MODERN'AMERICAN'MULTICULTURAL'LITERATURE'

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Spring'2015'
ENG'252'Syllabus'
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Dr.!Sarah!Hobson! !
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Email:!sarah.hobson@cortland.edu!
SUNY!Cortland!
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Office:!!115C!Old!Main!
English!Department! !
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Course!Room:!!BE17A!Old!Main!
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Course!Schedule:!!! Tuesday/Thursday:!!2:50E4:05pm!
Office!Hours:!!!
Tuesday/Thursday:!!11E12:30pm;!4:05E5:05pm,!and!by!
appointment!
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COURSE'DESCRIPTION:'
America!undoubtedly!inspires!hope!and!courage!to!people!and!nations!around!the!
world.!!However,!America!also!represents!a!bastion!of!wealth!and!power!that!for!
many!people!within!and!outside!of!its!borders!feels!unattainable.!!Furthermore,!the!
methods!of!securing!this!wealth!and!power!are!often!through!the!domination!of!
various!countries!and/or!demographics!of!people.!!The!complexities!of!Americas!
positionings!in!the!world!and!in!relation!to!its!citizens!are!many,!consistently!
yielding!both!promise!and!hope!and!violence!and!despair.!!How!are!we!to!make!
sense!of!these!contradictions!regarding!a!nation!that!is!a!light!in!a!bleak!darkness!
for!so!many?!!!
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This!class!offers!an!opportunity!to!research!different!American!cultures,!their!social,!
and!political!struggles,!and!their!many!uses!of!literature!and!storytelling!to!advocate!
for!themselves!and!for!all!Americans.!!In!order!to!better!understand!specific!
American!cultures,!we!will!read!past!and!contemporary!texts.!!We!will!situate!these!
texts!in!their!cultural!contexts!by!interconnecting!them!with!several!genres!of!
literature,!including!poetry,!biographical!fiction,!documentaries,!plays,!ethnodrama,!
music,!speeches,!interviews,!newspaper!articles,!historical!accounts,!and!more.!!By!
examining!the!historical,!social,!cultural,!and!political!circumstances!that!inspired!
these!texts,!we!will!inquire!together!into!how!writers!used!various!forms!of!writing!
to!make!sense!of!systems!of!injustice.!!We!will!interconnect!literature!with!social,!
cultural,!and!political!movements!intended!to!illuminate!and!transform!the!truths!
about!the!mechanisms!behind!wealth!and!poverty!in!America!and!abroad.!
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[(O)!Introduction!to!prose,!poetry!and!drama!that!reflects!the!diverse!ethnic,!
cultural!and!social!worlds!of!North!America!and!the!Caribbean!today.!Fulfills:!GE!11;!
LASR;!PRES.!Notes:!Successful!completion!of!CPN!100!or!CPN!102!is!prerequisite!to!
all!courses!in!English.!CPN!101!or!CPN!103!may!be!taken!concurrently!with!any!200E
level!literature!course.!For!English!and!adolescence!education!majors,!ENG!203!is!
prerequisite!for!300Elevel!literature!courses.!(3!cr.!hr.)]!
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REQUIRED'TEXTS:'
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When%the%Tree%FloweredENeihardt!!(Can!be!located!electronically!at!address!below)!
https://archive.org/details/whentreeflowere00neih!
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Sherman!Alexie,!The%Lone%Ranger%and%Tonto%Fistfight%in%Heaven!(book!store!or!
libraryyou!would!need!to!order!it!through!interlibrary!loan)!
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Loewen,!J.!(2007).!!Lies%my%teacher%told%me:%%Everything%your%American%history%book%
got%wrong.%%New!York:!!Touchstone.!!!
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Hughes,!Langston,!Leslie!Sanders,!&!Nancy!Johnston!(2001).!!Collected!Works!of!
Langston!Hughes:!!Plays!to!1942:!!Mulatto!to!the!Sun!Do!Move,!Volume!5,!Mulatto!
pp.!18E50.!!(Can!be!located!electronically!in!library!database)!
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Anna!Deveare!Smith,!Fires%in%the%Mirror%(required!purchase,!available!in!school!
bookstore)!
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Additional!historical,!literary,!documentary,!and!primary!and!secondary!source!
texts!will!be!provided!in!our!Google!Drive!folder.!!You!will!also!be!required!to!
research!other!primary!and!secondary!sources!for!each!unit.!
