WE BEGIN THE YEAR by examining Damascus Nights. Students will select one of Salim's friends's tales and examine it using Joseph Campbell's monomyth as a lens. We will spend the first two weeks using the summer reading as an introduction to Campbell's theory.

MONDAY

Introduction to the course and reading "The Day I Disappeared."
HW: Write an answer to the question, "What does the story mean?" Bring a printed copy of your response and be prepared to share it in class.

TUESDAY

Reviewing course expectations, taking gradebook photos, and introducing the squarespace class blog. Students will begin posting their analysis onto squarespace.
HW: Post your answer to yesterday's question, and read the other responses posted by your classmates.

WEDNESDAY

Discussion of the comic, "The Day I Disappeared."
HW: Select one of Salim's friends's stories, and review your annotations. Each student will select one of these tales, and write an essay that analyzes the tale, most likely on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.

THURSDAY

Covering historical background to the city of Damascus and the 2011 war in Syria. We will also cover the school's academic integrity policy.
HW: Students should identify and post additional, valid, reliable and interesting sources that provide additional history to our understanding of the summer novel.

FRIDAY

Reviewing the postings to the class blog, the written analysis of "The Day I Disappeared." In class, students will ask two follow up questions (to two different students--a total of four questions) to two of the postings. These can be "what about" or "have you considered" questions. They could also be questions asking for further depth of analysis, but must be specific. What more do you want to know about their interpretation? What didn't the consider? What assumptions did they make? What territory did they leave unexplored?
HW: Re-annotate your chosen chapter--whichever of Salim's friends's stories you choose. You want to a) mark vocabulary; b) write your reader's questions, and c) annotate for the lesson learned relative to that story's narrator's journey.