Fall 2013 ENG 101 Course Descriptions

Professor: Philip Bryant
ENG-101-001: Read: Book Burning

This course will explore the question of why literature incites people to ban, outlaw and burn it (often times burning the authors along with their books). We will read a wide selection of literatures from different countries, societies, historical periods, both past and present. We will first read them as literary works of art, examining them through close, critical readings to ascertain their form and substance as literature. We will then bring these works of literature into the larger, broader social, political, religion context where as works of literature they have been deemed by the authorities, dangerous and unsuitable for persons in that particular society to read. We will look at why this happens, specifically and generally, throughout human history, occurring in almost all societies. The underlying question in this course could be: What makes literature so dangerous?

Building Name Room Method Meeting time Meeting dates Meeting days
CON – Confer Hall 332 Lecture 01:30PM – 02:20PM 09/03/2013 – 12/19/2013 Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Professor: So Young Park
ENG-101-004: Read: Film Adaptation

This course explores the art of film adaptation: the process of transforming written works such as novels, plays, and non-fiction prose into visual language for the screen. We will study films by American, Australian, British, Korean, and Hong Kong directors, alongside imaginative writing by Jane Austen, John Keats, Bernard Shaw, and Kazuo Ishiguro. We will conclude with a look at recent film-to-film and anime-to-film adaptations. Additional readings from folktales, journalism, and adaptation theory. The course welcomes anyone curious about the study of film and literature.

Building Name Room Method Meeting time Meeting dates Meeting days
CON – Confer Hall 127 Lecture 11:30AM – 12:20PM 09/03/2013 – 12/19/2013 Monday, Wednesday and Friday

ENG-101-005: Film Adapt Lab
Building Name Room Method Meeting time Meeting dates Meeting days
CON – Confer Hall 128 Lecture 07:00PM – 10:00PM 09/03/2013 – 12/19/2013 Monday

Professor Elizabeth Baer
ENG 101-003: Read: Intro to African Literature and Film

Africa was viewed by the West as the “dark continent” until well into the twentieth century. In order to better understand some of the 57 countries in Africa, we will read fiction and memoir and screen films from various periods and geographical areas. These may include South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe, West Africa (Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria), and East Africa (Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, and Sudan). We will study these texts in their political and historical context, looking at such topics as African traditions, gender relations, the impact of colonialism, Apartheid, and globalization.

Building Name Room Method Meeting time Meeting dates Meeting days
CON – Confer Hall 334 Lecture 10:30AM – 11:50AM 09/03/2013 – 12/19/2013 Tuesday and Thursday

Professor: Donald Scheese
ENG 101-002: Read: Lance Armstrong: Truth, Lies, Videotape

In this course, after a brief history of cycling as a sport, we will trace the rise and fall of Lance Armstrong through reading & discussion of his early ‘autobiographies’ as well as those of his teammates & coaches: from cocky young triathlete; to emerging star on the professional cycling circuit; to cancer survivor; to mythic 7-time winner of the world’s most challenging bike race, philanthropist, & popular culture figure; & finally, to disgraced superstar now reviled on the world stage. Key cultural studies questions to be addressed shall include: why was/is Armstrong’s story so compelling? How did he manage to deceive so many people for so long – fans, journalists, not to mention authorities in the sport whose job it was to oversee & test competing athletes? What does the prevalence of such scandals suggest about the integrity of professional sports today? And what does the worldwide interest in the Armstrong controversy suggest about the role of sports in contemporary society? 5 – 6 books, reading quizzes, exams, an analytical essay, presentations required.

Building Name Room Method Meeting time Meeting dates Meeting days
VH – Vickner Hall 301 Lecture 10:30AM – 11:50AM 09/03/2013 – 12/19/2013 Tuesday and Thursday

Professor: Joyce Sutphen
ENG-101-001: Read: Poetry of Protest

This course will explore poetry born out of conflict, oppression, and injustice in order to see how poetry can further our thinking, sustain our hearts, and precipitate change on this planet. More often than not, we will be adjusting our definition of “protest” and our ideas about how poetry interacts with the world around us. We will aim to read poetry carefully and imaginatively; we will take time to consider and discuss the complexities of the situations the poems we read address, and (I hope) we will form a group of people who will be concerned about justice and peace.

Building Name Room Method Meeting time Meeting dates Meeting days
CON – Confer Hall 332 Lecture 09:00AM – 09:50AM 09/03/2013 – 12/19/2013 Monday, Wednesday and Friday


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