teaching

Syllabus for a “Modern Brazilian History” class

April 18, 2015 / Latin America, teaching / , ,

I’ve been working to revise my modern Brazilian history syllabus, which I’m attaching here. If you are interested in Brazil, you might also want to look at my book on military terror in that country:

 

                                                       Modern Brazilian History

                                                           HST 463U/INTL 463U

                                                               MWF, 12:45-1:50

                                                        Neuberger Hall, Rm. 222

Professor Smallman

Rm. 345, East Hall

Phone: 725-9978

E-mail: drss@pdx.edu

Office hours: Friday, 10:00-noon

This course will explore such topics as slavery, abolition, messianism, banditry, the Amazon, race, military rule and democratization. Particular emphasis will be given to the differing visions the elites and the masses held of their nation, and how this tension has shaped Brazilian society.  By the end of the course students will have a better understanding of a Latin American culture, and how characteristics such as race and power are defined by history. …

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Syllabus for an “Amazon Rainforest” class.

November 15, 2018 / environment, indigenous peoples, Latin America / , , , , , ,
"Scarlet Macaw" by Elwood W. McKay III
“Scarlet Macaw” by Elwood W. McKay III

I’ve been teaching a class on the Amazon rainforest for about fifteen years now, which provides a brief historical overview of Amazonia, before examining indigenous and environmental issues. A few words about the books for the course: students love David Campbell’s, Land of Ghosts, despite his sometimes challenging vocabulary, because of his evocative descriptions. But be forewarned about Mindlin’s, Barbecued Husbands. This is a book of erotic myths from the southwestern Amazon. The first time I used this book in a class, I had a delegation of students come to complain that I was requiring them to read material with sexual content; I made the use of the book (and attendance in the class discussion) optional. I also had another student explain why they hadn’t read the book by saying: “I loaned it to my housemate at the start of the quarter, and he’s refused to give it back.” I continue to use it as an optional text, and on that basis have not had any more student complaints. …

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Rubric for a book review of a novel

May 27, 2015 / teaching / , ,

I want to share a rubric for book review that was developed by Rosie David, an outstanding graduate assistant in our International Studies program at Portland State University. Rosie improved upon a rubric that I had shared with her by rethinking the categories, and creating very detailed guidelines for each section. I hope that this may be useful to some of you in your classes. Prof. Smallman, Portland State University …

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New Trends in Global Education

April 17, 2015 / academia /
"Kings College" by Phil at freeditigalphotos.net
“Kings College” by Phil at freeditigalphotos.net

Just two years ago, people were predicting that the global education system would change dramatically because of the emergence of massive open online courses (MOOCs). Universities across North America created centers for innovation and technology, and senior administrators warned their faculty that they were now competing in a global marketplace, where their students might be farmworkers in the Amazon. But it hasn’t turned out that way. Of course, it’s very early to judge the future of MOOCs. But at the moment, the time seems to be flowing out as quickly as the wave of innovation came in. Steve Kolowich has an article in the Chronicle of HIgher Education that describes how Sebastian Thrun, the founder of Udacity, says that he has a “lousy product.” The completion rate for people taking MOOCs is terrible. Those people who do finish these courses, for the most part, are the most privileged students, for whom access to education was never an issue. So what does this mean for trends in global education? …

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What is International or Global Studies?

June 24, 2017 / teaching /
"Planet Earth" by xedos4 at freedigitalphotos.net
“Planet Earth” by xedos4 at freedigitalphotos.net

One of the most common questions that faculty in International or Global Studies hear is: “What is International Studies?” In the past I used to begin to answer by talking about the history of the discipline, to explain that it is distinct from International Relations in Political Science. If I was really ambitious, I might have talked about the emergence of interdisciplinary programs in the 1960s, and how post-structuralism created spaces for diverse methodological approaches. In my experience over the last 20 years, this is not a successful way to define our discipline. So now I have a simpler answer. …

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Handout for a Book Review assignment

April 17, 2015 / teaching /
"Book Stack On Wood Shelf" by vorakorn at freedigitalphotos.net
“Book Stack On Wood Shelf” by vorakorn at freedigitalphotos.net

Although I’ve adopted rubrics for all assignments, I also find that students sometimes need more information about my expectations than can be provided in a rubric alone if they are to complete projects successfully. I therefore usually have a handout that details how to complete the response paper, article review, etc. I’m posting here a book review guideline that I’ve used in my “Introduction to Latin American Studies” class. Obviously, the handout is pitched to introductory and sophomore students, who may have limited experience with book reviews. In my experience, although book reviews seem straightforward to faculty, they can be daunting for students. For this reason, this outline gives a great deal of detail about my expectations. Good luck adapting it to your projects. And if you are new the blog, check out the top ten most popular posts. Shawn Smallman, Portland State University.

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New syllabus for a hybrid Global Studies theory class

April 17, 2015 / teaching, Theory / ,

I’ve been teaching my courses as web-infused classes for some time, which means that I put key materials on-line: the syllabus, key terms for every class, a lecture outline, rubrics and readings. I’ve also used an online “dropbox” for students to submit their work. I’ve found that students really appreciate being able to read the lecture outline before class, and that they are more likely to read their papers if I give them feedback on-line. I appreciate that the system allows students to track their grades, so I no longer get the question, “Can you tell me what my grade is now?” And I never have to worry about losing a paper that a student has submitted. …

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Class Assignment: Response Paper and Rubric

April 17, 2015 / teaching / ,
Image of globe courtesy of chris roll at freedigitalphotos.net
Image of globe courtesy of chris roll at freedigitalphotos.net

This quarter I have been teaching an “Introduction to International Studies” class. One of my goals for the year is to have a final assignment that challenges students to reflect on the course material, and to integrate what they have learned from diverse sources. I’ve chosen a response paper of about five pages in length, which they will write to address the following question: …

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Class Assignment: Blog Review and Rubric

April 17, 2015 / teaching / , , ,

In the past, I’ve typically asked students to do a book review in my “Introduction to International Studies”

Image of globe courtesy of digidreamgrafix at freedigitalphotos.net
Image of globe courtesy of digidreamgrafix at freedigitalphotos.net

course. But as students have increasingly moved to using alternative media sources to get their information, I want to make sure that they are thinking critically about these sources. For this reason, I’ve required that my students this quarter write a review (four pages in length) of one international blog. I’ve told the class that the blog review should be a critical look at the blog, which follows the same basic format as a book review. The review asks what the writer is trying to do, and how well do they do it. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the blog? Once that question is answered, then can explore particular questions the blog raises, connections to the class, etc. But the core of this project is a critical evaluation of the blog itself, rather than a summary of its content.  …

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Syllabus for “Introduction to Latin American Studies.”

April 18, 2015 / Latin America, teaching / , ,

Every year I teach an “Introduction to Latin American Studies” course at PSU, which is designed to meet the needs of both International Studies majors and General Education students. Because of the learning objectives for our general education program, I include assignments that focus on group work and oral communication. But the general structure of the syllabus may be helpful for others about to teach the class. If you are interested in Brazil, you might also want to see my own book on military terror in that country. Shawn Smallman, Portland State University: …

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