more office hours!

Hello all,
I am pleased to announce that I am available for extra office hours during the academic week! Recall that I am a writing tutor for the Philosophy Dept., so please feel free to stop by for anything related to your academic writing assignments, regardless of which course the work is for. Below you will find my updated schedule, so please take note of the hours and rooms. I have reproduced this on the right-hand side of the blog for easy reference as the semester moves forward.

2311 Boylan
~ Mondays 10a-12p
3308 Boylan
~ Tuesdays 9a-1p, 2p-6p
~ Thursdays 9a-1p, 2p-5p

Remember that you can always schedule an appointment outside of these times should you need to see me.

s.

journal #2 (2/18) and homework update

For your reading assignment over this short recess, please finish the "Canon's Yeoman's Tale" as scheduled. Also, you should begin Dante's Inferno by reading the Translator's Note and the Introduction, including the first three "chapters" of the poem, i.e., Cantos 1 - 3. Completing this will adequately prepare you for next week; remember we meet Wednesday and Thursday, back-to-back, therefore leaving little time for you to cram in the first, and most important, readings of Dante.

I cannot stress enough the importance of reading the introductory material that prefaces Dante's Inferno. There is a great deal of historical, social, and political context which you must learn of in order to truly understand Dante's writing, and its significance within the world of literature. Indeed, much of the events in his actual life spurred the genesis of this infamous work. These events and their consequences directly relate to the themes and topics of our course involving the Self, exile, and journey. Critics and scholars of Dante also make many arguments concerning the style, language, and form in which he composed this work; you will learn of these things in the Introduction. In closing, it was stated above that much of this poet's personal life was metaphorically and allegorically transposed into his writing; thus it is important to highlight that the characters of his actual life mirror those fictional characters in his texts. Such correlations should never go unnoticed. 

And, because you may have been wondering... the image which adorns the top-right of our e-journal blog is Dante at the entrance of The Dark Wood. It is the work of Gustave Doré, a nineteenth-century French artist, sculptor, and engraver. I will be bringing facsimiles of Doré's complete Dante collection to class here shortly.


Okay, on to the journal, which is due anytime before class meets on Wednesday, 2/17.

Journal #2:
This journal consists of multiple short answers, you may choose to respond to either numbers one or two, but you must complete number three. When writing your two different responses below, be sure to CITE A PASSAGE FROM THE TEXT for each part, thereby providing evidence and support for your claims and reasoning.

1. Pick one moment from the prima pars on the "Canon's Yeoman's Tale" that you found to be important and/or significant. It could be an event, or perhaps something that the Yeoman says, a detail, or even a section that appeared mysterious to you. Explain why you have chosen your passage as such. How can it relate to the things we have been discussing in class so far?
2. Pick one moment from the pars secunda that displays or fulfills the issues, warnings, or moral imperatives presented and discussed by the Yeoman in the "Prologue" and/or the prima pars. In a few sentences detail how your selected passage exemplifies (or shows as/by example) the Yeoman's efforts to impart his audience with such information.
3. Revisit those textual moments you selected in the previous two answers, yet this time go to the Middle English copy of our assigned reading. Try and find discrepancies or perhaps striking similarities… comment on any thoughts or illuminations you may have upon seeing the text in its original versus a modern rendition. 

Email with questions or concerns. Happy reading and writing, and enjoy the long weekend everyone!
s.

class cancelled today

I'm sure that you've heard, but to reiterate: there is NO CLASS TODAY as the COLLEGE IS CLOSED due to the weather advisory.

Please exercise caution should you be traveling today or heading to the park to make snow-angels and snow-men.

PLEASE CHECK THE BLOG SOMETIME LATER TONIGHT and especially OVER THE WEEKEND, as I will be requiring a JOURNAL ENTRY to be due WEDNESDAY when we return to normal classes. All this information will be posted on the blog accordingly.