Northwestern College

Topics in Cross-Cultural History:

CHINESE CIVILIZATION

History 230, Spring Semester 2011
(4 Credits)

Professor: Douglas Firth Anderson

Class Period: T/Th, 12:05-1:35 p.m.

Office, Phone, & E-mail: VPH 212, x7054, firth@nwciowa.edu

Class Location: VPH 126

Office hours: MWF, 2:10-3:10 p.m., or by appt.

 Special Advisor: Grace Rohrer

Instructor’s web page: http://home.nwciowa.edu/firth/
Web 2.0 Project: https://sites.google.com/site/his230threekingdoms/

Course LibGuide: http://nwciowa.libguides.com/china

Course materials and grades available on MyNorthwestern (My NWC)

 

WISDOM FOR JOURNEYING IN THE PAST

I. Why Study History?

A. [W]e intend Northwestern graduates to be persons who

    Engage Ideas

  • Demonstrating competence in navigating and contributing to the world of ideas and information, having learned to listen, read, question, evaluate, [and] write ... with a disciplined imagination.
  • Pursuing truth faithfully in all aspects of life; developing, articulating, and supporting their own beliefs; and seeking meaningful dialog with those holding different convictions.

From the NWC Vision for Learning

B. Life can only be understood backwards ... .

Soren Kierkegaard, as quoted in Laurence J. Peter, ed., Peter's Quotations: Ideas for Our Time (New York: Bantam Books, 1977), 305.

C. [H]istory holds the potential ... of humanizing us in ways offered by few other areas in the school curriculum. ...

The argument I make pivots on a tension that underlies every encounter with the past: the tension between the familiar and the strange, between feelings of proximity and feelings of distance in relation to the people we seek to understand. ...

Sam Wineburg, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2001), 5.

II. Why Isn't Studying and Understanding History Simple?

A. [H]istory [i]s a web of contingency.  Contingency is about events, choices, and agency. Webs are about structures and processes, which amplify the agency of individual choices in some ways, and constrain them in others.

David Hackett Fischer, "Response to Yerxa, Kersh, Glen, and Morone," Historically Speaking 7 (Sept./Oct. 2005), 25.

B. The historian … might well take as her credo this statement by Karl Marx from The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte: “Men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given, and transmitted from the past. …” Or, as stated more concisely in The German Ideology, “circumstances make men just as much as men make circumstances.”

 

David Nasaw, “AHR Roundtable: Historians and Biography. Introduction,” American Historical Review 114 (June 2009): 578.

C. History-making . . . is a creative enterprise, by means of which we fashion out of fragments of human memory and selected evidence of the past a mental construct of a coherent past world that makes sense to the present.

Gerda Lerner, “The Necessity of History,” in Why History Matters: Life and Thought, idem (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 117.

III. Perspectives from or on China’s Civilization

Confucius answered [Chi K’ang Tzu], “In administering your government, what need is there for you to kill? Just desire the good yourself and the common people will be good. The virtue of the gentleman is like wind; the virtue of the small man is like the grass. Let the wind blow over the grass and it is sure to bend.”

Confucius, The Analects, trans. D.C. Lau (London: Penguin Books, 1979), Bk. 12:19, pp. 115-116.

It is easy to maintain a situation while it is still secure;

It is easy to deal with a situation before symptoms develop;

It is easy to break a thing when it is yet brittle;

It is easy to dissolve a thing when it is yet minute.

Deal with a thing while it is still nothing;

Keep a thing in order before disorder sets in.

A tree that can fill the span of a man’s arms grows from a downy tip;

A terrace nine storeys high

Rises from  hodfuls of earth;

A journey of a thousand miles

Starts from beneath one’s feet.

Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching, trans. D.C. Lau (London: Penguin Books, 1963), Bk 2:64, p. 125.

To the Greeks, the hero might not be bad, but he might be fundamentally and tragically mistaken. To the Chinese, a hero, by definition, was good; his mistakes, if he made any, were likely to be tactical in nature. His intent was free from error and regret.

David N. Keightley, “Early Civilization in China: Reflections on How it Became Chinese,” in Heritage of China: Contemporary Perspectives on Chinese Civilization, ed. Paul S. Ropp (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990), 21.

