- Proposed
assignments
-
- Note that most of this course is intended to
be student directed. What you find below is a tentative plan of
work that may be altered by you as the semester progresses.
Assignment 1 by Tuesday, Sept.
11
- Write: Make a list of your five
"heroes." Write a one page (250 words) carefully edited essay on
"My Heroes." Begin a text file for this course in which you will
save a copy of absolutely all written work.
- Due Date: Send me the list via e-mail
before noon on Monday Sept. 10.
- Send the essay enclosed in the message of your
text (not as an attachment) before 9:00AM on Tuesday, Sept. 11.
Bring a hard copy to class.
- In class: Discussion of your heroes.
Decide on upcoming films and readings for The Fifties.
- Movie
choices: Gladiator, Erin
Brokovich
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Assignment 2 by Thursday, Sept. 13
- Read: Campbell, "Prologue," "The
Monomyth" and "Epilogue." Make some notes to yourself on
Campbell's theory of what a hero does, and how the "heroic" was
manifested in the film we viewed.
- Web: Spend approximately twenty minutes
on the web researching heroes. Document what you did and
what you
found. (Put this into your course
file). Send me via e-mail an annotated list of five links before
class.
- In class: Discuss Campbell's theory.
Identify other works. An introduction to research and to
writing.
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- Assignment 3 by Tuesday, Sept.
18
- Write: Make a list of five qualities
common to all "heroes." Write a two page carefully edited essay on
"A Hero in Our Time." Be sure to save a text file for this course
in which you will save a copy of absolutely all written work.
- Due Date: Send me the list via e-mail
before noon on Monday Sept. 17.
- Read: Campbell, "Chapter III,"
"Transformation of the Hero" and "Dissolution."
- Send the essay enclosed in the message of your
text (not as an attachment) before 9:00AM on Tuesday, Sept. 18.
Bring a hard copy to class.
- In class: Discussion of your concept of
the heroic. Decide on upcoming films and readings for The
Fifties.
- Movie
choices: Ben Hur, Cat on a Hot Tin
Roof, Alternatives.
-
- Assignment 4 by Thursday, Sept. 20
- Read: Thomas Carlyle, "On Heroes, Hero
Worship, and the Heroic" (Introduction and 1st Chapter). [Text
can be obtained as an electronic text via the WWW.] Make some
notes to yourself on Carlyle's theory of what a hero does, and how
his sense of the "heroic" was manifested in the film we viewed.
Carlyle's categories: Divinity, Prophet, Poet, Priest, Man of
Letters, King
- Library: Spend approximately thirty
minutes in the library researching the "heroic." Document what you
did and what you found. (Put this into your course file). Send me
via e-mail before class a summary of what you did and what you did
and did not find.
- In class: Discuss Carlyle's theory.
Identify other works. An introduction to library research and
resources.
-
Assignment 5 by Tuesday, Sept.
25
- Write: Make a list of five "heroines."
Write a two page carefully edited essay on "Why No/So Few
Heroines?." Be sure to save a text file for this course in which
you will save a copy of absolutely all written work.
- Due Date: Send me the list via e-mail
before noon on Monday Sept. 24.
- Place the essay in the class folder before
9:00AM on Tuesday, Sept. 25. Bring a hard copy to
class.
- In class: Discussion of heroines.
Decide on upcoming films and readings for The Sixties.
- Movie choices:
Some Like it Hot
-
- Assignment 6 by Thursday, Sept. 27
- Read: A woman's (auto)biography: The
American Woman, Helen Keller, Marilyn Monroe, Mother Theresa,
Geraldine Ferraro, Madeline Kunin. Be prepared to sum up her life
for the class.
- Web Spend approximately thirty minutes
on the researching the "heroine." Document what you did and what
you found. (Put this into your course file). Send me via e-mail
before class a summary of what you did and what you did and did
not find.
- In class: Discuss the phenomenon of
Marilyn Monroe. Identify other female heroes. Did you know Time
has had only three women as it's "woman of the year" since 1950.
Who were they?What about Noble Peace Prize winners? An
introduction to women's studies.
-
- Assignment 7 by Tuesday, Oct.
2
- Write: Submit revised copies of first
two essays electronically and on paper. Be sure to save new text
files (title.2).
- Due Date: Essays due in the class
folder before 9:00AM on Tuesday. Bring hard copies to
class.
- In class: Discussion of "Fifties" and
its values.
- Movie
choices: On the
Waterfront
-
- Assignment 8 by Thursday, Oct.
4
- Read: Otto Rank, The Myth of the Birth
of the Hero. (on reserve-but you should also purchase
a copy of this book)
- Library Spend approximately thirty
minutes researching the "heroic "in psychology. Document what you
did and what you found. (Put this into your course file). Send me
via e-mail before class a summary of what you did and what you did
and did not find.
- In class: An introduction to fields of
inquiry-anthropology, literary studies, psychology, linguistics.
-
- Assignment 9 by Tuesday, Oct.
9
- Write: Submit revised copies of heroine
essays electronically and on paper. Be sure to save new text files
(title.2).
- Due Date: Essays due in the class
folder before 9:00AM on Tuesday. Bring hard copies to
class.
- In class: The Epic-what is
it?
- Movie
choices: Dr. No.
-
- Assignment 10 by Thursday, Oct.
11
- Read: Lord Raglan's remarks about
heroes in the Otto Rank book that needs to be
purchased.
- Faculty consult Make an appointment and
spend some time discussing who are the personal "heroes" for a
faculty member and in her/his discipline. Document what you did
and what you found. (Put this into your course file). Send me via
e-mail before class a summary of what you did and what you did and
did not find.
