ENG 209: Modern Irish Literature, Spring 2020
(CRN 49004) |
Bradley Hall, Y-16 e-mail: [email protected] |
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Important
Announcements and Updates
Monday, May 18:
Congratulations to everyone
who finished the class. Those of you who endured, despite a few bumps along the
way, all passed. Students who disappeared along the way were all given
the chance to withdraw and received a W or, for those who simply
disappeared, a UW.
Your final grades for the semester
will be posted at MyNCC (login required) and are listed below by your
ID number. These grades contain generous scaling, including bonus points
and adjustments; in addition, I counted only the best five response papers for
everyone.
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7.5% |
7.5% |
15% |
15% |
15% |
5% |
5% |
7.5% |
22.5% |
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Student ID |
Attendance |
Quizzes/ Discussions |
Response Papers |
Midterm Exam |
Final Exam |
Research Topic |
Research Bibliography |
Research Draft |
Research Project* |
Final Average |
Earned Grade |
N00865985 |
84.0 |
62.5 |
78.4 |
62.3 |
74.5 |
4.5 |
3.8 |
5 |
F |
78.2 |
C+ |
N00881337 |
76.0 |
30.4 |
83.5 |
43.8 |
91.0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
C |
71.7 |
C |
N00883413 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
100.0 |
89.8 |
96.0 |
5.0 |
4.5 |
5 |
A |
100.0 |
A |
N00885450 |
100.0 |
85.8 |
80.4 |
64.3 |
93.0 |
4.0 |
2.5 |
5 |
C- |
92.2 |
A |
N00886711 |
87.2 |
77.5 |
56.7 |
77.5 |
95.0 |
0 |
0 |
5 |
C- |
77.3 |
C+ |
N00899510 |
71.8 |
96.8 |
80.4 |
62.5 |
89.0 |
3.8 |
3.5 |
3 |
C |
82.9 |
B |
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*Corrected 5/20 |
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I wish we had been able to spend
more time together this semester, but thank you for
doing your best and good luck to you all.
Friday, May 15:
Congratulations to those of you who managed to persevere and make it
to the end of the semester. The deadline for submissions was noon today, so you
have officially finished the course. I have already read and returned Research Paper Revisions
and Response Paper 15;
I will
be recording your grades from the online
(objective) portion of the Final Exam, reading your short essays, and calculating
final grades between now and Monday.
Official grades cannot be posted until the end of the last scheduled class meeting, so I will post them after 12:15 PM on Monday at MyNCC (login required) and also on the class Announcements page by ID number (N-number).
As always, please email me with any questions or concerns.
Thursday, May 14:
Just a few end-of semester reminders today.
Research Paper Revisions were due Monday, May 11. If you did not submit your revision, you may still do so for partial credit (50%) before midnight tonight. You must submit them via email and post them in the appropriate folder in TurnItIn by 11:59 PM.
Response Paper 15 is also due this week. It was due by 11:00 AM on
Wednesday. In addition to being your last
response paper, it counts as part of the
written part of the exam, worth 30 points. As above, you may still
submit it for partial credit before midnight tonight.
The online
(objective) portion of the Final Exam has been available in Blackboard
since Monday morning and will remain open until noon on Friday, May 15. You may start this portion
of the exam at any time, but you must finish before noon on Friday. You
will have only 35 minutes to finish, and you must complete
it once you begin. The program will not allow you to pause, restart, or
retake it multiple times. This portion will count for half of your exam grade,
50 points.
You must also submit two short essays (at least 150�200 words), worth ten points each, before noon on
Friday, May 15. These short essays should be submitted in a single document
via email (as an attachment in Word) and uploaded to the
appropriate folder in TurnItIn. Topics are in
my previous announcement.
As always, please email me with any questions or concerns.
Monday, May 11:
This morning your Research Paper Revisions are due. You
should submit them via email and post them in the appropriate folder in TurnItIn by the start of our normal class time,
11:00 AM, but I will accept them without penalty through 11:59 PM.
Response Paper 15 is also due this week. It must be submitted by 11:00 AM on Wednesday via email (as an attachment in Word) and uploaded to the appropriate folder in TurnItIn. The topic asks you to reflect on your experience this semester:
Reflect upon the past semester and write about how this course has impacted you, asking yourself questions such as the following:
� What did you initially expect to get out of this class, and what have you actually learned?
� Have you taken away from this experience as much as you could have, and are you satisfied with your growth and performance? What if anything would you do differently if you had the chance?
� What was your experience or perception of Irish literature before this semester, and how does it differ from your current beliefs about the value and purpose of Irish literature?
