Week of October 29: (NIGHT class) Do the Right Thing conclusion and Dutchman

For Tuesday October 29: we’ll discuss Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing and  the readings assigned for it. To prepare, read the following:

• The excerpt from from Murray Forman’s book The ‘Hood Comes First: Race, Space, and Place in Rap and Hip Hop (Wesleyan University Press, 2002) on reading urban space, which is a PDF on the Readings page.
• Then read this article from New York magazine (“The Tipping of Jefferson Avenue” ) on the intersection of race and Brooklyn gentrification.
• Here’s the sheet of viewing notes (PDF) I gave out in class if you missed/lost it.
• See my Do the Right Thing lecture notes on the lecture notes page
• Make a list of themes you saw covered in the film

Think about the various themes Lee’s dealing with in the film, especially in context of the time it’s set: Brooklyn in 1989.

Optional Bonus: Watch the “Making of” documentary by Spike Lee and legendary, now deceased filmmaker St. Clair Bourne, via YouTube.

 

Photo: Still from the 1967 film version of Dutchman

On Thursday October  31,, we take a sharp turn and read the classic play Dutchman from Amiri Baraka (then named LeRoi Jones). For Thursday, read only the first half of the book: the play Dutchman. (We’re not covering the second half: the separate play The Slave.) Even though it’s short, you need to read it slowly and carefully.

Pay attention to the following to guide your reading:

• What are the key themes or topics that you think the play talks about?
• How does the setting of the play affect the action? What role does the subway train play?
• What does it say about life in the city or urban environments?
• There are crucial points in the play where the plot (action) turns that decide the outcome. What do you think they are?

Read the final few pages of the play more than once. What’s the significance of Clay’s final speech?

Presentation by Isaiah, Jeema, and Nyema

Announcements:

• Following a change in NY State election laws, you can now vote early! Early voting runs from October 26-November 3, then polls open on the traditional election day of Tuesday November 5. Details on early voting are here (note that this will be different from your usual poll site!) and the main NYC Board of Elections website can answer most of your questions here.

Looking ahead: the week of November 5, we’ll finish discussion of Dutchman on Tuesday and start Angie Cruz’s Soledad on Thursday.

 

 

Week of October 29: (DAY class) Do the Right Thing conclusion and Dutchman

For Tuesday October 29: we’ll discuss Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing and  the readings assigned for it. To prepare, read the following:

• The excerpt from from Murray Forman’s book The ‘Hood Comes First: Race, Space, and Place in Rap and Hip Hop (Wesleyan University Press, 2002) on reading urban space, which is a PDF on the Readings page.
• Then read this article from New York magazine (“The Tipping of Jefferson Avenue” ) on the intersection of race and Brooklyn gentrification.
• Here’s the sheet of viewing notes (PDF) I gave out in class if you missed/lost it.
• See my Do the Right Thing lecture notes on the lecture notes page
• Make a list of themes you saw covered in the film

Think about the various themes Lee’s dealing with in the film, especially in context of the time it’s set: Brooklyn in 1989.

Optional Bonus: Watch the “Making of” documentary by Spike Lee and legendary, now deceased filmmaker St. Clair Bourne, via YouTube.

 

Photo: Still from the 1967 film version of Dutchman

On Thursday October  31,, we take a sharp turn and read the classic play Dutchman from Amiri Baraka (then named LeRoi Jones). For Thursday, read only the first half of the book: the play Dutchman. (We’re not covering the second half: the separate play The Slave.) Even though it’s short, you need to read it slowly and carefully.

Pay attention to the following to guide your reading:

• What are the key themes or topics that you think the play talks about?
• How does the setting of the play affect the action? What role does the subway train play?
• What does it say about life in the city or urban environments?
• There are crucial points in the play where the plot (action) turns that decide the outcome. What do you think they are?

Read the final few pages of the play more than once. What’s the significance of Clay’s final speech?

Presentation by Lizbeth, Diego, and Marissa

Announcements:

• Following a change in NY State election laws, you can now vote early! Early voting runs from October 26-November 3, then polls open on the traditional election day of Tuesday November 5. Details on early voting are here (note that this will be different from your usual poll site!) and the main NYC Board of Elections website can answer most of your questions here.

Looking ahead: the week of November 5, we’ll finish discussion of Dutchman on Tuesday and start Angie Cruz’s Soledad on Thursday.

