MCEN 1080 Literature Core

Literature Core: Crossing BordersReading, Thinking, Writing is a college level introductory course to literature. We will study texts of different genres (fiction, graphic novels, drama, and films) that deal with the experience of border crossing. In this course, we will take borders to mean both spatial or geopolitical boundaries (e.g., between towns, states, countries, continents, etc.) and boundaries based on social and cultural categories (gender, social class, race, ethnicity, etc.). We will be interested in the ways texts represent these borders and the people who inhabit these spaces. How do literary texts, graphic novels or films creatively depict the experience of crossing borders? How do these texts imagine the way these borders and the act of crossing borders shape peoples understanding of themselves, others, and the world? How do these texts imaginatively represent how people negotiate, transgress, and shape these borders? How do literary texts represent the challenges and the possibilities for peoples of different backgrounds to learn to live together harmoniously?