The Critic and the Monster

[chainsaw_poet97]

I'm currently half way through writing my first undergraduate lecture, which I have given the hideously corny title of 'Seeing Double: Frankenstein, Doppelgangers and the Transatlantic'. Moreover, it contains pictures of Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller, a clip from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and a reference to Twilight in order to be down

Comments

[highfantastical]

This is such an interesting post! Although I'm sorry it's proving tricky, of course. I vaguely wonder whether it might be possible to combine the holding-forth bit with the more basic teaching in some kind of structural way, maybe by working out what the core knowledge is that you want to teach, and making sure that that's in there in a more formalised way (maybe also reiterated at the end), but within a looser, more exploratory sort of general approach. That may be RUBBISH though, obviously I have never written a lecture! Of course you never know, they may be really responsive to a less linear/more 'run and find out' mode, even if it's not the norm for Keele. YOU WILL BE AWESOME, that's the important thing. :)

[chainsaw_poet97]

No, you're absolutely right. I used to be really sceptical about the whole "So, what have we learnt today?" endings, but I've now come round to the fact that summarising really works. I think keeping it simpler might help too - as in, if they learn what a doppelganger is, why doubles turn up so much in Gothic novels and what the uncanny is, then that's 3 things.

Thanks for the support! I'm not sure I'll get any feedback (other than the student's faces) on the lecture, but hopefully the next one (Dracula - much later in term) will be improved by the mistakes made this time!

[shehasathree]

Sounds fascinating! Good luck getting it finished.

[chainsaw_poet97]

Thank you! It proceeds better than it did when I wrote this...

[flashofalchemy]

Good luck! I'm sure it'll be great.x

[chainsaw_poet97]

Thank you! Well wishes are gratefully recieved!