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Post by Lotus Eater on Jun 20, 2005 18:40:47 GMT 7
I have been given my timetable for next semseter and it includes a post-grad literature course. They have told me - choose the materials, which I figure is a great idea. I am sorely tempted to be incredibly subversive!! However, I shall restrain myself and be a good girl.   So what would you add into this course - remembering that these are: a) post-grads b) likely to be working as teachers in their 'spare' time c) will only be expected to read between 50-100 pages between classes d) I have no idea of what previous literature (if any) they have been introduced to e) working in a second language |
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Post by hankuh on Jun 20, 2005 19:00:03 GMT 7
Congratulations! Teaching post-graduate literature.
Chances are very great that they have gone through the canon of British and American literature: from Beowulf to Joyce, and from Puritan writers all the way to Faulkner, and most likely done in a survey course, which is what I teach.
As far as here in China, if they give you infinite freedom, then choose works that aren't normally within the canon, but can easily be found here in paradise--does your college have a English Library? Can you receive support from the department for making copies? Can the works you want to teach be found published here, and publish here in quantities easily purchased by students?
You state you would assign 50 to 100 pages to be read before your class. This could be interesting in itself. Don't want to rain on your parade, but Chinese students tend to tackle literature as an intensive reading course. The mere examination of the works according to western ideals will escape most students, but this may or may not be necessarily true with post-graduate students--maybe they will be more earnest and more appreciative of the works beyond the examination mode. I truly hope so, and don't even get me started about plagiarism. I've helped a few outstanding students enter graduate programs here, but I am afraid when I state "help," it was done to help polish their graduate essays for admission, and that means I proofread them and offered them ideas, ideas that they couldn't have come up by themselves. (God, I apologize for the cynical tone of that last statement.)
These students will be working part-time. This too means less time for them to devote to their reading.
Also, I wonder how many students will be enrolled in your class. This can make a WORLD of difference in what kind of assignments you give.
I don't know if I have been helpful, but choose works you are interested in! Works that aren't in the stream of consciousness mode--Woolf, Joyce, Faulkner, Cormac MacCarthy, to name a few; instead choose works where the narration and the dialogue tends to be simple and direct, less given to descriptive psychological tangents--Hemingway's short stories are good; some sexuality in some works may offend a few students. I tried excerpts from Salinger's A Catcher in the Rye one year, and a student proclaimed loudly, "THIS IS RUBBISH! By choosing something you're interested in and something that tends to be straightforward, the course will be more enjoyable for you, and hopefully for the students too.
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Post by acjade on Jun 20, 2005 21:52:04 GMT 7
Working as Chinese English teachers?
Then it's easy peasy A.A.MIlne and of course....................... ect!!!!!! Hmm Looks Like Rain.
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Post by Lotus Eater on Jun 21, 2005 8:50:25 GMT 7
Thanks for the ideas - please keep them coming. It was one of the other Chinese English teachers who suggested to me that they would be able to read the 50-100 pages between classes - I was working on western ideas before that!! (the whole book!!). Hemingway is a good idea. I had thought about Ulysses but decided that would be too painful for all of us!  |
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Post by acjade on Jun 21, 2005 8:55:01 GMT 7
Virginai Wolf- To the LightHouse and Mrs Dalloway.
TS Eliott poems and Steinbacks Collection of Short stories.
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Post by hankuh on Jun 21, 2005 9:22:01 GMT 7
Looking back at my post, I think I made an error--I definitely would not attempt to teach any writer whose work was written in a stream of consciousness technique. As I said before, choose works where the narration and the dialogue tends to be simple and direct, less given to descriptive psychological tangents; they won't understand it if you do choose those works, and their language capabilities are dismally low anyway. You're trying to teach literature in English to a vast majority who really don't speak English everyday--except possibly straight out of the textbook when they are teaching their own classes. Your expectations should not be very high.
Some Ray Bradbury stories--Dandelion Wine
Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio
These are some that come to mind; if I think of more, I will post them here.
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Post by acjade on Jun 21, 2005 10:26:29 GMT 7
 Yes you are right, THA. What was I  ? But I would definately go a course on children's Lit and maybe set a project to create a children's story. I've got Wind in the Willows ... And Winnie the Pooh is greatly loved by the students. They really think Walt Disney created him of course.
