literature

let's begin reading

english can be a truly beautiful language. not the english of television and social media but that of serious publication and creative experience. more literature exists in english than any other language. perhaps, though i have no way to know for sure, there is more than in all other languages combined.

literature is a hard thing to define, though. for now, we will use a very simple definition. literature is a collection of published words (and sometimes images) meant for public consumption.

when it comes to literature, i teach two things. the first is contemporary literature. things written in the modern era of the internet, you could say. the other is traditional literature but, as a strong believer that language progressively improves over time, we will look at traditional literature from the perspective that it was an organic building block on a road that would later dramatically improve it, not from any position of respect or veneration.

courses by topic

1. poetry

• undergraduate
  • contemporary poetry 1 [en3541]
  • contemporary poetry 2 [en3542]
  • theory through contemporary poetry 1 [en4585]
  • theory through contemporary poetry 2 [en4586]
• graduate
  • contemporary poetry in context [en7581]
  • theory and poetry in a post-truth world [en8588]

2. graphic literature

• undergraduate
  • [introduction to graphic literature [en2770]](#learning/literature/en2770
  • contemporary graphic literature 1 [en3771]
  • contemporary graphic literature 2 [en3772]
• graduate
  • graphic literature in practice [en7771]
  • critical graphic literature [en8778]

3. literature of faith

• undergraduate
  • introduction to scripture as literature [en2820]
  • faith literature in society [en3928]
  • scripture in translation a/b [en4920a/b]
• graduate
  • religious commentary as critical literature [en7941]
  • critical approaches to scripture in translation [en8948]

4. popular fiction

• undergraduate
  • introduction to popular fiction 1 [en2018]
  • introduction to popular fiction 2 [en2019]
  • contemporary popular fiction 1 [en3018]
  • contemporary popular fiction 2 [en3019]
  • critical approaches to popular literature 1 [en4418]
  • critical approaches to popular literature 2 [en4419]
  • literature of video games [en4940]
• graduate
  • popular fiction in social context [en7018]
  • popular culture in fiction [en7928]
  • critical analysis of popular writing [en8418]

5. literature in translation

• undergraduate
  • literature in translation 1 [en3812]
  • literature in translation 2 [en3813]
  • contemporary literature in translation 1 [en4841]
  • contemporary literature in translation 2 [en4842]
• graduate
  • literature from beyond english [en7841]
  • other cultures in literature [en7866]
  • translation theory in contemporary literature [en8866]
  • critical approaches to contemporary world literature [en8876]

6. media as literature

• undergraduate
  • fundamentals of media [en2960]
  • media as literature [en3961]
  • reading society’s voice [en4961]
• graduate
  • social media as literature [en7961]
  • reading independent video [en7963]
  • media beyond the western world [en7991]
  • popular media theory [en8960]
  • post-truth media [en8964]

7. critical theory

• undergraduate

  • theory through contemporary poetry 1 [en4585]
  • theory through contemporary poetry 2 [en4586]
  • reading society’s voice [en4961]
  • critical approaches to popular literature 1 [en4418]
  • critical approaches to popular literature 2 [en4419]

• graduate

  • theory and poetry in a post-truth world [en8588]
  • critical graphic literature [en8778]
  • religious commentary as critical literature [en7941]
  • critical approaches to scripture in translation [en8948]
  • critical analysis of popular writing [en8418]
  • translation theory in contemporary literature [en8866]
  • critical approaches to contemporary world literature [en8876]
  • popular media theory [en8960]
  • post-truth media [en8964]

these courses exist within the other disciplines but are listed here, too, as they are essentially a concentration of their own.

8. independent study

if you are not studying in the english program and wish to study with me or collaborate on writing, please let me know. i (occasionally) take private students from outside the program. the benefit is that your entire study will be one-on-one. the downside is that you won’t benefit from collaborative seminars and peer editing.

if you are in the interdisciplinary humanities program and are looking for an advisor, i am happy to talk to you about it. please come to me with ideas for your project or thesis (historical, comparative, contemporary, popular or graphic literature, translation, media culture or critical theory), even in a very embryonic stage, and i will be happy to look at it. if i am not a good fit for your work, i will try to point you in the right direction. my first masters degree was interdisciplinary so i am a strong supporter of such programs.

what is literature?

text.

why study literature?

text.

how do we read modern literature?

text.