HPR 411 (3 cr.)

War Stories

Professors Judith Swift & Art Mead

Class
Monday
 3:30 - 6:15 pm Lippitt 203
Screenings
Wednesday

7:00 - 9:00 PM (approximate: earlier or later depending upon running time of film)

Independence 304
(Screening Room for film viewings)
Office Hours: Swift
By appointment
  Office: 874-4408
E-mail: jswift@uri.edu
Office of the Provost
Green Hall
Office Hours: Mead
Monday
Thursday
and by appointment
2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
2:00 - 4:00 p.m. 		Office: 874-4123
E-mail: acmead@uri.edu
803 Chafee

Webpage: http://www.uri.edu/artsci/com/swift

Course Description: In-depth study of plays, films, novels, and other literary forms addressing ways in which people communicate about and during war. Exploration of war themes such as glorification, propaganda, horror and memory. The course will require intensive class participation in both real and virtual time, the completion of writings as assigned and a creative individual and/or group projects.  

Goals:
Content: This course is organized around themes which overlap at times but will help us to explore war and its role throughout civilization and in a civilized society. Each topic has numerous subtopics and a few are listed below. The topics are as follows:

Why We Go to War – The Origins of War

Mobilization for War

How Wars Are Fought and Won

Society and War The Spoils of War Wars in the Future
Schedule:
Date Screening Date Class
    Sept. 8 Introduction to War Stories: Discussion of Questionnaire
    Sept. 15 J'Accuse view and discussion
Sept. 17 Schindler's List Sept. 22 Topic 1: Why We Go To War
Sept. 24 Pearl Harbor Sept. 29

Topic 2: Mobilization for War
Oct. 1 Sergeant York Oct. 6 Topic 2: Mobilization for War
Oct. 8 Wag the Dog Oct. 13 HOLIDAY: Columbus Day NO CLASS
Oct. 15   Oct. 20 Topic 3: How Wars Are Fought and Won
Oct. 22 Patton Oct. 27 Topic 3: How Wars Are Fought and Won
Oct. 29 The Killing Fields Nov. 3 Topic 4: Society and War
Nov. 5 The Best Years of Our Lives Nov. 10 Topic 4: Society and War
Nov. 12 Gone With the Wind Nov. 17 Topic 5: Spoils of War
Nov. 19 Glory        Nov. 24 Topic 5: Spoils of War

Nov. 24-30; alternative arrangements will be made due to Thanksgiving Break

 Minority Report Dec. 1 Topic 6: Wars of the Future
Dec. 3 Blackhawk Down Dec. 8

LAST CLASS

Topic 6: Wars of the Future
Dec. 10 or alternate date No Man's Land    
 Dec. 12

Final Exam: 3-6:00 p.m.

  

University Exam Schedule


General Notes:

In addition to the films, there will be readings in this class and it is important that you keep up with the reading as well as be prepared through the film viewings. If you are compelled to miss class with a good excuse, e.g. "I cannot fog a mirror," arrangements will be made for you to access the film through the instructors and you can always view it at the University Library Media Room.  If you simply miss the class, the viewing will be your responsibility to arrange through your local Blockbuster or the library as available. If you have a conflict with viewings, a regular process for accessing the film will be arranged.

Please note: this syllabus is subject to change.  We will never change the schedule to make anything due earlier for you but reserve the right to make changes if circumstances warrant.  We expect everyone to check e-mail regularly in order that we can communicate efficiently with all of you.  We will also use the listserv to increase class discussion by posting additional ideas, observations, questions and insights.  If you need to see us, drop by during office hours, call or e-mail and we'll get you in as quickly as possible.

Attendance is expected.  You are honors students and we assume you want the stimulation of class discussion with your professors and your peers.  If you will not attend on a given day, please call or e-mail copying in both professors. Absences will affect your grade because class participation is an important aspect of our evaluation of your work.

Course Requirements:

All writings will, of course, be word-processed and use correct grammar, spelling, etc., with references and resources properly credited. Length is to be adequate to address the assignment unless otherwise stated.  In other words, you determine the length based on your assessment of how best to complete the task which will be addressed in greater detail in the assignment posting you will receive for each of the above tasks. Each detailed assignment posting will contain a list of clear expectations against which you can compare your work prior to submitting it.

All writings will, of course, be word-processed and use correct grammar, spelling, etc., with references and resources properly credited. Assignments are turned in in two ways: For Mead, turn in as hard copy; for Swift as attachments via e-mail to jswift@uri.edu. There is no need for hard copy. The proper method for turning in attachment assignments is as follows:

  1. Complete the paper and make sure you have your name, the date and the topic in the heading.
  2. Save the paper as YOURLASTNAME.ASSIGNMENT TITLE.DOC (title may be abbreviated)
  3. E-mail as an attachment (not as a paste-in in the body of the e-mail)
  4. In the header of the e-mail, write YOURLASTNAME.ASSIGNMENT TITLE
  5. Please do not vary from these instructions because I (Swift) appreciate not having to be searching through files and papers to be sure you are credited with the proper work.
Film List:
J'Accuse Pearl Harbor
Schindler's List Sergeant York
Wag the Dog Patton
The Killing Fields Best Years of Our Lives
Gone With the Wind Glory
Minority Report Blackhawk Down
No Man's Land  

Grading:
25% In-class discussion
25% Midterm Paper/Project
25% Response papers, listserv postings  
25% Final  Exam 

Evaluation will be based on grades of the written and oral projects outlined above and the final project, as well as regular class attendance and participation.