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LEARNING'OBJECTIVES:'
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Improve!reading!and!noteEtaking!strategies!
Enhance!and!selfEassess!research!processes!for!efficiency!and!efficacy!
Hone!ability!to!apply!psychological,!literary,!historical,!and!artistic!lenses!to!
the!analysis!of!literary!texts!
Critique!writers!representational!choices!!
Analyze!how!writers!make!sense!of!structural!and!social!inequities!
Develop!wellEfounded!arguments!about!the!sources!and!solutions!to!societal!
inequities!
Strengthen!oral,!digital!and!printEbased!written!presentation!skills!
Deepen!understandings!of!the!need!for!brainstorming,!outlining,!drafting,!
revising,!and!editing!
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PRESENTATION'SKILLS:'
This!course!has!been!designed!to!meet!the!Basic!Communication!category!of!the!
General!Education!requirements.!As!such,!the!course!will!improve!students'!
abilities!to!organize!thoughts!and!present!them!orally;!and!teach!students!selfE
critique!and!peer!critique!of!oral!presentation!skills!(Course!Catalog)!
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WRITING'INTENSIVE:'
This!course!is!designated!as!writing!intensive.!!As!a!writing!intensive!course,!with!
the!help!of!your!peers,!professor,!and!outside!writing!tutors,!you!will!have!the!

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opportunity!to!engage!in!rigorous!processes!of!research!and!writing.!!With!the!help!
of!digital!databases!and!website!platforms,!you!will!have!the!opportunity!to!engage!
in!methods!of!research!that!help!you!locate!credible!data!sources,!annotate!your!
data!sources,!improve!and!organize!your!noteEtaking,!easily!retrieve!your!notes,!
facilitate!your!citation!processes,!outline!and!storyboard!your!arguments,!draft,!
revise,!and!edit.!!Both!formally!and!informally,!you!will!be!invited!to!share!your!
research!and!writing!processes!with!your!peers!and!professor,!to!expand!your!
research!and!writing!repertoires,!to!revise!your!research!and!writing!processes!with!
ongoing!feedback!from!peers!and!professor,!and!to!improve!your!efficiency!in!
locating,!annotating,!and!retrieving!information!from!data!sources.!
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You!will!be!expected!to!draw!from!the!research!and!writing!resources!located!on!
our!Google!Drive!to!support!your!development!of!logical,!cohesive,!and!complex!
argumentative!structures.!
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(Course!Catalog:!Writing!Intensive!courses!are!based!on!three!premises:!that!
writing!improves!with!practice!in!diverse!settings;!that!writing!engages!students!
and!improves!the!learning!of!the!material!being!taught;!and!that!writing!develops!
thinking!skills.)!
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PARTICIPATION:'
This!class!invites!a!wide!range!of!participation!structures,!from!small!and!large!
group!discussion,!to!peer!editing,!to!oral!presentations,!to!artsEbased!analysis!of!
texts,!to!in!class!performances!of!texts,!and!much!more.!!This!class!also!invites!you!
to!engage!in!analyzing!potentially!unfamiliar!works!of!literature!written!by!authors!
from!various!cultural!backgrounds,!in!regard!to!sensitive!topics.!!Therefore,!as!we!
make!sense!of!these!texts,!the!class!is!designed!to!draw!on!each!of!our!cultural!
knowledge!and!expertise.!!None!of!us!has!all!of!the!knowledge!regarding!any!topic.!!
All!of!us!have!valid!observations!and!opinions,!and!all!of!us!need!help!unpacking!the!
assumptions!we!will!inevitably!make!as!we!work!together!to!make!sense!of!the!
problematic!aspects!of!America!and!the!effort!to!write!about!American!experiences.!
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Because!we!need!one!another!in!order!to!make!sense!of!these!hefty!texts!and!topics,!
I!emphasize!participation!on!all!fronts!of!this!class!and!especially!in!class.!!I!
emphasize!a!team!mentality.!!Our!goal!is!to!help!maximize!our!time!together!in!the!
service!of!becoming!a!productive!research!and!writing!community!that!can!push!
one!another!respectfully!to!grow!and!think!from!new!angles,!to!problemEsolve!real!
world!issues,!and!to!not!be!afraid!to!both!say!and!interrogate!what!we!really!think.!!
