ISP 102
Explore Chicago: Underground Culture in Chicago
Autumn 2007
Dr.
Daniel Makagon Student
Leader: Kayde Claunch
Office: SAC 596 kclaunch@depaul.edu
Office Hours: M 12:00-1:00 and by
appointment
Phone: 773-325-7376 Staff
Assistant: Annette Janik
e-mail: dmakagon@depaul.edu ajanik@depaul.edu
http://condor.depaul.edu/~dmakagon/
Course Objectives
Chicago, like other large cities, has been a magnet for artists, musicians, writers, and performers. Some of these people consider the city to be a site that will facilitate fame and fortune. Others view the city as an environment that fosters cultural production that is grounded in community building and social connection. The link between creativity and the city has been a central feature of urban political discourse in recent years, as governors, mayors, and city council members have worked to lure creative people to their states and cities. In an effort to understand better how creative cultural production is central to Chicago (spatially and symbolically), this course will focus on contemporary forms of underground (or bohemian) culture in Chicago. We will explore the ways in which various underground cultural practices function as both important sources of local identity and an opportunity to put Chicago on a larger creative map. Students will study a range of underground cultural practices in Chicago (e.g., alternative rock, punk, rap, and techno music production and night clubs), alternative media outlets (e.g., radio stations and fanzines), and public art (e.g., graffiti and murals). Additionally, we will investigate how underground cultural producers develop relationships with city officials or resist official forms of support (and in some cases, co-optation). The course will ultimately introduce students to a variety of theoretical issues about urban life, communication and culture, city politics, and community as well as the aesthetic and business practices of people who are involved with such issues vis-ˆ-vis the production of culture in Chicago.
Chicago Quarter Learning Goals:
1. Involve experiential learning
through participation, direct observation, personal discovery, and reflection.
2. Develop students' writing and
rhetorical skills through classroom exercises and projects.
3. Promote Vincentian values of
community service and respect for diversity.
4. Acquaint students with the
Chicago Metropolitan area, its neighborhoods, cultures, people, institutions,
organizations, or issues.
5. Introduce students to
group-based learning, what it means to be a life-long learner, and the
enjoyment of learning.
Required
Texts
All course readings are accessible
via a password protected Web site. You are required to print each dayÕs reading
and bring the article with you to class.
http://condor.depaul.edu/~dmakagon/student/
Course Assignments
Common Hour 10% ____(pts.)
X .10 = ______
Reading Analyses 20% ____(pts.)
X .20 = ______
Underground Spaces Paper
35%
____(pts.) X .35 = ______
Zine Contribution/Final
35%
____(pts.) X .35 = ______
Final Grade= ____________
You are
required to complete the reading assignments before you attend class. This will lead to more fruitful
discussion.
Underground Cultural Spaces Paper
This
assignment emphasizes building an interpretation from looking and listening.
Your goal is to document 3 places where underground culture is thriving. You will attend and assess these local underground
cultural sites (e.g., a club, gallery, radio station, cafŽ, record store, etc.)
and analyze the cultural practices that take shape in these places. In general,
you should discuss what happens there, the kind of people who gather there, the
level of participation among the spectators, and then assess the site. You can
work in a small group, with a partner, or on your own to conduct this research,
although each student will write her or his own 3-5 page paper. A full
description of the assignment is available in the folder that contains pdfs for
this class. This paper is due October 8th.
Final
There
are two options for the Final:
For
this group assignment you will contribute to a course e-zine. Your contribution
will take the form of an essay but might also include other materials (e.g.,
photographs, drawings, copies of flyers, poetry, and other creative
expressions). Our zine will cover contemporary (and historical) underground
culture in Chicago. We will discuss topic options in the fifth week. A full
description of this assignment is available in the folder that contains pdfs
for this class.
This
exam will ask you to synthesize course materials (excursions, readings, guest
speakers, and in-class discussions/lectures). You will develop an analysis of
relationships between a do-it-yourself philosophy and underground culture in
Chicago. A full description of this assignment will be made available in the 4th
week in the folder that contains pdfs for this class.
