LITT27733GD
Life Writing: Personal Narrative and the Construction of Self
Sheridan
 
  I: Administrative Information   II: Course Details   III: Topical Outline(s)  Printable Version
 

Land Acknowledgement

Sheridan College resides on land that has been, and still is, the traditional territory of several Indigenous nations, including the Anishinaabe, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Wendat, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We recognize this territory is covered by the Dish with One Spoon treaty and the Two Row Wampum treaty, which emphasize the importance of joint stewardship, peace, and respectful relationships.

As an institution of higher learning Sheridan embraces the critical role that education must play in facilitating real transformational change. We continue our collective efforts to recognize Canada's colonial history and to take steps to meaningful Truth and Reconciliation.


Section I: Administrative Information
  Total hours: 42.0
Credit Value: 3.0
Credit Value Notes: N/A
Effective: Spring/Summer 2023
Prerequisites: (ENGL17889 OR ENGL17889GD)
Corequisites: N/A
Equivalents: N/A
Pre/Co/Equiv Notes: N/A

Program(s): Degree Breadth
Program Coordinator(s): Morgan Dennis
Course Leader or Contact: Sarah Sinclair
Version: 20230508_00
Status: Approved (APPR)

Section I Notes: This is a web-based course taught fully online. To take this course, students will need reliable access to the Internet. They should have a basic level of comfort using computers as well as self-discipline to work online.

 
 
Section II: Course Details

Detailed Description
With the proliferation of contemporary memoirs and digital Life Writing platforms, people are expressing personal narratives in new ways. In this fully online course, students examine various forms of traditional and contemporary Life Writing. Students consider essential elements of personal narrative to investigate how these elements shape, and are shaped by, the social and cultural context of the times. Through e-learning activities such as online lectures, writing assignments, discussion groups, blogs and synchronous chats, students read, analyze, and compare different forms of Life Writing. Students demonstrate their learning by researching and writing responses to materials in multiple ways: creating and analyzing a personal memoir; writing quizzes; and utilizing new technologies to construct research.

Program Context

 
Degree Breadth Program Coordinator(s): Morgan Dennis
This is a Baccalaureate elective for students in the Applied Degree programs. Electives make students aware of the distinctive assumptions and modes of analysis of at least one discipline outside their main field of study and of the society and culture in which they live and work.


Course Critical Performance and Learning Outcomes

  Critical Performance:
By the end of this course, students will have demonstrated the ability to evaluate the concept of personal narrative and the construction of self in relation to forms of Life Writing, both traditional and contemporary.
 
Learning Outcomes:

To achieve the critical performance, students will have demonstrated the ability to:

  1. Cultivate a critical vocabulary of the concepts and terms relevant to the study of various forms of life writing.
  2. Critique traditional and contemporary forms of life writing as vehicles for personal narrative and the construction of self.
  3. Analyse the cultural and social context of selected examples of Life Writing.
  4. Critique the construction of Truth in Life Writing using interdisciplinary critical theories and select readings.
  5. Create a personal narrative and analysis that reflects on the issues, concepts and controversies surrounding Life Writing.
  6. Analyse what constitutes personal narrative in New Media.

Evaluation Plan
Students demonstrate their learning in the following ways:

 Evaluation Plan: ONLINE
 Quizzes (3x10%)30.0%
 Online Discussions/Reflections (2 x10%; 1 x5%)25.0%
 Research Assignment20.0%
 Personal Memoir & Analysis25.0%
Total100.0%

Evaluation Notes and Academic Missed Work Procedure:
TEST AND ASSIGNMENT PROTOCOL To encourage behaviours that will help students to be successful in the workplace and to ensure that students receive credit for their individual work, the following rules apply to every course offered within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. 1. Students are responsible for staying abreast of test dates and times, as well as due dates and any special instructions for submitting assignments and projects as supplied to the class by the professor. 2. Students must write all tests at the specified times. Missed tests, in-class activities, assignments and presentations are awarded a mark of zero. If an extension or make-up opportunity is approved by the professor as outlined below, the mark of zero may be revised by subsequent performance. The penalty for late submission of written assignments is a loss of 10% per day for up to five business days (excluding weekends and statutory holidays), after which, a grade of zero is assigned. Business days include any day that the college is open for business, whether the student has scheduled classes that day or not. 3. Students, who miss a test or in-class activity or assignment or fail to submit an assignment on time due to exceptional circumstances, are required to notify their professor in advance of the class whenever possible. A make-up test may be supplied for students who provide an acceptable explanation of their absence and/or acceptable documentation explaining their absence (e.g., a medical certificate). All make-up tests are to be written at a time and place specified by the professor upon the student's return. Alternately, students may be given an opportunity to earn the associated marks by having a subsequent test count for the additional marks. Exceptional circumstances may result in a modification of due dates for assignments. 4. Unless otherwise specified, assignments and projects must be submitted at the beginning of class. 5. Students must complete every assignment as an individual effort unless, the professor specifies otherwise. 6. Since there may be instances of grade appeal or questions regarding the timely completion of assignments and/or extent of individual effort, etc., students are strongly advised to keep, and make available to their professor, if requested, a copy of all assignments and working notes until the course grade has been finalized. 7. There will be no re-submission of work unless this has been previously agreed to or suggested by the professor. 8. Students must submit all assignments in courses with practical lab and field components in order to pass the course.

Provincial Context
The course meets the following Ministry of Colleges and Universities requirements:


 

Degree Breadth
This Degree Breadth course relates to the following field of study as specified by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities.

  • Level 2000, Humanities

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition
PLAR Contact (if course is PLAR-eligible) - Office of the Registrar
Students may apply to receive credit by demonstrating achievement of the course learning outcomes through previous relevant work/life experience, service, self-study and training on the job. This course is eligible for challenge through the following method(s):

  • Challenge Exam
    Notes:  

 
 
Section III: Topical Outline
Some details of this outline may change as a result of circumstances such as weather cancellations, College and student activities, and class timetabling.
Instruction Mode: Online
Professor: Multiple Professors
Resource(s):
 TypeDescription
RequiredTextbookRunaway: Diary of a Street Kid, Lau, E., Canada: Coach House. Student Selected Memoir, 1995
RequiredTextbookRunning with Scissors, Burroughs, A., New York: Picador, 2003
OptionalTextbookThe Vintage Book of Canadian Memoirs, Fetherling, G. (Ed.)., Toronto, ON: Vintage Canada., 2001
OptionalOtherZinsser, W.(ed). (1998). Inventing the Truth: The Art and Craft of Memoir. New York: Houghton and Mifflin.
OptionalOtherZinsser, W. (2004). Writing About Your Life: A Journey into the Past. New York: Marlowe & Company.
OptionalOtherUnderstanding Comics: The Invisible Art. New York: Harper-Collins
OptionalOtherBuss, H. (2002). Repossessing the World: Reading Memoirs by Contemporary Women. Waterloo: Wilfred Laurier Press.
OptionalOtherBarrington, J. (2002). Writing the Memoir. Portland, Oregon: The Eighth Mountain Press.

Applicable student group(s): This is an elective course for students in Sheridan Applied Degree programs.
Course Details:
Module 1: Literary Traditions of Life Writing
 
(A) Orientations, Introductions and Definitions
(B) Recognizing Forms of Life Writing 
(C) The Role of Style, Purpose and Voice 
(D) Perception of Time in Life Writing 
 
Select Readings may include,
 
Ondaatje, M. Running in the Family (excerpt)
Fraser, S. In My Father's House (excerpt)
 
Assessments: Quiz #1 (10%)
 
Module 2:  Historical, Cultural and Psychological Context of Traditional Life Writing
 
(A) Childhood Memoirs and the Impact of Historical Context
(B) Relationships between Social Context and Psychology (trauma) within Life Writing
(C) Stories of Diaspora, Travel and Trauma 
(E) Constructing Perceptions of Self
 
Select Readings may include
 
Choy, W. Paper Shadows  (excerpt)
Posted online readings and videos
Lau, E. Runaway: Diary of a Street Kid 
 
Assessments: Quiz #2 (10%), Online Discussion  #1 (10%) 
 
Module 3: Hoaxes, Misrepresentation and Extreme Memoirs
 
(A) Defining the role of Truth in Life Writing
(B) Exploring controversies of accuracy and historical hoaxes
(C) Debating the “Need” for Truth and Accuracy in Life Writing 
 
Select Readings may include
 
Glassco, J. Memoirs of Montparnasse. (excerpt)
Burroughs, A. Running with Scissors 
Posted online readings and podcasts 
 
Assessments: Quiz #3 (10%) ; Online Discussion 2 (10%); Research Assignment (20%)
 
Module 4:  Contemporary & Emerging  Trends in Life Writing
 
(A) Current Debates on the Resurgence of Life Writing in Contemporary Non-Fiction
(B) Defining and Exploring forms of Graphic Memoirs: 
(C) Defining and Exploring Social Media Formats and its impact on Life Writing
(D) Impact of Participatory Culture and Citizen Journalism on contemporary Life Writing
(E) Exploring Emerging Trends 
 
Select Readings may include
 
Posted online readings and videos
Student-selected Life Writing 
 
Assessments: Memoir and Analysis (25%), Online Discussion #3 (5%) 


Sheridan Policies

It is recommended that students read the following policies in relation to course outlines:

  • Academic Integrity
  • Copyright
  • Intellectual Property
  • Respectful Behaviour
  • Accessible Learning
All Sheridan policies can be viewed on the Sheridan policy website.

Appropriate use of generative Artificial Intelligence tools: In alignment with Sheridan's Academic Integrity Policy, students should consult with their professors and/or refer to evaluation instructions regarding the appropriate use, or prohibition, of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for coursework. Turnitin AI detection software may be used by faculty members to screen assignment submissions or exams for unauthorized use of artificial intelligence.

Course Outline Changes: The information contained in this Course Outline including but not limited to faculty and program information and course description is subject to change without notice. Nothing in this Course Outline should be viewed as a representation, offer and/or warranty. Students are responsible for reading the Important Notice and Disclaimer which applies to Programs and Courses.


[ Printable Version ]

Copyright © Sheridan College. All rights reserved.