English 198 B

Fall 2023 Syllabus

(updated 9/25/2023)

Basic Course Information 

Instructor:                               Natalie Vaughan-Wynn (she/her)

Linked Course:                        AIS 102 (Dennison)

Meeting Time:                         Tuesday and Thursday, 2:30-3:50 p.m. 

Meeting Room:                       Thompson Hall 202 

Office hours:                           Virtual drop-in every Wednesday 12:30-1:30 p.m. (https://washington.zoom.us/s/7054417378) and in-person Thursdays 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Contact:                                  nvwynn@uw.edu and via Canvas (will respond within 24 hours on weekdays)

Course Description

Welcome! English 198 B is a writing course linked to themes from Introduction to American Indian Studies (AIS 102). Although the two courses complement each other, they have distinct goals, activities, and assessments. In this course, you can expect to both strengthen your learning through writing and your learning of writing. In other words, you will “write to learn” and “learn to write” all the while deepening your understanding of concepts relevant to this context. Some especially indispensable relationships between American Indian Studies and writing revolve around representation, storytelling, and the legacy of written records as a colonial tool. These are topics conducive to generative discussion but also create a reality where writing can feel (and is!) high stakes. This shapes my teaching philosophy and approach to the course. I conceptualize writing as a conversation- sometimes with a specific audience, sometimes between peers, but always at least with oneself. When we frame writing in this way it liberates us from the fixity often associated with a written “product” and instead underscores the fluidity that is requisite for any conversation. To do this in practice, this course makes space for book-club style meetings, in-class peer-review workshops, and one-on-one conversations with me. 

Learning Objectives

With the above in mind, here are our broad learning goals for this course. You will...

• Begin or continue to think of yourself as a writer;
• Articulate ways to indigenize writing;
• Gain rhetorical and genre awareness (we will talk more about this) 
• Gain competence with critical peer-review process;
• Develop a greater degree of comfortability sharing your writing and thinking;
• Emerge better prepared to engage with challenging or difficult concepts.

Teaching Philosophy

Intersecting identities including my Native American decadency, first generation college student status, and role as a parent of a student have complicated my relationship to education in ways that have catalyzed my continual reflection on what and who academia is for. College life (writ large) and the classroom in particular can be a fraught yet fruitful terrain for you to consider how power dynamics play out in the university. I encourage you to continually reflect on your own complicated identities related to higher education over the quarter.

I also believe that embedding and implementing anti-racist pedagogy in the classroom involves more than a line or two in the syllabus and instead requires continual reflection on questions like, what “counts” as knowledge, who is situated as knowledgeable, and why? This is a central theme related to American Indian Studies (and other disciplines as well) and one will will return to again and again. 

As students, you are simultaneously part of a classroom collective and individuals who carry tremendous diversity in terms of experiences and contexts- both in life and in school. Given this diversity, I believe it is best for me to employ multiple modalities as an instructor and to provide ample opportunities for you to produce work using various modes. I am responsible for the structure, facilitation, and (some) content of this course; you are responsible for the work and thinking that accompanies learning and growth. Much of our time together will be composed of your interactions with each other in spaces like your Book Club, and your own critical inquiry related to the course material.

Context and Required Course Materials

You have two required texts for this course: 

1) Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Bouley (cost is under $20). I recommend a physical copy, but any version that you are able to access in class during Book Club days is fine. Firekeeper’s Daughter is available as an e-book through UW, in both print, and audio book format. The Seattle Public Library has several copies, too.

2) Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing By and About Indigenous Peoples by Gregory Younging

All other materials for this course will be available either through the AIS 102 Canvas page, our Canvas course page, or provided in class.  Also, 

throughout the quarter, please ensure…

• you are checking Canvas announcements and your student email regularly
• you can access Canvas, Google docs, and PollEV

for every course meeting, please bring…

• a (charged) device with full Canvas functionality
• paper and a writing utensil
  (Please note that the mode of most in-class writing is your choice, but some activities will require either a device or a piece of paper/pen, so do bring both to each class meeting).

be prepared to…

• print physical copies of your work or others’ work (I will let you know in advance)
• read something on a news site that may require a trial subscription
• access to hard copy materials at the library

optional, but highly recommended…

• a citation manager, such as Zotero
• a public library card
• Grammarly

Assessment

20% Book Club 

20% Weekly Writing

20% Major Assignment #1

20% Major Assignment #2

20% Conferences (2x)

