printer friendly pageENGLISH 19Q: I Bet You Think You're Funny: Humor Writing Workshop
Nothing is harder than being funny on purpose. We often associate humor with lightness, and sometimes that's appropriate, but humor is inextricably interlinked with pain and anger, and our funniest moments often spring from our deepest wounds. Humor can also allow us a platform for rage and indignation when other forms of rhetoric feel inadequate. This workshop will take students through the techniques and aesthetics of humor writing, in a variety of forms, and the main product of the quarter will be to submit for workshop a sustained piece of humor writing. For undergrads only.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-CE
Instructors:
Porter, E. (PI)
ENGLISH 30N: Character
"I have a dream..." How do loose bits of textual material transform into literary characters of heft and substance? Before reflecting on the "rounded" characters associated with novels and more recent genres of writing, this class will survey a handful of ancient, medieval, and early modern texts to consider alternative models of the literary subject. We will have occasion to consider texts that primarily deploy characters as embodiments of concepts or ideals, and will think critically, too, of historical movements that have formed our taste for literary figures of flesh and blood. A focus on the implied people of texts requires a reckoning with social categories and ethical distinctions more generally. We will thus read throughout with an eye toward the literary and sociopolitical structures that make it possible to perpetuate--if not to realize--the fantasy of knowing others "by the content of their character."
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-ER
Instructors:
Yu, E. (PI)
ENGLISH 31N: Love and Death
How do we put into words the ineffeable emotions generated by love and grief? How have writers, across centuries and many different literary traditions, sung the praises of a beloved, or lamented the ache of loss? In this hybrid literature and creative writing course, we will alternate between the close-reading of model texts, and generating original poetry and prose written under the influence of literary heroes.
Terms: Win
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-CE
Instructors:
Phillips, P. (PI)
ENGLISH 33N: A Way of Life: Historic Journeys to Sacred Places
In a world of touchscreens and instant knowledge, going on a journey for the good of the soul might seem weird. But pilgrimage has witnessed a huge resurgence. Why? We'll study the global pilgrimage through its long history, constructing tour guides and maps for visiting the world's most sacred places. From Italy to Japan to India to Saudi Arabia and Britain, these often-spectacular routes inspire and test travelers. What motivates these journeys? What happens once we get there?
Terms: Sum
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-SI
Instructors:
Treharne, E. (PI)
ENGLISH 40N: Theatrical Wonders from Shakespeare to Mozart
What is the secret of theatrical illusion? How does the theater move us to wonder, sympathetic identification, and reflection? How can the theater help society understand and manage social conflict and historical change? We will ask these questions through a close examination--on the page and on the stage--of dramatic masterpieces by Shakespeare and Mozart. We will attend live performances of Gounod's opera Romeo and Juliet and of Mozart's opera The Marriage of Figaro. No prior knowledge of music or foreign languages is required; neither is prior experience in theatricals.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
Instructors:
Hoxby, B. (PI)
ENGLISH 41N: Family Drama: American Plays about Families (AMSTUD 41N, TAPS 40N)
Focus on great dramas about family life (Albee, Kushner, Shephard, Vogel, Kron, Nottage, Parks). Communication in writing and speaking about conflict central to learning in this class.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
Instructors:
Phelan, P. (PI)
;
Golomb, S. (TA)
ENGLISH 52N: Mixed-Race Politics and Culture (AFRICAAM 52N)
Today, almost one-third of Americans identify with a racial/ethnic minority group, and more than 9 million Americans identify with multiple races. What are the implications of such diversity for American politics and culture? In this course, we approach issues of race from an interdisciplinary perspective, employing research in the social sciences and humanities to assess how race shapes perceptions of identity as well as political behavior in 21st century U.S. We will examine issues surrounding the role of multiculturalism, immigration, acculturation, racial representation and racial prejudice in American society. Topics we will explore include the political and social formation of "race"; racial representation in the media, arts, and popular culture; the rise and decline of the "one-drop rule" and its effect on political and cultural attachments; the politicization of Census categories and the rise of the Multiracial Movement.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-EDP
Instructors:
Elam, M. (PI)
ENGLISH 81: Philosophy and Literature (CLASSICS 42, COMPLIT 181, FRENCH 181, GERMAN 181, ILAC 181, ITALIAN 181, PHIL 81, SLAVIC 181)
What, if anything, does reading literature do for our lives? What can literature offer that other forms of writing cannot? Can fictions teach us anything? Can they make people more moral? Why do we take pleasure in tragic stories? This course introduces students to major problems at the intersection of philosophy and literature. It addresses key questions about the value of literature, philosophical puzzles about the nature of fiction and literary language, and ways that philosophy and literature interact. Readings span literature, film, and philosophical theories of art. Authors may include Sophocles, Dickinson, Toni Morrison, Proust, Woolf, Walton, Nietzsche, and Sartre. Students master close reading techniques and philosophical analysis, and write papers combining the two. This is the required gateway course for the Philosophy and Literature major tracks. Majors should register in their home department.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3-5
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II
Instructors:
Landy, J. (PI)
;
Peacocke, A. (PI)
;
D'aguanno, D. (TA)
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Instructors:
Landy, J. (PI)
;
Peacocke, A. (PI)
;
D'aguanno, D. (TA)
;
Friesacher, A. (TA)
;
McDonald, T. (TA)
ENGLISH 82N: Thinking about Photographs
The course will begin with a short history of photography since the 19th century; followed by both a hands-on exploration of different types of photographs (possibly using the Cantor Collection) and then a more theoretical discussion of some of the acknowledged classics of photographic writing (Susan Sontag's
On Photography, Roland Barthes'
Camera lucida, Linfield's
The Cruel Radiance.
Terms: Sum
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
ENGLISH 89N: Literature of Adoption (TAPS 89N)
Why does adoption figure so prominently in western narrative? From Oedipus to Harry Potter, the classical and popular traditions of literature often include stories of displaced children, orphans and adoptees. This course will examine the allure of the adoption narrative, both to authors and to audiences. Issues of transracial adoption will also be discussed and we will be concerned with memoir and documentary film toward the end of the quarter. No previous knowledge of adoption is required.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-A-II
Instructors:
Phelan, P. (PI)
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