ENGL2880 · English
Morrissey College of Arts & Sciences
Attitudes toward reading are full of contradictions. Reading can be considered edifying and tawdry, an essential skill and a leisure pursuit, an individual experience and a way to participate in culture and develop empathy. This course will examine these contradictions by taking an intensive, "advanced," look at what makes reading enjoyable, from historical, theoretical, and personal perspectives. Students will have the opportunity to consider large questions like, "Why study literature?" and "What unique types of knowledge can fiction offer?" and to develop personal understanding. What's your identity as a reader? How do you define pleasure reading? What role does it have in your life? Texts may include works by William Thackeray, Salman Rushdie, Toni Morrison, Zadie Smith, and Eleanor Catton, as well as student-selected texts.
Course experience
Averages use the original five-point historical evaluation scale.
Organization
4.7 / 5
How well the course was organized
Challenge
4.8 / 5
How intellectually challenging students found it
Attendance
4.8 / 5
How necessary attendance was
Assignments
4.6 / 5
How helpful assignments were
Weekly effort
~7
hours per week
Estimated from the original workload response buckets. Individual sections may differ.
Instructor options
Ratings below reflect only recovered evaluations connected to this course.
Across time
Section-level results available in the recovered archive.
Fall 2024
1 section