ENGL 5517 Capstone: Love and Indoctrination
Capstone classes may NOT be taken Pass/Fail. You may take only ONE Capstone class before graduation. Seniors only. In our world of political spin and fake news, the surveillance state and social media, the pressure to separate whats real and valuable from whats fake and mere propaganda (another way of saying lies) is paramount, and critical for figuring out how to live, practically, spiritually, intellectually and psychologically. In George Orwells 1984, the affair of Winston Smith and Julia threatens the entire structure of Big Brother. Why? What is it about love that threatens large systems based on indoctrination? In this course we will explore and develop working definitions of both love and indoctrination in order to differentiate them.
Course overview
- Department
- English
- School
- MCAS
- Credits
- 3
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Offered
- Periodically in the Spring
Requirements fulfilled
- English: Earlier literatures in English: eighteenth- or nineteenth-century literature, 1700-1900 (one course, 3 credits) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- English: Earlier literatures in English: medieval or early-modern literature, before 1700 (one course, 3 credits) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- English: Major electives (five courses, 15 credits) from department offerings (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- English: Race, Blackness, and Language requirement (one course) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- English: Seminar (one course): a departmental seminar, ordinarily a grad/undergrad seminar numbered ENGL5000-6999; creative writing workshops do not count (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
Course evaluations
- Course rating
- 4.69 / 5 · Excellent
- Instructor rating
- 4.85 / 5 · Excellent
- Terms evaluated
- 1
| Term | Instructor | Course overall | Instructor overall | Well organized | Clear learning objectives | Intellectually challenging | Helpful assignments | Applicable beyond course | Attendance necessary | Weekly effort | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2022 | Thomas Kaplan-Maxfield | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 1–3 hrs/week | 13 of 16 |