Go to
Part
2 of the Course Schedule.English 287: Great Books
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20 Aug (W): Introduction to the course.
22 Aug (F): Check out these memos to make sure you really want to stay in the course.
Come to class having read Chapters 1-35 of Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.'s Cat's Cradle.
After you've done your reading, browse through our Study Guide to Chapters 1-35 of Cat's Cradle. See if there are some questions there that interest you. If you find that you were not asking these on your own as you read the selection, ask yourself what assumptions might have led me to frame them when I was reading it.
30 Aug (M): Come to class having read Chapters 36-66 of Cat's Cradle.
Again, after you've finished the reading, have a look at the Study Guide to Chapters 36-66 of Cats Cradle.
Over the long weekend,
you should
You should also familiarize yourself with the Table of Contents of Robert Fagles translation of Homer's The Odyssey, so that you know what the various features of this edition are that are at your disposal. |
27 Aug (W): Come to class having completed your reading of Cat's Cradle.
29 Aug (F): There will be a quiz over Cat's Cradle.
1 Sept (M): No class:
University Holiday
3 Sept (W): Come to class having read the first four books of The Odyssey. (This section is has come to be called "The Telemachiad," since it focuses on the delimmas of the absent Odysseus' son Telemachus, and his response to them. In our edition, these books have been provided with convenient titles, which are not [however] to be found in the ancient manuscripts: "Athena Inspires the Prince," "Telemachus Set Sail," "King Nestor Remembers," and "The King and Queen of Sparta.")
Before you begin your reading of each book, you should consult the questions in the Study Guide to Books 1-4 of The Odyssey, and keep them in mind as you read. When you are done, glance over the list again and see if you have any ideas upon some of them.
5 Sept (F): Come to class having read Books 5 through 8 of The Odyssey. (In this section of the epic, Odysseus is brought from his "suspension" in the cave of Calypso up to the occasion on which he himself will narrate the adventures that led to his being shipwrecked there. In our edition, these have been given the titles "Odysseus: Nymph and Shipwreck," "The Princess and the Stranger," "Phaeacia's Halls and Gardens," and "A Day for Songs and Contests.")
After you finish your reading of each book, you should consult the questions in the Study Guide to Books 5-8 of The Odyssey, and keep them in mind as you read. When you are done, glance over the list again and see if you have any ideas upon some of them.
8 Sept (M): Come to class having read Books 9 through 12 of The Odyssey. (This section of the epic is notable for its "folk tale" elements. In our edition, these books have been given the titles "In the One-Eyed Giant's Cave," "The Bewitching Queen of Aeaea," "The Kingdom of the Dead," and "The Cattle of the Sun.")
After you finish your reading of each book, you should consult the questions in the Study Guide to Books 9-12 of The Odyssey, and keep them in mind as you read. When you are done, glance over the list again and see if you have any ideas upon some of them.
10 Sept (W): There will be a quiz over the first half of The Odyssey (i.e., Books 1-12).
12 Sept (F): For today, we will begin with the second half of The Odyssey, which tells of Odysseus' struggle to regain his status as King of Ithaca. You should aim to get through Books 13-16 by class today. (In our edition, these have been given the titles "Ithaca at Last," "The Loyal Swineherd," "The Prince Sets Sail for Home," and "Father and Son.") In class today, though, we will take a break from discussion and have a look at the first half or so Joel and Ethan Cohen's Oh Brother, Where Art Thou -- A Mississippi Odyssey (2000), starring George Clooney and John Turturro.
Meanwhile, after you finish your reading of each book, you should consult the questions in the Study Guide to Books 13-16 of The Odyssey, and keep them in mind as you read. When you are done, glance over the list again and see if you have any ideas upon some of them.
15 Sept (M): Come to class having read Books 17-21 of The Odyssey. (In our edition, these have been fitted with the titles "Stranger at the Gates," "The Beggar-King of Ithaca," "Penelope and Her Guest," and "Portents Gather.")
After you finish your reading of each book, you should consult the questions in the Study Guide to Books 17-21 of The Odyssey, and keep them in mind as you read. When you are done, glance over the list again and see if you have any ideas upon some of them.
17 Sept (W): Aim to finish The Odyssey. With Books 21-24, we reach the climax and denouement of the epic. (In our edition, these books have been dubbed "Odysseus Strings His Bow," "Slaughter in the Hall," "The Great rooted Bed," and "Peace.")
After you finish your reading of each book, you should consult the questions in the Study Guide to Books 21-24 of The Odyssey, and keep them in mind as you read. When you are done, glance over the list again and see if you have any ideas upon some of them.
19 Sept (F): There will be a quiz over the second half of The Odyssey. After that, we will wrap up our discussion of the epic.
22 Sept (M): In class today, we will view the second half of the film O Brother, Where Art Thou. For today, though, you should have read
For each of these, there is a series of questions to guide your reading and reflections. You will find them linked to in our Study Guide on Sophocles' Oedipus the King: Index to Resources.
25 Sept (W): In class today, we will continue discussion of The Odyssey. But you should make a start with the readings we will be doing in connection with Sophocles' Oedipus the King. Before you read that play,
For today, you should read the Prologos, Parodos, Episodos I, and Stasimon I of the play (pp. 159-187 of our edition, i.e., lines 1-572), using the outline as a guide, and keeping an eye out for the imagery featured in the memo above.
26 Sept (F): Continue your initial readings in connection with Sophocles' play.
29 Sept (M): Conclude your initial reading of the play -- Episodos IV, Stasimon IV, and the Exodos (pp. 225-251 in our edition, i.e., lines 1215-1684).
1 Oct (W): There will be a quiz today in class over Oedipus the King. It would be wise to re-read the play before taking the quiz. After the quiz, we will continue our close reading of passages involving dramatic irony.
3 Oct (F): Come to class having read Act I of Shakespeare's The Tragedy of Othello, The Moor of Venice.
6 Oct (M): Come to class having read Act II of Othello.
8 Oct (W): Come to class having read Act III of Othello.
10 Oct (F): Come to class having read Act IV of Othello.
13 Oct (M): No class: Fall Break.
15 Oct (W): Come to class having read Act V of Othello.
17 Oct (F): There will be a quiz over Shakespeare's Othello.
20 Oct (M): Begin the readings we are undertaking with Molière's play Tartuffe. For today:
22 Oct (W): Continue with Tartuffe: There is not class today, but you should still keep up with your reading of Molière's play. Instead of class today, students will attend the Aquila Theatre Company production of Shakespeare's Othello, 7:30 p.m., McCain Auditorium.
24 Oct (F): Finish your initial reading of Tartuffe (Act Five).
27 Oct (M): Review carefully the following scenes from Tartuffe. If you are not fresh on these, you will not be able to hold up your end of the stick in the paired discussions that will take place in class today. (Page references are to the Dramatist Play Service edition of Richard Wilbur's translation of the play.)
29 Oct (W): There will be a quiz today over Tartuffe.
Read the short essay on Tartuffe as a satire of religious fanaticism.
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Part
2 of the Course Schedule.
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Contents copyright ©
2002 by Lyman A. Baker.
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This page last updated 04 October 2004
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