January+and+February+Syllabii

Christian Themes in Literature: An Independent Study

“You that live in the shelter of the Most High and lodge under the shadow of the Almighty, who say, ‘The LORD is my safe retreat, my God the fastness in which I trust’ he himself will snatch you away from fowler’s snare or raging tempest.” - Psalm 91: 1-2

January – February 2012 Syllabus Class meets on Wednesdays, second hour: 9:15 – 9:55. Assignments include:
 * **__ Reading (REA) __** : It is expected that you complete all of your reading assignments in preparation for the class discussion on Wednesdays.
 * **__ Written Assignments (WRI): __** Writing Assignments will be due **Mondays** by 10:00 PM. These will be emailed to me c/o ggrossman@woodlandsacademy.org.
 * **__ Discussions (DIS): __** Discussions are on line in our wiki site. You will be expected to read the prompt and complete your discussion by Thursday evening, 10:00 PM.
 * **__ Journals (JOU): __** Journal entries are personal in nature as they relate to the readings and topics for discussion. You will complete your personal journal by Wednesday evening, 10:00 PM.


 * __ Class 1: 18 January 2012 __**
 * Introduction to Christian Themes in Literature
 * Introduction to the wiki site.
 * Identification of the essential themes.
 * REA 1: “God’s Grandeur” (wiki site)
 * Discussion of “God’s Grandeur” by Gerard Manley Hopkins, S.J.

//__ Assignments __//
 * REA 2 ** : Poems by Mary Oliver, Ann Sexton, David Whyte
 * WRI 1 ** : Discuss these three poets and Gerard Manley Hopkins and how they representation – if they do – an incarnational theology. Make sure you give specific examples to support your points. (2 pages)
 * DIS 1 ** : See wiki prompt.
 * JOU 1 ** : Of the four poems you’ve read thus far, which one draws you? Why?


 * __ Class 2: 25 January 2012 (You are on your own this week) __**
 * During class, read the article on Incarnation and the Sacraments.
 * In a class discussion (Jennifer is the leader), discuss the various concepts the article discussion, including:
 * The Incarnation
 * The Sacraments of:
 * Christ
 * The Church
 * Faith
 * Salvation
 * Eternal Life
 * Be able to define the ideas of the incarnation and what an incarnational theology and spirituality might be (Breanna leads).
 * Be able to define the concept of sacrament and how one might see the world as “sacramental” (Lizzie leads).
 * Begin thinking about the poetry of Oliver, Hopkins, White, and Sexton and how their poetry may or may not be incarnational and sacramental.

//__ Assignments __//
 * REA 3 ** : Additional poetry of these Whyte, Oliver, and Sexton.
 * WRI 2 ** : Select two poems and discuss how they do or do not express an incarnational theology and a sacramental world view. (2 pages)
 * DIS 2 ** : See wiki prompt.
 * JOU 2 ** : What image in any of the three poems do you find most "grace filled?"


 * __ Class 3: 1 February 2012 __**
 * Quiz (perhaps oral) on:
 * Incarnational spirituality/theology
 * The world as sacramental
 * The reading from Class 2
 * Discussion of Oliver, Sexton, and Whyte

//__ Assignments __//
 * REA 4 ** : “Good Country People” by Flannery O’Connor, pages 169-196.
 * WRI 3 ** : See the writing prompt on the wiki. (2 pages)
 * DIS 3: ** See wiki prompt.
 * JOU 3 ** : What in the word gives you the sense of incarnation and sacrament?


 * __ Class 4: 8 February 2012 __**

Discussion: “Good Country People.”

//__ Assignments __//
 * REA 5 ** :
 * “A Good Man is Hard to Find” by Flannery O’Connor, pages 9-29.
 * WRI 4 article about this story and Flannery O’Connor.
 * WRI 4 ** : See wiki prompt for “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” ** Write ** a two page paper on the Misfit and how this story expresses a strong Catholic/Christian theology (2 Pages).
 * DIS 4: ** See wiki prompt.
 * JOU 4 ** : The title has an element of irony in it. What makes it ironic?


 * __ Class 5: 15 February 2012 __**

Discussion: “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and the accompanying article on the wiki (WRI 4).

//__ Assignments __//
 * REA 6 ** :
 * “The Artificial Nigger” by Flannery O’Connor, pages 9-102.
 * WRI 5 article about this story and Flannery O’Connor.
 * WRI 5 ** :
 * ** Questions to ponder: ** Does "The Artificial Nigger" succeed as a story if the reader is unaware of, or unsympathetic with, its Christian subtext? Is the "artificial nigger" a mysterious agent of grace, perhaps like the crucified Christ?
 * ** Reflection: ** Write a response to Ms. Oates’ essay (pretend that you will mail it to her, so make it sharp!). 2 pages.
 * DIS 5: ** See wiki prompt.
 * JOU 5 ** : If you were to meet the Misfit, what might you say?


 * __ Class 6: 22 February 2012 __**

Discussion: The Joyce Carol Oates article, "Workings of Grace: Flannery O'Connor's 'The Artificial Nigger'" by Joyce Carol Oates

//__ Assignments __//
 * REA 7 ** : “Tender Mercy and ‘The Artificial Nigger’” article on our wiki.


 * WRI 6 ** :
 * __ Relate __** this quotation below to the article about tender mercy. Explain, by citing scripture (provided) and examples from Joyce Carol Oates and O’Connor’s “The Artificial Nigger” how this concept of tender mercy relates Oates, O’Connor, Scripture, and Lewis. This is a nice challenge for you!

Quotation: "God loves us, so He makes us the gift of suffering. Through suffering, we release our hold on the toys of this world, and know our true good lies in another world. We're like blocks of stone, out of which the sculptor carves the forms of men. The blows of his chisel, which hurt us so much, are what make us perfect. The suffering in this world is not the failure of God's love for us; it is that love in action. For believe me, this world that seems to us so substantial is no more than the shadlowlands. Real life has not begun yet." ("Shadowlands," p. 1)

Make this a 2-3 page paper.


 * DIS 6: ** See wiki prompt.
 * JOU 6 ** : The title, “The Artificial Nigger” makes us 21st Century people very uncomfortable. How might you explain its use to a peer who has not yet read the story and does not know its context?


 * __ Class 7: 29 February 2012 __**

Discussion: Tender Mercy, “The Artificial Nigger,” and Joyce Carol Oates

//__ Assignments __//
 * REA 8 ** : “From //The Habit of Being…//’” article on our wiki and the Simone Weil biography ( Simone Weil Biography: [])


 * WRI 7 ** : **__Reflect__** upon this quote from O’Connor’s letter to A published in //The Habit of Being// (excerpt on the wiki): y saying Simone Weil’s life was both comic and terrible, I am not trying to reduce it, but mean to be paying her the highest tribute I can, short of calling her a saint, which I don’t believe she was.”


 * __ Write __** a paper that discuss this idea of the comic and the terrible and how it can best summarize the three stories you have read by Flannery O’Connor and how these stories express a true Catholic, incarnation, grace-filled world.

Make this a 2-3 page paper.


 * DIS 7: ** See wiki prompt.
 * JOU 7 ** : Describe a time when you found something in life both comic and terrible.