Book Club

We will regularly dedicate a segment of our class meeting time to Book Club discussions, which I hope will be an engaging and generative way for you to think about your novel in the context of wider themes in American Indian Studies. This format also gives you a chance to develop skills related to several of the stated learning objectives. Book Clubs discussions will take place over the last half of class (~40 minutes) on each Thursday that we meet (except during Conference Weeks). The same people will be in your Book Club (3-5 total) for the duration of the quarter. Your Book Club participation will be assessed in four ways: 

• Discussion Questions
• Discussion Facilitation 2x over the quarter 
• General Participation 
• Post-discussion reflection (last 10 minutes of class time)

With the exception of Discussion Questions, Book Club participation can only be earned through your physical presence in class and cannot be made up. However, you are automatically excused from two weeks of Book Club related work (either consecutive or not) with no reasons needed nor questions asked. 

Weekly Writing

Weekly Writing will serve several purposes: sometimes it will be space for you to dive deeper into course materials and prepare you for classroom-based discussions, other times it will give you the chance to practice a skill. Sometimes this writing will give you a jump start on your assignments and often we will dedicate class time to completing your Weekly Writing. I know we are doing so much on the screen these days. If you would rather record your reflections in a journal, on printer paper, or in any other way, I would encourage you to do that! You can then simply upload a photo of your non-digital reflection in all its glory. 

Major Assignments

You will have two major projects in this course. The first will be a polyvocal paper, the second will be announced midway through the quarter. Each of these will be divided (or "scaffolded" as we like to say in teaching circles) into smaller parts that we will often workshop in class. When assessed pieces of your projects require your time outside of class, I will always give you at least one week. 

Conferences

During this quarter, two weeks will be dedicated to conferences. The first will be a getting to know you/one-on-one conference and the second will be a small group peer review conference. During conference weeks there will be no regular course meeting; your only obligation is conference preparation and attendance (which will happen over a portion of our regularly scheduled meeting time). I will share more details closer to the dates.

Course Schedule

Please note that this schedule is fluid, but I will announce any changes 

I will post modules for the following week each Thursday evening. Module materials should be read/watched/heard by you before the next class meeting unless otherwise noted. After accounting for holidays, conference weeks, and a day I am traveling, we only have 14 course meetings. Let’s make the most of them! 

Week 1: Introduction to the Course

Week 2: Situating the Discipline of Writing in an Indigenous Context

Week 3: One-on-One Conferences

Week 4: Library Workshop + Positionalities, Object/Subjectivities, What Counts as Knowledge 

Week 5: What Counts (cont.) + Oct 26 virtual book club + asynch Walking Tour

Week 6: Indigenizing Writing 

Week 7: Representation and Visual Literacy 

Week 8: Peer Review Conferences 

Week 9: Gather, the movie 

Week 10: TBD- Final Project Workshop/possible guest speaker

Week 11: Final Project Presentations

Important Dates

Oct 26: Virtual and Asynchronous class meeting

Oct 27: Polyvocal paper due

Nov 23: No class meeting

Dec 8: Final project due

Dec 11: Deadline for submitting all coursework

Office Hours

What are office hours for anyway?

Office hours give you space to connect with me without the additional work of emailing to set up an appointment. Here are just some of the ways this time can be used:

• to clarify feedback you've received; 
• to think out loud, which may give you momentum toward an assignment;
• to share your feedback on the class or address an issue;
• just to say hi, which helps to build a friendly and professional relationship that can serve you down the road (think recommendation letters)!

If you are unable to attend office hours during the window listed but would like to meet, please email me and we can set up a time that works for you! I am also willing to meet in person at your request.

Policies

Attendance/Participation 

This class will be conducted in person as the course catalog states. There is no specific "participation" grade but you will be unable to fulfill several assessed obligations if you are not present. Additionally, as a workshop-style class, a good portion of our time together will be dedicated to working towards completing writing projects, receiving real-time feedback, and building relationships with peers...these are aspects that cannot be made up. However, as much as I'd love for you to make it to every class meeting, I am also a human.  We get sick, things break down, stuff needs our attention. I get it. If circumstances are jeopardizing your ability to perform in class, please be in touch with me as soon as possible so that we can come up with a plan. 

Late Work Policy

If you are having difficulties meeting the requirements or meeting a deadline, please email me in advance. Your extension requests will be met with empathy and understanding. Our lives have been uniquely impacted over this last year and a half and I am happy to consider extension requests in which extenuating circumstances apply. I will accept/reject such requests on a case-by-case basis. In all other circumstances, late work will not receive peer or instructor feedback and 10% of the grade will be deducted for each day past the deadline.

