Winter 2009 Advance Course Information

This information effective for winter 2009. Check with instructor the first day of class for any changes.

Community Studies

[ CMMU-100X ] [ CMMU-102 ] [ CMMU-142 ]

100X Theory and Practice of Sex, Gender and Sexuality.

Please note: This syllabus is from winter 2008, and is subject to change.

Instructor: Marcia Ochoa
Phone: 9-4356
Office: Oakes 209; M 1-3, T 2-3pm, other times by appointment
E-mail: marcia8a@ucsc.edu

Course Description

Sex, gender and sexuality all have theories and practices through which they are produced and enacted on people's bodies. This course examines how people produce and politicize sex, gender and sexuality on their bodies, and how they are represented and disciplined for it. We will review autobiographical, cultural, historical and clinical perspectives on: gender bending, transvestitism, sex work, and transgressive sexualities. Materials in the course will include testimonials, films, ethnographic writing, social theory and clinical texts.

We will first define the key terms of this discussion: sex, gender and sexuality. Drawing from representations of people who have transgressive gender and sexualities in popular, medical and political contexts, we will examine their lives and how they impact our concepts of gender, identity, and technology. How do we understand sexual and gender-transgressive people from different times and different cultures? What are the ways that people (especially authorities) explain the existence of such people? How do the experiences of transgendered individuals change our theories about gender and oppression? How do trans people themselves understand and articulate their identities and their bodies? How do sexual and gender-transgressive people survive despite hostile and even murderous social climates? This course engages male to female, female to male trans experiences, sex worker studies, and feminist and queer responses to develop critical perspective on theories and expressions of sex, gender and sexuality.

Attendance and Participation (5%): Attendance, participation and arrival on time to class are required. These will count for 5% of your grade for the class. Part of this grade includes your participation in the Required Field Study Workshops on Thursdays (even if you are not a CMMU major). I will take attendance in class through a signup sheet. While only 5% of your grade is affected by your attendance (that is, the difference between a B and a B+, for example), your grade will suffer if you miss more than TWO class sessions without a legitimate (ie., medical or academic) excuse. I will deduct a half-grade (A to A-, A- to B+, etc) from your grade calculation for EACH undocumented absence beyond the two that are permitted. This includes the required Field Study Workshops (see next page)

Weekly Reading Responses (15%): One-page weekly responses are required. The reading response should summarize the readings we have done for that week, including the readings due on the day you hand in the response. You should also provide your responses to the readings in the form of reflection or questions. You must bring your one-page responses with you to class and hand it in at the beginning of the class session on WEDNESDAYS. You cannot make up these responses; so make sure you bring them every Wednesday!

In-class Presentations and Class Project (15% total): You will sign up to facilitate class discussion in groups. Each class session will have a 15-minute presentation by a different group of three students. You will sign up for TWO facilitation groups at the second class meeting (10%). Groups should review the readings for the day and prepare a group presentation, including discussion questions or exercises.

More details on the class project assignment (5%), which will involve organizing a fundraiser for an organization dealing with relevant issues, in the 2nd week of class.

Writing Assignments (65% total): Social Location Draft (2 pages, 5%); Writing diagnostic paper (3 pages, 5%); Midterm paper (5-7 pages, 25%); Final research paper (10-12 pages, 30% - includes in-class presentation). I do not accept late papers. In the event of an emergency, you may request and extension, but you MUST request one before the paper is due. Papers not received by the due date will not count towards your final grade in the class.

REQUIRED FIELD STUDY WORKSHOPS –Thursdays 6-7:45, College Eight 240.
Attendance at these workshops will count for 5% of your grade in the class. Make sure you attend and sign in at each workshop.

Thursday, January 24
Resources for finding placements and focusing your search

Thursday, January 31
How to contact potential placements and negotiate an internship

Thursday, February 7
Panel/Q&A with Community Studies Students who have recently returned from the field

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102 Preparation for Field Study.

Please note: This syllabus is from spring 2008, and is subject to change.