Do not just mechanically answer each of the above questions. Rather, take time to think carefully about your experience this semester, and present a thoughtful, personal response. Since this is a personal response, use of the first person (I) is acceptable.
As the topic was written before
all of our worlds were turned upside down, you should also feel free to reflect
on how your experience of this semester has been affected and what you have
learned from that as well. Remember, in addition to being
your last response paper, it will be counted as part of the written part of the exam, worth 30 points.
The online
(objective) portion of the Final Exam is available in Blackboard as of this
morning and will remain open until noon on Friday, May 15. You may start this portion
of the exam at any time, but you must begin no later than 11:00 AM on Friday.
You will have only 35 minutes to finish, and you must
complete it once you begin. The program will not allow you to pause,
restart, or retake it multiple times. This portion will count for half of your
exam grade, 50 points.
You will also write two short essays (at least 150�200 words), worth ten points each, on the following
topics:
A. In
a short essay, explain what text has been your favorite or the most
personally significant to you this semester, and why. Be as specific and exact
as possible in your selection and your explanation.
B.
In a short essay, explain what you what you liked or disliked
about the class; what you would like to see changed, expanded, deleted, et cetera. Note that this is a
writing-intensive literature course, so this is not a question about the
number of readings and written assignments, but rather about the content
and organization of the course. (Also, the shift from-face-to face to remote
instruction is not something any of us had control over!) There is no correct
answer; this is for my information and course revisions only. All thoughtful, honest answers will receive credit.
These short essays should be submitted in a single document by
11:00 AM on Wednesday via email (as an attachment in Word) and
uploaded to the appropriate folder in TurnItIn;
however, I will accept them until noon on Friday, May 15. Just as with response
papers, you may use the texts themselves (textbook, printout, or online
versions) and a dictionary and/or thesaurus (print, electronic, or online) for
this essay, but no other materials or sources. Use of secondary sources,
whether credited or not, will be considered grounds for failure.
Just as a reminder, we will not have our usual weekly meeting via Zoom Wednesday, as I have set aside that period for you to complete your final exam; however, I will be available via Zoom if you need to check in.
As always, please email me with any questions or concerns.
Friday, May 8:
We will not have our usual weekly meeting
via Zoom next Wednesday, as I have set aside that period for you to
complete your final exam; see below. I will however be available via Zoom if
you need to check in.
According to the revised schedule, on Monday, May 11 your Research Paper Revisions are due. You
should submit them via email and post them in the appropriate folder on
Blackboard by the start of our normal class time, 11:00 AM, but I will accept
them without penalty through 11:59 PM. I will also be available for one-on-one conferences
(online) by appointment only. I also have department staff meetings on Monday mornings, so
you must contact me in advance to schedule an appointment if you wish to speak
with me.
The Final Exam is
scheduled for Wednesday, May 13, as noted above. However, you will have
essentially a week to complete it; note the following details:
The
online (objective) portion of the exam will be available in Blackboard starting
Monday, May 11,
and will remain open until noon on Friday, May 15. You may start this portion
of the exam at any time, but you must begin no later than 11:00 AM on Friday.
You will have only 35 minutes to finish, and you must
complete it once you begin. The program will not allow you to pause,
restart, or retake it multiple times. This portion will count for half of your
exam grade, 50 points.
In
addition to the objective portion, I will count Response Response Paper 15 as the second part of the
exam, worth 30 points. It must be submitted by 11:00 AM on Wednesday via
email (as an attachment in Word) and uploaded to the
appropriate folder in TurnItIn.
�You
will also write two short
essays (at least 150�200 words),
worth ten points each, to be submitted
in a single document before noon on Friday, May 15, via email (as an attachment in Word) and uploaded to the
appropriate folder in TurnItIn. I will
email the topics to all students by class time on Monday. Just as with response
papers, you may use the texts
themselves (textbook, printout, or online versions) and a dictionary and/or
thesaurus (print, electronic, or online) for this essay, but no other
materials or sources. Use of secondary sources, whether credited or not,
will be considered grounds for failure.
As always, please email me with any questions or concerns, and have a good weekend.
Wednesday, May 6:
We will have our usual weekly meeting
via Zoom this morning. We will discuss the end of the semester, including
your research project and final exam, so please bring any questions or
concerns.
