Read these requirements carefully. Please copy them and put them with your other printed materials.
Readings
I love to read. We will do a lot of reading in this seminar.
Required Books:
You must buy hard copies of the four books below. No kindles or other electronic formats. Sreens are distracting.
Václav Havel, Open Letters: Selected Writings, 1965-1990
Maria Ressa, How to Stand up to a Dictator
Don’t worry. I do not want to disappoint you. We will read much more.
Readings on this Syllabus
One of my primary motivations in creating this web-based Syllabus is to save you $$$. You will find the majority of your readings here. I will also provide you with hand-outs. You must read everything. Rest assured, I can always tell in our discussions that you have done the readings. And, not wanting to disappoint you, I can also tell when you haven’t completed them.
Our class discussions will only work well if you have these readings physically in front of you. Therefore, please remember these rules:
1) Print all of the readings on this site that are marked PRINT. Otherwise, I will assume that you have READ and TAKEN NOTES on them. For videos, you will need to take notes since it is easy to forget them. (Should I have quizzes to check that you are doing this?)
2) Bring all of the required readings to class on the day we are scheduled to discuss them. Again: discussions will only work if you have the material right in front of you.
It is likely that we will use major newspapers, such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, for some assignments in this class. You can get access to them through Factiva. To find Factiva, click here or go to the Research tab in the Hesburgh collection, then to Databases.
Please do not use Kindles, laptops, IPhones, or similar electronic devices in our seminar. They are distracting and do not facilitate learning.
Other Media
I love pictures.
We will watch at least one film. I have included other types of media on the Course Syllabus. I encourage you to use visual and audio media when you lead class discussions. Please send me the relevant photos and links at least one full day before the discussion, and I will post them on this Syllabus.
I especially love street art and graffiti. Almost all of the pictures on this site are of street art in war-torn Ukraine. All of the images on the page banners are by the brilliant artist, Banksy.
Class Visits
We will host at least one campus visitor this semester, the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and Notre Dame graduate, Carlos Lozada.
I have also learned a lot during the Age of Corona. In particular, I now take advantage of the opportunity to arrange virtual visits by distinguished figures. We will play virtual host to another great visitor this semester.
Discussions
I am emphatically committed to vigorous discussions in my seminars. All of our class sessions will be based on conversing with each other. I will give no lectures. Each of you will have the honor of serving as a discussion leader several times during the semester. To the extent that I am able, I will resist the temptation to monopolize discussions. Your challenge, if you will accept it, is to restrain me when I fail to abide my maxim. By the end of the semester, you should not need me at all.
Grading
It is a special privilege to take a seminar. You should treat our seminar with reverence and respect. Seminars are small and allow for intimate and lively discussions. They also provide me with the pleasant opportunity to work closely with each of you as individuals.
My aspirations are modest. If I can enhance your ability to speak, read, write, think critically, and persuade, I shall be pleased. These objectives are reflected in the breakdown of my grades.
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- Participation and Short Assignments (35%)
- Two Reflective Essays (15% each)
- Semester Essay (35%)
In the interest of being fair to all of your classmates, I will dock assignments 1/3 of a letter grade for each day they are late (unless you have a very persuasive excuse).
To receive a passing grade in this class, you must visit me during my office hours at least one time this semester. Please do not make me sweat over your ability to live up to this arduous requirement. I do not understand why Notre Dame students fail to visit their professors during officce hours. It is an extremely useful way to deepen your understanding of the course. It is also a great personal pleasure for me.
Attendance
Class attendance is MANDATORY. If you are ill, please send me an email as well as a statement from the health clinic so that I do not worry about you. Unless you are ill, you must consult with me beforehand if you know you will miss a class. Of course, university-approved absences are fine. Please remind me beforehand if you will be gone.
Honor Code
This seminar is based upon the collective exchange of ideas and insights. Therefore, I welcome all of the conversations you have with each other, inside or outside class. You are free to discuss your readings and writing assignments with each other (with the exception of your final essay). In fact, I encourage it. However, every writing assignment you turn in to me must be clearly, unmistakably, and unequivocally your own work!
Office Hours
The most effective teaching is one-on-one. I particularly welcome the opportunity to get to know each of my students personally. When you visit, you do not need to have specific questions about the class. I view your education holistically, and I am interested in learning about–and following–your adventures.
My office hours are on Tuesdays 1:30-2:30 and Wednesdays 2:00-4:00, as well as by appointment. I am situated in room 2080 in Nanovic Hall, just a couple doors down from the Political Science department and next to the poster of American genius Frank Zappa.
Visit me soon!
AJM