Week 1

Jan. 8

2: Literature and Its Meanings

Reading

• Lewis Carroll, "Jabberwocky," Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871)
• Martin Gardner, "Jabberwocky" Notes, The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition (2000)

Reading

• John Milton, Sonnet 19 ("When I consider how my light is spent"; c. 1652; study guide)
• King James Bible (1611)
• Matthew 25:14–30 (The Parable of the Talents)
• Matthew 20:1–14 (The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard)
• Gavin Alexander, "Why Milton Matters," University of Cambridge (2008)
• Sophie Read, "John Milton 1608–74," University of Cambridge (2008)
• John Milton, "On Shakespeare" (1630)
• John Rogers, "Credible Employment," Yale University (2007 lecture; video clip, 50:00 min., with downloadable audio, video, transcript and handout)

Reading

• Peter Cook and Kenny Lerner, "Need" (2008)
• "What Is ASL Poetry?," Deaf Jam
• "ASL Poetry—Deaf Gain," Deaf Gain (2010; video clip, 5:28 min.)
• "ASL Poetry," Sorenson VRS (2014; video clip, 0:58 min.)
  

No class (Intervarsity Games: January 22–26, 2018)

No class (Intervarsity Games: January 22–26, 2018)

Expanding English

5: Challenging Boundaries
Reading

• Carol Ann Duffy, "Anne Hathaway," The World's Wife (1999; study guide)

6: Shakespeare and His Legacy
Reading

• William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice (c. 1596) excerpts
• Katharine Eisaman Maus, "The Merchant of Venice," The Norton Shakespeare (2016)
  

• The Merchant of Venice, directed by Polly Findlay, Royal Shakespeare Company (2015 production, video clip, 2 hr. 8:33 min.; at Learning Commons)
• The Merchant of Venice, directed by Michael Radford (2004 film, video clip, 2 hr. 11:43 min.; at Learning Commons)
• The Merchant of Venice, directed by Trevor Nunn (2004 production; DVD at Learning Commons)

7: Convention and Individuality I

Reading

• John Donne, "The Flea" (1633)
• Aviva Dautch, "A Close Reading of 'The Flea,'" British Library (2017)
• Michael Donkor, "John Donne and Metaphysical Poetry," British Library (2017)
  

8: Convention and Individuality II

Reading

• William Blake, "A Poison Tree," Songs of Experience (1794)
• "A Poison Tree by William Blake," BBC (overview, themes, interpretations; form, structure, and language; comparison, context)
• "A Poison Tree," The William Blake Archive (plate of the poem)
  

*Reading Response 1 (Prompt: For a poem with the initial title “Christian Forbearance,” “A Poison Tree” teems with verbs and fervent action. Likewise contrastingly, the illustration depicts significantly barren branches for a tree that is so encouraged to grow and bear fruit. Are these discrepancies? Explain.)

9: Necessity and Creation

Reading

• Dylan Thomas, "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," Botteghe Oscure (1951)
• Amanda French, "Introduction,'" Refrain, Again: The Return of the Villanelle (2004)
• Dylan Thomas, "Poem on His Birthday," The Collected Poems of Dylan Thomas (2014)
  
• Villanelle
• "Villanelle: Poetic Form," Academy of American Poets
• Mandy Michno and Matt Jolly, "Villanelle," Forms of Verse (2000)
  

10: New and Old

Reading

• Petina Gappah, The Book of Memory (2015; study guide)
  

*Reading Response 2 (Prompt: Choose an issue of necessity in Gappah’s The Book of Memory. Explain how this limitation can still allow for possibilities and creation.)

12:

Reading

• Petina Gappah, The Book of Memory (2015; study guide)

13:

Reading

• Petina Gappah, The Book of Memory (2015; study guide)

Practice Writing: Test practice prompts

Test 1 (Midterm week: March 5–9, 2018)

(1 hour for writing, 15 minutes for thought and planning)  Test 1 gives you two prompts, from which you will choose one to develop a response to in a well-organized and well-supported essay.

• Test prompt 
  
• Discussion

Test 2 (Midterm week: March 5–9, 2018)

(1 hour for writing, 15 minutes for thought and planning)  Test 2 requires you to write an essay in response to a prompt on The Book of Memory.

