Thur 8/24

• "Does Reading Fiction Make You a Better Person?" (Kaplan, Washington Post, July 22, 2016)

• Join the English Department Google Email Group! Majors/Minors: Send an email to 
  engdept-group+subscribe@sjsu.edu

• Discussion:
  • What is "literature"?
  • Is a Facebook/Snapchat/Twitter post some form of "literature"?
  • "Twihaiku..." (Cripps, The Independent, July 16, 2013)
  • What's your favorite piece of literature? Why?
  • What should you read next? (See "Literature Map")
• Discussion:
  • What's up with Canvas?
  • What are Dr. Harris' office hours?
  • What are our class policies?
  • What's really going on in this class? Read Shadow Syllabus (Sonja Huber)

Tue 8/29

Thur 8/31

Bring the Harmon Handbook today

Read through
How to Make Sense of a Poem

Intellectual Autobiography by 9am

Essay 1 - Peer Review #1 (in-class) -- extended to be completed by Friday, 5pm

Tue 9/5

Thur 9/7

Essay 1- Draft #2  by 9am

Peer Review #2 of Essay 1 by 5pm

Essay 1 - Synthesize Peer Review #2 by Friday 5pm

Tue 9/12

Thur 9/14

Discuss

• Writing Tips

Essay 1 - Final Draft by 9am

Essay 1 - What Changed? (in-class)

Letter to Your Peer Reviewer (in-class)

Tue 9/19

Discuss

• Essay 2 - Poetry Recitation & Explication
• Mike Rowe's version of "Ozymandias"
• How to Make Sense of a Poem

Read

• "Extended Inquiry: Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake" (WAL 726-734)
• "Introduction: Critical Thinking and the Writing Process" (WAL 1-11)
• "Understanding the Elements of Poetry" (WAL 258-270)
• Bring Harmon Handbook to class

Discussion
"London" taken apart (notes from discussion)

Weekly Reading Post #1

Choose Recitation Slot by Wednesday, 12pm

Thur 9/21

Read

• Cont. from Tuesday discussion on sound in poetry: "Understanding the Elements of Poetry" (WAL 265-270)
• "Interpreting Words, Symbols and Figures of Speech" (WAL 270-76)
• "My Last Duchess" (WAL 398)
• "Ode on a Grecian Urn" (WAL 845)
• How to Make Sense of a Poem

Discuss (in-class)

• "My Last Duchess" recitation by Poetry Foundation
• "Ode on a Grecian Urn" recitation by Poetry Foundation

Tue 9/26

Read

• "Lines Composed Above Tintern Abbey" (here)
• For Better for Verse - perform the scansion exercise on "The Balloon of the Mind"; read the instructions first -- be prepared to write a post about the scansion exercise in-class today.

Discussion

• "Tintern Abbey" a monotone recitation by Tim O'Bedlam
• Chance reciting an original poem (start at 6:54)

Weekly Reading Post #2

Post (in-class) on Scansion (complete/incomplete)

Thur 9/28

Read

• "Harlem" (WAL 605)
• "Sonnet 73" (WAL 278)
• "Sonnet 130" (WAL 273)
• "Evaluation and Critical Reading" (WAL 17-33)
• re-visit "Lines...."

Essay 2 Thesis Statement

Synthesize Peer Review of Thesis Statement due 5pm, Friday

Tue 10/3

Thur 10/5

Draft of Essay 2 by 9am

Peer Review of Essay 2 Draft due by 5pm

Synthesize Peer Review of First Draft due by 5pm, Friday

Tue 10/10

Thur 10/12

Read

• "Sure Thing" (WAL 289)
• "Analyzing and Writing About Literature" (WAL 34-44)
• "Understanding Dramatic Conventions" (WAL 283-87)

Watch (in-class)

• "Sure Thing" (video)

Tue 10/17

Read

• Importance of Being Earnest (Oscar Wilde)

Discuss
Essay 3 - Character Analysis Instructions

Weekly Reading Post #3

Thur 10/19

Work with peer review partner

Watch

• Importance of Being Earnest (Oscar Wilde)

  Video

Draft of Essay 3 due by 9am

Peer Review of Essay 3 due by 5pm

Essay 3 - Synthesize Peer Review of First Draft due by 10/22, 5pm

Essay 2 Final Draft Due Monday, 10/23, 5pm

Tue 10/24

Discuss

• Essay 2 Announcement
• performance vs. script of Importance of Being Earnest (Oscar Wilde)

• Video

Thur 10/26

Tue 10/31

Read

• "Understanding Plot and Point of View" (WAL 230-232)
• Bring Handbook  to class

Discuss
Hints for Reading Fiction

Thur 11/2

Writing Workshop

• Bring your Essay 3 to workshop with a partner (first 30 mins of class)
• Write out 3 goals for the workshop to focus your partner's peer review
• Harris will go from team to team to discuss their work on Essay 3
• At the conclusion of the workshop, at a class, we will decide when Essay 3 will be due

Weekly Reading Post #5

Essay 3 - bring final draft to class

Writing Workshop Reflection (c/nc)

Tue 11/7

Heart of Darkness

Begin discussion with Reading Discussion Post #5 on the novel's beginnings

Thur 11/9

Essay 2 - Revision due (optional) by Saturday, 5pm

Tue 11/14

Thur 11/16

Comparing your Writing - in-class post (c/in)

Essay 3 Final Draft due Sunday, 5pm

Tue 11/21

Essay 1 Revision due (required) by 5pm

Thur 11/23 - Thanksgiving

Tue 11/28

Getting Re-acquainted with Heart of Darkness

• "Understanding Plot and Point of View" (WAL 230-232)
  
• Hints for Reading Fiction
• Weekly Reading Post #5

Discuss

• Essay 5 - Essay Instructions
• Essay 5 - Presentation Instructions

Thur 11/30

Identifying your Topic (in-class - c/nc)

Tue 12/5

Peer Review Rubric for Essay 5

First Draft of Essay 5 - No Research

Self-Paced Research Tutorial (graded)

Thur 12/7

Read

• "Grounding Readings through Background Research" (WAL 94-95)
• "Formulating Research Questions" (WAL 107-126)
• Incorporating & Synthesizing Research (WAL 126-129)

Participation Self-Assessment (graded)

Creating a Research Question & What Research Do you need to perform? (in-class - c/nc)

FINAL ESSAY: Presentations on Research Essays

December 19, 7:30am-9:45am