The Novel Study of about seven representative novels. Each book is reviewed as a unique work of art, as an outgrowth of certain traditions, as a mirror of its time, and as an expression of one author's personal vision of human nature and the human condition. Fall term alternate years. An exploration of the use of fiction to propagate ideas about ideal or nightmarish societies. This course examines the artistic techniques employed in this distinct tradition and the unusual interplay between fiction and reality that this popular genre represents.
Students work toward the design of their own utopian scheme in short story or other form.
Fall term alternate years. This course provides an introduction to black authors and their literary contributions and an analysis of their relationship to black thought and culture. Various forms of literature, such as folk tales, poetry, short story, prose, and essay, will be presented with emphasis on literary style and content as influenced by the social environment of the periods of America's historical development from 1619 to the present. Critical Research Paper outside of class. Workshops, lectures, oral reports, and group discussions will be the methodology for each class session.