RELIG 590 | SLN 19906 | Winter 2022 | Wednesdays 1:30-4:20

Thomson Hall 217

It is perfectly okay to write garbage – as long as you edit brilliantly.

– C. J. Cherryh

Professor Christian Lee Novetzke

Office Hours: By appointment

I acknowledge that the University of Washington exists on Coast Salish territory, the traditional homelands of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations, and other Natives peoples.

Course Description

Despite the inclination of the social sciences of the 19th and 20th centuries to declare the decline of religion in modernity, religion pervades the modern world. In all aspects of public and political life religion reaches deeply, influencing how we shape the world and how we see one another. One of the essential ways religion enters and influences public and political life is through writing about religion in public life. This Calderwood Graduate Seminar in Public Writing provides an opportunity for graduate students from across the University in any discipline whose work involves religion in some way to collectively and cooperatively hone their writing craft around the subject of religion, with a special emphasis on short form writing for public media contexts. The course is designed to provide outlets for students’ particular interests, and students will end the course with a portfolio of public writing.

This course is a writing workshop: it is not your typical graduate seminar with intensive reading and a major final paper. Instead, you will write and edit regularly and consistently in class and outside of class, while there is relatively little reading required in this course. Each student will be both an author and an editor working toward improving your writing and helping your colleagues in class improve their writing. Whether your goal is an academic career or a non-academic one, the ability to write and edit in multiple genres is essential for your advancement. This seminar is devoted to your success as a writer and as a critical and empathetic reader of the writing of others. Because of the workshop nature of this course, being present in class in person is vital to your success in this course and that of your colleagues. For this reason, there is no “remote option” for this course.

Course objectives

Hone your ability to craft strong short-form written work for a general reading public
Work in an Author-Editor team to craft strong writing
Develop your skills as a critical and empathetic editor of the work of others
Tune your writerly perception to the cadence and sound of short-form public writing
Strategize ways to engage with religion in public writing in various contexts
Expand the scope of your writing repertoire outside traditional scholarship
Produce a portfolio of public writing
Publish your work!

Course organization

As a writing seminar this course is organized around writing your own work and editing the work of your colleagues. We will follow a writing workshop format. Students will spend substantial time in class and outside of class working on their writing, editing the work of colleagues, and revising their own work based on feedback. Most class sessions will involve writing, editing, and discussing each other’s work. We will work in pairs, small groups, and as a whole class in various configurations. As a reflection of the social, capacious, interactive nature of public writing, we will approach writing in this class as a social practice rather than a solitary one. While I will oversee your work and facilitate our workshop, the actual work of editing and writing will come from you the students who will collaborate with one another throughout this class. This is not a course for a passive participant—you must be constantly engaged inside and outside of class with your own writing and with the writing of others. You must also pay careful attention to meeting deadlines—always a vital aspect of all forms of publishing—keeping in mind that missing a deadline as an author means a delay you pass on to your editor, and vice versa. Our course replicates a microcosm of the ecosystems in place in the world of publishing and all professional work.

Course Roles—Authors and Editors

All students will alternate between being an author and editor. As an author, you will research, write, rewrite, and finalize each piece of writing. As an editor, you will oversee the writing of the piece by helping the author with issues of conceptualization, argument, style, presentation, and coherence; as well as issues of grammar, avoidance of typos, type accuracy, and fact checking. While authors are ultimately responsible for their own writing, editors play an essential and indispensable role in producing great writing. Authors will receive by-lines for their writing, but they must also acknowledge the work of editors in the creation of each piece. In addition, in one writing project this quarter, you will work as a team of two authors, and you will be paired with a team of two editors.

Course Layout

Our seminar is divided into four two-week segments structured around a writing assignment for each two-week segment. Each week we will meet for almost three hours in class. Outside of class you will be expected to spend significant time working on your writing, meeting with your editor(s), editing the work of others, and revising your work. The best way to improve as a writer is to write consistently and diligently and to read the writing of others. We will use collaborative tools such as Google Docs and Canvas to share work and edit one another’s work.

Rhythm and Flow, Deadlines and Deliverables

The course moves in two-week units. Each person in class will serve as both author and editor during this two-week period.

Meeting all deadlines is essential in this course. If you miss a deadline, you pass on a burden to your partner. If you cannot commit to meeting all deadlines, this is not the right course for you.

Preparing for each workshop session by reading your colleagues’ work in advance, and attending workshop and participating in our workshop editing, are essential for your success in this course and that of your colleagues. If you cannot attend workshop/class in person then this is not the right course for you.

