English 250 is a survey course that introduces you to a diverse selection of ?American? literature. In this section, we read and analyze diverse texts by and about working class people. Themes of this literature include: poverty, physical labor, labor organizing and strikes, globalization, and unemployment. Questions we will address include: (1) What is ?working class?? (2) What features make up working class literature, if there even is such a thing? (3) How might working class literature be included and excluded from what we typically thought of as ?canonical? (must-read) American literature? (4) How d does working class identity intersect with gender, race, and immigration status?

Texts in this course may includes novels, films, short stories, memoirs, academic articles, and song. We will look at writing by some of the following authors: Carlos Bulosan, John Steinbeck, William Attaway, Denise Giardina, Jack London, Joanna Kadi, Chester Himes, Howard Zinn, Upton Sinclair, John Dos Passos, Stephen Crane, Studs Terkel and others.*