Week 1

R Sep 4—Introduction to Course
Read Critical Reading:  A Guide
from Brock University Professor John Lye.
Also read his primer on The Problem of Meaning

Week 2

T Sep 9—Introduction Continued
  What is Magic? Part I Due

R Sep 11—Cranford  pp. 1-89
RP:  What is the attitude of the narrator towards the people of Cranford? 

Week 3

T Sep 16—Finish Cranford  pp. 89-end of novel
RP:  What does Gaskell accomplish in the narrative through The Great Panic?  In other words, hy is it there?  What does it reveal to us about the characters, human nature, or the mid-19th Century?

R Sep 18—Library Assignment Day

Week 4

T Sep 23—Introduction to Victorian Magic; Zuleika Dobson--Zuleika Dobson Online!
RP:  Describe the relationship between Zuleika and the Duke.  Are these two a match made in heaven? Why or why not?
Library Assignment Due

R Sep 25—Finish Zuleika Dobson
Read Encyclopedia Britannica's Definition of Conjuring from 1911
RP:  Usually in a novel, main characters go through some sort of transformation or change--typically they learn something.  What do you make of the ending of this novel?  What has Zuleika learned from her experiences at Oxford, if anything? 

Week 5

T Sept 30—Finish Zuleika Dobson; Begin The Hobbit

The Emperors (Sheldonian Busts), c. 1920
RP:  In The Hobbit, we enter the realm of fantasy literature--where magic is no longer literal "conjuring," but a practice, a technology that people can use or that some beings seem to  genetically possess (as in Elves, Hobbits, Dwarfs, even some wizards like Gandalf).  How does "fantastic" magic differ from "conjuring"?  How does Tolkien make go about making his magic "real" for his readers?

R Oct 2—The Hobbit
RP:  The Hobbit is probably most characterized by loss--references or emphasis on a past that cannot be recovered.  What does this sense of loss reveal about magic in Middle Earth? 
Essay I Due
 

Week 6

T Oct 7—The Hobbit
RP:  The theme of the hero, an important part of Medieval literature, plays a large role in The Hobbit.  Pick your favorite character and discuss how they fulfill or fail in their performance of heroism.
Also check out the latest happenings in Magical News

R Oct 9—Finish The Hobbit
RP:  Catch up on all Response Papers
Also check out the latest happenings in Magical News

Week 7

T Oct 14—Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
RP:  This is our most modern (as in recent) novel for the class.  What qualities does Rowling's novel have that make it modern?  In other words, how is this novel different from the previous novels we've read?

R Oct 16—Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
RP:  Does magic take care of too much in Harry Potter?  Is magic a crutch that the characters rely too much on, or are there other issues that, either by virtue of their importance or depth, balance out the magic?

Week 8

T Oct 21—Finish Happy Potter and the Chamber of Secrets; Selections from the Films: The Fellowship of the Ring; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
RP:  What happens (or has to happen) when you take fantasy novels from the page to the screen?  Do novels provide as much escape as they used to for our imaginations, or have we become such a visual culture that filmic versions of texts are always going to be more successful?

R Oct 23—Class Cancelled
Conferences on the Aftermath of Essay 1 and the Upcoming Essay II

Week 9

T Oct 28—Essay II Recovery:  Selections from the Films The Fellowship of the Ring; Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone; Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Essay II Due

R Oct 30—Crossing Over meets The Pet Psychic
Jonathan Edwards's Site
Sonya Fitzpatrick's Site
Deconstructing the Dead
Magical Media I

[F Oct 31—E-mail Topic for Research Paper by high noon....]

Week 10

T Nov 4— Magical Media II
[research annotated bibliography due]

R Nov 6—Guest Speaker and the Theory of Magic
RP:  After looking at the various performers we've seen in class (from Seigfried and Roy a few weeks ago, to the videos from the previous classes), what are some of the characteristics of modern stage magic?  What has to be on a stage in order for you to know you're watching a magic show?

Week 11

R Nov 11—The Magic Show
[working outline of your research paper due]

R Nov 13—Guest Speaker and the Performance of Magic
RP:  Do modern viewers have more of an emotional response or intellectual response to magic? Is magic mere entertainment or does it qualify as a sort of interactive art form?

Week 12

T Nov 18—Writing Workshop
[working draft of research paper due]
[class presentations on research paper]

R Nov 20—Conferences for Research Paper

Week 13

T Nov 25—Research Essay Due

R Nov 27—Thanksgiving; Class Canceled

Week 14

T Dec 2—Spirited Away and Magical Realism

R Dec 4—Finish Spirited Away
RP:  What does the genre of the cartoon add to the experience of magical realism?

Week 15

T Dec 9—Conclusion/Self assessment/Class assessment/Tearful farewells
What is Magic? Part II  (Essay III) Due
Research Paper Returned