WGC 3531: Natives of the Southwest: A Walk in Beauty 2014 Summer Term I Instructor: Patience Perry Office 114 LLC Phone: x-7223 Fax: x-6400 Email: [email protected] Course: WGC 3301-101 Class Location: LLR 326 Pre-Trip Meeting Dates: 3/27, 4/10, 4/12, 4/28, 5/3 Field Excursion: 5/10-5/20 (AZ & NM) Post-Trip Meeting Date: 5/23 (Boone, NC) General Education Credit: Aesthetics: Creative Expression of Culture or Historical/Social: Religion, Myth, and Society (FA) Designation Course Description: In this course, students immerse themselves in the art, philosophy, history, geography, and cultures of the Acoma, Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo tribes in the American Southwest. The pedagogical approach incorporates conceptual, experiential, and Service-Learning structures. A field experience in Arizona and New Mexico accompanies this course. Additional fees apply. Course Introduction: For the Navajo, hózhó expresses the intellectual notion of order, the emotional state of happiness, the physical state of health, the moral condition of good, and the aesthetic dimension of harmony. 1 Often translated as “beauty,” hózhó provides the metaphor for this course and our exploration. Conceptually, this course seeks to challenge assumptions, stereotypes, and subtle (or overt) prejudices toward Indigenous Americans which permeate the dominant culture. Students critique instructional materials produced by American Indians themselves in comparison to materials produced by Anglos or Non-Natives. Participants reflect upon the ways in which the histories of Indians have been portrayed and their behavior interpreted. Students gain an understanding of some of the unique cultural features of the Acoma, Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo tribes as well as their conceptual framework regarding land, time, space, balance, religion, health/healing, and art. A particular emphasis is placed on the vast spectrum of Southwestern American Indian art and on the artists themselves. Students engage oral stories, songs, weavings, pottery, beadwork, paintings, baskets, and other products of creative cultural expression. During the field experience, students transition from conceptual learning to experiential and service learning. Alex Seotewa (the “Indian Michaelangelo”), Ramson Lomatewama, Esther Jackson, and Andrew Henry provide significant content during the field experience through lectures, cultural arts presentations, shared meals, and home stays. During home stays, students have the opportunity to engage in collaboratively defined service projects which may address public relations, construction/development on privately owned land, agricultural farming, health and wellness, and/or sustainability issues. Other field experiences include: pueblo tours, museum visits, guided hikes, communally prepared meals, participation in ceremonies, visits to ruins and heritage sites, and explorations in galleries, trading posts, and gift shops. Lodging consists of a Home stays, Camping, Hostel, and Hotel stays. The trip begins with a flight into Albuquerque, NM. 1 Witherspoon, G. & Peterson, G., (1995). Dynamic Symmetry and Holism Asymmetry in Navajo and Western Art and Cosmology. 1 WGC 3531: Natives of the Southwest: A Walk in Beauty 2014 Summer Term I Participants then complete a circumnavigation by van through various Reservation Lands and National Parks. Service Learning Processes: Service Learning is intertwined in the field experience. Fundamental in the process of deepening multi-cultural understanding and creation of viable relationships are mutually beneficial activities. Students are empowered to become active and mindful partners as they engage with each other and with hosts and their families. Student demonstrate this mindfulness in a spectrum of activities including small tasks such as respectful listening, verbally addressing each other, gesturing (rather than pointing), or washing dishes while minimizing water use; likewise, in large tasks such as assisting in construction projects, co-developing small business and marketing strategies, and while planting 3 acres of corn. Planning: Host families determine major service projects in collaboration with the Instructors and Instructional Assistants. Service groups meet regularly throughout the semester to discuss, plan, and implement projects. Sites include: the Lomatewama Residence on Hopi 3rd Mesa, and the Henry Family Farm in Canyon de Chelly. Participants will also form planning groups for small projects related to service-learning, group function, meals, and trip logistics. In essence, the field experience is designed to utilize shared and rotational leadership. Participants, therefore, must be willing to contribute and accept responsibility in this service-learning experience. Service Learning is… a use of knowledge with a historical understanding or appreciation of social, economic and environmental implications as well as moral and ethical ramifications of people’s actions. This involves a strong use of communication and interpersonal skills including literacy (writing, reading, speaking, and listening) and various technical skills…. At their best, service-learning experiences are reciprocally beneficial for both the community and the students. 