storytelling syllabus

American Experiences through Stories and Storytelling

Syllabus

Assignments due on:

August W 21 • INTRODUCTION

F 23 • Emerson, "Self-Reliance" (On Reserve)
• Crevecour, "What is an American?" (On Reserve)
• SF required of everyone. TOPIC: Compare how E. & C. define the American experience. Do you think this is an accurate definition based on your experience?
• Course Pack: Please read and bring it to class

M 26 • As you read, annotate and make lists of the important or recurrent themes.
• Whitman, "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry"
• Whitman, "Song of Myself" Read the entire poem.
FOCUS ON sections 1-10

• Create a "Photo Collage" of one or a series of lines from "Song of Myself"that you find interesting and/or meaningful. Write a salient feature which explains Whitman's lines & your interpretation
• WATCH: UL Non-Print Reserve: Walt Whitman 65-V1774

W 28 • As you read, annotate and make lists of the important or recurrent themes or lines. Also, try to determine Whitman’s views of nature and the body.
• Whitman, "Song of Myself" (sections 11-25)
• Whitman, "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" & "The Dalliance of Eagles (300)
• Listen to excerpts from Leaves of Grass (UL Non-print Reserve Record 65-304, vol. 1&2).

F 30 • As you read, annotate and make lists of the important or recurrent themes or lines.
• Whitman, "Song of Myself" (sections 26-52)
• Browse through first edition of Leaves of Grass and Blue Book (Reserve). Compare to your copy. What do you notice?

September M 2 • Holiday, Labor Day
• Begin thinking about Anthology Assignment. See Course Pack for description.

W 4 • As you read, annotate and make lists of the important or recurrent themes or lines. What is Whitman’s view of war? What is the tone of his later poems compared to the tone in "Song of Myself?" War "Beat! Beat! Drums!" (308)
"Vigil Strange I Kept . . . " (328)
"A March in the Ranks. . . " (330)
"A Sight in Camp. . . " (331)
"The Wound Dresser" (333) Later poems "Long, too Long America" (336)
"Reconciliation" (345)
"So Long!" (511). • Re-read "Song of Myself." What do you notice this time that you missed the first time?

F 6 • Hughes & the African-American experience Poems pp. 3-14, 268, 275, 285 and 290 • Browse: "Children of Promise" (Reserve)
• Read 2 reviews from Langston Hughes, ed. Gates and Appia (Reserve). How was Hughes' work received?
• WATCH: UL Non-Print Reserve: "Langston Hughes" 65-V1773
• Listen: I strongly urge you to listen to Hughes reading his works. UL Non-Print Reserve.

M 9 • Hughes & the African-American experience, continued Poems pp. 130, 131, 133-135, 158, 160, 162-163, and 168-171 • Dramatic Presentation
• Listen (continue): UL Non-Print Reserve.

W 11 • Hughes’ Female Characters Poems pp. 118, 132, 139, 172, 187, 201-217, 288. • Dramatic Presentation
• Report: R. Miller, "No Crystal Stair: Unity, Archetype, and Symbol in Hughes's Poems on Women" (93-102). In Harold Bloom book (Reserve).
• Listen (continue): UL Non-Print Reserve.

F 13 • Hughes and the Blues Poems pp. 33, 38, 143, and 150 • Read Campbell and Handy. "The Blues" (Reserve)
• Dramatic Presentation
• Listen (continue): UL Non-Print Reserve.

M 16 • Paper Workshop 1: Bring in a typed 2nd or 3rd draft.
• Read: Meyer and Writing Guidelines in course pack.
• Review: "Course Requirements" in Course Description

W 18 • Twain, "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" (Reserve)
• Twain, Selections from Huck Finn (Reserve)

F 20 • Twain, Pudde'nhead Wilson (1894) Chapters 1-13

M 23 • DUE:Anthology Project
• Twain, Pudde'nhead Wilson Chapters 14-end

W 25 • Twain, Pudde'nhead Wilson
• WATCH (optional): UL Non-Print Reserve: Pudd'nhead Wilson 65-V605
• Review course description. How are you doing? What can you do to improve?

F 27 • Read: Excerpts from Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in Life of a Slave Girl (Reserve))
• Read: "Profiles of Negro Womenhood" (Reserve)
• Report: TBA (slave narratives)

M 30 • Morrison, Beloved (1987) Part 1
• WATCH: UL Non-Print Reserve: "Toni Morrison" 65-V3786

October W 2 • Morrison, Beloved Part 2

F 4 • Morrison, Beloved Part 3

M 7 • Morrison, Beloved

W 9 • Morrison, Beloved

F 11 • WATCH: UL Non-print Reserve: The Age of Innocence 65v-4590
• Wharton, The House of Mirth (1905), Book I, Chapters 1-7

M 14 • Wharton, The House of Mirth, Book I, Chapters 8-15

W 16 • MID-TERM (will include first part of The House of Mirth,)
• Read: Meyer on exams and "exam guidelines in course pack.
• Fall break begins at 5 P.M.

