HUST "Wish List": Films, Books, & More

Throughout the semester, we've been accumulating (at least hypothetically) a list of popular culture references that touch on familiar themes from Colloquium III. You might want to return to the list at some point when your Netflix list has run dry or when you're ready for some leisurely reading. Finally, per our conversation today, Jane Austen has, indeed, been "Facebooked."

Films: (in order of chronological relevance)

• Apocalypto
• Elizabeth
• Shakespeare in Love
• New World
• Stage Beauty
• The Last of the Mohicans
• 1776
• Amazing Grace
• Glory

Television Series:

• Colonial House (yes, you can get this on Netflix!)
  
• John Adams
• Roots

Literature:

• Persuasion, Jane Austen
• "The Yellow Wallpaper," Charlotte Perkins Gilman (link to Cornell's the Making of America website; original publication images)
  
• The Awakening, Kate Chopin
  
• The House of Mirth, Edith Warton
• Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
• Long Journey From Home

Prof's Picks:

• Marie Antoinette
• The Libertine
• Beloved, Toni Morrison
• Mistress Bradstreet: The Untold Life of America's First Poet, Charlotte Gordon (I got it for 5.99 at Notre Dame Bookstore Clearance!)
• Will in the World, Stephen Greenblatt (on Shakespeare)
  

Happy Birthday John Milton

Today is John Milton's birthday. In lieu of singing him a song, go ahead and check out today's article in the London paper, The Guardian, on Milton and his lasting contributions to our literary and political worlds. Or, if it's more your style, test your Miltonic trivia with this quiz: "How well do you know Milton?"

Extra Credit Blog

After this Friday, all "official" blog entries will be completed. However, if you'd like to offer one last post reflecting on our course this term, it can serve as an "extra credit" blog. I will use the grade for this reflection post to replace your lowest blog grade so far (for some, maybe it's a 3...for others, it might be a zero because it slipped your mind one week). Either way, it would be great to hear everyone's thoughts, suggestions, and reflections.

Drafting the Declaration of Independence

Today in class we'll discuss, among other things, the various versions or drafts that the infamous Declaration underwent, including Jefferson's drafts and the final draft that we know today. With so many different versions, a helpful way to make sense of these changes is to read a hypertext version from Duke University in which areas of difference are highlighted (taking you to an explanation of the additions, alterations, or deletions).

SMC Monologues

You may have seen this announcement in your email box today, but I wanted to bring particular attention to this interesting opportunity to express and explore your own identity and relationship to Saint Mary's in writing:

What inspires you?
What do you have to say?

The SMC Monologues
Needs YOU!!!

5^th Annual SMC Monologues!

What is The SMC Monologues, you ask?
Modeled after Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues, our SMC Monologues is a production of anonymous stories written by the SMC community for the SMC community.

We are currently calling for submissions from YOU!

You are encouraged to write about how "you are Saint Mary’s," a womanly exploration of yourself, body image, spirituality, religion, experience of love, experience of abuse, and, of course, your influential heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, platonic, and familial relationships and experiences. No topic is off-limits or irrelevant!

Questions to consider:
What does it mean to be a Saint Mary’s woman?
How are my identity and relationships shaped by my sexuality?
What experiences have shaped the woman I am?
How do I express my sexuality?

Don’t be nervous about your more revealing stories because this is ANONYMOUS!

If interested, send your submissions to Becki at rfaunc01@saintmarys.edu, Professor Catherine Pittman at cpittman@saintmarys.edu, or Professor Lily Hoang at lhoang@saintmarys.edu

If that’s not anonymous enough for you, there is a drop-off box in the library located near the photocopier on the first floor.

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY JANUARY 20^TH
but please submit early!!

All submissions will be read but we cannot guarantee all submissions will be included in the final production in February. If you’d rather not write but are interested in participating in the production, keep your eyes open for more ways to be involved in the near future!

Kristallnacht week events by White Rose Society

To commemorate Kristallnacht and those who've suffered from the atrocities of genocide, the following events have been planned by the student group, the White Rose Society, in conjunction with SMC faculty. If you choose to attend any events, please blog about your reactions for an extra credit opportunity.

On the night of November 9, 1938, thousands of Jewish businesses and synagogues were destroyed in one of the first major acts of anti-semitism in Nazi Germany. Kristallnacht, or "the night of broken glass" marked the beginning of the events that came to define the Holocaust. As we near the 70th anniversary of Kristallnacht, please honor victims by taking the time to learn about the nature of genocide and the political and social environments that facilitate such atrocities.

Monday November 10th, Student Center Lounge at Noon: "Holocaust Memories." A student produced personal interview with a Holocaust survivor.

Tuesday November 11th, Vander Vennett Theater at 7:00 pm: "Cabaret." Prof. David Stefanic will introduce the film and lead a discussion afterwards.

