Syllabus, week of November 19
WE ARE MORE THAN HALF-WAY done with Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible. This week we will take a short breather from the play to explore the Puritans most famous non-Puritan American holiday: Thanksgiving. We will examine some iconic images of Thanksgiving, and debunk the mythos that surround this early-modern European agrarian holiday mixed with Puritan’s day of thankful prayer mixed with New England’s refusal to give up the cherished Christmas foods the Puritans had banned as pagan and un-Godly.
MONDAY
Examining another iconic “historic” painting: the first Thanksgiving. We will also read a snippet from Mark Twain’s autobiography, his view of Thanksgiving. Finally, we will watch part of a documentary on the Puritans and the holiday.
HW: Revision of nature/wilderness paper is due tomorrow, on Tuesday.
TUESDAY
Examining several additional iconic images of the Puritan holiday, and finishing the short documentary.
HW: No homework. We return to The Crucible on Monday.
WEDNESDAY
No homework for Thanksgiving Break.
HW: No homework.
THURSDAY
No homework for Thanksgiving Break.
HW: No homework.
FRIDAY
No homework for Thanksgiving Break.
HW: No homework.
The Pilgrims and Thanksgiving
The above links to the A&E documentary, “The History of Thanksgiving”
Syllabus, week of November 12
AS WE DISCUSS YOUR NATURE/WILDERNESS ESSAYS, keep notes on what writers are working on to correct. After reading your introduction and selected body paragraph, scholars will comment on a) what the writer has done well, and b) what the writer needs to accomplish in a revision. This advice needs to be specific and direct. Thus, everyone should keep some notes on the issues I want addressed in the revisions. Our goal is NOT to make comprehensive editorial changes via this process. Rather, we want writers to zero-in on key issues, and have clear steps to take to correct weaknesses in the essays.
MONDAY
Reading of introduction and selected body paragraph from the nature/wilderness papers, and providing direct feedback about stylistic issues.
HW: Re-vising essays. A revision will be due on Tuesday.
TUESDAY
Continuation of essay revision.
HW: Revise essays.
WEDNESDAY
Continuing the discussion of essays.
HW: Read the first ten pages of “The Wordy Shipmates,” by Sara Vowell.
THURSDAY
Finishing essay presentations. Once completed, students will continue reading the Sara Vowell.
HW: Finishing the SV essay.
FRIDAY
Sentence analysis of Vowell’s essay and discussion on “modern American” puritans.
HW: Revise your essays! Due Tuesday
Syllabus, week of October 30
ARTHUR MILLER ASKS “WHERE authority aught to begin, and where it aught to end, where man aught to begin and where he aught to end.” He says that his plays examine the interplay between authority and an individual’s freedoms. This week we will explore the historic background to his writing of The Crucible, 1950s McCarthyism, HUAC and the Red Scare.
MONDAY
Reading of introduction and selected body paragraph from the nature/wilderness papers, and providing direct feedback about stylistic issues. After reading a couple, we will begin the documentary, “None Without Sin.” Students will want to keep notes on how Miller’s and Kazan’s relationship contributes to the themes of the play, as well as how Miller’s life influences the characters in the play.
HW: Reading the first eight pages of the introduction in our text.
TUESDAY
Continuation of the documentary.
HW: Read the next eight pages of the introduction.
WEDNESDAY
Continuing the documentary.
HW: Finish the introduction.
THURSDAY
After finishing the documentary, I will lecture briefly on the Donald Trumbo quote that provides this documentary with the title. How are both the Salem witch trials and the 1950s HUAC investigations an historical even that produces neither heroes or villans, saints or devils, but victims of all touched by the experience?
HW: Read the first article in the Puritan packet, “Still Puritan After All These Years.”
FRIDAY
Before returning to feedback on the nature / wilderness essays, we are going to look more closely at the Puritan documents in our reading packet, finishing our reading of the “Still Puritan After All These Years,” article, and reading the selection from Winthrop’s “A Model of Christian Charity.”
HW: Read pages 11-23 of “Colonial Period” in American Legend, annotating for the question, “ What did the Puritans believe?” Remember to circle words and write your own questions as well…
Syllabus, week of October 22
THE NEW WORLD THE PURITANS “inherit” from the Wampanoag was a mysterious and dangerous one, and in the Mayflower Compact, we see the Pilgrim’s desire for conformity. A threat against one was a significant danger to all. For Arthur Miller in 1940s America, this is not the case. This, then, is the essential tension within the play : which is more important: that you stay true to national ideals, or an individual’s right to express freely his disagreement with those ideals? What should we do when the public’s desire for truth comes into conflict with our need for certainty in a morally ambiguous world?
MONDAY
Small group reading of nature/wilderness essays.
HW: First revision of your essay is due this Wednesday. Bring a hard copy, printed single-sided, double spaces, with an appropriate tittle and your name, the course name and instructor, and the date as a heading. Did you miss Friday’s documentary? You can watch that here.
TUESDAY
Discussion of Miller’s notes at the start of Act 1. Then performing the opening scene in groups.
HW: Read up to and including page 24 in our script, up to PUTNAM’s line, “Man, be quiet now!”
WEDNESDAY
Collecting and scanning essays. We will begin reading them in class today.
HW: Reading the second half of Act 1.
THURSDAY
Class discussion: what are the essential interests in act one? After reviewing these, we will read three more essays.
HW: Read up to page 57 in Act 2, up to MARY WARREN’s exit and line, “Good night.”
FRIDAY
Performing Elizabeth and Proctor’s scene in Act 2. The reading three more essays.
HW: Finish reading Act 2 for class on Monday.
Syllabus, week of October 15
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CONFORMITY and loyalty? Which is more important: that you stay true to national ideals, or an individual’s right to express freely his disagreement with those ideals? We will examoine the Puritans and early American founding literature parallel to Arthur Miller’s iconic play The Crucible. both from the context of 1950s McCarthyism and the public’s desire for truth and need for certainty in a morally ambiguous world.
MONDAY
Collecting annotations. We will discuss the Walt Whitman poem in large group format, “Me Imperturbe” via a language model of analysis, i.e.: look up the words!
HW: Begin working on your draft of the Wilderness paper in earnest. First draft due one week from today.
TUESDAY
5th period meets in lab 377N for essay writing, and 6th period in the Library for essay writing.
HW: Make sure your American nature/wilderness paper has TWO sources in support of your claim, one VISUAL and one LITERARY. You will need two PRINTED copies of your essay for class tomorrow AND access to an electronic copy.
WEDNESDAY
Both classes are meeting in lab 377N today for peer reading of papers. You will read your essay aloud to at least two others, who will check for claring errors and corrections, make changes, and re-print your essay.
HW: Work on your nature essay tonight.
THURSDAY
Starting Arthur Miller’s The Crucible! I will also distribute a packet of material on witch hunts, protest speech, and the Puritans. We will read through introductory materials for the play, and then read item #9, the Alter article on The Witches.
HW: Read the Weales introduction, item #2 in your packet. Annotate for this question: What it the play about?
FRIDAY
Today we will begin acting the play, running a read through in circles.
HW: First draft of nature paper due Monday!
Syllabus, week of October 8
OUR NEXT UNIT OF STUDY will be on protest speech and conformity. We will study the Puritans and early American founding literature alongside Arthur Miller’s iconic play The Crucible. We will definately finish our unit on nature and wilderness this week. I will collect and grade annotations in your Wilderness packet in class on Monday, October 15.
MONDAY
No class for the four-day weekend.
HW: Continue to read the essay, “Walking,” by H.D. Thoreau. You will want to finish reading it for class on Thursday.
TUESDAY
Beginning our discussion of H.D. Thoreau’s essay, “Walking.” Why is walking important to the American way of life, according to HDT? How does the author define walking?
HW: Write an outline for an essay on American nature/wilderness. Your paper should use TWO sources in support of your claim, one VISUAL, and one LITERARY.
WEDNESDAY
Class does not meet for ACT testing.
HW: Complete your argument outlines for your paper. Remember, besides writing out your claim, you should also write out: reasons(s) and counter-reasons. Your evidence should be listed in bullet point format.
