ENGL 309G W23 Denton

THE DISCOURSE OF DISSENT WINTER 2023 ENGL 309G / GSJ 309 / HIST 309 / SPCOM 434

Published Jan 08, 2023

CLASS SCHEDULE

INSTRUCTOR / TA INFORMATION

Instructor: Dr. Stacy Denton Office: MS Teams

Office Hours: M, T, W 3-4 pm and by appointment

Email: sdenton@uwaterloo.ca (will receive a response within 24 hours) Phone Extension: 48532

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Calendar Description for ENGL 309G

A study of the social, historical, and rhetorical dimensions of collective action. Topics may include health and welfare movements, civil rights and anti-war protests, and environmentalism.

Prereq: Level at least 2A

Calendar Description for GSJ 309

A study of the social, historical, and rhetorical dimensions of collective action. Topics may include health and welfare movements, civil rights and anti-war protests, and environmentalism.

Prereq: One of GSJ 101, 102, WS 101, 102

Calendar Description for HIST 309

A study of the social, historical, and rhetorical dimensions of collective action. Topics may include health and welfare movements, civil rights and anti-war protests, and environmentalism.

Prereq: Level at least 2A

Calendar Description for SPCOM 434

A study of the social, historical, and rhetorical dimensions of collective action. Topics may include health and welfare movements, civil rights and anti-war protests, and environmentalism.

Prereq: Level at least 3A

This course will consider the ways in which dissent is expressed in writings, film, and art during tumultuous periods, and whether such products contribute to social change. Towards this end, we will stay focussed on a very specific time- period (the postwar period, roughly defined as 1945-1975) in a few different contexts, but we will also consider how our current context might relate to our investigations of this important period in history. Going forward, it should be noted that much of this course will cover controversial topics that may at times make us (including myself) uncomfortable. **If you feel that, at any time, you are overwhelmed during our class meetings, feel free to take a break and leave the room – no explanations necessary** Of course, feel free to contact me at any time if you would like to discuss any concerns that you have with the course – I like to think that I am approachable, and I certainly won't hold anything against you!

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course students should be able to:

TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

TEXTS / MATERIALS

The only texts that you should need to purchase are four books, all of which are available through Kindle. All other materials are freely available online.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT

SPECIFICATIONS GRADING

This course will implement a "spec grading" scheme that gives space for students to take risks with their intellectual growth while engaging with the material for this course. Towards that end, you can choose which assignments and activities you want to complete in order to achieve your desired grade for this course. You will need to let the instructor know what your plan is by the beginning of Week #2, but you can always change your mind as the semester progresses:

A-level (guaranteed: 85/exceptional work: 95): Complete everything

B-level (guaranteed: 75/exceptional work: 80): Can choose to skip up to 10 in-class contributions and/or pre- class contributions OR the discussion leader component

C-level (guaranteed: 65/exceptional work: 70): Can choose to skip 10 in-class contributions and/or pre-class contributions AND the discussion leader component

D-level (guaranteed: 55/exceptional work: 60): Can choose to skip 10 in-class contributions and/or pre-class contributions, the discussion leader component, AND essay #1

*Points will be deducted if you don’t complete all of the things that are aligned with your chosen level of grading*

*You can choose to move across levels after you get a sense of what these activities entail*

*You must hand in acceptable work or you will need to revise to get credit for the activity or assignment in question*

**Most due dates are incredibly flexible, the only exception being the discussion leader slot that you sign up for and the final project*

PRELIMINARY DESCRIPTIONS OF ASSESSMENTS

Essays — 3 (Essay #1: 10%; Essay #2: 12%; Essay #3: 12%)

These three essays are academic in nature, and there will be more details as we get further into the semester. However, you can expect that essay #1 will be approximately 750 words, working only with the assigned materials from weeks #1 and 2, and essays #2 and 3 will be slightly more intensive (each worth 1000 words, incorporating at least one outside source in your discussion.

