ENG 101 - Autobiography/Biography

Semester Hours: 4

What’s the difference between memoir and autobiography, between memoir and fiction? Why should we care? If Oprah doesn’t know, who does? In this course, these and other concerns will guide us through the reading of several kinds of personal life stories, as presented in at least six books, from Elie Wiesel’s Night to Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Through class participation and analytical essays, emphasis will be placed on careful reading and interpretation. We’ll read one woman’s love story–with Africa–and another ornery little girl’s fight with cancer (and she wins). The class will operate as if it were a book club with students leading some of the discussions; projects, presentations, creative and analytical written responses to the work we’ll read constitute graded work

Intellectual Perspective: HC