CULTURE & EXPRESSION SPRING 2021
(RE)CONSTRUCTING AMERICA
In 2020, the United States faced some of the greatest challenges in its history.
• A pandemic killed over 300,000 people, disproportionately affecting the poor, women, and people of color, groups that also bore the brunt of its accompanying economic devastation.
• Awareness of police shootings and mass incarceration made visible the extent to which American institutions have not lived up to the Declaration’s promise that in this country all people “are created equal,” sparking public demonstrations as well as resistance to the changes demanded by those who took to the streets.
• As the climate crisis loomed, America’s participation, partnership and leadership in international agreements lapsed, prompting questions about our global capacity to address this existential threat.
• Despite record numbers of citizens exercising their right to vote, and despite evidence of the unprecedented security of the 2020 election, distrust of long-standing institutions threatened to undermine a hallmark of US governance: the peaceful transfer of power. This crisis is the latest manifestation of deep division that continues to hamstring governance and shroud every political event in anxiety.
How did we arrive at this moment? What can we do to meet its challenges?
Our search for an answer to the first question leads us to examine threads in the American story that are often ignored, threads which, when recognized, help contextualize why the American commitment to pursuing a “more perfect union” has been called into question by so many. Each unit looks at a specific time in the past with an eye for its role in shaping the present.
Unit I: Re-membering the American Story: Myths, Monuments, Bodies, Blood
In this unit, we pose the question: To what extent are the issues we face today the fruit of choices made during America’s early formative moments, its ‘Founding,’ The Civil War, & Reconstruction? We aim to make connections between these moments and our current time by discussing the stories that define America, supplementing some that you know with others that may be less familiar. In “re-membering,” we invoke both memory and the act of reconstituting through the study of texts, objects, and bodily experience. Who counted as an American in these moments and how does this status bear on who counts now?
CULTURE & EXPRESSION SPRING 2021
Unit II: (Re)Building America: Post-Depression, War, and Catastrophe
In this unit, we look to the twentieth century to explore how specific choices made in the face of the Depression and World Wars saved the country from financial ruin while simultaneously reinforcing structural inequalities that disenfranchised large segments of the population and stymied economic mobility among the poor and working classes. Having reconnected some of the missing threads in the American story, we turn in our third unit to ask: What does our moment call for from us?
Unit III (Re)Envisioning America Now: New Paths and Possibilities in 2021
In this unit, we look to the issues we are all facing, with an eye towards not just what has happened but what can be done to deliver on the promise of “a more perfect union.” We’ll think critically and constructively about economic policies and their impact; manufacturing strategies both within the U.S and abroad; American lifestyle choices and their impacts on climate change; gender parity and the ongoing pursuit of racial justice.
These are issues that we share. These are questions that our moment puts to us. We look forward to a semester spent thinking with you about how best to address them.
The Strategy
C&E consists of two related courses in both fall and spring semesters. HUHC 011 and 012: Social Sciences has its emphasis on understanding the structures and values of a culture or civilization through the disciplines of history, sociology, anthropology, psychology, philosophy, religion, economics and political science. HUHC 013 and 014: Humanities has its emphasis on artistic expressions of the cultures under examination through the disciplines of literary analysis (e.g. English, Classics, Romance and Comparative Literatures), linguistics, music, drama, dance, the visual arts, architecture and aesthetics. Faculty on both teams develop a reading list and lecture schedule that work in tandem to reinforce a student’s understanding of the ancient world through to the Middle Ages and the modern world since the Renaissance. Twice weekly faculty lectures set the context for student-based discussion sections.
Faculty:
HUHC 012: Professors DeFreitas, Frisina, Kanatsu, Niedt, Robinson, and Sims
HUHC 014: Professors Burignat-Kozol, Cipriani, Cole, Hollander, Krapp, and Pasupathi
CULTURE & EXPRESSION SPRING 2021
CULTURE & EXPRESSION HUHC 012 SOCIAL SCIENCES Spring 2021
Instructor: Dr. Tomeka M. Robinson
Classrooms: Online Only
Time: Discussion Section: 11:50 -12:45pm Office Hours: By Appointment Only Phone: 516- 463 -5431 E-mail: Tomeka.robinson@hofstra.edu
Course Objectives: This course introduces students to primary texts drawn from the modern period. Students are encouraged to use the questions and strategies developed in these texts as tools for probing their own understanding of fundamental human questions such as: What does it mean to be human? What are my responsibilities to myself, to others, and to the larger world? Which values should I use to help me make the choices I need to make in my life?
