ENG 203: Introduction to Literature |
Modern Era: NovelWe complete our tour of literature with a look at a modern novel, Faces in the Moon. As you read, note the ways it resembles earlier works we have read, as well as the ways it differs from these works. Make sure that you finish this novel before your portfolio presentation so that you will be prepared to answer questions about it. I have added study questions on it to the study guide for the modern era.If you have not yet signed up for a time to give your portfolio presentation, please do so immediately. The schedule appears in the box at the right. In previous announcements, as well as the syllabus, I have given you several suggestions for ways to prepare for this presentation. Please review these suggestions carefully. I also have sent each of you a portfolio evaluation, in which I have made detailed suggestions for improving your portfolio. I sincerely hope that you will consider these suggestions seriously and use them to turn in the best portfolio possible. In most cases, you can improve your portfolio by one, two, or even more letter grades by taking my advice. Finally, one of the best things you can do as you strive to improve your portfolio and prepare for your final presentation is to read your classmates' portfolios, as well as the one I have posted. In addition to learning more about the works we have read, you will see a few good models of literary interpreation and clear writing. I especially hope that you will read the introductory essay I have written for my portfolio. In it, I have tried to review most of the material we have covered this semester. |
November 27-December 1, 2000Reading Assignments
ScheduleMonday2 p.m.: Jessica Guy Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
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Ancient Period: NarrativeWelcome to the online section of ENG 203: Introduction to Literature. Like other literature courses, this one involves reading, writing, and analysis. Instead of gathering in a classroom to discuss the works we will read, however, we will share our ideas by posting them on the Internet. To keep you updated on what you should be doing each week, I will post announcements here on the Web. Simply go to the syllabus and click on the appropriate week. Although you can complete this course without ever coming to campus, I will schedule a few optional sessions, including an orientation, a research session in the library, and perhaps a few video showings. I will announce these sessions, along with your assignments and other information, here.To ensure that you get off to a good start, make sure you have done the following by September 1:
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Reading Writing Meeting
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Ancient Period: DramaAs I noted in my message last week, I have posted my profile and my first essay, "What We Can Learn from Figurative Language in the Book of Genesis," on the Web. Please take a few minutes to read them. I also have created a listserv for this course and have tried to add each student in the course. If you received a message from me about my profile, you are on the listserv. If not, please let me know so that I can add you. This listserv will facilitate our communication this semester. If you want to share your ideas about a piece of literature, ask a question, or otherwise interact with me or your classmates, just send a message to eng203@papa.uncp.edu. Your message will automatically go to everyone on the listserv.Some of you also have your second writing assignment this week. As you know from reading the syllabus, each of you is responsible for writing two essays about the works we are reading. Last week, for example, Jessica Guy posted an essay about the Book of Genesis. If your name appears in the box at the right, it is your turn to post your first essay. Visit the study guide on the Ancient Period and choose a question about Antigone that you would like to answer. Send a message to the listserv to let us know which one you have chosen. Then, write your essay, post it on your Web site as I have done, and send a message to the listserv to let us know the URL of your essay. Finally, as the syllabus indicates, we will be studying Hamlet in a few weeks. In addition to reading the play, you will be required to view a production of it. For example, you may rent a video from a store or borrow one from the English Library in the Dial Building. Even better, drive up to High Point for a live production put on by the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival. I plan to go on September 30, and one of my colleagues is purchasing tickets at a group rate: $13 per person. I really hope that some of you will seize this opportunity to see a real play. I have attended several productions in High Point in recent years, and I can say that the people there do a fine job. If you are interested, please let me know by Wednesday, September 6. |
Reading
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Medieval Era: BalladsThis week, we begin a new unit: the medieval era. Please take some time to review the Medieval Era study guide, which will acquaint you with the historical context of this period and help you to get the most out of your reading. Note that all of your reading assignments for this week are available online. Just click on the titles on the study guide. In addition to entering a new literary period, we are encountering a new genre this week: non-dramatic poetry. Read Understanding and Explicating Poetry to prepare for studying this poetry, as well as the other poems we will encounter later in the semester.Some of you have asked me what you should be doing in addition to reading the assignments. First of all, as you should have noticed by now, each week some of you will write responses to the literature we are reading. This week, for example, four students whose names appear in the box at the right will write explications of individual ballads, and five others will write annotations of literary terms and people. If your name does not appear in this box, you do not have to write an essay this week. All of you, however, should use the study guides to study the literature carefully so that you will be prepared for your portfolio presentations. Remember, after you present your portfolio to me before midterm and at the