Chinese … instinctively divide people into those with whom they already have a fixed relationship, a connection, what the Chinese call guan-xi [kuan-hsi], and those they don’t. These connections operate like a series of invisible threads, tying Chinese to each other with far greater tensile strength than mere friendship in the West would do.

Ambrose Yeo-chi King, “Kuan-hsi and Network Building: A Sociological Interpretation,” Daedalus 120 (Spring 1991): 64, quoting Fox Butterfield.

The use of ritual to validate cultural status is indicative of the Chinese focus on proper behavior rather than on proper ideas, on orthopraxy rather than orthodoxy.

Myron L. Cohen, “Being Chinese: The Peripheralization of Traditional Identity,” Daedalus 120 (Spring 1991): 117.

China’s many pasts have burdened the present with some unbearable loads: the constant presence of history; the traditions of autocracy that are still, in their zombie-like way, alive; economic and social forms that appear to offer no way out of the inherited problems that they can only perpetuate and exacerbate. All these problems are linked by a unified high culture that has had great successes in imposing and perpetuating itself and has also produced and sustained a great civilization. But are this high culture and this civilization still alive?

W.J.F. Jenner, The Tyranny of History: The Roots of China's Crisis (New York: Penguin Books, 1992), 209.

IV. How Might a Historical and Christian Perspective Shape Our Understanding of Chinese Civilization?

Does Micah’s injunction to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God” (6:8) have any bearing on a Christian’s historical work?  I believe that it does.  We do justice when we give all the historical actors their due, not privileging those who had the most power, or for whom we have more data.  Loving kindness means exercising compassion towards our historical subjects.  They were no more limited by their location and biases than we are.  They were creating their lives as they went; we need to re-create those lives with a minimum of moralizing.  To walk humbly is to recognize that even hindsight is not fully accurate and that our accounts are never definitive.

G. Marcille Frederick, “Doing Justice in History: Using Narrative Frames Responsibly,” in History and the Christian Historian, ed. Ronald A. Wells (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1998), 220.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

What is this course? The topic of this course is Chinese civilization. This course counts toward the General Education Cross-Cultural requirement, which among other things means that it is interdisciplinary. The primary disciplinary perspective, however, is historical. Various aspects of Chinese society and culture, including politics, economics, philosophy, the fine arts, popular mores, and religion, will be examined in historical context (i.e., the processes of change and continuity in time).

What will class meetings be like? The course will meet twice a week for an hour and a half. In general, class will be mixed: some lecture, some discussion, perhaps some viewing of a video or slides. Sometimes there will be student reports. And, a few days will be exam days!

What will be expected in general of each student? The workload of the course reflects both liberal arts expectations in general and historical method in particular. Attendance at all class meetings is, of course, expected. Some 2200pp. of reading will be required (1500 assigned + 700 research). Assignments include an in-class essay exam, a web 2.0 group project, a biographical report, a book essay, and a Course Forum.

COURSE OBJECTIVES (WHAT DIFFERENCE THIS COURSE SHOULD MAKE):

  1. To become familiar with major elements of Chinese life and thought as it has developed from prehistoric times to the present, since Chinese civilization is one of the world's oldest and most populous cultures.
  2. To evoke understanding of and critical sensitivity to Chinese culture on its own terms, since cultures are distorted yet recognizable expressions of the culture-making dimension of our God-given human nature and since "the glory and honor of the nations" (e.g., China) will be brought into the new Jerusalem (Rev. 21:26).
  3. To further develop skills in analytical reading, critical thinking and writing, and research through course assignments and activities, since such liberal arts skills are key tools for learning how, with the apostle Paul, to "take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).
  4. To further develop practice of historical method beyond the level of the Western civilization sequence through deeper attention to such issues as context, sources, and interpretation while engaged with course material, since historical method can be a tool for living "wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Mt. 10:16).