Reading Analyses
You are
required to turn in a 5 paragraph reading analysis for each day that we have a
required reading assignment. These summaries should feature a combination of
the following: (A) discussion of the central thesis raised in the essay(s), (B)
summary of key points raised in the reading(s) that functioned to support and
flesh out that thesis, and (C) an assessment of the argument as a whole (i.e.,
why should we care about the issues raised in this reading more generally and
how does the essay allow us to understand underground cultural life in Chicago
more specifically?).
Your
papers should not function to merely express your opinion about a specific
reading; rather, you should offer a detailed analysis that features quality
support (e.g., testimony and examples culled from the readings and from the
underground cultural public sphere). (See the written assignment requirements
listed below for more information about writing in this class.) These essays
are due at the beginning of the class session on the date the reading is
assigned and will be graded based on quality of insight, overall quality of
writing (i.e., how well you engage a reader as well as grammar), and ability to
dig beneath a surface level analysis (i.e., do more than read for a thesis). A
letter grade will be assigned for each submission.
Course Policies
Promptness is expected as a general rule. If you are consistently
late to class your grade will be negatively affected (between 10 and 20 minutes
late will constitute ½ absence and later than 20 minutes will constitute
an absence).
Attendance
and Active Participation are expected and
required. If you miss more than two class sessions (which is the equivalent of
2 weeks of classes), you will receive an ÒFÕ in the class (even if the absences
are excused). Missing this many class sessions (more than 20% of the term)
undermines the integrity of the classroom experience. If you miss this much
class because of illness or a family emergency, you should meet with the Dean
of Students to discuss withdrawal options. (Leaving at the break will also
constitute a full absence.)
All
assignments are due on assigned days and in class. There will be NO MAKE-UPS. Documented illness or documented emergencies are the only
exception to this policy. Changes in work schedules, personal celebrations
(e.g., birthdays), assignments due in other classes, etc. are NOT considered to
be legitimate reasons for missing deadlines or class meetings. If you miss a
quiz and have documentation for your absence then you will take the quiz on the
next date you attend class. Similarly, if you have an excused absence for a
class session when you would turn in a paper then you can give me the paper on
the next date you attend class. (Note: If you will be missing a class because
of a religious holiday, let me know in writing at least two weeks before the holiday
so we can make arrangements to make up missed work.)
Students
with disabilities should provide me with documentation from the Office of
Students with Disabilities.
If you
have a cellular phone, turn it off during class sessions. You do not need a laptop
for class sessions. Plagiarism will be discussed below but for now you should
note that all cell phones must be put away during quizzes and you should not be
sending or reading text messages during class sessions.
You
must make sure your preferred email address listed in Campus Connect is correct
and make sure emails from me will pass through any spam blockers. I will only
send email to you from dmakagon@depaul.edu.
Written Assignment Requirements
All
papers should be typed, double-spaced throughout the entire essay, and use a
consistent style (e.g., MLA, APA, etc.). Use one-inch margins and 12-point
font. I do not accept electronic copies of student work. See the syllabus
addendum (available in the folder that contains pdfs for this class) for a description
of my grading policies and expectations as well as further details on written
assignments.
For assistance with your writing,
contact or visit the Writing Center: Lincoln Park at 802 W. Belden, 150 McGaw
Hall, 773-325-4272 and The Loop at 25 E. Jackson, 1620 Lewis Center,
312-362-6726. wcenter@depaul.edu.
I have often found that plagiarism becomes tempting if
students are feeling pressured. Remember, when in doubt quote. If you are
quoting somebody directly then you need to list the information within
quotation marks and cite a page number. If you are paraphrasing then you need
to cite the person and a page number. Never copy and paste entire documents
into your paper and do not quote others to the point where your ideas become
indistinguishable from your source's ideas. There is no reason to plagiarize
given the resources available to you (e.g., opportunities to meet with me;
coaches in the writing center; my handout on writing for the class; and
DePaulÕs policy on academic integrity, which can be found at
http://studentaffairs.depaul.edu/handbook/code16.html). If you do plagiarize,
you will automatically receive a grade of ÒFÓ in this class. Moreover, the
Academic Affairs office will be contacted.
Grade Scale
A = 93-100, A- = 90-92, B+ =
88-89, B = 83-87, B- = 80-82, C+ = 78-79, C = 73-77,
C- = 70-72, D = 60-69, F = 0-59 (I do not assign incompletes)