Portal talk:Literary Studies

I have listed your resources in the School of Language and Literature resource catalog--please list any new resources there! Thanks! Also, some of your courses would (I think) be better suited to the Writing Center...maybe both departments should link? Thanks again, --Trinity507 04:07, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

Things that need doing

= Things that need doing=
 * Create some Degree plans and streams: see Degree planning for details. See also How to use boilerplate for help.  You have all the material already, and this will clear up the page and make it more accessible
 * Renumber courses in line with the recommendations on Naming_conventions, or come and discuss the course codes with us (I've renumbered any courses I migrated)
 * Inventory of Lecturers: I suggest that you move this information to the individual user pages, and link there from here the Active participants section
 * Take note of the following proposed guideline What Wikiversity is not, especially the note about not conferring titles. See also discussion at Creation of Free Online University.
 * Make a revised master plan

Master Plan
Those interested in what I am saying may make additions below this.

First of all, I'm very excited by what's going on in the voting for Wikipedia. While I won't say it's a sure thing, I feel like those voting for it will be happy.

Second, if we're going to be moving to our own place, we've got to change some things around here.

1. English is but one language of the world. While we may end up having some English centered courses being that this Wiki so far exists in English, we must expand! This means changing our name, I believe, to the School of Literary Studies and making our courses titled "SLES 1001" or whatever it may be. This will require work in that many courses with pages will have to change.

2. We must absorb the Rhetoric and Comp courses as these are the basic foundation of this department and we cannot afford separate banners.

3. I realize "administration" may be a bad idea, but I think there must be some leadership and some direction. I realize I've been doing a lot of work with this school, but that doesn't mean that I am the head or should be.

4. We need a regular and dedicated staff. People have been coming and going with all this, and we need it to stop. We must find a way that people who are willy-nilly with the school no longer have access to major change abilities.

I'm happy to help out here--Smithgrrl 17:15, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

5. Have a process by which to keep up with any possible students.

6. Have a process by which to gauge our students.

are students going to be assigned "grades" or would instructors want to do the uc santa cruz, hampshire route and do narrative comments? the latter is certainly more innovative, but is also more time consuming.--Smithgrrl 17:15, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

7. A literary publication for the Wikiversity based out of this department seems like a wonderful idea! We could take the best of things from courses here (papers, compositions, etc.) and have a page for folks to go and read what's coming out of our department and from the Wiki community!

that's a great idea, although, since wikiversity is planned to be so huge, coordinating might be difficult. it might make more sense to have a literary/crw journal for the moment, which then reflects the work done in this department.--Smithgrrl 17:15, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Please, if you have suggestions, add them. If you think my ideas are stupid, say why!

Atrivedi, the hardest working guy in SLES, and self-proclaimed interim chair

Course numbers
Down the page, I talk a little about this. I think that, since we're not within the framework of the physical university, the numbering system should not follow the same conventions. That being said, what are some ideas that people have about this? Personally, when I wrote the initial ideas down, I didn't foresee having course numbers like a traditional university. I'm a convention shrugger. So, in this postmodern, hypertext reality, what would work better? JustinLillich 04:37, 18 February 2006 (UTC)

i'm making all courses LS with a letter suffix that indicates english (E), world (W), composition and rhetoric (C), and so on. this makes for a more unified look. more to come...--Smithgrrl 01:55, 12 September 2006 (UTC)

Number of courses
There's simply too many courses, right now we need to get the basics functioning. Therefore, I propose that we radically reduce the number of courses. My proposal is that all courses after the three hundreds which haven't already had some work done on them should be elminated. Yes it's a scale back, but I think it's necessary.

I agree. What's the point of courses that have nothing in them? I'll take a few down, and maybe clean up the others (if necessary).

OMouse 04:00, 22 October 2005 (UTC)


 * Agree too. I got a bit carried away :(.  Have at OMouse! Atrivedi

Perhaps we could get rid of all the "special topics in" courses and simply have "Russian liteature" "French Liteature" etc.


