Counting this week, there are FOUR WEEKS of class remaining (Weeks 12-13-14-15), which means 120 points of regular assignments, plus extra credit. That assumes you have not been working ahead; if you have been working ahead, you can look at the Gradebook to see just how many available points you can still earn in these last weeks of class. When you finish up with the class I record a "FINAL GRADE" in the D2L Gradebook so you can be sure you are done. So, just let me know when you have completed the number of points you need: 410 for an A, 360 for a B, 320 for a C. It's entirely up to you what grade you want to finish with in the class.
Storybook Stack. As usual on Tuesday, I am making my way through the big stack of Storybooks turned in over the weekend. If you turned something in on Saturday, you should have comments back from me already. If you turned something on Sunday or on Monday, it is probably still in the stack. If you want to check and make sure your assignment is in the stack, you can see the contents of the stack here.
Overview of Week 12 and Week 13 Internet assignments. (repeat announcement) Week 12 will begin tomorrow, on Tuesday, and you will be commenting on other people's Storybooks. Then, for the Week 13 Internet assignment (available a week from Tuesday, on November 15), you will be nominating your personal favorite Storybooks for the semester. After you turn in your nominations, I'll set up a ballot so everybody can vote for the best Storybooks - it's not for a grade or anything; it's just for fun, and it gives the folks who have done really excellent work on their Storybooks a chance to get some well earned recognition.
Tuesday Events on Campus. As part of the Civil War Lecture Series, there will be a talk by Puliter-prize-winning author Tony Horwitz at 7PM in Meacham Auditorium: Midnight Rising: John Brown and the Raid that Sparked the Civil War (time/location/details). Find out more about this event and other events happening on Tuesday at the Campus Calendar online.
Saturday, November 8: Bram Stoker. November 8 marks the birthday in 1847 of the Irish novelist Bram Stoker who is, of course, most famous for his invention of the modern literary figure of Count Dracula, published in 1897. Stoker's Count Dracula along with other vampire traditions has in turn given rise to a whole genre of modern vampire fiction including the recent Twilight series of novels by Stephanie Meyer. You can read more about Stoker's life and career in this Wikipedia article. Stoker's Dracula has inspired many later novels, films and even comic books, but I will confess that my favorite Dracula is Count von Count of the Muppets!
Here is a YouTube of Patrick Stewart and the Count: