Listed in: First Year Seminar, as FYSE-104
Thomas L. Dumm (Section 01)
In this course we will read and write about different works of autobiography and memoir, ranging from Jean Jacques Rousseau’s “Confessions” to Brittany Spears “The Woman in Me.” We will explore the underlying motives of the authors, from apologia to self-promotion to political argument, and discuss the varying techniques the authors use to tell their stories. Aside from Rousseau and Spears, we may consider works by Frederick Douglass, U.S. Grant, Maxine Hong Kingston, Mary Carr, Maya Angelou, Adolf Hitler, Stanley Cavell, and William Connolly. One option for students will be to write about themselves, though this will not be required of anyone.
Limited to 16 students. Open to first year students only. Fall semester. Professor Dumm
How to handle overenrollment: Dean handles this.
Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Emphasis on written work, analytic reading, class discussion.
Course Materials