Two pages of notes on the reading. If you handwrite the notes, please skip lines. Bring to class, refer to them during discussion, and hand in at the end of class; if working on a laptop, feel free to annotate in class and print out or send me right after class. I’ll return them (with comments when applicable) the following week. This offers a chance both to write things you want to bring up or ask in class, or to ask questions you might not want to bring up in class. It’s a chance to float ideas that you might like to write about in a low-pressure setting. The notes will be graded as +/- , folded into your overall grade for attendance and participation, mainly reflecting whether you did the assignment, though if you are particularly thoughtful that always gets you points (tangible or intangible).
An informal two-page essay on what kinds of literature you enjoy, sorts of writing you like (to read or to write yourself), what you hope to learn about the topic of E European literature, and writing you would like to do in this class. Be lyrical and outrageous (or serious and brilliant).
A personal reading of Andrić or Singer, comparing their stories to stories you have heard from or about your own family, or motivating questions you now wish to ask your family or investigate on the basis of one (or both?) readings.
Although I’d like to see fluent and elegant writing and a well-organized approach in this paper, think of it as a chance to write in a less formal and more personal way about your reactions to Andrić or Singer. I imagine that one or the other book will suggest ways to think about your own family or local history, so you can use the text as a point to jump into something beyond the text, writing from a base of knowledge and returning to the book for reference as you follow your thoughts. So, the paper is about how you (as a reader specifically located in time and space) are reading, your reactions and your equipment as a reader.
If this assignment makes you nervous, talk to me —- it’s possible to adjust the parameters. In general, it’s always a good idea to talk to someone else about your paper before you write it; for many of us it’s easier to talk off the top of our heads than to start writing, so that describing an idea kicks off a session of productive brain-storming. Brainstorming, in turn, is one of the pleasures available to intelligent people.
A personal reading or reaction to one of the works we are reading first, 5–7 pages. Please save your rough drafts (with professsor's and WA's comments to attach to the final copy or include as additional attachments (with suitable titles, please) when you hand the paper in.
A two-page paper on your own writing process. Pick one or two questions from this list and answer thoughtfully:
A comparative reading of one book we’re reading in class combined with one work we will not read, chosen eiher from the examples in Michael Henry Heim’s list of suggested readings, from the other works listed on each author’s page, or else in consultation with the instructor. (If you would prefer, compare one of the works we’ve read or some other relevant EE work of literature with a movie based on it, chosen in consultation with the instructor.) 6–8 pages in length; you’ll meet with your WA and with me, so please hand in two copies of the rough draft.
A comparative reading of one of the books we’re reading in class combined with one work we will not read. 6–8 pages in length; please attach both rough drafts (WA copy and professor’s copy) to the final paper when you hand it in, or include those drafts as attachments.
A standard academic paper with footnotes, referring to the literature on one (or more) of our authors to support your reading of a work/works or some aspect of a work/works we have read in class. Choose your topic after consultation with the instructor. 8–10 pages in length; you’ll meet with your WA. Bring two copies of your rough draft on November 19: this time you’ll also read and critique each other’s papers, so you’ll meet to consult with the person who read your paper and with the person whose paper you read (it can be the same person and one longer meeting). Do not throw away the comments they give you!!! Instead, attach that copy and the WA copy to the final version, since they (like you) will receive a grade on them. Final draft due December 9.
Read and comment on the rough draft of someone else’s paper written for the class. If the paper really seems perfect, comment on the things you like about it.
For December 10, a standard academic paper with footnotes, referring to the literature on one (or more) of our authors to support your reading of a work/works or some aspect of a work/works we have read in class. 8–10 pages in length. Do not throw away the comments!!! Instead, attach them and the WA copy to the final draft, or include those documents as attachments.
If anyone wants extra credit: write a two-page artsy book review of one book we read for class, or, if that’s boring, one book from the lists of suggestions given here (at the the bottom of the web page about each author). The book you read for the third paper would also be a good choice here.
The final examination will be a self-scheduled, three-hour written take-home combining short answer questions with essay questions. Due to me (on paper or as an e-mail attachment!) in my office, Kohlberg 340, by 5 p.m. on December 19.