F 18 • Fall break

M 21 • Wharton, The House of Mirth, Book 2, Chapters 1-7

W 23 • Wharton, The House of Mirth, Book 2, Chapters 8-10

F 25 • Wharton, The House of Mirth, Book 2, 11-end
• Wharton, "Roman Fever" (Reserve)

M 28 • Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)

W 30 • Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God

November F 1 • Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God,

M 4 • Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God,

W 6 • Faulkner, "A Rose for Emily"
• Faulkner, "Barn Burning"
• Read: Morris, "Faulkner's Mississippi" (Reserve)
• WATCH (optional): UL Non-Print, V-4078 & V-4135
• LISTEN: (strongly recommend), Faulkner reading his own works. UL Non-Print, Record: 65-192

F 8 • Cather, My Antonia ( )
• Bryant, "The Prairies" (on Reserve in a folder)

M 11 • Cather, My Antonia

W 13 • Cather, My Antonia

F 15 • Tan, The Joy Luck ClubWATCH THE MOVIE

M 18 • Tan, The Joy Luck ClubCLASS DISCUSSION
• ALL students must submit a SF on the movie.
• WATCH (optional): Kingston, "Talking Story" (Non-Print reserve: 65-v3232)

W 20 • Paper Workshop 2: Bring in a typed 2nd or 3rd draft.
• Review Course Pack sections on writing papers
• Review Course Description

F 22 • Erdrich, Tracks (1988) pp. 1-61
• WATCH: Disney’s Pocahontas (Reserve)

M 25 • Erdrich, Tracks pp. 62-164

W 27 • Erdrich, Tracks pp. 165-end
• PAPERS DUE
• THANKSGIVING BREAK begins at 1 P.M.

F 29 • THANKSGIVING BREAK

December M 2 • Erdrich, Tracks concluding comments

W 4 • Paper Presentations
• Read Meyer and Exam Guidelines in course pack
• Due, Your American Tale
• Evaluations

August	W	21	• INTRODUCTION
	F	23	• Emerson, "Self-Reliance" (On Reserve) • Crevecour, "What is an American?" (On Reserve) • SF required of everyone. TOPIC: Compare how E. & C. define the American experience. Do you think this is an accurate definition based on your experience? • Course Pack: Please read and bring it to class
	M	26	• As you read, annotate and make lists of the important or recurrent themes. • Whitman, "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" • Whitman, "Song of Myself" Read the entire poem. FOCUS ON sections 1-10
			• Create a "Photo Collage" of one or a series of lines from "Song of Myself"that you find interesting and/or meaningful. Write a salient feature which explains Whitman's lines & your interpretation • WATCH: UL Non-Print Reserve: Walt Whitman 65-V1774
	W	28	• As you read, annotate and make lists of the important or recurrent themes or lines. Also, try to determine Whitman’s views of nature and the body. • Whitman, "Song of Myself" (sections 11-25) • Whitman, "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer" & "The Dalliance of Eagles (300) • Listen to excerpts from Leaves of Grass (UL Non-print Reserve Record 65-304, vol. 1&2).
	F	30	• As you read, annotate and make lists of the important or recurrent themes or lines. • Whitman, "Song of Myself" (sections 26-52) • Browse through first edition of Leaves of Grass and Blue Book (Reserve). Compare to your copy. What do you notice?
September	M	2	• Holiday, Labor Day • Begin thinking about Anthology Assignment. See Course Pack for description.
	W	4	• As you read, annotate and make lists of the important or recurrent themes or lines. What is Whitman’s view of war? What is the tone of his later poems compared to the tone in "Song of Myself?" War "Beat! Beat! Drums!" (308) "Vigil Strange I Kept . . . " (328) "A March in the Ranks. . . " (330) "A Sight in Camp. . . " (331) "The Wound Dresser" (333) Later poems "Long, too Long America" (336) "Reconciliation" (345) "So Long!" (511). • Re-read "Song of Myself." What do you notice this time that you missed the first time?

