• We finished talking about Elske, including Beriel and Elske as female protagonists and their associated spaces.
• We also did a short review of the texts and spaces we've read so far this semester and discussed the trajectory of the stories/characters. Side note: we've only got 3 more books to read!

Homework:

• Read Part 1 (chapters 1-28) of Holes.
• Reading response due Monday (4/2/12).

• I collected the extra credit assignment from Monday night.
• We took a quiz on Elske.
• We talked about Elske, the violence in the book, domestic labor, and abjection. If you were not in class it is CRITICAL that you get the notes from a classmate; the concepts we discussed today will be relevant for the rest of the semester.

Homework:

• Finish Elske.
• Reading response due Monday (4/2/12).

• I passed back quizzes.
• Reminder: tonight is the Lois Lensky lecture. See the flyer in Blackboard for more details.
• We talked about The Hunger Games movie.
• We started talking about Elske, including the very violent beginning and some of the covers.

Homework:

• Next reading response due Monday (4/2/12).
• Read chapters 9-14 of Elske.

Edited to add: this is the article I mentioned in class today (and passed out several weeks ago). I think it has a lot in common with the issues presented in Elske.

• We took a quiz on The Hunger Games.
• We discussed the ending of The Hunger Games, Katniss as a protagonist, and lots of other issues in the book.

Homework:

• Reading response due Monday (3/26/12).
• Read chapters 1-8 of Elske. WARNING: the beginning of this book is VERY graphic and may be a trigger for some readers. We'll talk more in class, but the first few pages of the book are very intense.

• Reminder: this is a reading response due today (you have until midnight to get at least a 70). I'll add a link soon for the next post due Monday (3/26).
• Reminder: the extra credit opportunity (to replace your second lowest quiz grades) will be Monday, March 26 at 7pm. Dr. Philip Nel will be talking about "Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an unlikely couple found love, dodged the FBI, and transformed Children's Literature" in Schroeder Hall 138. Attended the lecture, write up a 200 word summary, and submit it to me in class on Wednesday to receive extra credit.
• We continued discussing The Hunger Games, including watching the trailer and defining panopticon (see slideshow in Blackboard).

Homework:

• Finish reading The Hunger Games.
• Next reading response due Monday (3/26).
• Don't forget to upload the electronic version of your paper to Blackboard; if you have trouble attaching the document (do not copy/paste), then just email it to me.

• I collected the papers.
• We talked about Part 1 of The Hunger Games.

Homework:

• Reading response due Wednesday (3/21/12).
• Read Part 2 of The Hunger Games.

• We watched some movie clips and discussed the different interpretations of each, including Little Women, Harriet the Spy, and several versions of The Secret Garden.

Homework:

• Have a great Spring Break!
• Paper is due Monday (3/19/12) - remember, a paper copy MUST be submitted.
• Read Part 1 of The Hunger Games for class Monday (3/19/12).

• We talked about the papers due after Spring Break, including the structure and rubric.
• We did an in-class activity with Ender's Game and talked about the power structures in the novel.

Homework:

• Work on paper due after Spring Break.

• We discussed the ending(s) of Ender's Game, including how the novel fits into the hero quest pattern, the multiple twist endings, and the movie adaptation.
• Bring your copy of Ender's Game to class on Wednesday because we'll continue to talk about the book and complete an activity with specific quotations. We'll also talk more about paper stuff.

Homework:

• Work on your paper (due Monday after Spring Break).
• Next reading response is due the Wednesday after Spring Break.

• We talked about Ender's Game, including the novel as a hero quest, the gravity motif throughout the text, and the gender and language issues we've seen so far.

Homework:

• Finish reading Ender's Game.
• Reading response due Monday.
• Work on paper (due Monday after Spring Break).