Update: I enjoyed seeing you all this morning and congratulate you for having made it this far. I have already sent out these alternative links via email, but you can read �Everything in This Country Must� at any of the following:
https://www.rulit.me/books/everything-in-this-country-must-read-390931-1.html
https://e-libra.ru/read/590004-everything-in-this-country-must.html
https://www.bookscool.com/en/Everything-in-This-Country-Must-676666/1
I have also looked at my previous versions of the Final Exam; last year, the exam included two parts, as follows:
�Part I:
Identification. (80%) Choose one of the following two options; choose either� A or B:
B: Short Answer, 16% each. Select any five (5) of the 22 passages on
page 1; be sure to identify each one by
number. In a well-developed paragraph for each, identify the
passage and discuss its significance. Include as much of the following
as possible: author, title, speaker, or character described, situation, and how
the passage is significant in the context of the work itself and/or its
connection to other works, ideas, or themes. Be sure to focus carefully
and avoid plot summary: do not merely retell the story. Paragraphs will
be evaluated for the quality of writing,
ideas, and expression, not for the ability to regurgitate the instructor�s
comments. (You may identify a sixth passage for up to 10 points extra
credit.)
Part II: Short responses. You must answer both
A and B.� (10% each)
A. and B. were both short essays about the class, your favorite text, and so on.
What I am thinking of doing is converting the identifications into multiple choice, maybe just twenty or so, and making them each worth 3 or 3.5 points; then, using your last response paper (#15) as one part of the exam, say, about 20 points, and having the two short responses add up to the last 10 or 20 points. Thoughts? Concerns? Email me.
Friday, May 1:
As I read through your Research Paper
drafts,� I am noticing some have
multiple problems with clarity, grammar, punctuation, or incorporating and
documenting sources. As a reminder, I am looking for content here and will not
be �correcting� your drafts, although all of these
problems will adversely affect your grade if they persist in the final draft.
You should revise and edit carefully, and I urge you to take advantage of the
Writing Center�s services:
You may call the Writing Center at 516-572-7195
from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday through Friday, if you have any questions or to
schedule an appointment. You may also submit at any time directly using our
online submission form on our website (see link below). Note: You
must submit your work as a Microsoft Word document (or .rtf files) through the
online submission form, in addition to providing required information about
your class and instructor, the assignment, and any specific questions and
concerns to help guide the tutor's response.
Also, please remember that the WC is not a
proofreading service. Do not expect the online tutor to edit and correct your
documents; however, in addition to providing global feedback, the tutors may
point out examples of sentence-level errors and provide some guidance, even
suggesting websites and other online links about grammar and usage issues.
Here is the link to the Writing Center website and
the direct link to the online submission form:
https://www.ncc.edu/programsandcourses/academic_departments/english/writingcenter/
https://nccapps.ncc.edu/WritingCenter/
Also, your drafts were supposed to be posted in the appropriate folder on TurnItIt.com by midnight on Wednesday. Only three students made the deadline. If you have not yet uploaded your essay, you must do so before midnight tomorrow.
As always, please email me with any questions or concerns.
Tuesday, April 28:
Just a reminder that we will have our usual
weekly meeting via Zoom
on Wednesday.
Also, Research Paper drafts were due yesterday both via email and posted in the appropriate folder on Blackboard.
As always, please email me with any questions or concerns.
Monday, April 27:
A few reminders:
The discussion threads for Edna O'Brien and John McGahern and for Thomas Kinsella have all been closed and locked. The current thread, for Seamus Heaney, will be open until Wednesday, April 29. As this has been the most active thread since we moved to remote instruction, I have added a similar open-ended thread choice (#3) for the next author/work, Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa, and will do so as well for the last discussion, Colum McCann�s �Everything in This Country Must.� These are your last two opportunities to participate in class discussions.
Research Paper drafts are due today. As the posting dates on Blackboard needed to be changed, you do not have to have your draft posted before 11:00 AM, but you still need to post it today.
Please email me with any questions or concerns.
Wednesday, April 22:
It was good to see so many of you online this morning. I apologize
for my technology issues; I think it was because I was working from a new
location, further from my wireless router. I will do my best to resolve the
issue for next week.
A few housekeeping notes:
I have corrected all of the links for the required Seamus Heaney poems at https://brian-t-murphy.com/Eng209_Selected_Poetry.htm#Heaney. I have not updated the links for the recommended additional poems, however.
The discussion threads for Edna O'Brien and John McGahern will be closed and locked Friday, April 24. You may still submit until that time, for at least partial credit. For Thomas Kinsella, I will leave them open until Monday, April 27. The current thread, for Seamus Heaney, will be open until Wednesday, April 29. As this has been the most active thread, I have added a similar open-ended thread choice (#3) for the next author/work, Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa.
Response paper #12, due Monday, will be graded and returned by the end of the week.
Research Paper drafts are due next Monday, April 27. Please email me with any questions or concerns. We can also set up a one-on-one teleconference if you wish to talk about it.
