A brief commentary on my course pedagogy
One of the reasons I have enjoyed teaching this course over my years at Yale is that absolutely no one has to take it. It is a requirement for no major or program; students take it only by choice. As a result, each year’s class varies widely, from seniors to freshmen, from classics majors to chemistry majors. There are some East Asian Studies majors and some anthropology majors, but the course presumes a background in neither. For most of you, this is probably your first and last course on Japan and in cultural anthropology.
This course has been put together with great deal of thought — both mine and that of student feedback over the years. You’re committing valuable time to taking it, and you and your parents (or others) are spending a great deal of money, and I’m not going to waste either. Neither should you. The topics are not random, the readings are neither repetitive nor gratuitous, and the videos are not frivolous. On the contrary, the lectures, the readings, and the films are quite deliberately articulated so they talk to each other–they are meant to reinforce, amplify, argue with, illustrate one another. But try as I might (and will), you are the ones who must get into and keep that conversation going. For more…
Class attendance
I take seriously those students who take this course seriously, and regular attendance is an important measure of your seriousness of purpose. We are all busy, and your class schedules are tight. I will start classes on time and I will end on time. I put much effort into designing lectures that are informative and accessible, and I encourage and enjoy all kinds of questions and robust discussion. In return, I expect you to be considerate to all of us in arriving on time and remaining for the full session. If you don’t think that you can handle a continuous 75 minutes in the same room, then please do not come to class.
Occasionally, students may have legitimate reasons for having to come to class late or leave class early. If so, I would like to be informed of that and the reason in advance, and you should sit near one of the doors to minimize the disruption of leaving.
Writing section attendance
Beginning with initial section meetings on Thursday, September 10, we have scheduled 11 section meetings during the term. Their purpose is to extend discussion of the issues raised in our Tuesday/Thursday morning classes, to discuss course readings, and as a workshop for developing your writing. Your section attendance will be worth 10% of your final course grade is calculated as follows. These are full letter grades; there are no pluses or minuses for this.
A = 10-11 sessions
B = 8-9 sessions
C = 7 sessions
D = 6 sessions
F = ≤5 sessions
Writing assignments
The basic writing requirements for the course are three course essays and weekly writing exercises (for those weeks when course essays are not due). The details of these assignments are HERE.
Course grading
The grading in this course is done by me, in consultation with the Teaching Fellow(s). We will first discuss each assignment and its guidelines for evaluation. The TA will then read the papers and pass them to me for my own reading and a final determination of the grade. If you wish to talk about our comments and/or grading of your essays, you are free to consult with either the TA or myself.
Your course grade will be determined in the following proportions:
- 10% = Section attendance (as per above)
- 30% = Our evaluation of your class participation and weekly exercises
- 10% = First course essay
- 25% = Second course essay
- 25% = Third course essay
Where do you hand in your writing assignments?
- Writing exercises are due in class on the day of deadline.
- Course essays may be given to me in class on the deadline day or handed in to the TA, who will be at the Thain Family Cafe (Bass Library) for 30 minutes before each of the deadlines.
- Course essays may also be delivered to my mailbox at the Department of Anthropology office. This is on the first floor of the Department building at 10 Sachem Street. Please note that the building is locked after 5:00 p.m. during the week and on weekends.
- Electronic submission of exercises and essays is not permitted except by permission and under exceptional circumstances. This is because we actually do read and mark-up your writings, and for that we need print copy!
Deadlines and extensions policy
Please note carefully my policy about deadlines! I make available the topics of these assignments well in advance of the deadlines, and we offer advice and feedback for those interested along the way. I do not give extensions of these deadlines except for unforeseen real-life emergencies. This does not include concert appearances, theater performances, sports competitions, holiday travel plans, computer malfunctions, and other obligations at the deadline. I do not accept Deans’ excuses. However, I will accept late essays submitted within seven days of the deadline, but they will be ineligible for grades above B.
Electronic devices in the classroom
Electronic devices are a decidedly mixed blessing in education. In the past, I have not permitted all such devices (including laptops, netbooks, tablets, smart phones, PDAs, etc.) during class sessions in this course. I explain my reasons here. This semester, however, I am amending this policy to permit such devices under a written honor code that they will only be used for direct course functions (note-taking and reference to readings and writing assignments). Please abstain from all other uses of your devices during class time. Everyone must sign an honor code pledge to that effect at the beginning of the term, including acknowledgement that violation of this pledge will result in a course grade reduction.
Reading logistics
The syllabus provides the schedule of lectures and videos as well as the required readings. All assigned journal articles come from journals for which Yale maintains paid subscriptions and all book chapter assignments are from books in Yale library collections. Those readings for which Yale holds digital rights are also available to you online as pdf files. In this digital age, it is important to be scrupulous about copyright laws, so please note the following. (1) All such on-line readings come from journals and books that have been purchased by Yale University. (2) Their use here is intended solely for the pedagogical purposes of the course and are not for further circulation. (3) Access to the folder with course readings is restricted to Yale servers only. If you are a student in the course and accessing the course web site from outside the Yale network, you must use Yale VPN. Any student who is having difficulty viewing any portion of the course web site should contact me or the TA immediately, and we will help you resolve the problem.