Every Friday from 6pm to 7pm, we will discuss that week’s reading on Google Meet.
You can join class discussions using this link:
meet.google.com/oup-bqiq-vum
I will not repeat class lectures during class discussions. The lectures are recorded; you can review or repeat them them at your leisure. Instead the class discussions will focus on your questions, comments, and observations about what you’ve read.
These online class discussions will attempt to create the immediacy, energy, and intellectual crossfire characteristic of really good, in-person seminar discussions. As always, the quality of such discussions depends entirely on the commitment of its participants.
So, come to discussion sessions having read and thought about the week’s reading carefully. Come with specific questions, preferably written down. Remember that a insightful observation about something in the reading not covered in lectures is as good as a question; perhaps even better. In short: be ready to provoke and participate in thoughtful, analytical discussion of great literature.
You must participate in at least five of the weekly discussions to get full credit for your class discussion grade. Participation means more than mere attendance. If you don’t ask questions or make comments, you are not participating. Also, you need to participate in at least two classes before Week 7 (October 10).
Discussions will typically last one hour. But if discussion is going well, we may go a bit longer. If we do, you are not required to stick around. Similarly, sometimes discussions may come to a natural conclusion before the hour is up. In that case, we will sign off early. You can come and go as you need to during discussion, but please do so as unobtrusively as possible.
NOTE: If a significant number of students have obligations that make their regular attendance during the set time for class discussions impossible (not “inconvenient” but actually impossible), we may schedule some alternate times during the semester.