COURSE OUTLINE:

Date (T/Th)

In-Class Subjects

Reading Assignments

Jan. 11

The Mandate of Heaven;
Course Introduction I

 

Jan. 13

Course Introduction II;
The Chinese Language: Written & Spoken

*Zhu, p. 19

Jan. 18

Ancient China

*Ebrey, China, Chap. 1;
*Ebrey, Sourcebook, pp. 3-16

Jan. 20

The Hundred Schools of Thought

*Ebrey, China, Chap. 2;
*Ebrey, Sourcebook, pp. 17-37

Jan. 25

Confucian Traditions

*Ebrey, Sourcebook, pp. 42-45, 57-59, 64-68, 72-76, 91-96, 128-131, 155-168, 172-177, 195-201, 238-266;

*Zhu, pp. 174-175.

Jan. 27

Imperial China I: The Qin & the Han

*Ebrey, China, Chap. 3;
*Ebrey, Sourcebook, pp. 38-41, 51-56, 60-63, 69-71

Feb. 1

Daoism & Buddhism

*Ebrey, China, Chap. 4;
*Ebrey, Sourcebook, pp. 77-85, 97-108, 120-122, 132-136, 142-150, 280-281

Feb. 3

Red Cliff I

*film

Feb. 8

Red Cliff II

*film

Feb. 10

Red Cliff III

*film

Feb. 15

WEB PROJECT WORK DAY

 

Feb. 17

Imperial China II: The Tang & the Song

*Ebrey, China, Chaps. 5 & 6;
*Ebrey, Sourcebook, pp. 109-119, 123-127, 139-141, 151-154, 178-191

Feb. 22

LAUNCHING AN AMERICAN GUIDE TO RED CLIFF/THREE KINGDOMS/

Chinese Literary Traditions & Fine Arts

*Ebrey, Sourcebook, pp. 11-13, 105-108, 169-171, 226-237, 304-308

Feb. 24

Imperial China III: The Yuan & the Ming

*Ebrey, China, Chaps 7 & 8;
*Ebrey, Sourcebook, pp. 192-194, 205-225

Mar. 1

BOOK ROUNDTABLE: The Death of Woman Wang

*Spence

Mar. 3

China's Food & Traditions of the Table (LUNCH)

*Blum, pdf on My NWC

Mar. 17

Imperial China IV: The Qing

*Ebrey, China, Chap. 9;
*Ebrey, Sourcebook, pp. 271-279, 282-303, 309-329

Mar. 22

Republican China

*Ebrey, China, Chap. 10;
*Ebrey, Sourcebook, pp. 335-406

Mar. 24

Communist China I

*Ebrey, China, Chap. 11;
*Ebrey, Sourcebook, pp. 411-469

Mar. 29

BIOGRAPHICAL REPORT TOPICS DUE;
Communist China II

*Cheek, pp. 1-124

Mar. 31

Communist China III

*Cheek, pp. 125-231

Apr. 5

Post-Mao China

*Ebrey, China, Chap. 12 & Epilogue;
*Ebrey, Sourcebook, pp. 470-504

Apr. 7

Contemporary China I

*Zhu, pp. 13-46

Apr. 12

Contemporary China II

*Zhu, pp. 95-132

Apr. 14

Contemporary China III

*Zhu, pp. 133-185

Apr. 19

Contemporary Hong Kong & Taiwan

*Zhu, pp. 51-94, 186-197

Apr. 26

Raise the Red Lantern I

*film

Apr. 28

Raise the Red Lantern II

*film

May 3

ORAL REPORTS of BIOGRAPHIES

 

May 5

ORAL REPORTS of BIOGRAPHIES

 

May 11

FINAL EXAM (Wed., 8-10 a.m.)

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

1. Reading:

  • Blum, Susan D. “Of Rice and Meat: Real Chinese Food.” In China’s Transformations: The Stories Beyond the Headlines. Eds. Lionel M. Jensen and Timothy B. Weston. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2007. Pdf on My NWC.
  • Cheek, Timothy. Mao Zedong and China's Revolutions: A Brief History with Documents.  Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2002.  ISBN 0312256264
  • Ebrey, Patricia Buckley. Cambridge Illustrated History of China. 2nd ed. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010.  ISBN 9780521124331
  • Ebrey, Patricia Buckley, ed. Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook.  2nd ed. New York: Free Press, 1993.  ISBN 002908752X
  • Spence, Jonathan D. The Death of Woman Wang.  New York: Penguin Books, 1978.  ISBN 9780140051216
  • Zhu, Zhiqun[, ed.]. Global Studies: China. 13th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2010. ISBN 9780073379876
  • Miscellaneous handouts or online materials