Grading Scale

97% or higher: 4.0

95-96: 3.9

93-94: 3.8

92: 3.7

91: 3.6

90: 3.5

89: 3.4

88: 3.3

87: 3.2

86: 3.1

85: 3.0

84: 2.9

83: 2.8

82: 2.7

81: 2.6

80: 2.5

79: 2.4

78: 2.3

77: 2.2

76: 2.1

75: 2.0

74: 1.9

73: 1.8

72: 1.7

71: 1.6

70: 1.5

69: 1.4

68: 1.3

67: 1.2

66: 1.1

65: 1.0

64 or lower: 0

Technology Policy

You are encouraged to bring your laptops to take notes and access online materials. However, in our very distracted day and age, I ask that you please limit your computer use to our collective class activities. If something urgent arises, you can always excuse yourself so as not to distract the rest of the class. 

Relatedly, the The Student Technology Loan Program allows students to borrow laptops, cameras, projectors, and other equipment for free. For more information please visit: https://stlp.uw.edu.

COVID-19 Face Mask Policy

Students are required to follow the University’s COVID-19 Face Covering Policy at all times when on-site at the University, including any posted requirements in specific buildings or spaces. If a student refuses to comply with the policy, the student can be sent home (to an on or off-campus residence). Student Conduct offices are available for consultations on potential violations of student conduct if needed. University personnel who have concerns that a student or group of students are not complying with this policy should speak with their supervisor, a representative of the academic unit, or report it to the Environmental Health & Safety Department.

Classroom Conduct

For us to achieve the intellectual vibrancy diversity produces, we must be open to learning how others see and move through the world. We should also recognize that some people's ways of seeing and experiencing the world have been privileged, while others have been marginalized, disparaged, and sometimes met with outright violence. To say that we will create a “safe space” is, I believe, static, trite, and counter to intellectual growth. Rather, I hope that we will continually ask, “Safe space for whom?”  and seek to disentangle the power relationships inherent in any group.

Academic Integrity

Plagiarism, cheating, and other misconduct are serious violations of your contract as a student and will negatively impact your grades in this course. You are expected to know and follow the University’s policies regarding the student conduct code. I acknowledge that plagiarism can be understood differently in various contexts; however, we will be following the UW definition of academic dishonesty in this course. If ever in doubt if something is considered plagiarism or cheating, please ask. Students caught cheating or committing plagiarism on an assignment or exam will be given a reduced grade on the assignment the first time. The second offense will result in an automatic zero on the assignment and the third offense will result in a zero for the course. All incidents of plagiarism or cheating will be reported to administration. 

Accommodations

Religious Accommodations

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodation...). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).

Learning Accommodations

To request academic accommodations due to disabilities, contact Disability Resources for Students, 011 Mary Gates Hall, Box 352808, (206) 543-8925, uwdrs@uw.edu. If you would like to request an accommodation, whether or not you have a DRS letter, please let know as soon as possible so we can discuss how to best accommodate you in this class.

Student Resources

 UW ASP-Online Learning: Academic Support Programs has created a one stop page with various resources and programs centered on online learning. These includes best practices, technology access, wellness, time management, and more. Click here for the resource page. 

Writing and Learning Support Resources: The Odegaard Writing and Research Center (OWRC) offers free, one-to-one, 45-minute tutoring sessions for writers in all fields at the UW. They will work with writers on ANY writing or research project, as well as personal projects. Their peer tutors are amazing! For more information or to schedule an appointment, please see their website (https://depts.washington.edu/owrc).

CLUE Writing Center: “If you are an undergraduate student at the UW Seattle campus, we are available to work with you. We can be of help during any stage in the writing process, including: Starting, Drafting, Revising, Researching, and Polishing. We will not proofread or edit a paper for you, but we will either teach or help you learn how to find and correct errors in punctuation, usage, and grammar. Whether you need help talking through ideas, honing an outline you've been working on, evaluating a draft mid-composition, or looking through a final draft—we're confident we can help you write more efficiently and effectively.” For more information please see the CLUE Website. For Autumn Quarter, all appointments are online.

English as an Additional Language: Please let me know if English is an additional language for you so that together we can figure out how to make the course as manageable as possible for you. Also please consult this helpful guide from the UW Center for Teaching and Learning for resources. 