Sunday, April 19:
Some students seem to be having difficulty following the class
schedule since we were forced to move to remote instruction. Specifically, at
least a few have somehow conflated submitting response papers with
participating in the class via Blackboard. To clarify:
Students are still required to complete ten (10) short response papers during the semester, as has been the policy since January. Only two things have changed: rather than submitting them in class, you must submit them electronically: via email (as an attachment in Word) and uploaded to the appropriate folder in TurnItIn. Also, you are longer required to share a response paper with the class as a presentation. You may see the complete list of topics and due dates on� the main page or on Blackboard, here.
Students are also now required to read and post in the Class Discussion Boards at least twice each week. Since we ae no longer meeting in person, attendance and participation are now determined by your active participation in the Discussion threads on Blackboard. For each discussion, failure to post on time will be recorded as a lateness, while failure to post at all before the thread closes will be recorded as an absence. In addition, I will count your contributions to the discussion boards as quizzes, with participation counting as a passing quiz grade. This will especially benefit students who had difficulty making it to class on time for quizzes, as they may contribute to the discussion boards any time within the period they are open.
Friday, April 17:
I have been informed that the links for Seamus
Heaney�s poems was not working; the link on the main page has been
corrected, or you may access them directly, here:
https://brian-t-murphy.com/Eng209_Selected_Poetry.htm#Heaney.
Also, there was a question regarding the next topic on the online discussion boards. I have posted the instructions, and reproduce them here:
As I said during our Zoom class meeting on Wednesday, Seamus Heaney is one of my favorite authors. I suggested at that time that you focus on what he says about tradition, art, and poetry, and on history, on what digging means, whether in the context of the poem �Digging� itself or in terms of those other ideas. Let's skip a discussion question topic this week, and just open it up: what do you think of Heaney? Why?
Instead of a sentence or two, give me a paragraph or more. I care about your ideas on this one, not your grammar or spelling, so just go wild: tell me what you really think and feel. Let's have a real discussion here.
See you next Wednesday.*
Tuesday, April 14:
Just a reminder that continued participation in this class requires
you to complete the readings and to read and post in the online discussion boards.
This week�s schedule included reading Edna O�Brien�s �Irish
Revel� and John McGahern�s �The
Beginning of an Idea� by Monday; your first post was due by
11:00 AM on Monday, and your second post is due by
11:00 AM on Wednesday. If you are planning to submit Response Paper #11, it is
also due by 11:00 AM on Wednesday. Remember that students are
expected to submit at least ten response papers,
and there are only five topics left.
Finally, it should be unnecessary to state this, especially in an upper-level class, but as per the syllabus, plagiarism on any assignment will result in failure (a grade of zero) for that assignment and may result in further disciplinary action, including but not limited to failure for the course and expulsion from the college. See the instructions for response papers and for online discussion boards, both of which state that the only sources utilized or quoted should be the texts themselves.
Monday, April 13:
I hope your break was relatively relaxing and stress-free, although
even that seems a lot to hope for. Thank you to those who participated in the
optional drop-in office hours last week; I was glad to answer questions and to
put students at ease about their progress in the class.
Now that we have resumed classes, we have only five weeks left in the semester, barring any changes to the schedule by the college administration.* Do your best to keep up with the readings, and do not forget to submit your response papers (Only five topics left!) and to take part in the online discussion boards. We will have our usual weekly meeting via Zoom on Wednesday, but as always feel free to email me any questions or concerns.
*On Tuesday, April 14, the Board of Trustees is scheduled to hold its monthly meeting. The meeting will be online, of course, but any important policy changes will presumably have to be approved by the Board before being disseminated. This would include nay possibility of extending the semester past May 18 and any move toward a Pass-Fail or Credit-No Credit option.
Tuesday, April 7:
I hope you are enjoying the break, even if all you are doing is
staying inside for the entire week. Although we will not meet tomorrow,
I will be available via Zoom at our normal class time for anyone who wishes to
speak to me; think of it as drop-in office hours. To enter the meeting, log
into Banner and
go to� NCC
Online (Blackboard); in the class space, click on Zoom
Online Classroom to join. I will also send the link via email tomorrow
morning.�
Tuesday, March 31:
Please remember that we will meet tomorrow via Zoom at our normal
class time. We will discuss the Midterm Exam, the Class
Discussion Board, response papers, and so on. We will also go over the revised
schedule. And, this should go without saying, be certain you have completed
the assigned readings for the day: Frank O�Connor�s �The Majesty of the Law�
and �Guests of the Nation� (Trevor 342-353, 354-362) and� Mary Lavin�s �Sarah� (Trevor 392-400).
