Gloucester Project (Part 1): Charles Olson, Polis, and "Finding Out for Yourself"

First...
In class you took active viewing notes on the documentary Polis is This.
(If you missed a day you can find the documentary broken into six parts here.)

After watching and taking the notes on the Polis is This: Charles Olson and the Persistence of Place you should be able to discuss the concept of polis, Charles Olson's relationship to the concept of polis, Charles Olson's relationship to Gloucester as a polis, Charles Olson's ideas about the relationship between education and polis, and Charles Olson's ideas about the relationship between writing (particularly poetry) and polis.

Second...
In class on Wednesday (5/20) you will read and annotate an essay called "To find out for yourself" that I wrote as part of a feature on Massachusetts poets (including Charles Olson). The text is an expository essay about the project you're about to begin, so it's a good place to start to find answers to your questions about both the big concepts and the specific details.

After reading and annotating "To find out for yourself," you should be able to discuss the relationship between Charles Olson and the Gloucester project, the relationship between the project and former students, the relationship between competing ideas about what it means to be from Gloucester, the relationship between visible and hidden aspects of Gloucester culture, and the relationship between Gloucester and you.

Third...
In class on Wednesday (5/20), I'll give the class an overview of aspects of Gloucester art and culture that are fertile ground for inquiry and expression.

Fourth... (exit ticket)

Write down three aspects of Gloucester's polis (culture, arts, politics, economy, history, ecology, geography, geology, etc.) that you'd like to know more about and explain why. (Or, perhaps you'd like to focus on a geographical part of the polis: Lanesville, Annisquam, Dogtown, downtown, Portuguese Hill, East Gloucester, Ravenswood, Magnolia, West Parish, etc.)

Write two things you know about Gloucester's polis that other people may not know.

Write one substantial paragraph about your relationship with Gloucester's polis.