Instructor: Marcia Ochoa
Phone: 9-4356
Office: Oakes 209; M 1-3, T 2-3pm, other times by appointment
E-mail: marcia8a@ucsc.edu

Course WebCT

Course WebCT site: http://ic.ucsc.edu/webct
 
There is a "how to login page" at http://ic.ucsc.edu/docs/webct/login.shtml
to help you use WebCT if you haven’t before.

Teaching Assistants (TAs)

TAs will hold office hours every week. They are here to help you work through the course material, meet expectations for assignments, and answer your questions or concerns about the Field Study. You can arrange for an appointment by emailing the TA of your choice or talking to them before or after lecture.

Course Overview—General information

Community Studies 102 is designed to prepare you for your full-time field study. The entire teaching staff has a strong commitment to working for social justice, and to education for diversity. Our goal is help you be ready to take the most advantage of your six months of work with the organization you have chosen. As we proceed, we welcome your comments and suggestions.

Full-time Field Study

Part-Time Field Study

You must have a part-time field study set by the second week of class. Your part-time field study contract is due on Tuesday, April 8. The contract is available in class on the first day, and on the WebCT site. To help you pick your part-time field study we have binders circulating in class on the first and second lectures with a list of organizations interested in having interns. This list is also posted as a PDF on our WebCT site. Your PTFS should have some relationship to your Full-Time Field Study, and should ideally be off campus. There are some on-campus opportunities, such as the Reel Works Film Festival and the Interventionist Conference. You will get the most out of a PTFS that you can write field notes about, so that means you need to have some human interaction involved in your PTFS, and that it should involve groups of people trying to get something done.

Extra credit: If you must work more than 5 hours a week at your part-time field study (ie., you are part of a training program or must be available for more hours), you can apply for extra credit and receive two units of Community Studies 103. You are expected to work 10 hours a week (5 for 102, 5 additional for 103) during the quarter to receive this extra credit. Please let your mentor know in the second week of class if you would like to take additional units. There is a space on your contract form to indicate whether you want to take 103 credit. You will need a permission code to register for 103.  You will be able to get your code from Angela Carroll, our head teaching assistant. (The option of 103 credit is NOT available after the second week of class.) You will only get your permission code for 103 after you hand in your Part-Time Field Study Contract, signed by your supervisor.

Sections

Section is required for CMMU 102, and you will receive a grade and evaluation from your section leader to be included in your overall grade in the class. You must sign up for a section. If you have problems signing up for section, please contact the lead TA, Angela Carroll. Our Mentors and TAs are facilitating these sections. In section, you will have a chance to review the work we do in lecture, as well as work closely with a Mentor or TA on the questions and concerns you have about field study. You will be handing in weekly field notes to your Section Leader. Your Section Leader is here to answer any questions you have and to help you to successfully complete your assignments so you will be prepared and have confidence concerning your full-time field study and your senior project plans.

In addition to your mentors, other seniors who have returned from their field studies may come to class to talk about their experiences.

Our WebCT site can be accessed via any computer with a web browser. Be sure to visit it before each class, to get the updates you need. All of the administrative paperwork for the class will be up on WebCT.

We’ve started a group on FaceBook for students and teaching staff in this year’s 102. The FaceBook site is for getting to know more about each other, and for staying in touch once you get to the field. The FaceBook Group is called CMMU 102 – SPR 08. It’s available at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9615279695.

During the quarter, Mike Rotkin, Field Study Coordinator for Community Studies, and Florencia Marchetti, Assistant Field Study Coordinator, will visit class and be available in their offices to answer questions regarding field study placements, required field study paperwork, in-the-field assignments, and other facets of the field study. Mike’s contact info is: openup@ucsc.edu, 459-4601, Oakes 218. Flor can be reached at: fmarchet@ucsc.edu, 459-4110, Oakes 212.

Field Study Resource Office at Oakes College
Our field study resource office in 216 Oakes is open daily and includes city and country guides, fax machine, and computer resources. Use it to prepare yourself for your field study, especially if you are moving to another city or country.