Final Project (20%)

The end-of-semester project will be focused on something related to the materials from weeks #10-12, and it requires at least one connection to a previous unit as well as to something from our current context. There are a number of different choices you can make in completing this project: you can undertake an independent or collaborative approach, and you can choose what this project will look like (for example, a scholarly essay; a virtual presentation; a blog or other web resource; a creative project; etc.). There will be more details to come, but regardless: this project must be rooted in the interpretation and analysis of assigned materials and be supported with scholarly research.

Discussion Leader (10%)

This exercise asks students to begin one class session by identifying something of interest/significance from the day’s assigned materials and to make connections to something outside of the course. This is an informal, 3-5 minute discussion – there is no need for formal presentation skills (unless you want to practice this), but it would be helpful to point to specific evidence (like a quote or scene, for example) that helps underscore the point that you are drawing attention to. This same approach could apply to the outside connection that you also want to make as part of your discussion. For example, if there is a particular text/brief viewing/etc. that you want to show the class, we can absolutely leave time for this. While there will be more details in the coming weeks, it is worth keeping in mind that each discussion leader has the responsibility to: 1. Direct the class to a significant aspect of the day’s assigned reading/viewing/etc.; and 2. Connect to something outside of the course: another geographic or historic context; our current context; etc.

In-class contributions — 24 (24%)

These contributions will occur in person and online, via Google Docs or other kinds of collaborative works spaces, completed during our in-class meetings. You may need a little extra time to fully finish your ideas, which is why the due date falls at the end of the day. You will be able to complete these contributions whether or not you are physically present in our class sessions.

Pre-class Contributions — 12 (12%)

These contributions will occur online, via Google Docs or other kinds of collaborative works spaces. You will have access to prompts that will help guide each contribution, but don’t feel constrained by this when making your comments!

HANDING IN ASSIGNMENTS

Assignments will be handed in on LEARN and through collaborative documents as found on platforms like Google.

ELECTRONIC DEVICE POLICY

Electronic devices (laptops, phones, tablets) are encouraged in this course. Often, I will ask the class to look things up online and post your findings for the class. Also, you may find that as certain topics and ideas arise during class discussion that you want to look something up in order to supplement what is going on within the classroom. If you will be using a cellphone for these activities, be sure to turn off the ringer at the start of each class.However, and this is important: you need to be respectful of this policy! If you use your devices for things unrelated tothe class (and, believe it or not, it is often easy to tell when someone is distracted by their devices), you will lose pointsfrom your attendance grade. If you find that it is just too difficult to have your device in hand and not use it to checkemail, facebook, instagram, etc., please leave it at home or in your bag.

Exceptions: Emergencies sometimes come up which will require you to have your phone out just in case whoever needs to reach you can easily do so. In this case, just let me know that you are currently experiencing this situation and, if your phone rings, please leave the classroom to talk.

GROUP WORK

In some form, group work will occur in every single class meeting and online. Although I understand that some people are quieter than others, all students are required to participate in small group settings to the best of their ability.

ASSIGNMENT SCREENING

No assignment screening will be used in this course.

NOTICE OF RECORDING

There will be no recordings of class sessions, although MS Teams audio will be on for those students who can't attend class.

ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY

SHORT-TERM/LONG-TERM IN-PERSON CANCELLATION CONTINGENCIES (WHETHER IMPACTING THE ENTIRE CLASS OR ON AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL)

This course has a number of assignments and activities associated with our learning environment, many of which take the form of collaborative online documents. While this collaborative work mostly occurs during our in-person meetings, it will be primarily hosted in online documents which leaves open the opportunity for someone to contribute to/get credit for these collaborations even if they cannot physically attend class or if I need to cancel an in-person meeting/move us all into a remote setting. In other words, this leaves room for everyone to participate, whether or not we are working in-person or online, no matter if any of the following occurs:

1. We are mandated to undertake remote delivery at any point of the semester due to public health mandates at a provincial, regional, university, or classroom level;

