ENG 265 - Literature, Social Justice & Current Events

Course unit(s): 1
Meets GAR (students beginning prior to Fall 2024): Meets general academic requirements HU and DE.
In this class, we will examine the ways that literature is intertwined with social justice and current events. The course will be comprised of units revolving around current events that center on social (in)justice issues in the United States, such as mass incarceration, violence against transgender populations, immigration, and more. For each unit, we will read texts that explain relevant historical contexts, current event articles related to the issue, and a novel or memoir that speaks to the unit’s theme. Throughout the semester, we will also watch films that are related to our written material. Our goals for the semester will be to understand the ways that literature both influences and reflects our cultural landscape and to fully comprehend the transformative role literature can have in helping us create a more just twenty-first century. Satisfies Departmental “Social Justice/BIPOC” requirement, and also “Prose” requirement.