Fall 2022
Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Dramatic Arts, English, and Religion
Stephen Shoemaker PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
This proseminar focuses on the research, writing, critical and analytical skills necessary to produce a successful graduate-level research project in the humanities. Attention is paid to the development of competency in close-reading and to the strategies of textual analysis. Because skills learned in this course are useful in subsequent courses, it is the first course that prospective Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) candidates should take toward the degree (or the second, if they are completing the expository writing prerequisite). While not designed to be a thesis or capstone proposal course, this course does serve as a foundation for eventual work on the thesis or capstone.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO E-42a is strongly recommended. In addition, at the first class meeting, students must complete a writing assignment that demonstrates their graduate-level reading comprehension and ability to write coherent, logical arguments.
Spring 2023
Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Dramatic Arts, English, and Religion
Elise Madeleine Ciregna PhD, Program Administrator, Committee on the Study of Religion, Harvard University
This proseminar focuses on the research, writing, critical and analytical skills necessary to produce a successful graduate-level research project in the humanities. Attention is paid to the development of competency in close-reading and to the strategies of textual analysis. Because skills learned in this course are useful in subsequent courses, it is the first course that prospective Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) candidates should take toward the degree (or the second, if they are completing the expository writing prerequisite). While not designed to be a thesis or capstone proposal course, this course does serve as a foundation for eventual work on the thesis or capstone.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO E-42a is strongly recommended. In addition, at the first class meeting, students must complete a writing assignment that demonstrates their graduate-level reading comprehension and ability to write coherent, logical arguments.
Spring 2023
Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Dramatic Arts, English, and Religion
Stephen Shoemaker PhD, Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University
This proseminar focuses on the research, writing, critical and analytical skills necessary to produce a successful graduate-level research project in the humanities. Attention is paid to the development of competency in close-reading and to the strategies of textual analysis. Because skills learned in this course are useful in subsequent courses, it is the first course that prospective Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) candidates should take toward the degree (or the second, if they are completing the expository writing prerequisite). While not designed to be a thesis or capstone proposal course, this course does serve as a foundation for eventual work on the thesis or capstone.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO E-42a is strongly recommended. In addition, at the first class meeting, students must complete a writing assignment that demonstrates their graduate-level reading comprehension and ability to write coherent, logical arguments.
Fall 2022
Proseminar: Introduction to Graduate Studies in Dramatic Arts, English, and Religion
Collier Brown PhD, Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
This proseminar focuses on the research, writing, critical and analytical skills necessary to produce a successful graduate-level research project in the humanities. Attention is paid to the development of competency in close-reading and to the strategies of textual analysis. Because skills learned in this course are useful in subsequent courses, it is the first course that prospective Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) candidates should take toward the degree (or the second, if they are completing the expository writing prerequisite). While not designed to be a thesis or capstone proposal course, this course does serve as a foundation for eventual work on the thesis or capstone.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO E-42a is strongly recommended. In addition, at the first class meeting, students must complete a writing assignment that demonstrates their graduate-level reading comprehension and ability to write coherent, logical arguments.
Spring 2023
Proseminar: Elements of the Writer's Craft
Leah De Forest MFA, Writer
This is an intensive course in the craft and analysis of prose from a writer's perspective. Francine Prose, in her book Reading Like a Writer, observes that historically "writers learned by reading the work of their predecessors." In other words, we cannot write well if we do not know how to read well. The focus of this course is to teach prose writers how to read well. Students explore the potential and possibilities of different approaches to writing, and, by the end of the course, apply their close reading to their own fiction and nonfiction. The goal of this course is to build a deep understanding of key elements of craft through close reading and textual analysis of the work of master prose writers. We analyze the work of these writers, discussing how they employ structure, character, setting, dialogue, point of view, and other aspects of craft. Students write critically and creatively, both in class and out of class, about the works under discussion and about possible applications to their own creative writing. Students examine the conscious choices about craft that published writers make in order to fully realize a piece of writing.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO E-42a is strongly recommended. Students in this course are expected to have a firm command of grammar, syntax, and prose composition, and to have read widely.