	F	6	• Hughes & the African-American experience Poems pp. 3-14, 268, 275, 285 and 290 • Browse: "Children of Promise" (Reserve) • Read 2 reviews from Langston Hughes, ed. Gates and Appia (Reserve). How was Hughes' work received? • WATCH: UL Non-Print Reserve: "Langston Hughes" 65-V1773 • Listen: I strongly urge you to listen to Hughes reading his works. UL Non-Print Reserve.
	M	9	• Hughes & the African-American experience, continued Poems pp. 130, 131, 133-135, 158, 160, 162-163, and 168-171 • Dramatic Presentation • Listen (continue): UL Non-Print Reserve.
	W	11	• Hughes’ Female Characters Poems pp. 118, 132, 139, 172, 187, 201-217, 288. • Dramatic Presentation • Report: R. Miller, "No Crystal Stair: Unity, Archetype, and Symbol in Hughes's Poems on Women" (93-102). In Harold Bloom book (Reserve). • Listen (continue): UL Non-Print Reserve.
	F	13	• Hughes and the Blues Poems pp. 33, 38, 143, and 150 • Read Campbell and Handy. "The Blues" (Reserve) • Dramatic Presentation • Listen (continue): UL Non-Print Reserve.
	M	16	• Paper Workshop 1: Bring in a typed 2nd or 3rd draft. • Read: Meyer and Writing Guidelines in course pack. • Review: "Course Requirements" in Course Description
	W	18	• Twain, "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" (Reserve) • Twain, Selections from Huck Finn (Reserve)
	F	20	• Twain, Pudde'nhead Wilson (1894) Chapters 1-13
	M	23	• DUE:Anthology Project • Twain, Pudde'nhead Wilson Chapters 14-end
	W	25	• Twain, Pudde'nhead Wilson • WATCH (optional): UL Non-Print Reserve: Pudd'nhead Wilson 65-V605 • Review course description. How are you doing? What can you do to improve?
	F	27	• Read: Excerpts from Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in Life of a Slave Girl (Reserve)) • Read: "Profiles of Negro Womenhood" (Reserve) • Report: TBA (slave narratives)
	M	30	• Morrison, Beloved (1987) Part 1 • WATCH: UL Non-Print Reserve: "Toni Morrison" 65-V3786
October	W	2	• Morrison, Beloved Part 2
	F	4	• Morrison, Beloved Part 3
	M	7	• Morrison, Beloved
	W	9	• Morrison, Beloved
	F	11	*• WATCH: UL Non-print Reserve: The Age of Innocence* 65v-4590 • Wharton, The House of Mirth (1905), Book I, Chapters 1-7**
	M	14	• Wharton, The House of Mirth, Book I, Chapters 8-15
	W	16	• MID-TERM (will include first part of The House of Mirth,) • Read: Meyer on exams and "exam guidelines in course pack. • Fall break begins at 5 P.M.
	F	18	• Fall break
	M	21	• Wharton, The House of Mirth, Book 2, Chapters 1-7
	W	23	• Wharton, The House of Mirth, Book 2, Chapters 8-10
	F	25	• Wharton, The House of Mirth, Book 2, 11-end • Wharton, "Roman Fever" (Reserve)
	M	28	• Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)
	W	30	• Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God
November	F	1	• Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God,
	M	4	• Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God,
	W	6	• Faulkner, "A Rose for Emily" • Faulkner, "Barn Burning" • Read: Morris, "Faulkner's Mississippi" (Reserve) • WATCH (optional): UL Non-Print, V-4078 & V-4135 • LISTEN: (strongly recommend), Faulkner reading his own works. UL Non-Print, Record: 65-192
	F	8	• Cather, My Antonia ( ) • Bryant, "The Prairies" (on Reserve in a folder)
	M	11	• Cather, My Antonia
	W	13	• Cather, My Antonia
	F	15	• Tan, The Joy Luck ClubWATCH THE MOVIE
	M	18	• Tan, The Joy Luck ClubCLASS DISCUSSION • ALL students must submit a SF on the movie. • WATCH (optional): Kingston, "Talking Story" (Non-Print reserve: 65-v3232)
	W	20	• Paper Workshop 2: Bring in a typed 2nd or 3rd draft. • Review Course Pack sections on writing papers • Review Course Description
	F	22	• Erdrich, Tracks (1988) pp. 1-61 • WATCH: Disney’s Pocahontas (Reserve)
	M	25	• Erdrich, Tracks pp. 62-164
	W	27	• Erdrich, Tracks pp. 165-end • PAPERS DUE • THANKSGIVING BREAK begins at 1 P.M.
	F	29	• THANKSGIVING BREAK
December	M	2	• Erdrich, Tracks concluding comments
	W	4	• Paper Presentations • Read Meyer and Exam Guidelines in course pack • Due, Your American Tale • Evaluations