ENGL 1111.101: Working Classics: The Literature of American Work (Fall 2009)  Tags: linguistics_language_literature  

Welcome to English 1111

This seminar provides a unique opportunity for us to work very closely with a few examples of “working-class literature” in the setting of a writing seminar; this means that we will use these texts as a source and motivation for our own reading, writing, and critical analysis.  In particular, we will explore how this literature attempts to speak both to and for the working class, as well as the ethical, aesthetic and political problems that arise from this.  We will examine these texts in light of contemporary economic changes in an attempt both to understand their relevancy to us today, as well as to question whether such thing as a “working class” still exists in contemporary America.  Course work will involve extensive writing at various levels (both formal and informal), and will focus on the development of various habits of mind to help us reach our potential in writing and thinking.  The course is not intended to advocate for any type of politics, but rather to raise questions that problematize our understandings of working-class literature.

Know better

2009 New Student Reading Project

Have a look at The Grapes of Wrath web site and blog for background information on the working classes in 1930s America.