Spring 2023
Proseminar: Elements of the Writer's Craft
Elisabeth Sharp McKetta PhD, Writer
This is an intensive course in the craft and analysis of prose from a writer's perspective. Francine Prose, in her book Reading Like a Writer, observes that historically "writers learned by reading the work of their predecessors." In other words, we cannot write well if we do not know how to read well. The focus of this course is to teach prose writers how to read well. Students explore the potential and possibilities of different approaches to writing, and, by the end of the course, apply their close reading to their own fiction and nonfiction. The goal of this course is to build a deep understanding of key elements of craft through close reading and textual analysis of the work of master prose writers. We analyze the work of these writers, discussing how they employ structure, character, setting, dialogue, point of view, and other aspects of craft. Students write critically and creatively, both in class and out of class, about the works under discussion and about possible applications to their own creative writing. Students examine the conscious choices about craft that published writers make in order to fully realize a piece of writing.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO E-42a is strongly recommended. Students in this course are expected to have a firm command of grammar, syntax, and prose composition, and to have read widely.
Spring 2023
Proseminar: Elements of the Writer's Craft
Katie Beth Kohn MA, Doctoral Candidate, Visual and Environment Studies, Harvard University
This is an intensive course in the craft and analysis of prose from a writer's perspective. Francine Prose, in her book Reading Like a Writer, observes that historically "writers learned by reading the work of their predecessors." In other words, we cannot write well if we do not know how to read well. The focus of this course is to teach prose writers how to read well. Students explore the potential and possibilities of different approaches to writing, and, by the end of the course, apply their close reading to their own fiction and nonfiction. The goal of this course is to build a deep understanding of key elements of craft through close reading and textual analysis of the work of master prose writers. We analyze the work of these writers, discussing how they employ structure, character, setting, dialogue, point of view, and other aspects of craft. Students write critically and creatively, both in class and out of class, about the works under discussion and about possible applications to their own creative writing. Students examine the conscious choices about craft that published writers make in order to fully realize a piece of writing.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO E-42a is strongly recommended. Students in this course are expected to have a firm command of grammar, syntax, and prose composition, and to have read widely.
January 2023
Proseminar: Elements of the Writer's Craft
Bryan Delaney MA, Playwright and Screenwriter
This is an intensive course in the craft and analysis of prose from a writer's perspective. Francine Prose, in her book Reading Like a Writer, observes that historically "writers learned by reading the work of their predecessors." In other words, we cannot write well if we do not know how to read well. The focus of this course is to teach prose writers how to read well. Students explore the potential and possibilities of different approaches to writing, and, by the end of the course, apply their close reading to their own fiction and nonfiction. The goal of this course is to build a deep understanding of key elements of craft through close reading and textual analysis of the work of master prose writers. We analyze the work of these writers, discussing how they employ structure, character, setting, dialogue, point of view, and other aspects of craft. Students write critically and creatively, both in class and out of class, about the works under discussion and about possible applications to their own creative writing. Students examine the conscious choices about craft that published writers make in order to fully realize a piece of writing.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. The last day to take the test of critical reading and writing skills for this section is December 1. Students registered in the alternate expository writing course in the fall term may not register for this section. EXPO E-42a is strongly recommended. Students in this course are expected to have a firm command of grammar, syntax, and prose composition, and to have read widely.
Fall 2022
Proseminar: Elements of the Writer's Craft
Leah De Forest MFA, Writer
This is an intensive course in the craft and analysis of prose from a writer's perspective. Francine Prose, in her book Reading Like a Writer, observes that historically "writers learned by reading the work of their predecessors." In other words, we cannot write well if we do not know how to read well. The focus of this course is to teach prose writers how to read well. Students explore the potential and possibilities of different approaches to writing, and, by the end of the course, apply their close reading to their own fiction and nonfiction. The goal of this course is to build a deep understanding of key elements of craft through close reading and textual analysis of the work of master prose writers. We analyze the work of these writers, discussing how they employ structure, character, setting, dialogue, point of view, and other aspects of craft. Students write critically and creatively, both in class and out of class, about the works under discussion and about possible applications to their own creative writing. Students examine the conscious choices about craft that published writers make in order to fully realize a piece of writing.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO E-42a is strongly recommended. Students in this course are expected to have a firm command of grammar, syntax, and prose composition, and to have read widely.
