SUBJECT TITLE: |
African-Canadian Studies |
SUBJECT CODE: |
CAN 217 Section: BA |
SEMESTER: |
Winter, 2012 |
PROFESSOR: |
Patricia Clark
|
OUTLINE APPROVED: |
Claire Moane, Chair, School of English and Liberal Studies |
Since the early 17th century, Canada has been home to people of African heritage. Among the early black settlers were explorers, traders, and cowboys; loyalists who abandoned the rebel American colonies to support the British in North America; Jamaican Maroons who migrated to Nova Scotia; and, of course, escaped American slaves. Subsequent waves of immigration from Africa , the Caribbean , the United States , and other areas in the African diaspora have continued to enrich Canadian society.
Faced with many challenges, African-Canadians have responded resolutely and creatively in their various communities. In studying a selection of work by creative writers, filmmakers, essayists, visual artists, musicians, and historians, you will gain an appreciation of the African-Canadian experience, past and present.
Upon successful completion of this subject, you will be able to use your analytical and communication skills to research and present information in the humanities. You will be able to incorporate source material into your assignments, using an acceptable academic documentation format.
You will also develop a knowledge and appreciation of the special circumstances and challenges facing African-Canadians over the past 400 years. You will develop an awareness of the craft of the historian, the journalist, and the artist in capturing the past and present.
You will develop your knowledge of African-Canadian history and current events from 1600 to the present and your competence in oral and written expression, reading, and research through activities such as the following:
This course will:
Topics examined may include, and are not restricted to, early Black explorers, Blacks in New France and Upper Canada, Black Loyalists, 18th, 19th and 20th Century migration waves, Blacks in Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes and the West, African-Canadian women, the Canadian Caribbean community, Canadian immigration policies, the role of education and the church, and current-day African-Canadian communities.
1. For the in-class test: The Adventures of a Black Girl in Search of God by Djanet Sears ( Toronto : Playwrights Canada Press, 2003) (Available in the Seneca bookstore or libraries.)
2. For your weekly reading and basic research: The Blacks in Canada: A History by Robin Winks (Kingston: McGill-Queen's University Press, 1997) (Available in the Seneca bookstore, libraries, or second hand)
In addition, to complete your assignments, you will need to consult other sources (books, journal articles, films, etc.) available through the Seneca Learning Commons and/or local public libraries.Alternatively, or in addition to Winks' book, you may also wish to consult one of the following general reference books: The Freedom Seekers: Blacks in Early Canada by Daniel G. Hill (Toronto: Stoddart, 1992) (available only in libraries or second hand) or Towards Freedom: The African-Canadian Experience by Ken Alexander and Avis Glaze (Toronto: Umbrella Press, 1996) (available in the Seneca bookstore, libraries, or second hand.).
All students are required to use the following research guide for their assignments:
To complete this subject, you will need:
Note: Electronic dictionaries are not permitted during in-class writing or exams.
Refer to (1) the Schedule of Assignments and Activities for detailed information on the weekly schedule, and (2) the individual assignment pages on the CAN 217 web site for detailed instructions for each assignment.
To remain updated on course work and your progress in this subject, you are responsible for regularly checking the professor's emails on your Seneca Learn account and notices posted on your MySeneca homepage.
Only work with a neat, professional appearance will be accepted for marking.
There is no need for a covering page, but your name, course number and section, and your professor's name should appear on the first page of each assignment.
All out-of-class assignments will be word-processed. You are welcome to use appropriate software such as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or a website composer to create and deliver your assignments. You may submit assignments printed on paper or as e-mail attachments, sent from your Seneca Learn account, addressed to patricia.clark @ senecac.on.ca. As well, in the event of a printing emergency, you may submit your assignment copied onto a spare diskette on which you have indicated your name, course number and section, and the appropriate filename.
Rewrites are not permitted in this course.
Evaluation is based on correct language usage, organization and mastery of the subject at a post-secondary level. Students are expected to learn professional standards of performance in the subject areas, and tests and assignments will be graded on that basis. In recognition of the significance of exceptional communication skills in the workplace, marks are deducted for language errors on all tests and exams. A student can be failed on the basis of language errors alone.
Grading
Grade |
Percentage |
GPA |
A+ |
90%-100% |
4.0 |
A |
80%-89% |
4.0 |
B+ |
75%- 79% |
3.5 |
B |
70%-74% |
3.0 |
C+ |
65%-69% |
2.5 |
C |
60%-64% |
2.0 |
D |
55%-59% |
1.0 |
F |
0%-54% |
0 |
In CAN 217, this professor uses 15 gradations for marking that correspond to the Seneca grid. By referring to the CAN 217 web page “ Numerical Breakdown of Grades”, you will be able to accurately calculate your grade average for this subject.