Friday, March 27:
The deadline for the Midterm Exam was
noon today. If I did not receive the three short essays before noon, I
will allow an extension, but the late penalty from the syllabus applies: 10%
per day or portion thereof. If I receive your completed work before noon
tomorrow―via email (as an attachment in Word)
and uploaded to the appropriate folder in TurnItIn―each essay is worth up to 9
points; if I receive them before noon on Sunday, each is worth a maximum of 7
points, and so on.
I have updated the schedule on the main page, including due dates
for the Class
Discussion Board, response papers, and so on. I will also forward a copy
via email and post it on the class page on Blackboard.
Thursday, March 26:
Just a reminder that the deadline for the Midterm Exam is noon
tomorrow. You must begin the online multiple-choice portion no later
than 11:00 AM on Friday, March 27 (not Thursday, March 26, as posted
below). Also, the short essays (at least 250 words each) must be submitted
before noon on Friday, March 27, via email (as an attachment in Word)
and uploaded to the appropriate folder in TurnItIn.
I will post and forward via email and Blackboard announcement a revised schedule by the week�s end. For now, please plan on the following:
Response Paper 9 due: Upload to the appropriate folder in TurnItIn
and send a copy to me via email (as an attachment in Microsoft Word).
Reading: �������������� Read Frank
O�Connor, �The Majesty
of the Law� and �Guests
of the Nation� (Trevor
342-353, 354-362);
Mary Lavin (1912-1996), �Sarah�
(Trevor
392-400)
Quiz:���������������������� I may post
a short, timed quiz on the readings for the week. It would be available
starting Monday, and it would be just as simple (or difficult) as those we had
when we were meeting face to face: a five- to ten-minute multiple choice or
short answer quiz.
Discussion: Read and post in all three threads. Remember you must post at least once in answer to the original question or prompt, and at least once in a reply to a classmate�s comments. Your first post is due by 11:00 AM on Monday; the second by 11:00 AM on Wednesday.
Wednesday, March
30
Class meeting via Zoom: normal class time (11:00
AM)
Although we are not meeting on Monday, your participation in the online discussion and Zoom meetings counts as your attendance and participation.
Email me with any questions or concerns, and have a good weekend, if possible.
See you on Wednesday.
Tuesday, March 24:
Thank you for participating in class via Zoom yesterday. While I do
not necessarily foresee requiring you to log in every single week, and
certainly not every class period, I think it will be a useful addition to our
newly online class.
As a reminder, if you have not already done so, be sure to post in both Playboy threads in the Class Discussion Board on NCC Online (Blackboard). Remember you must post at least once in answer to the original question or prompt, and at least once in a reply to a classmate�s comments. In addition, you should upload your Annotated Bibliography to TurnItIn.com and send a copy to me via email (as an attachment in Microsoft Word).
The online multiple-choice portion of the Midterm Exam has
already been posted and activated. You may start this
portion of the exam at any time, but you must begin no later than 11:00 AM on Thursday, March
26 Friday, March 27. You
have only 35 minutes to finish, and you must complete it once
you begin. The program will not allow you to pause, restart, or retake
it multiple times. Do not use any texts, notes, or online resources.
I have already
emailed the instructions for the
second part of the Midterm Exam to all
students. Instead of a traditional
midterm essay, you will write
three short essays of at least 250 words each, to be submitted in a single
document before noon on Friday, March 27, via email (as an attachment in
Word) and uploaded to the appropriate folder in TurnItIn.
You may use the texts themselves (textbook, printout, or online versions)
and a dictionary and/or thesaurus (print, electronic, or online) for this
essay, but no other materials or sources. Use of secondary sources,
whether credited or not, will be considered grounds for failure.
I will post and forward the revised schedule by the week�s end.
Thursday, March 19:
Thank you for responding to the Class Survey and for posting in
the Class
Discussion Board on NCC
Online (Blackboard). I believe I have responded to everyone who has
commented in either venue, and I apologize if I missed
any messages.� Although we will be unable
to meet in person on Monday and likely for the remainder of the semester, I
have decided to hold an online class via Zoom during our regular class meeting
time. Please be prepared to join the class in a discussion via Zoom on Monday,
March 23, at 11:00AM. Watch both of the videos below, and to save time, be sure
to download and install Zoom on your device or phone before Monday.
