci
                          1:25-1:45 Rachel & Courtney

Wk 16     8th - 12:35-12:55 Andrea, Sarah
(May 8/10)       1:00-1:20 Laura
                         1:25-1:45 Cody
                10th- 12:35-12:55 Kim, Aaron
                          1:00-1:20 Joshua, Kyle
                          1:20-1:45 Monica, Emily

Final: 11:00 , Tuesday, May 15

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Syllabus

NB: Each student in GEP 397, section 998, is presumed to be computer literate and to be a routine user of the internet and email.  If not, see me immediately. Occasional updates to the schedule, exam information, etc. will be posted on the course web page.  Students are responsible for taking note of such information.

Course Description
: GEP 397, the Capstone course of General Education, is designed as "an integrative and interdisciplinary experience which addresses public affairs issues and choices of broad importance from the perspectives and interaction of multiple fields. Includes an examination of crucial decisions facing individuals and communities."  Sections of GEP 397 under the rubric ‘Public and Private Identities in Biography and/or Autobiography’ explore "how individuals’ private lives are affected by public events...from any culture past or present."  We will deal with military memoirs, first person accounts of life in a war zone, aiming to understand the impact of war on the lives of individuals, both military and civilian.  As an Honors GEP section, this course will have intensified opportunities to learn by reading, writing, reflecting, and speaking with veterans.  Students will comply with an honor code. 

Course Objectives: The General Education Program is designed to develop the capacity to seek, analyze and weigh firsthand evidence, to evaluate source materials, to reflect upon evidence and events, to develop personal judgments using reason, to evidentiate those judgments with facts, and to articulate and defend them with competent writing and speaking.  These processes also involve assimilating new information and reevaluating our judgments in light of it, correcting where we've been wrong and refining where we're right.  This course seeks to further all these capabilities, and, in addition, I would like you to pay particular attention to the following:

(1)   The experience of combat and its effects on individuals, both military and civilian.

(2)   Basic military structures, organization, values; the dynamics of unit cohesion; purposes and styles of military training; language of the military.

(3)   The significance of weather and terrain to military strategy and tactics and to the experience of individual combatants and civilians. 

(4)   The relationship between military and civilian cultures, and citizens' responsibilities with respect to the military.

(5)    The impact of their war experiences on veterans’ lives post-combat, including effects on families and communities.

(6)   [Class selected objective.]


It is also hoped that we will develop materials of lasting significance for the Veterans History Project of the Library of Congress and Meyer Library’s Harry E. Appleby Veterans History Collection.

 Class: 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 call the MCL department secretary at 836-5122  for the latest information.  

     

                        Graded Assignments/Activities


                                                          I. Term Project - 125 points total (25 pts. presentation/100 points product)

                                                         II. Journal of Weekly Readings/Classes/Thoughts – 75 points

                                                        III. Quizzes – 100 points (5 @ 20 points each)

                                                        IV. Final – 50 points

                                                         V. Participation – 25 points                          Total: 375

                                                                      Term Project: Veterans History Project

 Students may organize into 2 or 3 member teams in order to undertake the term project.  If so organized, each member is expected to contribute to the team effort, and presumptively each member of the team will receive the grade given to the team project and text assessment (keeping in mind that your instructor has authority over the final grade).  Some class time will be set aside each week during class for team conferences or consultation with me on the project.  ( Should there be problems within a team, it is first the team’s responsibility to resolve them.  If a group comes to me with complaints about a slacker member, I will be interested not only in the complaints but also in an account of the team’s efforts to handle the issue on its own.  If need arises for an Article 27-A hearing, all sides will meet to for open evidence and rebuttal.)

               Tasks:  (1)  Undertake a Veterans History Project interview with one area war veteran to be completed
                            and  turned in during the last three weeks of the semester and (2) prepare a presentation to the
                            class on your veteran’s  experience (including whatever is pertinent for the class to
                            understand his/her specific story) and (3) write up a two page reflection on the process of interviewing a
                            veteran and what you learned from it.  [Items 1 and 2 can be undertaken by team; item 3 must be an individual
                            effort.]