end of the semester, I will ask you some questions about what we have studied. Read the section of the syllabus called Presentation to see how you can prepare for this oral examination. As you know from reading the syllabus, one of your major assignments this semester is to research, write, and design a project on an American author and post it on he World Wide Web. You should begin working on this Web page this week. First, visit All American, click on the various literary periods, and note which authors are listed there. Then, choose an author who is not listed and sign up by sending me an e-mail message. If I approve of this author, I will put his or her name under yours on the roster. Finally, using what you have learned from reading Research, begin collecting and reading sources on this author. You should complete all of these steps this week. To help you, I have scheduled an optional session on library research for 8-9 a.m. Wednesday, September 13, in the reference section of the main library. If you would like to attend such a session, but cannot make it at this time, please e-mail me, and I will try to schedule a second session. I also will have my office hours (8-9 a.m.) in the main library on Monday and Friday. Please feel free to drop by during those times, and I will be happy to help you conduct your research. Finally, I realize that some of you struggled a bit in setting up your online portfolios. Most of you, though, now have your portfolio up and running. The good news is that the hard part--at least the hard part of working with computers--is over! From now on, you can just create new pages and post them to the same directory. Just make sure to give each item a different name, such as "essay1.html" for your first essay, "term.html" for your essay on a literary term, and so on. Also, make sure that you create titles for your essays and poetry explication. Note, for instance, the title I gave my essay on the Book of Genesis. As you post these essays, send the URL to the listserv (eng203@papa.uncp.edu). I then will create links to your essays from the study guides. For example, if you visit the study guide for the ancient period, you will see links to the essays that Jessica, Koji, and I wrote. You also should create links to all of your essays from your index page. If you need help, consult my online literature portfolio. |
Reading Writing
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Medieval Era: RomanceContinuing our unit on the medieval era, we turn to a new genre, romance. You may have heard of this genre and may even think you know what it is. If you are thinking of a story about idealized characters who fall in love, you are partially correct. Indeed, romances such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight do feature idealized characters--that is, men and women who show extraordinary heroism, honor, or other qualities. Unlike modern romance novels such as Harlequin Romances, however, medieval romances are not primarily concerned with love. Men and women may be attracted to each other, but the focus generally is on adventure, usually battles and other quests.The most famous romances from this time are those concerning King Arthur, a larger-than-life character who may have been based on a real king who lived in Britain around A.D. 500. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight--one of many Arthurian romances written in England, France, and Germany in the medieval period--Arthur takes a back seat to one of his knights. As always, use the study guide to get the most out of your reading and be sure to read your classmates' essays as they post them. Remember, you can find them by going to the study guide and clicking on the links. By the end of this week, we should have a new batch of essays by the people listed in the box at the right. If your name appears here, visit the study guide and find the question I have assigned you. Finally, as I mentioned in an e-mail message to the listserv recently, a number of you have written to me to sign up for an author for your Web project. I have updated our course roster to indicate which student will do which author. If you do not see an author listed under your name, you need to choose one. To help you, I have created a list of available authors. To sign up for an author, send me an e-mail message. Please remember that you must read at least one major long work--such as a novel, autobiography, or play--or several major short works--such as poems or short stories--by your author. |
Reading
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Renaissance: DramaThis week, we enter a new unit: the Renaissance. As you will see when you visit the study guide, the Renaissance was a time when art and literature flourished. We will begin our exploration of this period's literature with perhaps the most famous play ever written: William Shakespeare's Hamlet. We will spend two weeks on this challenging and fascinating play. As always, review the study guide before you begin reading. Also, you are required to watch a production of this play, either by attending the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival in High Point or by renting a videotape of the play. Note that some of the questions on the study guide refer to how actors, costumers, and others interpret a play that they are producing.By now, you should have chosen an author and begun the research for your Web project. Please do not put off your work on this project. Instead, begin right away and work on it an hour or two a week for the next several weeks. You will produce a much better project--and experience much less anxiety!--if you spread out the work over several weeks. Please note that the design of this particular page must conform to guidelines that appear in "Creating a Web Page for All American." |
September 25-29, 2000Reading AssignmentsWriting Assignment
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Renaissance: DramaThis week, we continue our exploration of Hamlet. Please note that I have posted additional study questions on the play and have assigned essays to a new batch of students.Between now and October 13, you need to meet with me to do the first oral presentation of your portfolio. Please call or e-mail me sometime this week to make an appointment. If necessary, we can conduct this presentation over the telephone. If you do not make an appointment or miss your appointment, you may earn an F for your midterm grade. Here are few suggestions for earning a good grade on your oral presentation:
