F13 - ENGL071D.01 - Core: Short Story in the US

Weekly outline

• Select week ENGLISH 71D INFO, SYLLABUS, and BLOG

  ENGLISH 71D INFO, SYLLABUS, and BLOG

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  • Select activity summary topics for English 71D Short Story in U.S.

    

    summary topics for English 71D Short Story in U.S. File

    These are a list by me of some of the key terms, concepts, and ideas that have come up in discussions of short stories this semester.  Please read these along with the Karen Russell story for Monday.  I'll make time to discuss any of these further if you have questions or comments.  Handed out in class Friday, but here's a copy for Moodle.

  • Select activity info regarding the "teacher lesson plan" option for assignment #2

    

    info regarding the "teacher lesson plan" option for assignment #2 File

    Duplicates the material at the end of the English 71D syllabus.  An option for you as an alternative to writing an analytical paper on a story for assignment #2.  Note that you must discuss your project and my guidelines for it with Prof. Schmidt before you proceed.  But this is your chance to provide help and guidance to real teachers and students on a favorite story from our syllabus!

  • Select activity STUDENT COURSE EVALUATION FORM for English 71D

    

    STUDENT COURSE EVALUATION FORM for English 71D File
  • Select activity ENGL 71D: THE SHORT STORY IN THE U.S.--course requirements, info, and syllabus: download and/or print this

    

    ENGL 71D: THE SHORT STORY IN THE U.S.--course requirements, info, and syllabus: download and/or print this File

    Please download and/or print this file and use it to prepare for each class.

  • Select activity Guidelines for Paper #1

    

    Guidelines for Paper #1 File

    Posted Sept. 23.  Please read carefully as you plan your paper.  Questions?  Prof. Schmidt will be happy to speak with you.

  • Select activity News forum

    

    News forum
  • Select activity an example of an A essay (on Hawthorne)

    

    an example of an A essay (on Hawthorne) File
  • Select activity an example of an A essay (on Sui Sin Far)

    

    an example of an A essay (on Sui Sin Far) File
  • Select activity an example of an A essay (on Faulkner)

    

    an example of an A essay (on Faulkner) File
• Select week September 2 - September 8

  September 2 - September 8

  COURSE INTRODUCTION; IRVING; HAWTHORNE.

  For full course description, course requirements, and reading and writing assignments, see the syllabus file above.  Please print and/or download this file and use it to prepare for each MWF class.

  Note:  unless otherwise indicated, authors and stories are available in the print anthology ordered for the course, Major American Short Stories.  Other course materials (such as pdfs and sound files and links) will be posted on this site.
• Select week September 9 - September 15

  September 9 - September 15
  MELVILLE; POE; FROST

  • Select activity Edelman essay on Melville's "Bartleby," Occupy Wall Street, and the Humanities

    

    Edelman essay on Melville's "Bartleby," Occupy Wall Street, and the Humanities File

    Optional reading, but encouraged.  I'll discuss this essay some in class.

  • Select activity Gregory Frost, "The Madonna of the Maquiladora" (1999)

    

    Gregory Frost, "The Madonna of the Maquiladora" (1999) File

    Print and/or download this pdf; read; then bring to class in one format or another.

    Think of some questions for Prof. Frost, for he'll visit our class!

• Select week September 16 - September 22

  September 16 - September 22
  GILMAN; CHOPIN; SIN FAR

  • Select activity Sui Sin Far's story "In the Land of the Free" (c. 1900)

    

    Sui Sin Far's story "In the Land of the Free" (c. 1900) File
  • Select activity Historical background for "In the Land of the Free"

    

    Historical background for "In the Land of the Free" URL

    Wikipedia on the Chinese Exclusion Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1882.

  • Select activity Bibliographic info on the Sui Sin Far text

    

    Bibliographic info on the Sui Sin Far text Page
• Select week September 23 - September 29

  September 23 - September 29
  JAMES; CRANE; HEMINGWAY
• Select week September 30 - October 6

  September 30 - October 6

  FAULKNER; HURSTON; FITZGERALD

  • Select activity Guidelines for Paper #1

    

    Guidelines for Paper #1 File

    Posted Sept. 23.  Please read carefully.  Questions?  Prof. Schmidt would be happy to speak with you.

  • Select activity PAPER # 1 DUE, 5pm, Fri. OCT. 4

    

    PAPER # 1 DUE, 5pm, Fri. OCT. 4 Assignment

    EITHER uploaded here on this Moodle site OR printed and turned in to the LPAC 206 mailbox

    8-10pp. double-spaced, an analysis of one story from our syllabus so far.  Build on class discussion but add your own well supported ideas and arguments.

• Select week October 7 - October 13

  October 7 - October 13
  WELTY; DANTICAT

  • Select activity Welty story "Where is the Voice Coming From?"

    

    Welty story "Where is the Voice Coming From?" File

    Eudora Welty imagines the voice and motivations of the man who killed civil rights worker Medgar Evers in Jackson, Mississippi, Welty's and Evers' home town, in 1963.  Published in The New Yorker, 1963.