Who is this course designed for? This course is designed as an introduction and presumes no previous background in the texts we will be discussing. The readings will consist largely of primary materials that were either written in or have been translated into English.
Why are there two sides to C&E and what does that mean for this section? Culture & Expression (C&E) has both humanities and social/behavioral science-specific goals. I, along with the other social/behavioral scientists on the C&E faculty, will seek to foster in students an understanding of (1) what distinguishes social science research from other kinds of academic discourse; (2) some major theories in social scientific research; (3) some of the key research strategies used in the social sciences; and (4) at least two or three of the issues addressed by the social sciences from the year 1500 to the present day.
Course Requirements:
Attendance: Class attendance is mandatory. More than 2 unexcused absences will result in grade reductions according to the following scale:
3 absences: 1/3 grade (e.g. from B+ to B)
4 absences: 2/3 grade (e.g. from B+ to B-)
5 absences: Full grade (e.g. from B+ to C+)
6 absences: F for the course
If you know you must miss a class notify me beforehand. If you miss a class unexpectedly, contact me as soon as possible (that usually means the same day unless you are in the hospital or handling some sort of emergency).
CULTURE & EXPRESSION SPRING 2021
Participation: This discussion section is completely dependent upon student participation. All students are expected to come to class having carefully read the assigned work, ready to ask questions and discuss the assigned material with one another. Class participation will be graded and factored into your overall grade as described below in the section on grading.
Writing Assignments:
Critical Papers (5): Students will prepare five 2-page (500 word) papers. These papers can be critiques, analysis and/or integration of the readings and lectures for a particular week. These papers should NOT just be summaries of the readings No one may submit more than one paper in a given week.
Final Paper (1): A 6-page (1,500 word) paper will be due at the end of the semester. This end-of -the-semester project provides an opportunity to develop synoptic and synthetic reflections about the material we have read throughout the semester.
Final Presentation (1): A 5-minute presentation will be due at the end of the semester. This presentation is based on your final paper.
Grading Policies:
Final Grade elements:
Classroom Participation 200 points
Critical Papers (100 pts per paper) 500 points
Final Presentation 100 points Final Paper 200 points1000 Points
Grade criteria:
Grading of written work will be on the following basis: “C” means satisfactory. “C” work fulfills the assignment; each individual sentence is clear and grammatical and one sentence leads logically to the next. Judgments are well founded. “B” work fulfills all the requirements of “C” work and develops judgments or assessments that are particularly astute. “A” work fulfills all the requirements of “B” work and demonstrates a profound understanding of the themes of this course and an ability to communicate that understanding through creative use of language and a vivid sense of detail. “D” work shows little grasp of the readings and concepts of the course, or has an abundance of errors in grammar, punctuation, or spelling. “F” work fails to fulfill the assignment; or displays a slap-dash approach to the assignment or is filled with errors of spelling punctuation, and grammar. [adapted from Mark Silk, 1990]
CULTURE & EXPRESSION
SPRING 2021
Grading of class participation will be on the following basis: “C” work means that the student has come to class having read the material and able to coherently participate in the discussion. This includes the ability to ask questions, respond to queries from the instructor, and think reflectively with the class. “B” work fulfills all the requirements of “C” work and demonstrates that the student is capable of using references to the texts and lectures to support arguments about the issues or themes raised in class about the works under discussion. “A” work fulfills all the requirements of “B” work and demonstrates a profound understanding of the works under discussion, an ability to cite the texts in detail, and a creative capacity to use the texts as a tool for extending the class’ overall understanding of the issues and themes we are addressing. “D” work shows that the student has barely read, or skimmed the material under discussion. “F”’s are assigned to students who miss class regularly, or arrive unprepared and unable to participate in the discussion.
Blackboard Web Site
All students will be automatically enrolled in the Blackboard Web Site associated with this class. This site will be used mainly as a tool for storing and disseminating information. The syllabus, along with various other relevant documents and web-links will be posted. The email list will also serve as the default way of contacting all students.
Email Communication
Since Blackboard uses Hofstra email account addresses, all students must plan to check their Hofstra email regularly or set their Hofstra mail to forward all messages to the account they use.
