The Art of Adaptation

Most classes will include some combination of full program lecture, workshop, or a seminar on the reading or assigned research.

Lectures are intended to inform you of central concepts, arguments, disciplinary methods and specific content related to the week’s readings.

Workshops are designed to facilitate your developing understanding of texts as well as skills of interpretation, analysis and critique.  As the work is generative, you will need to collaborate closely with your colleagues.

Seminars will deepen your understanding through close attention to the texts, including identification and interpretation of central and problematic concepts and vocabulary, as well as interpretation and critique of arguments and themes.

Triads:  For many of our activities, including seminar response paper work, some workshops, and other aspects of our collaborative work, students will be assigned to a triad that will, in the best of circumstances, remain stable over the quarter.  You’ll need to make sure that your triad partners have your contact information.

General Expectations:
Excellent attendance and full participation on all program activities.  If you cannot make a class meeting, you need to let your seminar faculty know in advance—either by phone or e-mail. You’ll also need to contact your triad peers so that they can take notes and fill you in on what you missed.

College-level work.  Since the program is focused on reading, writing, and critical thinking, you are expected to demonstrate these skills at the college level. Specifically, this means:
•    the ability to read, understand, and then summarize texts
•    the ability to learn from texts through discussion with others
•    the ability to analyze and pursue writing assignments
•    the ability to write coherent, focused, correctly punctuated prose
•    the ability to develop and defend a thesis
•    the ability and commitment to do all of the above reliably

Library: We’ll also expect every student to activate their library account.

Fifth Week Warnings.  We will inform you as early as feasible, and no later than the fifth week, whether you are working at the college level, and if not, what you need to do in order to bring skills to the college level.  Email: Susan and Mark will use your Evergreen e-mail exclusively, so make sure you’ve accessed and check your account.

Program Requirements
1.  Seminar Response Papers.  For each seminar, you are to write a brief response paper —- one page in length on a topic posed by the faculty.  Occasionally you will be asked to write on a topic of your own choosing.  Your responses are to have three parts: (a.) quotation; (b.) description; (c.) response.

(a.) Format:  You must write the seminar topic (single-spaced) at the top of your paper.

The rest of your paper will be double-spaced with 1” margins on all sides, with a proper header including your name, the date of the seminar, and the program title.  Hand written papers will not be accepted.

(b.) Begin your essay with one sentence that asserts your position about the topic, or answer to the question posed (this is thesis statement).  The goal is to represent, as faithfully as possible, your topic as it is present in the text itself.  Focus on specific passages and details; avoid broad generalizations.

(c.) Support your position using citations from the text(s).

Your papers will comprise part of your final portfolio.  You should assume that faculty will regularly collect them.  Late response papers will not be accepted.   Since their purpose is largely to help you prepare for seminar and to inform that seminar, they can’t do that after the fact.

2.  Reading Notes.  We expect you to take detailed notes on your reading all quarter.  This means that you’ll need to have a notebook, or section of your binder, dedicated to reading notes.  If you take notes on your computer, make sure that you print them and put them into your notebook for reference after each reading (or lecture).  Each of us has particular practices that are useful to us, but you can think about including quotations from the reading that seem particularly intriguing or puzzling (include page numbers).  You can write questions that come up and to which you might want to return.  You can record connections you make between the reading at hand and other texts and ideas.  You might also have a section to write down vocabulary that is either new, or used in a way that is unfamiliar.  You’ll include your reading notes in your portfolio.  Include all handouts in your notebook and bring to every class.

3.  Annotated Bibliography (for those students new to the program).  An annotated bibliography is a list of sources pertinent to a specific topic.  The researcher (you) chooses a topic with faculty approval.  “Annotated” means that you provide commentary on each source.  In this case you will compile a list of at least 10 sources (adaptations) that were inspired by your chosen topic (typical examples would be Beauty and the Beast or The Illiad).  Following each bibliographic listing, you will provide a concise annotation for your reader.  This means that you will give your reader, who is someone who may be researching a related project, a one-paragraph description of what she/he can expect to find in this source.  When your source has no text–a painting or piece of music, for example–you will create an annotation that summarizes the best critical commentary that you can find along with your own insights.  For sources with text you will describe how the source has re-imagined the original using terminology and concepts we’ve studied in class.  Your bibliography will use the correct format–for our purposes, follow MLA conventions—and will be submitted in a one-paragraph proposal for faculty approval.  Those students continuing in the program will have the option to do a faculty approved alternative project.

4.  Cornell Box.   This is a “handmade” response to an adaptation art form that we have studied.  In addition to revealing your understanding of the source material, the box must incorporate specific images that imaginatively capture the form and content of your chosen work.  A one-page paper will accompany your box detailing your analytical and creative process.

Evaluation
Your evaluation will be based on the following criteria:
•    Successful completion of all program requirements including:
•    Adherence to the syllabus and agreements in the covenant
•    Excellent attendance, preparation for and participation in class and seminar
•    The quality of ideas and the writing in your papers and projects
•    Demonstration of acceptable understanding of program content and learning goals

Incomplete status will be granted only for reasons of family crisis, illness, or similar documented emergency.  Evaluation conferences will be held at the end of the quarter.  Credit is not the same as positive evaluation.  Students receive credit for fulfilling minimum requirements and standards.  The evaluation is a statement describing the quality of the student’s work.  It is possible for a student to receive credit but receive an evaluation that describes poor quality work.  It is also possible for a student to attend regularly yet receive no or reduced credit because of unsatisfactory performance.

Access Services.  If you are a student with disability who would benefit from support or services to ensure full access to this course, please contact Access Services in Library 2120 in the Student Advising Center, PH:  360-867-6348.  In order for your program faculty to make accommodations, we must be informed no later than the second week of the quarter by the student and in writing from Access Services.