Home » Blogs

Mr. Jack R. Baker's blog

Beowulf Microtheme Prompts (Due Tuesday, Oct. 6th)

Dear All,

Your Beowulf Microtheme is due on Tuesday, October 6th. You must turn in a hard-copy of the assignment AND submit it online under the appropriate blog entry.

Here are the guidelines for Microthemes as listed in our syllabus:

Odyssey Microtheme Prompts

Dear All,

Here are the prompts for your first Microtheme, which is on The Odyssey.

  • Odysseus is/is not a hero on a hero's journey.
  • Does Odysseus suffer from hubris?
  • The Odyssey is/is not a great narrative work.
  • "X" is a significant theme in The Odyssey.
  • "X" is a significant character in The Odyssey.
  • The Odyssey is a literary work of art
  • The Odyssey is a text in which we experience the human condition

"Essay on Man" & "Mythopoeia" Readings

Dear All,
Please follow the link below to access Pope and Tolkien's poems Essay on Man and Mythopoeia. Read all of Tolkien's poem and the assigned selections of Pope's (we will initially read Pope in class, but you should look over it on your own before class on Thursday).

Bring a printed copy of Tolkien's poem to class on Thursday.

Essay on Man
Epistle I.1-2: http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/1637.html
Epistle II.1-2: http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/1638.html

Shakespeare and Technology

Here is an article worth reading:

Shakespeare and Plagiarism Software

Here is a link to the PBS production of King Lear, starring Sir Ian McKellen (Thanks to Amy Yonan for sending this along!):

King Lear

  • By Mr. Jack R. Baker at 10/20/2009 - 10:12
  • Login or register to post comments

King Lear Readings

Dear Class,
Here are the readings for King Lear. Here is the schedule for next week:

Tuesday: Read King Lear up through Scene VI (p. 33)

Thursday: Finish King Lear, Read "Thy Life's a Miracle."

  • By Mr. Jack R. Baker at 10/15/2009 - 15:17
  • Login or register to post comments

Canterbury Tales Readings

Dear Class,
Here are the readings for next week , which are from Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.

I have also included the brief guide to the Ellesmere MS that we looked at in class on Thursday, October 8th.

These readings were taken from Gerard NeCastro's eChaucer page at http://www.umm.maine.edu/faculty/necastro/chaucer/translation/.

For Tuesday, read the General Prologue.

For Thursday, read the Knight's Tale.

For Thursday, October 15th, read the Nun's Priest's Tale.

  • By Mr. Jack R. Baker at 10/01/2009 - 19:12
  • Login or register to post comments

Microtheme Examples

Dear Class,
Here are two examples of Microthemes that are worth imitating. Though the papers are not perfect, they meet fit the description of what I hold to be an 'A' paper.

Look to our Document Assessment Guide below for further information on how I assess grades.

Best,
Mr. Baker

  • By Mr. Jack R. Baker at 10/01/2009 - 12:34
  • Login or register to post comments

Document Assessment Guide

Here is a general guideline for how I assess grades in this course for any documented assignment.

Hope this helps!
Mr. Baker

  • By Mr. Jack R. Baker at 09/30/2009 - 12:12
  • Login or register to post comments

Quiz Addendum

Dear Class,

Last week we discussed and voted that we would substitute the midterm and final exams with weekly reading quizzes in order to encourage you to maintain your weekly readings. Here is our new policy—an addendum of sorts—for the quizzes. Note that the cumulative weight of the quizzes (30%) is greater than 20% noted in the syllabus, which is a reflection of our agreement to make the midterm, final, and final paper equivalent.


The Old: (20%)

Beowulf Study Questions

Here is the pdf of our study questions for Beowulf.

  • By Mr. Jack R. Baker at 09/28/2009 - 09:38
  • Login or register to post comments
Syndicate content