What are the connections between the making and reading of literature, the telling of and listening to stories, and the development of attention and resilience in humans? That is what this experimental and highly experiential course will explore. We will study writers’ creative decisions, asking questions such as why they chose specific genres (e.g., novel, memoir, poetry, drama), and how their decisions affect our reading experience and engage our aesthetic, intellectual, political, and spiritual imaginations. We will also engage in story-telling and story-listening practices, measuring the impact of those practices on our capacities to focus and concentrate, to read more closely, and to strengthen connection with others. Students should come ready for active participation in reading, listening, and telling stories. Readings will include texts from a range of genres, such as Ilya Kaminsky’s DEAF REPUBLIC, Quiara Alegría Hudes’ WATER BY THE SPOONFUL, Camille Dungy’s SOIL, and V. V. Ganeshananthan’s BROTHERLESS NIGHTS. Assignments will include a weekly journal of reading and creative practice and a collaborative research project. This is a good course for students wondering “what can I do with what I’m learning in English classes?” and those interested in narrative medicine, psychology and neuroscience, and humanities. Prerequisite: ENGL 106,121 or 190
The Jane Austen Society writes, "In 2025 we'll mark the 250th birthday of Jane Austen—a literary icon who continues to entertain, delight, and inspire generations of readers." That last comment is, if anything, an understatement: Austen's novels have never gone out of print, been adapted into films and television miniseries, inspired spin-offs like Bridgerton, inspired reams of other fan fiction, motivated re-enactors, and even created memes. So it is altogether fitting and proper that we should mark her anniversary with a course devoted to her work. In ENGL 390, we will read a selection of Austen's six novels, including SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, and PERSUASION; explore the major film adaptations; and study some of the best fan fiction, namely the superb play trilogy, CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon (MISS BENNETT, THE WICKHAMS, and GEORGIA AND KITTY). Austen’s sharp social satire clearly still speaks to our own time, highlighting familial, relational, and community issues of gender, class, privilege, and social justice, all topics we will explore. This course satisfies both the Integrations in the Humanities and Global Perspectives core requirements, as well as a WAC Writing to Learn requirement. Prerequisite: ENGL 121 or 190.