Dramatic Performance

I encourage you to attend . . .

Dramatic Performance

Johnson Chapel

9:00 AM Friday, Dec. 10

Final Exam, Thursday, December 16

Our final exam is on Thursday, December 16, at 10:00-11:50 am. We will meet in our regular classroom.

On this day, your blogging and commenting portfolios are both due.

The exam itself will be a series of ten medium answer/"essay" questions. You can download it here (PDF).

The exam will need to be completed before the exam session begins so that we can discuss your answers during the time allotted for the exam.

Oracle Poetry Reading, Dec. 7

I encourage you to attend . . .

Second "Special Post" (Interpretation), December 9

The second "special post" will be due before class on December 9. You have up until class time to complete it (rather than midnight the evening before). Bring a printed copy of it to class in addition to posting it on your blog.

For this entry, you will take one of the works that we've read this semester and write an interpretation of it--or of part of it, if it is long or if you want to look very closely at a smaller part of it. Instructions are as follows. In the course of your entry, though not necessarily in this particular order, you need to:

1. Re-present the text. In other words, don't assume that we (myself and the other class members who are your readers) have the text in front of us: use synopsis, summary, paraphrase, and/or quotation to help us see what you are talking about.
2. Explain why the text or the aspect of the text that you've chosen to focus on needs to be interpreted. In other words, explain why the full meaning isn't quite clear on the first read. (This means that you need to choose a text or part of a text that isn't quite clear. Keep in mind that sometimes texts are "deceptively simply." So part of what you could do would be to show how something that seems clear at first really isn't.)
3. Tell what you take the work to mean. This is the core part of the "interpretation." You might begin this part of your post by saying: "This story is about . . ." or "This poem deals with . . ." or "So a central theme of this play is . . ."
4. Supply evidence from the text to support your interpretation. Also, make sure that we see the connection between your evidence and what you say that that evidence supports. Don't assume that we'll see the same connection as you. (This means that your interpretation should be feasible based on what the text actually says, even if you want to make an interpretation that "stretches" a bit or that is particularly creative.)
5. Explain why or how the interpretation matters or could matter for yourself and/or for the reader. This might be the most tentative part. That's okay. It's also one of the most important parts.
6. Make your interpretation at least 900 words long (if you use long quotations, these should not count towards the word total).
7. Optional: You can use other sources to bring in a perspective to help explain or understand your text. Only do this if it is useful. You might actually quote from a source or simply summarize a perspective that you are familiar with. For instance you might say: "One way of looking at this line here is to borrow an idea from Walter Brueggemann. He says  . . . I think that this can help explain this text in that . . . " or "A popular feminist position says that . . . which might help explain why . . ."

Below are some practical pointers for writing:

• Start ahead of time.
• Read the text more than once.
• If you don't have any ideas, simply start out by "paraphrasing" the text you are writing about the best you can.
• Don't feel that you need to know what your interpretation is going to be before you start writing about it. Get a copy of what you are writing about that you can take lots of notes on. Actually write on the text as many questions, comments, connections, observations as you can. (Something like in the picture above.)
• Write as many questions as you can.
• Note problematic lines. These are sometimes your best friend in terms of coming up with something to write about.
• Get someone to talk with about the text and about your interpretation.
• Don't feel that your interpretation has to be "final" or conclusive. Embrace complexity.
• Look for patterns and connections within the text. Ask what these patterns might mean. Ask what ideas or thoughts or themes they might be trying to emphasize or connect.

Disabilities Ministries Chapel, November 19

I got the following announcement from Dr. Fettke. I do hope that you will attend if at all possible:

"On Nov. 19 there will be a special religion chapel on disabilities ministries, led by an alumnus and church planter named Richard Stimson. His organization Special Gathering: A ministry within the mentally challenged community has been successful evangelizing the mentally disabled and planting churches dedicated to their needs.

"Richard has recently offered paid internships for students who wish to learn about and participate in this kind of ministry (over $1000/month!). Obviously, Richard has been very successful and hopes to encourage others to get involved in ministry to this neglected group in our society."

Alternative Assignment for Those who Prearranged to Miss the AFI Field Trip

• Option 1: Volunteer for AFI on November 17 (see below).
  
• Option 2: Paint three paintings which each respond to a different character in the play. Post these with some brief comments on your blog.
  
• Option 3: Watch the film version of the play and write a blog post in response to it in comparison to the written text of the play. The film is on hourly reserve as the library. Simply ask for it at the circulation desk. If you choose this option and you’ve previously watched the film, you must watch it again.

The deadline for any of these options is the beginning of fall break.

Volunteers Needed Wednesday at AFI

Ashley Hall from the Alliance for Independence has asked for some volunteers. I will be going, and I would like for some of you to do this as well.

