Category: Announcements (Page 2 of 4)

Hi everyone,

A grab-bag of announcements and reminders–read carefully!

(1) WRITING: Remember to turn in Blog post #7 by tonight, and to update the map with a location from your walk. I’m really enjoying these posts so far–take the time to read some of your classmates’ work this week.

(2) READING: For Tuesday’s class, read through the rest of Open City. There is no quiz this week, but you may be asked to do a little writing in class; come prepared with a pen or pencil. Questions to consider, before class:

• How does the revelation about Julius’ past, near the novel’s end, alter your sense of the rest of the book? Does it change how you read Part One?
• Does it change your sense of the book’s title?
• Or does it instead fit with or confirm your understanding of the book’s themes and concerns?

(3) EXCURSION: Our optional excursion to the Whitney Museum is this coming Thursday (11/15) during club hours. The NYT just did a great write-up of the show; I recommend reading it before attending. The Whitney is at 99 Gansevoort Street, at the very south end of the High Line. We will meet there at 12:30. You will be free to explore the museum at your own pace and leave on your own time–some of you may want to stay a long time, some might want to take a quick look (though it’s a fabulous space, as well as what promises to be an engrossing show). Whitney staff informs me that there may be a line to get in–this show is going to be very, very popular. BRING CUNY (BARUCH) ID TO GET IN FOR FREE.

(3) PLANNING AHEAD: For next week (11/20), our entire class session will be devoted to STEAM festival work. We will dedicate roughly two thirds of the session to the work itself, so make sure that every group member has something to work on in the classroom. (If you need to store materials on campus, I can provide space). We will spend the last hour of class on informal presentations: your group will explain your project to the class as a whole.

See you soon,

Prof Kolb

Some of you mentioned the website Humans of New York in your photo presentations. I wanted to alert you to the fact that some of the recent posts are relevant to our discussion of Open City. Here’s one, from Rwanda: http://www.humansofnewyork.com/post/179487317211/17-i-inherited-this-orphanage-from-my-father (there are six other posts about this particular person’s story; I’m linking to the first in the series).

Dear Students,

The assignment for blot post #7 has been updated to reflect the mapping component. Have a look here.

Also, I wanted to let you know that I will not be in my regular office hours today (Thursday). Normal office hours resume next week. If you need to meet or talk in the meantime, get in touch.

Best, and happy walking!

Prof Kolb

Hi all,

If you posted Blog Post #6 by the deadline, it has a comment and grade. If you have not yet posted, do so ASAP.

Remember to reply to STEAM post comments before class (thanks to the two groups who have done this already!)

And finally–head to the polls tomorrow, if you are able–and I’ll see you in class ready to discuss Open City (and take that quiz) at noon!

Best,
Prof Kolb

Hi everyone,

A few of you have emailed me to express that you’re having difficulty finding the correct address in Maps Marker. The main issue here is that the address finder in Maps Marker is pretty bad! It really doesn’t want to put you in the correct spot. So here’s my recommendation:

1. Enter your address, and include the borough. You might still get a few options in the auto-find, but it should put you close enough.
2. When Maps Marker suggest a place, look to see if the cross streets are correct or even if the marker is in the correct building on the block. You can cross-reference this with Google Maps, which I highly suggest since Google is much more accurate.
3. Manually drag the marker to the correct spot. You can zoom in as needed to make sure it’s in the right place.

This is also a way you can go back and fix old markers. You can cross-reference the exact location in Google Maps and then drag the Maps Marker spot to match where you know it should go.

Although Maps Marker’s address finder is lacking in accuracy, the functionality of the rest of the plugin, including its ability to turn off certain layers when looking at a composite map and the ability to embed content within each marker, make it an invaluable mapping tool. I find that the trade off is entirely worth it, even if it’s a little frustrating to find the exact right spot for a marker.

If you’re continuing to have trouble, let me know.

