When we speak of “literature,” we bring together an incredibly miscellaneous range of possibilities, including sonnets written 4 centuries ago in England with experimental fiction written last week in Zimbabwe. Given this historical range and cultural breadth, how do we conceptualize the field as a discipline? Furthermore, how do we go about teaching this miscellany to our future students?

Beginning with the institutional history of English as a discipline, we will investigate the ways that “the field” has shifted over the decades in response—and sometimes defiance-- to various social and political forces. We will ask and try to answer the following queries: how is it we have come to understand and teach "English" the way we do? What are the similarities and
distinctions between English, literary studies, and language arts? What might pedagogy have to do with literature, and how do we craft a mindful teaching and learning practice, both for ourselves and our students? Political ideology,
social history, and personal identities all inform our pedagogy and curriculum-- how? This class seeks to be part theory driven, and part practicum: First we will read texts which focus on the practice and experience of teaching different kinds of literature in order to build a common knowledge base and gain some book smarts. Then we’ll practice these ideas and methods in
mock classrooms with each other.

Students will have the option of adding a service-learning component which will bring them into local K-12 classrooms to practice work as tutors, mentors, and writing coaches.