Consuming the Literary Rainbow through Duke’s English Courses!
As an English major and an avid reader, you will always find me pestering my friends on the day shopping carts open. Whether it's Arthurian romance tales or haikus – I want to take it. I want the classes at Duke with the biggest breadth and depth of literature across centuries and the globe. I have pieced together what I believe is a dream class journey for any aspiring English majors, minors, and those who are smart enough to take a chance on a course outside of their major!
English 235 - Shakespeare in Love
Starting out with Shakespeare may be a controversial take, as I long heard the classic stem major’s horror story about learning Shakespeare in their high school English literature class. But this class can convert even the bard haters into bardolators. This class investigates all conventions of love throughout some of the most well-known and more underground pics from Shakespeare’s career. If you wander down the hallways of the Allen Building when this class is ongoing, you will hear ephemeral sounds of love and hate wafting from the classroom. Students examine what love means to heroes, villains, and fools alike, as well as looking into contextual aspects of the era. The class culminates in an theatrical style final where students act out their favourite Shakes-scenes! (Plus points for no written final!)
English 390S-1 Single American Author: Emily Dickinson
Oh, Emily Dickinson – one of American literature's biggest mysteries and fascinations. Who was she? The shut away mad recluse, the ambitious social climber, or the aesthete of the century? You can pick your own fighter! This course navigates through most of the over 1,800 poems and 1,304 letters that Dickinson penned in her lifetime. Throughout this course, you are lead through the love sonnets of the 16thC and the paintings of the Hudson River School, as well as the fear of Puritan doom that shaped Dickinson’s capacious, analytical, and soaring mind that interweaves Christian, pagan, and even (shockingly) Catholic imagery. Who doesn’t want to dive into the rich tapestry of work that arguably America’s biggest writer ever produced?
English 101S - The Art of Reading
I firmly believe that every student at Duke should take an English 101 seminar. The topics vary, and the one I took on "Introduction to the Narrative” may appeal to anyone who watches films and television (which is everyone, right?). The interweaving of narratives in this class reveals classic plot-twists in television shows. A personal favorite of mine was watching the episode from Friendsentitled “The one where everyone finds out.” I mean, come on – any class that gives you an excuse to binge watch some of television's best moments is one that has to be in your shopping carts next semester! There’s a fun, lighthearted tone to this class that is a nice departure from literature in its sincerity. This is an ear-worm class, meaning once you take it, you have to tell everyone about it!
English 204 - History of English
And as we are talking about depth and breadth of literature, this class is therefore a must! Many students may shy away from a class that gives the impression of focus on centuries past. But this class instead traces the history of the language in a swooping journey from its proto-Indo-European roots to the present day. It opens up students' minds to the question of why language acts the way it does and the effect of historical linguistics on the language we use today. The class will definitely have you questioning and appreciating every word that comes out of your mouth as a vessel to the past.
English 248 - British Literature 1660-1790 Defoe to Austen
The long 18thC was certainly a tumultuous time for Britain as it rose to swaggering power while imperialism took off. But what did Britain’s powerful status mean for literature? A whole lot, it seems. From the emergence of the novel to the rise of feminist realms in literature, the 18thC made its presence incredibly well known via literature and shaped how any book, article, magazine, or even blog post you read today is written. Plus, with our current obsession with period dramas, why wouldn’t you want to take a class that transports you to a Bridgerton-esque era?
English 287 - Fairy Tales: Grimms to Disney
Love them or hate them, Disney adults are committed to the bit. But has anyone ever wondered why? How did Disney become arguably the biggest franchise in the entire world? As a child, my main gateway into reading was fairytales. I was obsessed. As a teenager I attempted to mature my readings by delving into modern adaptations of them. (Much of this was due to Once Upon A Time on ABC Family.) The summer before matriculating at Duke, I read Angela Carter's A Bloody Chamber and was instantly hooked. Fairy tales shrouded in gothic sparkle? My dream book. This class combines a love for the gothic and horror genre with folklore and fairy tales in ways that illuminate what power Mickey Mouse has on our childhoods.
English 101S - The Art of Reading: War, Worship, Wine & Women
Another 101 seminar for the list and what has been described as “a fan favorite” by those who have taken it. This class takes a novel and completely pries it open – leaving no nook or cranny untouched. In this class, to read a novel is to let it fully consume you, thus allowing yourself to feel closer to the world around you. That's not to say that this class is inaccessible. It examines matters of universal interest, imparting a tapestry of canonical works that every student should read at least once in their life.
English 101S - Intro to Creative Writing
Something a little different here but essential for any individual who believes themself to be at one with literature. If you can’t write, how can you truly understand a text? Students study various genres of writing and learn how to take their own spin on that genre. With genres like nonfiction, poetry, journalism, and traditional fiction, there truly is something for everyone. And for our aspiring actors: in this class you get the opportunity to read aloud some of your poetry!
