Special problems.

Special problems.

Special problems.

Students will consider the autobiography as a powerful social and cultural document, on that is an index to the ways in which people conceive of and recreate history itself.

This course is an introduction to the history, theory, and practice of rhetoric, defined here as the art of persuasion. For nearly 2,500 years, rhetoric has been the central academic discipline for thinking about the adaptation of discourse to purpose, audience, occasion, and subject matter. The earliest rhetorical arts were focused on public speaking in direct democracies; later rhetorics treated eloquence more broadly, including written discourse and its role in not only political and legal affairs but also religion, science, commerce, art, and education.

Nineteenth-century background: the Irish Renaissance; such major figures as Yeats, Synge, Joyce and O'Casey; recent and contemporary writing. (Gen.Ed. AL)

This course looks at selected plays by significant 20th Century American playwrights, with attention to dramatic form, historical context, influence and innovation. Students read at least one play per week. Requirements include participation in discussion sections, papers, a midterm and final. (Gen.Ed. AL)

The literary influence of the Bible; the most important genres; creation myths, hero tales, erotic poetry, prophecy, short stories, devotional verse, gospels. Avoids the interpretations of the later religions. Various themes from folklore, archeology, and history; what the literature meant to its originators. How certain biblical topics have interested secular artists.

Study of oral and written literature by American Indian authors, with emphasis on the implications of region, tribal affiliation, and historical context. Authors, time period, and genre will vary.

This course surveys literatures written in English from South Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. In doing so it asks what unites the diverse literatures gathered under the rubric "postcolonial". Is postcolonial simply a descriptive category, or does it suggest an oppositional or troubled stance towards colonialism and modernity? To consider this question we will take up major issues and debates within postcolonial studies, namely: nationalism and nativism, subalternity, feminism, development, and globalization.