The flow of this class follows this basic sequence:

Write → Edit → Revise → Workshop → Finalize.

Here is an outline of this flow with deadlines over the course of a week:

Wednesday in the last part of class I will assign Author and Editor pairs for the new project and you’ll have some time to talk with your Editor/Author to plan for sharing work over the course of the week.
Before Monday at 11:59pm: The Author writes first draft and conveys to the Editor in Google Docs as per agreed upon arrangement. The Editor edits first draft in Google Docs with suggestions and comments only (do not actually change text) and conveys edited draft with a short comment write-up to the Author via Google Docs. Note that Editors should work quickly so that their Author can meet to the Tuesday deadline.
Tuesday at 11:59pm: This is the deadline for posting your revised writing on Google Docs to share with the entire class in advance of our workshop on Wednesday.
By Wednesday before class: All students read all edited drafts on Google Docs in preparation for workshopping all writing in class.
By Wednesday before class: Turn in your final work via Canvas and Google Docs.
Wednesday: Repeat with new author and editor pairs.

Here is a breakdown of a typical class workshop:

Part I: General Class Discussion of Preparation materials for the week’s project (approximately 30 minutes)

Break

Part II: Workshop Authors’ Drafts by Entire Class as Editorial Board (approximately 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes)

Break

Part III: Assign new Author/Editor partners, Author brainstorms ideas with Editor and talks about deliverables in the week ahead (approximately 30 minutes)

Assignments and Grading

I use a standard 4.0 grading scale, and a 4.0 point scale, for all grading.

Your grade is divided among eight items: six writing projects, one editing grade, and one workshop participation grade.

Each writing project is subdivided into three grades for the First Draft (1.0), the Workshop Draft (1.0), and the Final (2.0). These three grades are added to make your 4.0 grade for each assignment. Together all the writing in this course accounts for 75% of your grade.

Your work as an editor is divided into two parts and accounts for 25% of your grade. Your work as an editor for all assignments counts for 12.5% of your grade. Your participation as an editor in the workshop counts for 12.5% of your grade. These are assigned at the end of the term, but I can let you know where you stand whenever you want to know. Just ask me.

The final portfolio is not graded but serves as a collection of your writing.

Each project is formed in relation to an actual online forum for public writing in order to help students tune their writing for a specific venue and audience, and to provide material for inspiration and discussion. Here are details about each item.

Author Bio: The author bio or biography is a standard feature of public scholarship pieces. The purpose of the author bio is to tell us about you as a writer and a person, and also to contextualize your expertise (in this case in the study of Religion) and provide something that catches the reader’s attention. This is often the place where reference is made to professional positions, social media presences, and previous work. This project will be done in class on the first day of our meeting. Each student will write a short 150-word author biography, the kind one would find appended to an online publication. Each author will be paired with an editor who will edit the author bio and discuss their edits with the author. Authors will revise in class, and the class will collectively workshop the revised versions of the author bios. Each author will post their final Author Bio before the next class meeting.
Academic Minute: For this project you will write a 800-word piece for a general audience explaining a central and specific subject you are studying in graduate school. Pick a paper, thesis, dissertation chapter, or an essential essay by an important scholar in your field. Write an Academic Minute that explains the piece you’ve selected but for a general audience. For examples of this form, see Academic Minute or NPR Academic Minute. In addition to the written form, the final version of this essay will also be recorded as an audio file and shared with the class.
A Universe of Terms: For this project you will write a 800-word piece on a key term in your scholarship or discipline as it relates to religion. For example, if you study gender, you might write on “Gender” as a keyword in relationship to religion; if you study literature, you might write on “Literature” as a keyword in relationship to religion. Write this term statement as if for publication on the Immanent Frame website’s section on “A Universe of Terms”: https://tif.ssrc.org/category/a-universe-of-terms. Browse the site for examples before beginning your writing.
Film Review: For this project you will write a 1000-word critical film review. A critical review (as opposed to a regular film review) is not a summary of the film or an assessment of whether it was “good” or not. Instead, a critical review involves situating the film in relationship to a critical term or subject, in this case, the subject of religion in some way. Write this review as if for the online journal the Journal of Religion & Film: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/. Browse the site for examples before beginning your writing.
Opinion Piece on Religion and Public Life (Optional Co-Authorship): For this project you will write a 1000-word opinion regarding some aspect of the role of religion in public life. Choose a specific area within this broad mandate that relates to your own interests and studies. You may draw data or other inspiration from the Pew Research Center’s ongoing work on Religion in Public Life: https://www.pewforum.org/2014/09/22/section-1-religion-in-public-life/. You will write this piece as if for publication in a major newspaper. You might target the New York Times Religion and Belief Section: https://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/religion-and-belief, or the Seattle Times: https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/, or another major news outlet. Browse the site for examples before beginning your writing. If you want to write this with a co-author, arrange this pairing on your own before beginning the project and convey this to me in an email for my approval. If you would like to write this as a solo-authored piece, that is also perfectly fine.
Writing about Writing: In our last class together, you will write a short piece (150 words) on your Calderwood Seminar experience geared toward advertising the course for future students. We will edit and revise in class. The final version should be uploaded to Canvas a week later. We may use these statements to advertise the Calderwood Seminars on the JSIS website.
Editorial Work: This is a cumulative grade based on your quality and investment in editing the work of others. I will use the record of your editing on Google Docs and your editing work in workshop, as well as other informal markers, to determine this grade.
Workshop Participation: This grade is largely based on the quality of your work and investment in our class workshops each week. Because there is no remote option for this course, your workshop participation grade depends on you being present in class for each workshop.
Portfolio (not graded): In order for you to have a portfolio of your writing this quarter, I’ll ask you to submit a final version of all of your work in a final portfolio of writing due on March 16. This is not graded because your grade will already have been determined by your previous work and any changes you make to your final writing for inclusion in the portfolio will not be counted toward your grade.

Required Materials

While there is very little reading for this writing course and any readings are available on Canvas or online as public scholarship.

We will also watch four films for this class:

The Matrix (1999)
The Color Purple (1985)

These films are available on Canvas.

You need to bring into class a laptop or similar device that allows for real-time reading and editing. If you do not have access to such a device, please let me know and I will help make arrangements for you to have one for the duration of this course.

And don’t forget to bring chargers!

Health and Safety

I will follow and will require students to follow all guidelines and rules regarding safe in-person learning environments instituted by the University of Washington. We will strictly adhere to UW policy regarding the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff. A mask is required inside all UW buildings, including in our classroom, at all times. There is no exception or “opt out” option regarding this mask policy. You can read the policy here: https://www.washington.edu/coronavirus/2021/08/13/masks-required-for-all-individuals-in-all-uw-facilities/. Any student who does not follow UW’s policy will be asked to leave the classroom. In addition, I will require that students adhere to all other rules issued by UW, including rules surrounding mandated vaccination, disclosure of Covid-like symptoms, and disclosing Covid exposure. Our ability to hold class in person and keep one another safe depends on your honestly, diligence, and care for each other by following UW’s guidelines for in-person learning.

Syllabus

I reserve the right to change this syllabus at any point, including the readings and assignments, as required.

Etiquette

Strive to create a positive learning environment for all, with respect for everyone’s identity in terms of ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, citizenship status, sex, pregnancy, age, marital status, ability/disability, or veteran status.[1]
Express yourself in a manner that is consistent with UW’s values of equality and respect for all campus community members. Disrespect or intimidation will not be tolerated.
Help make a safe and comfortable environment for all seminar members.
Though we will be using computers during class, please be respectful of our shared learning environment and turn off notifications, avoid checking email, social media, doom-scrolling, etc.
Be here now.

Academic Conduct

I will strictly enforce the University of Washington Student Conduct code, including the policy on plagiarism. For your reference, the entire code can be found at http://www.washington.edu/students/handbook/conduct.html. If you are unsure of what plagiarism is, it is your responsibility to understand plagiarism. Ignorance of the definition of plagiarism will not excuse plagiarism in this class. All cases will go to the Office of Scholarly Integrity and the Community Standards and Student Conduct Office for adjudication directly.
Please be aware of the University of Washington’s Sexual Harassment Policies: http://www.washington.edu/sexualassault/reporting/policies/. Harassment or intimidation of any kind, based on sex, gender, race, religion, age, ethnicity, ability, or anything else, will not be tolerated in class. In addition, your treatment of your colleagues and others outside of class is part of your social being in class as well.

Students and Accessibility

If you would like to request accommodations due to a disability, please conduct Disabled Student Services, 448 Schmitz Hall, 543-8924 (V/TDD). If you have a letter from Disabled Student Services indicating you require accommodations, please present the letter to me as soon as possible so that I can make necessary arrangements.