Required Texts:

Readings will be distributed or linked in details about assignments forwarded weekly on the listserv
Films as listed.

Recommended but not required:

Economics Explained: Everything You Need to Know About How the Economy Works and Where It's Going; Robert Heilbroner and Lester Thurow; Touchstone Books; ISBN: 0684846411; Revised edition (May 1998)

A Viewer's Guide to Film; Richard M. Gollin; McGraw-Hill; ISBN: 007023700X; (November 1991)

Honor Code: We expect each of you to contribute his/her own work; however, we also encourage you to work together to solve problems, achieve solid analyses, critique films, and even to prepare and explore the theses of your papers.  We also expect that you will all be direct about crediting yourself and/or others about completed work.  There is nothing wrong with assisting each other.  The only caveat is to acknowledge that assistance.  With regard to group work, you will be required to sign a contract agreeing to be responsible for disclosing the portion of work legitimately credited to you and to be forthright about how much you did or did not contribute.  This saves each of you from ever having to be in the awkward position of reporting on or covering for another student.  We also know each of you wants to be honorable in your individual or group projects.  On the other hand, if a student violates rules pertaining to plagiarism or cheating, we will report that student to the appropriate university authorities.  We will do this because it is no favor to cover for a person who acts dishonestly.  We call this enabling.  It is also unfair to the students in the class who come by their grade honestly. See 8.27.10 -8.27.20 University Manual.
Special Needs:  If you have any special circumstances arising from a disability, please let us know how we can assist you.  As stated in the University Manual: "The student with a disability shall be responsible for self-identification to the Disability Services for Students in the Office of Student Life, providing appropriate documentation of disability, requesting accommodation in a timely manner, and follow-through regarding accommodations requested."   In other words, it is your responsibility to make arrangements for any special needs and our responsibility to accommodate them with the assistance of the Office of Disability Services for Students.
Philosophy of Teaching: We are interested in an engaging, active partnership of learning in which we explore and discover aspects of these works as vehicles for examining the role of war and its impact on individuals and society.  We are also interested in these  films and readiness a springboard for the exploration of a wide range of topics related to war.  The potential for exploring and discovering new paths into the human experience is exciting. However, as we always tell students, just as no one is responsible for our individual happiness but us, no one is responsible for our intellectual excitement.  We can bring ours to the classroom but you also need to be prepared to risk exposing and exploring yours.  Learning should be fun and challenging.  We chose this topic because it seems inevitable that war is now and will continue to touch us all. It has shaped our past and will shape our future. Some wars are considered good wars, just wars, e.g. WW II from the point of view of the US and its allies; some are considered bad wars, e.g. Vietnam.  The jury is still out for many on Iraq. This class should give us insight into each other's ways of thinking, values, ideas and intellectual curiosity.  This should be an enjoyable and stimulating experience and your minds will make it so.  To that end, you need to keep the dialogue going with everyone by addressing topics we have discussed or will discuss via e-mail as well as in class.  Be prepared to make regular postings to the class.  This will keep us thinking all the time.
Listserv: There is a listserv for this class at hpr411@pete.uri.edu. We will use the listserv to post important notices and extended information on assignments. You may also post to the list but realize that it goes to the entire class. The ability to reach the whole class is useful for questions to which everyone might want the answer. The list also allows you to communicate with groups for project work and post points for discussion or think pieces. Papers will be submitted as attachments but should not be e-mailed to the list. Send them directly to us at jswift@uri.edu and acmead@uri.edu.  Please use the list considerately so you do not clutter everyone's mailboxes with extraneous materials.
Etiquette: Although we are perfectly happy to enjoy the benefits of an informal classroom in which people feel free to speak without the raising of hands and can sit in less formal arrangements than row-by-row, this informal setting requires a particular adherence to good manners. Quite simply, we expect you all to be respectful of us and of each other. This includes extraneous private commentary between and among students, the use of any telecommunications devices that connect you to the outside world, and the continued courtesy of respectful attention without interruption when others are speaking. We all learned this behavior either at home or in Kindergarten or both. We don't run with scissors and we do say please and thank you. Consider this experience to be one in which your communication style will be judged and a major part of that judgment is your ability to be courteous on both an interpersonal and group level. We embrace humor; we do not embrace disruption. We are utterly intolerant of any student being harshly judgmental or making fun of a fellow student. We expect you are all courteous people whether through nature or nurture and will have absolutely no difficulty in meeting and exceeding these expectations.
Special Events: Following the final exam, we will have a potluck dinner.  We will provide the pizza. You bring the Ring Dings.
Course Credit: Students may receive credit for this course as an Economics elective by applying to the Department Chairperson, Yngve Ramstad, yramstad@uri.edu.