Fall 2023 / LTEN179/ETHN 166: Arab & Muslim American Identity

 

Articulating Arabness:

Race, Gender, Sexuality & Empire

  

Professor: Amanda Batarseh
Class Location: SOLIS 111
Meeting Days: Tuesday/Thursday
Meeting Time: 2:00 – 3:20 pm

Office Hours:
IN-PERSON

Day: Tuesday
Time: 12:30-1:30PM
Location: RWAC 390

VIRTUAL

Day: Thursday
Time: 12:30-1:30PM
Meeting URL: https://ucsd.zoom.us/j/9059580691

 

Course Description

In this course we will examine Arab-American literature, a genre comprising writings by authors of Arab descent in the United States. We will interrogate what this categorization means for its participants and the works they create. What is the history of Arab racialization in America? What is the relationship between Orientalism and American Empire? How do authors navigate the intersections of race, queer and/or female identity? What are the varieties of “Americas” they inhabit and represent? And how do these lived realities inform artists’ creative output? The objective of this course is to introduce students to the cultural history and breadth of Arab-American life and its literature.

Required Texts: All readings are available on Canvas (see Calendar below for more information on titles)

 

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

“The university was built on the un-ceded territory of the Kumeyaay Nation. Today, the Kumeyaay people continue to maintain their political sovereignty and cultural traditions as vital members of the San Diego community. We are honored to share this space with them and we thank them for their stewardship.” (Thank you to the UCSD Association of Native American Medical Students for this land acknowledgement)

 

Course Expectations

Please read the Learning Community agreement for our class. This provides information about:

• Course expectations: What I expect from you, and what you can expect from me
• Classroom policies

Resources

Please read about UCSD Resources here for more information about:

• Students with Diverse Learning Needs
• Counseling and Psychological Services
• Gender/Sexual Assault, Harassment and Discrimination
• Writing Resources
• Academic Integrity
• Library Resources

 

Assignments

1. Perusall Annotated Reading: All your readings assignments are accessible on Canvas through integration with the annotation program, Perusall. Your first annotated readings assignment will be a handout entitled “How Perusall Works,” explaining what I expect of you in these assignments and how they are graded.

2. Q&A Assignment: Read full instructions here. This is a two-part assignment. (A) Q&A Group Assignment to develop questions for the class and (B) Q&A Class Assignment to respond to these questions.

• Q&A Group Assignment: You are responsible for completing one (1) Q&A Group Assignment. 
• Q&A Class Assignment: 
  • All students are required to reply to at least one (1) of the questions posted each week by the responsible group for that week.
  • All students are required to reply to at least five (5) different group posts during the quarter. Therefore, although there will be total of (7) seven group Q&A posts, each student is only required to respond to five.
  • The required word count is at least 150-250 words.

3. Free Writes: Read full instructions here These are short in-class writing assignments. 

• Try and aim for at least 200 words, which is about the length of a hearty paragraph or two. 
• There are six (6) free write assignments this quarter. Your (1) lowest score will be dropped. (In other words, you can miss or opt-out of ONE free write without any penalty to your grade).

4. Two (2) Short Response Assignments: These essay assignments are posted on Canvas. (4-5 pages, double spaced, Times New Roman 12 pt. font).

5. One (1) Final Paper: This essay assignment is posted on Canvas. (6-8 pages, double spaced, Times New Roman 12 pt. font).

Prompts will be posted well in advance on CANVAS and will outline the requirements and parameters of these assignments. We will also discuss the expectations for assignments in class and I encourage you to attend my office hours for help anytime you have questions or wish for additional guidance.

 

“COMPLETION” Grading

This course uses ‘Completion” grading. In other words, I separate my feedback on the quality of your written work from your course grade.

Your grade is based on completion of our assignments. Assignments contain instructions for what constitutes a “complete” assignment. You can also earn partial credit for a partially complete or unfinished assignment. I’ll be giving you feedback on the effectiveness of your writing and the clarity and rigor of your reading and thinking, but that is for your own improvement as a writer and thinker; the grade is based on completion alone.

You also have the option of submitting a final reflection on your work for extra credit: a letter telling me what you learned and how, using evidence from your own writing and thinking to show me your process of learning. This is your chance to make up that credit in a different way.

My Grading Math	Grade Rubric
Each assignment earns points. Baseline points (for everyone by default) = 10 points Perusal Annotations = 45 points Q&A Group Assignment: 5 points Q&A Class Assignment: 10 points Free Writes: 5 points Two Short Response Assignments: 10 points Final Paper: 15 points Total Points: 100 *Final Reflection (optional): up to 5 points extra credit available	Final grades are calculated as follows:   97-100=A+; 93-96=A; 90-92=A- 87-89=B+; 83-86=B; 80-82=B- 77-79=C+; 73-76=C; 70-72=C- 67-69=D+; 63-66=D; 60-62=D- 59 and lower = F

 

 

Flexible & Inflexible Due Dates

Deadlines, for me, are about my ability to plan time and teaching labor; I need to be able to predict when I will be giving feedback on assignments so that I can set aside enough time. I use both flexible and inflexible due dates, being lenient when I can and sticking to stricter deadlines when necessary. Please read the following guidelines carefully to take full advantage of this policy and avoid any late penalties.

FULLY FLEXIBLE: Late work accepted with FULL-CREDIT I highly recommend turning in the below assignments by the due date so that you are prepared to effectively engage in class discussion and stay on top of related assignments. I have, however, given these assignments fully flexible due dates (accepted anytime before the end of the quarter) so as to accommodate life interruptions.   Perusall Annotated Readings Q&A Class Assignments  Short Response assignments: The suggested due date allows you enough time to get feedback for improvement in your writing, useful for completing your final paper. I can only guarantee feedback for papers turned in by the suggested due date.  LIMITED FLEXIBLITY: Late work accepted with HALF-CREDIT Q&A Group Assignment   INFLEXIBLE: NO LATE WORK accepted Final Paper Free Writes (in class assignment) NOTE: Please, if you are having a health-related issues (physical or mental) or some other serious event in your life is prohibiting you from completing your work on time, please come talk to me so that we can find a solution. Due date guidelines are meant to help you manage your work and our class progress in a productive way, not penalize you.

 

What about attendance or participation?

Attendance: I don't like to grade students for attendance; however, if I start to notice attendance decline I will notify the class that I will start taking attendance and deducting each missed class as a point from your Baseline grade.  

Participation: You are expected to participate regularly in this class. This means coming to class on time and ready to discuss the reading in an engaged way.  I understand that everyone has off days. I am looking at overall consistency of participation.

Course Schedule (please refer to Modules page)