A comprehensive survey of American Transcendentalism through the writing of its major figures (Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller) as well as more overshadowed club members like Orestes Brown, Bronson Alcott and Ellery Channing. We will explore the debates the movement set off among thinkers of the 19th Century, especially concerning slavery, Abolitionism, and women’s rights, and come to a keen understanding of Transcendentalism not just as a philosophical ideal, but as a radical new way of living that only could have flowered in the roiling America of the 1830s and 1840s. Students will write frequent responses to their reading throughout the term and two papers.
Learning Outcomes:
Students will gain familiarity with primary texts from the 19th Century and build their capacities for close reading and analysis.
Students will collaborate on guided projects to deepen their understanding of scholarly research.
Students will write frequent critical responses and build their analytical skills by proposing an abstract for their final and developing it into a paper or project.
Delivery Method: Fully in-person
Course Level: 2000-level
Credits: 4
W 8:30AM - 12:10PM (Full-term)
Maximum Enrollment: 20
Course Frequency: Every 2-3 years
Categories: 2000 , All courses , Cancelled Courses , Four Credit , Fully In-Person , Updates
Tags: 19th century american lit , American literature , Transcendentalism , writing intensive