Myp F09 Syllabus Final

Making Your Place A year-long, interdisciplinary program for the Grays Harbor community offered by The Evergreen State College Program web site: http://www2.evergreen.edu/EvergreenatGH Faculty: Marla Elliott and Rick McKinnon Marla Elliott has a Master of Fine Arts in drama, has organized and run volunteer lawyer programs, and has been an activist in women's issues and poverty law for over 25 years. Rick McKinnon has a Ph.D. in linguistics, has worked as a linguist and pediatric speech-language pathologist, and is a mediator and a citizen journalist.

The program will meet in intensive weekends. Saturday Oct. 3rd, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on TESC campus Saturday Oct. 17th 9 to 5, Sunday Oct. 18th 9 to 5 at GHC Saturday Nov. 7th 9 to 5, Sunday Nov. 8th 9 to 5 at GHC Friday Dec. 4th, 6 to 9 p.m., Saturday Dec. 5th, 9 to 5, and Sunday Dec. 6th, 9 to 5 at GHC Because web-based learning activities will be a significant part of the program’s work, all students must have access to internet-linked computers. Students enrolled for 12 credits must participate in a web-based seminar each Wednesday evening 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Program Description: On the one hand, all human beings are born into and form communities. On the other hand, Americans idealize individualism and self-reliance. What do we get from these values, and what do they cost us? In this broadly interdisciplinary program, we will blend an analysis of our core social structures with an opportunity for each student to explore his or her personal opportunities for participation and action. Using perspectives from psychology, linguistics, evolutionary biology, law, literature, and drama, students will work throughout the year to understand community, to develop eloquent expression—both written and oral — and to examine ways to use that eloquence to address a variety of audiences and issues. Our learning about community will be grounded by a close examination of how humans evolved, how they develop, and how they associate. Analysis of theory will lead to practical applications and suggestions for ways to work with and within communities. Issues of social justice and diversity will form a consistent background for themes developed throughout the year. In fall quarter, we will study intimate communities, particularly families and musical ensembles. In winter, we will look at how our sense of community broadens into the larger affinities of schools, spiritual groups, and community organizations. In spring quarter, our focus will be on government and civic responsibility and the emerging role of technology in creating and connecting ever-larger communities. Throughout the year students will work on creating and performing oral history monologues based on interviews they conduct—in fall quarter with each other and in subsequent quarters with significant people they choose. These projects in documentary theatre will allow students to celebrate members of their communities while developing cross-disciplinary skills in interviewing, editing, and oral eloquence and gaining the poise and confidence necessary to articulate their ideas across a range of contexts, both personal and public. Students enrolled for 12 credits will complete a significant independent project each quarter. Fall’s project will be a research paper 10 to 12 pages long, exclusive of bibliography, on a topic of the student’s choice related to our program themes. In winter quarter, students will complete a major art project in a medium of their choice and present it to the class (e.g., photography, sculpture, other visual art, music, drama, dance, etc.). In spring Making Your Place TESC at GHC fall 2009 Page 1 of 5

quarter, students will create an enduring web-based collaborative project that will benefit their communities.

Schedule of Activities In-person class meetings are listed in bold. Performance project and research paper deadlines are in italics.

WEE K 1

DATE

ACTIVITIES

Sat. Oct 3 At TESC S2 B1107

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Before 10/17 Wed. Oct. 7 Fri. Oct. 9 Tues. Oct 13 Wed. Oct. 14

Introductions and Orientation Create small groups & seminar groups Academic advising workshop Other campus logistics: bookstore, student IDs, library, etc. Computer center: learn how to post essays & responses, how to find learning materials, how to record & transcribe Find and bring to class two interviews related to our readings. Virtual office hours & webinar Post essay on Bloom by 6 p.m. Post response to other’s Bloom essay by 6 P.M. Virtual office hours & webinar part 1 of research paper due Post essay on Gibson Orientation to Evolutionary Psychology Seminar on Bloom Workshop on interview questions: bring interviews Techniques for conducting interviews Orientation to Theatre Arts Seminar on Gibson Edit interview questions, Conduct pre-interview, begin interview process Conduct interview, transcribe, provide transcript to subject. Subject edits interview for content and accuracy and returns to interviewer. Virtual office hours & webinar Post essay on Ehrenreich Post response to other’s Ehrenreich essay by 6 P.M. Virtual office hours & webinar Post essay on Coontz Virtual office hours & webinar Part 2 of research paper due Post response to other’s Coontz essay Virtual movie night! Watch The Commitments on the web Seminar on The Commitments Workshop on Evolution of Cooperation Seminar on Ehrenreich Workshop on editing transcripts into poems; bring edited transcript

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Fri. Oct. 16 Sat. Oct 17 at GHC Rm 2250 Sun. Oct 18 at GHC 4

5 6

Before Nov. 7 Wed. Oct 21 Fri. Oct. 23 Tues. Oct. 27 Wed. Oct 28 Fri. Oct 30 Wed. Nov. 4 Fri. Nov 6 Sat. Nov. 7 at GHC

