Course Redesign Update: May 17

This will be my last post until end of next week; I'm out of town Sunday-Thursday and pretty much offline during that time as well. But I'll jump back into action on Friday, and I am so glad for the giant spreadsheet that rules my life this summer. I know I am right on schedule now as I take a break, and I should be able to pick up right where I left off when I get back.

Today I got two units up and running:

The Life of Buddha. I was really pleased with this Life of Buddha at Sacred Texts; I only included the first part, and even so I am a tiny bit on the long side, so I might remove an episode or trim it down somehow when I do the proofreading stage next time. Anyway, I am so pleased to have this: it goes perfectly with the two Jataka units of course, and it is also additional India material that can provide a reading option for the students in my India class!

Robin Hood Ballads. This is a unit that is a repeat from my existing Myth-Folklore course but much improved because now, unlike 2002, I have access to a COMPLETE Child's Ballads (I like the edition at Sacred Texts best; easy to use and search), so I have a more complete set of ballads, and I've tried to focus on ones that do not have really archaic language. So, no Guy of Gisborne this time, although I might add a prose Robin at some point where I could famous episodes like that which don't appear in the ballads which I have from Child. I really like having THREE heroes of the British Isles now: Beowulf, Arthur, and Robin!