Semester Theme: Dreams
 
 

Week 1—Jan. 11
Day 1 Course introduction. In-class discussion and writing on semester theme: Dreams.
HW: Read: Chpt. 1.
Find: Date of arrival of the Mayflower and date of arrival of the first slave ship. Bring to class.

Day 2 Discuss Chpt.1. Compare Frost’s and Mora’s poems.
HW: Find poems by and biographical info on Phillis Wheatley. Print and bring to class.

Day 3 Discuss Wheatley poems. Begin time line in groups (Group Project to continue throughout the semester.)
HW: Read Chpts. 13 and 14. Journal: explicate (see pg. 40) and respond to one stanza of one of Wheatley’s poems. ***Possible extra journal entry: Compare/contrast Wheatley’s “On being brought from AFRICA to AMERICA” (891) with Langston Hughes’ “Harlem” (642).
 

Week 2—Jan. 18
Day 1   No class/National Holiday: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
HW: Read “Martin Luther King Jr.” by Gwendolyn Brooks (922). Do journal entry on the poem. Optional journal entry: look up King’s “Dream” speech. Compare Brooks’ poem to King’s speech.

Day 2 Bring journals to class for discussion.
HW: Read Chpt. 23. Find painting by Ernie Barnes that relates to dreams. Journal: How do the title and the painting refer to other works we are looking at? Describe one panel of the painting and how it relates to this discussion. 

Day 3 Discuss Chpt. 23. In class writing on “Starry Night.”
HW: Read Chpt. 2. Journal—write your own poem about van Gogh’s "The Starry Night," then explicate your own poem.

Week 3—Jan. 25
Day 1 Bring poem and explication to class.  Discuss Chpt. 2
HW: begin reading A Raisin in the Sun. Look up “McCarthyism” on the web. Journal: Do you think the era of McCarthyism affected Hansberry’s writing? Do you see any evidence that it did? What black writers were blacklisted and why?

Day 2 Discuss Raisin and McCarthyism.
HW: Finish Raisin. Read Chapt. 6 on Allegory and Symbolism.
Possible optional journal: Discuss one symbol in Eudora Welty’s “A Worn Path.”

Day 3 Complete discussion of Raisin.
HW: Go to Cyberguide for A Raisin in the Sun. Use Activity #5 to arrive at subject of first paper: You will be writing about a symbol that occurs in the play. Bring first draft to next class.

Week 4—Feb. 1
Day 1 Review drafts of paper together in class.
HW: Revise paper.

Day 2 Review paper drafts.
HW: Optional journal entry: Watch Malcolm X (showing on campus on Wed. at 12, 4, and 7pm) Write response. Revise paper. Journal: What I have learned about symbolism so far.

Day 3  Journals due. Paper due. Begin film: A Raisin in the Sun. 

Week 5—Feb. 8
Day 1 Watch A Raisin in the Sun
HW: optional journal: look at and respond to the “Interprise Poll—American Dream 2000.”

Day 2 continue

Day 3 continue
HW: Journal: compare the book and the movie. What was different? What was the same? Did any of the characters look differently than what you pictured? Did any of the characters in the movie play his/her part differently than you thought it should be played? Did the movie or the book make you “feel” something? What? Which made you “feel” the most? Why?
 

Week 6—Feb. 15
Day 1 Discussion of movie compared to book. What was lost and what was gained by genre change? What is the meaning of “The American Dream?”
HW: Read (or re-read) “Might We Too?” (22) Journal—question #2 pg. 23. Bring to class

Day 2 Discuss “Might We Too?” In class writing to Coltrane.
HW: Begin reading Chpt. 9. Journal: On “Battle Royal”:What was the narrator willing to do to achieve his dream? (This requires more than the concrete answer of what he physically “did” in the story.) Was he right? What are you willing or not willing to do to achieve your dream(s)?