In addition, as classes are resuming Monday, albeit in a different form, you should submit your Annotated Bibliography to TurnItIn.com before the start of the class period Monday. Please upload it and send a copy to me via email (as an attachment in Microsoft Word). If you have not already done so, also read Instructions for Discussion Participation in the Class Discussion Board and post in both threads for The Playboy of the Western World. Note: You must respond to each thread at least twice (once to the original post and once as a reply to a peer).
See you all on Monday.
Monday, March 16:
According to the message from President Jermaine Williams last
night, we are not meeting face to face today, nor will we for an
indeterminate period thereafter:
Currently, face to face classes are suspended until Monday, March 23rd: in other words, face to face classes will not meet in person prior to March 23rd.� Online classes will continue as scheduled.
We are diligently working on a cohesive learning continuity plan to transition many courses to remote instruction, and that will begin prior to March 23rd.� Faculty members and students should be in correspondence as to what course work could look like moving forward.� We are all committed to continuing students� academic progress with as little disruption as possible.
In accordance with his instructions that we should be in communication, I will be online at least during my normal office hours and class meeting times solely to answer questions from you in the class discussion boards: Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00 AM until 2:00 PM. At other times I will still be online but will also be engaged in several other activities. As previously announced, I have also established a Class Discussion Board on NCC Online (Blackboard); please read Instructions for Discussion Participation, the first post, and read and post in Going Forward, the second. Please log into Banner and access the class page, 49004.202040: ENG-209-GA-SP20-Modern Irish Literature, ideally today but certainly before Wednesday�s class meeting time.
Although you do not need to submit your Annotated Bibliography to TurnItIn.com today, please upload it and send a copy to me via email (as an attachment in Microsoft Word) as soon as you can. I do not want you to fall too far behind while we await definitive word on the future of the semester.
Be well, and be calm.
Friday, March 13:
President Jermaine Williams has released the following statement:
Today, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced a State of Emergency for Nassau County which also included declaration of imminent threat to public health due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Nassau Community College was named as part of that declaration due to multiple positive associations with the virus. Campus operations will be moved remote, except those operations that require essential staff, until Monday, March 23rd.� Face to face classes will be suspended until Monday, March 23rd and online classes will continue as scheduled.� Students should check with the appropriate College personnel regarding offsite learning opportunities such as off campus courses, clinicals, and internships.
Apparently, we will not be meeting next week, nor will we be moving to online classes yet. Therefore you do not need to submit your Annotated Bibliography to TurnItIn.com by Monday, nor is any work due next week. We will adjust the schedule of readings and assignments once we resume classes, whether in online or face-to-face format.
Meanwhile, I have taken steps to allow us to move online. Please log into Banner, click on NCC Online (Blackboard), and access the class page, 49004.202040: ENG-209-GA-SP20-Modern Irish Literature. I have established a Class Discussion Board; please read Instructions for Discussion Participation, the first post, and read and post in Going Forward, the second.
Be well, and be calm.
Thursday, March 12:
It still remains unclear whether we will be
meeting next week, despite the email from President Jermaine Williams this
afternoon. Therefore, as previously announced, please upload your Annotated Bibliography
to the appropriate folder on TurnItIn.com
by 11:00 AM on Monday, March 16, and continue reading The Playboy of the Western World.
In addition, if you have not already done so, review the Student Online Orientation on Banner: https://ncc.sln.suny.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/content/blankPage?cmd=view&content_id=_1264858_1&course_id=_19485_1&mode=reset
Also please watch How to Use Blackboard Discussions and read Instructions for Discussion Participation, the first post in the Class Discussion Board in Blackboard.
I will provide further details about class meetings and how we will be completing the semester once the information is made available.
Wednesday, March 11:
In light of the
Governor's announcement this afternoon that all SUNY and CUNY schools will
be transitioning to online classes for the rest of the semester, beginning
March 19, please review the Student Online Orientation on Banner: https://ncc.sln.suny.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/content/blankPage?cmd=view&content_id=_1264858_1&course_id=_19485_1&mode=reset
It is unclear if we will be meeting next week. Therefore, please upload your Annotated Bibliography to the appropriate folder on TurnItIn.com by Monday, March 16, and continue reading The Playboy of the Western World. Once the college send out an official announcement, I will provide additional information on how we will be completing the semester.
Tuesday, March 10:
As of this afternoon, the campus is closed; please see the email
from President Jermaine Williams and the official announcement on the College Website, here: https://ncc.edu/campusservices/health_services/covid.shtml.
Although we will not meet tomorrow, you should still upload your Annotated Bibliography to the appropriate folder on TurnItIn.com, and continue reading The Playboy of the Western World: read at least through Act II, and be sure to read though the end of the play for Monday, March 16.
