Due 9/19: Future Readings

September 15, 2016 By

1. Man’s Search for Meaning–Please be prepared to discuss the book on Monday!
2. Philosophy Packet–Please take very good care of the packet! 🙂

Future Readings:

1. (Due 9/20) Read and annotate William Barrett’s The Encounter with Nothingness(Second reading in the packet). Be sure to read all three parts (the third part being Science and Finitude). Barrett’s reading will give us just a nugget of context before we move ahead. Remember, you must annotate all readings for this class! Failure to do so will result in a zero!  You will learn how to provide some focus to your annotations.  Ultimately, focused annotating prepares you for your reading responses, formal essays, and class discussions.  To annotate is to supply with critical or explanatory notes:

  • identifying lines that resonate with you, confuse you, or make you want to know more
  • asking questions of general thematic/philosophical value
  • tracking the development of a theme that may connect to one or more of the philosophical readings or other fiction.

2. (Due 9/21) Existentialism is a Humanism–Jean Paul Sartre is often the first name to come to mind when one considers Existentialism. His brand of atheistic existentialism so dominates the existential landscape that one forgets that the “first existentialist” Kierkegaard was indeed a theist. Nevertheless, Sartre’s essay most clearly defines the existential mindset. It becomes a fundamental piece of this course’s foundation.   Additionally, his essay establishes some of the tenets of existentialism that are universally applicable.  Read and ANNOTATE! Be sure you are able to discuss the four reproaches of existentialism and his defense against those reproaches.

Class Forum–Remember you must post by midnight Tuesday (in preparation for Wednesday’s class)! AND REMEMBER TO BRING A PRINTED COPY OF YOUR RESPONSE IN TO CLASS. The responses should be added to the reading response section of your binder. Be sure to include the heading and title each printed response.

3. (Due 9/22) Soren Kierkegaard–Read and annotate That Individual. Be sure you can articulate Kierkegaard’s thesis and supporting argument. The following week we will write our first précis. This requires that you have at least Control of the source article. Print out the précis detail sheet.

Due 9/14: Class Forum

September 13, 2016 By

1. Class Forum–Six Word Poem/Story (Remember, you should print YOUR response before class). Due by midnight tonight!

For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn

Tonight, you will write  your six word poem/story. Consider each word and consider the story you want to communicate through those six words.  In the example above (attributed to Hemingway) there is great depth to that narrative. Imagine the joy, the anticipation, the inspiration, the anxiety, the tragedy, the despair behind those words… All of that and more communicated through six words. Be scrupulous in your selection of words, be thoughtful in your arrangement, be authentic in holistic composition.

2. College Office visits tomorrow!

3. Thursday, September 15–In-Class writing assignment on Letters to a Young Poet. So, be sure to have the book in class!

Due 9\14: Class Forum and More

September 13, 2016 By

1. Be sure you are properly registered for the site!
2. Class Forum–Five things you know to be true. Be sure to post in the appropriate class forum. So, if you are in my H band class, post in that forum to the thread that has already been started. DO NOT start a new thread!
3. In-Class Writing Assessment on Purple Hibiscus–English 10H on Thursday and English 10B on Friday. More info during next class period.

HW due 6/2: PBA Thesis

June 1, 2016 By

1. Class Forum–Post your PBA thesis! Bring in typed thesis and thesis process tomorrow!

HW due 5/9: No Exit and Class Forum

May 6, 2016 By

1. (Change of Plans…Sorry, Eli) No Exit–Instead of finishing the play over the weekend, read through page 26 (stop after Estelle says, “As I told you, I haven’t a notion.” Extract everything from everything. Keep Sartre’s essay in mind. Additionally, we want to try and make sense of the author’s message. And perhaps more importantly, how does Sartre communicate that message? Remember, Sartre literally articulates the play’s primary themes at the end; so, let’s try and discern those themes before the end. To that end:
2. Class Forum—BE SURE TO HAVE YOUR PRINTED RESPONSE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS.
3. Personal Vocab will be collected in the new week. You should have 65 words! Do not copy your peer’s words!

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