schedule
Rough; likely to change; tune in often (LAST REVISED FEBRUARY 25)
Jan 9 Introductions and explanations. Discussion of Donadio and Gopnik. A look through The New Yorker.
Jan 16 Mark Edmundson, Why Read? 1-73; Edmundson’s fall 2005 convocation speech (on line, Links page). Discussion: Developing a project. Identify a mentor this week (Preliminary Conference).
Jan 23 Attend presentation by candidate Bo Earle, TLC 049, 3:30-5 p.m. Write a paragraph about your response to the presentation and Q&A.
Jan 30 No class. Second Conference with mentor this week. Attend, if possible, the third candidate presentation by Alison Dushane, on Tuesday, January 29, 3:30 p.m.
Feb 6 Prospectus due. Discussion: Portfolios, department goals (on line), reflective essays. Edmundson, Why Read? 74-143. A New Yorker assignment: in the January 28th issue, take a look at "The Mail" (p. 5--letters regarding an earlier article about the decline of reading), at a short piece by Nick Paumgarten called "Lists--The King of Reading" (pp. 24-25), and at a piece by Jill Lepore called "The Creed: What Poor Richard cost Benjamin Franklin" (pp. 78-83).
Feb 13 Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Fate” and “Power” from The Conduct of Life. Electronic text available here. Before class, e-mail me three representatives sentences from each essay.
Feb 20 Portfolio + reflective essay due. A team editing exercise. List of teams here. A guest: Buddy Levy.
Feb 27 A New Yorker assignment: "The Birthday Party" by James B. Stewart (profile of Stephen Schwarzman; Feb 11/18). Meet this week with your mentor.
Mar 5 Team meetings focused on projects, followed by full-group discussion: The state of your project. Short writing assignment due: Emerson, Levy, Schwarzman, you.
Mar 19 No regular class; Individual meeting with me to discuss project.
Mar 26 Presentation niceties. A New Yorker assignment: "Advanced Placement" by Janet Malcolm (analysis of the "Gossip Girl" novels; Mar 10, p. 116).
Apr 2 No regular class meeting; students will instead attend presentation by Renee Bergland and Priscilla Wald, Thursday, April 3, 7:30 p.m., Clearwater Room, UI Commons
Apr 9 Forecasting the near future of the profession: information about digital texts. A New Yorker assignment: "Letter from China: The Wonder Years" by Peter Hessler, and "Great Experiment" by Jeffrey Eugenides (both in the March 31 issue, p. 68 and 101).
Apr 16 Resume niceties; last discussion of presentations
Apr 23 Presentations I (TLC 047): J. Banks, T. Banks, Burdin, Chojnacki, Lambert, Mangiapani, A. Nelson, Schultz
April 28 Presentations II (TLC 047): Benda, Cloos, Dinning, Garvin, Gibbs, Stratton, Strong, Waite
Apr 30 Presentations III (TLC 047): Clark, Clement, Cooper, Elgee, Erwin, Maile, E. Nelson
May 5 Final projects due, 5 p.m.