Questions on "Interview with Steve Evans".

1. Why is it important that we are analyzing this as an audio file rather than a written text? Was it more or less difficult to process the material in this way? What was the main difficulty?

2. What does Steve (the second speaker) mean when he faults his own use of sound files of poetry as being "illustrative." What would be a use that would not be merely illustrative look like? Discuss "dejection" and "euphoria."

3. What information does the voice give that the written text does not? What are the typical reactions of students to hearing sound files? What are the "traps" that are anticipated or experienced most often in the use of these files?

4. What is meant by "left liberal pedagogy" [toward the end of the interview]? What are the strengths and weaknesses of this pedagogy, according to the two men speaking?

5. How much of an obstacle was it for you that the context given was poetry as taught in departments of English (as opposed to Spanish)? In other words, how "translatable" are the concerns given here? How distracting was the discussion of poets you probably have never heard of (Rod Smith)? [middle section of discussion] Discuss the discussion of audience, "room," "tone," etc...

6. What are the suggestions for using the expertise of the students in the classroom? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the undergraduate students discussed. What does Proust have to do with it?

7. What questions would you ask Steve Evans?

8. You are graduate students, which means you occupy at least four positions: students, teachers (mostly, for now, of Spanish language), scholars-in-training, and future teachers of literature. How does this interview help you to reflect on your own development in any of these four areas? Why is graduate course-work oriented mostly toward the "scholars-in-training" function?

9. Write down five sentences or phrases from anywhere in the interview that you think are particuarly discussion provoking.