ENG 1001, Winter 2013-2014
Tentative Course Schedule


NOTE:  This schedule may change as needed.  Your presence in class ensures correct assignments


WEEK 1       WEEK 2       WEEK 3         WEEK 4     WEEK 5     WEEK 6     WEEK 7

WEEK 8       WEEK 9       WEEK 10       WEEK 11




WEEK 1

T 12/3            Introduction to the course; Review syllabus and Text: 
                       What is Literature? Literary Terms; Assign Diagnostic Essay;
                       Intro to Meditation; What is What is Contemplative Education?

                   For Next Time:  
  •           Complete Diagnostic Essay:  What role does the opening paragraph play in the
                  unfolding of this story and what makes it so important to the
                  story's overall theme (message)?  Your essay must be a minimum of 5
                  well-developed paragraphs, and you must support your argument with
                  examples/quotes from Carver's text.
  •          Upload completed diagnostic essay to Blackboard before class on T
                  5/21
  •           Complete syllabus quiz in Blackboard (See Course Schedule & Submit
                  Major Assignments Link<Quizzes)
  •           Read Chapter 1-4 of Meditation for Beginners, pp. 1-24
  •           Do Meditation #1 on CD (Connecting with the Breath) & then do 
                  Meditation Journal Entry #1 (post this to Ulearn as a journal entry).


R 12/5          Briefly Discuss Carver?   Discuss Portrait of Self as Agnostic (Heffernan)

                      For Next Time: 
  •           Complete fiction terms quiz in Blackboard before next class
  •           Read "What is the Body" (See handouts link in Ulearn); BE PREPARED
                  TO DISCUSS.
  •           Read Chapter 5 of Meditation for Beginners, pp. 25-34
  •           Do Meditation #2 on CD (Working with Sentations in the Body) and then
                  do Meditation Journal Entry #2 (post this to Ulearn as a journal entry).
                  crysanthemums.  What specifically do they symbolize? Why are they
                  such an important symbol in the story?
                  Post to Blackboard by class time.
  •           Be ready for quiz

WEEK 2

T 12/10          Quiz: O'Connor; Discuss Steinbeck, O'Connor, & Essay 1; Define Hungry
                       Ghost for HW

                       For Next Time: 
  •            Read "Hungry Ghost" by Keith Katchtick (See Handouts)
  •            Read "Run Mourner, Run" by Randall Kenan (See Handouts)
  •            Do Reader Response 2: Explain the signficance of the motif of
                   hunger in each story.  A motif is a recurring element in a story
                   that has symbolic significance.  

R 12/12           Kenan Quiz; Discuss Katchtick and Kenan

                         For Next Time: 
  •             Read "Running" by Joyce Carol Oates   (See Handouts in Blackboard)                        Be Prepared for Quiz
  •             Read Chapter 6 of Meditation for Beginners, pp. 35-48 and do Meditation
                    #3:  Lovingkindness Meditation on CD then complete Meditation Journal
                    Entry #3 and post to your journal in Ulearn.
  •             Review the article "What is Your Body" (see homework from R 9/12).
  •             Complete an initial 300 word response minimum to the following 
                    question no later than 9 a.m. on Monday, 9/23:  What is the central point 
                    the author makes in this article?  In other words, after reading it, laying it
                    down and walking away from it, what was it that the author wanted you to
                    understand? In addition explain how the author either may have changed
                    your perception of the body or simply failed to change your perception.
  •             By class time on Tuesday, 9/24, respond to the posts of two other students.
                         These posts must engage your reader intellectually.  You may explain how their
                          post prompted new ideas about the article for you or how their post prompted 
                          new questions and led you to new ways of viewing the article, the body, etc.


WEEK 3

T 12/17             Quiz Kenan & Oates; Discuss What Each Story this term reveals about
                          the body, the mind, or the spirit.

                       For Next Time: 
  •                   Read “Nixon Under the Bodhi Tree” by  Gerald Reilly (See
                      Handouts Link in Blackboard)
  •                Be prepared for quiz
  •                Read “Fon" by Henry Dumas (See Handouts in Blackboard)
  •                Do Reader Response 3:  Dumas' story begins and ends with the
                       image of black rock/stone.  Why would the author choose to begin and
                       end this way?  What is the symbolic significance of this choice and how
                       might it be connected to the story's overall theme (central idea)? 

R 12/19               Discuss Reilly & Dumas; Quiz


                              For Next Time: 
  •                 1st Draft, Essay 1 due (min. 4 FULL pages); upload draft to
                              Blackboard
  •                 Read About Basic Essay Structure in Literary Criticism
  •                 See example student draft: "A Modern Representation of
​                             Temptation in Randall Kenan's 'Run, Mourner Run"
  •                 Read "Here, Bullet" & "Body Bags" by Brian Turner (Handout in
​                             Ulearn)
  •                 Read "The Hurt Locker" by Brian Turner
  •                 Read "R & R" by Brian Turner 
  •                Read chapter 7 of Meditation for Beginners, pp. 49-55 and then do
                       Meditation #4 :  Witnessing Your Thoughts on CD and complete                                     Meditation Journal Entry #4 and post to your journal in Ulearn.  

