Texts:

Robert Bly, et. al. The Rag and Bone Shop of the Heart: Poems for Men.

HarperCollins, 1992. Keith Thompson. To Be a Man: In Search of the Deep Masculine.

Jeremy Tarcher, 1991. Robert Johnson. He: Understanding Masculine Psychology.

Rev. ed. Harper and Row. 1989. She: Understanding Feminine Psychology.

Rev ed. Harper and Row. 1989. Earnest Hemingway, In Our Time.

Tim OíBrien. The Things They Carried. New York, Broadway Books. 1990.

Henry Miller. The Death of a Salesman. [1949] Penguin.

David Mamet. Glengarry Glen Ross August Wilson. Fences. [1986] Penguin.

Willa Cather. The Professor's House. [1925] Random House.

Selected short stories and films; A Bronx Tale; High Fidelity, Fight Club etc.

Schedule

1. T Aug. 29: Introduction to the course; a story, "The Hunter and His Son," from Africa. Th. Aug 31: Rag&Bone poems Ch 1 "Approach to Wildness"

2. T Sep 5: Robert Johnson, He Th. Sep 7 :

3. T Sep 12: Robert Di Nero, A Bronx Tale (in-class film); also view The Emerald Forest at home. Th. Sep 14: Thompson, Part 2 essays “Male Initiation” (37-67)

4. T Sep 19: Rag&Bone poems Ch 2 Father's Prayers for Sons and Daughters Th. Sep 21: Rag&Bone poems Ch 5 The House of Fathers and Titans

5. T Sep 26: Wilson, Fences Th. Sep 28: Thompson, Part 6 essays: “The Tall One Called Father” (181-209)

6. T Oct 3: Hemingway, In Our Time Th. Oct 5: Hemingway, In Our Time

7. T Oct 10: Rag&Bone poems Ch 3 War Th. Oct 12: Thompson Part 8 essays: “Keeping Male Company

8. T Oct 17: O’Brien, The Things They Carried Th. Oct 19: O’Brien, The Things They Carried

9. T Oct 24: Rag&Bone poems Ch 11 Earthly Love Th. Oct 26: Rag&Bone poems Ch 12 The Cultivated Heart

10. T Oct 31: High Fidelity (in class film) Th. Nov 2: Thompson, Part 5 essays: “Loving, Losing, Leaving, Longing”

11. T Nov 7: Rag & Bone poems: Ch 10 “Anger, Hatred, Outrage” Th. Nov 9: Thompson, Part 7 “Ways of Men at Work”

12. T Nov 14: Miller, The Death of a Salesman Th. Nov 16: Mamet, Glengarry Glen Ross

13. T Nov 21: Rag & Bone poems Ch 13 Mother and Great Mother Th. Nov 23: Thanksgiving Holiday

14. T Nov 28: Cather, The Professor's House Th. Nov 30: Cather, The Professor's House

15. T Dec 5: Rag&Bone poems Ch 14 The Spindrift Gaze Toward Paradise Th. Dec 7: Review

16. Dec Final Examination

You are expected to read all of the selections on the date indicated in the syllabus and to prepare for a basic reading comprehension quiz on them before they are discussed. Class attendance is required, and you may only make up work you must miss due to an illness; quizzes cannot be made up. Do not schedule work, family or personal matters during the 45 hours of class time. All work you submit is to be solely your own original effort. Any borrowed information, including ideas, must be fully cited. See the University Catalogue for the complete definition of plagiarism and its penalties. Evaluation based on quizzes (20%), exams (20%), papers (40%) and class participation (20%). I use a plus and minus grading system. Part of the final exam will ask you to identify from memory the thematic significance of quoted passages we discuss in class. Notes on class discussion become invaluable.