ENGLIT 1415 - READING AND WRITING COMMUNITIES

Minimum Credits: 3
Maximum Credits: 3
This course will allow students to explore the intersection of literature and community, and to practice literature-based community engagement in a series of structured experiences with Pittsburgh residents. These experiences will be guided by best practices of community engagement, which the students will read about and discuss throughout the semester. A portion of the course will be devoted to reading and discussing books about Pittsburgh, and the different ways these books represent community. Another portion will consist of joint meetings with Pittsburgh residents who are reading the same books the students are reading. These meetings will be discussion based and guided by questions that encourage Pitt students and Pittsburgh residents to use the readings to reflect on their various experiences in the city. The discussions will also serve as opportunities for students and community members to learn from each other, and to understand the diverse experiences and backgrounds that shape the group's perspectives. In the final weeks of the course, Pitt students and Pittsburgh residents will work to plan a final event that looks back over the course as whole. Assignments throughout the semester will teach students how to critically reflect on their own personal perspectives, enter into dialogue with others', and engage with critical sources to understand how to read and write communities. The course will allow students to think about the value of literature and criticism outside the college classroom, specifically the ways it can be enriched by engagement with a broader community.
Academic Career: Undergraduate
Course Component: Seminar
Grade Component: LG/SNC Elective Basis

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