POLS 439-01: Sovereign and Subaltern Seminar
Class: We 1:30-4:15
Room: 101 Stern Hall
Office: 110 Stern Hall
Course Description
This seminar examines the relationship between the sovereign state and the subaltern, i.e. those who occupy a space of difference and lack a voice in the public sphere. The course will focus particularly, but not exclusively, on the South Asian region from the British colonial period to the present. The course will seek to 1) re-provincialize the universal claims of imperial political thought; 2) understand struggles against domination and subordination by the non-elite in the colonial period; and 3) explore anti-hegemonic strategies of identity formation in the post-colonial period. We will explore and critique the works of several of the most prominent thinkers associated with the Subaltern Studies Group.
Course Format
A seminar is an intense academic experience. This is why these courses are reserved for junior and senior majors. Students will be expected to immerse themselves in the topic and learn as much as possible over the course of the semester. There is a sharp learning curve at the beginning, so it is best to attack the course with vigor from the outset.
A productive seminar experience is contingent on the formation of a community of scholars. We will engage one another’s thoughts and work critically in order to improve our own understanding of the texts and to make each of our arguments rigorous and forceful. We will treat one another with respect. True respect for a colleague’s work demands that we treat their arguments to critical (but constructive) analysis. Apathy and passivity towards the work of our colleagues is disrespectful.
- Participation: Students are required to come to class prepared to discuss all of the assigned readings in an intelligent and critical manner. Thoughtful participation is the lifeblood of the learning process; learning is not a passive process. Effective participation is contingent on preparation. Even though this class meets once per week, students are expected to devote at least two to three hours every single day in preparation for the class and conducting research for their term papers. Proper preparation for class sessions entails reading the course material carefully and critically, writing marginal notes in the text (highlighting is not sufficient), and typing or writing out one’s notes after each chapter. All students should come to class armed with the text (or a photocopy), lengthy notes, prepared questions, and detailed comments on the sections of the text that they hope to explore in class.
Students are expected to take notes at each class session. Students may not bring a laptop computer or other electronic device to class (except for days in which they are making a presentation).
- Presentations: A pair of students will present a critical analysis and/or defense of the arguments from the assigned readings during the course of the semester. The presentation will be timed at exactly thirty minutes in length. Both students must actively and equally participate in the oral presentation. One suggested format is a debate. Students will be graded by the professor and their peers on creativity, professionalism, critical content, and clarity of presentation.
- Midterm Exam: There will be a take home mid-term exam handed out in class on 9/30/09. The exam will be due on Thursday at 4:30 pm on 10/8/09.
- Rough Drafts: A ten and twenty page rough draft of the seminar paper must be submitted for evaluation in weeks 8 and 11 respectively. Rough drafts must be extensively footnoted and properly formatted. Rough drafts which do not meet the minimum page requirement will be penalized.
- Peer Evaluations: Students will be asked to submit a two page constructive critique on the first draft of a colleague’s paper and a three page constructive critique of a colleague’s second draft. A copy of the critique will be distributed to the author and a second copy will be provided to the professor. Students will be expected to modify their research papers in response to comments from the professor and their peer evaluator.
Reviewers are encouraged to focus the majority of their comments on the author’s substantive argument and the quality of evidence presented to support the argument. A good review will pose and answer the following questions: Is the thesis clear? Is the paper’s topic and argument compelling? Is the logic of the argument transparent and solid? Is the outline of the rest of the argument apparent in these first ten pages? What could the author do to improve each of these points?
- Seminar Paper: Students are required to write a thirty page original research paper. The topic of the paper, which will be selected in consultation with the professor, must include relevant arguments and issues from all of the required readings in the course. Students will also be expected to incorporate relevant primary and secondary source materials in their work. The final paper is due on 12/18/08 at 5:00 pm in hard copy turned into my office at Stern 110.
The value of the assignments and exams in the tabulation of the final course grade will be weighted as follows:
10% Participation
15% Oral Presentation
20% Midterm Exam
15% 2 Rough Drafts
10% 2 Peer Evaluations
30% Final Paper
Attendance and Participation Policy
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class session. Students who come to class late will be counted as absent. There are no excused absences in this course and students need not explain the reasons for their absences to the professor. On the second marked absence from class (i.e. the equivalent of two weeks of class time), the student will automatically fail the course. The only exception to this rule is for NCAA athletes participating in post-season games (these students will be required to write a six page paper for each class session missed). Students are strongly cautioned to take this attendance policy seriously and to manage their time accordingly. Exceptions for illnesses and family emergencies beyond the allotted absences will not be granted.
Required Books
The following texts are required for the course. A copy of each book will also be placed on reserve in the library. In order to facilitate discussion, please bring a copy of the text (or a photocopy of the relevant chapters) to each class session.
- Chakrabarty, Dipesh. Provincializing Europe: Postcolonial Thought and Historical Difference (New Edition) (Princeton Studies in Culture/Power/History). Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007.
- Chatterjee, Partha. The Politics of the Governed: Reflections on Popular Politics in Most of the World (Leonard Hastings Schoff Lectures). Columbia: Columbia University Press, 2006.
- Cohn, Bernard S. Colonialism and Its Forms of Knowledge. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996.
- Dirks, Nicholas B. The Scandal of Empire: India and the Creation of Imperial Britain. Cambridge: Belknap Press, 2008.
- Guha, Ranajit and Spivak, Gayatri Chakravorty. Selected Subaltern Studies (Essays from the 5 Volumes and a Glossary). New York: Oxford University Press, USA, 1988.
- Prakash, Gyan. Another Reason. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1999.
- Said, Edward W. Orientalism. New York: Vintage, 1979.
Office Hours
My walk-in office hours are on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:30 pm at 110 Stern Hall. If that time is not convenient, students may schedule an appointment (Tu-Th 9-5) by calling me at my office (315-781-3176). I also check my e-mail frequently, so feel free to drop a note if you prefer.
Honor Code
Students are expected to adhere to the HWS Principles of Academic Integrity at all times. If students are aware of a violation of the Principles, they must report the violation to the professor directly. Violations of the Principles may result in failure of the assignment or failure of the class, depending on the severity of the infraction.
Center for Teaching and Learning
Hobart and William Smith Colleges encourage students to seek the academic collaboration and resources that will enable them to demonstrate their best work. Students who would like to enhance their study skills, writing skills, or have other academic inquiries should contact the CTL. You may visit the CTL web site to learn more about the services and programs that are available. http://www.hws.edu/academics/ctl/index.aspx
Students with Learning Disabilities
If you are a student with a disability for which you may need accommodations, you are required to register with the Coordinator of Disability Services at the CTL and provide documentation of the disability. Services and accommodations will not be provided until this process is complete. The web site for information pertaining to registration with the CTL and documenting disabilities is: http://www.hws.edu/studentlife/stuaffairs_disabilities.aspx
Students with learning disabilities should contact the professor to discuss appropriate accommodations before 9/11/09 (please bring the appropriate forms from the Coordinator of Disability Services at the CTL).
Photo: A U.S. soldier of the 101st Airborne Division takes picture of an Afghan man for identification during a house search with Afghan police in Mandozai, in Khost province, Afghanistan, Friday, April 18, 2008. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)