 * Fair enough. I just put those on in recent days, again, getting carried away.  Consider them gone!  Atrivedi

Speaking of too many courses, why the "casual learning" stuff? Why isn't the rest of it casual learning, too? :) Atrivedi

I made the casual learning course because the material I intend to cover isn't rigrous enough for university, wikiversity, despite the name, should be a place for all learning. It's the spirt of wikipedia, don't worry, I'll take care of it.

Comments on the 'Master Plan'
An emphasis on writing and the art of creativity should be a major priority.


 * Who is the readership/audience for all of this? And if you are talking about teaching writing then real world consult should be sought, not just reliance on academic opinions. Author Salon (discuss • contribs) 00:23, 28 July 2014 (UTC)


 * Which is why there's a separate faculty listing for Creative Writing. I think I've put more work into that area than any other.  There was/is a plan for web based writing courses also.  Atrivedi


 * I want to change the name if this school to reflect a wider range of literature and writing, not simply English. Should be something like "The School of Arts and Letters" or something like that.  There still is a web based writing course in the works.  I will take responsibility to build up the quality and integrity of the school.  I lost sight of what I wanted to do with this place because their was no interest until someone came along.  Now that there is an interest, I feel that it's my duty to work on this with as much dedication as I can muster.  Also, it helps to have something like this going since I'll be a working PhD and in the field and can use this as a jumping off point all around the academic world. JustinLillich 04:42, 18 February 2006 (UTC)


 * I think I prefer School of Literary Studies, and that way it can be everything, from various languages, but including the Creative/Web Writing stuff we're so interested in. Atrivedi


 * school of literary studies sounds good to me, and I agree totally that we need to globalize and comparatize the "course" offerings. do you want specific courses put on the page?  i have more or less loosely organized seminar ideas, but i can certainly lend a hand with creating actual courses.  --Smithgrrl 17:11, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

INVENTORY OF LECTURERS
I suggest everyone puts here their name, their age, their levels of qualification, their areas of knowledge, how much work they are willing to put in and into what courses, what other things they'd be willing to do for wikiversity etc. (Alphabetize, please.)

Name-GKLeung
Age-20 Qualifications-Working B.A. (Hons) Philosophy, Politics and Economics, University of Warwick; Possible M.A. English, University of Warwick

Areas of Knowledge-British Theatre History (c.1600-Present); Postcolonial Literature; Modern and Contemporary British Literature; Satire; Comparative Studies in French and English Poetry; Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature, Arts and Social Sciences.

Name-Justin Lillich
Age-27 Qualifications-B.A. English/Creative Writing, University of Kansas 2003; M.A. English: Rhetorical Theory, Hypertextual Literature, Bemidji State University 2006. PhD work on the horizon. Areas of Knowledge-Hypertextual & Nonlinear Fiction, Critical Theory, Rhetorical Theory, Pedagogy, Teaching Writing with Technology, Computer Literacies, Postmodern Literary Theory, Linguistics Theory, Wiki and Blog programming, web content writing. I am willing to- In terms of this school, I will oversee the course materials and quality of the written discussion. I will also be on the look out for teachers in certain areas (never can have too many...) Will also handle day to day editing and take on individual student writers for Independent Study courses based in my areas of knowledge. JustinLillich 03:25, 18 February 2006 (UTC)

Name-Michael Neff
Age-59 Qualifications-Author of YEAR OF THE RHINOCEROS by Red Hen Press, owner and director of Algonkian Writers Conferences and Events, editor of Del Sol Press, publisher of Double Room Literary Journal and The Potomac Journal of Poetry and Politics, literary agent with AEI Films and Books, editor contributor to The Writer's Edge (a writer blog), short fiction and poetry writer whose work has appeared in national journals such as Conjunctions and North American Review, among many others.

Areas of Knowledge-the mechanics and nuances of creative writing as they pertain to the successful planning and writing of the modern genre and upmarket novel.

