"I have a rule for myself in freshman English that I don't assign readings that require much explanation. If I continually have to provide background of a work's history and context, it means the students are awaiting a deus ex machina, AI or me to summarize and simplify. I seek out readings that feature conversational voices that create an immediate, imaginable world that my students can understand on their own-that is, read."
"Every year, though, I make one exception to this rule and assign either Sophocles's Oedipus the King or Antigone. They don't get any easier, no matter how many times I teach them, but they're worth the effort because they're sublime, and the range of topics they provide us for discussion and writing seems inexhaustible and ever relevant. In fall 2024, with the presidential election looming, I assigned Antigone."
A freshman English instructor prefers readings that do not require extensive explanation, favoring conversational voices that create immediately imaginable worlds students can understand independently. One annual exception is Sophocles's Oedipus the King or Antigone, chosen for sublimity and inexhaustible thematic range. The instructor prioritizes in-class, aloud reading over homework, asking students to put away devices and adopt an 'ancient Greek school' atmosphere. A brief whiteboard genealogy clarifies confusing family relationships. Even learners with tentative English gain access to the play's spirit and profundity through halting, collaborative oral reading.
Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs
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