English

This course contextualizes Supreme Court decisions by revisiting major societal shifts through the prism of American fiction, from the 19th Century to the present. The course begins with a brief introduction on mimesis and literature’s potential to relate and reflect historical events and, more simply, facts. It then focuses on numerous works of fiction contextualizing and referring to the following topics chronologically following the Supreme Court’s decisions: slavery (Dredd Scott v. Sandford), segregation (Plessy v. Ferguson), the New Deal, interracial marriage and race relations in the United States (Loving V. Virginia), the Pentagon Papers and the freedom of the press (New York Times v. United States), the limits of free speech (Texas v. Johnson), culture and political wars in the contemporary United States (Bush v. Gore/Citizens United v. FEC), same-sex marriage (Obergefell v. Hodges), and Covid-19 and mask mandates (Lucas Wall, et al. v. Transportation Security Administration). 

This course explores a range of dramatic works produced throughout the Caribbean since the start of the 20th century.  Students study the colonial and postcolonial context of the Caribbean, and reflect upon the ways in which this informs the work of Caribbean writers.  Theories developed by postcolonial and performance studies scholars are analyzed and applied to the plays under consideration, and colonial and postcolonial discourse is put into dialogue with theories of performance and Caribbean identity. 

Mime/Pantomime is one of the oldest forms of human communication and, at the same time, one of the most essential tools for stage expression. The goal of this class is to explore the history, theories and practice of mimes, pantomimes, and other physically oriented/ non-verbal performances of each era, with the consideration of their cultural, societal background context. Our study includes comments of people, impressions of critics, or the sometimes vehement attacks of Christian authority on these activities. By doing so, we explore not only the art of physical expression but the social context in which a certain art form was created, modified, developed, and prospered.

Almost from its origins, the novel has been thought of as a form of literature which both documents and celebrates human subjectivity. This course will read the emergence of the novel form alongside questions of human cognition and consciousness to ask why the association between minds and fiction first emerged, and what has happened to this association since. Some of the questions students discuss include: Just why has the novel been so persistent as a form? What are its historical, cultural and aesthetic origins? What can the rise and development of the novel tell us about the lives of the people who read it? And has its time passed? Particular attention will be paid to the social and cultural history of the form, and how these intersect with philosophical and political questions pertaining to human consciousness and identity.   

This course introduces the ways in which mental health has been studied as an academic discipline across the humanities and the social sciences. It shows that both the definition and the treatment of mental ill-health is not universal but shaped by the society in which people live. The course focuses primarily on the period of time from the closure of the lunatic asylums in Great Britain in the second half of the 20th century to the present day. Through an anthology composed of newspaper articles, political speeches, and party manifestos, the course analyzes some of the factors which influenced mental health policies, such as advances in medical knowledge, changes in social values, political ideals, the influence of the media (including social media), and financial cost. Alongside these factual texts, the course studies short extracts from films and literary works in order to gain an understanding of how changes in society’s attitudes towards the mentally unwell are reflected in cultural works.

This course offers an introduction to applied linguistics including its origin, history, and scope. Topics include: language processing; language disorders; multilingualism, language planning, and education.

The course develops students’ understanding of fiction writing and its techniques. It is a practice-based course which involves close reading and academic investigation of the short story and novel forms. Through lectures and weekly workshops, the course exposes students to questions of inspiration and choice, method, application, revision, and editing.