Schedule

MODULE 1: Our English Story

WEEK ONE: Course Introduction

Thursday 1/12

• Class Topics:
  • Course and Syllabus Introduction
  • Website / Blog / OAKS
  • Reflection and Discussion: Why are we here?

WEEK TWO: Literature, Knowledge, and the World

Tuesday 1/17

• Class Topics:
  • The Values and Pleasures of Narrative, Poetics, and the Imagination
  • Assignment Introduced–Blog 1: Your English Story (see blogs prompts under "Assignments" tab)
  • Reflective Engagement 1
• Readings Due: 
  • "Why Study Literature," Paula Moya
  • "Wipe that Smirk Off Your Poem," Traci K. Smith
  • "Poetry is Hospitable to Strangeness and Surprise," Patrick Rosal
  • "How Reading Makes Us More Human," Karen Swallow Prior
  • "Reading Anti-Racist Non-Fiction Is a Start. But Don't Underestimate the Power of Black Fiction," Jasmine Guillory
  • "Why All Poems Are Political," Kathleen Ossip

Thursday 1/19

• Class Activities: 
  
  • Reflective Engagement 2
• Readings Due: 
  
  • "Against Narratives" (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), Cecile Alduy
  • The Power of Narrative," Klaus Schwab and Thierry Malleret
  • "The Power of Narrative," Steven Mintz
  • Excerpt from Lost in Thought: The Hidden Pleasures of an Intellectual Life, Chapter 1, Zena Hitz (Princeton UP 2020). Available as "Hitz" under Supplementary Readings module (Weeks 2-3) on OAKS.

*** Blog Post 1 Due Sunday 1/22 by midnight ***

WEEK THREE: Navigating the World through Literary Reflection

Tuesday 1/24

• Class Topics:
  • The Values and Pleasures of Narrative, Poetics, and the Imagination

• Readings Due: 
  • Book of Delights, 1 – 84
  • Poetry Unbound podcast: Laura Villareal, "My Worries Have Worries" (listen) 
  • Reflective Engagement 3

Thursday 1/26 

• Class Topics:
  • The Values and Pleasures of Narrative, Poetics, and the Imagination 
  • Reflective Engagement 4

• Readings Due: 
  • Book of Delights, 84-153
  • Poetry Unbound podcast: Tiana Clark, "My Therapist Wants to Know about my Relationship to Work" (listen)

WEEK FOUR: Navigating the World through Literary Reflection

Tuesday 1/31

• Class Topics:
  
  • Assignment Introduced–Blog 2: Literary Reflection and the World
• Readings Due:
  
  • Book of Delights, 154 – 214
  • Poetry Unbound podcast: Danez Smith
  • Reflective Engagement 5

Thursday 2/2 

• Class Cancelled due to Professor Travel Obligation
• Reflective engagement 6–"Virtual" post
• Readings Due:
  • Book of Delights 215-271 (end)  
  •  

*** Blog 2 due Sunday 2/5 by midnight ***

WEEK FIVE: Viability and Projection I

Tuesday 2/7

• Class Topics:
  • The Uses of English
  • Assignment Introduced–Blog 3: Academic Work Reflection
  • Reflective Engagement 7
• Readings Due:
  • You Can Do Anything, Part 1: Your Strengths (1-76)
  • Excerpt from Sensemaking: The Power of the Humanities in the Age of the Algorithm(2017), Christian Madsbjerg (Foreword, Introduction, and Chapter 1 (vii – 24). Available in OAKS Supplementary Readings Module
  • Excerpt from Major Decisions: College, Career, and the Case for the Humanities (2020), Chapter 3, "Making the Invisible Visible: Careers in the Humanities." Available under Supplementary Readings module on OAKS (Week 4 sub-folder)

Thursday 2/9

• Class Topics:
  • The Uses of English
• Readings Due:
  • You Can Do Anything, Part II: Your Opportunities (80-173)
  • Excerpt from Major Decisions: College, Career, and the Case for the Humanities (2020), Chapter r4, "Beyond Jobs and Careers: The Enduring Value of the Humanities" (2020). Available under Supplementary Readings module on OAKS (Week 4 sub-folder)

*** Blog 3 due Sunday 2/12 by midnight ***

WEEK SIX: Your English Story, Alumni Week Preparation and Peer Review

Tuesday 2/14

• Class Topics
  
  • Assignment Introduced: Blog 4: Your English Story: Personal-Professional Narrative
  • Synthesis Brainstorm
  • Alumni Profile Subjects (sign-up = Reflective Engagement 8)
• Readings Due: 
  • You Can Do Anything, Part III: Your Allies (177 – 267)
  • "Degrees at Work," report from Emsi | Burning Glass (Download full report)
  • "The Humanities Are in Crisis," Benjamin Schmidt (PDF)
  • "Statement on the Humanities in a Time of Crisis," Washington University
  • "In the Age of A.I., Major in Being Human," David Brooks

Thursday 2/16

• Class Topics
  • Assignment Introduced: Field Report 1–Alumni Profile
  • One-on-One meetings stand in for regular class today (Reflective Engagement 9)

Tuesday 2/21 & Thursday 2/23: This week, we will host alumni for alumni roundtables visits (5-6 alumni attending on each day). You will also be paired with an alumni on whom you will be writing a profile, which you should be working on during this week. 

