Dear Students,
The Department of English and Comparative literature has opened a new section of ENGL 128: Major American Authors during SSI taught by Prof. Kym Weed. It is a great way to fulfill an LA or NA requirement, earn 3 credits in 6 weeks, and learn more about the history of protest in American literature.
Here is the full course description:
ENGL128: Major American Authors
Prof. Kym Weed
The United States was founded through dissent, and the tradition of collective action has shaped the country and its literature ever since. This course will focus on major American authors who engaged in forms of literary protest from approximately 1850-1950 including Henry David Thoreau, Harriet Jacobs, Stephen Crane, James Weldon Johnson, Kate Chopin, John Steinbeck, and Miné Okubo.
We will think of literature and protest as broadly as possible to make connections across time to consider the rich literary history that continues to inform our contemporary moment. The historical period covered in this class—from the dawn of the Civil War until World War II—established may political and cultural trends that continue to shape forms of protest in the 21st century. Accordingly, we will study the past with an eye to how it informs our present.
Through our study of major American authors, we will attempt to answer some of the following questions: How has literature been mobilized as a form of protest? What impact has dissent had on American literature? What cultural narratives shape our understanding of protest and dissent?
Please feel free to share it with anyone who might be interested and contact Prof. Weed (
kweed@unc.edu) if you have questions about the course.