Submitting Written Work
All formal writing assignments must be submitted electronically using Microsoft Word by emailing it directly to me Tomeka.robinson@hofstra.edu. Students who do not own Microsoft Word may request a FREE copy from the computer center (along with the entire Microsoft Office Suite). Graded papers, along with comments, will be returned electronically.
Deadlines for assigned work will be strictly enforced. Late work will be accepted (a late assignment is better than no assignment!!!), but there will be a penalty assessed for any degree of lateness. This is necessary to ensure that those who get their work on time (and who probably could have written better papers if given more time) are treated fairly.
Computer problems are not acceptable as excuses for late work. Hofstra has ample computing resources; the University provides you with online storage space that may be used for securely saving files and Google docs saves your work automatically (as well as a revision history that
CULTURE & EXPRESSION SPRING 2021
will be useful should you ever need to prove the time and date you completed a written assignment). Save your documents frequently, and always have back-up copies saved. Consider yourself warned: lost work is your problem. Take necessary precautions so that lost work does not turn into late or never-submitted work.
Reading Schedule
All students are expected to follow the reading schedule outlined in this syllabus and the Lecture Map attached to this document. Discussions will be based on the texts presented in the lecture assigned for that day (both Social Sciences and Humanities lectures and texts).
Academic Integrity
Honor Code
The Hofstra University Honors Code reads as follows:
Full version: As a member of the Hofstra community, I pledge to demonstrate integrity and ethical behavior in all aspects of my life both inside and out of the classroom. I understand that I am accountable for everything I say and write. I will not misrepresent my academic work, nor will I give or receive unauthorized assistance for academic work. I agree to respect the rights of all members of the Hofstra community. I will be guided by the values expressed in the P.R.I.D.E. Principles. I accept the responsibility to follow this Honor Code at all times.
Violations
Students are responsible for understanding what actions violate the letter and intent of this pledge. If you have ANY questions do not hesitate to ask for help. Come directly to me and I will do my best to ensure that you understand what would be a violation and steer you in the right direction. The consequences for submitting plagiarized work (for example) can range from an F for the assignment to an F for the course depending on the extent of the violation.
The University maintains an Academic Integrity website with additional information about Hofstra policies and procedures. You can find it at www.hofstra.edu/integrity.
All violations will be reported to the University’s Provost for permanent documentation and further action when it is warranted.
Student Access Services
If you believe you need accommodations for a disability, please contact for Student Access Services (SAS). In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the
CULTURE & EXPRESSION
SPRING 2021
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, qualified individuals with disabilities will not be discriminated against in any programs, or services available at Hofstra University.
Individuals with disabilities are entitled to accommodations designed to facilitate full access to all programs and services. SAS is responsible for coordinating disability-related accommodations and will provide students with documented disabilities accommodation letters, as appropriate. Please note that accommodations may require early planning and are not retroactive; please contact SSD as soon as possible. All students are responsible for providing accommodation letters to each instructor and for discussing with him or her the specific accommodations needed and how they can be best implemented in each course. For more information on services provided by the university and for submission of documentation, please contact the Services for Students with Disabilities, 107 Student Center, 516 -463-7075.
Discriminatory Harassment, Relationship Violence, and Sexual Misconduct
University policy and federal laws such as Title IX, Title VI and the ADA make it clear that sexual violence and harassment based on any protected characteristic are strictly prohibited and are subject to standard of accountability at the University. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or subjected to discriminatory harassment, the University offers multiple resources to support you and has policies and procedures to address these offenses. For more information, contact Jean Peden -Christodolou (463-6815, Jean.C.PedenChristodolou@hofstra.edu), the University Title IX Coordinator, or Jennifer Mone, the University Equal Rights & Opportunity Officer (463- 1800, eroo@hofstra.edu); or refer to the applicable University policy at http://www.hofstra.edu/eoe.
Absences for Religious Observance
Hofstra University recognizes that students and/or faculty may from time to time miss class due to religious observances. Students who anticipate missing class for this reason should notify faculty members in advance. Likewise, faculty members who anticipate missing class for religious observance should notify students in their classes.
As per Faculty Policy Series 12 (B):
“No student shall be expelled or refused admission to Hofstra University because he or she is unable to participate in any examination, study or work requirement because of his or her religious obligations and practices. However, all students are expected to complete all assignments and examinations. It is understood that no adverse or prejudicial effects shall result to any student who avails him or herself of religious observances. The University, faculty, and student shall work together to achieve a reasonable accommodation concerning any conflicts between educational and religious obligations.”