• Test prompt
  
• Discussion
  

Inventions American

14: The Literary Process
Reading

• Walt Whitman, "I Hear America Singing," Leaves of Grass (1860, 1881)
• The Walt Whitman Archive (published works, life and letters, pictures and sound, etc.)
  
• Ed Folsom, "Whitman Making Books/Books Making Whitman: A Catalog and Commentary"
  
• Walt Whitman, "America Needs Her Own Poems" (early 1860s)
  
• Ed Folsom and Kenneth Price, "Walt Whitman"
  
• "On 'I Hear America Singing,'" Modern American Poetry

15: Editing: Structure and Details

Reading

• Emily Dickinson, "Because I could not stop for Death—" (1863, 1890; study guide)
• Donna Campbell, "Common Questions on Emily Dickinson," Washington State University (2015)
• "On 712 ("Because I could not stop for Death")," Modern American Poetry
• George Lakoff and Mark Turner, "Life, Death, and Time," More than Cool Reason: A Field Guide to Poetic Metaphor (1989)
• The Norton Anthology of American Literature, edited by Nina Baym et al.
• "1820–1865 Introduction Overview" (an American Renaissance?, American literary nationalism, the literary marketplace in an expanding nation, the small and large world of American writers)
• "American Literature 1820–1865 Timeline"
• "Emily Dickinson, 'Because I could not stop for Death—,'" Literary Workshop (before you read, reading, re-reading, writing, images/media, biography)

16: The Literary Marketplace

Reading

• Edgar Allan Poe, "The Tell-Tale Heart," Pioneer 1.1 (1843; study guide)

Discussion: the rise of print publication and consumption; the nineteenth-century tension between art and science; literature as art and as commodity

17: Pushing Boundaries

Reading

• Charles Baxter, "Stillness," Burning Down the House: Essays on Fiction (2008) excerpt
• Philip Roth, "Defender of the Faith," Goodbye, Columbus (1959; study guide)
  

Discussion: characteristics of narrative; conventions of the short story form; narrative and plot

Writing: Possibilities of Stillness: While there are several confrontations at Nathan Marx’s “new front” in Philip Roth’s “Defender of the Faith,” are there also moments of what Charles Baxter calls stillness, which he says “is simply one of the hardest psychic conditions to get on paper” (183)? Has Roth managed to make possible a feature that is usually a limitation in fiction? Focus on a nonactive moment in Roth’s story and explain its power. Post your stillness examination as a reply to the blog post on Roundtable Conversation.

18: Variations on a Theme

Reading

• Philip Roth, "Defender of the Faith," Goodbye, Columbus (1959; study guide)
• Denial, directed by Mick Jackson (2016 film; video at Learning Commons)
  

19: Literature and Histories

Reading

• Philip Roth, "Defender of the Faith," Goodbye, Columbus (1959; study guide)
• The Dome, Foreign Correspondent, ABC (2017 documentary; video clip, 41:34 min., with transcript)
  

20: Form and Content

Reading

• Gwendolyn Brooks, "We Real Cool" (1960; with audio of Brooks reading; study guide)
• Detroit, directed by Kathryn Bigelow (2017 film; video at Learning Commons)
  

21: Structure and Details

Reading

• David Ives, The Philadelphia, All in the Timing: Fourteen Plays (1995; study guide)

Discussion: roles of theatrical elements

Skit: Philadelphia Big and Small: What is the role of secondary or minor characters? How do props and small details contribute to the play as a whole? Six pairs of students will play Al and Mark in a different part of the play, with the waitress guest starred by another classmate that you invite to join your scene and explore the necessary functions of the less obvious. Each part of the play shows a break and a continuity in an unfolding mental and physical drama where all elements big and small, spoken and unspoken, loud and soft contribute to a memorable experience. Plan with your partner and guest actor how a major part can enhanced or made more effective by a minor one, how a central action can gain more complex meanings by background action, how things said can have added dimension and nuance with accompanying or counterpoint nonverbal language. Look for ways to explore and make the most use of the medium of live performance with its immediacy and interactiveness. Here are the parts:

