Betty Joseph

This course examines recent fiction in English by U.S., British, and international writers that showcases the rich and varied uses of the novel as a global form. We will read a select number of award-winning writers whose works have invented or re-visioned narrative modes and styles, bringing new and emergent contemporary realities to our attention. We will explore the profound and creative ways these works address everyday life amidst the complexities and abstractions of global and transnational issues, such as climate change, economic globalization, cultural diversity, immigration, war, social isolation, and national decline. The course will study new and emergent genres such as cli-fi, planetary narratives, autofiction, modern epics, cyberpunk, archival novels, and end-of-the world fiction, in tandem with the work of cultural critics who provide new theoretical tools for understanding an increasingly networked world, its reading audience and the imaginative and narrative tools --fictional, artistic, cinematic, electronic and visual--that we use to process the discrepant realities of the contemporary world.

A variable topics course. Please consult the English department website for additional course information. Recent topics have included Pragmatism and Postmodernity; Post-Structuralism and Postmodernity; Dimensions of Biopolitical Thought; and Affect Theory Repeatable for Credit.

Dissertation research for PhD candidates. Repeatable for Credit.