First Homework!
Hi there!
I’m running a little bit behind, so I’ll post the syllabus and other first-week stuff for this course tomorrow. But for now, your promised homework:
- for Monday, Sept. 14th: read this PDF of my story “Pahwakhe.” (Or listen to the MP3 of a reading performed for a podcast, though be warned, there is a very long introduction to the story.) And while you’re at it, review this wikipedia article on the notion of The Death of the Author. (It’s an essay by Roland Barthes, and if you really want, you can read the essay here, but the idea itself is the important part so the Wikipedia article should be good enough!)
You should have received a message from our department’s office assistant regarding the reading materials for next week. I think they are available available at the campus print shop now, and probably were earlier today as well; you have to pay for the cost of the copies since the Pico Iyer is quite long. The readings included in this first batch are:
- two poems –“City Lights” and “The Merchant’s Song,” both by Roo Borson — for September 16th.
- one long essay by Pico Iyer titled “The Multiculture” (from his book The Global Soul) for September 21st/23rd.
Remember the standard procedure for all readings: you must write up your reaction to what you have read, including questions, thoughts, your reaction, and a sense of the main themes, issues, and ideas of the text we are discussing. The text should be at least 250 words (approximately one page of double-spaced text), but if you want a good grade, 500 words (approximately 2 pages of double spaced text) is a better length to aim for to allow you to explore more deeply and prepare more effectively.
You will submit one such writing for every text we read and discuss in class.
For more information on proper formatting for written work in my classes, please see here.