Research
“Robin Hood: Outlaw or Exile?” Atha Cotton-Spreckelmeyer, in British Outlaws of Literature and History, ed. Alex Kaufman (McFarland, 2011)
1,236 words in conference paper
Total time spent writing this week: 4 hours
Teaching
College Writing I: Monday was Fall Break. We discussed “where you are, where you are trying to go, and how you are going to get there” on Wednesday, focusing on the student learning outcomes for the class, their personal interested as writers trying to improve their skills, and the portfolio process; then we began our unit on visual rhetorical analysis. On Friday they turned in their second formal essay and completed a reflection on it, then we turned to film analysis techniques.
Literature and the Arts: Monday was Fall break, so no class. On Wednesday we began discussion on Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part I and the rewriting of the Joan of Arc legend from the English perspective. Friday was an outstanding student-led discussion on the same text. I am really looking forward to Monday, when the students will present stagings of various scenes from the play in small groups!
Total time spent on teaching this week (reading, lesson planning, and instruction): 13 hours
Service
This week’s service consisted of prepping for and running the GSA general assembly and a bi-weekly student leader group meeting
Total time spent on service this week: 5 hours
Other Scholarly Activity
Conference Activity: I drafted four pages of a conference paper on outlaw feasts and composed a message letting graduate students know about grad-student related events at the Southeaster n Medieval Association conference next week in my capacity as the SEMA graduate student representative.
I read through the job postings (which, alas, yet again did not take long, as there were no new medieval postings again this week). I wrote documents and applied for five TT positions in my field.
I spent 2.5 hours on Hortulus-related emails, social media outrach, and publishing concerns
I came to work two hours early to facilitate a meeting with a student having trouble in my class.
Total time spent on Other Scholarly Activity this week: 15 hours
Nurturing My Self
We hosted a birthday slumber party for eight year olds on Friday and Saturday, which was utterly delightful. On Saturday afternoon, I got to indulge in a 6-mile run in the fall foliage, which was just what my soul craved. saturday evening, we got to watch Robin Bullock, a world-renowned Celtic finger-style musician, in concert, which was trancendant. Also: Dr. Who and Vikings. What more could a gal ask for?
(Confession: I have eaten nothing but junk food since last weekend. I cannot remember the last time I ate a salad. I really need to turn that around.)
Melissa Ridley Elmes 