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English Spring Term Courses


Asian American Literature



Dr. Chih-Ping Chen

This discussion and travel course--on campus and in San Francisco- will examine the voices and the politics of identity location of Asian Americans through a representative selection of novels, poems, and drama. Who and what constitute the “Asian” in “Asian American”? Understanding Asian American identity in the twentieth century requires understanding how Asian American writers have negotiated an identity along issues of race, gender, language, nationalities, and,crucially, geography. Asian American writers embrace a multiplicity of identities as immigrants/citizens/expatriates, identities requiring complex negotiations in terms of ethnic and political affiliations between one’s “native” and one’s “adoptive” home. The hyphenated identities--“Chinese-American, “Japanese-American,” and “Indian- American,” among others--are forged around the overarching search for home and a need to belong. They embody places of origin as well as spaces for transformation and translation. Within these contexts, we will explore the following interconnected themes:

• History and Politics of Relocation and Assimilation

• Generational Conflicts

• Negotiating hyphenated identities

• Racial Fantasy and the Eternal Orient

Course limit: 15

Prerequisites:  None for 181, 2 prior literature courses for 381.

Dates of travel: Last week of Spring term

On-campus dates:  First three weeks of classes

Estimated course fee(s):  $1300-1500 covering air tickets, hotel, basic

transportation, guided tour fees and admission fees. Students should plan to

bring additional funds for personal entertainment and most meals.

Payment requirements and deposit deadlines:  TBA

Medieval Literature in England

 

ENG 183 / 383Medieval Literature in England Dr. Ute Stargardt & Dr. Dana Aspinall

Study medieval English literature on site.  Students will visit many medieval places, starting in London and traveling to other parts of Great Britain that are significant to the literary works included in the course. A trip to Wales, for example, is appropriate to readings of medieval Celtic legends of heroism and magic, while a trip to Battle will help students appreciate the decisive confrontation between King Harold Godwinson and William, Duke of Normandy, that changed English history and culture from one day to the next.

Course limit: 24
Pre-requisites: 
For Eng 183: Eng 101 or proficiency
For Eng 383: 2 English literature courses

Dates of travel:  
Thursday, April 23—Friday, May 22, 2009
On-campus dates:  none

Estimated course fee(s): $4,600.   Fee includes airfare, lodging in London, 8- day Rail Flexi Pass, 4 weekly tube passes, one performance in London’s Globe Theatre, and entrance fees for selected museums, exhibits, and excursions. Payment requirements and deposit deadlines: Non-refundable Deposit of $ 700 due no later than Friday, November 7.  The balance of $3900 is due in 3 equal installments of $ 1,300 on Friday, Dec. 12; Friday, January 30; and Friday, February 20.

What additional expenses should students anticipate? Alma College Spring Term registration fee, transportation to and from Detroit Metro Airport, books, meals, passport fees, and other personal expenses like medical services and prescription drugs.


 

  

 

 

 

Lakota Literature

 

ENG 182A / 382A Lakota:  Literature, Language and Culture Dr. Laura Von Wallmenich

Explore literature, language, history, and culture of the Lakota people — known to most Americans as the Sioux, or as “Plains Indians”.  The focus in this course will be on exploring twentieth century Lakota writers and storytellers. To understand a contemporary Lakota perspective, we must also explore the ancient traditions — the language, songs, rituals, and stories — that define and sustain Lakota culture, as well as the important historical contexts, including the Battle of Wounded Knee, the Ghost Dance, and the American Indian Movement.  Students will spend 12 days in South Dakota, including a 6-day stay on the Ogalala Lakota Pine Ridge Reservation, and visit the Badlands, the Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore, and Devil’s Tower.  The class will collaborate with COM 280E and will travel with that class for part of our time in South Dakota. Students will also participate in two service-learning projects, one with the Alma Public schools and  another with the Pine Ridge Reservation.  We travel to South Dakota on May 8th and return to campus on May 19th.  For more information on the course,

please see the course website at http://othello.alma.edu/~vonwallmenich/182SD/Welcome.html.

Limit: 12
Cost: $1800 (estimate)
Prerequisite: permission
Informational Meeting: October 2, 8 p.m. in SAC 303
Applications due: October 17

Writers of Key West

Writers of Key West
ENG 182B / 382B  

This course is a thematically and regionally designed literature course focusing on travel to develop historic and cultural awareness as it adds to the richness of the American literary experience.  Students will read works of several Key West writers onsite for a month, including novels by Ernest Hemingway, plays by Tennessee Williams, essays by Annie Dillard, and poetry by Elizabeth Bishop.  Fieldtrips to writers’ homes as well as an architectural tour and several side trips to see natural beauties of the area are planned.  Course assignments include thoughtful analysis of texts, active participation in discussions and presentations, daily journal keeping and poetry writing, and a final essay exam.  Students taking ENG 382A will have extensive research, presentations and a final critical paper.

Course limit: 24

Pre-requisites:  None for 182, 2 prior literature courses for 382.

Dates of travel: April 26 – May 21

On-campus dates:  none

Estimated course fee(s):

$2800 covering transportation, housing, island tour,fieldtrips and two group dinners.  Does not include cost of food.  Houses have fully equipped kitchens for student use.

Payment requirements and deposit deadlines:
$400 nonrefundable deposit
due Nov. 1.  Balance due in installments from December through March.

 

More than a third of all Alma students take part in at least one performance each year. The College offers majors in theatre, dance and music, but students of all majors may join in productions. The Remick Heritage Center for the Performing Arts is the region's premiere performing arts facility.

 

Faculty Profile

Dr. William Palmer

Dr. William Palmer
Departments: English

Although William Palmer stuttered throughout his childhood, he developed a love for words that continues to this day.

“Stuttering was a wound in my life, but inside this wound I found a gift — the ability to write and the ability to teach writing,” the professor of English says.