VHP Project

The Veterans History Project was authorized by Congressional legislation on October 27, 2000 and is housed in the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress. The Project undertakes to capture and preserve the oral histories of American war veterans, (along with documentary materials such as letters, diaries, maps, photographs, etc.), as well as civilians who supported war efforts. For this purpose the VHP serves as an organizing agent for a grass-roots effort to tape individual memories and collect them in public archives. Full guidelines and forms for participation in the VHP are available at http://www.loc.gov/vets. Your task is to produce a set of tapes or DVDs (with full paperwork) that can be submitted to the Library of Congress for permanent housing in its VHP archives, copies of which will also be housed in the Missouri State Meyer Library archive as a local resource.

Organization: You will be responsible for contacting a war veteran, researching his or her military background and context, arranging the interview, securing the proper paperwork (releases, biography, etc.), checking out and returning equipment (whether borrowed from your instructor, from ETC, or elsewhere), getting 3 VHS or DVD copies made, and returning one copy immediately to your veteran. Meyer Library’s Educational Technology Center will assist with all technical questions. 

Order of procedure:       
           1. Familiarize with VHP aims and requirements (www.loc.gov/vets).
           2. Settle on a veteran and secure his/her agreement to be interviewed and videotaped for the Library of Congress  
               and for the Meyer Library archive.
           3. Get biographical details and begin research on his/her unit, job, area of service, weapons used, etc., etc.
           4. Settle on questions using the VHP ‘suggested questions’ as a starting point and your own research for details.
           5. Meet with veteran, fill out all other release forms, and discuss how the interview will be conducted.
           6. Videotape interview.
           7. Dub interview onto 3 DVD or 3 VHS copies and fill out the tape log form COMPLETELY.
           8. Return one copy of the videotape on VHS or DVD to your veteran.
           9. Organize presentation to teach the class about your veteran and his/her combat experience.

Contacts with veterans can be made through local veterans’ organizations or through family, personal, or business contacts.  In addition, your instructor has a list of area veterans willing to be interviewed.

Product: The following must be turned in on the day of presentation: 
       
                 1. VHP paperwork fully completed (veteran release, interviewer release(s), biographical data sheet, tape log)
                 2. MSU paperwork fully completed (veteran, interviewer(s), and cameraman releases available on course page)
                 2. Original master tape (whether mini-dv or VHS or other disk or tape format)
                 3. VHS or DVD  copy for Library of Congress
                 4. VHS or DVD copy for
Missouri State library
                 5. Any other materials a veteran wishes to donate with appropriate VHP paperwork (photos or manuscripts)


The product will be graded on the basis of competence and consistency in completing the work according to the VHP protocols, NOT on the basis of artful editing or liveliness of the interview subject.  Please remember that this project is for collection of primary data via an oral history.  All information is worth preservation.  Your instructor can supply MINI-DVs, blank DVDs, and VHS tapes as needed.

NB: I am open to suggestions for improvements to this activity plan. Please keep me apprised of any difficulties.

Presentation:

In the last three weeks of class, you will make a 15 minute presentation to the rest of the class on your veteran and his/her experience, including entry into the service, training, where and when he/she participated, how he/she participated, what part he/she played in the war as a whole, etc., providing whatever background information that would be helpful to the rest of the class.  The presentation will be assessed on the basis of clarity, accuracy, and interest. 

Reflection:

At the course final meeting (Tues, May 15, 11:00 ) you will turn in a two page reflection on your participation in this project and what you learned from it.  This essay will count as a portion of your course final.

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 should be organized into three parts: A. a short synopsis of the week’s reading assignment, B. a short synopsis of class activities for the week, and C. 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?  If so, what?  If not, why not?)

Grading will be based on coherence, clarity, grammar, and punctuation, as well as thoughtfulness.  Incomplete jounrals 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.

Quizzes

 There will be a 20 point quiz covering each of the memoirs, 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

This exam will be a combination of comprehensive short answer and ID questions based on the five quiz study guides, the class VHP presentations, along with the reflective project essay. 

There will be absolutely no fudging on the official date and time of the final exam.  Do not ask for accommodations unless you have the permission of your college dean in writing.

                                                       Participation

  Lea rning 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 (375) 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 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 John Catau, Assistant Provost, 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/acadaff/AcademicIntegrity.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,

Director, Disability Services, Plaster Student Union, Suite 405, (417) 836-4192 or (417) 836-6792 (TTY), http://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 Lea rning Diagnostic Clinic, which also provides diagnostic testing for learning and psychological disabilities. For information about testing, contact Dr. Steve Capps, Director, Lea rning Diagnostic Clinic, (417) 836-4787, http://www.missouristate.edu/contrib/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 Assistant Provost, Professor John Catau.  

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