2. If any individual needs to self-isolate due to known exposure, self-diagnosed mild or moderate symptoms, a positive test, etc. **Do not come to class even with mild symptoms -- you will not be penalized, and you do not need a doctor's note**

3. If any individual cannot travel to campus due to weather, family emergencies, or other unexpected circumstances;

4. If I cannot attend an in-person class due to any of the above scenarios.

If we are in a situation that we all are remote or all in-person, the ability to complete these collaborative in-class activities is straightforward: we are all in the same virtual or physical space, so we can easily communicate the goals of the day and any questions/concerns that arise. It gets a little trickier once we move into scenarios #3-5, but due to the nature of the collaborative documents that we will build each week, you can still participate from a distance even if everyone else is in the classroom. Here is what that would entail:

1. I will turn on MS Teams for our meetings so that you can join remotely – I won’t turn on the camera, but you will get access to audio. I will also post relevant links and the powerpoint of the day to theLEARN module so that you have full access to background and instructions for the activity. *I will not closely monitor activity in the chat, so you would have to rely on your in-person group members for support*

2. If you know that you can’t come to an in-person meeting but will be logging into MS Teams, just send me an email before class begins.

3. If I cannot attend an in-person class, everything will move to remote interaction through MS Teams, but you are more than welcome to use our assigned classroom to work, if you like.

In this way, our approach addresses any short-term or longer-term cancellation of classes at any point of the semester, and it also addresses any accommodations that may need to occur at an individual level due to self-isolation protocols.The only thing that changes is whether, as a class, we meet in-person or on MS Teams, and this will be clearly noted on LEARN. On an individual level, everyone has the opportunity to complete all activities – without penalty – even if they can’t physically be in the classroom.

CHOSEN/PREFERRED FIRST NAME

Do you want professors and interviewers to call you by a different first name? Take a minute now to verify or tell us your chosen/preferred first name by logging into WatIAM (https://idm.uwaterloo.ca/watiam/) .

Why? Starting in winter 2020, your chosen/preferred first name listed in WatIAM will be used broadly across campus (e.g., LEARN, Quest, WaterlooWorks, WatCard, etc). Note: Your legal first name will always be used on certain official documents. For more details, visit Updating Personal Information (https://uwaterloo.ca/the-centre/updating- personal-information) .

Important notes

If you included a preferred name on your OUAC application, it will be used as your chosen/preferred name unless you make a change now.

If you don’t provide a chosen/preferred name, your legal first name will continue to be used.

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT

All of us need a support system. The faculty and staff in Arts encourage students to seek out mental health support if they are needed.

On Campus

Due to COVID-19 and campus closures, services are available only online or by phone.

Counselling Services: counselling.services@uwaterloo.ca (mailto:counselling.services@uwaterloo.ca) / 519- 888-4567 ext. 32655

MATES (https://wusa.ca/services/uw-mates) : one-to-one peer support program offered by the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA) and Counselling Services

Off campus, 24/7

Good2Talk (https://good2talk.ca/) : Free confidential help line for post-secondary students. Phone: 1-866-925- 5454

Grand River Hospital: Emergency care for mental health crisis. Phone: 519-749-4300 ext. 6880 Here 24/7 (https://here247.ca/) : Mental Health and Crisis Service Team. Phone: 1-844-437-3247

OK2BME (https://ok2bme.ca/) : set of support services for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning teens in Waterloo. Phone: 519-884-0000 extension 213

Full details can be found online on the Faculty of Arts website (https://uwaterloo.ca/arts/get-mental-health-support- when-you-need-it)

Download UWaterloo and regional mental health resources (PDF) (https://uwaterloo.ca/arts/sites/ca.arts/files/uploads/files/counselling_services_overview_002.pdf)

Download the WatSafe app (https://uwaterloo.ca/watsafe/) to your phone to quickly access mental health support information.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Students should be aware that this course contains the intellectual property of their instructor, TA, and/or the University of Waterloo.

