English 493 - Literary Fieldwork

This seminar introduces students to the practice of literary fieldwork. Without assuming that literature directly represents specific places, we will look at the role that place has played in reflecting and shaping collective memory and the relationship between the reader and the literary landscape. As a class, we will examine how thick descriptions of place enrich our readings of literary texts. Students will read from various genres, including memoir, essay, fiction, poetry, and hybrid writings, while trying out various interdisciplinary methods, such as ethnography, archival historiography, talk-story, oral histories, and fieldwork. This is a seminar, which means the course will center student discussions of literary and scholarly texts. Students will develop their own individual research projects throughout the semester through a series of assignments that involve writing place, writing the body, proposing a lengthy research project, curating a research bibliography, and composing a research paper. Authors may include Saidiya Hartman, Neema Avashia, Julian Aguon, Gloria Anzaldúa, Bryan Washington, and Anthony Veasna So. Limited to 15 students. Spring semester. Professor Saito.

How to handle overenrollment: Preference given to English majors.

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: emphasis on written work, readings, independent research, oral presentations, field work or trips