  • Select activity from The New Yorker: background on Welty's "Where Is The Voice Coming From?"

    

    from The New Yorker: background on Welty's "Where Is The Voice Coming From?" URL
  • Select activity Danticat story "The Children of the Sea"

    

    Danticat story "The Children of the Sea" File
  • Select activity Danticat essay "Create Dangerously"

    

    Danticat essay "Create Dangerously" File
• Select week Fall Break

  Fall Break
• Select week October 21 - October 27

  October 21 - October 27

  Pair with a classmate and select 4 authors and stories from Major American Short Stories that are not on the assigned syllabus.  Read and discuss these stories in class this week. For one of your 4, you may include the Raymond Carver story uploaded here.  See syllabus for further instructions and suggestions.

  • Select activity Raymond Carver's "Cathedral"

    

    Raymond Carver's "Cathedral" File
  • Select activity Flannery O'Connor's early "Prayer Journal" published: here's a review of it

    

    Flannery O'Connor's early "Prayer Journal" published: here's a review of it URL

    "The Believer": review of Flannery O'Connor's newly published "Prayer Journal," written in her early 20s when she was a student at the famous University of Iowa program for creative writers.  By novelist Marilynne Robinson.  Includes a great photo of O'Connor from her student days!  New York Times Book Review, Nov. 17, 2013.

• Select week October 28 - November 3

  October 28 - November 3

  JACKSON AND BRADBURY; ROTH; ENGLANDER

  Note:  the Roth story is in our anthology

  • Select activity Jackson's "The Lottery," plus discussion questions at the end

    

    Jackson's "The Lottery," plus discussion questions at the end URL
  • Select activity New Yorker background info on the aftermath of Jackson's "Lottery"

    

    New Yorker background info on the aftermath of Jackson's "Lottery" URL
  • Select activity Ray Bradbury's "The Veldt"

    

    Ray Bradbury's "The Veldt" File
  • Select activity original illustration accompanying Bradbury's story

    

    original illustration accompanying Bradbury's story File
  • Select activity Stephen Colbert reads Bradbury's "The Veldt" (Part 1)

    

    Stephen Colbert reads Bradbury's "The Veldt" (Part 1) URL
  • Select activity Colbert reads Bradbury (Part 2)

    

    Colbert reads Bradbury (Part 2) URL
  • Select activity Colbert reads Bradbury (Part 3)

    

    Colbert reads Bradbury (Part 3) URL
  • Select activity Nathan Englander, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank"

    

    Nathan Englander, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank" File
• Select week November 4 - November 10

  November 4 - November 10
  BAMBARA; MOHR; JEN

  • Select activity Toni Cade Bambara, "The Lesson"

    

    Toni Cade Bambara, "The Lesson" File
  • Select activity "Bambara Group" student presentation on "The Lesson" (YouTube)

    

    "Bambara Group" student presentation on "The Lesson" (YouTube) URL
  • Select activity Nicholasa Mohr's "The English Lesson"

    

    Nicholasa Mohr's "The English Lesson" File
  • Select activity Gish Jen, "In the American Society"

    

    Gish Jen, "In the American Society" File
• Select week November 11 - November 17

  November 11 - November 17

  CISNEROS and TORRES; DÍAZ, REDDI

  • Select activity Cisneros, 2 stories

    

    Cisneros, 2 stories File
  • Select activity Torres, "We Wanted More," from _We the Animals_

    

    Torres, "We Wanted More," from _We the Animals_ File
  • Select activity Díaz, "Negocios"

    

    Díaz, "Negocios" File
  • Select activity Firmat quotation about language, from Díaz's _Drown_.

    

    Firmat quotation about language, from Díaz's _Drown_. File
  • Select activity Rishi Reddi, "Karma"

    

    Rishi Reddi, "Karma" File
  • Select activity excellent interview with Rishi Reddi

    

    excellent interview with Rishi Reddi URL
• Select week November 18 - November 24

  November 18 - November 24
  WOLFF; HASLETT; RAYMOND

  • Select activity Tobias Wolff reads his story "That Room"

    

    Tobias Wolff reads his story "That Room" File

    aiff audio file  (12 minutes 37 seconds)

  • Select activity Wolff's story in mp3 format

    

    Wolff's story in mp3 format File
  • Select activity pdf of the text of Wolff's "That Room"

    

    pdf of the text of Wolff's "That Room" File
  • Select activity Adam Haslett, "The Volunteer" (part 1)

    

    Adam Haslett, "The Volunteer" (part 1) File
  • Select activity Adam Haslett, "The Volunteer" (part 2)

    

    Adam Haslett, "The Volunteer" (part 2) File
  • Select activity Jonathan Raymond, "Train Choir" (part 1)

    

    Jonathan Raymond, "Train Choir" (part 1) File
  • Select activity Jonathan Raymond, "Train Choir" (part 2)

    