***Please review the full “Information for Students” addendum to the syllabus below.***

Course Schedule

Week 1 | January 5 | Orientation and Author Bio
- Discuss syllabus, writing/editing process, and flow of the course
- In-Class for Everyone: The Author Bio

Week 2 | January 12 | Academic Minute (Group A Authors)
- Workshop Group A Revised First Draft

Week 3 | January 19 | A Universe of Terms (Group Z Authors)
- Workshop Group Z Revised First Draft

Week 4 | January 26 | Academic Minute (Group Z Authors)
- Workshop Group Z Revised

Week 5 | February 2 | A Universe of Terms (Group A Authors)
- Workshop Group A Revised First Draft

Week 6 | February 9 | Sci-Fi and Religion Film Review (Group Z Authors)
- Film: The Matrix (1999)
- Workshop Group Z Writing

Week 7 | February 16 | Drama and Religion Film Review (Group A Authors)
- Discussion of Film: The Color Purple (1985)
- Workshop Group A Writing

Week 8 | February 23 | Opinion Piece (Group A Authors) and Editorial Board
- Workshop Group A Writing

Week 9 | March 2 | Opinion Piece on Religion (Group Z Authors) and Editorial Board
- Workshop Group Z Writing

Week 10 | March 9 | Wrap Up: In Class for Everyone: Writing about Writing

Final Portfolio due March 16

UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

JACKSON SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS*

Guidance to Students Taking Courses Outside the US:

Faculty members at the University of Washington have the right to academic freedom which includes presenting and exploring topics and content that governments may consider to be illegal and, therefore, choose to censor. Examples may include topics and content involving (but not limited to): religion; gender and sexuality; human rights; democracy and representative government; disputations of land, territory, maps, and borders; disputations regarding civic, state, and national sovereignty; and historic events, their portrayal, and their accuracy.

If, as a UW student, you are living outside of the United States while taking courses remotely, you are subject to the laws of your local jurisdiction. Local authorities may limit your access to course material and take punitive action towards you. The University of Washington has no authority over the laws in your jurisdictions or how local authorities enforce those laws. Neither the University of Washington nor your professor, teaching assistant, or fellow students can be held liable for any legal matter related to your local jurisdiction. This includes, but is not limited to, the content of discussion, lectures, readings, postings, and all other materials associated with this course.

If you are taking UW courses outside of the United States, you may have reason to exercise caution when enrolling in courses that cover topics and issues censored or deemed illegal in your jurisdiction. Due to restrictions in different places, certain materials may not be freely accessed, circulated, or downloaded. If you have concerns about these issues in relationship to any aspect of this course, please alert the instructor as soon as possible. For these reasons it is important that you alert your instructor if you are accessing class materials from outside the US, and also educate yourself about the possible challenges you may face given your location. Please use content from this class for instructional purposes only. If you have concerns regarding a course or courses that you have registered for, please discuss this with your course instructor.

COURSES, GRADING, ACADEMIC CONDUCT

The University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121) defines prohibited academic and behavioral conduct and describes how the University holds students accountable as they pursue their academic goals. Allegations of misconduct by students may be referred to the appropriate campus office for investigation and resolution. More information can be found online at https://www.washington.edu/studentconduct/

Academic Integrity:

The University takes academic integrity very seriously. Behaving with integrity is part of our responsibility to our shared learning community. If you’re uncertain about if something is academic misconduct, ask me. I am willing to discuss questions you might have.

Acts of academic misconduct may include but are not limited to:

Cheating (working collaboratively on quizzes/exams and discussion submissions, sharing answers and previewing quizzes/exams)
Plagiarism (representing the work of others as your own without giving appropriate credit to the original author(s))
Unauthorized collaboration (working with each other on assignments)

Concerns about these or other behaviors prohibited by the Student Conduct Code will be referred for investigation and adjudication by the Office of Scholarly Integrity.

Students found to have engaged in academic misconduct may receive a zero on the assignment (or other possible outcomes).

Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is defined as the use of creations, ideas or words of publicly available work without formally acknowledging the author or source through appropriate use of quotation marks, references, and the like. Plagiarizing is presenting someone else’s work as one’s own original work or thought. This constitutes plagiarism whether it is intentional or unintentional. The University of Washington takes plagiarism very seriously. Plagiarism may lead to disciplinary action by the University against the student who submitted the work. Any student who is uncertain whether his or her use of the work of others constitutes plagiarism should consult the course instructor for guidance before formally submitting the course work involved. (Sources: UW Graduate School Style Manual; UW Bothell Catalog; UW Student Conduct Code)

Grade Appeal Procedure:

