Greetings from Peter Fitz
your Arts & Ideas professor

Course syllabus

Course assignments

A warm hello to fellow students of Arts and Ideas.

Who are we?

We’re getting together for a variety of individual purposes,
but what we’ll all do is focus on one clear but engaging issue: how stories work. We’re from a remarkable variety of backgrounds, ages, experience, professions and interests. From many years at UB I’ve increasingly appreciated our diverse contributions to thinking. I’ve worked for years with computing and programming,
but my essential interests are in story-telling, not in technology. When technology can help us with this subject — hallelujah. But our concern should be on stories, not on just on technology.

What will we do?

We have the simplest of subjects, but the most varied
of applications. Our subject is how stories work. The application will take us to different times, places, cultures, speakers and media. I hope we'll all come to appreciate how simple, how provocative, how essential, how fruitful and how varied story telling can be.

How can we work?

Let’s keep a good grip on priorities. We will, of course,
read the assigned reading. How are we to begin reading?

First we read. Then we reflect on our reading.
Then we recall what most intrigued us.

But we also recall what bothered us. Of course you can recall one incident that interested you. Now get clearer about why it interested you. Then adapt your understanding to the attention of fellow students. How might they share your interest? Now consider what bothered you. Remember stories you like. Now consider stories you’ve learned from. The first interest you. The second probably bother you. But without pain, no gain.

See if you can find an incident in your reading where you can find differences of opinion, differences of approach. Characters acting contrary to your expectations or approval may inhabit different situations, a consequence of living in different times, places and cultures, in different circumstances. I’m not a fan of the view that there’s nothing new under the sun. Recall responses to the first atom bomb. Circumstances change.

Don’t forget I do time at the University of Baltimore, 1319 North Charles Street, in the Charles Royal building, Room 201. You may not find the time to come on over —  but you can. That’s an e-mail I appreciate.

Focus on primary readings. You’ll spend a big chunk of this class reading Homer’s Iliad. You’ll need perseverance. But once you’ve done your reading, you can use your time and effort to advantage: recall what most engaged you. With experience, you may find that challenging passages increasingly engage you. Find a specific incident (and passage). Use your wide-ranging reading experience to home in on the circumstances of specific characters
in specific situations. Consider how they navigate. You may be used to generalizing from experience. Consider now how you can take conclusions from readings back to
your readings, now seeing new possibilities for closer acquaintance.

Then consider supplementary related resources. Required resources appear in the syllabus schedule. You may explore and use additional resources to the extent you find them useful.

Next engage your peers. Each week you will post several comments to the weekly discussion forum, as well as several responses to postings by fellow students. Why should they be interested in your discoveries? How can you interest them? Perhaps you will be more selective in your responses. Perhaps you will be an improved listener on discussion forums. Now you can be a player, one of the chorus. And as we listen, so shall we sing.

Approach readings

Approach forum postings

Focus on passages

1

Prepare a brief (about 100 words) account of who you are,
what your interests are, and what you would like to find
in Arts and Ideas. Go to Prometheus DISCUSSIONS
and post your account. Let's identify ourselves to begin shaping our community. Go to Prometheus MESSAGES and send me a copy as e-mail to ensure we can communicate.

2

The Arts & Ideas syllabus and reading assignments appear above, and also under SYLLABUS in Prometheus. Check the syllabus and reading assignments in advance to anticipate effective use of your available time. Dates for reading assignments are for dates when listed readings are to be completed. For the first week you may combine the links assigned readings in links below with readings in the Iliad for next week. The syllabus identifies readings in five periods. Remember that all sessions center on how particular stories function for their audiences.

3
Get a copy of Fagles translation of The Iliad,
(Penguin edition ISBN 0140445927) available at the UB bookstore, or at any other good book store. Use Amazon if you prefer. We’ll spend several weeks on The Iliad, so you can get later texts now or at your convenience (but keep in mind that the UB bookstore will return texts at midterm).

4
The following resources should allow you to consider
events and language in The Iliad with increasing energy
to focus more on specific circumstances, and to raise questions worth discussing with classmates.

Explore these resources freely, without concerns
about how much or how little you should do.
We’ll develop approaches to resources in our
face-to-face class. No doubt we’ll find glitches
to share. But see how you might use such resources
to guide and focus future readings.

Selections will pop up. Use the browser STOP
button to stop loading for slow uploading or other
glitches. Close selection windows after use.

See current events

See past events

Tell stories

Approach Homer

Sense the Greek Anthology

When using resources remember that you can click on most images to pop up enlargements (and remember to close windows with enlargements when finished). Try clicking on the image above.
 

a note of thanks for keeping in touch