English 494 Jazz Age/Harlem Ren

Grades for final projects posted to elearning.wsu.edu

2007-12-15T10:12:00.000-08:00

Grades for the final exam (if you took it) and the final project have been posted to elearning.wsu.edu, and your final paper or the wiki evaluation sheet has been e-mailed back to you if you didn't pick it up at the final exam. If you can't open the document, or if you have a paper and can't see the comments in Word, please let me know and I will send it in another format.

Percentage weights for the various assignments in the course can be found on your syllabus.

If you have questions, I'll be available in my office beginning on January 8. Remember, grades can't be discussed by e-mail because of FERPA regulations.

Enjoy your holiday break!

Dr. Campbell

Study guide for Exam 2 is available

2007-12-11T21:27:00.003-08:00

The study guide for Exam 2 is available on our main page and also at http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/engl494/study2.htm.

Not in the office today

2007-12-10T10:19:00.001-08:00

I know I had mentioned being in my office today (Monday), but I can't get to Pullman because of the icy roads. If you need to contact me, please e-mail me (or IM or Skype drcampbell6676).

Wiki projects

2007-12-03T09:52:00.000-08:00

Some of the wiki projects are now available on our main page, and other links will be posted tomorrow: http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/engl494/index.html.

Weblog posts

2007-11-16T13:11:00.001-08:00

We’ve now completed all 10 of the weblog post dates, and I have posted the credit for these to elearning.wsu.edu. As you know, you receive a “1” (basically a check mark) for completing a weblog post on time and a “0” if no entry is posted by the deadline date.

Most of you have also posted your critical response to your weblog, a requirement for completing this part of the course. If you haven’t done so yet, you should do so soon. It will count for the critical response, but it won’t count as an additional weblog post.

The grading is as follows:

Each weblog post is worth 1, for a total of 10
The critical response is worth 1
__________________________
Total possible points for weblog posts: 11

Thus if you have 11/11 points (10 weblog posts plus the critical response), you would receive a 100% for that portion of the course.

Updated PowerPoint

2007-11-04T13:36:00.000-08:00

I've updated the PowerPoint lecture on Modernism and Modernity (in part to reflect the "indeterminate ending" point brought up by the groups on Cane.

Also, if you would like to sign up for a day for the final presentations, please e-mail me with the day and time slot you would prefer. Please also indicate what you'll be presenting (the subject of your paper, an author, etc.)

Summaries of class reports

2007-11-01T09:12:00.000-07:00

The summary I provided of your class reports on Cane is available here: http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/engl494/summarizing.htm .

Paper 2 and Precis Assignments

2007-10-21T15:26:00.000-07:00

The assignment pages for Paper 2 and the precis assignment are available at our main site: http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/engl494/index.html . Click on Assignments and then on the appropriate link.

Page with songs and lecture materials

2007-10-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

The page with all your songs included is available here:
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/engl494/songs.htm

The lecture materials (Harlem Renaissance/Jazz Age themes) are here:
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/engl494/harlemren.htm

I've had your response pages copied for the class and will give everyone a copy tomorrow in class. Also, before we discuss more poetry and the narratives by McKay, Johnson, Fisher, and Hughes, we'll spend some time analyzing cover art and sheet music from the era from some examples I'll bring in.

Dr. Campbell

Assignments, including a new (short) written assignment

2007-10-09T12:43:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in class today, on Thursday in class you'll be able to see the silent film _The Plastic Age_. Attendance will be taken. Those who attend will be credited with (1) attendance for the day, which can wipe out an absence, and (2) a quiz grade of 10/10 to replace any lower quiz grade.

Also, as I mentioned at the end of class, I would like each of you to find a song from the 1920s (online is fine; see links below) and listen to it carefully. I'll be asking each of you about your song during our class on 10/16.

I would like you to write a typed paragraph or two about this song (not more than about 300 words or 1 1/2 double-spaced pages) and bring that written work to class on Tuesday to turn in. You will receive credit for this assignment, but it will not receive a letter grade.

You should plan to address at least some of these questions:

1. Note the title of the song, the principal musician, when (if you can
tell) it was recorded, and so on. Indicate the site where you found it, if you found it online, so that we might be able to listen to it in class.
2. What genre (jazz, blues, ragtime, popular, novelty, dance music, etc.) do you think this song belongs to? Is it a love song, a protest song, a lament, or something else?
3. What do the lyrics and music tell you? What is the song trying to convey thematically? What story is it telling? How does it fit into a 1920s context, or what does it reveal about 1920s culture? Does it make any allusions to 1920s themes or culture (like the Arrow Collar man or other icons)?
4. Why did you choose this song instead of another one? What did you find compelling or appealing about it?

You can write about this song for your blog assignment this week, if you like, and print out your blog post to turn in for this assignment. You can also write about something else (like _The Public Enemy_) for your blog post and just bring your written response to the song.