THURSDAY
Returning to poetry. We started our unit by looking at Collin’s poem, “Flames.” We will close the unit by returning to poetry, exaiming four other writer’s view of nature.
HW: Read the remaining poems in our packet. Annotate them: what do you notice? What do these poets say about nature?
FRIDAY
Last discussion on nature literature.
HW: Annotation packets are due on Monday. Make sure you’ve completed your annotations!
"Walking" by H.D. Thoreau
Those of you that might benefit from the audio of this essay can find it here. Not a professional recording, but certainly well done, and a useful tool for some.
Syllabus, week of October 1
OUR NEXT UNIT OF STUDY will be on protest speech and conformity. We will study the Puritans and early American founding literature alongside Arthur Miller’s iconic play The Crucible. You will want to obtain the play by the start of next week. It is for sale in our bookstore, but you obtain a used copy for less just about anywhere. I will collect and grade annotations in your Wilderness packet in class on Tuesday, October 9.
MONDAY
Starting the documentary Grizzly Man by Werner Herzog. While watching, take notes: What do Americans think of nature and wilderness? What is/should be the relationship between Americans and nature? Day 1 of 3.
HW: Continue to read the essay, “Walking,” by H.D. Thoreau. You will want to finish reading it for class on Thursday.
TUESDAY
Continuing with writing a claim for a paper on nature/environmental literature. What is the most important, least obvious idea about this literature? Based upon that, what does one come to recognize or realize about America? Subsequently, we will return to the documentary on Timothy Treadwell.
HW: Reading Walking,” by HDT. Revisit your claim before class tommorrow. Time permitting, we will get into research circles to share the working draft of claims.
WEDNESDAY
Day 3 of 3 for Herzog documentary. If we have time, students will read claims aloud to peers in small groups.
HW: Finish “Walking.”
THURSDAY
Discussion on Thoreau’s essay. What argument is he making? How does he see nature and man’s engagement in nature?
HW: Create an outline for your argument for the paper on environmental literature.
FRIDAY
No class for fall break.
HW: Write an outline that details: a) your claim; b) your reasons; c) which sources you will use for example(s) and counter example(s) (i.e.: evidence).
Syllabus, week of September 24
HAVING FILLED IN SOME of the gaps in our background knowledge about how Americans perceive nature, and what they think of “wilderness,” students will start formulating a working claim about American environmental literature. Having studied various essays, chapters of books, poems, paintings, songs, ect., what is the MOST important thing to know about how Americans understand our natural world? Knowing this, what do you realize about the way Americans write about nature? Students will begin consolidating notes from the packet of materials on American envornomental literature.
MONDAY
Click on the image above to get to the NPR story on Woody Gutherie’s song.
Returning to Woody Gutherie’s song, “This Land is My Land,” a song studied and sung by millions of Americans when children. What does this song teach us about how Americans see our natural world? We will finish the news story about the song, watch Pete Seeger and Bruce Springstein’s performance of the song at the 2008 presidential inaugriation, and then explicate the lyrics.
HW: Returning to Kraukauer and Hamilton. How do these writers see nature, as compared to the way Gutherie sees nature? As compared to how Muir sees nature? Creating a mind-map of your thoughts on paper.
TUESDAY
Writing day: lecture on formulating a claim and organizing an argument. The importance of writing as a form of thinking in planning a paper. We will also learn about the ethos of research communities, and why writing research must be public and shared if it is to be meaningful.
HW: Reading and annotating Muir’s essay “A Wind Storm in the Forest.”
WEDNESDAY
Discussion on Muir’s essay. We will practice Great Books format of discussion notes, and these notes will be collected and graded.
HW: Reading an annotating Aldo Leopold’s essay, “A Good Oak.”
THURSDAY
Discussion on Leopold’s essay. We will practice Great Books format of discussion notes, and these notes will be collected and graded.
HW: Reading Grahame-Smith’s “Boy: Exceptional Child.”
FRIDAY
Forming research circles, sharing annotations and revising notes and preliminary claims about how American writers view nature. Time permitting, we will begin a documentary that we will finish next week, finishing our unit on environmental literature.
HW: Reading the long essay by Thoreau, “Walking.” What is the writer’s view of the natural world, and what it contributes to the American spirit?