Masterclass: Learning how to dialogue
Thu, Sep 01
Dialogue is a crucial skill, and one sadly lacking in much of our culture (if you need proof, just check Twitter). In this class, we'll introduce you to the dialogical structure of several activities you'll regularly engage in throughout this class: close readings of literary and non-literary objects, conversations with peers and with your instructors, and even self-reflection exercises and tests you'll compose throughout the semester.
Learning Goals - by the end of this class session, you will understand:
- reasons for using literature to study non-literary things, including dialogue
- what "close reading" entails and how it helps us craft accurate (aka, evidence based) interpretations of poems
- the method of "dialogue" we'll be using in this course, and its value;
- some of the core skills needed to engage in this kind of dialogue.
Read This:
- Robert Frost, Home Burial (poem - access on our course's Perusall page)
- Sheedy Family Program's Dialogue Training Manual (you can optionally peruse this before class here, but we'll be providing you with a physical copy of it in class as well)
Do This:
- New assignment: Dialogues. As always, you can access the prompt on the Assignments page. Then access the template for “Dialogues I: Weekly Planning” (also on the Assignments page). Note: You’ll use this document to record strong questions before each of your weekly dialogue sessions. We won’t remind you each week, so mark your own calendar.
- Submit Dialogues I. Submit your (not completed) copy of the Dialogues I: Weekly Planning template here, so we can track your progress throughout the term. Note: We won’t grade this document until late in the term, once all of your dialogue sessions are complete. Right now, you're just submitting the blank document with your name, so we have it to reference. For the passcode, check the email we sent you that has "the Sheedy code(s)" in the subject line.