Name-measly pawn
Age-21 Qualifications-Working B.A. (Hons) English Lit and World History, Laurentian University (2006) Areas of Knowledge-Romantic Literature (Spec. William Blake, Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice"), Postmodern Literature, American Literature (Spec. Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain), Canadian Literature (Spec. Timothy Findley, Michael Ondaatje, Margaret Atwood, others), and some Children's Literature.
 * I am willing to contribute what I can as often as I can. It's a learning process that can work both ways and its benefits can be plentiful if the committment is there.Measly pawn 12:12, 11 April 2006 (UTC)

Name-Thesaurus
Age-20 Qualifications-Currently completing (2008): B.A. English Literature, B.A. Philosophy, Minor Linguistics, Minor Classics (Latin) Areas of Knowledge-Victorian and 19th century Literature (esp. Thomas Hardy, Thomas Carlyle and other prose/essayists); working knowledge of the following: literary theory, literary analysis, poetics, early American literature, Anglo-Saxon literature, Jewish-American fiction. I am willing to create a Victorian literature course, which I think is very necessary for the school. I'm not sure I can currently run a class (possibly at a future date), but I'm willing to write lessons, commentary, and syllabi. I would like to write as much as I can in all my areas of knowledge. I could grade essays if necessary.Thesaurus 04:29, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

Name-Timothy J Scriven
Age-18 Qualifications-no qualifications, keep that in mind. Areas of knowledge-Philosophy ( pretty much analytic only, and an extremely crude knowledge of even this area), T.S Eliot, basic Poetics ( emjabment, alliteration etc), and only very little in these areas

I am willing to-I am willing to put quite a bit of work in, but my knowledge is at this stage limited, I'll do minor edits, suggest ideas and maintain my T.S Eliot page Other stuff I'll do for wikiversity-I'll heckle my teachers into contributing some notes.

I'd like to state in this edit that I do not consider myself competent to run a bona fide literature course at any level. I would like the opportunity to create "courses" that are basically reading lists with some suggested essay questions ( like my T.S Eliot course) mainly to help high school students access some related material to what they are reading in school to give them something to talk about in their exams and in class. I feel that wikiversity's current aims are a little too lofty and though I was enthusiastic at first and I am overall very sceptical about the project. I think that in addition to trying to run "university" courses we should also aim for the currently more plausible role of creating the sort of courses I mentioned earlier, aimed mostly at directing the reader to much more competent authorities in the area than ourselves, and that a special section should be created for these courses. I think that if we are to run courses we need to set up guidelines so that only those who can prove that they are at least graduate students may run courses though others should feel free to design them. Furthermore I think we need clear hierarchies, with those with degree's having more authority than those without and those with higher degree's having authority over those with bachelor degrees( though proving you had the relevant degree would be a problem of course) and possibly those with doctorates having authority over those with master's degree's as well.

I also think that we should make sure that people doing courses know that it is “not for real”.

Name-Smithgrrl
Age-52 Qualifications- B.A. English Literature, Smith College, M.A. Comparative Literature, Washington University, Ph.D. Comparative Literature, University of North Carolina, Chapel HIll. Specializations: English, French and German literature: the European 18th Century, Women's Literature, Jewish Literature, science fiction, world literature in translation, metafiction. honored and thrilled to be working on this project. i am a prettty experienced teacher and curriculum designer, so i'm happy to help very actively in formulating a basic curriculum.

yes!
Hi, I am Timothy J Scriven ( that's my user name) I've got the first course ready. It's about T.S Eliot and it's ready to be taken right now ( though more will be added of course), it's not really intended to be taken as a course as such, its a glorified reading list with some essay topics but it would be useful for private study. It's true that the course I created isn't that good, but I am sure the faults will be ironed out by other users. it is exciting, Anyone else feeling exuberant about the possibilities of wiki's and Wikiversity?

Seriously though any critical comments on our first course?

Note, I modified the above to clarify what I meant, to add a touch of realism and because all the exclamation marks and exuberance were embarassing.

General SLES Discussion
Ok, I recommend that there be a course on Logic, namely Fallacies. This kind of knowledge should help people avoid them or at the least recognize them. Sometimes people understand that there is something wrong with someone's logic but cannot put it into words. We must give them those words and write something on this. It can be argued that it belongs in philosophy, but it is most applicable in writing. I'm going to start writing some material on it and we can move it if we have to. --OMouse

Whoever changed the "decrees" thing, thanks, but Wikiversity is calling them "decrees" and until I hear differently, I will address them as such. This is why there are quotes around it. Thanks and I hope you'll continue to help out and be interested. --Atrivedi

Having changed the name of the school to School of Literature and English Studies, I feel it will bring a bit more credibility to our subject, while not giving up on our goal. Creative Writing is still an important part of our course offerings, but that's within Literature and English Studies. --Atrivedi 19:40, 1 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Good Job!
The school is coming along very nicely. I look forward to seeing its progression.