• Al 1, Mark 1: Beginning of the play (p. 69) to "Wow..." (p. 71) [Kittichon and Prakorn]
  
• Al 2, Mark 2: "And that's the kind of weird thing" (p. 72) to "you're only gonna get hurt, babe" (top of p. 73) [Nitchakarn and Praemook]
  
• Al 3, Mark 3: "So what do I do?" (top of p. 73) to "Do you want...a Bud?" (p. 75) [Temboon and Narumol]
  
• Al 4, Mark 4: "No. I don't want a Bud." (p. 75) to "Oh we don't have that, sir." (p. 76) [Siriwisa and Phattaraporn]
• Al 5, Mark 5: "Got any ale?" (p. 76) to "They're practically the same." (top of p. 78) [Niramit and Pichayapa]
• Al 6, Mark 6: "Okay. Here's your Bud." (p. 78) to end of the play [Praifon and Raksina]
  

Creative Writing: The Bangkok: If a Philadelphia is where "you can't get what you ask for" (74), and a Cleveland is "like death, without the advantages" (79), what is a Bangkok like? Write a two-minute play that explores the metaphysicalities of this, our City of Angels. What is the experience of being in a Bangkok, and how might one thrive there? Post your creation as a reply to the blog post on Roundtable Conversation.

Quiz (30 minutes)

22: Glocality

Reading

• Rattawut Lapcharoensap, "Priscilla the Cambodian," Sightseeing (2005; study guide)
• "Rattawut Lapcharoensap," Whiting Awards (2010)
• "Cambodia: The Power of Memory," Our World, BBC (2017; 23:22 min., video at Learning Commons)
  

24:

Reading

• Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman (1949) act 1
• Gerald Weales, "Introduction" (1966)
  

Discussion:

25: Words and Performance

Reading

• Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman (1949) beginning of act 2–p. 105
• Arthur Miller, "Tragedy and the Common Man," The New York Times (1949)
• Arthur Miller, "The American Theater" (1955)
  

Discussion:

26:

Reading:

• Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman (1949) act 2 p. 106–end (p. 139)
• Arthur Miller, "Introduction to Collected Plays" (1957)
• "Morality and Modern Drama: Interview with Phillip Gelb" (1958)
• Jo Mielziner, "Designing a Play: Death of a Salesman" (1965)
  

Discussion:

27: Literary Forum

• If you are planning to use PowerPoint, make sure it is compatible with Microsoft PowerPoint 2007. Also embed or include files of any nonstandard fonts that are in your presentation.
• Let me know of any other audiovisual needs by 4 p.m. Friday, April 27, 2018.
• 5-minute individual presentation (15 minutes per panel) followed by
• 10-minute question and answer session
• Guidelines (includes topic suggestions, review checklist, and final paper and presentation guidelines)

Tentative Schedule

1. Learning against the Odds
11:00–11:25 a.m.
Presiding: Kittichon Khoatkham
Speakers:
1. “The Only Thing I Ever Learned about Capitalism Is…,” Pimchanok Tuntiyut
2. “Knowledge and Learning in ‘Priscilla the Cambodian,’” Prakorn Lorsiriwong
3. “Facing Racial Discrimination in Petina Gappa’s The Book of Memory and in Rattawut Lapcharoensap’s ‘Priscilla the Cambodian,’” Patthamol Jewjinda
4. “The Role of English in Shaping and Overcoming Local Identity in ‘Priscilla the Cambodian’ and in The Book of Memory,” Narumol Choochan
Respondents:
1. Nitchakarn Chantarapratin
2. Phattaraporn Jhiarakupt
3. Sorawee Pitipongpakdee
4. Raksina Sitthikongsak

2. Kinds of Knowledge
11:30–11:55 a.m.
Presiding: Siriwisa Wongbubpa
Speakers:
1. “How Nathan Marx Acquires Knowledge about Sheldon Grossbart’s True Nature,” Preeyanun Thamrongthanakij
2. “Religion, ‘The Flea,’ and ‘Defender of the Faith,’” Praifon Srirak
3. “What It Means to Know in ‘Priscilla the Cambodian’ and The Philadelphia,” Pichayapa Pettes

4. “Two Different Ways of Learning in ‘Priscilla the Cambodian’ and ‘Defender of the Faith’: Learning as an Insider and as an Outsider” Manutsawee Hormthip
Respondents:
1. Praemook Bunbuathong
2. Patthamol Jewjinda
3. Narumol Choochan
4. Surachai Rukniwed

28: Literary Forum

7:30–9:25 a.m.
Theme potluck breakfast hosted by section 1. On the menu: cheesesteak.