2 Contributions A Skills Inventory will be conducted to identify and help maximize individual contributions. Guest Lecturers and Assigned Readings address Service-Learning Objectives. A True Colors Inventory and In-Class workshops highlight personality traits and potential challenges during group work, group travel, and interpersonal/intercultural communication. Attendance in an ACT ServiceLearning Orientation may be required. Reflection/Assessment: Students should maintain a service-learning section of their semester-long journal/portfolio. A service-learning checklist and Group Meetings will be utilized as tools for service-learning reflection in the field experience. Any member of the community including students, facilitators, or hosts can request a group circle. Writing prompts pertaining to ServiceLearning constitute a significant part of the journal. Lastly, the course concludes with a final class meeting and reflection retreat a few days after returning from the trip utilizing art, slides, experiential activities, discussion, thank-you letter writing, and group process. Required Fees: Costs vary in accordance with transportation, lodging, food, and lecture fees. Tentative 2014 cost is $1160 secured with a $60 non-refundable deposit & to be paid in two installments. Additional information is provided during the interest meetings. 2 Brevard Community College, The Power. July 1994. 2 WGC 3531: Natives of the Southwest: A Walk in Beauty 2014 Summer Term I Academic Content: This summer course blends required academic content including digital media, journal articles, and book excerpts on ASULearn plus lectures and personal experiential learning during the field experience. The majority of the readings occur before the trip to prepare ourselves for competent and respectful cultural exchange. Students seeking to utilize this course as a Junior Seminar for their Experiential Interdisciplinary Certificate should see the instructor regarding an additional project assignment. Suggested Texts: • • • Iverson, P. (2002). Dine: A history of the navajos. University of New Mexico Press: Albuquerque, NM. James, H. C. (1974) Pages from hopi history. Arizona Press: Tuscon, AZ. Williams, T.T. (1983). Pieces of white shell: A journey into navajoland. University of New Mexico Press: Albuquerque, NM. Suggested Films: • • • • • • • Chinn, J. (Producer & Director). (2007). Borrowed dances: Cross cultural reflections of the smoki people [Film]. Prescot, AZ: Smoki Museum and Vision Arts. Florio, M. & Mudd, V. (Co-Producers & Directors). (2006). Broken rainbow [Film]. Los Angeles: Earthworks Films. Grossman, R. (Producer & Director). (2005). Homeland [Film]. Oley, PA: Bullfrog Films. McLeod, C. (Producer & Director). (2002). In the light of reverence. [Film]. Oley, PA: Bullfrog Films National Geographic. (1995) War code: navajo. [Film]. Retrieved from: http://www.natgeoeducationvideo.com/film/835/war-code-navajo Eyre, C. (Director) (1998). Smoke signals. [Film]. Santa Monica, CA: Miramax Films. Verbinski, G. (Director) 2013). The Lone Ranger. [Film]. Burbank, CA: Walt Disney Studios. Course Objectives: As a result of this course, students will be able to… 1. Identify geographical locations and physical landmarks of significance pertaining to the Acoma, Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo people. 2. Articulate cultural features of Navajo, Hopi, and other Pueblo cultures (such as foods, languages, spiritual beliefs, art, craft, stories, and social structure) and the ways their beliefs give meaning to their world. 3. Develop an appreciation of the artistry, creative process, and functionality of stories, crafts, weavings, jewelry, pottery, music, etc. and the Natives who create them. 4. Identify and describe the emotional, intellectual, psychological, and kinesthetic effects of their interactions with various forms of creative expression. 5. Develop interpretive skills and aesthetic discernment by closely examining examples of Southwestern Indigenous Art in text, digital media, galleries, trading posts, and in person with the artists themselves. 6. Analyze the relationship between specific works of art and their historical, cultural, and/or artistic contexts. 7. Explore the concept of health, wellness, and holism through American Indian practice using the arts, ceremony, herbalism, and ritual. 3 WGC 3531: Natives of the Southwest: A Walk in Beauty 2014 Summer Term I 8. Explore Indigenous perspectives of land, time, family, place, and space while discussing contemporary issues such as mineral extraction, relocation, tourism, recreation, water rights, education, health, and employment. 9. Consider behavior, relationships, ethics, creation, and religion from a variety of perspectives including: self, Navajo, Hopi, tourists, trading post owners, and others. 10. Identify, conceptualize and evaluate social, cultural, economic, and political processes to understand and explain the experiences of Contemporary Natives on Reservations and in their navigation of bicultural realities. 11. Participate in mutually beneficial service provision in the areas determined by host families. 12. Reflect critically on service provision effectiveness, reciprocity, and communication. 13. Compare and contrast the styles of communication and learning characteristic of Hopi, Navajo and those typically practiced by people from the dominant "Anglo" culture. Assignments Evaluation Pre-trip Meeting Attendance/Participation Map Project Cultural Etiquette Statement Field Experience Participation Field Journal Take Home Final Exam Jr. Seminar Final Project (optional, not included in pt total) TOTAL Description of Assignments and Evaluation 150 50 50 200 300 160 160 910 Attendance/Participation Students are expected to 1) attend all pre-trip meetings, 2) complete all the readings, 3) come prepared with assignments, and 4) participate in discussions. Attendance is mandatory particularly because community building is an integral component in experiential learning. In order to travel together, we must learn to trust ourselves and each other. This trust can only be earned through 5) mutual respect, compassionate relationships, and active listening. 