Research/Library Resources for Field Study
Paul Machlis and the staff at McHenry Library have created a web page for Community Studies that gives us lots of research tools and links. This site also contains valuable information on demographics, statistics, and economics of communities all over the world. See: http://library.ucsc.edu/collect/cs102.html We will have an in-class library research presentation before midterms.

Accommodations
We strive to make CMMU accessible to all students. If you qualify for classroom accommodations because of a disability, please submit your Accommodation Authorization from the Disability Resource Center (DRC) to me during my office hours in a timely manner, preferably within the first two weeks of the quarter. Contact DRC at 459-2089 V, 459-4806 TTY.

Academic Resource Collaborative (ARC)
Learning Support Services are available for all students to support you in meeting assignments and expectations as you prepare for your field study. Specific programs for students with disabilities, first generation college students from low income and educationally disadvantaged backgrounds, former foster youth, re-entry students, student parents and military veterans are available through the ARC. Please speak to the instructor or a TA if you are having difficulties with the reading or assignments. We are happy to work with you and refer you to the appropriate resources. You can see the ARC website at http://www2.ucsc.edu/arc/.

Assignments

You cannot pass this class without doing all the assignments, even if the quality varies. We do not accept late papers. We only grant extensions in the event of a documented emergency (death in the family, medical emergency, etc.). Even in the case of an emergency, you must make arrangements BEFORE the deadline in order to request an extension. You must contact the Lead TA to request an extension, and one will only be granted in the event of an emergency. If you do not turn in your work on time, you will not receive credit for the assignment.

If you do not complete the work required for 102 in a timely manner, you will fail this class and you will not be allowed to register for academic units for the Full Time Field Study. This means you will not be able to make any progress on the CMMU major this year and will have to re-take and pass 102 before you go to the field. FAILING 102 WILL SERIOUSLY MESS UP YOUR PLANS!!

More information on all assignments will be posted on our WebCT site.

1. Part-Time Field Study Contract (5%): By the beginning of class on April 8, you must turn in a completed PTFS contract and work 5 hours a week at your part-time field site. Your Field Notes assignments will be directly related to your PTFS work.
2. Weekly Field Notes (15%): Beginning April 8, you will turn in field notes handwritten in a stitch-bound, standard size composition notebook. You will turn in field notes to your section leader in class on Tuesday and receive them back on Thursday. Your Section Leader will record whether or not you turn in the weekly notes assignments and give you feedback on your notes as you go through the quarter.
3. Full-Time Field Study Site News & Research Review (5-7 pgs, 20%): Due May 1.
4. Capstone Prospectus- due May 15 (3pgs, 10%): A first draft of your current ideas for your Senior Capstone.
5. Part-time field study evaluation — due June 5 (5%)
   Must be signed by your supervisor.
6. “Senior Capstone Proposal” (8+ pgs, plus bibliography)- due June 5 (25%)

Attendance (10% of grade)
If you miss a class, you are responsible for getting the assignments and information you missed. We will have in-class assignments and quizzes that you must complete every week. I will be handing out in-class assignments every week. These are intended to assess whether or not you make it to class, and what you’re getting out of the reading. If you don't complete them in class, you don't get credit for them. If you miss one, it won't affect your grade. If you miss two, your grade will be lowered by a 1/2 point (B+ to B, for example). If you miss three, you will receive a failing grade for the class. They will be handed out at least once a week, and there will be about 10-12 in-class assignments over the course of the quarter. If you miss an in-class assignment or quiz, you will not be able to make it up.

Section Attendance and Participation (10% of grade)
Attendance and participation in weekly section are required. Your section leader will keep track of attendance and write a portion of your narrative evaluation.

Books to purchase (required):
Course Reader (CR): available at Literary Guillotine starting April 8

Raymond, Laura, et. al. The Global Activist’s Manual (GAM, in the course schedule below) and Joseph, Miranda Against the Romance of Community (ARC), available at Bay Tree Books.

An additional book required for the class is The Revolution Will Not Be Funded by Incite! Women of Color Against Violence (REV). This book will be available from the Literary Guillotine later in the quarter.

Books will be on reserve at McHenry Library.

