Planning a Class - Brainstorming the Renaissance

Back to planning. Now that I've chosen my anthology, I'm going to loosely brainstorm the stuff I think is important to teach along with approximations of the hours on each.

Renaissance

More, Utopia - 3 hours

Wyatt, 2 hours - intro to sonnets - "The Long Love," "Whoso List to Hunt," "They Flee from Me," "Mine own John Poins"

Locke/Lok - 1 hr - sonnet sequence

Howard/Surrey -1 hr - "The Soote Season,"

Askew + background - 1 hr - From "The First Examination"
+Foxe

Ascham, 1hr
+ Bk of the Courtier

Mary, Q of Scots - 1hr - letters, background

Eliz I - 1hr, progress, Tilsbury

Spenser - Shepheardes Calendar 1hr
+ intro to FQ

Spenser - FQ - 3 hrs - Bk I

--15 so far

Spenser - Amoretti - 1 hr - #34, #64, #75

Marlowe - "Hero and Leander" - 2 hrs

Marlowe +Raleigh - 1 hr, "Passionate Shepherd," "Nymph's reply"' "The Lie"

Sidney, 1 hr - "Defense"

Sidney - 1 hr - Astrophil and Stella - #1, #2, #20

Marlowe - 3 hrs - Faustus

Shax - 2 hrs - sonnets - #1, #18, #20, #55, 73, #116

Shax - 3 hrs - 12th Night

Donne - 3 hrs -

Lanyer - "Cookham" /Jonson "Penshurst" - 1 hr (maybe should be 2?)

Jonson - Volpone - 3 hrs

Jonson - Poetry - 1 hrs

Herbert - 2 hrs

Herrick - 1 hr

Bacon - 2 hrs - essays

Okay, I've hit some of the high points, and I'm at 42 hours, which is two hours more than I should be. What would you cut, or combine?

What have I left out that I really shouldn't?


I've put down specific poems for some poets, not for others (because I felt a little lazy). I tend to assign up to about 3 sonnets an hour, because I don't think I can really get students reading sonnets well without a fair bit of time on each (and sometimes, I'd only really discuss one). I try not to have students read a ton of short poems and then not discuss the majority of them, if that makes sense. I think it's great for students to read poetry, but frustrating for them if they're asked to read a ton and it's never really discussed.

(Can I just say, this is going to be SUCH fun!)