Fall 2022
Proseminar: Elements of the Writer's Craft
Katie Beth Kohn MA, Doctoral Candidate, Visual and Environment Studies, Harvard University
This is an intensive course in the craft and analysis of prose from a writer's perspective. Francine Prose, in her book Reading Like a Writer, observes that historically "writers learned by reading the work of their predecessors." In other words, we cannot write well if we do not know how to read well. The focus of this course is to teach prose writers how to read well. Students explore the potential and possibilities of different approaches to writing, and, by the end of the course, apply their close reading to their own fiction and nonfiction. The goal of this course is to build a deep understanding of key elements of craft through close reading and textual analysis of the work of master prose writers. We analyze the work of these writers, discussing how they employ structure, character, setting, dialogue, point of view, and other aspects of craft. Students write critically and creatively, both in class and out of class, about the works under discussion and about possible applications to their own creative writing. Students examine the conscious choices about craft that published writers make in order to fully realize a piece of writing.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO E-42a is strongly recommended. Students in this course are expected to have a firm command of grammar, syntax, and prose composition, and to have read widely.
Fall 2022
Proseminar: Elements of the Writer's Craft
Elisabeth Sharp McKetta PhD, Writer
This is an intensive course in the craft and analysis of prose from a writer's perspective. Francine Prose, in her book Reading Like a Writer, observes that historically "writers learned by reading the work of their predecessors." In other words, we cannot write well if we do not know how to read well. The focus of this course is to teach prose writers how to read well. Students explore the potential and possibilities of different approaches to writing, and, by the end of the course, apply their close reading to their own fiction and nonfiction. The goal of this course is to build a deep understanding of key elements of craft through close reading and textual analysis of the work of master prose writers. We analyze the work of these writers, discussing how they employ structure, character, setting, dialogue, point of view, and other aspects of craft. Students write critically and creatively, both in class and out of class, about the works under discussion and about possible applications to their own creative writing. Students examine the conscious choices about craft that published writers make in order to fully realize a piece of writing.
Prerequisites: A satisfactory score on the mandatory test of critical reading and writing skills or a B or higher grade in the alternate expository writing course. EXPO E-42a is strongly recommended. Students in this course are expected to have a firm command of grammar, syntax, and prose composition, and to have read widely.
Fall 2022
Sea Monsters Throughout the Ages: Fables, Films, and Facts
Peter Girguis PhD, Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
There have always been tales of sea monsters. For as long as we humans have ventured into the ocean, our imaginations have conjured images of serpents, krakens, leviathans, and other creatures, all of whom seem bent on the destruction of those who dare set foot into the sea. Humankind's conviction that sea monsters are real is so powerful that even today rumors abound of sea monsters lurking in the depths. Indeed, every major religion eastern and western features sea monsters. Are these declarations true? Do giants roam the deep sea? Did the explorers of centuries ago see creatures from their small wooden boats that we do not see today? During this course we explore sea monsters through a social, spiritual, literary, and scientific lens. We study the sea monsters that flourish on ancient maps to understand the minds of sixteenth century scholars. We examine the bodies of real sea monsters, and consider the world in which such grotesque creatures might evolve. We read tales of creatures from classic and contemporary literature. Most importantly, we develop a better understanding of how humans perceive the world, and how our consciousness can simultaneously embrace our wildest dreams and cower from our greatest fears. Sea monsters, both real and imagined, tell us much about life in the deep sea, and even more about humankind.