The!goal!is!for!us!to!become!an!educated!and!trusting!community!that!can!take!on!
tough!conversations!and!help!one!another!move!our!thought!patterns!forward.!!I!
encourage!a!wide!array!of!options!for!helping!us!move!forward:!
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Careful%noteCtaking%strategies:%
Fully!engaged!noteEtaking!in!regard!to!course!readings!and!outside!research!
and!in!class!discussions!

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Raising!questions!as!you!read!or!listen,!drawing!diagrams,!critiquing!claims!
and!evidence!of!writers!and!peers,!inserting!findings!from!your!own!
research,!journaling!personal!responses!to!readings!or!class!discussions,!
recording!analogies!as!you!read!or!listen,!summarizing!writers!or!peers!
arguments,!noting!organization!of!arguments,!noting!loopholes!in!arguments,!
identifying!additional!needed!research,!sharing!personal!experiences,!and!
more.!
Small%and%large%group%discussion:%
Deep!listening!to!the!tenor!and!substance!of!any!topic!of!conversation!
Thoughtful!contribution!to!the!current!topic!of!conversation!in!an!effort!to!
bring!new!insights!or!a!different!way!of!thinking!about!that!topic!to!the!table!
Respectfully!abstaining!from!contributing!in!order!to!make!space!for!more!
quiet!students!to!join!in!the!conversation!
Building!on!one!anothers!comments!in!order!to!extend!them!
Supporting!one!another!in!clarifying!developing!ideas!
Recording!helpful!comments!and!bringing!them!into!ongoing!conversations!
Directly!addressing!one!another!and!asking!specific!questions!of!one!another!
ProblemEsolving!together!
Changing!the!participation!structure!when!needed!to!a!pair!and!share!or!to!a!
sharing!around!the!room,!or!to!an!inside/outside!circle,!or!to!a!mingle!and!
mosey,!or!creating!a!new!participation!structure!
Identifying!when!a!conversation!is!losing!ground!and!reEassessing!what!
needs!to!happen!to!gather!better!resources!to!think!with!
Challenging!one!another!to!read!using!different!strategies!or!to!pursue!a!
different!kind!of!research!
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Because!it!is!imperative!that!you!not!only!show!up!but!that!you!are!also!present!and!
engaged!in!our!discussion,!20%!of!your!grade!goes!to!participation.!!I!will!be!
tracking!with!you,!following!the!ways!you!challenge!yourself!to!explore!new!
identities!and!roles!within!our!discussions,!your!ability!to!reflect!on!what!is!or!is!not!
helping!us!move!forward,!and!your!ability!to!lead!in!the!thoughtful!contributions!
you!make!both!in!sharing!yourself!and!your!thinking,!in!respectfully!challenging!the!
thinking!of!others,!and!in!learning!when!to!hold!back!and!how!to!draw!out!your!
peers.!!We!will!know!we!have!become!a!successful!classroom!community!when!you!
feel!safe!enough!to!be!yourself,!trusting!enough!to!let!yourself!entertain!new!
perspectives,!and!respectful!enough!to!recognize!that!everyones!honest!thinking!
helps!us!all!grow!and!develop!our!cultural!understandings!and!our!voice!as!leaders.!
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ATTENDANCE'POLICY:'
According!to!SUNY!Cortland!policy,!you!are!permitted!3!absences!before!you!then!
fail!the!course.!!Because!we!are!a!research!and!writing!community,!I!however!do!not!
look!favorably!on!absences.!!Therefore,!I!require!communication!at!all!times!as!to!
any!extenuating!circumstances!that!would!keep!you!out!of!class!(sickness,!family!
illness!or!crisis,!car!accident).!!I!require!communication!well!before!the!missed!class.!!
If!a!crisis!prevents!that!communication,!then!I!require!communication!immediately!

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following!the!missed!class.!!I!also!require!you!to!take!all!steps!necessary!to!figure!
out!what!you!missed!and!how!to!get!caught!up.!!You!can!always!make!an!
appointment!with!me!to!make!sure!you!know!what!you!missed.!!Missing!class!
inevitably!hurts!your!grade!as!you!have!fewer!opportunities!to!demonstrate!your!
participation.!
