Blackboard.com
BEwell Homepage
Graphic credit:
"The Brown Pelican"
by John James Audubon
http://www.audubon.org/bird/
BoA/images/originals/
00704p2.gif
For Audubon's commentary, see
http://www.audubon.org/bird/
BoA/F41_G4b.html
© Richard R. Buonanno, 1995
Course
Description and Goals
This course will examine the rich literary heritage of
Louisiana, including the many works that draw on its resources. The early
settlement of the state, with its diverse linguistic and cultural elements,
laid the foundations for a unique literary tradition. Louisiana has
been shaped by many forces, including the slave-holding history of the
south, the rural Acadian refugees, and the complex perspectives of its
major port city, New Orleans. In recent times, those primary cultures have
been overlaid by twentieth-century tensions of industrialization, especially
in the exploitation of oil and gas. Writers and audiences have found this
confluence of cultures irresistible, and the writings about the state include
works by some of American literatureís most significant figures.
To understand better this diverse literary tradition and
its relationship to American literature generally, we will read a number
of short stories and novels, as well as some poetry and non-fiction, relying
on careful reading and discussion to clarify the texts and their contexts.
The writing assignments will provide further opportunities to focus our
understanding of this literary tradition.
The course will be conducted primarily on-line, using
the resources Blackboard.com, to reflect on our reading and writing. There
will also be two mandatory campus meetings.
Two scheduled on-campus meetings will be held on Friday evening, August 29 (6:00 p.m.--8:30 p.m.) and Friday evening, December 5 (6:00 p.m.--8:30 p.m.). OCLP students within driving distance should plan to attend these meetings.
Weekly
Comments
The heart of this course (apart from reading the texts
themselves) will be our electronic "discussions": asking and answering
each other's questions and sharing our responses. These discussions will
be conducted in two groups (because of the large size of the class), although
everyone's comments will be available to everyone in the class.
Discussions will be organized as follows:*
- 1. One week before the selected reading is due, I will post some brief introductory comments and a set of more-or-less standard questions to guide everyone's reading of the text or texts.
- 2. By the next Saturday midnight, everyone will have:
- 3. By Tuesday midnight, everyone in the class will have commented on or reacted to the responses of least two other people (about 75-125 words--or one screen).
- 4. By the end of the week (Friday), I will have posted new text questions and comments, and the next round of readings will begin.
a.) read the texts and contexts (if assigned), and
b.) posted a comment on the Discussion Board, responding to at least one of questions I have posed and raising any other issues elicited by the readings.
The comment should be roughly 150-300 words--about two screenfuls on an email message.
The main thing will be to get to your point; try to avoid mere summary, though be sure you've provided enough context to be clear; and don't neglect to refer to specific places in the text when appropriate.
* On some weeks when holidays occur, the posting days
might sometimes be shifted. Check the syllabus for details.
A graphic version of the weekly routine is here.
Weekly comments willl be about 35% of your grade.
Note
on Class Participation
You are responsible for timely and regular contributions
to the discussion group every week. If you are for any reason unable to
meet the established deadlines or fulfill the assignments, please advise
me (and your group members) as soon as possible. If lateness or irregularity
persists, you will be asked to drop the course or receive a failing grade.
REMEMBER: An online course is not a self-paced course; there are regular
weekly deadlines.
Louisiana
Writers Project
The formal writing in this course will be a series of
assignments based on the works of a Louisiana writer from those covered
in the course or from a list I will provide.? These exercises will provide
some of the basic content for a final webpage.? For more details, see "Assignments"
on menu--- (25-30%)
Website
Presentation
One of the ways that we'll reflect and take advantage
of the 'online' nature of this course will be a final presentation on the
web of your research and writing about a Louisiana writer--ready for the
world to see. In fact, we might want to create the definitive website on
Louisiana writers. Some details and criteria will be established together,
and I intend to organize some special classes for learning the basics (or
sharing techniques) for creating webpages and presenting your work effectively.?
Collaboration with other members of the class is strongly encouraged, but
not required. The websites will be presented at our final meeting on Friday,
December 5 and will represent 15-20% of your grade.
Note: A workshop in webpage building will be scheduled
for students in this course, probably on a Saturday in late October or
early November. Students are also encouraged to take advantage of the Library's
extensive
array of technology workshops throughout the semester.
Final
Examination
Probably take-home, but otherwise, the usual: comprehensive,
some essays, some "objective." Scheduled for December 5; more details as
the course proceeds--15-20% of your grade.
Extra
Credit Options
Extra credit of up to 5% of your grade is available for
attending and writing a short report about a literary or other intellectual
event during the semester.
The rules:
1. Attend a lecture, reading, play or other literary event. [Check the Loyola or Newcomb Calendars for good possibilities; if you're not sure something is appropriate, ask me first.]
2. Write a brief (300-500 words) evaluative review of the event.
3. Submit the review to me (emailed or typewritten) within two weeks of your attendance.
Texts
There may be some variations as the course develops.
Butler, Robert. Good Scent from a Strange Mountain.1992; New York: Grove, 2001.
Chopin, Kate. Bayou Folk & A Night in Acadie. 1894, 1897; New York: Penguin, 1999.
Gaines, Ernest. A Gathering of Old Men.1983; New York: Vintage, 1984.
Northup, Solomon, Twelve Years a Slave. 1853; New York: Dover, 2000.
Parrish, Tim. Red Stick Men. Jackson: University of Mississippi, 2000.
Saxon, Lyle. Children of Strangers.1937; New Orleans: Pelican, 1989.
Tademy, Lalita. Cane River. New York: Warner Books, 2002.
Warren, Robert Penn. All the King's Men. 1946; New York: Harcourt, 1996.
Selections may also be provided from Ruth Stuart, George W. Cable, Ada Jack Carver, Tim Gautreau, James Lee Burke, and Yusef Koumenyakaa.
These books are also available for purchase at Maple Street Books (support your local bookstores!)