How do we decide what creative works to engage with? How did people discover what they loved before the Internet? How often is an algorithm influencing what we choose to watch, read, or listen to? What is the relationship between recommender systems and human reviewers? Are social media influencers critics?
How do we decide what creative works to engage with? How did people discover what they loved before the Internet? How often is an algorithm influencing what we choose to watch, read, or listen to? What is the relationship between recommender systems and human reviewers? Are social media influencers critics?
This course is meant to be “a study of important British writers from the Romantic era to the present,” but I propose that we approach it as an opportunity to consider the meaning of “modern” as a classification of writing. Two definitions of modern from the OED: “being in existence at this time” and “characterized by a departure from or a repudiation of accepted or traditional styles and values” suggest that the creative works considered modern are likely always changing. This is not to be confused with capital “M” movements, groups, or styles like Modernist literature or Modern art. These are names given to categories created by scholars and critics making sense of creative works (often after the fact). I’ve learned that Modernist literature can feel far from modern to students in 2024. We’re going to keep this contradiction in the back of our minds this semester as we focus on literary innovations that emerged in the last two hundred or so years.
This course is meant to be “a study of important British writers from the Romantic era to the present,” but I propose that we approach it as an opportunity to consider the meaning of “modern” as a classification of writing. Two definitions of modern from the OED: “being in existence at this time” and “characterized by a departure from or a repudiation of accepted or traditional styles and values” suggest that the creative works considered modern are likely always changing. This is not to be confused with capital “M” movements, groups, or styles like Modernist literature or Modern art. These are names given to categories created by scholars and critics making sense of creative works (often after the fact). I’ve learned that Modernist literature can feel far from modern to students in 2024. We’re going to keep this contradiction in the back of our minds this semester as we focus on literary innovations that emerged in the last two hundred or so years.
The Connected Core makes it easy for students with a variety of interests to find relevant courses that fulfill core requirements. Connected Core courses invite students to draw meaningful connections between the humanities and their lives and future careers. Learning to view the complex problems we face through multiple perspectives encourages students in these courses to design innovative solutions to big, complex problems.
The Connected Core makes it easy for students with a variety of interests to find relevant courses that fulfill core requirements. Connected Core courses invite students to draw meaningful connections between the humanities and their lives and future careers. Learning to view the complex problems we face through multiple perspectives encourages students in these courses to design innovative solutions to big, complex problems.