2. Assignments:

A. AN IN-CLASS EXAM will constitute 25% of the course grade.

  1. An exam will be given in class during the scheduled final time on Wed., May 11.
  2. The exam will consist of at least two essay questions about readings, lectures, and films.
  3. A study sheet will be distributed a week ahead of the exam.
  4. On the exam day, no textbooks or other course material should be used during the exam (on penalty of voiding the entire exam) except for one 8 ½ x 11 inch exam note sheet of outlines and notes (typed or handwritten, both sides if necessary).  This exam note sheet must be handed in with the exam blue book.
  5. Blue books will be required for the exam.  (These are available in the NWC bookstore.)

B. A WEB GUIDE TO RED CLIFF/THREE KINGDOMS will constitute 25% of the course grade.

  1. Project task: Students will research, write, and lay out a website (https://sites.google.com/site/his230threekingdoms/) introducing to Americans the film Red Cliff and the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
  2. Project goal: To create a public website that will accurately and helpfully introduce and set in historical and cultural context for Americans the Chinese film Red Cliff and the related novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
  3. This will be a group project. All students are expected to participate, and the grade given for the project will be the grade all students receive.
  4. In addition to the instructor, technical and research support will be supplied by Ramaker Library staff (Tim Schlak [tim.schlak@nwciowa.edu] and Greta Grond [ggrond@nwciowa.edu]).
  5. Essential materials:

·         The film Red Cliff will be shown in its entirety in class (Feb. 3, 8, 10).

·         The abridged novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms is on reserve in Ramaker.

·         Course texts, as relevant.

·         Other materials located through Course LibGuide.

  1. Minimum content for web guide:

·         An explanation of the interconnections of historical events, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Red Cliff.

·         A concise summary of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

·         A concise summary of Red Cliff.

·         A map of places important in the film and novel.

·         A concise, critical analysis of how well Red Cliff reflects a) ancient Chinese history and culture and b) relevant parts of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

·         A bibliography (in Chicago Style) of materials used.

  1. Due Date: Class time, Feb. 22.
  2. Project presentation and final materials:

·         The completed website will be presented in class by the students on Feb. 22.

·         In addition to the website, each student will hand in (an e-copy via My NWC) on Feb. 22 a 2-page reflection on the project. This written reflection should contain a) a summary of the student’s participation in the project and reflections on the most important thing(s) learned about b) China and c) Web 2.0. The written reflections will provide further material for discussion in addition to the website itself.

  1. The most important factors for evaluating the project include how well the website

·         meets the specifications for content in #6 above

·         is researched

·         is written

·         is the fruit of effective, balanced teamwork (including 2-page written reflections)

·         provides a thoughtful, critical, and user-friendly introduction for Red Cliff and the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

C. A BIOGRAPHICAL REPORT will constitute 25% of the course grade.

  1. Report Topic: This is up to the student, so long as it is on a significant person (deceased) in China’s recent or more distant past. See the list of suggested people (Mao Zedong is excluded) linked to the Syllabus page for this course on My NWC.
  2. Report Goal: The report should provide a) an annotated bibliography of English-language sources on the biographee, b) a critical synopsis of the biographee's life, and c) a critical discussion of the biographee's historical significance in relation to Chinese civilization (i.e., in relation to this course, "so what?").
  3. Topic Statement: A topic statement is due via My NWC drop box by 11:55 p.m. on Mar. 29 (Tu.). The topic statement should be no more than 1 page, include the student’s name and e-address, and a) indicate in a concise summary paragraph who is your biographee and b) provide a preliminary bibliography of at least 3 sources, in Chicago Style form (see Course LibGuide for links for Chicago Style form guides)..

·         The topic statement will not be graded. However, failure to submit a statement meeting the above specifications will mean that the final report will receive a penalty reduction of a third of a letter grade. (For example, if the final report receives a B+,  the penalty will knock it down to a B.)

