Representations of Disability
Course Guidelines

"The problem of the representation of disability is not the search for a more ‘positive’ story of disability . . .
but rather a thoroughgoing challenge to the undergirding authorization to interpret
that disability invites. There is a politics at stake in the fact that disability
inaugurates an explanatory need that the unmarked body eludes
by virtue of its physical anonymity.
David T. Mitchell and Sharon L. Snyder's Narrative Prosthesis (2000)

the basics / course goals / texts / responsibilities / miscellany

THE BASICS

English 380, sections 04 & 05: Literary Themes (GE C4)
thematic thread: literary & cinematic representations of disability
class location: bldng 20, rm 128 (10 a.m. to noon, 12-2 p.m.)
instructor: Dr. Paul Marchbanks
e-mail: pmarchba@calpoly.edu
office: 805-756-2159 / building 47 (the "maze"), hallway 35, office A / available hours
home: 805-593-0192 (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.)

COURSE GOALS

• to promote close reading and analysis
• to augment student recognition of tone and voice
• to improve students' visual as well as textual literacy
• to hone critical thinking, writing, and argumentation skills
• to familiarize students with effective interdisciplinary approaches to research and argument
• to deepen students' comfort with public speaking through class discussion and oral presentation
• to prompt both extended self-analysis and reconsideration of social constructs including "normal," "beautiful," and "intelligent"
  
  

• The Disability Studies Reader, Third Edition (2010). Ed. Lennard Davis. Routledge, 2006. ISBN: 0415953340
• Wilkie Collins's Poor Miss Finch (1872). Oxford, 2009. ISBN: 0199554064
• Charlotte Mary Yonge's The Clever Woman of the Family (1865). Broadview, 2001.
• George Eliot's Brother Jacob and The Lifted Veil (1864). Oxford, 2009. ISBN: 0199555052
• Steven T. Seagle’s It’s a Bird (2005). Vertigo, 2005. ISBN: 1401203116
• Virginia Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway (1925). Harvest, 1990. ISBN: 0156628708
• assorted films (to be located by each student via Amazon.com, Netflix, etc.)

RESPONSIBILITIES

• participation & class discussion (20%--4 grades of 5% each, awarded at 2, 5, 8, and 10 weeks; students most commonly earn 4-4.5 pts). Grades will be determined by: 1) frequency and quality of participation during class discussion and group activities, 2) manifest familiarity with assigned readings and ease/speed w/ which students direct their peers to relevant passages in the text, 3) timely arrival to class, complemented by infrequent departures during class, 5) success at avoiding cell phone use, 6) staying abreast of course updates (check the website & your email regularly)
• attendance: given the relative infrequency with which we meet, and the brief duration of the quarter system, missing class will begin to hurt your grade almost immediately. You get one absence free. Your second absence will cut 1 pt from your final grade, your third absence will cut 3 more pts from your final grade, your fourth absence will cut 5 more pts from your final grade, etc. In other words, 3 absences will remove 4 pts from your final grade, 4 absences will remove 9 pts from your final grade, 5 absences will remove 16 pts from your final grade, etc. Excused absences are difficult to come by. (Doctor visits, for instance, will not earn you an excused absence.)
• pop quizzes (10%): ten orally delivered, randomly scheduled quizzes will be given; some will consist of five quick questions, while others will be prompts requiring a 15-minute essay response. Questions will occasionally draw from daily "Points of Reflection" posted before each day's meeting, and can cover both the current day's materials and those from the previous class period. Receiving full credit (one point) on a quiz requires correctly answering three of five questions, or providing at least three textually supported points to build an essay response. Missed quizzes cannot be made up.
• presentation/representation (10%): each student will "represent" some aspect of their group's chosen disability. Representations may draw from the findings of student research, surveys, or interviews. They may employ physical models, graphs, or slideshows. They can involve music, skits, painting, architecture, or the student's own artistic production. As to media and method, there are no limitations. The practiced presentation should, however, last 5-6 minutes, and evince both creativity and effort. For more details about possible topics, go here.
• midterm exam (10%): an closed-book, in-class exam composed of T/F and multiple choice questions (bring a scantron), and one 450-500 word essay (bring a blue book). The essay will function as a GWR opportunity for those who need it. Date: Wednesday, 8 Feb.
• short paper (10%): each student will create a four-five page paper examining cinematic representations of their assigned disability. Due by email, Saturday, Feb. 4; send a Word document (.doc or .docx, not a Pages file) directly to Dr. Marchbanks.
• term paper prep (5%): students will construct a detailed outline and a single page of their term paper, send both items (as a single Word file) to me via email, and attend a joint paper conference with me and the other members of their group (1.5 hr session) to discuss these two creations. These paper conferences will be scheduled at each group's convenience, sometime during Week 7 or Week 8, either in my office or at my home. Please go here to choose a block of time which works for your group.
• term paper (20%): students will construct a 6-7 page argument that engages certain facets of their group's chosen disability. Due Thursday, Mar. 8 by 3 p.m.; submit Word file to Dr. M via email.
• final exam (15%): a comprehensive exam composed of IDs, short answer questions, and one 450-500 word essay (a GWR opportunity).
  • sec 01: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. / Wed, Mar. 14
  • sec 02: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. / Mon, Mar. 12
• extra credit: at three points throughout the quarter, I will screen a film that engages disability issues in a rather profound manner. Each of the films listed below should provoke considerable discussion. If you choose to attend one of these optional events and remain afterwards for a conversation about it, you can earn between 1-1.5 pts (to be added to your final course average).
  • Monday, Jan. 30 / 7-10:00 p.m. / film: The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) / location: building 10, room 220 / maximum participants: 50 students
  • Saturday, Feb. 11 / 6-8:30 p.m. / film: The Box (2009) / location: Front Porch (1468 E. Foothill) / maximum participants / 20 students
  • Thursday, Feb. 16 / 6:30-9:00 p.m. / film: Gattaca (1997) / location: our condo /maximum participants: 10-12 students
    

MISCELLANY

Grading: go here for an elaboration of terms used below

Contact
Take advantage of my frequent availability throughout the week. Go here to find an open slot, then email me to reserve that time for an office visit. The fastest way to contact me if you have a quick question is via email. You can also reach me in my office at 805-756-2159, or in the evening (before 9 p.m.) at 593-0192.

Writing Lab Center
Experienced writers at the University Writing & Rhetoric Center offer free assistance with writing assignments for any course. Using this service will improve even the best writer’s output. Visit their website to schedule an appointment in advance of your desired date.

Plagiarism and the Honor Code
I encourage you to improve your writing with the help of peers, instructors, and myself. Remember, however, that all work you submit must be your own. Any paper containing borrowed but undocumented thoughts or words will receive a failing grade, and I am obligated to report all instances of plagiarism to the Vice President of Student Affairs. Let me know if you have further questions concerning this important issue.

Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu