Just wanted to post a quick version of the announcement that I made in class this morning, in case anyone missed it. You're doing one post per week (at least) and five comments (at least) on other blogs. Posts due Weds. at 9:00, comments by class time Friday. This way there's a clear time frame for you, and a manageable system of grading the blogs for me.

Also, I wanted to mention that I won't be posting comments on your blogs very often, since this is supposed to be an opportunity for student-centered dialogue (although I will make the occasional guest appearance). But please know that I am reading them, and please know that I am happy to provide individual feedback about your blog--you just have to ask (and I'll also send out midterm progress reports as well).

Some specific blog assignments will be coming up in the next couple of weeks...

Here are my responses to the questions I asked in class today (it occured to me that I never shared all my answers):

1. What do I "know" about the South? I know it's hot in the summer, I know that the economy is booming in certain areas, with lots of population growth and development (and the problems that come along with that, like traffic and smog, especially in the Atlanta area). But I also know that poverty persists in many areas, especially rural ones. One of the growing (and perhaps surprising?) problems in certain poor areas of Mississippi and Alabama is the skyrocketing rate of new HIV cases. My "knowledge" also takes the form of images: rolling green landscapes, good food (biscuits, grits, very, very sweet tea...). Funny but I envision both scenes from Gone with the Wind and the Civil Rights Movement, images that seem quite oppositional.
2. Where did that knowledge come from? Some firsthand experience (I grew up in Atlanta), but also TV, movies, news media, and of course literature.
3. What do I hope to learn? I'm looking forward to learning more as we do the research projects and further contextualizing my knowledge of Southern lit. I also want to know the Faulkner book I assigned, _Go Down, Moses_, better.

Welcome to the portal blog for English 126, "Diverse Voices in Southern Literature." All individual student blogs for this course can be accessed from this site, just click on the highlighted links. Remember, these blogs serve as your space to write and reflect, whether on the material we're reading, various issues raised in class, or on current events in the South (e.g., rebuilding New Orleans after Katrina or the ongoing debates about "intelligent design"). It's also an opportunity to extend our dialogue beyond the classroom into this less formal "virtual" setting. It's also a good place to pursue the self-reflexive question of what our stake in all of this Southern stuff is, anyway...why, if most of us are Northerners, should we care about this and what do we hope to learn? Finally, it's not a bad idea to use your blogs to work through the practical matters of your research projects; you can brainstorm topics here, raise questions about resources, and record updates on your progress. Let me know if you have any questions as you set up your blogs, and let's see what develops...