CMMU 102 Course Schedule 

GAM: Global Activist’s Manual                       
ARC: Against the Romance of Community
REV: The Revolution Will Not Be Funded

Week 1: Introduction to Course & Basic Concepts

Week 2: Strategies and Tactics in Social Movements

Week 3: Power and Privilege

Week 4: Writing about Community

Week 5: Doing Research

Week 6: Theorizing and Interrupting Power / Theorizing Action

Week 7: Power, Coalition, Collaboration and Conflict

Week 8: Social Movements & Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)

Week 9: Using Media

Week 10: Review and Conclusion

CONGRATULATIONS - YOU ARE SO READY TO GO TO THE FIELD!

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142 Introduction to Marxism.

Please note: This syllabus is from spring 2008, and is subject to change.

Instructor: Mike Rotkin
Phone: 9-4601 (office); 423-4209 (home, call 'til midnite)
Office: 218 Oakes
E-mail: openup@ucsc.edu

I.  INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE AND EACH OTHER

A.    People's backgrounds, interests, and conception of Marxism
B.    Structure of the class, projects, or work groups, expectations, etc.
       "Leading a Discussion for Class" (in Reader)
       "Some Comments and Ideas on Group Dynamics and Facilitating Discussions" (in Reader)
       "Combat Liberalism" (in Reader)
       Paulo Freire, "Pedagogy of the Oppressed" (in Reader)
C.    Recommended:  David McLellan, "The Life of Karl Marx" (in Reader)
                                Sherman, Reinventing Marxism, Chapter 1
                                Priscilla Robertson, Revolutions of 1848 (on Reserve)

II.  DIALECTICAL-HISTORICAL MATERIALISM (Marx's Method)

A.    Lecture on Hegel and Feuerbach
       Recommended:  Howard Sherman, "Dialectics as a Method" (in Reader)
                                Richard Lichtman, "Notes on the Dialectic in Hegel and Marx" (in Reader)
                                Spencer & Karauze, Introducing Hegel (in Reader)
                                Richard Osborne, Philosophy for Beginners (in Reader)
                                John Judis, "The Personal and the Political" (Xerox on Reserve)

B. [The material under II.B. is broken up into logical little chunks for reading and to assign
responsibility for facilitating discussions. Start by reading: "Notes on Reading the Theses on
Feuerbach" (in Reader)]

1. Theses on Feuerbach I through IV in K.M. pp. 171-2. (4 different people)
2. "Introduction to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right," in K.M. pp. 71-2 (up to "...the
   following exposition.") Read this in relationship to the 4th Thesis on Feuerbach.
3. Theses on Feuerbach V through VIII and XI in K.M. pp. 172-3. (5 diff. people)
4. "Historical Materialism" (in Reader). Don't discuss this unless people have questions but read it as preparation for the German Ideology readings.
5. Preface to the German Ideology in K.M. pp. 175-6 and (the following section originally
   followed the three dots on p. 176 and was excerpted by McLellan, but we should read it, so it is in the Reader): "Feuerbach: Opposition of the Materialistic and Idealistic Outlook"
6. p. 176 ("The Premises of the Materialist Method") to p. 177 ("The relations of the different
   nations...")
7. from where 6) ends to p. 177 ("The various stages of development..."
8. from where 7) ends to the bottom of p. 180 (“The fact is, therefore…”). (Remember in leading this discussion to get out the basic idea of the relationship between ownership and the division of labor and not get lost in details about each of the three "stages" Marx and Engels are discussing.)
9. from where 8) ends to the double space in the page on p. 181.
10. Read to prepare for the following section, but do not discuss in class: O'Connor, "The Need for Production and the Production of Needs" (in the Reader).
11. from where 9) ends (on p. 181) to the break in the page on p. 184.

