[Another Spring semester is upon us, and with it my annual Spring semester previews. This time I’ll focus on one skill I’m excited to be teaching as part of each of these courses. Please share what you’ve got going on this semester and year as well!]
I’ve
written a lot in this space, especially in semester
previews and reflections
series, on my back and forth, both over the last few years and in different
specific courses, on whether to continue using longer readings like novels or
to focus entirely on shorter texts. My default has certainly shifted toward
shorter works, not only for reasons of attention span/focus but also because such
works are much more frequently available online for free (I try hard these days
not to require students to purchase readings). But I try to approach each
course and case on its own terms, and to think about when and how it does make
sense to use some longer works as well. This Spring I’ll be doing so in both
yesterday’s subject (Major American Authors) and in my American Lit II survey,
we’re start for example with two weeks each on Huck Finn and The
Marrow of Tradition. Both of those late 19th century works are
challenging to read in 2025, and I don’t expect most of the students will get
through all of them (and they’re able to do the work successfully even if they
can’t, to be clear). But I believe that they are well worth making the effort
for, and that the effort itself, the goal of staying focused on and engaged
with a longer text, is a skill worth continuing to practice despite all its
2025 challenges.
Last
preview post tomorrow,
Ben
PS. What’s
on your radar?
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