2018 E-term Bulletin

14 For example, the student might read a selection of Kate Chopin’s fiction and her most important biographies. In conjunction with this work, the student will find and analyze 50 or more photographs of the interior of passenger trains and train stations from 1890-1900 in order to analyze if and under what social strictures women travelled during this period. The topics will be interesting, but they will be assigned by the instructor, in consultation with the student. The project will meet as a group on assigned days as well as individual conferences. The student will write a twelve-page paper due near the end of the term. Evaluation will be based on attendance and the quality of research completed (30%) as well as the research paper itself (70%). The entire E-Term project—class time, consultations, time-intensive (individualized) research, the writing and revision of research paper, and more—will meet or exceed the 150-hour requirement. This project is not rise 3 or Explorations eligible. Estimated Student Fees: $100 for books EH*E299*27 Novels Right Now: Commodities or Future Masterpieces? Jane Archer Prerequisites: None Open To: All Students Grading System: Option Max. Enrollment: 20 Meeting Times: M TuTh 1:00 pm–3:30 pm In this project, we will read four very recent novels that have appeared on the best-seller lists and have also achieved at least some literary acclaim. In class meetings, we will discuss the novels, but we will also consider what makes books popular and what makes them “literature.” We will explore best-seller lists from the past as well as past winners of literary awards. We will consider questions such as these: - Are contemporaries able to recognize a “masterpiece”? - How often does literary fiction achieve best-seller status? - What distinguishes literary fiction from commodity fiction? We will meet three afternoons a week, and students will write four 2-5- page papers, one about each of the four novels we will read and discuss. In addition, each student will select a related topic to research and present to the class. For instance, one student might look up what was on the best-seller lists when a novel that has entered the literary canon of “great works” was first published. Another student might seek out reviews of best-selling novels from another decade or another century to see if any were proclaimed important works of literature and whether we agree with that judgment now. EH*E299*28 Southern Food and Culture: We Are What We Eat Melinda Thompson Prerequisites: EH 102, 208, or the Like Open To: All Students Grading System: S/U Max. Enrollment: 10 Meeting Times: MW 10:00 am–2:00 pm Join us for MRT’s month-long cooking, eating, and writing experience! Students will prepare iconic Southern recipes under the tutelage of a traditional Southern cook and writer. We will meet off-campus two days a week in the home of the professor to prepare a variety of authentic recipes. At the end of each class, we will enjoy eating the meal we will be based on the quality of the student’s work on each of the above requirements. Note: Participants will be selected through an application process. Estimated Student Fees: $5500 ENGLISH EH*E299*24 The Art of Stand-Up Comedy Lucas Johnson Prerequisites: None Open To: All Students Grading System: S/U Max. Enrollment: 14 Meeting Times: M TuTh 1:00 pm–4:00 pm In this E-Term experience, students will become acquainted with a brief history of stand-up comedy in America. Stand-up has been central to American culture and entertainment, and in this project, we will understand both how and why. We will spend much of class time watching comedy routines from comics past and present, analyzing the form of the routines, the genre, the storytelling, the profanity (or lack thereof), and the cultural packaging of humor. In the first assignment, students will present an analysis of one stand-up comedy routine from a historical or current comedian, mining the routine for narrative, irony, tempo, and so on while also analyzing how comedians address serious American issues—e.g. poverty, racism—through humor. In the second assignment, students will create their own 10-minute comedy routine and performwith their peers at the inaugural BSC Comedy Night, which will take place on the last Friday night of E-Term. Note: much of the content in this project will address adult issues and will contain elements of profanity. EH*E299*25 Classical and Renaissance Italy: The Major Cities and the Places in Between Michael McInturff and Amy Cottrill Prerequisites: Instructor Consent Open To: All Students Grading System: S/U Max. Enrollment: 20 Meeting Times: On Campus: January 3-6, 10:00 am–3:00 pm Travel: January 8-27 See description under Classics EH*E499*26 A Month of Sundays: Intensive Research in Literature David Ullrich Prerequisites: Instructor Consent Open To: English Majors Grading System: Letter Max. Enrollment: 5 Meeting Times: TuTh 10:00 am–3:00 pm This project requires the instructor’s prior approval. In consultation with the instructor, the student will research a specific issue in literature and write a paper that evolves from the student’s course of study. The research perspectives will be a mixture of close readings of texts and cultural studies.