Thursday, February 25, 2010
new syllabus version
Please view, download, and print the new syllabus. It is version 2.3. Take note of the new clauses regarding the REVISION OF PAPERS as well as updated Prospectus/Annotated Bibliography descriptions.
Monday, February 22, 2010
updated Dante reading schedule
I've updated the larger "schedule of readings and written assignments" page and have reproduced the most important changes---i.e., those regarding Dante's Inferno---below for easy access. Please make note that we will need to cover on average five cantos per class period to remain on schedule. Make sure to keep up with the reading as we head into the depths of the text's final cantos.
PLEASE READ UP TO CANTO XIII by this Wednesday!
M 2/22: Inferno, Cantos 4-7.
W 2/24: journal #3; Inferno, Cantos 8-13.
M 3/1: short paper due; Inferno, Cantos 14-18.
W 3/3: Inferno, Cantos 19-24.
M 3/8: journal; Inferno, Cantos 25-31.
W 3/10: Inferno, Cantos 32-34.
PLEASE READ UP TO CANTO XIII by this Wednesday!
M 2/22: Inferno, Cantos 4-7.
W 2/24: journal #3; Inferno, Cantos 8-13.
M 3/1: short paper due; Inferno, Cantos 14-18.
W 3/3: Inferno, Cantos 19-24.
M 3/8: journal; Inferno, Cantos 25-31.
W 3/10: Inferno, Cantos 32-34.
journal #3 (3/24)
For this e-journal I'd like you to consider one aspect of Dante's Inferno that has struck you as interesting, enlightening, important, striking, confusing, unsettling, strange, and so on... You must describe your aspect and why you have chosen it. You also need to support your statements with textual evidence, explaining how this evidence exemplifies (i.e., to show by example) your aspect.
Think of this journal as excellent preparation for your first short paper. You can explore a possible thesis statement right here and now! Also, remember that you can always reply to another student's post, offering your own interpretation or take on the passage they have selected or the argument(s) they have made.
For example, you could find Dante's efforts at aligning himself with the past poetic greats of history (i.e., Virgil, Homer, Ovid, etc.) as particularly noteworthy. This initial insight may lead to a line of questions such as: Why is Dante attempting to place himself amongst and equal to the greatest poets of all time? How is he continuing poetic convention(s)/tradition(s)? How is he breaking them? What kind of statement is he trying to make via his poem? Where exactly does his provide the reader with evidence of his poetic career (aka, Virgilian Career) coming to fruition?
An e-journal topic could be some lines which you favor. For instance, Dante describes damned souls passing over the river Acheron in Canto III, writing, "And all pass over eagerly, for here / Divine Justice transforms and spurs them so / their dread turns wish: they yearn for what they fear" (121ff). This is a key moment in the text because it describes an allegory which persists throughout the Inferno. As Ciardi notes, each soul who is damned actually desires his or her own eternal punishment (24, n.123). Thus, Dante aptly points out the internal transformation from "dread" to "yearn[ing]" as they pass over the river Acheron and into the first circle of Hell. What kind of statement(s) does this make about Dante's sense of the human character or psyche?
As a last example, you could always write about the historical context of the poem and how those concurrent events and personae are included and illustrated in the text.
Think of this journal as excellent preparation for your first short paper. You can explore a possible thesis statement right here and now! Also, remember that you can always reply to another student's post, offering your own interpretation or take on the passage they have selected or the argument(s) they have made.
For example, you could find Dante's efforts at aligning himself with the past poetic greats of history (i.e., Virgil, Homer, Ovid, etc.) as particularly noteworthy. This initial insight may lead to a line of questions such as: Why is Dante attempting to place himself amongst and equal to the greatest poets of all time? How is he continuing poetic convention(s)/tradition(s)? How is he breaking them? What kind of statement is he trying to make via his poem? Where exactly does his provide the reader with evidence of his poetic career (aka, Virgilian Career) coming to fruition?
An e-journal topic could be some lines which you favor. For instance, Dante describes damned souls passing over the river Acheron in Canto III, writing, "And all pass over eagerly, for here / Divine Justice transforms and spurs them so / their dread turns wish: they yearn for what they fear" (121ff). This is a key moment in the text because it describes an allegory which persists throughout the Inferno. As Ciardi notes, each soul who is damned actually desires his or her own eternal punishment (24, n.123). Thus, Dante aptly points out the internal transformation from "dread" to "yearn[ing]" as they pass over the river Acheron and into the first circle of Hell. What kind of statement(s) does this make about Dante's sense of the human character or psyche?
As a last example, you could always write about the historical context of the poem and how those concurrent events and personae are included and illustrated in the text.
short papers rubric, and list of texts on reserve and valuable recommended texts
Below you will find two links to the important handouts that I distributed in class last Thursday. Please reference these two documents, as they are vital to your completion of and success in these important writing assignments. Note: These files tend to "read" better if you first download them and then open them with MS Word.
Remember that I have some key secondary texts in my office! Stop by during my scheduled office hours to "rent" them from me. And, we can always chat about paper topics/theses too!
Remember that I have some key secondary texts in my office! Stop by during my scheduled office hours to "rent" them from me. And, we can always chat about paper topics/theses too!
more announcements for writing contests and awards
(1) The English Department will be collecting short stories for the Goodman awards. There are two categories of awards. The Bertha and Philip Goodman Short Story Award (to the three undergraduate students who write the best short stories in a contest conducted by the English department), and The Goodman Short Story Award (first, second, and third prizes). Students may submit no more than a single short story for each category, not to exceed 5,000 words. Submissions should be typewritten, and three collated copies of the story should be given to the department. Students should submit the essay under a pen name, along with an entry form (available in the department) to Corinne by March 3rd. These competitions are open to all undergraduate students registered at Brooklyn College.
(2) The Poetry Exegesis Award Contest will be held on Wednesday February 24, from 4-6 pm, in Room 3108 Boylan. The award is given for the best exegesis of a single poem, which will be handed out at the time of the contest. Students may bring non-electronic pocket dictionaries, and should bring pencils, but no other resources. Students who plan to enter should register with Corinne Amato in the English department by February 23.
(3) The deadline for The Grebanier Sonnet Award, for the best single sonnet or sonnet cycle, is Wednesday, March 3 in the English department Office. Students should submit their entries under a pen name (on each page), accompanied by a cover sheet listing their names and pen names, social security numbers, addresses and phone numbers.
(4) The deadline for The Academy of American Poets Award for the best single poem or portfolio of poems, is Monday, March 15 in the English Department office. Students should submit up to five poems, accompanied by a cover sheet listing their names, pen names, social security numbers, addresses and phone numbers, and listing the titles of all poems submitted.
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