Class

This class is a seminar, and thus participants should expect to assume a large portion of the responsibility for exploring leads, generating connections, and generally making sense of the disparate collection of texts and ideas we will be studying. None of you is expected to be an expert on (or even to be particularly knowledgable about) India or the British Empire, but all of you should be comfortable enough with textual analysis and the principles of liberal arts inquiry that you know where and how to begin asking the questions that will lead you to learn more about these subjects, and about the texts we are using to illuminate them.

Attendance is expected, and promptness will be appreciated. Everyone can trip on the path now and then, but please don’t make a habit of walking in late—it’s disruptive.

Written work

All written work should be submitted via e-mail, in either a Microsoft Word file (.doc or .docx) or a Mac Pages document. Do not assume I have received your work unless I acknowledge it—the pathways of data can be strange.

As your classmates and I will be depending on you to turn in your final essay draft and peer critiques in order for us to do our work on time, it is critical that you meet these deadlines. Late peer critiques will not be accepted; late essay drafts will be marked down a full letter grade for each day they are overdue. I can be a little more lenient about final draft submission—but seniors, if you want to graduate, remember that I have to have time to read your work! In all cases, if you’re having difficulty, please notify me, rather than just hoping I won’t notice.

I take plagiarism extremely seriously. Intellectual theft robs the original author of his or her work; you of the learning you’re supposed to be here for; your classmates of the chance to have their work evaluated on a level playing field; and me of a tremendous amount of time and energy. Read the section on academic honesty in the student handbook, and familiarize yourself with its provisions. A failing grade for the semester is the minimum penalty for plagiarism in this course. If you have any questions about how to best incorporate sources, please come talk to me, or to a reference librarian.

For more information on papers, see my on-line FAQs. They were written for lower-level students, but you still might find them useful.

Films

There are six films on the course syllabus, and all are required viewing. I’ve set up screening times for each in the library, although I’d be happy to reschedule these if a majority of the class would find another time more convenenient—and if a screening room is available. You do not have to attend the scheduled screenings; all films will also be on reserve.

Communication

Please make sure your e-mail in-box remains free to receive messages, or provide me with an alternate address where I can reach you. Weather, illness, etc. can prompt changes in the schedule, and e-mail is the best way to reach you outside of class hours to alert you to what’s going on.

I will attempt to communicate clearly with you, and I would appreciate your doing the same with me. If you have any questions or concerns—whether they be about texts, course procedure, or whatever—please bring them up in class, or talk (or e-mail) to me personally. If you think the reading is going too fast, or too slow; if you’re uncomfortable with the dynamic in the classroom; if you’re unclear on my expectations for an assignment— please let me know. If I don’t know you have a problem, I can’t try to fix it. .