In the first six weeks of the semester, we will use Annotation Studio to collectively annotate “Ion,” “The Function of Criticism at the Present Time,” Bacchae, and portions of The Birth of Tragedy.
The free technology we will be using is independent of our learning management system (BlackBoard) and our institution (MSU), so everyone will need to register with Annotation Studio in order to complete the assignment. (How this will work: you will sign up for a free account during the first week of class. At the end of that week, I will email everyone on the roster an “invite” link to our group [cunningly titled 499c]. When you accept the invitation, you will have access to the texts you are to annotate.)
Our annotation exercise requires a minimum of 25 annotations: 5 annotations each for “Ion,” “Function,” and Birth; 10 for Bacchae. The variety of annotation is dependent on the type of reading and what we will be doing with the reading in our course. Critical essays that will serve as the basis for our first major writing assignment (“Ion” [the dialogue we are reading as a critical argument] and “Function”) should have substantive comments that explicate as well as question. Dense theoretical work that will serve as a springboard for exploration of the course theme (the selection from Birth of Tragedy) can have more tentative and exploratory comments. Literary works (Bacchae) should be subject to readerly engagement that replicates a class discussion (up to and including comments on other students’ annotations).
The exercise breakdown:
- Critical essays (Plato’s dialogue, “Ion,” and Arnold’s expository prose argument, “Function of Criticism”) require 5 annotations each. Each set of annotations must include at least 3 substantive responses to the text that explain and interpret particular passages.
- Dense theoretical work (selections from Birth of Tragedy) requires 5 annotations total. These annotations may be more exploratory and focus on questions (vs. explanations).
- Literary works (Bacchae) require 10 annotations total. Seven of these annotations should demonstrate readerly engagement with the text, providing comments that address course issues and themes as well as specific literary concerns (discussions of genre, literary period, formal technique, etc.). Three of the annotations should comment on the annotations of others, posing questions, providing answers/context, or drawing parallels).
Annotations must be posted by the start of the class period on the day the reading is due (specific due dates are listed on the syllabus). The rubric for the assignment can be accessed here.
But why this exercise, in this format?
Annotation, through a technological interface, allows us to explore some digital tools in the humanities while we complete our required reading. The specific style of annotation will comport with the purpose of our reading requirement.
We will be using “Ion” and “Function” to make a critical case, so our annotations are focused on explication and interpretation. In other words, we’re using textual commentary as a method of note taking that will aid our compositional goals. Selections from Nietzsche’s work are included in the course to spur conversation and exploration, which is why the annotations of this dense text will be more open-ended and inquisitive. The more conversational annotations of Bacchae will require you to consider Euripides’ play as a literary artifact. These glosses will structure class discussion of the Greek tragedy and serve as a reference point for all of the study guides–those focused on Shakespeare’s play as well as Euripides’ drama–as they will help us determine what constitutes appropriate literary information.
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