Fall 2022
Dreams: From Antiquity to Modernity
Panagiotis Roilos PhD, George Seferis Professor of Modern Greek Studies and of Comparative Literature, Harvard University
Dreaming is one of the most intriguing distinctive qualities of the human mind and soul. Against the dual background of ancient and medieval commentaries, on the one hand, and modern psychoanalytic and ethnographic approaches and cognitive studies, on the other, diverse literary texts and theories of dream interpretation are explored. This course addresses the following questions: how do different cultures dream and approach this fascinating activity of the human psyche? Why do we tell others our dreams? How are dreams related to linguistic discourse, in general, and to literature, in particular? How do oral narratives and literary texts interact? How do different cultures produce different typologies of dreams? How do we integrate texts from the Hellenistic and Greco-Roman worlds with modern ones? How do we juxtapose theoretical treatises with literary texts? Where does anthropology play a part? How are dream themes and images formed, transmitted, and interpenetrated across time and genres? Theoretical readings to include Aristotle, Aelius Aristides, Artemidorus, Synesius of Cyrene, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Claude L vi-Strauss, Michel Foucault, and Jean-Fran ois Lyotard. We discuss movies by Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorcese, and Andrei Tarkovsky.
Spring 2023
Masterpieces of World Literature
Martin Puchner PhD, Byron and Anita Wien Professor of Drama and of English and Comparative Literature, Harvard University - David Damrosch PhD, Ernest Bernbaum Professor of Comparative Literature, Harvard University
This course surveys world literature from the Epic of Gilgamesh to the present, with an emphasis on different cultures and writing traditions. Produced by HarvardX, the course is based not on lectures but on a more vivid dialogue format between instructors Martin Puchner and David Damrosch. The course also includes travel footage from Istanbul and Troy to Jaipur and Weimar and interviews with authors, such as Orhan Pamuk, and other experts.
Fall 2022
Mental Health and Mental Illness through Literature and the Arts
Karen Thornber PhD, Harry Tuchman Levin Professor in Literature, Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
Mental health experts believe that globally, even before COVID-19, more than one billion people had a diagnosable mental disorder. The numbers and intensity have only increased in the years since the onset of the pandemic. And yet the biases and misconceptions surrounding mental illness, not to mention the dehumanization and abuse in many communities of individuals with a mental illness, remains acute. This course uses literature and the arts to help students learn more about some of the prevalent biases, misconceptions, myths, and stigmas against individuals with mental illness and how these biases could be (and in the past have been) ameliorated.
Spring 2023
Family Drama: Bonds of Blood and Feeling in Greek Tragedy
Keating Patrick Joseph McKeon PhD, Preceptor in Expository Writing, Harvard University
Family, in all its forms, has been a central concern of dramatists throughout the ages. The three major tragedians of the fifth-century BCE Athenian theater are no exception. In numerous works, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides depict the complexity of familial bonds connecting spouses, siblings, parents and children, and generations past and present. This course explores Attic tragedy by surveying the diverse, and sometimes disturbing, manifestations of these relationships across seven plays, devoting particular attention to the theatrical construction of gender. Family can be a safe space: it is a source of profound love, immense sacrifice, and courageous solidarity. But family may also threaten grave dangers: old resentments blossom, new disputes loom, and the weight of ancient wrongs is never fully relieved. As we immerse ourselves in the most intimate dynamics of families not our own, we consider the persistent draw of this thematic focus for playwrights and probe the larger commentaries inherent to the families of theater on the nature of dramatic performance itself, and on the cohesion of the civic community. Is family fundamentally a source of stability or insecurity? What does any one person owe their parents, children, siblings, and fellow citizens? Are we all dealing with an undiagnosed Oedipus or Electra complex? Can the women of Greek tragedy truly speak when they are scripted, acted, and viewed exclusively by men? Does democracy wither without good drama? Students are invited to think creatively in assessing points of evolution and continuity in social and literary understandings of family.
Spring 2023
Why Beethoven?
