Transfer Student Research Sem: Fictions on Record: Journalism, Literature, & Claims to Truth

Catalog description

Literature tends to be seen as a space for dynamic aesthetic experimentation and critical thought. But journalistic texts are rarely granted the same transcendence. How, then, can journalism be read as literature? This seminar examines the relationship between journalism and literature in the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. Coursework is centered on the following questions: what claims to truth are at work in narrative fiction versus journalistic storytelling? Are certain kinds of fictional and nonfictional accounts better positioned than others to take up political, aesthetic, and philosophical concerns? How have literature and journalism historically interacted with, and reacted to, each other? Small writing assignments over the course of the semester and a short mid-term essay will allow students to practice elements of academic research and writing in preparation for a final research paper, which will be developed and polished in a series of workshops. Readings may include excerpts from the work of: Svetlana Alexievich, Hannah Arendt, James Baldwin, Truman Capote, Joan Didion, Ryszard Kapuściński, Valeria Luiselli, José Martí, Rodolfo Walsh, and Ida B. Wells.