No one will like this idea, but
Um, maybe we could have a postmodernism and it's critics course. Challenges to certain forms of postmodern theory are becoming more and more common ( i.e Eagleton, Habermas) if the course were done well it could be quite intresting. Ideally it wouldn't force either view down your throat, but allow you to make up your own mind. I've never seen a course like this offered by an english department, so we'd be at the forefront!

Figures disscused could include all the cannnonical postmodernists ( Derrida, Krivesta) juxtaposed with the critics of various forms of postmodernism ( Chomsky, Eagleton, Habermas).

I like it. Excellent idea. But! You have to watch out for fallacies in the writing. Let's start. (I like Chomsky myself, probably why that sounds like a great idea).

OMouse 15:02, 20 October 2005 (UTC)


 * Could this fall under the Literary Theory stuff that I either have up or took down recently? Put it back up and design a course!!!  Engl 4900 is a prefered number.  OR you could list it as an Engl 4500 Topics Class.  Either one, but keep it to one of those, please!  Atrivedi

this is a great example of why we may want to rethink the "english" rubric. habermas is german, kristeva is bulgarian and writes in french, etc. etc. but those folks are important so by all means let's do 'em!--Smithgrrl 17:25, 28 August 2006 (UTC)

Technical writing
Many of the articles in Wikibooks and its siblings are trying to explain science and technology to non-scientists and non-technologists. A course on how to write such articles properly would be immediately applicable and is desperately needed. GreatWhiteNortherner 00:39, 7 Feb 2005 (UTC)


 * While not my area of expertise, I can certainly figure something out. Or if someone else is interested in doing it, let me know. Also, we're going to have a department dealing in Web publishing, etc. While not the same as technical writing, it can certainly encompass all that.AT

WE NEED HELP!!!
In order to make this school one of the best that Wikiversity has to offer, I would very much like to see some professionals in the English departments around the country and hopefully the world fill this school with much discourse on the subjects that we have outlined. I would also like to invite anyone with project ideas to submit them to the wiki. I think this can shape up to be a very interesting department! ~JustinLillich


 * I absolutely agree, but where to go? People seem to be dead around this place and kicking them into gear seems to be difficult.  Go with whatever ideas you have and any help from me you have with you. ~Amish

Yes, if a person wants to help, what next?

What about names?
In the spirit of keeping this a reputable institution, should we be using our real names? I can certianly change mine if this is not the case, otherwise I would like it very much if people knew who we were and who they were receiving this information from. ~JustinLillich


 * I thought about that and if you're up for it, we can certainly do it. I mean, I'm using my user name like you are, in that it's basically my name anyways.  I figure if folks are interested, they can always click and see my name.  Amish

i can certainly use my real name, although i am employed at a university, and would prefer in some ways to keep that identity separate from that one. thanks.--Smithgrrl 17:30, 28 August 2006 (UTC)


 * i've had some more thoughts about this, and i actually have some concerns about the "reputable" institution idea. I think it's perhaps useful to remember what the origins of the "university" as most of us know it are.  From what i've read -- the "university" as we commonly think of it (and that some of us attended) is a Western European institution that grew out of the scholastic movement in the Catholic Church. It was extremely rigid and hierarchical, and that structure remains in place today (at least at the research university and in most 4 year colleges) in the rankings of faculty (lecturer, assistant professor, associate professor, full professor) and in the ways those faculty are valued by the institution (tenured versus untenured faculty for example). I think one of the biggest challenges facing the framers of wikiversity is to devise communities and strategies that do not reinscribe the traditional hierarchies of the university, and that we just don't make a cyber-clone of the university's very limited modalities of knowledge, expertise, mastery, "excellence" and so on. This sounds obvious, but in practice (at least in my experience), it's actually quite difficult for most of us to think outside the box of our own intellectual formation.