Wednesday, November 12th, Student Center Lounge at Noon: "Holocaust Memories." A student produced personal interview with a Holocaust survivor.

Thursday November 13th, Vander Vennett Theater at 7:00 pm: "Hotel Rwanda." Professor Edith Miguda will introduce the film and lead a discussion afterwards.

During the week: in the atrium of the Student Center, the White Rose Society will be distributing roses in memory of the victims of the Holocaust and more recent genocide, and will provide information about the crisis in Darfur.

"I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart."
-- Anne Frank

Candide Discussion Questions

For the remainder of the term, blog posts will be due on Friday of each week. Please feel free to develop conversation points raised in class or to introduce and explore new topics or reactions of your own. As always, I'm looking to see that you've offered detailed, thoughtful reflections on some aspect of the text/discussion/historical period that we're focusing on. To aid you in your reading (or blog posting), I've offered a few guiding questions below.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

• Do you think Voltaire would agree or disagree with Pope's determination that "Whatever is, is right"?
• How would you characterize the tone of the narrator in this tale?
• Based on your reading so far, what is Voltaire's Enlightenment agenda, and how does it compare to Pope?
  

Essay on Man for 11/4

Your reading for Tuesday's class is Alexander Pope's Essay on Man. Please read all four epistles or sections as well as "The Design" (appears right before the argument of the first epistle), all of which you can find online through the Project Gutenberg online ebook. Do not beyond the four epistles. This ebook contains the Essay on Man as well as some of Pope's other texts (Moral Essays and Satires). Stop reading when you hit "The Universal Prayer." Even if you prefer to read the essay online, please print a copy and bring it to class on Tuesday.

There are additional copies of Pope's text online: Penn State's pdf of the essay or The University of Toronto's online edited version, for example. However, Penn State's copy lacks the arguments before the epistles (think of Milton's arguments or summaries before each book of Paradise Lost) and the UT version, while it offers a very helpful annotated ebook of the first two epistles, does not provide the entire Essay on Man. Therefore, we'll use the Gutenberg online edition. You might find that pulling up the UT version--at least for the first two epistles--aids in your understanding because it offers footnotes about key lines or figures. However, you're only required to read and print the Gutenberg book.

Reading Questions:
Where do you detect a resonance with Milton's Paradise Lost?
How is Pope's "vindication" different from Milton's "justification"?
What do you notice about Pope's poetic style?
What is his basic argument? Do you find it convincing?
What "signs of the times" are there in Pope's essay? In other words, how has Enlightenment thought (science, religion, reason) affected Pope's arguments? Other influences?

Library Research

Just a reminder, that your custom designed library research guide is up on our wiki, courtesy of librarian Catherine Pellegrino. Catherine has included some very helpful screen shots to walk you through the process of using SMC's available databases. In addition, she has included a great "cheat sheet" for using MLA bibliography. Remember that the five sources that you list for your assignment due on Thursday must follow MLA guidelines, so go make your life easier and look at our guide.

Milton Mania!

In his Preface to Paradise Lost, David Scott Kastan reminds us that Milton's epic was "the first English poem to receive full scholarly annotation" only 28 years after it was first published in 1667 (viii). With such early and extensive attention in print, it is not at all suprising that Milton has received due attention online as well. You can read a digital version of the poem, complete with reader-friendly interactive annotations in Dartmouth's Milton Reading Room. Original images of nearly every page of the second edition of Paradise Lost (1674) are available on John Geraghty's impressive facsimile collection. More dynamic yet, Paradise Lost Audiotexts provides four distinct ways of interacting with Milton's text: 1. text-only (modernized) 2. Annotation (displaying notes parallel to the text) 3. Comparison mode (displays the 1674 page next to the modern page) and 4. Your notes (allowing you to take notes next to the page as you read). Perhaps the most exciting bit about this site, though, is the ability to listen to Books 1, 2, and 9 with the audiotext feature. Finally, even The New York Times and the New York Public Library can't resist a little Milton mania: check out this exhibit of related art and artifacts.

Library Sign-Ups for Paper 2

Catherine Pellegrino, a research librarian at SMC, has offered to meet with each of you to discuss the specific trajectory of your Annotated Bibliography/Research Projects. As I mentioned in class, Catherine has created a page on our wiki specifically designed for you to sign up for one meeting time the week of October 27-31. Please go online and sign up by editing the wiki page and entering your name. You can link directly to the page here, or you can find it by going to our wiki, then assignments, then Paper 2 where you'll find a link at the top of the page near the part of the assignment that describes your library meeting.

Also, a quick reminder: remember to read all aspects of the assignment sheet. For Tuesday, remember to bring in any relevant draft materials in a folder with a hard copy of your Paper 1. Other important details are on the assignment sheet. The same goes for your Oral Presentation assignments. Make sure you fulfill all of the required elements described on the handout and online.