CULTURE & EXPRESSION SPRING
2021
Faculty will publish notice of this policy in their syllabi and announce it during the first week of each semester, and will further make reasonable efforts to avoid scheduling exams and/or due dates of assignments that would otherwise interfere with religious observances of students.
Additionally, in accordance with New York State Law, each student who is absent from school because of his or her religious beliefs will be given an equivalent opportunity to register for classes or make up any examination, study or work requirements which he or she may have missed because of that absence on any particular day or day
Reading & Lecture Schedule
Unit I: Re-membering the American Story: Myths, Monuments, Bodies, Blood
Week 1
Tuesday 2/2
Lecture: Dr. Vimala C. Pasupathi - "My America" & “We the People” Assigned Reading: Early literature on America. PDFs/Links on Bb Humanities Discussion: Early literature on America Social Science Discussion: Early literature on America / syllabus
Thursday 2/4
Lecture: Dr. Warren Frisina - Peirce - “The Fixation of Belief” Assigned Reading: PDF on Blackboard Humanities Discussion: Early literature on America / syllabus / Peirce Social Science Discussion: Peirce - The Fixation of Belief
Week 2
Tuesday 2/9
Lecture: Dr. Daniel Cole - Elias Boudinot’s “Address to Whites” Assigned Reading: PDF/Link on Blackboard Humanities Discussion: Elias Boudinot’s “Address to Whites” Social Science Discussion: Peirce - The Fixation of Belief
Thursday 2/11
Lecture: Dr. Katrina Sims - Black Health: Connecting the Past and Present Assigned Reading: PDF/Link on Blackboard Humanities Discussion: Elias Boudinot’s “Address to Whites” Social Science Discussion: Black Health: Connecting the Past and Present
CULTURE & EXPRESSION
SPRING 2021
Week 3
Tuesday 2/16
Lecture: Dr. Martha Hollander - Whose public monuments?
Assigned Reading: links and pdfs on Blackboard
Humanities Discussion: Whose public monuments?
Social Science Discussion: Black Health: Connecting the Past and Present
Thursday 2/18
Dr. Tomeka Robinson -Legacy of slavery and the impact on women’s bodies and health
Assigned Reading: PDF/Link on Blackboard
Humanities Discussion: Monuments/public art
Social Science Discussion: Legacy of slavery and the impact on women’s bodies and health
Week 4
Tuesday 2/23
Lecture: Dr. Vimala Pasupathi – Literary works by Phyllis Wheatley Peters (1773), Ann Plato, (& Eve Ewing (2019)
Assigned Reading: PDFs/Links on Blackboard
Humanities Discussion: Literary works by Phyllis Wheatley Peters (1773), Ann Plato, Social Science Discussion: Legacy of slavery and the impact on women’s bodies and health
Unit II: (Re)Building America: Post-Depression, War, and Catastrophe
Thursday 2/25
Lecture: Dr. Lauren Kozol - Skin of our Teeth (1942)
Assigned Reading: Book for purchase, The Skin of Our Teeth, ISBN: 978-0-06-297578-2
Humanities Discussion: Skin of our Teeth
Social Science Discussion:
Week 5
Tuesday 3/2
Lecture: Dr. Gregory DeFreitas - “Building A More Just Postwar America?”
Assigned Reading: PDF/Link on Blackboard
Humanities Discussion: Skin of our Teeth
Social Science Discussion: “Building A More Just Postwar America?”
CULTURE & EXPRESSION SPRING 2021
Thursday 3/4
Lecture: Dr. John Krapp - George Orwell's Animal Farm (1945) Assigned Reading: Book for purchase, Animal Farm, ISBN: 9780451526342
Humanities Discussion: Animal Farm Social Science Discussion:“Building A More Just Postwar America?”
CULTURE & EXPRESSION
SPRING 2021
Week 6
Tuesday 3/9
Lecture: Dr. Takashi Kanatsu - American Occupation: Reconstructing Japan or Japan Reconstructed?
Assigned Reading: Readings listed on Blackboard Humanities Discussion: Animal Farm; Tokyo Ueno Station
Social Science Discussion: American Occupation: Reconstructing Japan or Japan Reconstructed?