• Tuesday roundtables will be virtually; we will meet in our regular class. Thursday roundtables will be in person, and we will meet in the first-floor conference room in Arnold Hall (Rm. 100). Arnold Hall is on the corner of Glebe and Wentworth. 

WEEK EIGHT

Tuesday 2/28

• Class Activities:
  • Resumes & Cover Letters
  • Resume Resources
• Readings Due: 
  • From What Color Is Your Parachute: Chapter 1 "Welcome to the Ever-Changing World of the Job Search," (5-21)"; Chapter 2 "The Job Search is a Mind Game: Here Are Ten Ways to Win" (23-35); and Preparing to Write Your Resume: A Quick Guide to Jog Your Memory," from Chapter 8 (227-241)

Thursday 3/2

• Class Activities:
  • CV/Resume workshop
•  Readings Due: 
  • From What Color Is Your Parachute: Chapter 3 "How do Deal with Any Challenges You Have in the Job Search" (37-69); Chapter 4 "Choose a Career, Change a Career, or Find a Job: What Works" (71-95); and Chapter 9: Fifteen Tips About Your Job Interview (243-277)
• Additional Readings: please begin work on the "Flower Exercise" readings (see next week's schedule). You can find the Field Report II assignment sheet under the "assignments" tab. You might try a petal a day, or carve out a few evenings for this work.

*** Blog 4 is due Friday 3/3 by 5pm (prior to spring break) ***

WEEK NINE

Spring Break: No Class 3/7 & 3/9

WEEK TEN

Tuesday 3/14

• Class Activities:
  • Career Center Visit: Job searching, Networking, & LinkedIn.
• Preparation
  
  • Please create or refine your LinkedIn profile
• Readings Due: 
  • From What Color Is Your Parachute: Chapter 8 "Your Resume is Already Online" (211-226)–note that you already read the second part of this chapter; Chapter 5-6 "The Flower Exercise: Self-inventory Parts 1 and II" (97 – 188)

Thursday 3/16

• Class Activities:
  • Career Center Visit
• Readings Due: 
  • From What Color Is Your Parachute: Chapter 7 "You Get to Choose Where You Work." Also, re-fresh the reading from prior to break from Parachute on interviews. 
• Assignments Due: See deadlines below for 2 field reports.

Due Sunday 3/19 by midnight

Field Report 1: Alumni Profile 
&
Field Report 2: Flower Exercise from What Color

In Module 3, we will take up the tasks of revising and polishing previous work, adapting a previous assignment for a new audience, and designing our ePortfolios. 

WEEK ELEVEN

Tuesday 3/21

*** Student Work Day: complete and post field reports 1 and 2 if you haven't already done so ***

Thursday 3/23

• Class Topics: 
  • Introduction to the Final ePortfolio Project
  • Best Practices for Constructing the ePortfolio: authentic audiences, genuine reflection, skills demonstration, and integrative learning
  • Review and discuss ePortfolio samples: Chamberlain, Bowman, Sutherland, Loue
• Readings Due: 
  • April Rinne, "You Should Build a 'Career Portfolio' (Not a 'Career Path')"

WEEK TWELVE

Tuesday 3/28

• Class Activities: 
  • Artifact Inventory and Core Message (opening page) Brainstorm. 
  • Personal Brand Statement Guide
  • Brand Statement Worksheet
  • WordPress Trouble-Shooting
• Assignments Due: 
  • Come to class with a complete artifact list to share with your peers. 
• Viewings Due: 
  • Complete the "Wordpress.com Essential Training" course and supplemental tutorial (by Prof. VZ) viewable through our OAKS page under the "Content" tab. 

Thursday 3/30

• Class Activities:
  • please attend the Career Exploration Expo Wednesday March 29 between 12:00 and 4:00. Free headshots available!
  • Wordpress Workshop–please bring laptop to class if possible for a group work session. 
• Readings / Assignments Due: 
  • Nitin Deshdeep, "How to use C.R.A.P. Design Links with Principles for Better UX"
  • "17 Free Personal WordPress Themes For Personal, Portfolio and CV Websites 2022"
  • Come to class with your site structure mapped out. 

WEEK THIRTEEN