Class Visit
Dr. Stacy Erickson
Eng 342 British Literature II The Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries
February 25, 2010, 2-3:15 P.M.
“All Uranian Women are Writers.”
March 3, 2010
Dear Stacy,
Thank you for welcoming me to join you and your students into the writings of Lady Mary Wroth etc., hosted by your lesson on Thursday, February 25, from 2-3:15 P.M. From the moment I entered the classroom it was clear: the group of thirteen female and five male students, comfortably sitting in a circle, around with their professor felt very much at ease and were eagerly awaiting their afternoon lesson. You reminded of Volpone serving as the next reading assignment, handed out a plot reading outline for the complex text, confirmed the presentations next class period, and re-emphasized for thesis statements for their analysis essay to be turned in the following Monday.
Your quick review of poetic figures that might have been unclear helped the students use specific use of terms when discussing sonnets and other poetry during this concluding session of Lady Wroth’s work. It also helped them during the following peer-review exercise to sharpen the thesis statement that they were to review with the student next to them. The paired discussions were deepened as you walked around and addressed each member’s ideas or final thesis statements for the next major writing assignment.
Discussing and working through poems by Lady Mary Wroth filled the rest of the seventy-five minute class. The comparison of some of the sonnets from Pamphilia to Amphilanthus to those of Shakespeare, to Amelia Lanier’s “To the Queenes Most Excellent Majestie” and to select sonnets by Sir Philip Sidney’ and Samuel Daniel provided a valuable set of contrastive (and alike) contexts. You skillfully generated questions about purpose, theme, topic, tone, voice, speaker, symbolism, and gender roles, texts and paratexts, answered when a need arose to do so and also integrated valuable background knowledge introducing facsimiles, whore reproductions complemented the printed texts that students held in their hands. Rather than rejecting or questioning some (I might add daring and not so correct) responses you asked for some input that would drive the discussion further. Your very targeted reviews allowed students to synthesize correctly what they had just learned. This inductive approach led students to discover for themselves how to read texts analytically, with sophistication and intertextual cross-references. These complex poems where the voice of the speaker was often assuming the role of the “other” were aligned with contemporary ways of expressing emotions or thoughts. I found the students’ move of modernizing traditional desires into commentary like “I am so sorry I cannot have this woman,” quite delightful and demonstrative of understanding the poetic message. The background on the writing as muse and as meta-commentary on the perceptions of love as well as the connecting mini-lesson on book covers was very insightful. Thank you for the insightful bonus encore!
I enjoyed the journey into the 17th century very much. It is evident that you understand the poetic principles governing appeals to the specific audience back than and today in order to effect persuasion of particular kinds. Bringing in supplemental material from previous texts and guidelines was a very good idea to enliven and broaden class discussions. You covered a lot of material in this class period, and you made great use of the time available.
I have had the honor to participate in a few classes now, Stacy, and I would like to compliment you on your persistently upbeat and delightful classroom persona. Teaching is your passion and learning alongside students whose respect for your expertise and competence is clear composes a beautiful pedagogical and academic profile. I also enjoyed how you infused another scholarly passion of yours, the study of old books, into the lesson of older times. At the beginning of class you provided a student (who took your January session course, The Culture of the Book) with an article from The Chronicle of Higher Education, a move that so demonstrates that your teaching reaches far beyond the walls of Administration 232, 223, 218, or any other room on campus. You reach out and… if that student has not contemplated English as a major or minor yet I will not be surprised to sign her or his declaration form. I know I will be ready, and I know you will be too.
Thank you for this enjoyable class!
Sincerely,
Beate Gilliar
Dr. Stacy Erickson
Eng 342 British Literature II The Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries
February 25, 2010, 2-3:15 P.M.
“All Uranian Women are Writers.”
March 3, 2010
Dear Stacy,
Thank you for welcoming me to join you and your students into the writings of Lady Mary Wroth etc., hosted by your lesson on Thursday, February 25, from 2-3:15 P.M. From the moment I entered the classroom it was clear: the group of thirteen female and five male students, comfortably sitting in a circle, around with their professor felt very much at ease and were eagerly awaiting their afternoon lesson. You reminded of Volpone serving as the next reading assignment, handed out a plot reading outline for the complex text, confirmed the presentations next class period, and re-emphasized for thesis statements for their analysis essay to be turned in the following Monday.
Your quick review of poetic figures that might have been unclear helped the students use specific use of terms when discussing sonnets and other poetry during this concluding session of Lady Wroth’s work. It also helped them during the following peer-review exercise to sharpen the thesis statement that they were to review with the student next to them. The paired discussions were deepened as you walked around and addressed each member’s ideas or final thesis statements for the next major writing assignment.
Discussing and working through poems by Lady Mary Wroth filled the rest of the seventy-five minute class. The comparison of some of the sonnets from Pamphilia to Amphilanthus to those of Shakespeare, to Amelia Lanier’s “To the Queenes Most Excellent Majestie” and to select sonnets by Sir Philip Sidney’ and Samuel Daniel provided a valuable set of contrastive (and alike) contexts. You skillfully generated questions about purpose, theme, topic, tone, voice, speaker, symbolism, and gender roles, texts and paratexts, answered when a need arose to do so and also integrated valuable background knowledge introducing facsimiles, whore reproductions complemented the printed texts that students held in their hands. Rather than rejecting or questioning some (I might add daring and not so correct) responses you asked for some input that would drive the discussion further. Your very targeted reviews allowed students to synthesize correctly what they had just learned. This inductive approach led students to discover for themselves how to read texts analytically, with sophistication and intertextual cross-references. These complex poems where the voice of the speaker was often assuming the role of the “other” were aligned with contemporary ways of expressing emotions or thoughts. I found the students’ move of modernizing traditional desires into commentary like “I am so sorry I cannot have this woman,” quite delightful and demonstrative of understanding the poetic message. The background on the writing as muse and as meta-commentary on the perceptions of love as well as the connecting mini-lesson on book covers was very insightful. Thank you for the insightful bonus encore!
I enjoyed the journey into the 17th century very much. It is evident that you understand the poetic principles governing appeals to the specific audience back than and today in order to effect persuasion of particular kinds. Bringing in supplemental material from previous texts and guidelines was a very good idea to enliven and broaden class discussions. You covered a lot of material in this class period, and you made great use of the time available.
I have had the honor to participate in a few classes now, Stacy, and I would like to compliment you on your persistently upbeat and delightful classroom persona. Teaching is your passion and learning alongside students whose respect for your expertise and competence is clear composes a beautiful pedagogical and academic profile. I also enjoyed how you infused another scholarly passion of yours, the study of old books, into the lesson of older times. At the beginning of class you provided a student (who took your January session course, The Culture of the Book) with an article from The Chronicle of Higher Education, a move that so demonstrates that your teaching reaches far beyond the walls of Administration 232, 223, 218, or any other room on campus. You reach out and… if that student has not contemplated English as a major or minor yet I will not be surprised to sign her or his declaration form. I know I will be ready, and I know you will be too.
Thank you for this enjoyable class!
Sincerely,
Beate Gilliar