Assignments

08:179 Literature and Society: Capturing Animals

Date	Assignments	Percentage
Oct. 5 Nov. 9	Shelter journal —your personal collection of stories, observations, questions, photographs and other visual documents, and responses to the stories you're collecting that you record and reflect upon at least once a week during service at the Center. I will ask to see your journals 3 times during the semester. You're welcome to share an entry or two with me anytime you like. With your permission, I would also like to share these with the Center Director, Misha Goodman. We both understand that working at an animal Center can cause strong emotional feelings. If it's helpful, feel free to use your journal to reflect upon and sort out your emotional as well as other responses.	10%
Total of 10 over the semester (includes 2 paper proposals)	Weekly one-page “commentaries” in response to readings and observations drawn from the journal you keep about your work at the Center. Details: Each week, I will pose several questions that we will take up in class discussion. To prepare for class, write a typed, single-space, one-page response to one of these questions. (Please use 12 pt. type.) When appropriate, note passages from your reading (with page numbers) to clarify specific details in the text that support your opinion and once you begin work at the Center, use the commentaries as an opportunity to reflect on connections between your experience and your reading. Because class depends upon timely responses to these questions, I accept NO LATE COMMENTARIES. Over the course of the semester, I’ll assign 14, and you’re only required to do ten. Also, your two paper proposals will count as commentaries. These are graded with checks to indicate excellent, satisfactory, or unsatisfactory. Fewer than eight merits an automatic zero for this portion of the grade. Most students find commentaries a comfortable, helpful way to get a handle on ideas and material and to feel prepared for class. Please note that four of the commentaries are required for everyone: the two paper proposals, the commentary on readings for Nov. 30, and the final commentary due with your final project. Note: For one of your commentaries, you can also choose the following alternative. To help me learn about animal films or novels that I haven’t yet encountered, you can write a review of a film or novel that focuses on animals or animal issues that we are not covering in class. You must secure approval of the text beforehand, and this commentary must be turned in before Thanksgiving.	10%
Sep 14 Sep 26 Oct 3	Paper I: 3-5 page paper focused on the close reading of animals in language Paper proposal due Rough draft due Final paper due	30%
	Paper II: 7-10 page research paper exploring connections between a course text, your Center experience, and how the two illuminate cultural perceptions of animals and/or human-animal relationships (3 parts with 3 grades)	(no grade) 10% (no grade) 10%
Oct 24 Oct 31 Nov 9 Last week/final	Paper proposal due Annotated bibliography to prepare for research paper Rough draft due Presentation of research	30%
Exam Period, Wed. Dec 14, 4:30-6:30	Final paper due (at the beginning of final exam period)