Office
hours:
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- 1-3-5:
9-11:30 A.M.
and by appointment. I am often in my office beyond my office hours, so
check by at other times. You may also contact me by leaving a message on
my voice mail (2394) or sending me an email
message (mthamert@csbsju.edu).
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Scope:
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- We will be
reading works according to several of the following
themes: The Experience of Poetry and Art; Human Awe; Hiking
through Nature; the Lorelei Myth; Ghosts; Kinds of Love in Human
Experience; Evening; Autumn; God and the Gods; Animals; Love and Eros;
War; Death; Springtime; Happiness and Bliss
- We will apply the ideas and moral debates within the
works to how we live our own lives.
- Our discussions
will cover several interpretive levels:
intrapersonal, one-on-one, communal and national , international and
global, cosmic and God-centered relationships.
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Aims:
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By the end of this seminar, you will
- have read and discussed a wide range of great
poets from medieval times to the present
- have an understanding of how these works
interrelate thematically and chronologically and know something about
their place in the history of ideas.
- have a personal library several dozen poets for
the sake of lifelong reading.
-
demonstrate proficiency in the use of
various
approaches used to
discuss
and write about great works of literature and social thought, including
the following approaches: structural, new historical,
reader response, genre-historical, biographical, deconstructionist,
gender-centered and ethical.
-
have memorized about
eight poems which you
regard as particularly meaningful.
-
understand the importance of reading
great poets for life-long pleasure and insight.
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Activities:
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- Readings
according to the
thematic schedule.
- Annotations.
Through frequent annotations of poems you read, you will begin to see
how a poem can "grow on you," take on different shapes and meanings
according to the events of your life, a deeper understanding of the
variety of poetic perspectives within a single theme, knowledge about
the poet's life and intellectual debates of his time.
-
Frequent e-mail essays on works we are
reading as preparation for seminar discussions.
These can be read
by seminar members at All Public Folders > Academic >
MCL > Mark Thamert courses
> GERM 343 -- Spring 2005.
-
In-Class
Discussions. Your thoughtful preparations ahead of time and volunteering
in class will provide for the most meaningful group discoveries. Often
our most important ideas will come about through members' interactions
and careful refinement of your perspectives and convictions. Try to
balance the clarity of your convictions with an intellectual flexibility
which allows you to say, "I think I am going to change my mind on that
issue!" Attendance is important for the vitality of group interaction.
One of the ways we become a true community of learners is through your
frequent and committed participation in discussions. Because our seminar
meets only once a week, more than one unexcused absence will affect your
final grade for the course.
-
Skits,
Debates, Multimedia Presentations, Cabaret Evening April 18,
-
Term paper (about
7 pages) on a theme of your
choice. The seminar will introduce you to about 20 themes.
-
Learning by heart
poems from five or more authors. These quotes may serve as your life
talismans, quotes which strike a
particular resonance within you which you can ponder for years to
come. Taken together your talismans will
be about 300 words of material learned by heart.
- Final Book. For
your final project you are asked to create your own "book" from what you
have learned from the poets of this semester by gathering your e-mail
essays. After you have re-read your entries, please think about what
order you want to use for presenting them: Some students enjoy thinking
of major themes plus a chapter of their talismans with commentary; a
chapter of your own poetry (at least three poems); your term paper; and
other chapters, whatever works for you. Please include a Table of
Contents page, organized either chronologically or thematically, each
section or essay having a page reference. The pages of your book should
be numbered as in any book.
Once you have completed your table of contents, please write a Prologue
of 400 words or more, drawing your reader into your book and creating a
thesis statement about what you intended to accomplish with this book.
Your thesis will most likely center on the main purpose of the course -
"How can we approach poets for ideas and feelings on how we can lead
better lives as individuals, as partners, in community and as a member
of the global community?" Or: "How does an understanding of poets
in the German tradition help us lead better lives?"
In order for your book to cohere, you may wish to revise or edit some of
your essays. In retrospect, many students find that they have a deeper
or more nuanced sense of the importance and message of the poets we
covered toward the end of the semester. You are responsible only for the
essays which appear in our public folder, although you may wish to add
additional poetry of your own.
Then write an Epilogue of about 500 words. Your epilogue will include
your final thoughts about our seminar and the works we have covered. In
any part of your writing you may wish to include a new poem or two which
express your feelings and thoughts.
Finally, bind your book together in some way which reflects the
importance of your thought and work. A black spiral binding at Office
Max costs about $4 and they perforate the pages of your book on the spot
and bind it for you. Kinko's and other office supply places also offer
this service. Use whatever binding works best for you. I would like to
keep one of your copies to treasure and show to future generations of
students. If you would like a copy as well, please make the appropriate
number of extra copies.
The purpose of preparing this book with its prologue and epilogue is to
give you time to think more inclusively about what you have learned this
semester -- in place of a final exam -- and to prepare you in a small
way for your future senior thesis, master's thesis or doctoral
dissertation.
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Semester
grade
based
upon:
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- Class attendance. You must be present at all
14 seminar meetings. Your grade will be effected after one absence.
- Participation in seminar discussions and group book
report -- Here's our
Discussion Guide. (10%)
- E-mail assignments -- quality of thought,
writerly tension, timeliness, personal commitment. Here's our
Writing Guide. (15%)
- Recitation and
discussion of
about 300 words of learned talismans in April -- done by appointment with Fr. Mark. (15 %)
- Final Course Book with Term Paper -- Here's our
Writing Guide. (60%)
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