Thursday 3/11
Lecture: Dr. Mária Cipriani - Horror and National Trauma: Gojira/Godzilla (1954) Assigned Viewing: TBD Humanities Discussion: Gojira/Godzilla
Social Science Discussion: American Occupation: Reconstructing Japan or Japan Reconstructed?
Week 7
Tuesday 3/16
Lecture: Dr. Christopher Niedt - Housing and the Destruction and Reconstruction of Black Wealth Assigned Reading: PDF/Link on Blackboard Humanities Discussion: Gojira/Godzilla
Social Science Discussion: Housing and the Destruction and Reconstruction of Black Wealth
Thursday 3/18
Lecture: Dr. John Krapp – The House on Mango Street Assigned Reading: Book for purchase, The House on Mango Street, ISBN: 9780679734772 Humanities Discussion: The House on Mango Street
Social Science Discussion: Housing and the Destruction and Reconstruction of Black Wealth
Week 8
Tuesday 3/23 NO CLASS
Thursday 3/25
Lecture: Dr. Katrina Sims - How Political Solidarity Undermined Black Economic Mobility Assigned Reading: PDF/Link on Blackboard Humanities Discussion: The House on Mango Street
Social Science Discussion: How Political Solidarity Undermined Black Economic Mobility
CULTURE & EXPRESSION
SPRING 2021
Week 9
Tuesday 3/30
Lecture: Dr. Dan Cole – Excerpt from Tommy Orange’s There There (2018). Storytelling, representation, and reconstructing community
Assigned Reading: PDF/Link on Blackboard
Humanities Discussion: There There Social Science Discussion: How Political Solidarity Undermined Black Economic Mobility
Unit III (Re)Envisioning America Now: New Paths and Possibilities in 2021
Thursday 4/1
Lecture: Dr. Gregory DeFreitas - New Gilded Age & New Social Movements: 1980s to Now Assigned Reading: Book for Purchase, The Conscience of a Liberal, ISBN: 978 -0393333138: chs. 7, 8 &9;and The Conscience of a Conservative (Jeff Flake, 2017): preface & ch. 1.
Humanities Discussion: There There
Social Science Discussion: New Gilded Age & New Social Movements: 1980s to Now
Week 10
Tuesday 4/6
Lecture: Dr. Martha Hollander - Princess Mononoke & Eco-Artists Assigned Viewing/Reading: links on Blackboard
Humanities Discussion: Princess Mononoke) & Eco -Artists
Social Science Discussion: New Gilded Age & New Social Movements: 1980s to Now
Thursday 4/8
Lecture: Dr. Takashi Kanatsu -From Minamata to a Hybrid Car: Lessons for the United States Assigned Reading: PDF/Link on Blackboard Humanities Discussion: Princess Mononoke & Eco- Artists Social Science Discussion: From Minamata to a Hybrid Car:
Week 11
Tuesday 4/13
Lecture: Dr. Lauren Burignat-Kozol: Climate Change, Animals Rights and Veganism
Assigned Reading: PDF/Link on Blackboard
Humanities Discussion: literature on Climate Change, Animals Rights and Veganism
Social Science Discussion: From Minamata to a Hybrid Car:
CULTURE & EXPRESSION
SPRING 2021
Thursday 4/15
Lecture: Dr. Warren Frisina - Stout, Blessed are the Organized Assigned Reading:PDF/Link on Blackboard Humanities Discussion: literature on Climate Change, Animals Rights and Veganism Social Science Discussion: Blessed are the Organized
Week 12 Tuesday 4/20
NO CLASS
Thursday 4/22
Lecture: Dr. Tomeka Robinson - COVID-19 & Impact on Vulnerable Communities Assigned Reading: Humanities Discussion: Climate Change, Animals Rights and Veganism Social Science Discussion: COVID-19 & Impact on Vulnerable Communities
Week 13 Tuesday 4/27 PANEL/Speakers on policing
Thursday 5/4
Guest Speaker
Week 14 Tuesday 5/11
Lecture: Dr. Mária Cipriani – Luna (2004) Assigned Reading: Book for purchase, Luna, ISBN: 9780316011273 Humanities Discussion: Luna Social Science Discussion: Policing ?
Thursday 5/13
Reading Day
Final Exam Week
5/18 Humanities 10:30 -12:30PM
5/20 Social Sciences 10:30- 12:30PM
