ENGL 259 A: Literature and Social Difference

English 259A: Literature & Social Difference

Instructor: Dr. Anu Taranath. Please call me Dr. Anu. You can find out more about me and my work at my personal website  or my English department profile. 

Class Time:  Mondays and Wednesdays, 8:30am-10:20am, Condon Hall 101

Office Hours: 10:45-11:45am, Mondays in my office, Padelford Hall A-506.

Email: anu@uw.edu  Please note: I'm pretty old school. I don’t check email on my phone and need to be in front of my laptop to access email. It may take me a day or so to respond to non-urgent messages. Rest assured though, I do respond to all student notes, and I’ll definitely write you back. :)

Course Description:

There’s quite a lot of talk around equity, diversity, inclusion and social justice, but do you sometimes wonder what these terms actually mean? This class focuses on how identity and social differences are represented in literature, narrative and story. We will aim for a friendly and generous atmosphere that does not shame anyone for being new to the subject or not knowing something. We will investigate the meanings and implications of race, gender, class, sexuality and other social differences, and discuss how ideas about difference and diversity play out in literature, society, our campus, and our own lives. Our course texts will be a combination of scholarly essays, films, articles, plays, creative non-fiction, short stories and novels. This is an introductory course, designed to welcome students from many intellectual interests. Our one requirement: a willingness to engage in productive, generative and collegial conversations. 

Required Texts:

1. 1) Anna In-Between- author Elizabeth Nunez
   2) Ghana Must Go- author Taiye Selasi

   3) Pet- author A. Emezi
   All three books are available at UW's University Bookstore. 
2. assorted readings in the Course Reader- available at Professional Copy and Print, located at 4200 University Ave.

We will use PRINTED HARD COPIES of all required texts this quarter. 

Assignments and Grade Distribution:

• Your Diversity & Difference Epistemology—5%
• Connected to Class—5% 
• 7 Journal Entries—50%
• Podwork & Collegiality with Peers—10%
• Class Engagement and Participation—10%
• The Final Portfolio—20%

I use the following grading system and scale:

https://www.washington.edu/students/gencat/front/Grading_Sys.html

https://www.uwb.edu/nhs/student-resources/grading-scale

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Schedule of Readings & Assignments, subject to revision

week 1—

Mon Jan 5:

Introduction to class, classmates and themes and methodologies, get to know your Prof!

Wed Jan 7:

Read and prepare for class:

1. 1. 1. The Vulnerable Observer (in Course Reader)

Friday Jan 9:

Diversity and Difference Epistemology due by midnight, and then submit your Favorite Sentences!

week 2—

Monday Jan 12:

Read and prepare for class:

1. 1. 1. Before class on Monday Jan 12th, revisit the Favorite Sentences Discussion thread. Read through your classmates' favorite sentences and comment on at least 3 posts. Comment on an entry that hasn't yet been commented on!
      2. Bring a hard copy of your Diversity & Difference Epistemology to class. 
      3. Read Beyond Guilt Trips (Prologue and Chapter 1, in Course Reader)
      4. Complete Journal Entry #1 before class
      5. During class, form Pods and meet with your Podmates. 

Wed Jan 14:

Read and prepare for class:

1. 1. 1. Watch "What's Race Got to do With It" directed and produced by Jean Cheng. The UW Library provides online access to the film. 
      2. Complete Journal Entry #2

week 3—

Monday Jan 19:

UW holiday- get started on your reading for Wednesday!

Wed Jan 21:

Read and prepare for class: 

1. 1. 1. Anna In-Between
      2. 2 op-eds by Walter Dean Myers & Christopher Myers (in Course Reader)
      3. Complete Journal Entry #3 before class on Jan 21st

week 4—

Mon Jan 26:

Read and prepare for class:

1. 1. 1. Anna In-Between
      2. Complete Journal Entry #4 before class

Wed Jan 28:

Read and prepare for class:

1. 1. 1. Screen "Precious Knowledge" film from UW libraries
      2. Discussion with Podmates

week 5—

Mon Feb 2:

Read and prepare for class:

1. 1. 1. Ayad Akhtar’s screenplay “Disgraced” (in Course Reader)
      2. Complete Journal Entry #5 before class

Wed Feb 4:

Today will be a zoom class! Use this link.

Read and prepare for class:

1. 1. 1. Disgraced

week 6—

Mon Feb 9:

Read and prepare for class:

1. 1. 1. Rey Katz, "Writing Nonbinary Characters" (in Course Reader)

      2. Alicia Elliott, “On Seeing and Being Seen: The Difference Between Writing With Empathy and Writing With Love” (in Course Reader)

      3. Complete Journal Entry #6 before class

Wed Feb 11:

Read for class:

1. 1. Ghana Must Go, part 1

week 7—

Mon Feb 16:

UW holiday- get started on your reading for Wednesday!

Wed Feb 18:

Read and prepare for class:

1. 1. 1. Ghana Must Go, parts 2 and 3
      2. Complete Journal Entry #7 before class

week 8—

Mon Feb 23:

Read and prepare for class:

1. 1. 1. Pet

Wed Feb 25:

Read and prepare for class:

1. 1. 1. Pet

week 9—

Mon March 2:

Read and prepare for class:

1. 1. Frances Lee: "Why I've Started to Fear My Fellow Social Justice Advocates" and
   2. "Excommunicate Me from the Church of Social Justice"
   3. Toward an Ethics of Activism (in Course Reader)

Wed March 4:

Read and prepare for class:

1. 1. 1. 4 short articles
      2. Louis Owens "Burning the Shelter" (in Course Reader)
      3. Dorothy Allison "Context" (in Course Reader)

week 10—

Mon March 9:

Read and prepare for class:

1. 1. Connected to Class due. Submit on Canvas, AND bring a hard copy print out of your assignment to class today. 
   2. Portfolio work

Wed March 11:

 Portfolio work in class

Finals Week: Sunday March 15th midnight Final Portfolio due! 

Course expectations:

• All readings & assignments completed on assigned days; attendance and participation in classes, good faith effort with assignments, course work to be turned in on time; engagement, participation and respectfulness toward classmates, colleagues and course ideas. Late papers not accepted unless you've communicated with me or something dramatic is happening in your life. In that case, please do reach out!
• If you are absent from class, check with a classmate to find out what you have missed. Once you do this you can then contact me for additional information.
• I will be posting reading prompts, short questions, and other course information via Canvas announcements, so configure your email and notifications appropriately.