Vassar College Department of English

I. Introductory Courses

101a or b. The Art of Reading and Writing (1)

Development of critical reading in various forms of literary expression, and regular practice in different kinds of writing. The content of each section varies; see the Freshman Handbook for descriptions. The department.

Open only to freshmen; satisfies college requirement for a Freshman Writing Seminar.

Although the content of each section varies, this course may not be repeated for credit; see the Freshman Handbook for descriptions.

110b. Process, Prose, and Pedagogy (1)

(Same as College Course 110b)

170a or b. Approaches to Literary Studies (1)

Each section explores a central issue, such as "the idea of a literary period," "canons and the study of literature," "nationalism and literary form," or "gender and genre" (contact the department office for 2009/10 descriptions). Assignments focus on the development of skills for research and writing in English, including the use of secondary sources and the critical vocabulary of literary study. The department.

Open to freshmen and sophomores, and to others by permission; does not satisfy college requirement for a Freshman Writing Seminar.

172-179. Special Topics (1/2)

Courses listed under these numbers are designed to offer to a wide audience a variety of literary subjects that are seldom taught in regularly offered courses. The courses are six weeks in length and held during the second half of the semester; the subjects they cover vary from year to year. Enrollment is unlimited and open to all students. Instructors lecture when the classes are too large for the regular seminar format favored in the English department. Does not satisfy Freshman Writing Seminar requirement. These courses are ungraded and do not count toward the major. May be repeated.

177a or b. Special Topic: (1/2)

The Great White Whale: Herman Melville's Moby Dick, by Herman Melville. In the context of supporting readings that range from the biographical to the ecological, we explore the myriad complexities of this elusive novel, which was hailed in its time as both "extraordinary" and as "trash belonging to the worst school of Bedlam literature." If you've ever wanted the chance to read this magnificent tome and lavish some time and attention on it, this is the course for you. Ms. Friedman.

179a. Special Topic: Henry David Thoreau (1/2)

(Same as Environmental Studies 179a) Thoreau's writings have deeply influenced American culture, including artistic, political, and environmental thought of the twentieth- and twenty-first centuries. Works studied include Thoreau's account, in Walden, of his famous "experiment in living"; his influential treatise "Civil Disobedience" and his writings opposing slavery; travel works such as The Maine Woods and Cape Cod; and his lifelong journal. Areas of consideration include the origins of Thoreau's thought in Emersonian Transcendentalism; his relation to the new sciences of his day; his role in formulating modern environmental thought; his influence on twentieth-century public figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.; and his profound and diverse influence on different forms of modern and contemporary American literature. Mr. Peck.

184a. New Voices, Old Stories: New Immigrant Jewish Writers and their Roots (1)

(Same as Jewish Studies 184a) American history is, in some ways, the story of immigrants, and one of the first immigrant groups to publish their stories were Jews, particularly those from Eastern Europe. American Jewish writers established the immigrant literary scene that today has become multifaceted and multicultural. In this class, we read the newest, most popular young writers to emerge from the recent Eastern European Jewish diaspora, and compare them to their classic forerunners. We examine the themes of assimilation, religious awakening, and responses to the Holocaust by members of the Second and Third Generation. New texts include Gary Shteyngart's The Russian Debutante's Handbook, Jonathan Safran Foer's Everything is Illuminated, and Lara Vapnyar's There Are Jews in My House; older voices include those of Abraham Cahan, Henry Roth, and Anzia Yezierska. Ms. Friedman.

Open to freshmen only. Satisfies college requirement for a Freshman Writing Seminar.