Students who miss scheduled tests, presentations or in-class assignments will receive a grade of zero. If there are valid reasons for missing the test, presentation or in-class assignment, the student MUST:
a) Contact the professor or student advisor either by phone or by email prior to the start time of the test, presentation or in-class assignment, and
b) At the next class, present the professor with a signed, word-processed memo indicating why the test, presentation, or in-class assignment was missed, with documentation where appropriate.
At the professor’s discretion, a make-up test/in-class assignment or new date for the presentation may be granted, or the value of the test may be added to a subsequent test or final exam. In courses where the grading scheme does not include the lowest test mark, this missed test policy does not apply.
If you foresee a difficulty (not related to procrastination or laziness) in meeting a deadline for an assignment, you should contact your professor in person, by e-mail, or by telephone prior to the deadline to request an alternative arrangement.
Late assignments will result in a penalty of 5% per day to a maximum of five consecutive days. Assignments will not be accepted after five consecutive days or as otherwise indicated by your professor. Assignments not received within this timeframe will receive the grade "zero". Assignments submitted late, without prior permission, will be graded but may not contain any helpful commentary.
If there are valid reasons for the late assignment, the student MUST:
a) contact the professor, either by phone or email, no later than the date the assignment is due to indicate the assignment will be late, and
b) present the professor with a signed, word-processed memo indicating why the assignment was late, with documentation where appropriate. If the reasons are deemed to be valid, there will be no penalty.
What if your professor lost a whole set of assignments to a gust of wind? What if your professor lost her grade book? What if you were unjustly accused of plagiarism? What if you weren't satisfied with your final grade and wanted to appeal? Unpleasant as these situations may appear, they are potential realities. Therefore, you must protect yourself by keeping complete records of your work, both rough drafts and final versions.
You should keep all records in a file at least until you have received your final transcript and are satisfied with your grade. You are responsible for keeping photocopied or printed backup copies of all work submitted. (Files do occasionally disappear from our diskettes.) As well, do not submit a diskette without first making a duplicate. It is a good idea to e-mail yourself a copy of your completed assignment, so that you always have a "backup" copy of your work.
Consistent attendance is important for success in this subject. If you are absent from class, please notify me by phone or e-mail. You are still responsible for the material and assignments missed and may be required to provide documentation.
For extensions or special considerations, make the request to your professor well in advance of any due dates. Considerate classroom conduct, adequate class preparation, and constructive participation will enhance your academic experience and that of your colleagues. In particular, you are asked to be prompt, courteous, responsible and collaborative.
It is your responsibility as a student of Seneca College to be aware of and abide by the academic and behavioural policies outlined in the College Academic Policy and the Student Handbook. Here are some key policies:
To continue to graduate high quality students and to sustain our reputation as a leading institution, Seneca must have the highest standards of academic honesty. Academic honesty means that all Seneca College persons will conduct themselves in an honest and trustworthy manner in all aspects of their academic career .Engaging in any form of academic dishonesty to obtain any type of academic advantage or credit is an offence and will not be tolerated by the College. All work submitted by students will be reviewed for authenticity and originality, utilizing software tools and third-party services.
The penalty for a first offence (cheating, plagiarism, etc.) is a grade of “0” on the work in which the offence occurred, and will result in a comment being placed on the student’s transcript. The penalty for the second offence is a grade of “F” in the course where the offence occurred, a second comment on the transcript, and immediate suspension from the college, normally for a minimum of three semesters. Each student should be aware of the College's policy regarding Cheating and Plagiarism. For more information about what constitutes academic dishonesty and how to avoid it, go to http://www.senecac.on.ca/library/Academic_Honesty/index.html – Academic Honesty and Copyright.
For advice on the proper methods of presenting outside sources of information and ideas in your assignments, please see the CAN 217 and Seneca web pages on preparing a bibliography and on quoting passages.
Copyright means the sole right to produce, reproduce, and copy work in which copyright subsists. This includes books, articles, textbooks, and other original creative works such as photographs, and text, graphics, images, sound video, and games from the Internet. It is illegal to reproduce and/or distribute copyrighted materials without the express written permission of the author. Copyright information is available at http://www.senecac.on.ca/policies/copyright.html
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACCEPTABLE USEOfficial
College E-mail is available to all employees and students. Faculty, staff
and students are required to use College-provided e-mail when corresponding
electronically about College-related matters. (For further information regarding
the IT acceptable use policy, please refer to: http://www.senecac.on.ca/policies/itau.html.
The college will provide reasonable accommodation for students with disabilities in order to promote academic success. If you require accommodation, contact the Counselling and Disabilities Services Office at ext. 2900 to initiate the process for documenting, assessing and implementing your individual accommodation needs.
Approved by: ________________________________________
Claire
Moane, Chair
School
of English and Liberal Studies