Department of English

This spring we will spend the first half of the course reading contemporary American short stories drawn from a rich mix of cultural traditions, then during the second half we will look backward over the last century at a selection of writings that helped shape contemporary perspectives.  We will focus on story cycles, integrated collections of related short texts, although our reading list will include one anthology and a few works selected by editors rather than conceived by writers.  Authors we are likely to encounter include Sandra Cisneros, John Edgar Wideman, Grace Paley, Leslie Silko, Simon Ortiz, Raymond Carver, Donald Barthelme, Flannery O'Connor, Tomas Rivera, Ernest Hemingway, Willa Cather, Jean Toomer, Edith Wharton, Jack London, Kate Chopin, Sui Sin Far, Mary Wilkins Freeman - and a dash of Poe.  As befits our subject, we will be writing short papers on a biweekly basis, although a longer project may be suitable at the semester's end.  A few film screenings and oral presentations will also be scheduled.  (Note: This course fulfills the Arts & Letters sector of the General Requirement.)