       Recommended: The Capitalist System, Chapter 2, (on Reserve)
                              K.M., pp. 187-192 (up to “The ideas of the ruling class…”) and other
                              selections from Part II
                              Sherman, Reinventing Marxism, Chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 11, 12, 13, & 14

III.  ALIENATION
A.    Alienation and Labor" (in Reader)
       Mandel, "The Causes of Alienation" (in Reader)
       Alienated Labor in K.M., pp. 85-95
       B. The German Ideology in K.M., pp. 184-7 and 196-8
       "On Free Human Production" (in Reader)

       Recommended: Michael Albert & Robin Hahnel, Looking Forward: Participatory Economics for
                              The Twenty First Century (on Reserve)
                              Michael Albert & Robin Hahnel, The Political Economy of Participatory
                              Economics (on Reserve)
                              Andre Gorz, selection from Critique of Economic Reason (xerox on Reserve)
                              Andre Gorz, Strategy for Labor, Chapters 1 and 2 (on Reserve)
                              The rest of Chapter 4 in The Capitalist System  (on Reserve)
                              The rest of Mandel and Novack, The Marxist Theory of Alienation (on Reserve)
                              Barbara Garson, All the Livelong Day (on Reserve)

IV. STRONGLY RECOMMENDED FOR AN OVERVIEW OF CAPITALISM AS A SYSTEM
(not for class discussion)
A.    "The Capitalist Mode of Production" & "The Essence of Capitalism" (in Reader)
B.    "The Historical Tendency of Capitalist Accumulation" in K.M., pp. 523-5.

V.  FETISHISM OF COMMODITIES
A.    Marx's Capital for Beginners (in Reader)
       Capital I, Chapter 1, sections 1 and 2 in K.M., pp. 458-467
B.    "How Capitalism is Mystified" (in Reader)
       Capital I, Chapter 1, section 4, in K.M., pp. 472-480.
C.    Amin, "In Praise of Socialism" and Response I (in Reader)
       Recomended: Balbus, "Marxism and Domination" (Xerox on Reserve)

VI.  EXPLOITATION AND SURPLUS VALUE
A.    Paul Sweezy, "Surplus Value and Capitalism" (in Reader)
       Capital I, Chapter 4, in K.M., pp. 482-488
B.    "Wage Labor and Capital" in K.M., pp. 273-293
C.    “Speech on Free Trade” in K.M. pp.295-296
       “Alternatives to Economic Globalization” (in Reader)     
       “Rolling Back Globalization” (in Reader)
D.    Sherman, Reinventing Marxism, Chapter 7

       Recommended: The Capitalist System, Chapter 3 (on Reserve)
                               Capital I, Chapters 6 and 7 in K.M., pp. 488-508
                               The Capitalist System, Chapters 9, and 10 (on Reserve)
                               Sherman, Reinventing Marxism, Chapter 8
                               Other selections from Part IV of K.M.
                               Robin Broad, Ed., Global Backlash: Citizen Initiatives
                                for a Just World Economy (on Reserve)

VII.  SOCIAL CLASSES
A.    The Communist Manifesto in K.M., pp. 245-271 (esp. parts 1 and 2)
       "Introduction to the Critique of Hegel's Philosophy of Right," in K.M., pp. 78
       (1st new paragraph)-82
       Lipset and Bendix, "Karl Marx's Theory of Social Classes" (in Reader)
       Classes, in K.M., pp. 544-5
B.    Sherman, Reinventing Marxism, Chapter 6 
C.    Highly Recommended (section leaders must select from among following readings):
                        Domhoff, G. William, Who Rules America?, Chapters 1-3.
                        Rotkin, "Expanding the Proletariat" (in Reader)
                        "Racism" (in Reader)
                        "Male Dominance" (in Reader)
                        David Smith, "The Myth of the Middle Class" (in Reader)
                        "Capital Accumulation and the Capitalist Class" (in Reader)
                        "The Labor Process and the Working Class" (in Reader)
                        "Class and Inequality" (in Reader)
                        Almaguer, "Class, Race, and Chicano Oppression" (in Reader)
                        Hartman, "Patriarchy and Capitalism" (in Reader)
                        Hartman, "The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism" (in Reader)
D.  Also Recommended: Gintis, "The New Working Class and Revolutionary Youth" from Socialist                                     Revolution #3 (on Reserve)
                                    Omi and Winant, "Race in the U.S.," in Socialist Review #71 (on
                                    Reserve)
                                    Eisenstein, "Capitalist Patriarchy and Socialist Feminism"
                                     (Xerox on Reserve)
                                    Pat Walker, Ed., Between Labor and Capital (on Reserve)
                                    Mike Rotkin, "Marx's View of Social Class" (Xerox on Reserve)
                                    The Capitalist System, Chapters 3, 4, 6, 7 ,& 8 (on Reserve).
                                    Braverman, "The Structure of the Working Class and Its Reserve Armies"
                                    (Xerox on Reserve)
                                    Michael Lind, "To Have and Have Not" (Xerox on Reserve)
                       