 

Week of October 22: (Both class sections) Do the Right Thing

 

For Tuesday October 22, we take a detour into representations of the city in film. We’ll spend the entire class on the first half of Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing. DTRT is now a classic film, but was extremely controversial at the time. commenting on race relations, gentrification, police violence, and much more. We’ll focus on the aspects of race relations, police brutality, gentrification, and urban space as seen in the film and reflect on how well it’s endured on the 30th anniversary of its release. We’ll watch the first half on Tuesday; the second half on Thursday.

No reading assignment for Tuesday: just show up, pay attention and be ready to take notes. (Scroll down for future class readings if you want to read ahead.) Good luck with your other midterms!

For Thursday October 24, we finish watching Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing.

Think about the various themes Lee’s dealing with in the film, especially in context of the time it’s set: Brooklyn in 1989.

• Here’s the sheet of viewing notes (PDF) I’ll hand out in class.
• See my Do the Right Thing lecture notes on the lecture notes page

On  Tuesday October 29, we’ll discuss Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing and  the readings assigned for it. To prepare, read the following:

• The excerpt from from Murray Forman’s book The ‘Hood Comes First: Race, Space, and Place in Rap and Hip Hop (Wesleyan University Press, 2002) on reading urban space, which is a PDF on the Readings page.
• Then read this article from New York magazine (“The Tipping of Jefferson Avenue” ) on the intersection of race and Brooklyn gentrification.
• Make a list of themes you saw covered in the film

Optional Bonus: Watch the “Making of” documentary by Spike Lee and legendary, now deceased filmmaker St. Clair Bourne, via YouTube.

Announcements:

• There’s a Graduate School Preparation Workshop on Wednesday October 23 from 3:30-5 PM in Shuster 231. Highly recommended even if you haven’t even thought about it–actually it’s especially useful if you haven’t thought about it. Details here.
• Following a change in NY State election laws, you can now vote early! Early voting runs from October 26-November 3, then polls open on the traditional election day of Tuesday November 5. Details on early voting are here (note that this will be different from your usual poll site!) and the main NYC Board of Elections website can answer most of your questions here.

Week of October 15: (BOTH Class sections) Bodega Dreams conclusion and Midterm

 

For Tuesday October 15th: FINISH Bodega Dreams–read pages 157-213 (end of book). Continue following the key themes and characters outlined. Highlight/underline passages of the book that you think show good examples of these themes or changes in key characters.

To guide your reading, think about the following things:

• What are the key themes of the book? Mark specific examples of them in the text.
• How do characters develop. What changes do you see? Are there any surprising changes? Again, note specific examples in the text.
• What seem to be key turns of the plot?
• How does Quiñonez present urban space and the urban experience?
• How do different characters view the neighborhood that they live in and does this change over time?
• How does Quiñonez place other writers in the book?
• What is the role of culture?

The Midterm will be on Thursday October 17th in class. You’ll have (and want) the entire class period for it. Here are some things to consider.

• Exam format: 2 parts. Part 1 is short answer questions (3-4 sentences). 7 or 8 questions based on assigned readings. Part 2 will be an essay. You’ll have a choice of topics related to a major theme in “Puerto Rican Obituary,” Short Eyes, or Bodega Dreams.
• Review all the readings. Make sure you have them handy and re-download anything you can’t find.
• Know writers and the key plot points of the book and plays we’ve read so far and be able to talk about the main characters in each.
• Review the poems and writers. You don’t need to know everything we’ve done, but you should know a few key poems from both Pietri and Pinero and basic biographical info about their lives.
• Think about key themes that we’ve been talking about so far this semester and how they occur in different works we’ve read. Think about how you would write an essay about one (or more) of them and examples of those themes in different things we’ve read/watched/listened to.
• If you haven’t read anything, now’s the time to do it! You’re responsible for anything that’s been assigned or posted here as an assignment.
• Review the presentations for Bodega Dreams generated by your classmates
• Review my lecture notes on Miguel Piñero
• Be on time and do not miss it! I will not be offering make-ups unless you’re hospitalized and have proof. So be there. Leave earlier than usual. The exam is hard, but not tricky. If you’ve been in class, paid attention, and done the work, you should be fine.

Announcement:

NY State’s voter registration deadline is approaching for the November elections. Download an application here (PDF). New applications must be postmarked by 10/11 and received by 10/16. Changes in political party affiliation deadline is 10/11. Address change deadline is 10/16. You can also register/change info in person. Full details at the Board of Elections website. Note that you can now vote early in NY State! Special locations are open from October 26-November 3, then your regular polling place will be open as usual on Election Day (November 5). See details here.