my point being -- we aren't "professors" (a title that indicates our allegiance to this system of hierarchy) and consequently we don't have to be any more "reputable" than the next guy/gal (that's how wikipedia works, and I don't see how or why wikiversity should work any differently).

the course structure that we have in place so far is a case in point. I think we need to change the rubric from ENGLISH to LITERARY STUDIES (LS) and number the courses accordingly. If folks want an English sub-rube, that's fine, but as I posted elsewhere and as I think Amish notes, lit sure doesn't begin and end with English lit. So, I think those "names" need to be rethought also.--Smithgrrl 01:36, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Granting Decrees from the SLES
I believe in rigorous thought and evidence of this thought being added into the collective. That being said, I think that this course of study would be marked by extensive discourse and directed discussions toward that end. I would really like to see the students break some ground as they learn the in and out of the subjects they are studying. Without going into it with them, let them write the way toward the completion of the course. It won't take much on our part. In fact, it's going to be pretty simple for us to lead them to it. --JL

Request
I liked the way you made this school. I would just like to ask permission if I could imitate the way you made this school for the other schools. May I?


 * In what way?

Help with this section
What would it take to get onboard with this project especially in the English/Literary Studies section? Bob - Apr. 21, 2005

Well, here ya go. Thanks, Bob.

'Degrees' Available
According to the Some Ideas About Wikiversity section on "degrees", the idea is to have a sort system where our department can give you a certificate. Here is what they say and what we're working on.

"Attempting to address all useful fields of knowledge and different educational degrees requires some form of organization. An idea submitted by Aaron - WikiVersity will confer "Degrees" to those that meet demanding knowledge-acquisition standards in the field of their choice below.


 * Basic School - conferrer of Bachelor's Degrees?
 * Intermediate School - conferrer of Master's Degrees? Why not? Should it be also called Wikiversity?(sic.)
 * Wikiversity - conferrer of the Wh.D. Degree (Doctor of Wikilosophy)"

What I think I would like to see is a B.A. degree is English, an M.A. in English, an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, and Wh.D.'s in English, Creative Writing, with possible additions being certificates (such as British Studies) and degrees in Rhetoric.

The vote
This english department is coming along nicely. However, if wikiversity is rejected from media-wiki, all the stuff we have written doesn't matter. Please vote on the wikiversity, and vote yes!

Creator is back
I created this portion of the wikiverse quite a long time ago and drop in from time to time to see what is happening. I have a wealth of course material that I will be posting up here and most of it deals with non-linear storytelling through the computer. It's something that hasn't much scholarship and I feel that this course of study needs something like that. It seems that this endeavour is pulling through fairly well and will grow exponentially in the future. I'll begin posting as soon as the schedule permits in the real world. Sorry this has suffered for so long. ~JustinLillich

New Student
I am focusing on improving my writing. I desire to start with the basics and am looking for assistance from people on this site. My undergrad involved little writing, nor does my professional life. There are websites and books available; however, I decided to look for help here because not only do you have the knowledge, but you are keenly focused on how to set up the process of learning.

My schedule is flexible and I am somewhat of an interesting character, so if anyone is considering helping out, please post a reply. Your posts are appreciated.

Charles. 21:31, 17 February 2006 (UTC)Charles

Hi Charles --- wonderful that you want to work on your writing. Here is a heavy edit of the paragraph you just sent. Look at the corrections, and file them away for future use. The only way to write well is to write alot, so thanks for this good beginning and keep on going. You might want to keep a diary to help you stay in the writing zone (a page a day, HANDWRITTEN can make a big difference).

note these changes:

I am focussing on improving my writing. I would like to/wish to start with the basics and am looking for assistance from people on this site. My undergraduate studies did not involve much writing, nor does my professional life.


 * "Desire" does not usually get used with an infinitive verb like "to start." Better use is "want " or "wish"
 * The word "nor" has to follow a phrase that has a negative word in it, like "not".

Why not tackle one of the books on the English reading list and try your hand at a book review? somebody on this site will look at it... --Smithgrrl 04:55, 30 August 2006 (UTC)

Thinking about a change of scenery...
The day I created this thing, I was bumming around on the net and found that wikiversity didn't have a school for literature and writing. Now that I see that there was no wikiversity to begin with, I'm thinking that we could transport this thing to book form, kind of an academy/book format. I have been toying with the idea for sometime of creating a book that acts as a school as well, where the students create the text by the direction of the teachers involved. Anyone have any ideas toward this? --JustinLillich 04:18, 18 February 2006 (UTC)

Also, about all the courses...
I have been thinking about this, but I also read a post from earlier. I am going to change the amount of courses, setting up the school in three basic fields of study. This should not only work on the seminar system, focused on individual writers and writing itself, but also the teaching of writing and the use of writing in many other fields not specific to the English department. Hence, we should have a broad spectrum department detailed in three headings: Creation,Rhetoric, & Pedagogy. Within the specified sections, we will carry on courses such as Creative writing, technical writing, critical theory, and the teaching of composition, among others. Course numbers are really for physical universities, so we should do away with these as well. I think this will stream line it somewhat and get the wikimedia people off our backs. Remember, we're writing this stuff in a medium that allows us to, for the first time, create a school as if it were a work of literature itself. JustinLillich 04:31, 18 February 2006 (UTC)

You probably have no edge in creating a standard a book. At this point, it is unlikely that your newly created book would be better than the current ones available. You need a niche. It appears that you have comparative advantage in the amount of energy you are willing to put in to the program. This energy combined with the ease of communicating online and your current level of academic knowledge should allow you to prosper with the right students. The focus of any education program should be on helping the students learn. If the student isn't learning, the program isn't working. This may seem redundant, but I believe that most institutions would benefit from emphasizing this point. I think that you can have a program in which the instructors can efficiently guide students to the proper resources. The resources could have been created by you/Wikiversity or externally. One way of doing this is to have the interested student contact the instructor. The instructor can refer to student to relevant material based on the initial discussion. The student can then share their writing and questions with other students at an online forum. The instructor can intercede on this forum whenever they can. The instructor can also discuss points with students individually. This process should lead to a rapid rate of learning for certain students. It is my impression that it is this type of student that you are attempting to teach. Another result will be a base of teaching material being created based on actual and not expected needs. From my experience, material based on current needs have a much higher probability of being effective. Charles. 07:23, 18 February 2006 (UTC)

No book... At least from us
I have just finished reading the work that is being done at the Rhetoric & Composition wikibook and think that we may have a primer for students to read and write for as they learn. The book can be found at Rhetoric & Composition. It seems like it is heading in the right direction. Other texts, most of the ones for literature anyway, can be taken from Gutenberg or through books that students would already have.

New Directions
With the Wikiversity project having been improved, I think we'll be looking to change a few things around here. First things first, I propose we change the name to the School of Literary Studies and essentially combine what would be a "Comparative Lit" department into this one. There's no reason we should be so restrictive on language and we should have people focussing on various parts of the world. If at some point there's a Wikiversity in 100s of languages, we can consider creating an English-based department. Until then, let's be for all. --Atrivedi 01:20, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

i agree completely, as i've said elsewhere. if you want an english track, that's fine, but i think it will be easier and more wiki-ish to have a kind of world lit approach and you can still have courses on shakespeare, milton, joyce, austen, the brontes and whomever because they are significant writers internationally. i'm going to start implementing those changes, unless i hear otherwise. --Smithgrrl 20:52, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

A note from Justin
A long time ago I started this course of study under a different name. During its infancy, it wasn't as well thought out as it is today, but the idea was there for something big. I want to thank those of you that have turned out to start this school up. I haven't read much about what's happening in the Wikiversity lately, but I wanted to let you know that I'm currently formulating a redesign which will bring us into line with other Wiki schools in this network. The content will stay the same, but the methods we use to create that will change a bit. I will work and have been working on a style manual for this school which will allow us to be similar in style with those schools that have been around for much longer. I want to thank you all again for this, and watch the comment pages for updates and new ideas. If it wasn't for those of you who come here, none of this would be worth it.