·         Resources: Before starting from scratch, first check relevant assigned reading for this course to see what sources might appear there. Then, check the Course LibGuide. The kinds of sources that could be useful include book-length biographies; biographical articles in specialized reference works; specialized online materials; articles in periodicals and scholarly journals; sections in books about topics in which the biographee was significant; primary materials by the biographee or about the biographee (written during or not long after their lifetime); etc. Note: avoid general reference works, e.g. Encyclopedia Britannica or World Book, and also avoid Wikipedia, as sources (these can be used, however, to point you to more reliable or detailed sources).

  1. Completed report: The written report is due by May 2 (Mon.), 11:55 p.m., in the My NWC drop box for the assignment (for late paper policy, see Course Miscellany section of syllabus). An oral presentation of the critical synopsis and historical significance portion of the report is to be made in class either on May 3 or May 5 (who presents on which day will be determined after the course gets underway).

·         Written report overall: The entire report should be typed double spaced except where note or bibliography form specifies otherwise; 5-8 pages long including annotated bibliography and footnotes in Chicago Style; no title page, but with a header including at least the student’s name, their e-address, and a title.

·         Written report, Part 1: The first portion of the report should consist of 3-6 pages combining a critical synopsis of the biographee’s life with an assessment of their historical significance. That is, the first part of the report should present material that analytically answers the following questions about the topic: a) what are the most important biographical details about the biographee? b) what interpretive challenges and/or controversies, if any, have there been about the biographee? c) in what way is the biographee historically significant for understanding either the society or culture of China?

·         Written report, Part 2: The second portion of the written report is the annotated bibliography. This should consist of 5-8 annotated items.  Each annotation should consist of 2 or more sentences: a) at least one sentence should indicate in a summary way the relevant contents of the particular item (i.e., convince a reader that you have actually examined the item you list), and b) at least one sentence should in some manner assess the usefulness of the material (e.g., how does one source compare to another? how detailed is the source? does the information seem accurate, and why? does the source give clues as to its sources? does the item have a discernible point of view or even bias?). Organize your bibliography either strictly alphabetically by author, or by kind of source. The form should be Chicago Style; note how Timothy Cheek does his bibliography in Mao Zedong and China’s Revolutions, pp. 237-242.

·         Oral presentation: On the assigned day, the student should orally present the first portion of their report to the class. Plan on taking up to 10 minutes, plus time for questions and discussion, for each report.

  1. The most important factors for evaluating each report includes how well each

·         meets the specifications above, including the oral presentation

·         is diligently researched and accurate

·         is clearly written

·         thoughtfully and insightfully analyzes the biographee’s life and significance.

D. A BOOK ESSAY will constitute 15% of the course grade.

  1. There is a round-table discussion of Jonathan Spence’s The Death of Woman Wang scheduled for Tu., Mar. 1.
  2. A round-table discussion means a discussion in which all are equally “at the table.” The book has become a modern classic, so there should be plenty of things to discuss.
  3. In order to participate, you not only need to read the book, you also need to write an essay engaging the book.
  4. The essay on Spence should be 3-4 pp., typed double spaced, with a header containing at least your name, the due date, your e-address, and a title.
  5. The essay should engage Spence’s account, in whole or in part. That is, your essay should agree and/or disagree with or otherwise critically analyze Spence’s account, either in whole or in some significant part.
  6. Your engagement with Spence’s book should be informed by what assigned course materials you have already read.
  7. Quotations from Spence and from other relevant material should be annotated per Chicago Style.
  8. The essay is due via the My NWC drop box for the assignment at the beginning of class, Mar. 1.
  9. The most important factors for evaluating each essay includes how well each

·         meets the specifications above

·         shows evidence of considering the book in light of relevant course materials

·         is clearly written

·         thoughtfully and insightfully engages all or a significant part of Spence’s book.

E. DISCUSSION/PARTICIPATION will together constitute 10% of the course grade.

  1. Students’ participation in the daily classes (i.e., attendance, listening, and discussing) will normally sustain or even strengthen what is otherwise their course grade. (Thus, a student’s irregular or otherwise problematic participation—such as frequent absences or not doing the reading for when it is assigned—can hurt this portion of their grade.)
  2. A special part of the discussion participation noted in the previous point is the Course Forum (7% of the course grade/70% of this portion of the grade):

·         The Forum takes place in a “portlet” located on the Collaboration page for this course on My NWC.

