College Seminar (101-7-20)

Topic

Landscapes as Art

Instructors

Evan Mwangi

Meeting Info

Harris Hall L04: Mon, Wed 11:00AM - 12:20PM

Overview of class

This course will examine the use and representations of landscape in both rural and urban fictions, poetry, and cinema from different parts of the world and periods. We will discuss the symbolic and aesthetic effects generated through references and depictions of various landscapes. Topics will include landscape and gender/sexuality, navigating the academic landscape, landscape and power, landscape and the sea, and urban landscapes. We will also learn how to adduce evidence from artistic objects to support our arguments and how to write strong essays on different topics. Students will also revisit important topics, such as how to use of hard data to support interpretation of an artistic texts. Artists and theorists discussed will include Carwyn Graves, Abdulrazak, Gurnah, Ousmane Sembene, Anita Desai, J.M. Coetzee, H. Rider Haggard, Alison Booth, and Ngugi wa Thiong'o.

Teaching Method

Interactive lectures, debates, role play, one-on-one meetings with the professor, small group discussions, library and archival visits.

Evaluation Method

Two 5-page papers, weekly Canvas postings, regular self-evaluation, peer critiques, class participation, pop quizzes (ungraded), and 1-minute papers (ungraded).

Class Materials (Required)

Texts include:

1. Ngugi wa Thiong'o, The River Between. Penguin Classics; (2015 reprint) ISBN-10 : ‎ 9780143107491; ISBN-13‏: ‎ 978-0143107491
2. Anita Desai, The Village by the Sea, NYRB (2019 reprint); ISBN-10: 1681373513 ISBN-13‏: ‎ 978-1681373515
3. Abdulrazak Gurnah, Paradise: ‎ The New Press (1995 reprint); ISBN-10: ‎ 1565841638; ISBN-13‏: ‎ 978-1565841635
4. Allison Booth, The Painting. RedDoor Press (2022). ISBN-10: ‎ 1913062651 ISBN-13‏: ‎ 978-1913062651

Class Attributes

WCAS College Seminar

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Weinberg First Year Seminars are only available to first-year students.
Add Consent: Department Consent Required
Drop Consent: Department Consent Required