JessicaDesignWhitman

I. Results

A. Primary goal: What do you want the students to understand more fully about "Song of Myself"? Frame this as a question. Why is this topic important to Whitman? How does this topic connect to other themes or concerns of the poem? How might this topic or question engage students' interest and/or experience? How does this topic or question relate to broader issues in literature? How does it relate to broader cultural or social issues?

Whitman’s “Song of Myself” in 1855 predates a pseudo-sophisticated psychoanalysis that began with Freud but coexists with an already established practice of psychotherapy. Insane Asylums were common in New York and rapidly grew in patient counts from 1850 on. What is madness in the 19th century and how were the mentally ill treated? Who was responsible for designating a person insane? What is Walt Whitman’s opinion of the occupants of these mental hospitals and what evidence do we have of his opinions in “Song of Myself”? Did Whitman exhibit the same attitudes toward the mentally ill as did the community in which he lived? Did any of Whitman’s contemporaries express similar or different views of mental patients? All of these are questions that can be explored through Whitman's text in conjunction with some background information on madness as a cultural phenomenon.

“Song of Myself” is a representation of Whitman’s attempt to understand his life and surroundings. How much of Whitman’s thought is a result of institutional thinking or in other words what do questions regarding institutions such as church, school, and government contribute to “Songs of Myself”? How are these institutions similar and different than the mental institution for Walt Whitman?

B. Secondary goals: what do you want students to understand about reading poetry? about how to write about poetry? about how to connect text and context?

In light of discussing 19th century insane asylums the students will understand the importance of interrogating cultural contexts like institutions and how these contribute to understanding the poem. Once the students discuss the cultural object in order to learn and build on the context of the poem then we will discuss how to interpret Whitman’s opinions of mental institutions and individuals designated mentally ill or insane by reading Whitman. The bottom line is you interpret Whitman by reading Whitman. It is necessary to investigate the rest of the poem as well as his other writing in order to contextualize not only 19th Century insane asylums but //Whitman’s// context for 19th Century insane asylums.

II. Evidence of learning: How will students demonstrate that they are answering the question? What will your evidence of student learning look like?

A types of writing/evidence:

i. formal writing or project (summative) essay; curation; rhetorical;

ii. informal writing (formative)

The students will complete a written blog assignment discussing the role of the mental institution in Whitman’s “Song of Myself”. They will have historical context from Foucault’s //Madness and Civilization// as well as Whitman’s contemporaries who build a better context for their thoughts regarding madness.

B. How will this show you that they've learned? how will you evaluate its success or failure in relation to your goals?

They have the choice to explore any aspect of madness and mental institutions which they believe is important to the poem as long as their choice is communicated persuasively. They will build on the aspect of their choice with other artistic representations of 19th century madness. My goals are to help the students struggle with a very difficult cultural context and help them articulate this influence on Whitman's writing.

III. Design A. what knowledge or skills will students need in order to produce their evidence of student learning? knowledge about the poem; cultural or historical knowledge; knowledge about Whitman? skills in reading? skills in analysis/making connections? skills in writing?

The students will be handed a copy of Chapters 2 & 3 of Michel Foucault’s //Madness and Civilization.// One class period will be spent discussing Foucault’s findings particularly of the role of the institution in the 18th and 19th centuries.

B. what kind of activities will develop this knowledge and these skills? what kinds of things will students need to do to acquire this knowledge and these skills? reading; writing; finding; collaborating;

Class discussion will highlight notable passages of Chapters 2 and 3 of Michel Foucault’s //Madness and Civilization and how these texts speak to the contextual moment Whitman is writing in. // Also, we will discuss 5-10 different kinds of artistic representations of madness including philosophical texts that emerge in the 1800s. Each of Whitman’s predecessors and contemporaries will contribute to how we situate madness in Whitman's "Song of Myself"

C. how will you structure these activities? do some have to come before others? which? why? are some more or less important than others? are some more or less formal than others?

First students will read “Song of Myself” and we will spend an entire class period discussing the poem. We will spend time discussing each line regarding insane asylums or madness and their contexts in the poem. The next class period will be used to discuss other poems concerning madness written by Whitman’s contemporaries and predecessors. We will compare and contrast these poems to “Song of Myself”. Meanwhile, each of these discussions calls for knowledge of the mental institution so after the students have already read “Song of Myself” their next two take home assignments will be Chapters 2 and 3 of //Madness and Civilization.// One class period will be spent discussing Foucault’s findings particularly of the role of the institution in the 18th and 19th centuries. We will then discuss how madness has transitioned and how the afterlife of these institutions functions in the contemporary moment. This will provide the students the tools they need to write their blog assignment.