English: The Banned Book

Interdisciplinary topics examining issues in twentieth-century American culture. Representative topics include: Poe's Children; The Literary Vampire; Jazz. May repeat for credit with different content. Topics vary by offering; periodic offering at intervals that may exceed four years. Prerequisites: Three hours in English numbered 1010 to 1990; minimum Sophomore standing.

Prereqs: 3 hrs ENGL between 1010- 1990; Minimum Sophomore standing PACE students by permission and override

THE BANNED BOOK COURSE: Censorship isn’t a new phenomenon, yet the scale and success of the contemporary movement to censor books is unprecedented in American history. This is not a course in literary analysis, per se; it is a course in a unique moment in American literary culture --- our moment --- which may prove to be an inflection point in American literary and cultural history. This course provides two different contexts within which to consider this crisis. One is historical and political: the contemporary movement to censure books included in public school curricula and libraries occurs within the context of American history. Section One provides an introductory framework for understanding the relationship between the history of American public schooling and the American political experiment. The other is literary: many of the issues at the heart of this current debate are the special concern of poetics (the study of art) and, in particular, the study of literature. Two of most central of these concerns the consequences or effects of reading fiction. Section Two presents the work of H.R. Jauss and S. Keen as lenses for studying the major objections to a representative selection of the novels that have been most frequently banned or challenged in recent years.

Learning goal 1: Develop an understanding of the historical and cultural context of the    contemporary movement to challenge the inclusion of books in American public-school       curricula and libraries. Learning goal 2: Develop an understanding of what the field of poetics contributes to      understanding the contemporary censorship movement. What to expect: In contrast to many literature and humanities courses, this one deals with a phenomenon that is ongoing, swiftly evolving, and touches most of us personally. It also means that we need to treat each other with emotional and intellectual generosity as we allow ourselves and each other to find our way towards understanding. The semester is front-loaded in terms of reading; i.e. there is more reading at the beginning. As the semester goes on, the reading gets a bit easier and there’s more space to work on your writing. This syllabus is provisional, meaning that it is subject to revision as needed. The assigned readings are designed to be both informative and provocative. Most of the readings are from the fields of history, literary theory and legal studies; we will be reading a small selection of novels written for, and about, young readers. I will be supplementing your readings with lectures and structured group activities but I expect you to participate actively by asking questions, answering questions, providing additional examples, sharing your expertise with the class. I am especially appreciative of efforts to make connections between your insights and your classmates, between your classmates and me, between the different viewpoints and information provided by the readings. I’ve designed two, ongoing assignments that are designed to help you engage with the readings and prepare for lecture and class discussion.

Critical Log Entries --- weekly responses to questions posed about the course materials and/or class discussion. Short essay 2 section exams