Paul-André Bempéchat DMA, Research Associate, Department of Physics, Harvard University
This course focuses on the centrality of Ludwig van Beethoven to the evolution of music, not simply at the technical and spiritual levels, but how his stupendous influence over the world of classical music transcended into high art and popular culture. We examine in tandem the evolution of his musical style with representative paintings and sculptures of him and of monuments in his honor. How Beethoven became central to the Peanuts comic strip and inspired eponymous and biographical films plays a significant role in this course. Why, for example, would a Saint Bernard have been called "Beethoven" and not another breed of dog? Why and how did "F r Elise" become such an iconic piano work, adored by many, deplored and bemoaned by as many? How have the opening motive of his Fifth Symphony and the "Ode to Joy" of the Finale to the Ninth borne the mantle of human rights? And finally, has Beethoven been overpopularized? We also examine popular representations serious, whimsical, and gaudy to substantiate his ubiquitous stature in world culture. These and many more issues and questions are discussed as we discover and for some, rediscover at least fourteen major works during this fourteen-week course. In addition to in-class time, private tutorials are available to discuss issues of writing techniques, specific issues related to musical vocabulary, and bibliography.
Prerequisites: A musical background and reading knowledge of German would be most helpful, but are not required.
Spring 2023
Introduction to German Literature and Thought
John T. Hamilton PhD, William R. Kenan Professor of German and Comparative Literature, Harvard University
This is a survey course on major works in German literature, philosophy, and critique from the mid-eighteenth century to the twentieth century. Close reading of representative texts opens onto broader ramifications in cultural and intellectual history with further consideration of societal and political tensions. Periods and themes covered include the enlightenment and the rise of the bourgeoisie, romanticism, idealism, and the problem of identity; realism and nationhood; language and political crises; and the guilt, responsibility, and existential angst that mark the postwar period.
Spring 2023
Buddhism and Japanese Artistic Traditions
Ryuichi Abe PhD, Reischauer Institute Professor of Japanese Religions, Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University
This course is designed to enable students to analyze a wide range of Japanese artistic creations including the traditional Noh theater, modern Japanese paintings, and contemporary anime by illustrating the influence of Buddhist philosophy both on their forms and in their depths. The first part of the course is a study of major Buddhist theories and their impact on Japanese literature. The second part observes Buddhist ritual practices and their significance for Japanese performing arts. The last part traces the development of Japanese Buddhist art, and considers the influence of Buddhism on diverse contemporary popular Japanese art media.
Spring 2023
Frida Kahlo's Mexico: Women, Arts, and Revolution
María Luisa Parra PhD, Senior Preceptor in Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
This course revolves around the short and creative life of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, as a window to explore the cultural and political revolution that shaped Mexico's identity in the twentieth century and continues to influence Mexican's daily lives. Kahlo lived at a time when Soviet politics and French surrealism merged with national agendas that sought to redefine Mexico's identity through the integration of their indigenous heritage. The result was a time of booming creativity in the arts, radical expansion of educational and political agendas, as well as a redefinition of women's identity, sexuality, and the Mexican family. We trace Kahlo's romantic and artistic relationship with Diego Rivera as we learn about the Mexican muralism and graphic arts traditions along with the beauty of Mexican music and popular culture. We also become familiar with the works of some of Kahlo's female artist friends, such as Lola lvarez Bravo, Tina Moditti, Aurora Reyes and Mar a Izquierdo, who gave voice to the voiceless: women, indigenous communities, and the disabled. Finally, we explore topics of Kahlo's representations in media, the commodification of her persona, and how and why she has become a global icon.
Fall 2022
The Culture of Convenience
John T. Hamilton PhD, William R. Kenan Professor of German and Comparative Literature, Harvard University
Digitization has had many consequential effects in our personal, social, and political lives. How might we understand these effects? How might we distinguish between the beneficial and the detrimental? If the digital age has flattened the world, what are the limits of convenience and how might we evade the pitfalls of complacency? The course considers these and related questions through a careful review of literary texts and artworks, alongside social, political, and philosophical critiques.