Affectation and Affect:

The Case of Oscar Wilde

 

Teaching Presentation:

You are required to lead the class for 45 minutes on one day.  This leadership should not take the form of talking-head lecture; rather, it should present a problem in the theory and/or the fictional text, open up discussion through questions or other techniques, and draw that discussion toward a conclusion.   Come to class with a clear sense of the problem, a sense of how you would like your colleagues to explore that problem, an example in the text(s) of where that problem can be located, and a good sense of where you want the class to arrive.  This will allow you to direct the discussion while incorporating or encouraging other points of view or unexpected insights.  Do not exceed 45 minutes.  There may be someone else teaching on the same day as you, and deserves the same amount of time. 

Should two of you be teaching on the same day, you are required to consult with each other to find out what the other plans to do.  Please be sure you don’t repeat or preempt your colleague.  You are welcome to team-teach.  Just remember that I need to mark each of you separately, so your strategy for team-teaching should make clear to me who is responsible for what.


Short Essay:

This paper, 8 to 10 pages in length, is due two weeks after your teaching presentation.  It will focus on your initial concerns for your chosen seminar, but it will have the advantage of class discussion and time to re-think.  My agenda for the length of this essay is that it be appropriate for an academic conference (ACCUTE, the MLA, etc.), and may become a more formal academic credential.


Major Essay:

While your short essay will probably consider only one work, the major essay should expand your range and develop problems over a number of texts we’ve been discussing.  For the sake of broad coverage, choose a topic or work that you did not write on in your short essay.  Those of you who are doing your teaching presentation on of after March 17 must come and see me to negotiate a different due date for your major paper.  I do not want to put you into the situation where you have two papers due at the same time (and all the evaluation appearing at the end of the course), so you will be handing in your major paper earlier in the term.  While this means that you will write your major work before you have some of the material under your belt, you will also do your teaching and write your shorter paper with more material than your colleagues have who teach earlier in the term.  It all evens out, and sanity is maintained.


In-class participation:

A real seminar works only by the full participation of everyone in the room.  Thus, I expect that everyone will come having read the work and being ready to discuss it.  While attendance is necessary for participation, it is not sufficient; be prepared to talk.  If for some reason you cannot attend a class, please leave me a voice-mail or email message and let me know.