A New Course About Warblogs and Milblogs

Next semester, I start teaching a course titled "Warblogs: Front-line Dispatches from Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan". In my courses, I talked a lot about liberal bloggers. I think, it is time to take a closer look at the blog-posts of the bloggers who supported war, or, actually, reported the war from the battlefields.

In addition, the perspective and approach to the text analysis will be different. In this course, I would like to invite the students to examine the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as examples of the corrosions of the Enlightenment vision, which dominates the U.S. culture and politics, and manifests in the the American ways of leading wars. Each session will be about that kind of Corrosion. For example, the very first session will be Corrosion 1: Reason. The next session will be Corrosion 2: Science. By reading the blogs of the bloggers-"crusaders", we will recognize the grand-narratives of the Enlightenment, and become witnesses of their delusion, and even madness at times.

Course Description:
This course takes a critical approach to reading warblogs and milblogs maintained by the outspoken conservative pro-war U.S. citizens and the U.S. service members deployed in Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom) and Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom). Arguably, these personal narratives are "the first real-time history of war, a history written even as the war continues" (Matthew Currier Burden, Former Major, U.S. Army, 2006). The selections from some of the most popular warblogs and milblogs are available on-line and in print.

Disclaimer: Some course material contains graphic and non-graphic images of both, bloodletting or tissue damage (for example, stories of soldiers in combat, images of torture and prisoner abuse in Abu Ghraib, etc.), and includes war representations (for example, raw combat footage by American soldiers released on the internet and Hollywood movies about the Operation Iraqi Freedom).

Course Prerequisites:
1. Interest in the topic of the course
2. Fluent English
3. Basic German (one guest-presentation will be in German)
4. Technophilia (enthusiasm for new technologies)
5. Good presentation skills

Method of Instruction
This is a proseminar; it is essential that you take part in the class discussions and other in-class activities. The student who wants to get 1.0 or A is expected to:
1) attend every class (missing two classes is acceptable, though); 2) prepare home assignments for each class; 3) submit MOZes* by the end of each class; 4) participate constructively in the class discussions, 5) deliver an excellent presentation;
6) successfully pass the exam; 7) complete and submit a student project on time.

MOZ*: Moments of Zen. The idea of “moment of Zen” came from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart available at the Comedy Central (go to www.thedailyshow.com). Yet for the purposes of this class The Daily Show`s concept was transformed. In the end of each class students will be asked to write down (creative/controvercial/insightful/etc.) ideas related to the class reading material and discussion on a sheet of paper. These should be in a form of a hypothesis or research question (max. three). The quality of the MOZes matters. So make sure you take notes effectively during the class. (See the handout “The Cornell Note-taking System” as an example) The ideas should be signed and dated. NOTE: This is an in-class task which is to be completed and submitted in class only.

Required Texts
1. Robert Jewett and John Shelton Lawrence (2003). Captain America and the Crusade against Evil: The Dilemma of Zealous Nationalism. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. 392 pp.
2. The Holy Bible: King James Version. Dallas, TX: Brown Books Publishing, 2004.
3. The Qur'an: Translation. Trans. Abdullah Yusuf Ali. Elmhurst: Tahrike, 2000.

Attendance Policy and Class Participation
COME ON TIME. Class attendance is mandatory.The students are expected to be present in class and prepared to contribute to the discussions in the proseminar. Closer to the end of the class, the attendance sheet will be distributed. The students are expected to put down their names and signatures. Notice: You may not sign the participation list on behalf of your colleague. If you miss more than 2 classes during the semester, every additional absence will lower your grade for the Class Participation by 1,5 points. The maximum number of Class Participation points you can accumulate is 20. (See Grading Policy)

Laptops, Cellphones and Drinks
As this is a class dealing with the new media, LAPTOP USAGE IS PERMITTED. There will be sessions when having a laptop in class will be encouraged. NOTICE: surfing, emailing, instant messaging---all in all, the irrelevant activities of whatever kind---are not permitted. TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONE(S) and other gadgets which might distract you and the class.

COFFEE/TEA: I do not mind if you bring your morning coffee/tea and brötchen in class. Just make sure you disturb no one by drinking/eating.

Student Project
The project is an opportunity for students to enhance their understanding of the American cultural narratives, conduct an in-depth study of a topic of particular interest. This is also an opportunity to demonstrate independence and originality, gain extra knowledge and develop research skills. The topic must be related to the content of this course.

The student project will be negotiated between the course instructor and 1) the student (if s/he prefers working individually) or 2) a group of students (if you prefer working in a group). In each case, the student must acknowledge the advantages and disadvantages of the group versus individual decision-making.

Given the time constraints, please, realistically assess the time you will need to complete this project. To ensure your project is successful, keep in touch with the course instructor: inform about the preparation progress and (technical) problems, (optional) show the preliminary version of the student project, attend the office hours (Tues. 10:00-11:00) or make an appointment with the course instructor to discuss the project.

The maximum number of Student Project points you can accumulate is 40. (See Grading Policy)

Student Presentation
Every student attending this course is expected to deliver an effective presentation of a student project. You are required to attend and evaluate every presentation in class. Carefully read the syllabus and the attached handouts. For your convenience, this syllabus includes very helpful handouts.

You are encouraged to consider the tips for making an engaging presentation; please, read: 1) the presentation guidelines handout, 2) the presentation skills self-evaluation form and 3) the presentation skills evaluation form. Note: the group presentation is evaluated on the basis of the general performance of the team.

Group Prsentation
Presentation time: 15 minutes for each group.
Number of presenters: All the group members (maximum 3 students).

Individual Presentation
Presentation time: 10 minutes for each presenter.
Number of presenters: 1 student.

The maximum number of Student Presentation points you can accumulate is 20. (See Grading Policy)


Exam
The exam is made up of two parts: test (20 questions) and essay (min. one A4 page, max. three A4 pages of handwriting). As a matter of tradition, water, tea, coffee and cakes are served. The maximum number of points you can accumulate is 20. (See Grading Policy)

Mocking Exam
Note: Optional, not mandatory! Prior to the exam, a mock-exam will be organized on Sunday. This overview session also includes helpful takeaway materials for all who attend. Attending the mock-exam does not guarantee a better grade for the final exam, but this practive turned out to be vey helpful to some of my students.

GRADING POLICY
Your grade will be awarded based on the total number of points. Make sure you clearly understand how the points will make up your desired grade. No part of your grade will be based on anything other than your class performance. You are encouraged to take advantage of instructor office hours for help with coursework or anything else connected with the course and your progress.

Class Participation, In-class Tasks and MOZes 20 points
Student Project 40 points
Student Presentation 20 points
Exam 20 points
Total: 100

Plagiarism
Instances of plagiarizing will not be tolerated and will result in a dismissal from the course. Whether you are a scholar or a blogger – try to sustain a reputation of a credible voice. Always give proper credit to information generators whose ideas you decided to use.

WELCOME TO CLASS!

According to the latest list, 27 students will take this class. Looking forward to interesting and challenging discussions.