Announcements

Welcome to Week 11 of our course. This week we will continue our exploration of fairy tales and then pause to review the requirements for the final research paper. There is no quiz this week. There is a discussion board.      

Welcome to Week 10 of our online course. This week we will be exploring the genre of fairy tales. We’ll be reading several works centered on the Snow White Story. These include the fairytale “Little Snow White” by the Brothers Grimm and the poem “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” by Anne Sexton. An excerpt from the book The Uses of Enchantment by famed psychologist Bruno Bettleheim, will add much to think about with respect to themes and symbolism. Note: There is no class on Monday, March 31st. There is no quiz this week, and there is no discussion board.      

Welcome to Week 9 of our online course. This week we will be reading “A Good Man Is Hard to Find” by American writer Flannery O’Connor. This marks the mid-point of the Fall semester. Please review your progress in the Grade Center. There is a discussion board this week. Note: There is a midterm quiz this week, which covers all material from Weeks 1 through 9. It is a 25-question multiple-choice quiz and carries the same weight as all other quizzes.    

Welcome to Week 8 of our online course. This week we will finish reading Oedipus the King and enlarge our discussion of the play. There is no discussion this week. Be sure to complete Quiz 7 by midnight, Sunday, March 23.    

Welcome to Week 7 of our online course. This week will be exploring one of the great tragedies of Western literature, Oedipus the King.  I look forward to interesting class conversations as we examine the complex character of the doomed king and ponder timeless questions about self-determination and fate. There is no quiz this week. There is a discussion board this week.               J

Welcome to Week 6 of our online course. This week we will be completing our segment on poetry. Readings will include examples of lyric, dramatic, and narrative poems. Quiz 6 will be open from 9:00 Monday, March 3  through Sunday, March 9. Essay 2 (“Araby” essay) is due Wednesday, March 12th. (I extended the due date from March 9th due to the issues with Hypothesis). You must complete the Hypothesis activity before writing this essay. No essays will be read until the Hypothesis assignment has been completed. Deadline for Final (and all) Drafts of Essay 1 is Sunday, March 9. After that, no versions of Essay 1 will be accepted/reviewed. There is no Discussion Board this week.      

Welcome to Week 5 of our course. This week we are starting a 2-week segment on poetry. This week you will be introduced to the iconic form of the sonnet. Be sure to participate in the Week 5 Discussion Board. There is no quiz this week.    

Welcome to Week 4 of our online course. This week we will be reading the coming-of-age story “Araby” by James Joyce. This is a reading we did not get to in Week 2. The only Week 4 activity you have to do is Activity 8. There is no discussion board this week. Be sure to complete Quiz 5 by midnight, Sunday, February 23rd.        

Welcome to Week 3 of our OpenLab course. This week will be backtracking to the Week 2 readings “Salvation.” Once, again, there is no class on Wednesday. February 12th in honor of Lincoln’s birthday. But don’t  worry. We will catch up next week when we have classes on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Please complete Quiz 4 by Sunday, Feb. 16th. This is on sentence structure, not on any readings of literature. Please participate in the Week 3 discussion. You will be reading “The Lesson” on your own, and this will be the basis of the discussion.    

Welcome to Week 2 of our online course. Because of the holiday last week, we may not get to complete all the activities, but we will try. First, we will look back at the Week 1 reading “The Most Handsome Drowned Man” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. On Wednesday, we will be reading “Araby,” a dark and soulful coming-of-age story by the renowned Irish writer James Joyce. For homework, I ask that you read  the very short story “Salvation,” which is an excerpt from Langston Hughes’s memoir The Big Sea. We will also be looking at concepts of irony, which are at play in this story. Be sure to complete Quiz 3 by midnight on Sunday, Feb. 9th. Note: This week you should post on the Week 1 discussion board. Normally, we do not have discussions on the even numbered weeks, but again, the holiday last week set us back a bit.                                

Welcome to the first full week of ENG 201 Introduction to Literature on the BMCC OpenLab platform. Classes started last Saturday.  If you have not completed the activities for the short week, please be sure to do so. This week we will be reading the beautiful and mysterious story “The Most Handsome Drowned Man” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, along with the irony-rich story “Salvation” by Langston Hughes. Be sure to complete Quizzes 1 and  2 by midnight, Sunday, Febrruary 2. If you missed the first Zoom meeting, please look for my email of January 27th regarding the activities you need to complete this week. There are no classes on Wednesday, January 29th. Happy Lunar New Year!

Welcome to the first two days of the course.  I look forward to an interesting and enjoyable semester, reading timeless works of literature and sharing thoughts and ideas. The course runs from Saturday, January 25th through Thursday, May 15th. Please click on “Short Week Sat – Sun” on the sidebar menu to get started. Complete the activities by Sunday evening.