English 1&2

[[Eclipse]]

English 1&2
Wister Room 204


Catalogue Description

We'll be reading through a seven-book series which provides unique and imaginative material for engaging philosophical topics of perennial interest: good and evil, virtue and vice, friendship, personal identity, the use and abuse of technology, and so on. We will also frame discussion by considering the role literature plays in shaping a philosophical imagination and the relationship of fiction to philosophy.

Explanation

We will be covering supernatural literature based on many of the creatures which are your friends in class or your family. We'll discuss how they show our races and what the humans have messed up in explaining. Why they think that everything different from them must be evil and they are the only good.
Technically there is are two classes in one. English 1 and English 2, both cover the same material over the year but I flip information from year to year so that those in English 1 are taught something new in English 2. Those in English 2 end up with more work to do than those in English 1.

Texts:

Creatures Of Myth: Fairies, Dragons, Angels, And More by Gregory Branson-Trent
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Hawkness
A Lycanthropy Reader: Werewolves in Western Culture by Charlotte F. Otten
Daemons by Daniel Suarez
A brief look into Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
A brief look into Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
A brief look into The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice

Expectations:

If this class is going to be interesting and worthwhile, you will have to contribute substantially. This will require your attention to several areas:
Attendance: If you are going to miss a class, or even part of a class, please talk to me, ahead of time if at all possible. That way you will know what it is you are missing

Participation: Much of the class will be revolve around discussion based upon the readings. Thus it is important to make sure you complete all the readings ahead of the class during which they will be discussed. You are also expected to fully participate in group activities, to ask and answer questions, and to contribute to discussion.

Readings: The readings for this class will involve a variety of chapters and articles, usually 2-4 per week. The schedule also includes study questions to help guide your reading.

Homework: You will be assigned homework each week on most of the readings. These will take the form of answering questions, personal reflections, summaries, relating readings to one another, comparing and contrasting perspectives, and so on. These will form a significant part of your grade, so be sure to do them.

Mid-Term Essay: A first essay will be due the Tuesday before Thanksgiving break This essay will be a 5-6 page critical analysis essay, based upon one of the articles we will have read, in relation to the content of the text series.

Final Essay: A final essay will be due on the Wednesday of exam week. This essay will be a 8-10 page essay. The essay should cover the readings and compare the similarities and misleading sides of daemons, witches, lycans, and Vampires as humans see us. The essay should interact with secondary literature, either from our readings in class or that you research on your own.

Please note: I will accept written work in the form of a hard copy only - no electronic submissions. If, for some reason you need to miss class and want to turn in an assignment electronically in order for it to be counted as "on time," that is acceptable, but you must follow up with submitting a hard copy as soon as possible thereafter or you will not receive credit for the assignment. Thanks for your cooperation with this.

Grading:

The following is a breakdown of how your various grades will be weighed:
Participation (20%)
Homework (25%)
Mid-Term Essay (25%)
Final Essay (30%)  

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