Next week�s NCC Cultural Program presentation, �Joyce, Yeats, and a Couple of Pubs: Travels in Ireland,� previously scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, has also been postponed. If it is rescheduled, I will let the class know, and you will be able to attend for extra credit.
I do not yet know if face-to-face classes will resume on Monday, nor do I anticipate hearing anything until probably Friday, but you should be prepared for all eventualities, including our class being forced to go completely online for a week or longer. Again, if you have not previously used Blackboard, please familiarize yourself with it this week by accessing the Student Online Orientation, here: https://ncc.sln.suny.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/content/blankPage?cmd=view&content_id=_1264858_1&course_id=_19485_1&mode=reset
Monday, March 9:
If you have not previously used Blackboard, please familiarize
yourself with it this week by accessing the Student Online Orientation, here: https://ncc.sln.suny.edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/content/blankPage?cmd=view&content_id=_1264858_1&course_id=_19485_1&mode=reset
I have no further information yet, nor do I anticipate anything coming up in the next few days, but I do wish to be prepared for all eventualities.
Tuesday, March 3:
For Wednesday, we will finish the packet of selected
poems by Richard
Murphy; you should also begin reading The Playboy of the Western World
by J. M. Synge.
For Monday you should read at least through Act I, and there will be a
quiz on Act I.
I will also be posting two more extra credit assignments on the main page:
An Irish Supernatural Comedy
Opens Friday, March 6
See times and locations here or here.
Joyce, Yeats, and a Couple of Pubs: Travels in
Ireland
Tuesday, March 17 March 17
1:00 PM
CCB 251
NCC English Professor Brian T. Murphy shares
experiences from his travels in Ireland, from Galway to Rosses Point in County
Sligo, Trim, and Dublin. In addition to architecture and landscape, he will
discuss sites associated with Irish writers James Joyce and William Butler
Yeats.
Part of the Nassau Community College Cultural Program, Spring 2020
Wednesday, February 19:
As a reminder, your Proposal/Topic
Selection was due on Wednesday, February 12. I have read and responded to
all that I received. As the assignment is worth 5% of your final grade (the
equivalent of one-half letter grade), I have graded them on a scale of 0 to 5.
I will return them when we resume classes next week.
For Monday, February 24, be sure to read the packet of selected poems by Louis MacNeice, as per the syllabus. We may also finish up a few more poems by W. B. Yeats. Response Paper 6 is also due in class on Monday, if you choose to write on that topic. Note: including Response Paper 6, there are exactly ten Response Paper choices left; all of them have been posted on the main page. As a reminder, students must submit at least ten responses during the semester, and students are required to present at least one response to the class, as part of their participation grade.
Saturday, February 8:
For Monday, be sure to read the packet of selected
poems by W. B.
Yeats, especially �The Stolen Child,�
�When You Are
Old,� and �The
Lake Isle of Innisfree.�
Also, both your Proposal/Topic
Selection and Response
Paper 5 are due on Monday
Wednesday. We reviewed the instructions for Topics last week, and I have not heard from anyone since, so
I assume those are going well. And if you�ve not been
keeping track, this means that after Monday�s class there will be only ten
(10) topic choices left. As a reminder, students must submit at least ten
responses during the course of the semester; in addition, students are required
to present at least one response to the class, as part of their participation
grade; see Response Papers on the
main page.
Finally, I have at last posted the information about the Extra Credit I emailed to you, All This Mine Alone: Lady Gregory and the Irish Literary Revival at the New York Public Library, here.
Friday, January 31:
For Monday, be sure to read the following stories in Dubliners:
�A
Painful Case� (107-118), �Ivy
Day in the Committee Room� (119-138), and �The
Dead� (183-236). As stated in class, you should focus especially on �The
Dead,� but I may ask about any of the three.
In addition, Response Paper 3 is due. Remember, you must submit at least ten of the short writing assignments/response papers during the semester, and each must be a brief, well-developed, coherent, and thoughtful short essay of at least two pages (500 words minimum); as per the syllabus, your work must be typed (in 12-point Times New Roman), double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and stapled when submitted.
We will also discuss uploading your works to TurnItIn.com on
Monday.
