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5. Please select the
topics that interest you the most from the
following list, you research and essay will be
based on your preference. Rank the topics by
putting down the number in the brackets, “1”
being the top choice.
1st Choice:
2nd Choice:
3rd Choice:
4th Choice:
"The
Short Story"
Students in this course will write and think
critically about short story texts, from their
form, style, and method of communication. Are
short stories limited to a portraiture of a
moment? How does the short story, despite its
length, overcome barriers of pacing and
character development? Why do authors opt to
write short stories in the first place? What
does this literary medium offer that the novel
cannot? Students will read articles and essays
on writing, as well as explore the works of
Jhumpa Lahiri, Dorothy Parker, Roald Dahl, JD
Salinger and Edgar Allen Poe.
"Adaptation"
Is it possible to make a "good" movie adaptation
of a book? In this course, students will focus
on the process of translating text to film, and
what is lost - or perhaps gained - in the
process. While it is typical of critics and
audience members to instantly denounce film
adaptations, students will consider the assets
of the silver screen and how a rich text
description can be rendered visually.
Simultaneously, they will recall the reader's
autonomy as the imaginer and how this freedom is
stripped once a story is interpreted on screen.
Students will need to read two novels and a
short story in preparation: Jeffrey Eugenides'
Virgin Suicides, Michael Ondaatje's The English
Patient , and Annie Proulx's "Brokeback
Mountain." Students will ask the critical
question of whether these three films, because
they are less adaptive and more interpretative,
ought to be considered in an independent light -
as "inspired" rather than adapted works, and
where to draw the line.
“Persuasion”
What does it mean to persuade? Is persuasion
purely rational? Where do we draw the line
between persuasion and coercion? This course
will explore persuasion in its various forms and
purposes, from the speeches of great leaders to
the artful persuasion of literature. By reading
and learning about significant examples of
persuasion, we will investigate the nature of
persuasion and its impact on our daily lives.
During the span of the program, we shall come to
understand how we identify, perceive, and react
to persuasion, as well as hone our own ability
to persuade.
“Imagining the Future in the Age of Science”
Scientific advances in fields including
stem-cell research, cloning, and information
technology have left our society increasingly
unsure of what tomorrow might hold.
Controversies in science have long been an
inspiration for art as writers explore our fears
and hopes for the future. Students in this
course will investigate how writers utilize
scientific advancement as a lens for depicting
human nature and challenging moral principles.
Students will read George Orwell’s 1984, Aldous
Huxley’s A Brave New World, and watch the
2005 blockbuster hit, The Matrix
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