5 pre-trip meetings @ 30 pts each (detailed above)= 150 points Map Project Create a Map of the four corners region. On your map of the Southwest, identify the required features (refer to accompanying instructional sheet). Map accuracy/ aesthetic qualities (50 pts), Reference Sheet (20 pts). 50 points total Cultural Etiquette/Service-Learning Statement Articulate conceptualizations of Anglo and Native frameworks and how you can behave respectfully during intercultural exchange. Consider Service Learning Goals and Proposed Projects in your written contract. 50 pts total Field Experience Students are asked to participate in discussions, demonstrate respectful behavior towards peers, instructors, and guides, cooperate, model selflessness, and contribute equitably to cooking, cleaning, 4 WGC 3531: Natives of the Southwest: A Walk in Beauty 2014 Summer Term I and camp responsibilities. Participation in all Group Meetings, Service Learning, and Experiential Activities is required. 10 days x 20 pts each= 200 points Final Journal Students are asked to keep a detailed journal recording 1) daily activities, 2) quotes and content from lectures and demonstrations, 3) environmental observations, 4) interpersonal observations (others) , 5) intrapersonal observations (self), and 5) responses to assigned prompts. These writing prompts will be provided to cultivate depth in our goals to explore course objectives regarding creative expression, aesthetics, theoretical frameworks, socio-political, historical, and cultural contexts, relationships between individuals, communities, institutions, and intangibles, observations and interpretations of human behavior, and various personal experience. ServiceLearning, reflections on the demands of your presence, impact of your actions, and examples of mutuality during interactions with Community Partners must accompany a minimum of 20% (or 4 of the responses) in the Journal. min. of 20 responses (due on the last group meeting/final exam) @15 pts each= 300 Post-Trip Reflection Retreat 1 day x 60 pts= 60 points Final Exam A take home final exam will be distributed on the last day of class in Boone, NC. Students choose 8 out of 10 possible writing prompts. Utilize academic personal narrative writing as you cultivate a high quality, integrated response based on both conceptual and experiential sources. APA in-text citations must be used consistently and an accompanying Bibliography. 160 pts possible Junior Seminar: Final Project For those seeking to use these credits as their capstone experience in their Experiential, Interdisciplinary Certificate, an additional final project is required. This project begins with a topic of interest (generated before or during the trip) and includes an interview, field observations, and digital media data collection. Upon return, additional research such as journal articles, web material, phone interviews, book excerpts, etc will be collected. The final multi-modal creative project includes layers of experience and academic content with an accompanying Annotated Bibliography. It involves two types of original art forms created by the student (dance, song, music, painting, sculpture, weaving, basket, metalwork, poetry, digital slide show, performance art, etc.) The project breadth and scope will vary based on the topic explored but past examples include: Arrowheads in the Southwest: History, Spiritual importance and Manufacturing (hand-made arrowheads created by the student); Navajo weaving patterns: Origins and Original (self-created loom and hand-dyed wools), Desert Jack: A Portrait of Ramson Lomatewama, etc. Rubric will be cocreated by instructor and student. 160 pts possible. Due 6/24/14 before Summer 1 Grading Period ends. Grading Policies: All assignments are due on the assigned dates unless previously negotiated with the instructor. The instructor reserves the right to refuse late work or deduct points for late submissions. Academic Integrity Code As a community of learners at Appalachian State University, we must create an atmosphere of honesty, fairness, and responsibility, without which we cannot earn the trust and respect of each 5 WGC 3531: Natives of the Southwest: A Walk in Beauty 2014 Summer Term I other. Furthermore, we recognize that academic dishonesty detracts from the value of an Appalachian degree. Therefore, we shall not tolerate lying, cheating, or stealing in any form and will oppose any instance of academic dishonesty. This course will follow the provisions of the Academic Integrity Code, which can be found on the Office of Student Conduct Web Site: www.studentconduct.appstate.edu. Academic Rigor In its mission statement, Appalachian State University aims at “providing undergraduate students a rigorous liberal education that emphasizes transferable skills and preparation for professional careers” as well as “maintaining a faculty whose members serve as excellent teachers and scholarly mentors for their students.” Such rigor means that the foremost activity of Appalachian students is an intense engagement with their courses. In practical terms, students should expect to spend two to three hours of studying for every hour of class time. Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Appalachian State University is committed to making reasonable accommodations for individuals with documented qualifying disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. If you have a disability and may need reasonable accommodations in order to have equal access to the University’s courses, programs and activities, please contact the Office of Disability Services (828.262.3056 or www.ods.appstate.edu). The WGC 3301 Syllabus is subject to change. 6