Tentative Presentation Schedule

3. Seeing the Unobvious
7:30–7:55 a.m.
Presiding: Praifon Srirak
Speakers:
1. “Weapons in “Defender of the Faith” and Death of a Salesman,” Raksina Sitthikongsak
2. “How ‘Jobs’ Shape Characters’ Identities in Death of a Salesman,” Sasina Tangphitthayawet
3. “The Flea: Sexual Values in the Seventeenth Century Context,” Temboon Pasook
Respondents:
1. Prakorn Lorsiriwong
2. Pawin-on Inmuenwai
3. Paranee Prapapornpipat
 

4. Faces of Time
8:00–8:25 a.m.
Presiding: Raksina Sitthikongsak
Speakers:
1. “Time Shift in Death of a Salesman: A Representation of William Loman’s Mind,” Sorawee Pitipongpakdee
2. “Time and Timing in Death of a Salesman,” Surachai Rukniwed
3. “The Passing of Time in ‘Because I could not stop for Death —,’” Nitchakarn Chantarapratin
Respondents:
1. Sasina Tangphitthayawet
2. Preeyanun Thamrongthanakij
3. Niramit Praditvong

5. Forms of Speaking
8:30–8:55 a.m.
Presiding: Surachai Rukniwed
Speakers:
1. “Carol Ann Duffy’s ‘Anne Hathaway,’” Paranee Prapapornpipat
2. “Forms and Media Comparison of Blake’s ‘A Poison Tree’ and Poe’s ‘A Tell-Tale Heart,’” Siriwisa Wongbubpa
3. “Attitudes toward Death in ‘Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night’ and ‘Because I could not stop for Death—,’” Phattaraporn Jhiarakupt
Respondents:

1. Praifon Srirak
2. Kittichon Khoatkham
3. Temboon Pasook

6. Sounds of Texts
9:00–9:25 a.m.
Presiding: Preeyanun Thamrongthanakij
Speakers:
1. “Musicality in ‘Jabberwocky,’” Kittichon Khoatkham
2. “Music through Characters in The Book of Memory,” Pawin-on Inmuenwai
3. “Nursery Rhymes,” Praemook Bunbuathong
4. “The Sound of Silence,” Niramit Praditvong
Respondents:
1. Manutsawee Hormthip
2. Siriwisa Wongbubpa
3. Pichayapa Pettes
4. Pimchanok Tuntiyut

Final Exam: (8:30–11:30 a.m.; BRK 403)
The exam includes three essay-type questions.

• Preparation
• Matt McCluskey, "How Should I Prepare for Tests and Final Exams?," St. Lawrence University
• "Writing Exam Essays," University of Victoria (1995)
• "Essay Exams," University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• "Essay Exam Preparation," Utah State University
• Review
  
• L. Kip Wheeler, "Literary Vocabulary," Carson-Newman University
• Analysis
• "Descriptive versus Critical/Analytical," University of Nottingham
  
• "Essay Terms Explained," University of Leicester
• "Analysis and Argument," University of Richmond
  
• "What Is Analysis?"
• "Writing Critically: Bloom's Taxonomy"
  
• Owen M. Williamson, "Advanced Power Tools for Opening Up a Text," University of Texas at El Paso
• Practice Questions
• Pick one of the following topics and show how at least two works listed in the box above engage with that idea or concept. How do the texts play with, question, or reinvent that idea? What about that concept do the works change, confirm or ignore?
• desire
• place
• action
• life
• work
• art
• Discuss the dynamics of dreams and reality in Death of a Salesman. How are dreams and reality presented in the play? In what ways do they elaborate, complicate and reveal more about Willy Loman and other characters?