(Offered as ENGL 420 and THDA 420) (Before 1800) Interpretations of William Shakespeare’s plays often align with and reinforce hegemonic conceptions of whiteness. Yet for over two centuries that alignment has been contested by theatre artists from the Black diaspora, from Native or Indigenous nations, and from the diverse communities of latinidad. This course centers what one First Nations playwright calls BIPOC “takeovers” of Shakespeare’s work.
(Offered as ENGL 387 and FAMS ) As an industry in the business of making both entertainment and art, Hollywood is a fascinating case study to explore. This course will focus on how contemporary Hollywood works and how understanding its work can enable us also to understand how films “work.” Our first unit will begin by exploring the context of industrial and independent practices through six key examples, which will form the primary models for the course throughout the semester.
(Offered as ENGL 379 and FAMS 379) “I detect an accent…” Anyone who has heard this sentence has had to navigate the topography of voice, accent and identity that is our multilingual world. But what is an “accent”? What assumptions about speakers and listeners do we make when we “detect” accents—or when we perform them as writers, actors, and citizens? How, in other words, does the simple act of perceiving an accent allow us to “fix” and stabilize our sense of a speaker’s origins, education, affiliations, affects, preferences, and tendencies--even their tastes?
(Offered as ENGL 369 and FAMS 369) This course examines a variety of approaches to “world-making” in
cinema and scholarly debates about the aesthetic and political dimensions of cinematic worlds. We will begin
by exploring the imaginary worlds created within popular film genres such as fantasy, science fiction, and
animation. With the aid of readings from film and media studies, literary theory, cultural studies, and other
scholarly fields, we will consider how such imaginary worlds relate to—and diverge from—the political,
(Offered as ENGL 355 and AMST 364) Emily Dickinson’s poetry is rich in what she called “illocality.” Her writing characteristically dissolves images and refuses specificity of place or event, and yet no writer is more intimately connected to a particular place.
(Offered as ENGL 251 and FAMS 251) From the ubiquity of selfies to the drama of true crime, the practice of documenting reality is endlessly fascinating and influential. This course explores the tradition of documentary filmmaking—an art form that has sparked debates, shaped industries, and transformed worldviews since the dawn of cinema. Famously described by filmmaker John Grierson as “the creative treatment of actuality,” documentaries challenge us to ask: What does it mean to capture reality? Can film not only reflect the world but also change it?
(Offered as ENGL 210 and AAPI 210) This survey course introduces students to foundational and recent literatures by Asian American authors. Through examination of canonical anthologies such as Aiiieeeee: An Anthology of Asian American Writers, reading lists of Asian American writers, and polemic responses to genre-bending works such as Maxine Hong Kingston’s Woman Warrior, this course will engage with the major texts and debates in Asian American literary studies. Throughout the semester, we will ask: What is the canon of Asian American literature?
(Offered as ENGL 180 and FAMS 110) A first course in reading films and writing about them. A varied selection of films for study and criticism, partly to illustrate the main elements of film language and partly to pose challenging texts for reading and writing. Frequent short papers. Two class meetings and one screening per week.
Limited to 25 students. Twelve seats reserved for first-year students. Open to first-year and sophomore students. Fall semester. Professor Guilford.
How to handle overenrollment: Preference will be given to first-year students.
(Offered as ENGL 120 and EDST 120) This Intensive Writing course functions primarily as an introduction to academic writing. It also considers from many perspectives what it means to read and write and learn and teach both for ourselves and for others. As part of the work of this course, in addition to the usual class hours, students will serve as weekly tutors and classroom assistants in adult basic education centers in nearby towns.
(Offered as ENGL 117 and EUST 117) [Before 1800] Knights, monsters, quests, and true love: these are the things we associate with King Arthur and tales of his court. Why has Arthurian literature proved so enchanting to centuries of poets, novelists, and recently, filmmakers? In this introductory English course, we will read and watch Arthurian legends from Chaucer to Monty Python, examining the ways in which they have been represented in different eras. Beginning with the historical foundations of the King Arthur legend, we will examine how it blossomed and took form in later eras.