-Jake

Hi everyone,

Maps Marker Pro is now working again, our apologies for the downtime. You can go ahead and add your reading marker (remember to add this as a marker, NOT a layer), and make sure you assign it to both your personal layer (your last name) as well as the “Readings” layer.

A reminder that while you’re in the plugin screen, you should check to make sure that your other three markers (from the Lions, Galleries, and Public Art assignments) are all in the correct location on the map. To do this, click “List all markers” and then filter by your last name using the drop down menu. Select your markers and click “Edit.” Double check to make sure that your pin marker is in the correct borough, and on the correct part of the street (some of you might notice that, for some reason, even if you enter an address on the West Side in Chelsea it will drop the marker somewhere between 5th and 6th avenues, for example). So you might have to manually adjust the marker even after you’ve entered the correct address.

-Jake

Hi all,

This is a grab-bag of reminders for next week. Read carefully!

CLASS STRUCTURE: Instead of meeting at 11:10, we will meet at NOON on 11/6. Because of this, we will not take a break during class (It’s fine if you bring yourself something to eat, but you won’t be given the opportunity to exit and purchase food, this week).

READING: Complete pp. 1-146 of Teju Cole’s Open City before class on Tuesday. I am really looking forward to your thoughts on the novel–come ready to talk! If you have questions, jot them down. If specific passages move (or agitate! or pierce!) you, make a note in the margins, or slip a post-it between the pages. Also come prepared for a reading quiz, which will ask you to name some specific locations (neighborhoods, streets, historic sites, stores, campuses, etc) that the protagonist visits.

WRITING &c:

(1) Blog post #6 due by Sunday night.

(2) Comment replies to STEAM proposal feedback due before class on Tues.

(3) Eventually, you’ll update the map with the location of your reading–Jake will alert you when this is possible!

See you soon–
Prof Kolb

Hi everyone,

In addition to the short readings already assigned for tomorrow, please read through Plato’s Crito, which as you’ll recall was also the name of the fourth movement of Soper’s Ipsa Dixit. If you’d like a refresher of what this sounded like, the movement is here on YouTube.

See you tomorrow, excited to talk about this challenging piece with you all!

-Jake

Hi all,

A reminder that we are meeting TOMORROW at Miller Theatre to see Kate Soper’s IPSA DIXIT. Arrive no later than 7:45. Plan your transit in advance. Miller is closest to the 116th St. 1-train stop, on the east side of Broadway. Please read Soper’s interview in the Believer before attending. Prior to class, please read the readings for

I also wanted to remind you that outings like this one are non-optional parts of 1001H. Treat them as you treat our Tuesday classroom meetings: something for which you show up, on time, and prepared. You may be excused from excursions for religious observation, serious illness, or family emergency–but that’s pretty much it, and even then, you must let Jake and me know with ample warning. We both want you to succeed in the course (and in general!), but coming up with make-up assignments at the last minute is by no means an easy task.

Please look at the revised syllabus carefully. Note the upcoming excursions to the Jewish Museum (11/27) and St Ann’s Warehouse (12/5, evening). Put them in your calendar, and plan to attend.

Finally–for those of you who were disappointed that Warhol has been taken out of the course, never fear! We will do an optional trip during club hours on Thursday, 11/15. I’ll pass around a sign-up sheet in class for those who are interested, and I’ll point you to some useful preparatory reading. I encourage you to attend. We will be among the first to see this show (it opens just a few days before, on 11/12).

Best, and see you tonight–

Prof Kolb

P.S. I’ll be reminding you of this next week, too, but class on 11/6 starts at 12 noon, not 11:10 as usual. Vote!

Dear students,

Michael Robbins, the poet visiting our class tomorrow, has asked that you read two more short poems in preparation (he is ALSO reading your poem packet, and will be drawing from it in discussion–but he would be grateful if you read these as well). They are Donald Hall’s “Weeds and Peonies” and Brenda Shaughnessy’s “Visitor.”

I will bring some copies of each of these to class tomorrow, as well, so that those of you who do not get a chance to read beforehand can read them during the break at 12:20.

Best,

Prof Kolb