ENG5A: American Literature 1620-1865 (Hooper)

Great Minds Seminar

Anne Bradstreet Source: Wikimedia Commons https://upload.wikimedia.org /wikipedia/commons/e/e1/ Annebradstreet.jpg	Harriet Jacobs Source: Wikimedia Commons https://upload.wikimedia.org /wikipedia/commons/6/65/ Harriet_Ann_Jacobs1894.png	Edgar Allan Poe Source: Wikimedia Commons https://upload.wikimedia.org /wikipedia/commons/f/fb/ Edgar_Allan_Poe_portrait_B.jpg	Ralph Waldo Emerson Source: Wikimedia Commons https://upload.wikimedia.org/ wikipedia/commons/ 0/01/RWEmerson2.jpg

 

Great Minds Seminar

We hold Great Mind Seminar during our Zoom session for three class times:

• Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Wednesday, October 7
• Edgar Allen Poe, "The Tell-Tale Heart" and poems, Wednesday, October 28
• Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Nature" and other readings, Wednesday, November 18

By September 13, you will sign up for, or be signed up for, the seminar you will be presenting and facilitating  as a panelist. The other seminars will require your audience participation and peer engagement.

Seminar Discussion

During the seminars, panelist will have four minutes each to respond to the following question: "From your research, what do we need to know before starting our seminar?" 

Next panelists will engage directly with the literature through conversation and inquiry with each other while the class listens. If more than one work is read, such as with Poe and Emerson, panelists will choose one or two works for discussion before opening the class. 

Last, the panel is open to a full discussion in which we all add our insights and inquiries. Specific inquiries may be directed to the panelists. 

Components

Panelists

• A page created in your ePortfolio shareable on Zoom and with a link provided on our class site. We will go over how to do this in class. It is not difficult and is even a fun way to create a handout. Due on the day of the panel: 40 points.
• Annotations of two outside sources, at least one from the list provided in our Library Research Guide. Due during the week on your panel: 40 points.
• A 1.5-2 page reflection of your strongest insights with the literature, primary and secondary, and as a panelist. Due by midnight, Sunday night of the week of your panel: 30 points.
• Conducting of panel with active participation, listening and interaction; success of the panel as a whole is considered. Day of panel: 40 points.
• Except for the Jacobs panel, panelists must decide as a group what reading homework to give to the class. For Poe, everyone will be reading "The Tell-Tale Heart" and Poe panelists will also decide on some poems for us to read. For Emerson, Emerson panelists will be choosing some pages out of the essay "Nature" for us to read, as well as pages and excerpts or whole essays from other works of Emerson. We need this information one week prior.

Audience Participants

• During the two Zoom sessions you are not a panelist but a participant, you will be asked to listen and add insights and inquiries to the discussion. You will be asked to provide peer response one or more times (30 points, 15 each time).

NOTE: After our first panel, we will reflect together and make some minor adjustments to this assignment, especially our Zoom session, if needed.

For all assignments, use proper MLA formatting when necessary and type using a 12 point Times New Roman font and double-spacing.

Directions for ePortfolio Page

Your page can be created on Canvas in an ePortfolio. This platform can be found in your account. Pages should be accessible and clear and not too text heavy. For reference, consider what you would put on a one-sided hard copy handout for students if our class were in person. You could include some or most of the following: background information, resources, explications, quotes, outlines, timelines, discussion questions, and images. Special note: discussion questions are so helpful for generating discussion from others.

Directions for Annotated Bibliography

Our campus librarian Doug Achterman worked with me to build a bank of outside readings to support your exploration into the author and literature. These readings can be found on our Library Research Guide for English 5A. Make an effort to divide the readings among your group, though some doubling up may occur. You must annotate one of the two readings from the bank provided. It is not required, but if you would like to find a second work on your own rather than use the bank of readings, you may and please be sure to cite the new work properly.

Annotations for the researched outside readings will include a half page summary of each reading then three quotes from each reading followed by your thoughts, insights, inquiries, and/or connections. You will end up with two summaries and six quotes with comments.

Directions for the Reflection

After the panel, you will have a chance to write up your insights. Consider the following question to help with your reflection: How did you experience preparing for the panel? How did the panel go? What surprised you? What did you learn? If you had to write a research essay on your author (you don't, just for consideration), what would you write on? What has sparked your interest? What was gained in this process? What was missing in the panel? What are your strengths and areas for growth? Your reflection does not have to be in formal essay structure.

Suggestions for Group Work

• You will need to divide the outside readings among yourselves. Make sure that you are not all reading the exact same things, though some doubling up may occur.
• Your ePortfolio pages need to be different.
• Panels do not need to be (and really shouldn't be) rehearsed or perfected, but you should meet to let others know you and the perspective you are bringing. Successful panels have variety of insight.

Except for Jacobs, panelists need to tell the class what to read one week prior: For Poe, everyone will be reading "The Tell-Tale Heart" and Poe panelists will also decide on some poems for us the read. For Emerson, Emerson panelists will be choosing some pages out of the essay "Nature" for us to read, as well as pages and excerpts or whole essays from other works of Emerson.

Panelists

Bradstreet	Jacobs	Poe	Emerson