DAYS:  W 6:00-8:45
CREDITS:  3
LINE NUMBER: 23917
ROOM: DISCVRY 123

Peter Goggin
OFFICE:  LL 308B
OFFICE HOURS: W 3:00-5:00 (and by appointment)
PHONE EXTENSION: 965-7748
E-MAIL:  goggin1@asu.edu

COURSE CALENDAR: http://www.public.asu.edu/~petergo/courses/eng604/assignmentsSP14.html

TEXTBOOKS:

• J. G. Ballard (1974), Concrete Island
• Jamaica Kincaid (1983), Annie John
• V. S. Naipaul (1961), A House for Mr Biswas
• Mimi Sheller (2003), Consuming the Caribbean: From Arawaks to Zombies
• Krista Thompson (2006), An Eye for the Tropics: Tourism. Photography, and Framing the Caribbean Picturesque
• Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing (2005), Friction: An Ethnography of Global Connection
• John Urry (2003), Global Complexity
  

We will also read and discuss essays and articles about small oceanic nation states and communities (islands) on topics such as, development, tourism, geography, migration, conservation, and environmental sustainability.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
What do we think of when we think of islands? Do we think of the places themselves or do we think of our ideas of the places? If the former, do we think of them as material places we’ve experienced first-hand, and if so in what roles - as residents, holiday visitors, contract workers, summer-home renters, military personnel? If the latter, where do our ideas come from - novels, television and movies, news reports, history books, travel brochures and magazines?
This course will focus on the ways islands are constructed - talked about and represented - in a range of texts, both fiction and non-fiction and in the visual arts as well as in economic and social science discourses. We will pay special attention to the way in which the natural environment figures in these various modes of dealing with the unique features of particular islands and the various ways in which they are caught up in global economic and political networks.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS (Detailed descriptions of the following required assignments to follow)
 •  seminar paper (including proposal, annotated bibliography, and oral presentation)
 •  in-class colloquium
 •  weekly reader response
 •  participation and attendance

Seminar Paper: You will write a 18-25 page synthesis or critical analysis paper in which you explore one of the key issues that arise out of our discussions about islands. To help you prepare for the paper, you will write a Paper Proposal and an Annotated Bibliography.

Attendance and Participation : This seminar will rely heavily upon students’ input, so it is a requirement of the class that you attend all sessions and be prepared to engage in the day’s activities. This preparation will involve reading all the required readings, completing any writing assignments, and being on time and ready to go. If you must miss class for any reason, please contact me via e-mail ahead of time and explain the situation. Excessive absences (more than one) may lower your final grade (by one letter grade) because you will not have gotten the full benefit of the course.

Reading Responses: You will write weekly one-page, double-spaced critical responses to the readings. These reading responses are not summaries; instead, they are a chance for you to wrestle with/explore an issue that arises for you as you read.

ASSIGNMENT DEADLINES:
  Seminar paper topic proposal Feb. 5
  Seminar paper proposal Feb. 12
  Annotated bibliography Apr. 2
  Seminar paper Apr. 30

OTHER IMPORTANT DATES:
  Feb. 27 enrollment begins for Fall '14
  Mar. 9-16 Spring Break
  May 2 last day complete withdrawal

GRADING PERCENTAGES:
 •  Seminar Paper: 40%
 •  Annotated Bibliography: 15%
 •  Paper Proposal: 10%
 •  Reading Responses: 20%
 •  Attendance/Participation/Colloquy: 15%

INCOMPLETES: Please do not assume that an incomplete will be given upon request. University and departmental policy on the handling of incompletes will be followed; only in the case of verified emergencies and illnesses will an incomplete be given.