Radus Fall 2020 Class Recordings: Recent Episodes
Daniel Radus
On this feed, you’ll find recordings of English 256 and English 325, classes taught at SUNY Cortland by Professor Dan Radus in the Fall 2020 semester.
In our last class podcast of the semester, we discuss the end of Orange's novel. It's a great discussion, and I appreciate everyone's efforts this semester. Remember that, after break, we'll begin to review paper drafts with peer reviews and one-on-one meetings.
We begin this episode with a description of the peer review process, and then we turn to a nice discussion of how the book's structure changes in this last section -- and we speculate as to why, moving from observation to interpretation in thoughtful ways. We then close with a consideration of changes to Orvil's character in this last section, noticing in particular how it seems like his ideas regarding Native identity change as he begins to dance.
In this standalone podcast, I discuss the process for the peer reviews that will happen in the last two weeks of class.
We focus in on chapters on Blue and Thomas Frank. Our discussion considers Orange's introduction of characters so late in the novel; the status of physical movement and its relation to Native identity; and the disorienting (but also familiarizing) effects of second-person narration.
A rousing discussion of Orange's There There, touching on the presence and importance of technology in the novel; on Octavio's character and its subversion of our narrative expectations; on Opal's characterization; and on the presence of Native women as steadying presences in the novel.
We begin with a discussion of the "Interlude" in the novel, and then move to a conversation about the spider legs in Orvil's leg. Through this we move to a mini-lecture on "authorial intention" and the limits of interpretation. We conclude with a strong discussion of five competing conceptions of Native identity in this portion of the novel -- Opal's, Orvil's, Lony's, the Interlude's, and Calvin's.
First, announcements about the final paper and the extra credit options. Then, some good discussions about the three characters we're introduced to in this portion of the book -- Bill, Calvin, and Jacquie.
In our discussion of Orange's novel today we touch on the differences between Opal and Edwin -- in terms of their struggles and their identities, as well as how their chapters, at the level of form, structure, and language, give us insight into them. We also rehearse a larger point about how to read novels, focusing less on plot description or thematic considerations and more on how structure/language influence our interpretations.
A great discussion of Orange's first two chapters. We begin with some announcements and initial impressions, and then move on to consider the book's structure and form, its narration, and some of its consistent thematic patterns.
We begin class with a discussion of how the next few weeks will unfold -- we'll spend about three weeks on the novel, and then we'll turn to the final paper. Then we discuss the Prologue of Orange's book, thinking in particular about the symbol of the "Indian Head" and Orange's claims about the city and its relation to Native identity.
A fun and insightful discussion of Natalie Diaz's "Dome Riddle," "The First Water is the Body," and "American Arithmetic." Apologies for the abrupt start-- I forgot to record the first minute or two.
A rousing discussion of Tommy Pico. We begin with some considerations about his language and form, focusing on an excerpt from IRL, and then we dive into the excerpt from Nature Poem, thinking through how the poem complicates stereotypes about Native peoples as aligned with the natural world.
A strong discussion of Brandi Nālani McDougall's "Papatuanuku," "The Petroglyphs at Olowalu," and "On Cooking Captain Cook."
Janet McAdams's poems are hard, so I spend a lot of time today talking through two of them, "Earthling" and "Ghazal of Body."
We continue to model how to read/analyze poetry through attention to Karenne Wood's "My Standard Response," "In Memory of Shame," and "Amoroleck's Words."
We work through three of Layli Long Soldier's poems, "Obligations 1," "Whereas Resolution's An Act," and a portion of "38."
We have a strong and thoughtful discussion about Gansworth's "Speaking Through Our Nations' Teeth" and "Snagging the Eye from Curtis."
We begin with a discussion of Westerman's use of Native language in her poetry, and then we analyze "Linear Process" and "Dakota Homecoming." Throughout we attempt to model the type of interpretive process that are important for the upcoming paper -- in particular, the need to relate the poem's form and language to its content/meaning/message.
I discuss the format of the midterm, describe the study-guide documents posted to Blackboard, and speak about my expectations.
We focus on two poems from Laura Da, "A Mighty Pulverizing Machine" and "Passive Voice." In the first, we discuss how Da uses the language of the General Allotment (Dawes) Act to surface its intentions, hidden as they are by the seemingly objective language of the law. In the second, we move through Da's critique of the passive-voice grammatical construction, and we think through how she connects that idea to the ability of settlers to resist being implicated in historical violence against Native people. Throughout we model how we want to approach the interpretation of poetry in this class and beyond.
