Reading & Composition

“America! I put the word on a page, it is my keyhole,” writes Russian-Jewish-American poet Ilya Kaminsky in a poem that describes his journey from the Soviet Union to America. In this class, we will read literature that explores the multifaceted perspectives immigrants have on America. How do immigrant writers see, learn about, stumble upon the particulars of American life— personally, culturally, socially, politically? What happens to these writers’ memories and perceptions of their origin countries over time? How does their writing intersect with their immigrant identity, shaping and revealing it—do they have a writerly “accent”? Can we use their individual “keyhole” vantage points to understand the whole? We will closely examine travelogues, essays, fiction, non-fiction, poetry and films to help us critically understand both the older, controversial history of European settlement, as well as the more contemporary phenomena of political asylum, exile and immigration. Readings may include poetry by Diana Chang, Czesław Miłosz, Katia Kapovich, Ocean Vuong; novels by Vladimir Nabokov, Junot Diaz; stories and essays by Lara Vapnyar, Aleksandar Hemon.

While discussing these questions, we will be developing the skill of close reading and learning how to formulate convincing, substantial, original arguments in essay form. In this writing-intensive course, you will be asked to write one diagnostic paper and two progressively longer papers, one of which will include a research component. This process will be accompanied by a series of brainstorming assignments, drafts, in-class workshops, peer reviews, and revisions. In addition, you will also complete shorter weekly reading responses and assignments devoted to specific elements of essay writing.