WEEK 4          
 T 1/7               1st Draft, Essay 1 due; 
                            Discuss  "Wanting to Die" by Anne Sexton and "Traveling Through the    Dark" by William Stafford; Intro to Poetry

                      For Next Time:

R 1/9               Purpose of Peer Critique; Exchange Drafts With
                         Partner; Discuss Turner poems

                         For Next Time:
                    Blackboard; 
  •            Continue to work on Essay 1
  •             Read Chapter 8 of Meditation for Beginners, pp. 57-61 and then do                         Meditation # 5:  Forgiveness Meditation on CD and then complete
                    Meditation Journal Entry#5 and post to your journal in Ulearn.
  •             Read Snyder or other Oliver poems?
WEEK 5

T 1/14             Peer Crtique, Essay 1; Discuss Poems (Snyder or Oliver poems?)


                    For Next Time:    
  •             Final Draft of Essay 1 due with Reflection; Upload the essay and
                    the reflection to Blackboard as one Microsoft Word file.



R 1/16             Final Draft of Essay 1 due with Reflection
                         Discuss “This Room & Everything in it”  & "Persimmons" by Li-Young
                         Lee; Intro to Essay 2, Poetry; Group Exercise:  Poetry of the Body

              For Next Time:   
  •                Read Chapter 9 of Meditation for Beginners, pp. 63-69 and then do                    Meditation # 6:  Lovingkindness Meditation on CD and then complete
                         Meditation Journal Entry#6 and post to your journal in Ulearn.
  •                Complete poetry term quiz in Blackboard
  •                Review  by "Persimmons" Li-Young Lee (discussed in class today)
  •                Read "Persimmons Drop Suddenly" by Mariko Nagai (Handout)
                        as the signifance of the permission as metaphor for the body in EACH
                        poem. Is the metaphor used in a different way by Nagai?  Is it used in a
                        similar manner? Explain.
  •               Read "The Lushness of It" by Mary Syzbist (Handout)

WEEK 6

T 1/21              Discuss Nagai and Syzbist

                         For Next Time:
  •                 Read "Dust from Dying Stars" by Julie Suk (Handout)
  •                Do Reader Response 5:  Form an argument about the poet's use
                        of nature imagery in the poem. 
  •                Read "Holy" by Mary Syzbist (Handout)
  •                Read Chapter 10 of Meditation for Beginners, pp. 71-77 and then do                          Meditation # 7:  An Eating Meditation on CD and then complete
                         Meditation Journal Entry#7 and post to your journal in Ulearn.

R 1/23            Discuss Suk and Syzbist

 For Next Time: 
                         Mary  Oliver

  •                Do Reader Response 6:  For this response, choose ONE of the
                        following:
                         -compare/contrast the idea of the "holy" and the "profane" in the poems
                         of Szybist and Olds

                         -OR-

                         -compare contrast the idea of faith in the poems by Oliver and Donne

WEEK 7

T 1/28           Discuss poems by Olds, Oliver, & Donne

                        For Next Time:
  •            Prepare for Group Debate    


R 1/30           Group Debate:  Olds & Oliver

                         For Next Time:
  •              First Draft of Essay 2, Poetry Due (min. of 3 FULL pages);
  •              Upload a copy to Blackboard & bring a copy to class (can be electronic copy)  
  •                Do Reader Response 7 by answering the following question (in a
                         min. of 300 words) and posting to Blackboard by class time on
                         T 10/29:  What is the symbolic significance of the fruit preserves 
                         found in Minnie Foster's cupboard?  How is this symbol connected to 
                        another symbol within Trifles?                        i    

WEEK 8
T 2/4           First Draft of Essay 2, Poetry Due; Exchange for Peer Critique; Purpose of
                        Critique? Peer Critique, Essay 2, Poetry; Discuss Trifles

                   For Next Time:
  •           Complete Typed Peer Critique of partner's poetry essay; Upload a copy to                  Blackboard and bring a copy to class of your partner (or email a copy to them).      


R 2/6          Peer Critique; Discuss Trifles


                         For Next Time:
                    reflection in one Microsoft Word file to Blackboard by class time on T 11/5
  •             Complete Drama Terms Quiz in Blackboard
  •              Read Wit, pp. 1-41
  •             Do Reader Response 8 by answering the following question (in a
                    min. of 300 words) and posting to Blackboard by class time on
                    T 11/5:  :  Identify and discuss the what you see as the single most
                    significant symbol of Margaret Edson's Wit. How is this symbol
                    connected to an overall theme?
  •             Read Chapters 11& 12 of Meditation for Beginners, pp. 79-90 and then 

WEEK 9

T 2/11               Final Draft of Essay 2, Poetry due w/ Reflection; Discuss Wit
                         For Next Time:
  •                Read Wit, pp. 42-85
  •                Do Reader Response 9:  Make thematic connections between poem
                        and  Margaret Edson's play, Wit      


R 2/13               Discuss Wit


                        For Next Time:
  •                Do Reader Response 10:  Make a thematic connection between the
                        film/play (Wit) and one other work we have read together this term.  
  •               Attend play at Actors Theatre of Charlotte & complete response essay.  This must be submitted to Ulearn no later than R 11/12. 

WEEK 10

T 2/18             Film:  Wit (Mike Nicols, 99 min.)

                       For Next Time:
  •                Begin work on Final Exam               


R 2/20            One Act Plays

                  For Next Time:

WEEK 11
T 2/25          Workday for Final Exam

                 For Next Time:

                 Complete Final Exam

R 2/27          Final Exam Due with  Reflection; upload both as ONE MS Word file to Ulearn 
                         by class time