Category Archives: Uncategorized

Your revised research paper is due to turnitin.com by 8AM on Sunday. I’ve added the revision workshop handouts (including the checklist) to the “handouts” tab. Make sure to read the chapter from The World Without Us for Tuesday. If you’ve misplaced … Continue reading →

The two sample essays we’ll be discussing for Thursday are up under the “readings” tab. (The password is “defoe” all lowercase.) Be sure to print those out and bring them with you. They’re both about 10 pages long (the length … Continue reading →

Here’s a link to a fun essay on historical instances of interpreting earthquakes as signs of the looming end of the world: It Starts with an Earthquake It’s a useful essay not only because it gives you some leads on possible … Continue reading →

For Tuesday, read (print, annotate, bring to class) this essay by Paul Cantor, which considers why apocalyptic scenarios are so popular these days: Cantor Essay Remember, when you read, to think both about the content of Cantor’s essay (what he’s arguing … Continue reading →

Just a reminder that you’ll need to bring two copies of your latest draft on Tuesday for our peer review workshop. Also, the two short chapters on motive and transitions are up under the Readings tab. Think about these (and … Continue reading →

UPDATE: Here are the papers we’ll be workshopping in class on Thursday: Anika Essay 2 Draft Sandy Essay 2 Draft Anika and Sandy have been generous enough to offer to have their papers discussed, so make sure you come prepared, … Continue reading →

As I said in class, the reading on Dr. Strangelove is now optional, though I highly encourage you to look at this short essay from The New Yorker if you’re writing about that film. I’m also including a link to a post … Continue reading →

The reading for Tuesday, Sigmund Freud’s essay “On Mourning and Melancholia,” is now up under the Readings tab. Please read pages 243-250. I’m also posting below a sketch of an outline of the essay to help you read. I’ll stress … Continue reading →

Here is a link to the shot-by-shot reading of the beginning of Melancholia by Manola Dargis at The New York Times: This is How the End Begins It’s a strange form: not a review, and also not entirely analytical (some entries … Continue reading →

The readings for Thursday (2/27) are now available under the “readings” tab at the top of the blog. (The password is “defoe”—all lower case.) Remember to print them out and read them before class, marking any passages that puzzle you … Continue reading →