VIII.  IDEOLOGICAL HEGEMONY
A.    The German Ideology in K.M., p. 192 (“The ideas of the Ruling Class…” to end of paragraph)
       Gitlin, "The Whole World is Watching" (in Reader)
       Michael Parenti, Selections from Power and the Powerless (in Reader)
       Recommended:  Richard Lichtman in Socialist Revolution #23 (on Reserve)
                               Douglas Kellner in Socialist Review #45 (on Reserve)
                               Daniel Ben-Horin on TV in Socialist Review #35 (xerox on Reserve)
                               Herbert Marcuse, One Dimensional Man (on Reserve)

IX.  POLITICAL AND CIVIL SOCIETY
A.    Jennifer Nedelsky, Private Property & the Limits of American Constitutionalism (in Reader) 
       A Reading Guide to "On the Jewish Question" by Mike Rotkin (in Reader)
       "On the Jewish Question" in K.M., pp. 46-64 (stop at p.64!)
       "Theses on Feuerbach" IX and X in K.M., p. 173
       Recommended:  John Stuart Mill, On Liberty (on Reserve)
                               Milton Freedman, Capitalism and Freedom (on Reserve)
                               The rest of Nedelsky, Private Property and the Limits of American                                 Constitutionalism (on reserve)
X.  THE STATE
A. Domhoff, G. William, Who Rules America?, Chapters 4-8.
B. Recommended: Richard Barnet, "Lords of the Global Economy" (Xerox on Reserve)
                            V.I. Lenin, State and Revolution (on Reserve)
                            The Eighteenth Brumaire and The Civil War in France in K.M., pp. 329-354
                            Poulantzas, "The State and the Transition to Socialism" (xerox on Reserve)
                            Fred Block in Socialist Revolution #33 (xerox on Reserve)
                            Boris Frankel, "The State of the State" (xerox on Reserve)
                            Santiago Carrillo, Eurocommunism and the State (on Reserve)
                            G. William Domhoff, The Power Elite and the State (on Reserve)
                            Sherman, Reinventing Marxism, Chapter 9 &10
                            The Capitalist System, Chapter 5 (On Reserve)

XI.  CONTRADICTIONS & SOCIALIST TRANSITION

A. Sherman, Reinventing Marxism, Chapter 15
    "Waste and Irrationality" (in Reader)   
    Mike Rotkin, "A Three-Part Strategy for Democratic Socialism"(in Reader)
B. Recommended: "From Capitalism to Socialism" (in Reader)
                            The Capitalist System, Chapter 10 (on Reserve)
                            Socialist Visions, edited by Sholom (on Reserve)
                            "The World After Communism" (xerox on Reserve)
                            "The Future of Socialism" (xerox on Reserve)
                            Andre Gorz, selections from Critique of Economic Reason (Xerox on Reserve)
                            James O'Connor, "Preservation First! Toward a Political Economy of a Good
                            Society." (xerox on Reserve)
                            Andre Gorz, Paths to Paradise, The Liberation from Work, Pluto Press, 1985
                            (xerox on Reserve)
                            An Anthology of Western Marxism edited by Gottlieb (on Reserve)
                            Marxism Essential Writings edited by McLellan (on Reserve)
                            Socialist Review, Vol. 95/3&4 "Explorations in Post Modern Marxism" (on
                            Reserve)
                            James O'Connor, Natural Causes: Essays in Ecological Marxism,
                            Guilford Press, 1998 (Xerox on Reserve)

