American Studies

African American Literature with Professor William Nash was one of the most meaningful courses I have taken at Middlebury. The class challenged me not only to engage with major authors and historical currents, but also to rethink the assumptions I bring to reading itself. Professor Nash structures the course around the idea that African American writing both responds to and redefines American identity, and that literature becomes a site through which questions of citizenship, belonging, and resistance are constantly negotiated. The syllabus moved chronologically, but the discussions rarely felt confined to a single period; instead, each text illuminated long continuities in racial discourse that extend from slavery to the present. One aspect that stood out is Professor Nash’s ability to draw together literary form, historical context, and lived experience. Rather than treating authors as symbolic figures, he pushed us to see them as thinkers responding to specific political and cultural pressures. I especially appreciated his close-reading approach, which encouraged us to look carefully at the language of each text rather than summarize plots. When reading writers like Douglass, Hurston, Baldwin, or Morrison, we constantly returned to the question of what it means to speak, to narrate, or to claim an identity within structures designed to silence those voices.

African American Literature with Professor William Nash was one of the most meaningful courses I have taken at Middlebury. The class challenged me not only to engage with major authors and historical currents, but also to rethink the assumptions I bring to reading itself. Professor Nash structures the course around the idea that Afri …Read more

I really liked this class and the professor was very funny and made the late time more bearable. In the beginning of the semester, this class had the most work in terms of time spent, because we were reading an entire book + other assigned readings per week. Reflection essays were very chill, though, and he was very relaxed about due dates and what to actually write about. He's not the best about communication but makes up for it with his personality.

I really liked this class and the professor was very funny and made the late time more bearable. In the beginning of the semester, this class had the most work in terms of time spent, because we were reading an entire book + other assigned readings per week. Reflection essays were very chill, though, and he was very relaxed about due …Read more

I was sort of put into this class, but I really ended up enjoying it. Professor Cheuk is very passionate about the material and I did learn a lot about the history of the university. Throughout the course there are five (I think) papers that you write and three of them are just reading responses, but the others do require a decent amount of research. Our class was small, so every class we would just discuss the readings we had to do for homework, so you do have to make sure you read. The way that professor Cheuk explains things is very concise and sometimes abstract, so you have to make sure you are really focused on what he says. Overall though I really enjoyed this class and professor Cheuk is awesome!

I was sort of put into this class, but I really ended up enjoying it. Professor Cheuk is very passionate about the material and I did learn a lot about the history of the university. Throughout the course there are five (I think) papers that you write and three of them are just reading responses, but the others do require a decent am …Read more