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WEE K

7 8 Break week 9

DATE

ACTIVITIES

Sun. Nov. 8 at GHC

Workshop: Museum of the American Family Seminar on Coontz Workshop on acting and orally interpreting poems; bring draft poem Finish composing poem, memorize, rehearse Virtual office hours & webinar Post essay on Pinker chapters. 1-7 Virtual office hours & webinar Post response to other’s Pinker chs. 1-7 essay Post essay on Pinker chapters. 8-end Part 3 of research paper due Post response to other’s Pinker chs. 8-end essay Virtual office hours & webinar Final research paper due Performances

Before Dec. 4 Wed. Nov. 11 Fri. Nov. 13 Wed. Nov. 18 Fri. Nov. 20 Tues. Nov. 24 Wed. Nov. 25 Tues. Dec. 1 Wed. Dec. 2 Fri. Dec. 4 at GHC Sat. Dec. 5 at GHC

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Workshop on Pinker First Seminar on Pinker—“looking under the hood” of language Performances Sun. Dec. 6 Second seminar on Pinker –language in the world at GHC Performances Self-evaluation workshop Portfolios due Preview winter quarter Days & Times Evaluation conferences at TESC TBA

Fall quarter required reading: Bloom, Paul. Descartes' Baby: How the Science of Child Development Explains What Makes Us Human. Basic Books, 2005. ISBN-13: 978-0465007868 Coontz, Stephanie. The Way We Never Were. Basic Books, 2000. ISBN-13: 978-0465090976 Ehrenreich, Barbara. Dancing in the Streets: A History of Collective Joy. Holt, 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0805057249 Gibson, Carrie. Crossing the Bridge: The Missing Link in the Dialogue about Difference. Fenestra Books, 2003. ISBN-13: 978-1587362149 Pinker, Steven. The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language. Harper, 2007. ISBN-13: 9780061336461

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Assignments: Essays in response to assigned reading: Choose one short quotation that best illustrates the book’s impact or importance. Begin your essay with that quotation. Then, in your own words, summarize the theme or central ideas in the book in one paragraph. Then, critically and substantively analyze the ideas and principles of the text under discussion. You will probably need about eight hundred words to do an adequate job. The principal audience for your essay will be your fellow students. All essays are to be posted on the program’s web site. Responses to others’ essays: On our program web site, write about 300 words in response to an essay by one of the students in your small group. This does not have to be in formal essay structure, but must be in Standard English, without abbreviations or emoticons. The purpose of the response is to deepen the discussion of the book’s ideas. Performance project: Each student will compose and perform a poem based on an interview with a fellow student. You will work in groups of three, rotating tasks of interviewer, interview subject, and witness/sound technician. The topic of the interviews will be the subject’s membership in a community or communities. Each interview should be conducted in person and last two to three hours. Interview time can be divided into two or three sessions if needed. You will then type an exact transcription of your interview subject’s words. That transcript must be given to the subject to correct and edit (the subject is allowed to redact any statements he/she wishes), and then returned to you by November 7th. You will then compose a poetic monologue using the interview subject’s exact words. This poem should be about three minutes long when read aloud. The purpose of the poem is to communicate the essence of the subject’s story in a dramatically compelling way. You will perform your poem to the class during the weekend of Dec. 4-6 in the person of your interview subject. You will do your best to inhabit and present the body, feelings, and manner of speech and movement of your interview subject. Memorization is part of this process, but you are welcome to use memory aids including notes and prompters. Research paper for 12-credit students: Students will complete a quarter-long research project in three parts. The first part will be to research and articulate one position on an issue that they care about. This must include supporting arguments and appropriate references. The second part will consist of a rebuttal (antithesis) of the initial thesis, accompanied by the same depth of research, arguments, and references as included in part one. The third part will consist of an analysis that compares and contrasts the two positions, resulting in a conclusive statement about the outcome of the student's research. The schedule for the project is as follows: Part 1 due Wed., Oct. 14th. Part 2 due Wed, Nov. 4th. Part 3 due Wed. Nov. 25th. Final paper due Dec. 2nd Students are encouraged to use concept (mind) maps as a way to organize their thinking about each part. All Making Your Place TESC at GHC fall 2009 Page 4 of 5

work will be submitted through the program website. Portfolio: Your portfolio consists of all your written work from the quarter and your draft self-evaluation, including reading notes and class notes. Work submitted through the program website does not need to be reprinted for your paper portfolio. Include all your written work in preparation for the performance project: interview questions, transcript, draft and revised poem, etc. Evaluations: All students are required to submit a self-evaluation and faculty evaluation for the transcript. Your draft selfevaluation is due with your portfolio; your final self-evaluation should be turned in to the office of Registration and Records. If you continue with Making Your Place for multiple quarters, you will submit only one cumulative formal self-evaluation when you leave the program; in the interim quarters, you will submit an informal self-evaluation with your portfolio. Faculty evaluations should be submitted to your seminar leader. Every student must participate in an in-person evaluation conference with his/her seminar leader at the end of each quarter.

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