English

This course is an adventure in sophisticated reading, discourse and writing about books, culture, history, film, and the arts—from the Colonial experience to our contemporary zeitgeist. Students will deeply engage with American authors in fiction and non-fiction, as well as learn about the literary movements that give shape to our society. This interdisciplinary course requires that students have a genuine attraction to the written word and to the prism of ideas generated by the classic and contemporary material on tap. Further, students should be able to penetrate text, embrace complexity, and write clearly. Representative texts include Anna in the Tropics, by Nilo Cruz; The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald; The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne; Passing, by Nella Larsen; The Crucible, by Arthur Miller; Know My Name, by Chanel Miller; There There, by Tommy Orange; The Dutch House, by Ann Patchett; and Sing, Unburied, Sing, by Jesmyn Ward.

Film. The Cinema. Movies. Whatever society calls it, the artistic phenomenon of ‘the big screen’ is an essential reflection of America in ways that are personal, social and political. This course will cover the historical arc of American film from The Jazz Singer in 1927—the first “talking picture”—to the antic vision of Quentin Tarantino’s recent “Once Upon a Time….in America” in order to reveal how movies mirror culture, and, reflexively, how culture mirrors movies. Genres such as horror, the western, film noir, the sci-fi thriller, and rom-coms will be viewed, explored and analyzed. There will be entertainment but also scholarship as the class engages visually, verbally and in writing with a wide and dynamic range of films.

Film. The Cinema. Movies. Whatever society calls it, the artistic phenomenon of ‘the big screen’ is an essential reflection of America in ways that are personal, social and political. This course will cover the historical arc of American film from The Jazz Singer in 1927—the first “talking picture”—to the antic vision of Quentin Tarantino’s recent “Once Upon a Time….in America” in order to reveal how movies mirror culture, and, reflexively, how culture mirrors movies. Genres such as horror, the western, film noir, the sci-fi thriller, and rom-coms will be viewed, explored and analyzed. There will be entertainment but also scholarship as the class engages visually, verbally and in writing with a wide and dynamic range of films. 

Why do our moral codes allow us to cheer for a drug dealer like Walter White or a mobster like Tony Soprano?  In a world that exists in shades of grey, where heroes are fallible and villains sometimes virtuous, what universal moral rules dictate how society passes judgment? Why do readers empathize with some characters who break these rules but villainize others for the same actions? In this class, we will explore universal beliefs about goodness that transcend country and custom and why we celebrate characters who don’t conform to these ideals. In our study of heroes, antiheroes, and villains, we will read novels such as The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga, A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini, and The Long Petal of the Sea, by Isabel Allende. This discussion-based course will include both analytical writing and creative projects.

Why do our moral codes allow us to cheer for a drug dealer like Walter White or a mobster like Tony Soprano?  In a world that exists in shades of grey, where heroes are fallible and villains sometimes virtuous, what universal moral rules dictate how society passes judgment? Why do readers empathize with some characters who break these rules but villainize others for the same actions? In this class, we will explore universal beliefs about goodness that transcend country and custom and why we celebrate characters who don’t conform to these ideals. In our study of heroes, antiheroes, and villains, we will read novels such as The White Tiger, by Aravind Adiga, A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini, and The Long Petal of the Sea, by Isabel Allende. This discussion-based course will include both analytical writing and creative projects.
Prerequisite: recommendation of the student’s current instructor.

This course is for students who would like to begin or deepen a practice of creative writing, culminating in an original portfolio of poetry and short fiction. First, we will read and discuss the techniques of a range of poets, imitating different styles and poetic structures. Then we’ll shift to short fiction, and students will explore the elements of craft such as character, point of view, setting, structure, and dialogue. Students will develop works of short fiction inspired by the stories we read as well as by writing exercises designed to spark the imagination. This course will have a combination of craft classes and workshop classes. For craft classes, typical homework would be to read and annotate published poems or works of short fiction. In workshop classes, the text becomes student writing, and the homework would either be to create a draft or critique a peer’s draft. We will supplement these craft and workshop classes with visits from working writers as well as with opportunities for students to share their writing with a wider audience.

This course is for students who would like to begin or deepen a practice of creative writing, culminating in an original portfolio of poetry and short fiction. First, we will read and discuss the techniques of a range of poets, imitating different styles and poetic structures. Then we’ll shift to short fiction, and students will explore the elements of craft such as character, point of view, setting, structure, and dialogue. Students will develop works of short fiction inspired by the stories we read as well as by writing exercises designed to spark the imagination. This course will have a combination of craft classes and workshop classes. For craft classes, typical homework would be to read and annotate published poems or works of short fiction. In workshop classes, the text becomes student writing, and the homework would either be to create a draft or critique a peer’s draft. We will supplement these craft and workshop classes with visits from working writers as well as with opportunities for students to share their writing with a wider audience.

