Surveying Course News
Hey, everyone. Welcome to the course. (Our first order of business is to come up with a cool name for me to call you all. Any suggestions?) I'll be putting announcements on this page having to do with course requirements, changes in these web pages, and other matters. Between this page and the main page, you should get a good sense of what's new and upcoming in the course. So I recommend checking out both those pages every time you visit the course web site--at least once a week.
12/17/02
A quick note on procedures for turning in and getting back your final projects. I've put envelopes outside my office door (Fenton 240) for this class, so you can drop your final project off there or in my mailbox in Fenton 277, any time between now and the end of the day Friday. I write comments only on the final projects of people who ask for them, so if you want comments from me, you have several options: (1) attach a self-addressed envelope to your final project when you turn it in; (2) write the phrase "comments wanted" on the first page by the staple; or (3) drop me a line over email saying you want comments. If you take any option but the first one, you can pick up your final projects from me during my office hours in the spring semester. (The same goes for people who don't want comments.)
12/13/02
Just wanted to let you all know my schedule for the rest of the semester. If you have any questions about any aspect of the course, drop me a line or drop by. Good luck in the home stretch!
12/6/02
Please note the change to the syllabus on the main page of the course web site--our final class meeting will be Monday, December 16, at noon in our regular classroom.
I'll be having extended office hours Tuesdays and Thursdays next week, as well as Wednesday after 4:30, for those who want to meet with me to discuss their progress on their final projects and get feedback from me before the peer review session. Please email me for an appointment.
11/13/02
I'm having extra office hours on Thursday (10 am - noon) for any who want to meet with me to discuss any aspect of the course, including the final project.
11/11/02
Hey all, the assignment sheet for the final project is up and running, in draft form. Please be sure to check it out when you get a chance.
I'll be having extended office hours this week. I'll be on campus from 11:30-5 on Tuesday and from 10-11 am on Thursday (any groups or individuals who want to meet with me on either of those days can make an appointment--I'm willing to meet with anyone at any time on Thursday, not just during the time listed.)
11/4/02
Hey all, please be sure to arrange a time to meet with me as a group this week or next to prepare for your group presentation. Also, be sure to be thinking about a research topic for your final project, and email me any ideas you're considering by the end of next week. Finally, please note the addition of a Freneau poem and a Woolman journal excerpt on 11/6 and 11/18 of the main page.
10/22/02
I have to cancel my Friday office hours this week because of a conference I am attending in Albany. As a result I'm adding new office hours on W: 1-3, 4:30-6. As always I'm available by appointment on Thursday.
10/14/02
I have to cancel one hour of my office hours today--from 2-3 pm--because I am speaking at the English department's Open House for prospective students and their families during that time. My apologies!
I've pushed back the time that reading responses are due to no later than 9 pm of the day before the relevant class meeting. This should give people more time to think about and write their responses while still allowing us time to have read them before class.
10/9/02
Hey all, I've removed the Winthrop reading from the assignment for next Wednesday, 10/16, as we've already read it for today. But the fact that it was there is significant--as you read "the other side of the story" from the two major voices of early New England, you should be comparing and contrasting their perspectives with Bradford's and Winthrop's that we're examining today.
I've also distributed over the listserv a chronology that merges Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation with Winthrop's journal, and reminds you of connections to other readings from the 17th century that focus on or relate to New England.
In that email, I also asked for your feedback on my proposal to move the time that reading responses are due back from 6 pm to 9 pm on the days before class meets. You can respond directly to me, rather than replying to the list.
Finally, I also reminded youn all to familiarize yourselves with the requirements and expectations for the reading responses.
OK, have a great break. See you Monday.
9/20/02
I've heard from a couple more people on the group project, and modified the appropriate pages accordingly. Please let me know your top 2 choices for the group project date/group if your name does not appear on the main page or the group project page ASAP. There's still a chance to get a first choice, or to put in a claim on the groups that have room only for one more person....
9/18/02
Just wanted to let you all know that I've revised the group presentation page and the main page in light of further requests for dates from you all--I've now heard from 16 of you and been able to honor all first choices so far. I've also added a new option and reordered and reworded the options on the critical essay assignment sheet. Please come to next class with questions and comments on these pages, or, if you can't wait, post them to the listserv or to me directly (either over email or during my office hours).
9/17/02
Hey all, I've put a very rough draft of advice on reading responses up on the web site, along with the critical essay and group presentation pages (the latter includes composition of groups based on requests I've received over email--so far, I've been able to honor everyone's first choice, but the longer you delay in notifying me, the smaller the odds you'll get your first choice). I've also modified the main page slightly--the biggest change is that I moved the first two readings for next W's class to next M instead (they fit better with the 16th century promotional/polemical literature). I also added a short reading to the following class meetings: 11/6, 11/18 and 11/20. See the main page for details.
9/9/02
Please be sure to email me your top two preferences for the date on which you'd like to participate in the in-class group presentation. Your options for helping lead a class discussion (along with roughly 3 other people, with whom you'll research and plan the 50 minutes of class time devoted to the group project) are the last six classes of the semester (2 in the week before Thanksgiving Break and 4 in the last two weeks of the semester).
Please note that we have set a due date for the 5-to-7-page critical essay: M 9/30, in class. I'm working on an assignment sheet and should have it up and running by the end of the day tomorrow, if not sooner.
9/4/02
As of this afternoon, a very rough draft of the links page is up and running. For extra credit, you may send me links you think should be added to this page.
9/3/02
As of this afternoon, the listserv instructions and troubleshooting page, the main page, and this page are up and running. If you've been having any trouble signing up for or posting messages to the listserv, the former is the page to check out!
ENGL 331: American Literary Roots, Fall 2002
Created: 9/3/02 4:18 pm
Last modified: 12/17/02 12:41 pm