Here are the specifics:

This coming Wednesday, November 17, from 9:00 – 9:35 a.m. We will meet at the AFI (see map) about five minutes early. (Note: This is a slight time change from what I announced in class.)

4-6 volunteers are needed. If you want to do it, sign up by leaving a comment on this post. First come, first serve. :-)

We will be making these Thanksgiving cards.

Theater Production, November 12-14

Per the course syllabus, you need to attend Southeastern's theatrical production of The Man Who Came to Dinner. It will be this weekend at the Polk Theater (see map) at the following times: 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 p.m. It will cost $10 with student ID. See the university’s Arts and Events Calendar.

Afterwards, you need to post a statement on your blog indicating that you watched the play. This play will count as a text for this course, so you may also blog about it.

Update on AFI Field Trip

I will not be able to be at the AFI field trip tomorrow, but that the trip is still on. I have to give a presentation tomorrow morning in a faculty meeting at the same time as our tour. I just now realized my scheduling mistake, so it is too late for me to cancel or reschedule either commitment.

My wife, Mrs. Christine Corrigan, has agreed to meet you at AFI, take role, and take the tour with you in my place.  I have told her that some of you will need to leave by 10:00. You may remember that I have a family picture posted on my blog, so you can check there to see what she looks like. Though, since it’s not a large place, I don’t think that you’ll have any trouble meeting her in the parking lot.

In class on Tuesday, I will make sure grovel and apologize more thoroughly.

I do wish that I could be with you, and I think that you will be edified by the tour.

Also, if you can, bring a dollar or two to buy something at the snack bar. This is not required, but the people who work the bar, who are adults with developmental disabilities, will really appreciate it.

Alliance for Independence

Alliance for Independence (website) has worked with adults with mental disabilities in Lakeland for over 50 years. In conjunction with reading Tom Griffin's The Boys Next Door, we will be visiting their facility to take a tour and learn about the work they do.

Our visit will be on Monday, November 8, from 9:10-10:10 AM.

You will have to arrange your own transportation. Carpooling is encouraged. The Alliance for Independence (AFI) is 1.5 miles from Southeastern. (See map.) Please make sure to arrive on time.

If you are unable to attend this field trip, you will need to arrange with me beforehand to do an alternative assignment in order to receive participation credit.

The Boys Next Door, Tom Griffin

Make sure that you have a copy of The Boys Next Door, by Tom Griffin, which we'll begin reading the first week of November.

In conjunction with reading this play, we'll also be reading an essay by Steven Fettke, "The Spirit of God Hovered Over the Waters: Creation, the local Church, and the Mentally and Physically Challenged, A Call to Spirit-led Ministry" (download PDF). I'm very concerned that some of you might not give this essay the full attention that it needs. So I'm giving you this heads up to start reading it ahead of time.

Lake Bonny Park Field Trip

Between class on Thursday, October 28 and class on Tuesday, November 2 you will need to visit Lake Bonny Park. The park is off Bartow Rd., directly across from Lakeland High School, about five minutes from Southeastern: see map. (Alternatively, you may visit the Circle B Bar Nature Reserve, which is farther away, but larger and more scenic.)

The purpose of this activity, like similar activities we've done so far, is to get you into a setting that can inform your understanding of what we've read: nature poems, in this case. I also want to give you an opportunity to undertake the spiritual practice of paying attention, which is a practice of poets like Mary Oliver and, I should point out, of theologians like St. Augustine.

The instructions are as follows:

• Reread one of the nature poems of your choice of those we've discussed in class or of the ones that will be discussed the following class (one of the poems from Mary Oliver or Robert Hass).
• Go preferably in the morning or evening when it is cool.
• Then find a quiet place to sit or stand in nature.
• Be still, be quiet, pay attention, watch, and listen.
• Go alone or go with someone else. If you go with someone, do not spend much time talking.
• Stay at the park for a minimum of 45 minutes; stay still for at least fifteen minutes.
• Don't read or write during the fifteen minutes of stillness.
• Write a nature poem of your own at least 20 lines (or several shorter poems adding up to that much).
• Blog prompt for the next post that you post after your visit: Write about your visit. You ought to include your poem in your post, though you still need to have the post at least 300 words in addition to the poem. Include in your post the following statement: "I went to Lake Bonny Park [or Circle B Bar Reserve] for this field trip, and I stayed there for at least 45 minutes." If you were there for less time, indicate the amount of time you were there for. 

Off Topic Blog Posts?

I've noticed quite a few blog posts lately that are "off topic." As the guide to blogging says, all posts must engage the texts we have read for this course.  Of course, you can connect all sorts of things to the texts we read, especially the concepts we discuss. But all posts that simply talk about your week or how you feel about the course or even about the concepts that we are learning or anything else without engaging the texts we have read are off-topic.

Exam Grades Posted

Your pass/fail results have been posted to the grade center in Blackboard.

