English 494SI - Literature and Social Justice

Why do we study literature? What is its importance to your life (now and beyond college) and to the world we live in? This class is for students who answer these questions by drawing a connection between literature and social justice. It takes the view that literature contributes to social justice in the world in a variety of ways--which each individual defines differently. For some, literature offers a means to validating different experiences and inspiring empathy; for others, it offers critique and establishes alternative histories; for still others, it fosters new communities and incites social and political activism, or it empowers the imagination and envisions new worlds. One of the chief goals of the course is to give students the opportunity to sharpen their own beliefs about why literature matters and what it does for the world. Another goal is to allow students to reflect upon how their relationship to literary study has evolved over the course of their college careers, and to consider how they can carry this relationship forward into their lives and their pursuits beyond the university.

Open to seniors with English as a primary major only. ENGLISH 200 w/ C or E200