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EXTENSION'POLICY:'
I!at!times!will!grant!the!entire!class!an!extension!if!I!feel!we!need!more!time!on!an!
assignment.!!In!general,!I!do!not!grant!extensions!as!I!have!built!in!time!to!each!unit!
for!you!to!brainstorm,!draft,!get!in!class!feedback!from!me!and!peers,!and!meet!with!
me!during!office!hours!for!any!additional!help!you!need.!!However,!if!you!still!need!
an!individual!extension!for!extenuating!circumstances!(illness,!several!papers!due!
on!the!same!day,!family!crisis,!a!writing!struggle!that!you!are!working!out!with!a!
tutor),!I!at!times!will!be!lenient.!!You!will!need!to!show!me!evidence!that!you!have!
organized!your!time!well,!that!you!have!stayed!on!top!of!assignments,!and!that!you!
are!in!the!midst!of!a!flurry!of!deadlines!that!will!hurt!your!performance!on!a!paper!
you!have!been!drafting!for!some!time.!!If!you!are!facing!a!family!crisis!or!personal!
illness,!you!will!need!to!secure!approval!from!the!Dean!for!the!extension.!!You!must!
ask!for!this!extension!in!person!24!hours!in!advance,!and!based!on!the!evidence,!I!
will!decide!what!is!as!fair!as!possible!for!you!and!your!peers.!
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TECHNOLOGY'POLICY:!
You!may!use!a!laptop!or!other!device!for!inEclass!noteEtaking!and/or!for!inEclass!
research!that!will!help!our!discussion.!If!you!use!the!device!for!any!other!purpose!
(i.e.!surfing!the!net),!you!run!the!risk!of!losing!all!technology!privileges!for!the!
semester.!!Because!our!discussions!rely!on!ongoing!research,!you!may!use!phones,!
iPads,!computers,!netbooks,!or!any!other!digital!devices!to!help!us!advance!our!
learning.!!Checking!your!phone!(or!another!device)!for!any!other!reason!will!lower!
your!participation!grade.!
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Please'remember:!you!are!entering!a!research!and!writing!community!that!has!the!
potential!to!deeply!influence!each!persons!life.!!If!you!check!the!web!or!your!phone,!
you!disrupt!the!focus!and!flow!of!these!goals!and!opportunities!for!yourself!and!
others.!!!
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EMAIL'ASSISTANCE:'
Please!use!email!to!set!up!meetings!with!me.!For!more!detailed!questions!(i.e.!about!
your!grade,!an!assignment,!draft,!or!a!course!concept),!please!set!up!an!appointment!
to!meet!with!me!in!office!hours!or!at!a!time!we!determine.!Check!with!your!peers!
*before*!emailing!me!about!basic!information!regarding!the!course!(missed!
assignments,!texts,!film,!etc).!I!will!send!you!secondary!readings,!updates!to!the!
syllabus,!or!general!announcements!via!email,!so!please!check!your!email!regularly.!
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ACADEMIC'INTEGRITY:'
The!College!is!an!academic!community!whose!mission!is!to!promote!scholarship!
through!the!acquisition,!preservation!and!transmission!of!knowledge.!!Fundamental!
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to!this!goal!is!the!institution's!dedication!to!academic!integrity.!This!academic!
community!takes!seriously!its!responsibilities!regarding!academic!honesty.!In!this!
setting!all!members!of!the!institution!have!an!obligation!to!uphold!high!intellectual!
and!ethical!standards.!Plagiarism,!a!form!of!academic!dishonesty,!involves!
incorporating!the!words!or!thoughts!of!another!into!ones!original!writing!without!
proper!documentation.!Common!examples!include!submitting!a!paper!by!another!
student;!failing!to!document!properly!paraphrased,!summarized!or!directly!quoted!
material;!or!subtly!altering!the!diction!and!content!of!a!source!author!without!
documentation.!The!minimal!consequences!for!plagiarism!will!be!a!0!grade!for!the!
assignment!and!most!likely!for!the!course.!Students!should!consult!the!College!
Handbook!(see!Chapter!340!beginning!on!page!50)!for!full!details!of!SUNY!
Cortlands!policy!on!academic!dishonesty.!