Day 3 Discuss “Battle Royal.” Write on #2 pg.162.
HW: Read pgs. 167-184

Week 7—Feb. 22
Day 1 Groups: paraphrase and discussion of Du Bois’ “Of Our Spiritual Strivings.”
HW: Finish Chpt. 9. Journal: What is W. E. B. Du Bois’ gripe with B. T. Washington? Who do you agree with and why?

Day 2 Discuss Du Bois and Washington
HW: Re-read Gunnar Myrdal (174). Journal: What is this selection an excerpt from? What is/was the significance of the original? How does it relate to A Raisin in the Sun?

Day 3 Discuss Myrdal
HW: Read 829-846 (Emily Dickinson section of Chpt. 24.)

Week 8—Feb. 29
Day 1 Explications of Dickinson poems in groups.
HW: Begin reading The Poisonwood Bible (if you haven’t already).

Day 2 In-class writing: character sketch of Emily Dickinson.

Day 3 Journals due. Discussion of first impressions of PB. Find biographical information about Dickinson. Bring to class. Find article on Dickinson’s religious beliefs. Find poems about her religious beliefs.
HW: over break, read Poisonwood Bible

Spring Break !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Week 9—Mar. 14
Day 1 Begin character sketches of main characters in PB (to be included in journal)
HW: Read Chpts. 4 and 5.

Day 2 Discuss Chpts. 4 and 5. In class group writing: write a brief story, once in first person and then in third person.
HW: continue reading PB. Begin reading Fences (1502). Read “Talking about Fences” (1552).

Day 3 Discuss Fences and “Talking”
HW: finish Fences.

Week 10—Mar. 21
Day 1  Discuss Fences. Use questions pg. 1551.
HW: Journal: identify a recurring theme in the play.

Day 2 Place Fences in historical context
HW: continue reading Poisonwood Bible

Day 3 Begin movie: Soul of the Game
HW: read PB.

Week 11—Mar 28
Day 1  Movie: Soul of the Game
HW: Read The Poisonwood Bible. Journal: identify seven  malapropisms committed by one of the narrators. (Hint: Rachel and Ruth May commit the most). Look up “malapropism” and find the etymology of the word.

Day 2 April Fool’s Day. In-class writing and discussion on Soul and Fences.
HW: Begin drafting paper about Dreams as represented in Fences and Soul of the Game

Day 3 Observance Day (What significant event took place on this day in history?)
“Pride (in the Name of Love)”

Continue discussion of dreams in Soul and Fences

HW: Finish drafting paper above and write short (one page)  proposal for final project.

Week 12—Apr.4
Opening Day !!!!!!!!!!!!
Day 1 Proposal due regarding final project and paper. In-class review of paper
HW: Revise paper.

Day 2 In-class review of paper.
HW: Revise paper

Day 3  Journals due. Paper due.
HW: Finish reading Poisonwood Bible. Journal: identify 3 major themes of the book.

Week 13—Apr. 11
Day 1 Discuss PB. In class writing: continue character sketches of main characters.
HW: work on project and paper.

Day 2 Continue character sketches.
HW: continue work on project and paper.

Day 3 In-class writing for journal: identify and explain each character’s dreams.

Week 14—Apr. 18
Day 1 MLA review. Grammar review.
HW: read “The Lesson” (437) and “Girl” (484)

Day 2 Discuss narrative styles in “The Lesson” and “Girl.”  Discuss the pedagogical styles given in both stories.
HW: Journal: what do these stories teach about dreams?

Day3 Update on papers and projects.
HW: continue work on papers and projects. Read “One Friday Morning” (385) and “The Son of America” (391)

Week 15—Apr. 25
Day 1 In class writing for journal: what do these stories tell us about people’s dream of or about America?

Day 2 Update on papers and projects. Optional journal: What is the symbol in the background of this website and why might I have chosen it for this particular class?

Day 3  Journals due. Begin oral presentations.

Week 16—May 2
Day 1 Oral presentations.

Day 2  Final papers and projects due.

Exam Week (May 6-12)
  Final  Exam: Friday May 7, 10-11:45 am
 

Calendar subject to change if necessary
 

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