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October 2-6, 2000Reading Assignments
Writing Assignment
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Renaissance: SonnetsThis week, we turn to a different form of literature popular in the Renaissance: the sonnet. Like ballads, sonnets are a form of poetry; however, they belong to a class of poetry called the lyric. That is, instead of telling a story, sonnets express emotion. To find the assigned sonnets on the Web, click on the link in the box at the right. If your name appears in this box, it is your turn to explicate a poem. Please post your explication on your online portfolio and let us know where to find it by sending a message to the listserv. Even if your name does not appear here, you still should read the poems and prepare to discuss them in case I ask you about them in your portfolio presentation.If you have not yet signed up for a portfolio presentation, please do so immediately. As I explained last week, if you do not make an appointment or miss your appointment, you may earn an F for your midterm grade. |
October 9-13, 2000Reading AssignmentsWriting Assignment
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Enlightenment: NonfictionWhen reading fictional literature such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight or William Shakespeare's Hamlet, it is relatively easy to appreciate the author's imaginative powers. Because "fictional" means "untrue," we know that the writer of a fictional work generally has had to invent characters, decide on a setting, and make up a story. One might wonder, then, how the authors of a nonfictional works can be considered imaginative. After all, they simply record what already has happened or express their ideas about a subject. Where is the artistry in such a process? Nonfictional stories and essays, however, leave a lot of room for imagination and can be quite artistic. For starters, while they do not have to invent characters or a story, the authors of these works do have to select which real people and incidents they will include in their work. If writing an autobiography, for example, an author must decide which relatives and acquaintances to describe, as well as which of the thousands of occurences in his or her lives to recount. Such decisions dramatically shape the tone and themes of a nonfictional work. An autobiography that focuses almost entirely on the loving relationships the author had with family members is very different from one that emphasizes a stressful life at the office. The writer of nonfiction also must decide how he will present his story or ideas--that is, he or she settles on a "voice" and a "style." He or she may decide to use humor and figurative language, for example, or may elect for a more serious, straightforward style. As you read the excerpt from Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, pay attention to how Franklin's choice of incidents, voice, and style affect the meaning of his nonfictional work. Also, please note that I have asked you to read my World Wide Web site on Franklin. The information you find here about Franklin's life and ideas will help you to interpret his autobiography.Finally, now that you have seen your midterm grades, you have a rough idea of how well you are meeting the objectives of this course. Whether you are doing well or need to improve, I encourage you to commit yourself to making the rest of this course a success. The following tips may help:
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October 16-18, 2000Reading AssignmentsWriting Assignment
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PortfoliosAfter evaluating your online portfolios and quizzing you in one-on-one conferences, I have calculated your midterm grades, which you probably will receive in the mail soon. A few of you did extremely well. That is, in addition to posting clear and insightful essays on your portfolios, you gave intelligent, detailed responses to my questions in the conferences. Congratulations!As you know from reading the syllabus, you midterm grade does not affect your final grade. Rather, it merely gives you an idea of how well you are doing. If you earned an A, you are doing well; keep up the good work! If your midterm grade does not reflect your potential, I encourage you to use the remaining weeks in the semester to get on track. You can start this week by doing the following:
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October 23-27, 2000Reading AssignmentsWriting Assignment
Optional Session
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Enlightenment: NovelThis week, as we continue our unit on the Enlightenment, we turn to a literary form known as the novel. Although the novel emerged way back in that period, it remains popular today. As you read Oroonoko, make a list of its characteristics and try to determine which of these characteristics make it a novel--as opposed to, say, a tragedy such as Hamlet or a nonfiction narrative such as Benjamin Franklin's autobiography. If you have read other novels, such as romance novels or historical novels, consider what these works and Oroonoko have in common. How are they different? |
October 30-November 3, 2000Reading Assignments
Writing Assignment
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Romanticism: Short StoryThis week, we begin a new unit: Romanticism. As always, you should read the study guide before you begin reading the assignments. In addition, you should read my study guide on Edgar Allan Poe and become familiar with the author of the two stories I have assigned this week. As we enter a new literary period, we also will take a look at a new genre: the short story. Like the novel, which you explored last week, the short story is a relative newcomer to the literary scene and is one of the most popular forms in American literature today. As read two of America's most famous short stories by perhaps its most famous short-story writer, pay attention to the form of this genre. What makes it different from a novel, an autobiography, or tragic drama?As you see in the box on the right, I have assigned several more essays this week. Please remember to send a message to the listserv when you have posted your essay.