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Post by hankuh on Jun 21, 2005 10:33:22 GMT 7
Hey, I read Kenneth Grahame's The Wind and the Willows for the first time about 6 weeks ago--enjoyed it immensely! Winnie the Pooh....sad to say, I haven't really read A.A. Milne, but have been telling myself for years that I would. Along the same lines, a few years ago, I taught a film appreciation course. I showed all kinds of films, but when I showed Bambi, the students went absolutely crazy for it. Curious George! Hey how about that? Well, veering a little off topic  |
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Post by acjade on Jun 21, 2005 11:23:42 GMT 7
I showed all kinds of films, but when I showed Bambi, the students went absolutely crazy for it. What is it with the Chinese. Kitch is enormous here. Why? It's everywhere from all those cute as vomit embroideries on EVERYTHING to ankle high stockings with high heels to plastic flowers.  |
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Post by George61 on Jun 21, 2005 12:33:22 GMT 7
Stockings with HIGH HEELS??? selective quoting is fun!! |
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Post by acjade on Jun 21, 2005 12:48:14 GMT 7
Stockings with HIGH HEELS??? Stockings with high heels are cool ANKLE STOCKINGS with high heels?  Are you turned on by these George? selective quoting is fun!!  |
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Post by George61 on Jun 21, 2005 15:00:37 GMT 7
Yes, just a little. Especially about AJ's last post. Very strange!
I know selective quoting is fun, but, one should not mix selected quotes with one's own written word.
I'm also curious as to how they make stockings with high heels! Surely there is a flexibility factor there.
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Ruth
SuperDuperMegaBarfly 
God's provisions are strategically placed along the path of your obedience.
Posts: 3,915
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Post by Ruth on Jun 21, 2005 21:29:21 GMT 7
C.S. Lewis - The Chronicles of Narnia. Or just one of them. Easy reading. About 200 pages each. Lots of layers to discuss which makes it great for whatever level of insight your students may have.
Ditto on Wind in the Willows. Not sure about Winnie the Pooh for post-grad students, but it could work, I guess.
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Crippler
Barfly
Beware the conspiracy!
Posts: 345
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Post by Crippler on Jun 21, 2005 21:55:58 GMT 7
The Complete works of J.K. Rowling would work........ well, my students enjoyed the movie and my junior middle geniuses are reading through the first book with me right now.
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Post by George61 on Jun 22, 2005 4:46:57 GMT 7
Da Vinci Code....I just finished reading it...wasn't very impressed.
Last night I'm trying to sleep, but babe is reading stuff from this Chinese book to me...something about Da Vinci being gay....Bloody D.V. Code in Chinese!!
Bootleg or legitimate...they're bloody quick! (when it suits)
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Post by acjade on Jun 22, 2005 6:29:34 GMT 7
Not sure about Winnie the Pooh for post-grad students, but it could work, I guess.[/quote The original Winnie the Pooh is funny and insightful. The anthropomorphisation of the animal characters is brilliant. Sometimes the simple concepts are the most complex. |
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Post by hankuh on Jun 22, 2005 7:00:22 GMT 7
Richard Adam's Watership Down! Man I read that for the first time this year. I learned a lot about rabbits! It seems this year I am into animal tales. I don't know something about animals turn me on...after reading copious amounts of literary criticisms in grad school, it must be a cerebral reaction or something. |
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Post by acjade on Jun 22, 2005 7:09:58 GMT 7
Rudyard Kipling The Jungle Book.
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Post by Mr Nobody on Jun 22, 2005 7:36:19 GMT 7
Rikki Tikki Tavi, by whatsisface, Saki.
Dr Doolittle series, forgot the author
Tarzan series Edgar Rice Pudding
But one very literary guy much neglected is Terry Pratchett. Funny, erudite, smart, clever, very literate. Not really about animals though, but beats Rowling all hollow.
Can get most of these things on audio also, in fact I have some.
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Post by con's fly is open on Jun 23, 2005 7:00:14 GMT 7
Most of my answers are already taken. John Steinbeck's novellas are great: just the right length, with simple sentence structure- The Pearl would be perfect.
Maybe you should stick to short stories; that way they can read one a few times, get some subtleties (hopefully). Pick stories with evil, nasty people- they'remuch more fun to cut apart in class. Your students can vent a little spleen.
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Post by acjade on Jun 23, 2005 8:14:40 GMT 7
Pick stories with evil, nasty people- they'remuch more fun to cut apart in class. Your students can vent a little spleen. Edgar Allen Poe's short stories! My students... particularly the girls love anything scarey. |
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Post by Mr Nobody on Jun 24, 2005 20:55:37 GMT 7
Ok, just find some old collections of short stories of thrillers, horror and so on. Pan did some beauties, with someone called Thall? as the editor. Herbert N Thall? something like that.
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