english 1 - sophocles
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By our class on Monday, you are to read pages vii-12 of Life of Pi. We’ll begin our discussion next week, and I’ll introduce you to the team teaching assignment and how our discussions will work for the next month.
monday, november 5 (4)
Set new vocabulary words; Let’s begin our discussion of Life of Pi with a discussion of the author’s note and the first few pages. What kinds of things do we look to do when we begin reading a new novel? Like any other situation in life, new novels take some getting used to; the relationships you build with the characters take time to develop.
How do Harkness discussions work?
Author Yann Martel discusses his book, "Life of Pi," which follows the story a young man shipwrecked at sea with a Bengal tiger.
tuesday, november 6 (5)
Tonight, in addition to the reading on the schedule, watch the interview with Yann Martel to the right. Be ready to answer these three questions in class tomorrow.
(1) What is the thing Martel has found disappointing about secular ideologies, like those of Marx, Smith, and Shakespeare?
(2) What does he mean by reality being an interpretation?
(3) What does he mean by animals being a Mystery, with a capital ‘M’?
thursday, november 8 (7)
Methods of narration in the novel; Today I’ll lead discussions on my own for the last time until we get to the end of the book. Remember that Harkness conversations begin next time we meet.
monday, november 12 (green)
We’ll begin today with the vocabulary quiz. Then we’ll turn to our discussion leaders, Joel and Nahom.
wednesday, november 14 (1)
Life of Pi Harkness discussion, led by Foster and Hoang
thursday, november 15 (2)
Life of Pi Harkness discussion, led by Richter
monday, november 26 (4)
Life of Pi Harkness discussion, led by Bassong and Martinez
tuesday, november 27 (5)
Life of Pi Harkness discussion, led by Gribble and Jackiewicz
thursday, november 29 (7)
Life of Pi Harkness discussion, led by Outley and Adegbesan
monday, december 3 (1)
We’ll begin today with the final vocabulary quiz of the semester. Then we’ll turn to our discussion leaders, Sebastian and Thomas.
tuesday, december 4 (2)
Life of Pi Harkness discussion, led by Schaffer and Wehmer
thursday, december 6 (4)
Life of Pi Harkness discussion, led by Vittor and Animashaun
friday, december 7 (5)
Life of Pi Harkness discussion, led by Caligur and Tellez
tuesday, december 11 (7)
Life of Pi wrap-up
thursday, december 13 (green)
Final exam review
what's due?
Monday, November 5 - Persepolis essay FINAL
Monday, November 12 - Life of Pi discussions begin
Monday, November 12 - Vocabulary Quiz, Units 7-8
Monday, December 3 - Vocabulary Quiz, Units 9-10
Monday, December 17 - Fall Final Exam
current text to bring daily
ongoing extra credit
Required reading can at times feel like drudgery. And while it's important to do the reading I set for the class, I fully recognize that you'd rather have a say in what it is we read. Unfortunately the freshman curriculum has little student choice built in, so your ongoing extra credit gives you the opportunity to read an outside text in your own time at some point during the semester. I'm very happy to reward you with additional course credit if you take it upon yourself to read a text outside of class and meet with me to discuss it. A few things:
(1) This must be a text you've never read before.
(2) It should be imaginative and of recognized literary merit. The text must be approved beforehand.
(3) The amount of credit awarded is variable depending on the chosen text and how our follow up conversation goes.
(4) While you may read as much as you'd like, I will only award extra credit once per semester.
enjoying literature
“In the realm of narrative psychology, a person’s life story is not a Wikipedia biography of the facts and events of a life, but rather the way a person integrates those facts and events internally—picks them apart and weaves them back together to make meaning. This narrative becomes a form of identity, in which the things someone chooses to include in the story, and the way she tells it, can both reflect and shape who she is. A life story doesn’t just say what happened, it says why it was important, what it means for who the person is, for who they’ll become, and for what happens next.”