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November 6-10, 2000Reading Assignments
Writing Assignment
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Romanticism: Slave NarrativeAlthough slave narratives appeared during the romantic period, they do not show the same conventions that we see in, say, Edgar Allan Poe's short stories. In fact, rather than being imaginative and escapist, slave narratives are realistic, even brutally so. As you read Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, which Harriet Jacobs published under the name of Linda Brent, pay attention to how the author has used mere words to capture the life of a slave.Only a few weeks remain in the semester. Because I have several dozen portfolios to evaluate in my various classes, I ask that you post your final portfolio no later than 8 a.m. Monday, November 27, 2000. Beginning on that day, I will read or re-read all of the work you have done this semester, meet with each of you for about 30 minutes to discuss your work and to ask you questions, and assign final grades. You have just about two weeks, then, to complete your various writing assignments and to prepare for your individual portfolio presentation. I urge you to make the best use of this time so that you can earn a grade that reflects your potential. |
November 13-17, 2000Reading Assignments
Writing Assignment
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Modern Era: PoetryThis week, we turn to modern poetry. Like the fiction and drama of this period, modern poetry shows a great deal of innovation. In addition to noting innovative characteristics, particularly the use of free verse, try to tease the meaning out of this poetry by considering the feelings and themes it evokes through the use of imagery, symbolism, alliteration, rhyme, and other formal elements. You may also want to get started on your last assignment, the novel Faces in the Moon.Please note that I have made the remaining writing assignments. By now, each you should have been assigned one annotation, one explication, and two essays. Please review the syllabus to see which other components you must post on your portfolio and to see the criteria I will use in evaluating them. As you know, you must post the final version of this portfolio on the Web no later than 8 a.m. next Monday, November 27, 2000. By now, most you have received my evaluations, which I hope you will use to revise your portfolios before posting them for the final time. I will finish evaluating all of the portfolios by this Monday, November 20. If you have not received an evaluation from me by that day, please let me know. Finally, I ask that each of you take a few minutes now
to schedule a final portfolio presentation for the week of November 27.
The schedule of available times appears in next week's
annoucements below. To sign up, choose a time and e-mail me.
As I hear from each of you, I will update this schedule to show which times
are still available. If you have a very good reason why you cannot
meet me this week or if an emergency prevents you from coming at the time
you selected, please let me know immediately. Otherwise, I will expect
each of you to arrive on time to your presentation. If you miss your
presentation for any reason other than an emergency, you will fail the
presentation portion of the portfolio and may fail the entire course.
During this presentation, as I have explained on the syllabus, you will
talk about your portfolio, reflect on what you have learned in the course,
and answer questions I will ask you about the literary concepts, terms,
periods, and works we have covered this semester. To prepare, review
the study guides, the assigned readings, and your notes, as well as all
of the essays, explications, and annotations that you, your classmates,
and I have posted. I also suggest that you practice talking about
the material we have covered. You might have a friend ask you random
questions from the study guides. Practice summarizing your interpretation
in a few sentences and then citing examples that support this interpretation.
During the presentation, I will allow you to refer to your online portfolio,
but not your books or written notes.
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November 20-24, 2000Reading AssignmentsWriting Assignments
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Modern Era: NovelWe complete our tour of literature with a look at a modern novel, Faces in the Moon. As you read, note the ways it resembles earlier works we have read, as well as the ways it differs from these works. Make sure that you finish this novel before your portfolio presentation so that you will be prepared to answer questions about it. I have added study questions on it to the study guide for the modern era.If you have not yet signed up for a time to give your portfolio presentation, please do so immediately. The schedule appears in the box at the right. In previous announcements, as well as the syllabus, I have given you several suggestions for ways to prepare for this presentation. Please review these suggestions carefully. I also have sent each of you a portfolio evaluation, in which I have made detailed suggestions for improving your portfolio. I sincerely hope that you will consider these suggestions seriously and use them to turn in the best portfolio possible. In most cases, you can improve your portfolio by one, two, or even more letter grades by taking my advice. Finally, one of the best things you can do as you strive to improve your portfolio and prepare for your final presentation is to read your classmates' portfolios, as well as the one I have posted. In addition to learning more about the works we have read, you will see a few good models of literary interpreation and clear writing. I especially hope that you will read the introductory essay I have written for my portfolio. In it, I have tried to review most of the material we have covered this semester. |
November 27-December 1, 2000Reading Assignments
ScheduleMonday8 a.m.: 10 a.m.: 11 a.m.: 2 p.m.: Jessica Guy 3 p.m.: Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
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Updated November 28, 2000 | University
of North Carolina at Pembroke
© Mark
Canada, 2000 | mark.canada@uncp.edu