●Attendance
It is to your benefit to come to class regularly. As suggested above you are allowed three absences with no questions asked. If after that you will miss class due to college approved extracurricular activities you should bring copies of a form, signed by the official sponsor of the activity (e.g., coach) noting the dates that you will be absent. If you miss class due to a family emergency, illness, mandated court appearances and the like submit a written explanation of your absence or contact The Office of Student Affairs (Lighty 360, 335-4531).
● Class Participation: (10%)
Your participation is important. I expect you to contribute to class discussions and participate actively in class discussions and activities. In terms of participation it is important that you write down your thoughts and questions to improve the quality of your contribution to discussions. I expect every student to show respect for others' opinions and perspectives and hope to engage each other in a productive dialogue, choosing to agree to disagree when necessary.
● Midterm Examination (20%)
Each student must complete a midterm exam. This take home essay exam encourages students to work together but to write separate answers to the questions. There will be no substitute work, alternate exam dates, or make-up exams without documented illness or emergency.
●C.A.S.H.E. Conference Project (30%)
The C.A.S.H.E (Children of Aztlan Sharing Higher Education) Conference is a student-run and student-led conference held at Washington State University once a year during Fall Semester and seeks to inspire, motivate and encourage Latino and Latina high school students to seek a higher education degree. To fulfill this requirement you need to choose one of the following options and write a 4-6 page report that describes how you contributed to the conference and how it connects to the readings in class. See the course resources webpage for more details on this assignment.
CASHE Conference: November 2-4th, 2007 (CASHE website)
Options:
- Conduct a workshop for CASHE attendees
- Volunteer in a CASHE committee (security, speakers, entertainment, security, food, career fair, registration, conference program, evaluations, decorations, or transportation)
- Volunteer as a Team Leader
- Attend two workshops and the Opening Ceremony and Keynote Speaking events
- If you cannot attend, you need to make arrangements with the instructor for an alternate assignment prior to September 15, 2007.
· Counterstory Paper & Presentation (40%)
The course requires a counterstory paper. This paper should be between 8 and 10 pages and follow the counterstorytelling methodology used by Critical Race Scholars (See Tara Yosso’s and Marcos Pizarro’s book). A Counterstory paper should draw explicitly on the lived experiences of Chicano and Chicana students by including such methods as oral history interviews, biographies, scenarios, parables, testimonios, cuentos, consejos, chronicles, and narratives. You must integrate the course readings and videos in the paper. Each student will be required to present their counterstory paper to the class during the last week of the semester. With the feedback you receive from the instructor and classmates you will have time to revise the final paper. 10 pages equals approximately 20 minutes of presentation. For additional guidelines on the paper and presentation visit the course resources webpage.