Reading Literature
Reading Literature: How to Do Things with Words How does language make and unmake the world around us? Is literature capable of intervening in the social and historical conditions of its own making? How does literary criticism participate in cultural transformation? To get a grasp on these questions, we will read widely in literature that explores the relationships between language, power, and social life, as well as criticism and theory that examines the interactions between aesthetics and politics. Our inquiry will survey the practical and theoretical foundations of literary study, as well as current debates about methodology in the field. Readings might include: Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and poetry by Phillis Wheatley Peters, John Keats, Dionne Brand, Solmaz Sharif, and M. NourbeSe Philip
Reading Literature: How to Do Things with Words How does language make and unmake the world around us? Is literature capable of intervening in the social and historical conditions of its own making? How does literary criticism participate in cultural transformation? To get a grasp on these questions, we will read widely in literature that explores the relationships between language, power, and social life, as well as criticism and theory that examines the interactions between aesthetics and politics. Our inquiry will survey the practical and theoretical foundations of literary study, as well a …Read more
WARNING!!! There are bi-weekly pop-quizzes!!! Pros: Professor Wang's teaching is very clear and effective. There isn't too much work. While there is endless writing, the highest number of pages you'll have to write in one assignment is 4. The readings and films that we had to watch were thoughtfully picked out. She and her syllabus is extremely organized and clear. Cons: Outweigh the pros. The no make-up pop-quizzes are ridiculous and may drop you out of the A zone. She is a heavy grader on the final versions of the papers. She isn't very nice and definitely picks her favs. Participation is graded based on this. THIS IS NOT AN EASY A.
WARNING!!! There are bi-weekly pop-quizzes!!! Pros: Professor Wang's teaching is very clear and effective. There isn't too much work. While there is endless writing, the highest number of pages you'll have to write in one assignment is 4. The readings and films that we had to watch were thoughtfully picked out. She and her syllabus i …Read more
I really enjoyed my experience in this class, and especially with this professor. She is extremely kind and understanding of student's needs and workload. She also offers many office hours and is agreeable to meet outside of those hours, which I found very helpful. I absolutely would take this class again, or any other class that Professor Wells teaches
Brayton is the reason I am an english major. I think he’s such a great teacher and truly wants all of his students to do well. There’s a lot of reading, but it is all very interesting so it goes by quickly. The papers are tough, he has some pretty high expectations but he is very accommodating to meeting and providing feedback and pushing back due dates to allow people to write their best work. 10/10 would recommend this course with him for an interesting and useful CW
Brayton is the reason I am an english major. I think he’s such a great teacher and truly wants all of his students to do well. There’s a lot of reading, but it is all very interesting so it goes by quickly. The papers are tough, he has some pretty high expectations but he is very accommodating to meeting and providing feedback and pu …Read more
This class is incredibly manageable and Professor Sheldon is so enthusiastic and passionate about the material. This course is very discussion based, and there aren't any exams and only a few short essays. The readings aren't heavy, and you will never be cold-called in discussion. Overall, it was an amazing course, especially to satisfy the CW credit, and I would absolutely take it again with him, as it didn't add any stress to my workload but I still gained a great deal from the class and discussions.
This class is incredibly manageable and Professor Sheldon is so enthusiastic and passionate about the material. This course is very discussion based, and there aren't any exams and only a few short essays. The readings aren't heavy, and you will never be cold-called in discussion. Overall, it was an amazing course, especially to sati …Read more
I loved this class, and I loved Professor Brayton's teaching. He's super down-to-earth and easy to talk to, while also being an expert in what he teaches that pushes you to do your best. If you don't like political discussions then he is not the professor for you, otherwise I recommend everyone take a Brayton class.
Marion Wells is a wonderful professor. She is engaging and friendly in class and incredibly available outside of class, which I took advantage of several times while working on essays throughout the semester. I found her to be more of a harsh grader than other English professors, not in a crazy way just in a way that I was not used to. She also would often give essay feedback in the form of "here are things you should have added," which I personally did not love. Overall, though, my experience in the class was incredibly positive.
Marion Wells is a wonderful professor. She is engaging and friendly in class and incredibly available outside of class, which I took advantage of several times while working on essays throughout the semester. I found her to be more of a harsh grader than other English professors, not in a crazy way just in a way that I was not used t …Read more
I adore Professor Losano. She is an amazing teacher and person. She is so intelligent and always made discussions engaging and fun despite the early mornings. I would highly recommend taking a class with her.
First half was chill - just come in read poetry, talk about it...second half - though more work, was more interesting. Essays are fairly graded and I thought that the presentations were kind of unncessary.