English

Through the study of literature, history, film, philosophy, theory, oral history and art, this course explores the inspiration, justification, and manifestation of colonialization as well as the resistance to this project. Using post-colonial theory as a lens to understand the literary and cultural legacies of European imperialism, students examine works produced by both the colonizing and colonized cultures.

This two-term course offers students, who have experience with creative writing, the opportunity to craft a substantial body of writing. Genres may include, but are not limited to, slam/spoken word poetry, stream of consciousness, flash fiction, rhymed and metered poetry, dramatic monologues, short dramatic scenes, and personal essays.

Students study and analyze long article nonfiction work from contemporary writers such as Ta-Nehisi Coates, Janet Malcolm and John McPhee, and work both individually and collaboratively on writing projects and presentations that address a variety of contemporary issues and events. Feedback is an essential element of the course. Workshopping provides opportunity to both give and receive constructive feedback. Students also practice data-gathering skills through targeted lessons in statistics and probability. While these skills support journalism in a written form, they also allow students to explore media including infographics, podcasts, and photojournalism. The course will enhance students’ abilities to tell compelling stories with well-sourced data that is contextualized in service of the personal narrative.

Students are introduced to some of the most influential writing of Western civilization with a strong emphasis on Classical Greece and Rome. Special attention is paid to the authors’ concern with human nature, ideals of human conduct, and the relationship between the human and the divine.