Reading & Composition

In this R1B course we will explore fictional (and often fantastical) depictions of and engagements with real events of the past - that is, with history. Over the semester, we will examine and discuss films and literature which incorporate descriptions, references, personal recollections, and even richly imagined accounts of historical events or periods into the fictional(ized) stories they tell and worlds they construct. However, rather than drawing a line between the factual and the fictional elements of these works, we will instead focus our attention on the varied and various ways these literary texts and films give meaning to events of the past, and perhaps even make that meaning themselves. By looking beyond questions of truth and historical accuracy, we can pose new ones about the roles of literature and film in reaffirming, questioning, and revising what history means. The fictional texts we will read closely and discuss together, alongside excerpts from historical and literary theorists, will ask - and sometimes force - us to reconsider what we think we know about how and why history is made and explore the peculiar and unexpected ways in which history, like fiction, is also made up.

This is a writing- and reading-intensive course. A substantial amount of time will be devoted to writing instruction and workshops as we develop our critical reading and analytical writing skills. Students will be required to practice these skills actively by participating in class discussion, reading (and rereading) carefully, and writing (and revising!) both an analytical essay and a research paper.