What is African American literature? Drawing from Kenneth Warren’s What Was African American Literature, we will try to define the genre by relating it to other categories of literature based on race, ethnicity, gender and geography. We will also explore the historical context and literary content of the works to determine if they are judged based on aesthetics or their social and/or political representations. Readings in this course will include short stories, essays, articles, poems and one novel.

What is African American literature? Drawing from Kenneth Warren’s What Was African American Literature, we will try to define the genre by relating it to other categories of literature based on race, ethnicity, gender and geography. We will also explore the historical context and literary content of the works to determine if they are judged based on aesthetics or their social and/or political representations. Readings in this course will include short stories, essays, articles, poems and one novel.
Prerequisite: recommendation of the student’s current instructor.

While the mythological tales of Greece and Rome were created millennia ago, the ideals and morals shared within them can still be relevant to our lives today. Ancient Greek and Roman literature are generally defined by their use of mythology and religion. In this course, students will analyze some of the most important myths and mythological figures of ancient Greece and Rome to determine how these stories can help us better understand the people and societies who believed them. Additionally, students will study how Greek and Roman art enhanced or, in some cases, contradicted the best-known versions of mythological stories.

While the mythological tales of Greece and Rome were created millennia ago, the ideals and morals shared within them can still be relevant to our lives today. Ancient Greek and Roman literature are generally defined by their use of mythology and religion. In this course, students will analyze some of the most important myths and mythological figures of ancient Greece and Rome to determine how these stories can help us better understand the people and societies who believed them. Additionally, students will study how Greek and Roman art enhanced or, in some cases, contradicted the best-known versions of mythological stories.
Prerequisite: recommendation of the student’s current instructor.

In 1929, Sigmund Freud came to the astonishing conclusion that, “What we call our civilization is largely responsible for our misery.” What inspired such iconoclasm from the founding father of psychoanalysis, and did it share anything in common with the overwhelming anxiety that compelled Edvard Munch to endeavor to paint “the infinite scream of nature” nearly forty years prior? This interdisciplinary seminar will probe this and related questions by exploring significant developments in European culture and society in the period running from the Belle Époque to the close of the 1920’s. Against a backdrop of ascendant nationalism and the mounting crisis of liberalism, we will examine a wide array of writers, artists, and thinkers whose work critiqued established social norms regarding gender, class, and race. We will consider efforts in fiction, philosophy, and psychology to test and even transcend the limits of reason, along with those of modernist artists and musicians to challenge long-running assumptions concerning meaning and authenticity. Across group discussions, as well as individual research and writing, students will engage with text and context simultaneously, blending English and History in order to lay bare the profound role played by the arts and humanities in giving shape to this transformative age.

Why do we go to war? What is the effect of war on those who lead it, those who serve in it, those caught up in it as civilians, and those who stay at home waiting for news of it? Is there such thing as a “moral war”? Students in this course will examine these questions from a literary perspective. We will study the ways writers of nonfiction and fiction have attempted to answer these questions in a global context. The Roman philosopher and poet Horace wrote that “it is sweet and noble to die for one’s country,” a line so memorable and important that two thousand years later, it is engraved above Arlington National Cemetery. World War I poet Wilfred Owen famously called Horace’s line “The old Lie.” This course examines both perspectives. Students should expect a discussion-based seminar with both traditional analytical essays and creative projects.

Why do we go to war? What is the effect of war on those who lead it, those who serve in it, those caught up in it as civilians, and those who stay at home waiting for news of it? Is there such thing as a “moral war”? Students in this course will examine these questions from a literary perspective. We will study the ways writers of nonfiction and fiction have attempted to answer these questions in a global context. The Roman philosopher and poet Horace wrote that “it is sweet and noble to die for one’s country,” a line so memorable and important that two thousand years later, it is engraved above Arlington National Cemetery. World War I poet Wilfred Owen famously called Horace’s line “The old Lie.” This course examines both perspectives. Students should expect a discussion-based seminar with both traditional analytical essays and creative projects.
Prerequisite: recommendation of the student’s current instructor.

What makes a story newsworthy? What makes a lead compelling or research for an article reliable? Students in this class will learn the essentials of news writing, including how to generate story ideas, craft interview questions, and uphold the ethics of journalism. This course will include reading and writing articles of all types, engaging in writing workshops with peers, and learning from professionals from the industry. Students should come away from this class with a foundation in the history of journalism, the state of journalism today, and how to write meaningful stories.

What makes a story newsworthy? What makes a lead compelling or research for an article reliable? Students in this class will learn the essentials of news writing, including how to generate story ideas, craft interview questions, and uphold the ethics of journalism. This course will include reading and writing articles of all types, engaging in writing workshops with peers, and learning from professionals from the industry. Students should come away from this class with a foundation in the history of journalism, the state of journalism today, and how to write meaningful stories.
Prerequisite: recommendation of the student’s current instructor.