You also might want to look up Ivy Day (L� an Eidhne�in), Epiphany, and �Let Me Like a
Soldier Fall.�
Wednesday, January 22:
For Monday, please watch both The
Troubles in Northern Ireland, Dir. Thomasina Gibson. VEA Group Pty Ltd,
2012. (30:03) and The Animated
History of Ireland (YouTube) (10:02). You should also read Colum
McCann�s �Splitting
the Atom� (Foreword to Dubliners:
Centennial Edition (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)) and the first four
stories in James Joyce�s Dubliners: �The Sisters� (1-11),
�An
Encounter� (12-22), �Araby� (23-30), and �
If you wish to submit the first response paper/journal entry, the topic was distributed in class today and is also posted online: What connections do you perceive between �The Sisters� (1-11), �An Encounter� (12-22), �Araby� (23-30), and �Eveline� (31-36), the first four stories in Dubliners? Consider Plot, Characters, Setting, Point of View, Theme, Motifs, and language. Do these stories present some form of coherent, unified idea? Your response should be a brief, well-developed, coherent, and thoughtful essay of at least two pages (500 words minimum, typed, double-spaced, and grammatically correct.
The revised version of the syllabus, correcting the numbering error on the last page, has been posted, here.
Finally, I neglected to mention the specific Extra Credit I have already posted, here. We will talk more about on Extra Credit Monday, but Seamus Heaney: Manuscripts at the Irish Arts Center closes after Friday, January 24, so if you wish to see it, I recommend doing so immediately! Details on this and the other posted opportunities are as follows:
An exhibition of the poet's handwritten, typed and edited work, in partnership with the National Library of Ireland.
Irish Arts Center
553 W 51st Street
New York, New York 10019 Gallery hours by appointment
Monday�Friday | 10:00 AM�6:00 PM
Please call 212-757-3318 x203
Exhibition has been extended and will be available to view by appointment through January 24, 2020.
�
12th Annual Origin 1st Irish Theatre Festival
The world�s only theatre festival dedicated to showcasing the work of contemporary Irish writers, Origin 1st Irish is New York�s only all-Irish performing arts festival.
January 7�February 3
Numerous performances this semester, at various location, including:
Maz and Bricks, Jan. 7�Feb. 2
Sc�r on Broadway, Jan. 24
Round Room, Jan 27 & 28
Appropriate, Jan. 27�Feb. 2
Laugh While You Can,� Feb. 1 & 2
�
�
132 West 22nd Street
New York, NY 10011
Box Office: 212.727.2737
�
Founded by Ciar�n O�Reilly and Charlotte Moore, the Irish Repertory Theatre is currently the only year-round theater company in New York City devoted exclusively to bringing Irish and Irish-American works to the stage. Numerous performances this semester, including:
London Assurance, extended though Feb. 9
The Scourge, Jan. 22�Feb. 2
Lady G: Plays and Whisperings of Lady Gregory, Feb. 12�March 22
Incantata, Feb. 18�March 15
A Touch of the Poet, March 25�May 10
February 29, Saturday, 10:00 AM�5:00 PM | �A Taste of the Yeats Summer School.�� All-day program evoking spirit of the school in Ireland (see below). Includes a social and summer school reunion. Speakers will include Deborah Fleming (Ashland) on �The Great House and Colonial Politics:� Yeats and Walcott.� At NYU Glucksman Ireland House, 1 Washington Mews (Fifth Avenue between Washington Square and 8th Street).
March 30 Monday, 6:30-7:30 PM� Readings marking Poetry Month & presentation of our poetry awards. At Barnes & Noble Union Square, 33 East 17 Street at Park Avenue South. Free.
Thursday, January 16:
The class is now scheduled to meet in room M-227 (Nassau Hall),
instead of M-207. In addition, our Monday class will not meet in Y-04
(Bradley Hall) as originally scheduled, but the new room has yet to be
determined. I will have more information for you when we meet on Wednesday,
January 22, our first class meeting.
Tuesday, January 7:
The main page and
syllabus have been
updated for the Spring 2020 semester. You can also preview the course, here.
Textbooks have been ordered through the NCC Campus Store;
however, you are encouraged to purchase them from wherever they are least
expensive.
You can get all four for less than $14 online. We will be using
the following:
Friel, Brian. Dancing at Lughnasa: A Play. London and Boston: Faber and Faber, 1998. ISBN 9780571144792.
(Available used starting at $1.23 at Amazon.com*).Joyce, James. Dubliners. New York: Signet, 2007. ISBN 9780451530417.
(Available used starting at $4.55 at Amazon.com*).Synge, J. M. The Playboy of the Western World and Riders to the Sea. New York: Dover, 1993. ISBN 9780486275628.
(Available used starting at $1.01 at Amazon.com*).Trevor, William, ed. The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2010. ISBN 9780199583140.
(Available used starting at $6.52 at Amazon.com*).*Prices listed at Amazon.com may not include shipping, and are accurate as of original posting date only; no guarantees of prices or availability are express or implied�.
*Extra credit (2 points) for the first person to identify
the film reference(s) via email.