A student who believes he or she has been improperly graded must first discuss the matter with the instructor. If the student is not satisfied with the instructor’s explanation, the student may submit a written appeal to the Director of the Jackson School with a copy of the appeal also sent to the instructor. The Director consults with the instructor to ensure that the evaluation of the student’s performance has not been arbitrary or capricious. Should the Director believe the instructor’s conduct to be arbitrary or capricious and the instructor declines to revise the grade, the Director, with the approval of the voting members of the JSIS faculty, shall appoint an appropriate member, or members, of the faculty of the Jackson School to evaluate the performance of the student and assign a grade. The Dean and Provost should be informed of this action. Once a student submits a written appeal, this document and all subsequent actions on this appeal are recorded in written form for deposit in a School file. (Source: UW General Catalog Online, “Student Guide/Grading”)

Concerns About a Course, an Instructor, or a Teaching Assistant

If you have any concerns about a Jackson School course or your instructor, please see the instructor about these concerns as soon as possible. If you are not comfortable talking with the instructor or not satisfied with the response that you receive, you may contact the chair of the program offering the course (names available from the Office of Student Services, Thomson Hall 111).

If you have any concerns about a teaching assistant, please see the teaching assistant about these concerns as soon as possible. If you are not comfortable talking with the teaching assistant or not satisfied with the response that you receive, you may contact the instructor in charge of the course. If you are still not satisfied with the response that you receive, you may contact the chair of the program offering the course (names available from the Office of Student Services, Thomson Hall 111), or the Graduate School at G-1 Communications Building (543-5900).

POLICIES, RULES, RESOURCES

Equal Opportunity:

The University of Washington reaffirms its policy of equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or status as a disabled veteran or Vietnam-era veteran in accordance with University of Washington policy and applicable federal and state statutes and regulations.

Access & Accommodations:

Your experience in this class is important to me. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please activate your accommodations via myDRS so we can discuss how they will be implemented in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to: mental health, attention-related, learning vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), contact DRS directly to set up an Access Plan. DRS facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations. Contact DRS at disability.uw.edu.

Religions Accommodations:

Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/).

Sexual Harassment:

Sexual harassment is defined as the use of one’s authority or power, either explicitly or implicitly, to coerce another into unwanted sexual relations or to punish another for his or her refusal, or as the creation by a member of the University community of an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or educational environment through verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

If you believe that you are being harassed, seek help—the earlier the better. You may speak with your instructor, your teaching assistant, the director of student services (111 Thomson), or the director of the Jackson School (406 Thomson). In addition, you should be aware that the University has designated special people to help you. They are: University Ombudsman and Ombudsman for Sexual Harassment (for complaints involving faculty members and teaching assistants) Lois Price Spratlen, 301 Student Union, 543-6028; and the University Complaint Investigation and Resolution Office, 616-2028. (Sources: UW Graduate School, CIDR, Office of the President)

Office of Scholarly Integrity:

The Office of Scholarly Integrity is housed in the Office of the Vice-Provost. The Office of Scholarly Integrity assumes responsibility for investigating and resolving allegations of scientific and scholarly misconduct by faculty, students, and staff of the University of Washington. The Office of Scholarly Integrity coordinates, in consultation and cooperation with the Schools and Colleges, inquiries and investigations into allegations of scientific and scholarly misconduct. The Office of Scholarly Integrity is responsible for compliance with reporting requirements established by various Federal and other funding agencies in matters of scientific or scholarly misconduct. The Office of Scholarly Integrity maintains all records resulting from inquiries and investigations of such allegations. University rules (Handbook, Vol. II, Section 25-51, Executive Order #61) define scientific and scholarly misconduct to include the following forms of inappropriate activities: intentional misrepresentation of credentials; falsification of data; plagiarism; abuse of confidentiality; deliberate violation of regulations applicable to research. Students can report cases of scientific or scholarly misconduct either to the Office of Scholarly Integrity, to their faculty adviser, or the department chair. The student should report such problems to whomever he or she feels most comfortable. (Sources: UW web page (http://www.grad.washington.edu/OSI/osi.htm); minutes of Grad School Executive Staff and Division Heads meeting, 7/23/98)

[1] This is an adaptation of UW’s Executive Order No. 31: Nondiscrimination and Affirmative Action, which itself is “in compliance with Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq) and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 USC § 1681), Title I and II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 as amended, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-11) and 45 C.F.R. Part 84, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq), Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq), Chapter 49.60 RCW, and Gender Equality in Higher Education (Chapter 28B.110 RCW).” For full text, see http://www.washington.edu/admin/rules/policies/PO/EO31.html. My thanks to Mika Ahuvia for compiling this information.

* Adapted from material prepared by the UW Department of History and used with permission.

WRITING ABOUT RELIGION IN PUBLIC LIFE: A CALDERWOOD GRADUATE SEMINAR IN PUBLIC WRITING