This course will explore the literature of racial passing in America. Between the late eighteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, many racially ambiguous Black Americans passed as white. Their decision holds a mirror up to the profoundly destructive social violence of white supremacy and also poses tricky and troubling questions about the nature of identity, race, and culture. How much agency do we have in shaping our own histories and identities? How much is chosen for us? In this course, we’ll consider how the literature of passing attests to such existential and historical conundrums at a formal, narrative, and aesthetic level. In exploring these texts, we’ll consider not only how they represent the history they’re grappling with, but also how they seek to rewrite and reimagine it, opening up new and empowering avenues for expressing and conceiving of the self. Assessments will include a family history project, several short papers, group presentations, and a film/tv review.

This course will explore the literature of racial passing in America. Between the late eighteenth and mid-twentieth centuries, many racially ambiguous Black Americans passed as white. Their decision holds a mirror up to the profoundly destructive social violence of white supremacy and also poses tricky and troubling questions about the nature of identity, race, and culture. How much agency do we have in shaping our own histories and identities? How much is chosen for us? In this course, we’ll consider how the literature of passing attests to such existential and historical conundrums at a formal, narrative, and aesthetic level. In exploring these texts, we’ll consider not only how they represent the history they’re grappling with, but also how they seek to rewrite and reimagine it, opening up new and empowering avenues for expressing and conceiving of the self. Assessments will include a family history project, several short papers, group presentations, and a film/tv review. 

From William Blake to the Rolling Stones, some of history’s most imaginative artists have fallen under the dark spell of Satan. But what, to quote Mick Jagger, is the nature of his game? What artistic wisdom persists in the dark territory at the margins of respectable culture, in the turn to the forbidden, the banished, the exiled? In this course we’ll explore the long literary and artistic legacy of the Devil, tracing a tangled trajectory from Greek mythology and Judeo-Christian doctrine to Renaissance tragedy and the Gothic tradition and finally to twentieth- and twenty-first-century popular culture. We will use Satan as a lens through which to consider philosophical, political, and artistic questions of good and evil, authority and resistance, control and chaos. In uncovering the evolution of evil in literature, students will gain a new perspective on literature’s relationship to moral and ethical good—as Goethe’s Mephistopheles declares, “I am part of that power / Which eternally wills evil / And eternally works good.” Assessments will include formal debates, a film review, devil profiles, in-class Satan artifact presentations, and a paper. 

From William Blake to the Rolling Stones, some of history’s most imaginative artists have fallen under the dark spell of Satan. But what, to quote Mick Jagger, is the nature of his game? What artistic wisdom persists in the dark territory at the margins of respectable culture, in the turn to the forbidden, the banished, the exiled? In this course we’ll explore the long literary and artistic legacy of the Devil, tracing a tangled trajectory from Greek mythology and Judeo-Christian doctrine to Renaissance tragedy and the Gothic tradition and finally to twentieth- and twenty-first-century popular culture. We will use Satan as a lens through which to consider philosophical, political, and artistic questions of good and evil, authority and resistance, control and chaos. In uncovering the evolution of evil in literature, students will gain a new perspective on literature’s relationship to moral and ethical good—as Goethe’s Mephistopheles declares, “I am part of that power / Which eternally wills evil / And eternally works good.” Assessments will include formal debates, a film review, devil profiles, in-class Satan artifact presentations, and a paper. 

What do “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you” and “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” have in common? Their power comes from arrangement: antithesis and parallelism work together to create a punchy, memorable idea. But rhetoric is also an art. In order to develop our own writing and speaking skills toward powerful persuasion, we will critically evaluate the rhetoric of influential speakers both ancient and modern and apply what we learn to craft our own persuasive essays and speeches to convince each other of a point of view, as memorably and fluently as possible. We will consider audience identity and makeup, the purpose and occasion, the historical moment, as well as our own passions so that we mean what we say.

What do “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you” and “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” have in common? Their power comes from arrangement: antithesis and parallelism work together to create a punchy, memorable idea. But rhetoric is also an art. In order to develop our own writing and speaking skills toward powerful persuasion, we will critically evaluate the rhetoric of influential speakers both ancient and modern and apply what we learn to craft our own persuasive essays and speeches to convince each other of a point of view, as memorably and fluently as possible. We will consider audience identity and makeup, the purpose and occasion, the historical moment, as well as our own passions so that we mean what we say. 

This course serves as a college-level research experience for our Literary Scholars. Students accepted into the program will complete a detailed explication of primary literary sources, literary criticism research, an interdisciplinary approach to the study of literature. Monthly presentations on research will be given, and a substantive research paper will be due in May. Additionally, Literary Scholars will present their research at the Scholars Symposium in April. 
Prerequisite: acceptance into the Literary Scholars program.