Anthology

Special Topics in Writing:
Fictional Time and Place
ENGL-400-01 CRN: 41361
M 6:30-10:10pm CO 413
Porter Shreve
“Once upon a time,” wrote Charles Dickens in A Christmas Carol, “old Scrooge sat
busy in his counting house.” Why do so many stories begin this way? Because in order
to offer an escape, a fully immersive experience, writers have to be world-builders.
The world must be specific and believable even if it never existed or never could exist
in real life. In this class we will focus on place — setting, image, landscape — and time
— the past, the future. We will read three novels, one novella, and several short stories
by mostly contemporary writers including James McBride, Anthony Doerr, Emily St.
John Mandel, Julie Otsuka, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Alice Walker, George Saunders, Karen
Russell, and Stephen Millhauser.
Prerequisite: Completion of Core, Area C1 requirement.
Completion of ENGL-192 requirement.
Special Topics:
Native American Women Writers
ENGL-410-01 CRN: 41362
MW 6:30-8:15pm CO 317
Carol J. Batker
In this seminar, we will read Native American women’s writing in diverse
historical and cultural contexts. Initially, we will read a series of articles that
theorize and politicize approaches to American Indian literatures,
foregrounding the critical writing of Native women authors and scholars.
Engaging with this body of work, we will examine Native American
women’s writing, primarily fiction, from the early twentieth century to the
present. Our coursework will be interdisciplinary and will include a campus
exhibit on Native California Arts as well as the annual American Indian Film
Festival in downtown San Francisco.
Prerequisite: Completion of Core, Area C1 requirement.
Completion of ENGL-192 requirement.
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