English

This course studies the work of young writers that at first sight seem to engage in the sort of genres we easily associate with the received practices and institutions of literature, and these young writers not only address the major issues and concerns in our society – racial injustice, class and gender inequalities, climate change, the rights of migrants and refugees, discrimination of LGBTQ+ people, domestic violence, sexual abuse, political violence, etc. – these are in fact at the core of their work. A closer look reveals that these young writers seem to break with the accepted boundaries between genres. To give one example: many of them challenge the binary between form and content, which too often has been broken down along racialized lines. The work of writers of color usually are more appreciated for its political activism rather than for its experimentation with form. The work of Claudia Rankine however shows a subtle combination of poetry, essay, and visual art, approaching race through form. Rankine is an exponent of the hybrid genre of the lyric essay. Other genre developments the course addresses are autofiction, spoken word, and relational theatre.

This course offers in-depth analysis of the works of James Joyce including a wide range of short stories and excerpts from longer works, but with particular emphasis on The Dubliners and A Portrait of a Young Man. The course develops a strong grasp of the techniques and style of Joyce in constructing his unique narrative and understanding the socio-historic and modernist contexts in which he wrote. Homework and class assignments included weekly readings, numerous in-class presentations (up to 10 minutes long) on a variety of topics, class participation in group discussions, a midterm exam, and a term paper.

This course studies examples of successful imagined worlds (Zelda: Breath of the Wild), powerful storytelling (The Last of Us), literary games (Kentucky Route Zero), indie games (Braid), micro-Indies (Problem Attic), and classic adventure games (Monkey Island). Students explore the possibilities of play, world-building, narrative, character-design, game mechanics, and game dynamics. Technical understanding of the medium provides students with an array of opportunities for writing and imagining video games: composing narratives and shooting-scripts, creating avatars, and developing fictional worlds. The course introduces students to game development software, though it is not designed as a coding course. It is ideal for students looking beyond the surface of video games, wanting to engage with thoughtful critique of an emerging industry. The course reflects on the social implications of game design, taking into account discourses around gender, race, and sexuality.