- In class: Discuss the phenomenon of
heroes and how one's starting point predetermines the
answers.
-
- Assignment 11 by Tuesday, Oct.
16
- Write: A one page proposal for "My
hero" outlining the subject, your reasons for the choice, and a
description. On a separate sheet document what resources you
intend to use to gather data for your project. Be sure to save new
text files (title.2).
- Due Date: Project due in the class
folder before 9:00AM on Tuesday. Bring hard copies to
class.
- In class: Discussion of "Sixties" and
its values.
- Movie
choices: The Graduate,
2001
-
- Assignment 12 by Tuesday, Oct.
23
- Write: A three page paper on "The Hero
of My Parents' Generation."
- Due Date: Project due in the class
folder before 9:00AM on Tuesday, Oct. Bring hard copies to
class.
- In class: Discussion of "Sixties" and
its values.
- Movie
choices: The Godfather, Love
Story
-
Assignment 13 by Thursday, Oct.
25
- Read: Max Mueller, Religion and
Mythology
- Library Spend approximately thirty
minutes researching the "heroic "in religions, anthropology and
mythologies. Document what you did and what you found. (Put this
into your course file). Send me via e-mail before class a summary
of what you did and what you did and did not find.
- In class: Discuss the phenomenon of
Gods and mythologies. Similarities and differences.
-
- Assignment 14 by Tuesday, Oct.
30
- Write: A four page paper on "The
Fictional Hero- Setting or Reflecting Society's
Values."
- Due Date: Send a brief half page
overview via e-mail before 5 PM on Monday. Paper due in the class
folder before 9:00AM on Tuesday, Oct. 30. Bring hard copies to
class.
- In class: Discussion of "Seventies" and
its values.
- Movie
choices: Rocky, Star wars
- Assignment 15 by Thursday, Nov.
1
- Read: Thomas
Bulfinch, Mythology (Introduction and First
Chapter)
- Library Spend approximately thirty
minutes using encyclopedias and other handbooks to find
information on the film we viewed and relate that hero/heroine to
those of Greek or Roman mythology. Document what you did and what
you found. (Put this into your course file). Send me via e-mail
before class a summary of what you did and what you did and did
not find.
- In class: Discuss the phenomenon of
epic heroes. An introduction to fields of literary
studies.
-
- Assignment 16 by Tuesday,Nov.
6
- Write: Revised paper "The Fictional
Hero- Setting or Reflecting Society's Values."
- Due Date: Send a brief half page
overview via e-mail before 5 PM on Monday. Project due in the
class folder before 9:00AM on Tuesday, Oct. 30. Bring hard copies
to class.
- In class: Discussion of academic
writing, proper citation and group efforts in the electronic
world.
- Movie
choices: Raiders of the Lost
Ark
-
Assignment 17 by Thursday, Nov.
8
- Read: A biography/story of your
hero.
- Web Spend approximately thirty minutes
using the web to gather as much information as possible about your
hero. Make a list of bookmarks and e-mail them to me prior to
class. Document what you did and what you found. (Put this into
your course file). Send me via e-mail before class a summary of
what you did and what you did and did not find.
- In class: Discuss the distinction
between real and fictional heroes. Compare the role of the media
to that of former transmitters of culture: myth, literature,
ritual, religion, etc.
-
- Assignment 18 by Tuesday,
Nov.13
- Write: Five page paper "Me and My
Hero."
- Due Date: Send a brief half page
overview via e-mail before 5 PM on Monday. Paper due in the class
folder before 9:00AM on Tuesday, Nov. 13. Bring hard copies to
class.
- In class: Discussion of the connection
between academics and life.
- Movie
choices: Field of
Dreams
-
Assignment 19 by Thursday, Nov.
15
- Read: The New York Times for the day of
your birth
- Library Spend approximately thirty
minutes using library resources to make a list of the most
important people and events in the year you were born. E-mail the
list to me prior to class. Document what you did and what you
found. (Put this into your course file). Send me via e-mail before
class a summary of what you did and what you did and did not
find.
- In class: Discuss what you found and
what you didn't. Compare the pre-WWW information resources to
those of today.
-
- Assignment 20 by Tuesday,
Nov.20
- Write: Your rough draft of the project.
Be prepared to share your information and format to date with the
class.
- Due Date: Send a brief overview via
e-mail before 5 PM on Monday. Project due in the class folder
before 9:00AM on Tuesday, Nov. 13. Bring hard copies and computer
materials to class.
- In class: Discussion of the
projects
- Movie
choices: Class choice.
-
- Assignment 21 by Tuesday,
Nov.27
- Write: Revise final paper
- Due Date: Paper due in the class folder
before 9:00AM on Tuesday, Nov. 27. Bring hard copies to
class.
- In class: Discussion of the nineties.
Problems of perspective for historians. Changing values.
Generations.
- Movie
choices: Pretty Woman, Thelma and
Louise.
-
Assignment 22 by Thursday, Nov.
29
- Read: A/The best seller of the
nineties.
- Web Spend approximately thirty minutes
using the web resources to make two lists: one of the most
important books of the 1990s, and one of the ten "heroes"
(whatever that might mean) of the 1990's E-mail the lists to me
prior to class. Document what you did and what you found. (Put
this into your course file). Send me via e-mail before class a
summary of what you did and what you did and did not
find.
- In class: Discuss the lists. Think back
to the earlier lists-why have they changed?
-
Assignment 23 by Tuesday, Dec.
4
-
- Due Date: All projects are due in the
class folder before 9:00AM on Tuesday, Dec. 4. Bring hard copies
to class.
- In class: Presentation of first half of
projects. Discussion
- Movie
choices: Forrest Gump
-
Assignment 24 by Thursday, Dec.
6
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