We begin with 15 minutes of discussion on the next three weeks of class -- how to think about the poetry we'll read, how to use the discussion forum, and we talk through the prompt for the "Poem Analysis" assignment. Then we move through the final portion of Zitkala-Sa.
We settle into our new virtual surroundings with a discussion of Zitkala-Sa and the federal Indian boarding school system. We move through some images -- available on Blackboard -- to discuss the nature of the "boarding school" system, and then we focus more particularly on Zitkala-Sa's experiences.
We begin with a short comparative discussion, focusing on differences between this book and Apess's. Then we move to a discussion of the structure of this text, how it feels somehow more "traditional" than others, even though it's written later. We close with a long discussion about how Zitkala-Sa learns, thinking through the educational methods of her Native community in anticipation of reading about her experiences as a student in a federal boarding school.
We conclude our discussions of Apess's autobiography, following the same themes and topics that we've discussed earlier in the week.
It's a beautiful fall day in Cortland, and we celebrate its natural beauty by talking about the second part of Apess's autobiography. We work through the questions posted on the forum and settle in with Apess's own descriptions of natural beauty, his connection of that beauty to God, and then his further connection of God to his "brethren" and his family.
Our discussion is more structured today and this week, owing to the difficulties of the reading. We work through the questions posed on the forum, thinking through Apess's crisis of identities, its physical manifestation, and how Methodism begins to reconcile that crisis. We conclude with an important point about how Apess's Christianity seems to bring him closer to his Native identity, rather than the opposite, which is what we might expect.
We begin with a discussion of the "fable" as a genre of literature, thinking through what it does and how it accomplishes those goals. We then offer some brief thoughts on each fable before turning more concertedly to the last, about the Rabbit and the Possum. We think through how this fable is anomalous in relation to the others--there's no moral, and the story explains less a natural phenomenon than a man-made one--and why these anomalies matter. We close with a reconsideration of what "traditional" means for Native people, in light of settler attempts to restrict them to a "mystical past."
We begin with a description of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy as well as a discussion of the Hiawatha Belt. Both images are on Blackboard. We then move into the text itself, focusing first on the notable similarities between the Peacemaker and Christ. We use this as a springboard to a wider discussion about how to understand Christian influences in Native literatures--an important point for next week's reading. We then considered how this text is invested in the material/physical manifestations of "words," and we wonder how this comports with our expectation of Native societies as "oral." We close with short discussions about the Haudenosaunee's influence on the U. S. Constitution and the role of women in Haudenosaunee governance.
We begin with a reset on the syllabus -- where we've been, and where we're headed. We talk through the three "traditional stories" that we'll read this week, with particular attention to the complexities of the "origin story." We then move into a discussion of the differences and similarities between the Diné story and the one told by King. We conclude with some consideration of the ultimate morals embedded in this reading: one, the idea of balance; and two, the importance of land.
We conclude our discussion of King's book. We first focus on why we've read it, coming to two important conclusions--one, that we read it to begin to practice our interpretive skills; and two, that we read it to develop a "tool belt" of concepts, ideas, and arguments about Native issues that we can bring to the other texts that we read in this class. We then turn to TikTok and YouTube, watching two videos and using our "tools" on them. We finish with some observations about the differences between this chapter and the five previous.
We begin with a rehearsal of the complexities of Native identity, discussing how it is at once a cultural and a legal marker. Then we consider the rhetorical and narrative strategies behind King's inclusion of the "Coyote and the Ducks" story. We conclude with a mini-lecture on the history of legislation passed by the U.S. federal government to control Native people, emphasizing the seesaw or whiplash nature of the government's approach to Native peoples, their lands, and their rights. The handout referenced in the class is available on Blackboard.
We courageously rally from some in-person technical issues to discuss King's observations about the oral/written divide. Of particular importance are our comments about how the written word has become, perhaps wrongly, identified with certain "civilized" characteristics, while oral expression has been viewed as inferior. We them move to a mini-lecture on some of the "writing" systems found in the Americas prior to encounter and exploration. The handout and slides are available on Blackboard. We end with an important note: for Native peoples, the written word isn't some new, untraditional, or corrupted practice -- it's just an adaptation of traditions that have long existed.