ENGH 202: Texts and Contexts

ENGH 202-034: The American Memoir
(Fall 2021)

01:30 PM to 02:45 PM MW

Innovation Hall 207

Section Information for Fall 2021

In The American Memoir, we will read a variety of essays and book-length narratives based on the author’s memories and lived experiences. As we read and discuss these texts, we’ll engage with the ideas about American culture they raise, including the complications inherent in defining “American culture” in the first place. Ultimately, we’ll explore the various ways these texts accomplish the seemingly contradictory work of reflecting our collective national experience by grappling with the author’s personal life.

The work of this course will focus on three main goals: 

  • Understanding memoir as a genre and practicing reading strategies specific to creative nonfiction texts
  • Effectively performing textual analysis—learning to identify the literary elements at work in our memoirs and to make an argument about how they contribute to the overall meaning 
  • Effectively performing contextual analysis—identifying and evaluating the contribution of the social, political, historical, and cultural contexts in which our memoirs were produced 

Here are a few comments from previous students in this course:

  • “I've gotten more interested in literature over the semester now that I have the tools to appreciate it more!”
  • “I expected to not like the class much because I have never really liked non-fiction, but now bing in the class I love how memoirs are an art piece that has to be interpreted.”
  • I think my interest in memoirs especially has really grown. I love reading and writing, but I hated nonfiction. However, after this course, I really like reading memoirs because it is more personal than reading about a fictional character. I realized how interesting nonfiction can be and really enjoyed reading all the books we read.”
  • “I feel that after taking this course, my interest in reading in general has grown.  I understand now that there is so much more to books than just the words on the paper.  After taking this course, I can make sense of it.”
  • “I actually purchased a few of my own memoirs to read on my own. I want to see if I can understand them the way we did in class. I would also like to continue my own reading journals.”

View 13 Other Sections of this Course in this Semester »

Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Studies literary texts within the framework of culture. Examines texts within such categories as history, gender, sexuality, religion, race, class, and nation. Notes: Builds on reading and writing skills taught in ENGH 101. May be repeated within the term.
Mason Core: Literature
Specialized Designation: Topic Varies
Recommended Prerequisite: 3 credits of 100-level English.
Schedule Type: Lec/Sem #1, Lec/Sem #2, Lec/Sem #3, Lec/Sem #4, Lec/Sem #5, Lec/Sem #6, Lec/Sem #7, Lec/Sem #8, Lec/Sem #9, Lecture, Sem/Lec #10, Sem/Lec #11, Sem/Lec #12, Sem/Lec #13, Sem/Lec #14, Sem/Lec #15, Sem/Lec #16, Sem/Lec #17, Sem/Lec #18
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes.