Silk
Roads:
China, the Middle East and the New World
Wednesdays
6-9 p.m. and
9 a.m.
5 p.m. Saturdays April 3, April 17, May 1, May 15, May 29
Location?
Char
Simons 867-6710 simonsc@evergreen.edu
Hirsh
Diamant 867-6736 diamanth@evergreen.edu
Spring
quarter we will also explore the role of global commerce on culture, including
how the United States could be a part of the re-establishment and evolution of
the essence of the Silk Roads. Students will have the option to travel to China
and Mongolia, to the Middle East, and/or to travel locally.
The two
main activities of the program will be:
q
An
8-10 page travel article written in pairs. One person will be in China or the
Middle East gathering local color, quotes and on-site information, the other
person will be in Olympia acting as researcher. The two will co-author the
piece, which will be co-edited by another pair.
q
Community
service work in schools.
q
Renaissance
bazaar. An event that will include bartering, trading of goods from China and
the Middle East brought by students who traveled there in exchange for services
offered by students who stayed in Olympia, e.g. one hour of massage for a
kaffiyeh. Other activities of the bazaar will include formal readings from the
travel writing articles, and video and photography exhibits from student
travels.
Required
books:
1.
The
History of Money by
Jack Weatherford
2.
Travel
Writing: A Guide to Research, Writing and Selling by L. Peat O¹Neil
3.
The Art of
Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making
Travel Sacred
by Phil Cousineau
and Huston Smith
4.
Travel
book or anthology of student¹s choice (needs prior approval from faculty)
5.
The
Renaissance Bazaar: From the Silk Road to Michelangelo by Jerry Brotton
(for students new to the program spring quarter. Read the book and write a 4
page response paper on it)
Additional
required books for students traveling to the Middle East:
1.
In
an Antique Land by
Amitov Gosh
2.
Lonely
Planet guides to
Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt (in groups of three, each group decides who in their
group will be which book. Each group needs to have set of all three).
Assignments:
q
Art
journal
q
Seminar
questions (two per book)
q
One
page response papers to required books
q
8-10
page travel article (at least two drafts)
q
Extensive
written peer editing
q
First
and final drafts and peer edit of 1,000 word travel article on local
destination (for students not going to China or the Middle East)**
q
Typed
letter to faculty for mid-quarter individual conference on academic and career
goals
q
Booth
and/or formal reading and/or video or photography exhibit at Renaissance bazaar
q
Display
at the bazaar representing your community service work in schools during winter
and spring quarters
q
Web-X
participation
q
Silk
Roads recipe and food for Passover potluck
**Credit will be deducted for students not turning in complete first and final drafts of travel articles and complete peer edit worksheets.
Week |
Date |
Activities in class |
Due |
Week I Silk
Roads in our Lives |
Wed., March 31 |
Introductions; In-class art; Forming of pairs for paper writing and research; Video Silk Roads (UNESCO) |
|
Friday, April 2 |
6:30 p.m. Potluck for students traveling to China Location TBA |
Food for Potluck |
|
Sat., April 3 |
Seminar on country origins of your personal
belongings and food; In-class writing (from Travel Writing book) Passover Potluck Webx review and registration |
Two-page paper on country origins of your personal
belongings and/or food; Read and bring to class hard copy of a brief travel
article from a newspaper or magazine; Travel Writing, chapters 1-3, 7 and two written seminar questions; Food for Passover Potluck Read Genesis 37-50, Exodus 1-18, and Haggadah
http://calendars.lulu.com/items/29000/29139/preview/Haggadah4Preview.pdf |
|
Week II Western China |
Wed., April 7 |
Seminar Travel Writing Guest Lecture: Western China provinces Sacred Sites and Esoteric Arts of I Ching, and Feng Shui |
Post on Web X a one-page paper about how you plan to
complete your community service in the schools; Turn in hard copy of a one-page written proposal on
local travel articles, including the angle of the travel piece and three
researched sources (only one Web site. Others need to be newspapers,
magazines, books) |
Week III Cyber and Local Silk Roads |
Wed., April
14 |
NO CLASS Internet Connection with students traveling in
Middle East |
Read The Art of Pilgrimage; day or weekend trip to destination of student¹s
choice |
Sat., April 17 |
NO CLASS |
Day or weekend trip to destination of student¹s
choice |
|
Week IV Sacred Arts |
Wed., April
21 |
Liberal arts forum: 50th anniversary,
Brown v. Board of Education (off-campus) |
First draft, 1,000-word travel article based on
students¹ local travel; The Art of Pilgrimage, write 2-page response paper and two seminar
questions |
Week V Money and the Silk Roads |
Wed., April
28 |
Meet at Lincoln Elementary School for guest
lecture/workshop on economy and accounting |
Peer edits of local travel article; read first half of History of Money |
Travel as Sacred Pilgrimage |
Sat., May 1 |
Seminar, The Art of
Pilgrimage; Research workshop
library and computer lab; in-class art and writing |
Final draft, 1,000-word local travel article for
students not going to China or the Middle East The Art of Pilgrimage two-page response paper and seminar questions; Travel Writing, chapter 6 and two written questions |
Week VI |
Wed., May 5 |
In-class
writing; individual student-faculty conferences
|
Chapters 4-5, Travel
Writing and two written questions;
one page typed letter to faculty checking in about the program and on
academic and career goals |
Week VII Real Fine Travel Writing Planning the Silk Roads |
Wed., May 12 |
Presentations student choice travel books Internet connection with students traveling in China |
Response paper, student choice travel book/anthology |
Sat., May 15 |
Planning for Renaissance Bazaar |
First drafts, 8-10 page co-authored Middle East
travel articles |
|
Week VIII Numbers
of the Silk Roads |
Wed., May 19 |
Welcome back China travelers and de-brief; Quantitative reasoning workshop |
Peer edits, 8-10 page
co-authored Middle East travel articles; read second half, History of
Money, write two-page response
paper and two seminar questions |
Week IX Writing the Silk Roads and Community Silk Roads Fair |
Wed., May 26 |
Welcome back
China travelers and de-brief; Reports from curriculum groups about work
completed in schools; In-class
art
|
Final drafts, 8-10 page
co-authored travel articles |
Sat., May 29 |
Arts and culture booths of
Silk Roads countries in Library |
Peer edits, 8-10 page
co-authored China travel articles. Materials and displays ready for community fair |
|
Week X - The Global Silk Road |
Wed., June 2 |
Final small group presentations; Silk Roads potluck |
Portfolio; draft self-evaluation; Silk Roads food
and recipe; teacher evaluations of curriculum groups ** Groups need to have completed their Silk Roads
presentations in the schools by now |
Evaluation week |
Week of June 7 |
Final conferences |
Faculty evaluation |