English Oral Training IIB (EL 2043)
Professor Amie Parry
Spring 2010

Place: A108; Time: W 2, 3, 4
Office: A218; extension 33215
amie.parry@gmail.com

Course Description:

The objective of this course is to develop fluency and lexical accuracy at the challenging level of detailed analysis. This is an advanced conversation class that focuses on developing students’ ability to speak speculatively and analytically, while building vocabulary on a particular topic. Class discussions will be in-depth, text-oriented, and will require students to apply critical thinking skills in spoken language. After taking this class, students should be able to speak more persuasively and effectively in an English-language academic environment.

• The topic for this semester is the Arthurian legend in contemporary visual cultures. The figures and themes of this legend are pervasive in Anglo-American cultures, past and present, so the class will deepen students’ understanding of many other texts taught in the English department. In addition, this class introduces students to the underlying cultural meanings of the Arthurian narratives, which are far-ranging and contradictory. As Derek Pearsall puts it, “the story has been the embodiment at different times of chivalric idealism, patriotic nationalism, spiritual aspiration, the idealization of romantic sexual love, and the fear of sexuality--and the critical and ironic questioning of all these forms of value” (Arthurian Romance vii).
  
  
• Class activities will be based on short readings (prepared outside of class) and film screenings of two miniseries: Merlin, which chronicles the story of King Arthur from the wizard Merlin’s point of view rather than from the King’s, and The Mists of Avalon, which tells the story of the same events from the point of view of Morgaine, or Morgan le Fay, the usually vilified pagan priestess, in a feminist revisionist mode. These will be viewed with the English subtitles, and vocabulary lists derived from the subtitles will be provided before each screening. In addition to the screenings, class meetings will consist of student-led discussions in pairs, groups and/or as a class. The midterm consists of a character-based monologue in which each student will demonstrate an understanding of the themes and issues we have discussed in class, and make ample use of the new vocabulary. The final exam will be a group performance, written and designed by the group, based on the film characters, narratives and gender issues covered in class. Each performance will be followed by an explanation and a class discussion. Finally, we will view the recent film King Arthur, after which students will have a chance to demonstrate their ability to recognize modern Arthurian themes and how this film reinterprets them.
  

Course Policy:

All conversation in this course will be conducted in English. This class requires the full, active and engaged participation of each student. Grades will be calculated according to students’ weekly participation (33%), a presentation (33%), and the final performance (33%). Attendance is mandatory: two unexcused absences are permitted; a third will result in a failing grade for the class. Three tardies equal one absence.

Textbooks:

Course reader available now at Gaoguan.

Schedule of classes: