We're beginning work on Waiting for Godot. We'll view a performance of the play on video this week. Complete your reading by of the text by the end of the screening (Wed., 4/13 or Thurs., 4/14). The homework assignment for this week is posted on the assignments page.

We're continuing with assigned readings. Some will be in Fantastic Worlds and some will be either distributed in class or assigned online (you print your own copy). The first reading assignment following paper #2 is "EPICAC" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (Fantastic Worlds, p. 372). The next one is "Cockroaches" (Fantastic Worlds, p. 411) and "Axolotl" (Fantastic Worlds, p. 424). [T/R 12:30 class: please note the writing assignment that's due on Thursday 4/7 in lieu of class.]

M/W/F 2:00: There was an in-class writing assignment on 4/6/05 on "Cockroaches" and "Axolotl." If you missed class on Wed. 4/6/05, you can access the in-class writing assignment here.

Both sections are screening the film, 1984. To follow up on some of the themes introduced in 1984, read Emily Dickinson's poem, "Much Madness is Divinest Sense."

Paper 2 is due Thursday, March 31 or Friday, April 1. The M/W/F 2:00 class: we'll screen Gattaca on Wed/Fri this week.

We're finishing our discussion of Brave New World. The assignment sheet for Paper 2 has been distributed in class and is avaliable online. The due date for Paper 2 is Thursday, March 31 or Friday, April 1. For the M/W/F 2:00 class: an informal writing assignment is due this week; see the assignments page. For the T/R 12:30 class: an informal classwork assignment is due this week. The assignment sheet is available here.

Time permitting, we'll screen the film of George Orwell's novel, 1984.

Please note that an Extra Credit Opportunity has been added to the "Assignments" page.

We're discussing Brave New World. The assignment sheet for the Independent Reading Project, due during Finals week, was distributed in class. You can access it online as well.

SPRING BREAK
3/7 - 3/11

We are FINISHING the Inferno. For a specific reading schedule, see the assignments page.

We are continuing work on the Inferno. Please read as far ahead as you can. For specific reading instructions, see the assignments page. We are planning to finish reading the Inferno by Wed. 3/2 (next week).

Your first formal paper is due this week. We'll begin working on the Inferno. See the assignment page for specific reading assignments related to the Inferno. I encourage you to make use of some of the web resources I've linked to.

T/R 12:30 class: bring a complete draft of your first paper to class on Thursday. Final draft is due on Tuesday 2/15.
M/W/F 2:00 class: bring a complete draft of your first paper to class on Monday 2/14. Final draft is due on Wednesday 2/16.

We've finished working on "The Birthmark" by Hawthorne. You can refer to notes on the story in the Notebook section.

Informal writing (homework) and follow-up in class writing were assigned. If you missed one of these or both, check the assignments page (week 4 + 5) to make it up.

The assignment sheet for the first formal paper was distributed on 2/4. I'll ask you to report your chosen topic in class on Tuesday 2/8 or Wed. 2/9. The paper will be due Tues. 2/15 or Wed. 2/16.

At the end of the week, we'll arrange study groups for work on "The Inferno."

We are moving on to "Fairy Tale." We'll study one work, by J.R.R. Tolkien, "Leaf By Niggle" and then move on to "The Birthmark" by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Note the writing homework for Friday 2/4 or Tuesday 2/8 on the assignments page.

Tolkien has written an essay called "On Fairy Stories," which you can read online if you are interested.

To begin the week we'll continue to work on "Mythic Tales." The readings are in the anthology, Fantastic Worlds. Please note that an Extra Credit Opportunity has been added to the "Assignments" page.

Enjoy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! (To celebrate, maybe you'd like to read, "Letter From Birmingham Jail," or listen to the famous "I Have a Dream Speech.")

The rest of this week, we'll be working on "Mythic Tales." The readings are in the anthology, Fantastic Worlds.

Welcome to Topics in Literature. This week we're exploring the meaning of our theme, Imaginary Worlds.

To my 2:00 class—so sorry I forgot to collect your responses on Wed at the end of class. Please bring them on Friday!