The goal of English 242 is to encourage and develop practices of critical interpretation in the reading of fiction. This course will set about pursuing that goal by proposing reading, discussion, and writing on a regionally and temporally diverse collection of fictional texts operating loosely around the general theme of travel and encounters with "others."

In order to intelligently approach the interpretation of this diverse group of texts, primary readings will be supplemented by shorter secondary readings drawn from a course pack and possibly online material.

This class offers a "W" credit. This means that course participants will be expected to produce a total of 10-15 pages of formal, academic writing which has gone through a cycle of instructor feedback and revision. This requirement will be met with two 5-7 page essays over the course of the quarter

Texts:

Candide: Or, The Optimist. Voltaire.

Typee. Herman Melville.

A Passage to India. E.M. Forster.

You Shall Know Our Velocity. Dave Eggers.

Secondary materials will likely include selections from Questions of Travel by Karen Kaplan and from the writings of Kwame Anthony Appiah.