·         Participation in the Forum will be graded on a points basis, 9 possible total points for each of 4 “units” of course readings (including visual and video materials).

·         The 4 units are

1)      Classes from Jan. 18-Feb. 8

2)      Classes from Feb. 15-Mar. 3

3)      Classes from Mar. 17-31

4)      Classes from Apr. 5-19

·         The instructor will suggest online in the Forum a discussion topic by the beginning class date and time of each unit, i.e., 12:05 p.m. Jan. 18, and so on.

·         Each written contribution to the Forum is worth a possible 3 points:

1)      a point for participating

2)      a second point for participation that shows adequate clarity, focus, and familiarity with relevant course materials

3)      a third point for participation that goes beyond adequate participation, e.g., showing critical thought and/or insight and/or wisdom in developing the Forum’s topic or responding to others in the Forum; suggesting and advancing a new topic from course materials; developing (not merely repeating) a point from in-class discussion

·         To count toward the possible points in a given unit, a Forum contribution must be made between class time of the beginning date of each unit and 11:55 p.m. of the day after the unit ends, i.e., between 12:05 p.m., Jan. 18 and 11:55 p.m. Feb. 9, and so on.

·         Once a unit is over, no more contributions to it are allowed. That is, each possible 9 points must be made during the “life” of the unit.

COURSE MISCELLANY:

1. Late Written Assignments

  1. All assignments are due as stated in the syllabus or announced in class.
  2. Extensions due to illness, approved field trips, regularly scheduled games or performances, or other reasons outside the control of the student can be made, but it is up to the student to petition the instructor for such legitimate extensions.
  3. Written assignments: If a written assignment is handed in late up to a week after it was due and without a legitimate extension, it will normally receive a penalty of at least one full grade down from whatever score the work merits apart from the penalty.  If the assignment is over a week late and without a legitimate extension, it will not be accepted.

2. Academic Honesty

  1. It is expected that all reading and written work done in and for the course will be done with integrity.  That is, reading and writing as assigned is to be done with honest single-mindedness by each student, without undue reliance on others to do the work and without deceit about the work's timeliness, authorship, and sources.  Integrity of this sort is not easy or convenient; it does not provide shortcuts or guarantee "As."  Yet it is the best path to growth in wisdom, and wisdom is the fruit of education most to be savored.
  2. Academic dishonesty includes cheating and plagiarism, as defined in the Student and Faculty Handbooks.
  3. Cheating in quizzes, plagiarizing in papers, and other forms of academic dishonesty, will, when duly determined, lead to a "0" score for the assignment involved and the filing of a report with the Office of the Provost, per the Student and Faculty Handbooks.

3. Grading

  1. We the faculty of the History Department do not believe that "grade inflation" is good for you. Jesus admonishes us to "Let your word be 'Yes, Yes' or 'No, No'" (Mt. 5:37); in other words, let grades have integrity as indicators of knowledge and/or competence for a given assignment or course.
  2. Therefore, an A=excellent or outstanding work; B=good work (more than adequate but not excellent); C=sufficient work (the assignment or the course’s requirements have been met, but not with any remarkable quality); D=insufficient work (does not fully meet the assignment); F=failing work.
  3. Grades for assignments and for the course as a whole are based on a 100% scale, as follows:

A = 90-100

B = 80-89

C = 70-79

D = 60-69

F = 0-59

 
  1. Within the 100% scale for letter grades, + and - will be given on the following scale (exceptions: no A+ or F + or F-):

 

 

+ = x7-x9

- = x0-x2

 

 

 

 
  1. Remember--grades are NOT a measure of your personal worth; that is already established by God! Grades are measures of the quality of your work for a given assignment and/or course--nothing more and nothing less.

4. Further Help

  • You should be able to handle this course with sufficient time and attention. After all, other students have. However, if you run into problems, DON'T HESITATE TO ASK FOR HELP: me, my student assistant, folks in the Writing Center.
  • In compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act, NWC will provide, on a flexible and individualized basis, reasonable accommodations to students who have a documented disability that may affect their ability to participate in course activities or to meet course requirements. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact both their instructor and the college disability service provider (John Menning; john.menning@nwciowa.edu) to discuss their individual needs and accommodations.