Week of April 24
Monday
Discuss Woolf's "A Society" (pp.
154-163):
- How would you describe or name the
dominant ideology of Woolf's story?
- How does the activity of the women's club
seem like a response to Stuart Hall's explanation of ideology (as
transparent, common sense) (Toolbox p. 89) ?
It is precisely its 'spontaneous' quality, its transparency, its
'naturalness,' its refusal to be made to examine the premises on which
it is founded, its resistance to change and to correction, its effect of
instant recognition, and the closed circle in which it moves which makes
common sense, at one and the same time, 'spontaneous,' ideological and
unconscious. You cannot learn, through common sense, how
things are, you can only discover where they fit into the
existing scheme of things. In this way, its very taken-for-grantedness
is what establishes it as a medium in which its own premises and
presuppositions are being rendered invisible by its apparent
transparency. (Stuart Hall, "Culture, Media and the
'Ideological Effect,")
- How might we explain the strange
statements made about reading by characters in Woolf's story (xerox, pp.
155, 161, 162) ?
HW: Read Conrad's "Outpost of Progress" (xerox
packet, pp. 207-221).
Wednesday
Discuss Conrad's "Outpost of Progress"
HW: final regular blog entry: compare Woolf and
Conrad by discussing the relation of each story to the concept of ideology.
Friday
- Hint for portfolio over-achievers:
consider commenting on some of your own earlier blog entries, then
include both the original and the comment in the portfolio (see
this example; search "Kristopher" / "Kris", display single post).
It's late to complete entries from the earlier part of the semester, but
very appropriate to use the comment to extend or revise.
- Review
of other toolbox concepts. What is literature? Why do we read it? How
do we read it? How do the theoretical toolbox concepts change our
thinking about it? What kind of authority do we grant the author? What
role do readers take? What roles do Culture and culture give to
literature? What functions does literature serve if we decide to
consider "subjectivity" (identity as a construct involving position)
instead of using the model of the individual "self"? How can
literature reinforce or demystify ideology?
- Discussion of summative cover letter for your end-of-semester blog portfolio.
| Summative Letter –
Due at or before the scheduled
final exam: 10:30am Class– Mon, May 8th @ 10:15; 2:15pm class –
Wed, May 10th @ 12:30. Letters may be left in my mailbox,
Leonard 110 but will not be accepted after the date above.
Please submit a thoughtful, well
edited reflection upon your semester's work. The reflection
should take the form of a formal letter (addressed to me: Prof.
Sherwood). A well-written letter will function a bit like an
introduction; it will frame my reading of your blog portfolio,
calling my attention to your progress, development, and efforts
throughout the semester. You might choose to discuss your work
by addressing what you gained from particular readings, your
appreciation of toolbox concepts, and the trajectory of your
blog posts.
In the past, many of the strongest
letters have done several of the following:
- present a reasonable, balanced
self-assessment of your work
- discuss the semester in terms
of: effort, participation, and blog-writing
- make mention of specific
assignments or particular responses; (perhaps there is a
blog entry about which you feel proud or one you would now
complete differently)
- demonstrate comprehension of
readings, including rethinking of earlier responses
- make use of a toolbox concept
to explain
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HW: Prepare blog portfolio, which is due monday.
Work on draft of cover letter and bring questions monday.
Portfolio (Due Monday, Last day of class)
containing paper copies of your blog entries to date. You should copy and
paste entries into a word file, one to a page, in chronological order with
dates and times of posting; and
attach a coverpage with your name, course section, and date. As I look at
individual entries in the context of the portfolio, I'll be looking for
wholistic evidence that you have read carefully and thoughtfully, and tried
to reflect insights gained from class lectures and discussion.
(See also:
rubric)
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