Disability Resources: Your experience in this class is important. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please communicate your approved accommodations at your earliest convenience so I know your needs in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are welcome to contact DRS at 206-543-8924 or uwdrs@uw.edu or disability.uw.edu. DRS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.

UW Campus Food Pantry

The campus food pantry supplies UW students, staff, and faculty with nonperishable groceries and select fresh produce for no cost. Anyone with a Husky ID is eligible to receive support. The Pantry uses a pop-up model with locations in HUB 214 and the Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center and runs once a month at each site.

Counseling Center: The Counseling Center offers short-term, problem-focused counseling to UW students who may feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities of college, work, family, and relationships. Counselors are available to help students cope with stresses and personal issues that may interfere with their ability to perform in school. The service is provided confidentially and without additional charge to currently enrolled students. The Counseling Center is providing all services via secure Zoom. Please call 206-543-1240 during regular business hours to access services. Additional information can also be found by visiting https://www.washington.edu/counseling.

The Q Center

“We facilitate and enhance a brave, affirming, liberatory, and celebratory environment for students, faculty, staff, and alumni of all sexual and gender orientation, identities, and expressions. The University of Washington Q Center is a fierce, primarily student run resource center dedicated to serving anyone with or without a gender or sexuality – UW students, staff, faculty, alum, and community members.  We host and support student groups, put on regular programming events, house a lending library, and amplify student voices on our Student Blog.  Explore our website for more information or stop by the Husky Union Building, Room 315. http://depts.washington.edu/qcenter/wordpress

Husky Health and Well-Being: “UW Seattle offers a wide range of health and wellness services, from exceptional medical care and counseling services to recreation classes, safety resources, peer health advocacy, trainings and more. Most services on this site are limited to currently matriculated UW Seattle students, while others are open to faculty, staff and the general public.”

UW SafeCampus: Preventing violence is everyone's responsibility. If you're concerned, tell someone.

• Always call 911 if you or others may be in danger.
• Call 206-685-SAFE (7233) to report non-urgent threats of violence and for referrals to UW counseling and/or safety resources. TTY or VP callers, please call through your preferred relay service.
• Don't walk alone. Campus safety guards can walk with you on campus after dark. Call Husky NightWalk 206-685-WALK (9255).
• Stay connected in an emergency with UW Alert. Register your mobile number to receive instant notification of campus emergencies via text and voice messaging. Sign up online at washington.edu/alert

For more information visit the SafeCampus website at http://www.washington.edu/safecampus/

Library Resources:

• UW Libraries Search- find and get items from the UW Libraries and its SUMMIT partners.
• Borrowing information - learn about loan periods, check out policies, and more.
• UW GIS Resources- guide to geospatial data and GIS resources at UW
• Audio & Video- guide to media resources within the collection.
• Find It - guide to finding other types of information in the Libraries
• Ask Us - get in touch with UW librarians by phone, email, or 24/7 chat.
• Articles & Research Databases - browse a full list of UW Libraries databases by title.
• E-Journals - search for UW Libraries e-journals by title, title keyword, or subject.
• E-Newspapers - guide to electronic newspapers within the UW Libraries collection.
• COVID-19 Outbreak Resources. For COVID-19 Outbreak resources, please see the COVID-19 Outbreak Resources document on the course Canvas page.

PWAC & Anti-Racist Pedagogy Statement

"The Program for Writing Across Campus is committed to engaging with anti-racist pedagogies. These pedagogies may take various forms, such as curricular attention to voices, communities, and perspectives that have been historically marginalized inside and beyond academic disciplines; inclusive classroom practices; discussions of racism; and consideration of other forms of prejudice and exclusion. We believe that countering the cultures and practices of racism in an academic institution is fundamental to developing a vibrant intellectual community. PWAC is happy to talk with you about your questions as well as to support student-led initiatives around anti-racist work, and we invite you to contact PWAC faculty member Rush Daniel at daniej9@uw.edu or PWAC Program Director Megan Callow at mcallow@uw.edu. If you’re interested in how teachers of English as a professional community have taken up anti-racist work, check out the National Council of Teachers of English Statement on Anti-Racism to Support Teaching and Learning at http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/antiracisminteaching." 

A Final Note

I am looking forward to learning with you this quarter! Your questions and feedback are welcome and encouraged at any point. I hope you will not hesitate to approach me with any concerns or difficulties you are having with the course material or in navigating your way in university life. I am here to foster a supportive learning environment and to help you have a successful experience at UW.