I would like to see please six reflection papers of about 500 words each.

 These reflection
papers should intersect any concept or text discussed in class WITH your experience of
teaching and learning.  So for example, you might reflect on the various approaches (formalist,
feminist) used in the analysis of "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" and its relevance to your
classroom.  Please make sure not to reflect on the work itself (e.g. talk about history repeating
itself in Footnote to Youth) but maybe on how it is received or not received or taught or not
taught in your class.  Or you could discuss the concept of appreciating versus critiquing a
literary work and reflect on it as a task for your students.

I attach the ppt to this email and will send another email with the second ppt so that you can
review all the topics we went over so far in this class.

For the 3 research questions plus questions (semi-proposal) papers.  Please make sure that the
questions each fall under the each of the following themes:
     a. on teaching literature;
     b. on learning literature;
     c. on education policies related to teaching and learning literature.

I thought about your proposals the last time we discussed this and discussed with Dean the two
proposals to experiment with using an application in the teaching of literature.  He said that this
is classified as action research and that action research is not the institute's priority.  I also,
personally have no experience with action research.  I myself would like to encourage you away
from action research especially because this class was not an action research class but more a
theories and application class.  I will try to see if Dean can join us on Friday so that he can
explain it more.

But truthfully--I think it is standard practice that in graduate school, the output of the students
should really be closely related to the topic and methods demonstrated in the class.  I do want
to encourage you to think about a topic that is similar to the operations we did in class.

The last requirement is an expansion of one from the three of your proposals. Pick the favorite
of the three and do some data gathering on it and write it up as a kind of preliminary study.

Finally, for Friday--I noticed that you are all shy about applying the formalist and marxist
approaches to the works.  Last Wednesday, when I asked you to do the operation which I
outlined for you, you just restated the theme of Footnote to Youth (not wrong) but not using a
marxist approach.  May I ask you to prepare, for Friday to attempt a marxist approach on any
one of the texts that we studied so far?

Below is the operation outlined for you plus the list of works you can apply a marxist approach.

How to Use a Marxist Approach on a Literary Work

 
1.Identify the Social Setting – is there evidence of components of the mode of production (landlord,
tenant, labor, industry, farm, conditions like poverty)?  If yes, then pay attention to what it is
saying. If no then
2.Identify the theme of the story and then remember that because of ideology and because of how
hegemony works—literature/culture will try to convince you of the normative (unchanging)
nature of the experience.
 
Remember: Marxists want to uncover the truth of the mode of production. Hegemony is
convincing you “This is life; you cannot change it.” And that “resistance is futile”


Footnote to Youth  youth and love versus life =poverty  

To His Coy Mistress    

Sonnet 29 and 30  sadness turns to joy because of thoughts  

on a beloved

The Windhover/ Spring and Fall    

The Black Cat    

Soledad    

A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning