Skip to main content
Department of English
Search
Log in
Navigation
About
Current Office Hours
Diversity Resources
English Library
Faculty Statement Archives
Internal Dept Resources
Medieval and Early Modern Studies
University Writing Program
Video Guides & Worksheets
Visit us on Facebook
Major/Minor in English
Advising
Creative Writing Application
Honors Program
Internships
Literary Magazines
Major Requirements Guide & FAQ
Minor Requirements
Study Abroad
Why Major in English?
MFA in Creative Writing
Admissions
Events, Prizes, and Resources
MFA Program Faculty
Newly Admitted Grad Students
Resources
Ph.D. in Literature
About
Admissions
Newly Admitted Grad Students
PhD Alumni Directory
Resources
Courses & Schedules
People
News & Events
Off the Syllabus Podcast
Recent News
Contests
Contest Winners
Previous Contest Winners
Newsletters
You are here
Home
»
Courses & Schedules
English 189-2 - Spring, 2017
Seminar in Literary Studies
Topic: What is the Contemporary?
Class Information
Instructor:
Ronda, Margaret
CRN:
91881
Time:
TR 3:10-4:30
Location:
308 Voorhies
Description
This course will examine the question of the "contemporary" in current American literature and culture. We'll do so in two main ways. First, we will read widely in writing of our immediate present, considering dominant and emergent forms, themes, and genres that might define literary work now. We'll approach this work in relation to other contemporary cultural forms (film, new media forms, art). Second, we'll explore the field of the contemporary by thinking about the larger questions it raises: how do we think about the relation between literature and politics now? Can contemporary literature give us a vantage on the history of the present? We'll think through these questions by engaging several theories of the contemporary from art historians, philosophers and literary critics.
Grading
In-class presentation, response papers, and a final seminar paper
Texts
Look
, Solmaz Sharif
Long Division
, Kiese Laymon
Remainder
, Tom McCarthy
Super Sad True Love Story
, Gary Shteyngart
The Argonauts
, Maggie Nelson