You can find some songs here:

http://www.redhotjazz.com
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/1920m.html
http://www.dismuke.org

Assignments for 10/9

2007-10-08T06:43:00.000-07:00

By now, you should have received a confirmation e-mail from me if I received your paper. If you didn't receive the e-mail, it's because I didn't receive your paper.

Tomorrow's class will have reports by class members first. We'll then view the conclusion to The Public Enemy and discuss the film. Be sure to bring your notes from the other day when we saw the movie. I will be asking you primarily about (1) the film's representation of the 1920s and (2) whether you saw any Code violations (from the handout the other day, available on elearning.wsu.edu).

Here are our readings; I will be playing the songs for you, so you don't need to listen to them ahead of time.

Lewis, introduction to The Harlem Renaissance Reader (xiii-xli)
Joel A. Rogers, "Jazz at Home" HRR 52-57
Sterling Brown, "Ma Rainey" HRR 232-234
Ma Rainey, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" and other songs
Bessie Smith, "St. Louis Blues" (song)
Langston Hughes, "The Weary Blues" HRR 260-261;
Louis Armstrong, "Weary Blues" (song)
Gwendolyn Bennett, "Song" HRR 221-222

Study Guide for Exam 1

2007-09-29T18:25:00.001-07:00

The study guide for Exam 1 is available from this link:
http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/engl494/study1.htm .

Please don't hesitate to contact me by instant messaging or e-mail (or
Skype: drcampbell6676) if you have any questions before the exam.

Also, for those of you with access to the TV channel Turner Classic Movies, _The Scar of Shame_, a classic African American film of the silent era (1927), will be on tomorrow night (Sunday) at 9:30 p.m.

More 1920s music

2007-09-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

If you want to hear more of the popular music of the 1920s, you can find it on the 1920s Music, Movies, and Literature page: http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/1920m.html. I've recently been updating this since some of the links don't work, but most of the ones to archive.org or redhotjazz.com should work well.

One more Dorothy Parker story

2007-09-14T10:10:00.001-07:00

During our class last Tuesday, I mentioned that I might add a Parker short story so that it could be read aloud in class. Parker was famous for her monologue and dialogue stories, and they can be performed like short plays.
For Tuesday, please read "You Were Perfectly Fine" in our book and think about how you'd read it aloud if you were performing it.

Next Tuesday, as part of our discussion of Parker (before going on to Lewis), I will ask two volunteers to read the story aloud, with one taking the part of the "pale young man" and the other person taking the part of the young woman who "reminds" him of what he did when he was drunk.

Also, I'll be on campus tomorrow (mostly in the library); if you want to meet with me, send me an e-mail in the morning and we can arrange a time.

Meet at the MASC

2007-09-12T20:55:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we'll meet at the MASC (Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections) in Holland library. Bring a pencil with you, since you won't be allowed to bring your pens into the room with the rare documents.

Additional contact information

2007-09-09T11:34:00.000-07:00

If you need to reach me when I'm not on campus, I mentioned earlier in the semester that you can instant message me at drcampbell6676@yahoo.com, drcampbell6676@hotmail.com, or drcampbell6676@aim.com. Here are two other ways to reach me:

1. If you have a gmail account, you can either instant message me or call me online at drcampbell6676@gmail.com through Google Talk.
2. If you have Skype, my Skype identity is drcampbell6676.

Quiz grades

2007-09-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

The quiz grades and credit for blog posts have been posted to https://elearning.wsu.edu. In the blogpost columns, a "1" means that you completed the blogpost satisfactorily and on time, and a 0 means that you didn't. Some of you who aren't doing the blog option will notice a 0 in those columns, but don't worry: I know that you aren't keeping a blog, and that is not a real grade for you.

Paper 1 Assignment

2007-09-06T09:38:00.001-07:00

The assignment for Paper 1 is now available.

Tomorrow's film

2007-09-05T22:58:00.001-07:00

The film I'll be showing tomorrow is 76 minutes long, which means that there won't be any time for discussion afterwards. I'd like you to take notes, though, so that we can talk about it on Tuesday.

Old King Tut and other links

2007-08-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

I've put the early 1920s background presentation here: http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/powerpoint/fitzgeraldcontext.htm

The cover art in the presentation is available here, along with links to songs: http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/1920m.html. You can hear "In Old King Tutankhamun's Day" by clicking here (.mp3 file; will play through iTunes or QuickTime) It's a humorous song with lots of 1920s references ("Why, Valentino as a sheik / He wouldn't last a half a week!").

Welcome to English 494

2007-08-20T19:32:00.001-07:00

Welcome to English 494! This is the announcements space; to see earlier messages, scroll down to the bottom of the page.

The stories for Thursday, 8/23, are available on the Readings and the Syllabus pages.

Syllabus available 8/20/07

2007-08-16T22:22:00.001-07:00

The syllabus for this course will be available on 8/20/07.