Good luck writing!

Aphra Behn, historical context

By way of offering some additional information on Behn's historical/cultural moment, I defer to Carolyn's useful wiki notes for last class. Go take a look! The links she posts give background on a number of things: Behn's biography, the transatlantic slave trade, women and publication, the Glorious Revolution, politics, etc.

Assignment Dates

To avoid any confusion, I've posted the sign-up sheets that you used to select dates for the Oral Presentation and the Wiki Assignment (in which you post notes from class twice a semester). You can access both sheets on the Assignments page of our wiki. The link for the wiki notes sign-up sheet is under "Participation," and the link for the oral presentation sign-up sheet is under the heading of the same name. Please confirm the dates you signed up for and put them in your calendars.

Othello Film Night - 9/17

Based on everyone's schedules, it seems our best bet will be to stick with the 6-8 p.m. time slot on Wednesday, Sept. 17 because the movie runs over two hours (it's Shakespeare, what can we do) and some people have a commitment at nine. We'll be meeting in Madeleva 233. Please let me know if you have any dietary restrictions.

Also, by way of preparation, you might want to take a look at this brief introduction to reading/analyzing film put together by the organization Film Education. Much like a work of art or a text, there are structural and stylistic elements in films that combine with overall narratives to produce a sense of meaning for audiences. If you were interested in writing about film, Dartmouth has a great overview of the challenges of the process and strategies for success.

Finally, don't forget to comment on one another's blogs! This is a huge feature of blogging and will help facilitate class discussion each week.

Wetpaint How-to Video

Since we'll be using Wetpaint as our wiki web application or webware (software that runs on a browser), the following video is especially helpful because it elaborates on the specific kind of wiki you'll create in class. Some wikis look more like those you'll find on Wikipedia. Others, including our course wiki, resemble stylized websites. For more on the former, don't forget to check out the blog post on defining wikis.

What is a wiki anyway?

A wiki is a collaborative website. It allows multiple users to edit, alter, and create content - all with relative ease and without knowledge of HTML or other programming languages. Given their collaborative nature, wikis are much like the writing process - never done! One of the most popular examples of a wiki is Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia in which users create and edit the entries (raising questions about accuracy, objectivity, and a writer's credentials). Interestingly, the New York Times published an article last summer, "Seeing Corporate Fingerprints in Wikipedia," about the downsides to using/trusting Wikipedia. Not all wikis look like Wikipedia, though. Our course wiki, for example, is designed to resemble more of a traditional web page with its visual interest and structure.

For a great demonstration of how to use wikis, check out the video "Wikis in Plain English" by Common Craft, a company created by two people in Seattle who found their niche online: explaining complex social networking and web applications in simple, "plain" terms.



As you can see from the video, wikis are great for any group or community of users: classes, student groups, etc. Any ideas about how we could use one in a productive way for our course?

The Line of Conquest

I followed up today on the point Shauna made about the Pope's treaty that granted certain "rights to lands" outside Europe. Kellie was, indeed, right. The agreement was called the Treaty of Tordesillas, and it stipulated that lands east of a certain point belonged to Portugal while areas west went to Spain. It is an interesting piece of historical context that asks us to consider the notion of national "rights" to non-European lands and the involvement of Catholicism (and the Pope) in these early imperial efforts. Thanks, Shauna and Kellie, for bringing it up.

Contrapposto

I wanted to follow up on Kellie's keen observation today that de Bry rendered his figures in an almost contrapposto stance. It occurred to me after class that one of the most famous examples of this "counterpoise" position is also a warrior of sorts: Michaelangelo's David. What does this do, if anything, to your reading of de Bry's "Lorde of Virginia"?

To blog or not to blog...

A blog (short for web-log) has many functions...and faces. We'll be discussing its definition in class on Thursday, but there are two main benefits of using blogs -- particularly in classroom settings:
1. They are user friendly (no need to know programming languages).
2. Blogs encourage and support user interaction through the commenting feature--something you'll be using a lot in this class.

For class on Thursday, I'd like you to do a little blog surfing on the internet. Using the links below, you'll notice blogs come in a variety of forms. There are personal blogs, professional blogs, community blogs, political blogs and educational blogs that range from musings on fashion to travels abroad to who should be the next president. Come to class ready to discuss features you feel are essential to what makes a blog different from a regular webpage, a chat room, a discussion board, Blackboard or even something like MySpace or Facebook.

To begin, you might want to check out the definition offered by Wikipedia (we'll be talking more about wikis later in the term). Also useful is an article, "What We're Doing When We Blog," written by blogger co-creator, Meg Hourihan. If you'd like to check out some sample blogs, try looking through the blogs listed on a site called technorati that keeps a list of the top 100 blogs.

Enjoy!