Go to the staging area:

Thank you, JustinLillich

(Copied from main page by TimNelson 11:47, 27 August 2006 (UTC))

=Merge talk=

i've started off with a more or less standard intro to world literature course. as envisaged the thing relies on the less than perfect but at least it's something NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF WORLD LITERATURE which is currrently in something like 5 volumes. The anicent stuff is amazing and truly international except for Africa which gets terribly excluded. I was thinking it would be good to supplement with some other anthologies too. And/or we can substitute HAMLET (their choice for RICHARD THE 3rd (an appropriate Shakespeare for our political moment, imho).

i've divided the class into 4 sections but if that feels too cumbersome it could certainly be divided into 3 or even 2 sections. i kind of like 4 though, since it combats the "semester' and "trimester' structure.

as to the format -- i see that wikiversity leans away from standard lecture which is dandy by me. i'm not sure how to deliver the active learner thing other than by chatroom capability and/or the discussion forum, but perhaps folks more adept with the tech can weigh in on this crucial question.

i hope other folks can do more with this. in the meantime, i'll keep chipping away at it. it's a great course, and whoever reads all the stuff in it, will be one educated dude/dudette! --Smithgrrl 20:46, 19 August 2006 (UTC)

origins
The line "their earliest traceable beginnings in the middle east"--can we clarify here what is meant by textual cultures? What specifically is meant here by the beginning instance? Should this definition of literature include oral cultures? --Gwythoff 22:33, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

the first writing and the first literary writing -- aka poetry -- that archeologists have found so far comes from the middle least and is connected to worship of certain gods (and goddesses!). i can certainly add that in if you think it's important or perhaps you have some other language you'd like to use. "literature" literally means work that's written down, but i'm ok with including oral work, although that kind of art tends to operate differently, because it's part of a living oral tradition which is constantly being changed (like Son Jara for which we don't have an "original" source because it's been in a constant state of oral tranmission). if "oral literature" is going to be included then there's going to need to be some explanation of how it differs from literary culture. --Smithgrrl 16:50, 23 August 2006 (UTC)

Wikiversity the Movie
Anyone intested in writing a script for Wikiversity the Movie? --Rayc 04:25, 26 August 2006 (UTC)

Course catalog!
The School of Language and Literature is compiling a course/project catalog. Please add any courses that are currently enrolling or are otherwise ready to be used to the Catalog. The Jade Knight 23:36, 8 October 2006 (UTC)

Another volunteer
If you need another participant, I'm around. General interests/areas of expertise include Middle English poetry/lit., poetic interpretation, creative writing, and, for specific poets, Wordsworth and Frost. If something is coming up involving one of these and you'd like some more help, involvement, feedback, etc., just leave me a message and I'd be happy to get involved. The Jade Knight 04:43, 9 October 2006 (UTC)

name changes
The School of Literature and English Studies now redirects to Topic:Literary Studies. Is the image (to the right) still needed? --JWSchmidt 14:06, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

I really don't think so. I'm not sure who made that picture, but it doesn't really fit with where this school section is going. I feel like there should be something a little more "wiki-ish" Something web2.0, but nothing like that. JustinLillich 12:18, 15 December 2006 (UTC)

Course Coding
I've been working on the course plans for the classes that I'm going to take. I don't understand the course code layout at all. I was thinking about rewriting the codes to align more with the subheadings within the school and less  with trying to act like a college. I don't think there should be links through the course codes and the names of the classes.

I'm going to conduct my courses asynchronously through a message board service. I will begin linking to the board rooms shortly, but they will take a lot of work to get up and running. On top of that, I have to devise a curriculum through which the students will learn the most on their own with little directive from me aside from the commenting on essays and the direct email questions. I think at this point we should all try to teach the same way. I know that's a lot to ask since not everyone can be here 100% of the time. I'm trying to use this as a means to get teaching jobs in the real world, and I think it would be a valuable method for those of you out there interested in this to do the same. 64.211.83.42 02:52, 22 December 2006 (UTC)

=hello= Hi, the following comment was moved from here to here. Erkan Yilmaz ( my talk page, wiki blog ) 08:14, 13 October 2007 (UTC) hi,

i thought i'd say hello to everyone. i'm new here.

veronica

school?
ought this be a school? If not, what school would this topic be under? --Remi 07:42, 28 April 2008 (UTC)