Literature Seminar for Freshmen

Social Scientists now recognize a stage of human development between the teen years and the 30s, a period of "post-adolescence." In this course we will read novels and memoirs by celebrated writers of the last three decades that will help us think through the themes and concerns of this life phase. We will consider a number of questions. Do these representations of twenty-somethings ring true? How do issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality shape the concerns of post-adolescent writers and characters? What differences emerge between representations of twenty-somethings by older authors writing 20-something characters and those writing from the vantage point of a twenty-something? Through reading, writing, and discussion, students will be encouraged to connect aspects of the works they read with their own knowledge and experience to develop their own critical perspectives and voices. Possible texts include Donna Tartt's "The Secret History," John Krakauer's "Into the Wild," and Jesmyn Ward's "The Men We Reaped." This course is for first-year, non-transfer students only.
Course Attributes: EN H; FYS; BU Hum; AS HUM; FA HUM; AR HUM

Literature Seminar for Freshmen

ENGLISH LITERATURE 156

Section 01