ENGL - 378. Contemporary American Literature

3 credit(s)
This is a multi-genre survey of American literature produced in the contemporary period (1980s to the present). We will examine literary texts in their historical, social and aesthetic contexts, exploring the various ways American literature responds to the complexities of race, class, gender, and sexuality in contemporary society. In part, this means thinking about American literature in an increasingly postmodern, multicultural, global context. Course readings will draw from a diverse range of contemporary American authors. Reading selections will vary, but could include works by: Sherman Alexie, T.C. Boyle, Raymond Carver, Junot Diaz, Don DeLillo, Louise Erdrich, Jeffrey Eugenides, Jonathan Franzen, Jorie Graham, Gish Jen, Edward P. Jones, Jhumpa Lahiri, Change-rae Lee, Cormac McCarthy, Toni Morrison, Sharon Olds, Philip Roth, Kay Ryan, Paula Vogel, and August Wilson.

Attribute: AMSC, ARTS, ASLT, LTAM