Intellectual property includes items such as:

Lecture content, spoken and written (and any audio/video recording thereof);

Lecture handouts, presentations, and other materials prepared for the course (e.g., PowerPoint slides); Questions or solution sets from various types of assessments (e.g., assignments, quizzes, tests, final exams); and Work protected by copyright (e.g., any work authored by the instructor or TA or used by the instructor or TA with permission of the copyright owner).

Course materials and the intellectual property contained therein, are used to enhance a student’s educational experience. However, sharing this intellectual property without the intellectual property owner’s permission is a violation of intellectual property rights. For this reason, it is necessary to ask the instructor, TA and/or the University of Waterloo for permission before uploading and sharing the intellectual property of others online (e.g., to an online repository).

Permission from an instructor, TA or the University is also necessary before sharing the intellectual property of others from completed courses with students taking the same/similar courses in subsequent terms/years. In many cases, instructors might be happy to allow distribution of certain materials. However, doing so without expressed permission is considered a violation of intellectual property rights.

Please alert the instructor if you become aware of intellectual property belonging to others (past or present) circulating, either through the student body or online. The intellectual property rights owner deserves to know (and may have already given their consent).

ACADEMIC FREEDOM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO

Policy 33, Ethical Behaviour (https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-33) states, as one of its general principles (Section 1), “The University supports academic freedom for all members of the University community. Academic freedom carries with it the duty to use that freedom in a manner consistent with the scholarly obligation to base teaching and research on an honest and ethical quest for knowledge. In the context of this policy, 'academic freedom' refers to academic activities, including teaching and scholarship, as is articulated in the principles set out in the Memorandum of Agreement between the FAUW and the University of Waterloo, 1998 (Article 6). The academic environment which fosters free debate may from time to time include the presentation or discussion of unpopular opinions or controversial material. Such material shall be dealt with as openly, respectfully and sensitively as possible.” This definition is repeated in Policies 70 and 71, and in the Memorandum of Agreement, Section 6

CROSS-LISTED COURSES

Please note that a cross-listed course will count in all respective averages no matter under which subject code it has been taken. For example, a PHIL/PSCI cross-list will count in a Philosophy major average, even if the course was taken under the Political Science subject code.

TERRITORIAL ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We acknowledge that we are living and working on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron (also known as Neutral), Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations that includes ten kilometres on each side of the Grand River.

For more information about the purpose of territorial acknowledgements, please see the CAUT Guide to Acknowledging Traditional Territory (https://www.caut.ca/content/guide-acknowledging-first-peoples-traditional- territory) .

UNIVERSITY POLICY

Academic integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo community are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. [Check the Office of Academic Integrity (https://uwaterloo.ca/academic-integrity/) for more information.]

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of their university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4 (https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-70) . When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity to avoid committing an academic offence, and to take responsibility for their actions. [Check the Office of Academic Integrity (https://uwaterloo.ca/academic-integrity/) for more information.] A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course instructor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate associate dean. For information on categories of offences and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71, Student Discipline (https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-71) . For typical penalties, check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties (https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/guidelines/guidelines-assessment- penalties) .

Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70, Student Petitions and Grievances (https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-70) (other than a petition) or Policy 71, Student Discipline (https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-71) may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes they have a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72, Student Appeals (https://uwaterloo.ca/secretariat/policies-procedures-guidelines/policy-72) .

Note for students with disabilities: AccessAbility Services (https://uwaterloo.ca/disability-services/) , located in Needles Hall, Room 1401, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with AccessAbility Services at the beginning of each academic term.

Turnitin.com: Text matching software (Turnitin®) may be used to screen assignments in this course. Turnitin® is used to verify that all materials and sources in assignments are documented. Students' submissions are stored on a U.S. server, therefore students must be given an alternative (e.g., scaffolded assignment or annotated bibliography), if they are concerned about their privacy and/or security. Students will be given due notice, in the first week of the term and/or at the time assignment details are provided, about arrangements and alternatives for the use of Turnitin in this course.

It is the responsibility of the student to notify the instructor if they, in the first week of term or at the time assignment details are provided, wish to submit alternate assignment.