    Jonathan Raymond, "Train Choir" (part 2) File
• Select week November 25 - December 1

  November 25 - December 1
  SAUNDERS; PYNCHON

  • Select activity Saunders' "CivilWarLand in Bad Decline" pdf

    

    Saunders' "CivilWarLand in Bad Decline" pdf File
  • Select activity Saunders' 2013 commencement speech, on the importance of kindness

    

    Saunders' 2013 commencement speech, on the importance of kindness URL

    Optional, but well worth your time.  It's not just wise, it's hilarious:

    "Down through the ages, a traditional form has evolved for this type of speech, which is: Some old fart, his best years behind him, who, over the course of his life, has made a series of dreadful mistakes (that would be me), gives heartfelt advice to a group of shining, energetic young people, with all of their best years ahead of them (that would be you)...."

  • Select activity Pynchon, the Chums of Chance time travel episode

    

    Pynchon, the Chums of Chance time travel episode File

    an excerpt from Pynchon's novel Against the Day (2006)

  • Select activity Dick Hill reads Pynchon: Against the Day's Chums of Chance and the Time Machine episode (audio files). *Optional.* 31 audio files, c. 3 minutes each = about 1.5 hours.

    

    Dick Hill reads Pynchon: Against the Day's Chums of Chance and the Time Machine episode (audio files). *Optional.* 31 audio files, c. 3 minutes each = about 1.5 hours. Folder
  • Select activity annotations for the Pynchon "time travel" story

    

    annotations for the Pynchon "time travel" story URL

    Annotations to references in the Chums of Chance excerpt about time travel, from Pynchon's 2006 novel Against the Day.  These are both useful and fun!

    Scroll down and find the annotations, keyed to page #s from your pdf.

    The annotations are from the Pynchon Wiki, a site created by Pynchon's devoted readers.

  • Select activity a Chums of Chance reading list

    

    a Chums of Chance reading list URL

    A list of the fictitious boys' adventure novels in the Chums of Chance series mentioned in Against the Day; the site has fun illustrations as well by Harry Grant Dart, whose actual comic strip The Explorigator (1908) undoubtedly inspired Pynchon.

• Select week December 2 - December 8

  December 2 - December 8
  YU; MOORE; EGAN

  • Select activity Yu, 2 stories: ""Third Class Superhero" and ""Autobiographical Raw Material Unsuitable for the Mining of Fiction"

    

    Yu, 2 stories: ""Third Class Superhero" and ""Autobiographical Raw Material Unsuitable for the Mining of Fiction" File
  • Select activity optional: Authors@Google event where Yu reads from and discusses his 2010 novel about a time-machine repairman

    

    optional: Authors@Google event where Yu reads from and discusses his 2010 novel about a time-machine repairman URL
  • Select activity The novelist Gary Shteyngart reads Lorrie Moore's "Paper Losses" and discusses her story with the New Yorker fiction editor Deborah Treisman

    

    The novelist Gary Shteyngart reads Lorrie Moore's "Paper Losses" and discusses her story with the New Yorker fiction editor Deborah Treisman URL
  • Select activity Egan, "Emerald City"

    

    Egan, "Emerald City" File
• Select week December 9 - December 15

  December 9 - December 15

  RUSSELL.  And (optional extra class) David EGGERS, "We Like You So Much and Want to Know You Better"

  • Select activity Karen Russell's "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves"

    

    Karen Russell's "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" File
  • Select activity short film inspired by "St. Lucy's Home…"

    

    short film inspired by "St. Lucy's Home…" URL

    It appears that some students have made a short film of "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves."  It's definitely worth watching and is just as bizarre and beautiful as the story.  But read the story first!  //  It's posted on Vimeo; here's the link.  Thanks, Winnie Ngo!

  • Select activity David Eggers' "We Like You So Much and Want to Know You Better"

    

    David Eggers' "We Like You So Much and Want to Know You Better" URL

    from the New York Times Magazine, Sept. 29, 2013

  • Select activity brief article on the history and future of office space design--to go with the Eggers story

    

    brief article on the history and future of office space design--to go with the Eggers story File

    from Metropolis: Architecture Culture Design magazine, Nov. 2013.

    Might be fun to compare and contrast Eggers' story & how this article links different office designs to different historical moments from the 20th and 21st centuries, including different models of how workers were expected to work together.  Inspired by a recent design competition to imagine the ideal office workspace in 2020.

• Select week December 16 - December 22

  December 16 - December 22
  • Select activity PAPER # 2 (or teaching plan project) DUE, 8-12pp., MONDAY DEC. 16, 5pm.

    

    PAPER # 2 (or teaching plan project) DUE, 8-12pp., MONDAY DEC. 16, 5pm. Assignment

    Either a second paper, or a teaching lesson plan project.  See the 71D syllabus for further details and consult ahead of time with Prof. Schmidt.  No extensions re this deadline for paper/project # 2.  Either upload your project here OR print it and place in the LPAC 206 mailbox.