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340.01'STATEMENT'OF'ACADEMIC'INTEGRITY'
The!College!is!an!academic!community!whose!mission!is!to!promote!scholarship!
through!the!acquisition,!preservation!and!transmission!of!knowledge.!Fundamental!
to!this!goal!is!the!institution's!dedication!to!academic!integrity.!Providing!an!
atmosphere!that!promotes!honesty!and!the!free!exchange!of!ideas!is!the!essence!of!
academic!integrity.!In!this!setting!all!members!of!the!institution!have!an!obligation!
to!uphold!high!intellectual!and!ethical!standards.!
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It!is!the!responsibility!of!the!faculty!to!impart!not!only!knowledge!but!also!respect!
for!knowledge.!It!is!also!the!professional!responsibility!of!all!faculty!members!to!
explain!the!importance!of!honesty!and!respect!for!knowledge!in!order!to!ensure!an!
academic!environment!that!encourages!integrity.!To!establish!such!an!environment,!
students!must!recognize!that!their!role!in!their!education!is!active;!they!are!
responsible!for!their!own!learning.!Specifically,!it!is!the!responsibility!of!students!to!
protect!their!own!work!from!inappropriate!use!by!others!and!to!protect!the!work!of!
other!people!by!providing!proper!citation!of!ideas!and!research!findings!to!the!
appropriate!source.!This!includes!the!obligation!to!preserve!all!educational!
resources,!thereby!permitting!full!and!equal!access!to!knowledge.!
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This!academic!community!takes!seriously!its!responsibilities!regarding!academic!
honesty.!Academic!integrity!is!absolutely!essential!to!ensure!the!validity!of!the!
grading!system!and!maintain!high!standards!of!academic!excellence.!In!addition,!all!
members!of!the!academic!community!must!exhibit!behavior!exemplifying!academic!
honesty!and!encourage!such!behavior!in!others.!
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DISABILITY'RESOURCES:'
SUNY!Cortland!is!committed!to!upholding!and!maintaining!all!aspects!of!the!federal!
Americans!with!Disabilities!Act!of!1990!(ADA)!and!Section!504!of!the!Rehabilitation!
Act!of!1973.!If!you!are!a!student!with!a!disability!and!wish!to!request!
accommodations,!please!contact!Student!Disability!Services!located!in!Van!Hoesen!
Hall,!Room!BE1,!or!call!607E753E2066!for!an!appointment.!Any!information!
regarding!your!disability!will!remain!confidential.!Because!many!accommodations!

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require!early!planning,!requests!for!accommodations!will!be!reviewed!in!a!timely!
manner!to!determine!their!appropriateness!to!this!setting.!
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Academic'Support'and'Achievement'Program:'
Please!feel!free!to!utilize!Cortlands!tutoring!support!at!any!time.!!In!fact,!given!the!
amount!of!writing!expected!in!this!class,!and!the!attention!to!well!structured,!
cohesive!arguments,!and!grammatically!correct!sentence!structure!and!punctuation,!
it!would!be!a!good!idea!to!sign!up!with!a!tutor!from!ASAP!to!diagnose!what!writing!
issues!you!have.!!You!can!then!use!their!resources!and!the!writing!resources!on!our!
Google!Drive!to!address!these!issues!before!turning!in!a!draft.!!They!can!be!reached!
at!Van!Hoesen!Hall,!Room!BE205,!Cortland,!NY!13045,!607E753E4309.!!They!have!
appointments!from!MondayEThursday,!8amE5pm!and!Friday!from!8amE4:30pm.!!!
!
Writing'Resource'Center:'
You!can!also!set!up!an!appointment!well!ahead!of!time!to!work!with!a!writing!tutor!
at!our!Writing!Resource!Center.!!They!have!appointments!from!MondayEThursday,!
8amE5pm!and!Friday!from!8amE4:30pm.!!They!write!that!you!can!Stop!by!and!make!
an!appointment!at!Van!Hoesen!Hall,!Room!BE205!or!you!can!contact!ASAP!by!phone!
at!607E753E4309.!!!
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GRADING:''
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Paper'#1:!!20%!!
(Grade=(1st!draft!x!60%)!+!(2nd!draft!x!40%))!
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Paper'#2!(Written!and!Multimodal):!!30%!!!
(Grade=(1st!draft!x!60%!)+!(2nd!draft!x!40%))!
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Paper'#3:!!15%!
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Short'Responses:!!15%!
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Participation:!!20%!
(Concept!Maps,!Research,!outlining,!and!noteEtaking!in!digital!and!written!form,!in!
class!contributions)!!!
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