last updated: 2/23/07
"Only connect! . . .Live in fragments no longer.Ó E. M. Forster, Howards End (1910), ch. 22
"We go for a walk in nature, we see a beautiful sunset Ñ we breathe the order in through our senses, we feel connected. The inside begins to mirror the magnificent outside. In the Vedic tradition that connectedness is called 'yoga.'Ó
Chris Adamason, Vedic Architecture http://www.newlifejournal.com/aprmay04/adamson_0504.shtml
ÔOne day when I was twenty-three or twenty-four this sentence seemed to form in my head, without my willing it, much as sentences form when we are half-asleep, ÔHammer* your thoughts into unityÕ. For days I could think of nothing else and for years I tested all I did by that sentence [...]Ó* William Butler Yeats, Winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature (*cited in Frank Tuohy, Yeats, 1976, p.51 )
*hammer images "Thor's Hammer is a symbol of the struggle against chaos and evil. It's the weapon used by Thor against giants, monsters, and other trollish folk who threaten the common good. It seems particularly appropriate in these troubled times" (http://www.ragweedforge.com/ThorsHammer.html). See especially http://www.mackaos.com.au/Articles/Mjol.html
E 603B, Composition and Reading in World Literature Spring 07
11-12:30 PAR 104;
Computer-Assisted Instruction
Instructor: Bump; <mailto:bump@mail.utexas.edu>; Office: PAR 132 Office phone: 471-8747
office hours: Tu. Th.9:45-10:45, 1:15-1:45 and by appointment.
"The
quality of a university's leadership helps
to determine the quality of our culture. The University's challenge
is to provide informed, ethical, compassionate, and respectful
leadership'. Larry Temple, BBA '57; President, Ex-Students' Association
1997-1998."
"Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show."
first sentence, David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens
Readings: Following the themes that emerged last semester -- passion, compassion, beauty, and racism -- we will train ourselves to be leaders, both in our writing and in our reading about role models such as those described in Campbell's survey of mythological and religious leaders, Hero of a Thousand Faces; Arthurian heroes such as Gawain; religious and philosophical heroes such as Buddha, Isaiah, Socrates, Jesus, Gandhi, and M. L. King; and "heroic" writers such as Virgil, Darwin, Tennyson, Carroll, Arnold, Browning, C. Rossetti, Bob Dylan, Toni Morrison, Maxine Hong Kingston, Alice Walker, and Robert Ferro.
We will be reading Gawain and the Green Knight first; in fact, it will be assigned in the first week of class. Therefore, it would be wise to read this book and make a contribution to the Gawain Discussion Board as soon as possible.
Grades: The final grade (1000 points) will be determined as follows: 500 for Leadership projects (150 for each first draft, 100 for each revision); 200 by informal writing assignments (Blackboard contributions and in-class exercises),;150 by the final electronic portfolio of all of the studentÕs work of both semesters; and 150 by class participation. Grades are not negotiable: students will receive exactly the grade recorded in the online gradebook, even if it is one point short of the next higher grade. 900 points are required for an A-; 800 for a B-; 700 for a C-; 600 for a D-. However, more than 1000 points will be available so that students can emphasize formal over informal writing or vice versa, class participation more than the portfolio, etc.
Projects. In our writing we will employ the New Literacies, not only in our writing for the internet but also in creation of role models in the Second Life virtual world. The first second-semester projects will focus on leaders, role models, mentors; the second on personal leadership visions. Initial comments on the projects will be made by the writing mentor and other students in Blackboard Discussion format, with the instructor then focusing on polishing subsequent hard copies for word choice, punctuation, etc. Rewriting and preparing almost perfect final drafts will be stressed.
Class participation consists of showing up in class on time with the right books, having read the material assigned for that day, and being prepared to talk about it. It is important to share in class: one of the goals of the course is better spoken as well as written communication., and listening when others are speaking. Showing up late or not paying attention will be heavily penalized. In line with our leitmotivs of compassion and the sympathetic imagination, special emphasis will be placed this semester on the art of listening.
Texts: ; Gawain and the Green Knight (James Winny, trans.; Broadview, 1992); Ram Dass, How Can I Help? (Knopf); C. N. Rinpoche's Compassion in Medicine (Wisdom); Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye (Knopf); The Annotated Alice (W. W. Norton); Maxine Hong Kingston's Woman Warrior (Knopf); Alice Walker's The Color Purple (Simon and Schuster); Robert Ferro's The Family of Max Desir (Penguin); Lester Faigley's The Little Penguin Handbook which most students will have from the previous semester; and a collection of xeroxed materials to be purchased from Jenn's, 2000 Guadelupe (basement of the church of scientology at 22nd), 473-8669. It will cost about $55; JennÕs takes major credit cards, of course. If you donÕt get there within the first few days you might want to call ahead to make sure they have a copy reserved for you (sometimes they do not print them all right away).