XII.  GENERAL COURSE INFORMATION

A.    The following should be purchased for the course (available at Bay Tree Bookstore
       on campus)

1. David McLellan, Karl Marx, Selected Writings, Oxford U. Press, 1977 (referred to as K.M.
   throughout the syllabus)
2. Howard Sherman, Reinventing Marxism, Johns Hopkins U. Press, 1995
3. G. William Domhoff, Who Rules America, McGraw-Hill, 2005
4. A Reader for the course which is available for purchase at the Literary Guillotine, 204 Locust Street, SC (Locust between Center and Cedar). If you go early, they will have copies ready. Later, you will need to go an pay for one which they will have ready within a day.

B.    All Reserve readings are located in McHenry Library at the Reserve Desk.  They are on
       two-hour reserve, but you can take them overnight if you come late in the evening.

The above reading list is tentative.  We will probably make changes during the quarter and hope that you will suggest appropriate changes as well.  Even if you do not have a particular reading to recommend but have a topic-passion-concern-interest that you want to have discussed, mention it and maybe someone else in the class can suggest a good reading.

Some of the topics, particularly toward the end of the quarter, have a lot of recommended reading that is in the Reader.  This is so the students facilitating the discussions may select alternative or additional readings for their sections and have them easily accessible to all class members.

Remember that starting with the section on Alienation, student facilitators will often need to select, from among a variety of readings, which ones will actually be read by everyone and discussed in class. Your section facilitators (and/or Mike Rotkin) will help guide you in this process, but choices must be made!

If you assign too much reading and don't focus, there is always the danger that students in your section will be discouraged and tend to read nothing. Think about creative ways to bring insights from the recommended readings into class discussion as well.

BRING THE SYLLABUS AND THE READINGS SCHEDULED FOR THE FOLLOWING MEETING TO CLASS EACH TIME!

The last 10 to 15 minutes of each section meeting will be devoted to criticism/self-criticism.  We will have a longer evaluation session after the fifth and tenth weeks.  But please do not wait until the end of the quarter to give each other and the instructor/facilitators constructive criticism and support.  The course will be better if that can be shared regularly.

This course will not work if you approach it passively.  The readings are difficult and require energy and a critical approach.  The discussions will not be carried by the discussion leaders alone and will work best when people bring in their thoughts and experiences.  Small study groups to go over the readings before class are highly encouraged (if not necessary!).  An 8-15 page paper or a project of equivalent value is required (the topic of which will be discussed in class).  Active class participation is the most important requirement of this course.

Lecture/Film Schedule (subject to change) TTh 2-3:45 in Room 105 Oakes

T    Jan  8: Introduction to the Course/Section Selection
Th Jan 10: Hegel and Feuerbach/Dialectical Materialism
T    Jan15: Film:  The History Book
Th  Jan 17: The French Revolution of 1789
T    Jan 22: Film: The Corporation (part 1)
Th  Jan 24: The French Revolution of 1848/The Paris Commune
T   Jan  29: Film: The Corporation (part 2) + Red Nightmare
Th  Jan 31: Commodities/Marxist Economics
T   Feb   5: Film: Life and Debt
Th  Feb  7: Social Classes
T   Feb 12: Film: Matewan (part 1)
Th Feb 14: Social Democracy
T  Feb  19: Film: Matewan (part 2)
Th Feb 21: Ideological Hegemony
T  Feb  26: Film: Walmart
Th Feb 28: The Russian Revolution
T   Mar   4: Film: The Persuaders
Th  Mar  6: The State
T   Mar 11: Film: Salt of the Earth
Th Mar 13: Contradictions/Socialist Strategy

Most of the films are available for viewing at other times in the Film and Media Center on the first floor of McHenry Library. If you miss a lecture, an audiotape of an earlier version of the lecture from several years ago can also be obtained from the Film and Media Center at McHenry. Just ask for the particular lecture you want from the person at the desk (they keep them under the check-out desk). Neither the films nor the audiotapes of lectures can be checked out. You have to view/listen on site at McHenry.

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