Lydgate

I'm sitting with you all in the balcony of a large, modern, beige theater. (Why I am reminded of The Unconsoled?) You're all there, in two neat rows, and the graduation ceremony is about to take place. I distinctly remember Sylvia smiling this big beaming smile and Caroline looking at the stage with a very serious and concentrating expression.

There is a black charcoal grill at the end of our second row, and I have the sense that the goals are already heating up. I also know that even though we're indoors, the end of the row, where the grill is, is outside. We'll pour out of our two rows straight into our party!

There's one glitch. In the program, there is a listing of all the honors students who've won prizes of various sorts. At the top is a name I've never heard. I think to myself, "Did I go through two entire semesters without realizing this student was in the course? Is this possible?" I conclude that I must have and wonder what this says about me, as a teacher and a person. (I'm reading this book, What the Best College Teachers Do, and I felt it peering over my shoulder at that point.)

I managed to shake off the feeling of perplexity and anxiety, and we started to file out of our rows. That's where the dreams end.

I want to say just one more time what a great job you all did. Again, CONGRATULATIONS!

I said I'd post the Powerpoint slide show here, but it turns out the file is too big. If anybody wants it though, you can bring in a jump drive and I can give it to you.

See you on the 25th and / or the 30th.

Hi everybody. So, we have place and time for our party set. I'm told we'll meet by the globe. This location seems very appropriate. We can imagine Dalí's Dream of Venus is still there!

If you can't get there by 5, be sure you have one or two people's cell phone numbers, so you can find us.

Use the comments section to let us know what you'll bring--food, drinks, cups, plates, etc. Also, if anybody has good directions to the park, it would be great if you posted those.

In the meantime, here's to a smooth and productive finals week!

Hi everybody. Use the comments section to suggest ideas for our end-of-the-year party. You deserve some celebrating! Where? When? How? Share your ideas and then we'll talk about them in class.

Doreen brings up the point that Friday, May 25 is Labor Day weekend. I agree with her that this won't work for our party. She suggests the Tuesday, May 22. Another possibility is May 30 (a Wednesday), the day before graduation. This might make the most sense.

What do people think? Good date? Any ideas about where? Someone's apartment? A park? Somewhere in Manhattan? A bar? A restaurant?

Hi everybody. Please use the comments section to tell us what food you might bring to the reception. Not everybody needs to do this, but it would be great if several of you could bring something. (Maria, that spanikopita sounds good!)

To Sleep, Perchance to Dream
The Art and Theory of Dreaming

A Conference Presented by the 2006-07
Cohort of Honors Students in English

Wednesday, May 16, 2007
11:30 - 2
Campbell Dome

Click below to see preliminary role assignments for the conference. These may still shift. You may trade roles with another student, or request a change (though I can't guarantee we can make the change).

Moderators should think about coming up with two-minute introductions (about a double-spaced page) to the panels. These will need to get people interested, provide some kind of context for the presentations, and introduce the speakers. They'll need to be crisp and efficient, but also substantive.

Roundtable speakers will need to prepare focused three-minute presentations and choose images that will scroll behind them as they speak. The presentations should address the central question of the roundtable very directly and explicitly.

Panelists will prepare five-minute presentations based on their research (and now web) projects. These presentations will also need to be focused and efficient. They should establish motive, articulate an argument or central claim very clearly, and offer one or two pieces of interesting evidence to illustrate the argument.

Continue reading "Conference Roles" »

A Conference Presented by the 2006-07
Cohort of Honors Students in English

Wednesday, May 16, 2007
11:30 - 2
Campbell Dome

Continue reading "To Sleep, Perchance to Dream: The Art and Theory of Dreaming" »

Hi everybody. We need to decide on a the time span and format for our conference. Let's use this forum to discuss possibilities. Please weigh in with your ideas. I'll get us started.

Possible Time Spans

10-2
11-2
11:30-2
12-3

Last year's conference was a brisk 2 1/2 hours. There are pros and cons to this. It meant that about 9 people got to really present their work. Another 3 served as panel chairs, making introductions, etc. Another six then served on a roundtable, about film adaptations of literary works. Those who presented only really had about five minutes. But, the overall effect was impressive, and they had a pretty good audience throughout--and people weren't fidgeting or getting bored. Of course, this was also because the multimedia elements of the conference were handled so well.

See the extened entry for a proposal for format. You all can weigh in with your own ideas and suggestions.

Continue reading "Conference Format" »

Hi everybody. Let's use this forum to nominate, discuss, (and maybe even vote on) titles for our conference on May 16. I'll nominate two:

The Art & Science of Dreaming (too dull?)

Royal Roads to the Unconscious?: The Art & Science of Dreaming

Use the comments section to nominate as many titles as you like--and then to discuss the merits of the nominations.

http://qcpages.qc.cuny.edu/Writing/dreams/

Here's a site with an HTML color chart, with codes.