LIBENG 1001 021
Fridays 1pm-4pm
Peter O’Leary, instructor
www.luxhominem.com
luxhominem [at] gmail [dot] com
FYS1: THE TRUTH AND LIFE OF MYTH
Approach the art of writing from these three possibilities: what you are
writing is true; what you are writing is a lie; what you are writing is a myth.
What is the difference? How do you distinguish between logos, Greek for
definitive words, and mythos, Greek for persuasive words? We will use as
our guides the writings of poets (Robert Duncan, Walt Whitman, T.S. Eliot),
mystics (Meister Eckhart, Isaac Luria, Dionysius), and heretics (the Gnostic
gospel of Thomas and Teilhard de Chardin), with the explicit purpose of
blurring the distinction of what passes for truth, and what passes for myth,
all the while sharpening your writing into an intense focus.
WRITING
You will be required to write three essays (3-4 pages) in this course, as well
as three short reports (1-2 pages). Short reports will be reflections on the
course readings, based on questions provided for you. You will use these
short essays to formulate the work for your longer essays. Due dates for
essays are immutable. No late essays will be accepted. (You will, however, be
permitted to rewrite essays, if necessary.)
GRADING
To pass this course you will need to turn in work worthy of a grade of C or
higher. If your work fails to meet this standard, you will be given the
opportunity to rewrite your essay.
ATTENDANCE AND CLASSWORK
Regular attendance and class participation are required. You are allowed
TWO ABSENCES. Miss class more than two times and you will receive NO
CREDIT. There is no difference between an excused absence and an
unexcused absence. Furthermore, if you miss portions of class that add up to
more than two classes (i.e., more than six hours of class time), you will
receive NO CREDIT. This rule is inflexible.
Furthermore, you are expected to have done the readings for class. If you
have not done readings, honestly say so. This also means you must bring
readings to class with you.
ELECTRONIC DEVICES
The use of electronic devices – laptops, cellular phones, portable devices –
is prohibited in this class. All you’ll really need is a notebook, a pencil or a
pen, and the text we’ll be discussing.
PLAGIARISM
SAIC prohibits “dishonesty such as cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly
furnishing false information to the School” (Students’ Rights and
Responsibilities, Student Handbook). Plagiarism is a form of intellectual
theft. You plagiarize when you present another’s work as your own, even if
you does not intend to. It will not be tolerated in this class. The penalty for
plagiarizing may also result in some loss of some types of financial aid (for
example, a No Credit in a course can lead to a loss of the Presidential
Scholarship), and repeat offenses can lead to expulsion from the School. To
find out more about plagiarism and how to avoid it, you can (1) go to the
portal, select the “Services” tab, and click on “Plagiarism” under “Academic
Advising and Student Success”; (2) go to the SAIC Web site, select
“Departments, Degrees, and Academic Resources,” then select “Libraries,”
then select “Flaxman Library,” and then click on the plagiarism links under
the “For Our Faculty” tab; or (3) read about it in the Student Handbook
under the section “Academic Misconduct.”
DISABILITIES
Any student in need of accommodations because of a disability should first
contact SAIC’s Disability and Learning Resource Center (DLRC) as early in
the semester as possible. The DLRC can be reached by phone
(312.499.4278) or by email dlrc@saic.edu. Staff at the DLRC will review the
student’s disability documentation and work with the student to determine
reasonable accommodations. The DLRC will then provide the student with a
letter outlining the approved accommodations, which must be presented to
the student's instructors before any accommodations will be implemented.
TEXTS
Books are available at the DePaul University Barnes & Noble (at State &
Jackson). The following books are REQUIRED for this class:
T.S. Eliot, The Waste Land and Other Writings
The Gospel of Thomas, translated by Marvin Meyer
Daniel C. Matt, The Essential Kabbalah
Annie Dillard, For the Time Being
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass
{Other readings will be provided in photocopies or electronically.}
CLASS SCHEDULE
Friday, September 3, 2010
Introduction
Friday, September 10, 2010
Eliot.
Read: “The Waste Land,” “Tradition and the Individual Talent” & “Blake” in
The Waste Land and Other Writings. The most famously difficult and
important poem written in English in the 20th century. And two kick-ass
essays. All three are hard-going. Give yourself lots of time to ruminate
Friday, September 17, 2010
Robert Duncan.
Read: “The Truth and Life of Myth,” part I (pp. 2-31); also read “Often I Am
Permitted to Return to a Meadow” and “My Mother Would Be a Falconress.”
DUE: RESPONSE 1
Friday, September 24, 2010
Duncan, part II.
Read: “The Truth and Life of Myth,” parts II-III (pp. 31-59); also read
“Apprehensions.”
Friday, October 1, 2010
Whitman.
Read: “Preface to 1855 Leaves of Grass” & “[Song of Myself]” (1855).
Friday, October 8, 2010
Whitman, part II.
Read: “[Song of Myself]”; “[The Sleepers]”
DUE: ESSAY 1
Friday, October 15, 2010
CLASS CANCELLED
Friday, October 22, 2010
Heresy.
Read: The Gospel of Thomas, trans. Marvin Meyer. Compare with the
Gospel of Mark, the shortest canonical gospel.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Heresy vs. canon: what makes a text “official”?
Read: The Gospel of Thomas & The Gospel of Mark.
DUE: RESPONSE 2
Friday, November 5, 2010
Heresy, again.
Read: Annie Dillard, For the Time Being, chapters 1-3 (pp. 1-89).
Friday, November 12, 2010
Heresy, conversion, doubt.
Read: Dillard, chapters 4-7 (pp. 91-204).
DUE: ESSAY 2
Friday, November 19, 2010
When heresy is mystical.
Read: Meister Eckhart, selections. Vast & perplexing, they don’t call him
Master for nothing.
Friday, November 26, 2008
NO CLASS: THANKSGIVING BREAK
Friday, December 3, 2010
Hardcore Mysticism. Unsaying.
Read: Dionysius; The Cloud of Unknowing.
DUE: RESPONSE 3
Friday, December 10, 2010
CRITIQUE WEEK: CLASS MEETS
God withdraws, God shatters, we restore God.
Read: Matt, The Essential Kabbalah. (The whole thing.)
Friday, December 17, 2010
Final class. Kabbalah and the myth and truth of life.
Read: Matt, The Essential Kabbalah.
DUE: FINAL ESSAY.
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