Reading for Tuesday: James Baldwin, "Sonny's Blues"

Make sure to give the story for Tuesday (James Baldwin, “Sonny’s Blues”) a good, thorough reading. It is a little longer than some of the other texts we’ve read, but it’s quite an important story for us in my view.

Please make sure to block out a good amount of time for reading it. Skimming it or reading most of it won’t be sufficient preparation for the activity I would like to do with it.

Field Trip: Monday, November 8

On Monday, November 8, we will be going on a field Trip to Alliance for Independence, 9:15 AM to 10:15. This will be in conjunction with reading Tom Griffin's play The Boys Next Door. Since this field trip is outside of class time, please make sure to arrange your schedule accordingly.

If you cannot attend this field trip, you must arrange in advance for an alternative assignment to receive credit for participation.

Make Sure to Bring Your Short Stories to Class on Tuesday

Make sure to bring your short stories to class on Tuesday (October 12) so that we can continue where we left off in sharing and discussing them.

Canceled Blog Post

No blog post will be due for Tuesday (October 12), because I want you to have more time to work on your portfolio submission. If you are behind on your posting, however, this would be a good opportunity to post anyways: I will let that count for one of your missing posts.

Small Change to the Calendar

There has been a small change to the calendar. Rereading "The Guide to Blogging in this Class" has been moved from October 7 to October 5.

First "Special Entry" (Character Based Short Story), October 7

The "Guide to Blogging in This Class" says that there will be three "special entries" which "will require freewriting, drafting, and revision before posting" and which "will count for more than regular entries." The first of these special entries will be a character based short story, to be due October 7. The instructions for this story are as follows:

• By "character based,"  I mean that the "point" of the story should mostly be about revealing and developing a nuanced or multi-layered or complex character.
• You are encouraged to either use the character sketch that you wrote during class as a basis for the story--or to start over if you like. (The character could even be loosely based on someone you know.)
• This story can be as long as you like. At a minimum, it should be at least 1000 words.
• You can use as a model any of the stories we've read so far: "My Tea with Madame Descartes" by David St. John would serve particularly well.
• It should be informed by the chapter of The Literary Experience on character and should make use of all of the tools of "characterization" as discussed in class: (a) what the character looks like (or sounds like, smells like, etc.), (b) what the character does, (c) what the character says (or thinks, if you decide to give us a view of his or her thoughts), and (d) what other characters say or think about him or her (if you have other characters).
• It should have one or more characters, as many as you want, though in general one ought to be the main character.
• Concerning plot, the story should have a beginning, middle, and end. It may have one or more scenes. 
• The story should be written and revised through at least two drafts. I don't need to see the drafts, but the quality of the story ought to demonstrate that it is not a first draft.
• The final draft of the story should be posted as the entry due before class on October 7, though you should begin working on it much sooner than then.

Bring Your Painting Supplies to Class, September 23

Make sure to bring your painting supplies to class on Thursday, September 23, as the course syllabus lists: "Brushes, paints, and a sketch pad suitable for painting, something other than watercolor. About $10." Participation on this day depends on you bringing these painting materials to class. We will be painting in response to The Book of Joel (download the version on the course calendar). Visual and visceral elements are central to apocalyptic literature. As the chapter on theme in The Literary Experience points out, the "meaning" or "theme" of a text is only one aspect of it. By painting in response to Joel, we will be able to appreciate and participate in these other dynamics of the text. Painting--if you emphasize the actual, physical process of painting and not just the end result--is a physical activity that happens in time that will allow us yet another way of experiencing the text. This means that it does not matter whether you can paint or not or even whether you consider yourself "artistic." I certainly do not have any painting abilities, but I have been able to get a lot out of this activity. The texts I've painted from are some of the ones I remember best and most meaningfully. The images in this post are samples of my painting in response to literature.

Cemetery Field Trip

Before class on Tuesday, September 14, you will need to visit the oldest burial gardens in Lakeland, three connected cemeteries called Lakeview, Roselawn and Tiger Flowers. You will need to spend a minimum of a full 40 minutes inside the cemetery. These burial gardens are located less than ten minutes from Southeastern, at the corner of Ingraham Avenue and Parker Street (map). Parking is available across Ingram from the cemeteries, in the parking lot of the Polk County Government Center. I suggest that you enter the Tiger Flowers Cemetery entrance directly across from Everest University. You are responsible for arranging you own transportation, but I encourage you to carpool with other members of the class. 

The purpose of this trip is to "inform" your reading of C. S. Lewis' A Grief Observed. In particular, it may "illustrate" Lewis' discussion of a man caring for his dead mother's grave site in Chapter 2 (page 21 in my book). More generally, it should give you a quite time to reflect on death and on the book as a whole.

You will need to bring the text of A Grief Observed with you to the cemetery. You should arrive at the cemetery quietly and solemnly. This is a public place of grief. You need to show the utmost respect for the dead and for those still alive who have dead loved ones buried there. During your visit, I would like for you to spend most of your time walking around in silence, looking at the tombstones, and reading.  Please reread select pages and passages carefully and meditatively. This should be a "prayerful" event. It should also be an event that takes you deeper into the text and into life.

To be counted as "present," for this fieldtrip, you will need to post an extra post on your blog with the following statement: "I went to the Lakeview, Roselawn and Tiger Flowers cemetery complex for this fieldtrip, and I stayed there for at least 40 minutes." Optimally, you will also post a picture of yourself at the cemetery. You may also want to add some reflections about your visit since extra blogging can boost your blog grade.

If visiting this specific cemetery provides some hardship, you may visit a different one providing that it is comparably old and large.

If you think that visiting a cemetery at all will prove too emotionally difficult for you, you may arrange in advance with me for an alternative activity.

Tuscana Ristorante Fieldtrip, September 7

During class time on Tuesday, September 7, we will be meeting at Tuscana Ristorante. Students must arrive to the dining hall by 12:00. I highly recommend that you get there early if at all possible in order to get a table--or send someone in your small group to get a table for the group. You will need to find me, hand me a note card with your name on it (so that I can take attendance quickly and quietly) and get a copy of the discussion guidelines. Students without meal plans will need to buy lunch. The element of "food" is an important part of making this "fieldtrip" work.

The purpose of this fieldtrip is to highlight--and practice--the social aspect of literature. By social, I don't mean "socializing" as a "social butterfly" might do. I mean simply, normal human interactions between people. In "real life," when literature is discussed, it is most often discussed around dinner tables or at lunch time. Literature is about life and the doing and happening of literature takes place, in addition to in classrooms, in the arenas of real life.

The guidelines are as follows:

1. You need to bring a literary text or several texts to discuss. These may be ones we've read in this class or ones you've read elsewhere. They should, however, be literature, meaning poetry, fiction, drama or so on. While philosophy and theology and self-help books are all worth discussing, and can be brought to bear on the reading of literary texts, this event should focus on literature proper.
2. You should prepare beforehand some discussion questions or points or comments. You also need to get from me, when you arrive, a copy of my discussions questions.
3. You need to sit with members of the class. You should sit with the small group you've been meeting with in class; however, if there are less than three members in your group, you may join with another group. No group, though, should have more than five or more than can fit around a small table.
4. You should get some food and drink.
5. You will have to stay "on topic" from after you get your food and make sure you know each other's names, until the end of the class period. However, you can decide what constitues being "on topic." You can decide what is relevant to discuss about literature and life. This will be hard work, especailly if you are not used to having meaningful discussiong about literature. But since I am taking this risk of having this fieldtrip, please give it a long, solid try.
6. Make sure to continually "return to the texts," whatever texts you have, weaving the actual words of the literature throughout the whole discussion. Make sure during the course of the discussion to read aloud short passages to each other.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog and website for this course.

Throughout the semester, I will post things here related to the course: announcements, descriptions of assignments, and supplementary material. I suggest that you “bookmark” it in your browser. Here are some links on how to bookmark a page: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome. If you do that, it should only take you a few seconds to check the website.

For now, you need to work your way through the course documents: the Syllabus, The Guide to Blogging in this Course, The Guide to Commenting in this Course, How to Set Up Your Blog, and the Course Calendar. When you are done with all of that, make sure to complete the Consent to Comply Form for this class.

I look forward to the discussions we'll have over the course of this semester!

Professor Corrigan

Leave Your Blog URL Here

Once you've set up your own blog, leave a comment on this post with your name and the URL to your blog. This is so that I will be able to have access to your blogs and also so that I can build a list of links so that everyone in the class will be able to access each other's blogs.

Note: It leaves your name automatically when you leave a comment, but I'm asking for your name just in case you didn't use your actual name as your display name. If that's you, go to your settings and change your display name so I'll know who you are.

Professor Corrigan Bio

Here is a brief academic bio about myself along with a picture of my family.

I teach writing, literature, and humanities at Southeastern University. My wife Christine and I have two young daughters, Elea and Sara. We live in Lakeland.

I have an MA degree in Literature from North Carolina State University, and I am working on a PhD in the same thing at the University of South Florida. I have also done graduate studies at Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. My scholarly research focuses on Christian spirituality, literature, and pedagogy.

I have presented scholarly papers at the Conference on Christianity and Literature, the College Theology Society, the North Carolina Symposium on Teaching Writing, and the American Academy of Religion in Montreal, among others. I have written peer-reviewed articles published in the journal Literature and Belief and in God, Grace, and Creation: The Annual Volume of the College Theology Society and have written short articles on teaching published or forthcoming in The Teaching Professor and Pedagogy.

Left to right:  Mrs. Corrigan, Elea, me, Sara