What should he do?

[Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock]

Alright, I've got to get my prescheduling done for next semester. And I'd like some of youse guys opinion (little PA language for ya'll, can you find it?). And I'd like answers before Noon tomorrow.

The question is, what Lit class should I take?
"Approaches to Lit,"
"War & Lit,"
"Contemporary American Fiction,"
and "Children's Lit."

So, which one? Any suggestions? I'm going to take Creative Writing as another english class. I may take Intro to Cultural Anthropology.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

It should entirely depend on what your interests in literature are. APproaches to Lit sounds like the most generic, so you could learn more about what you want from that. HOwever, War and Lit also sounds cool. Stacer will be sure to recommend Children's Lit, and if you like reading books marketed to younger people, you'd do well in that.

However, I don't care for 20th century American Lit, so I'll stay away from that, even though I have a set of something like 48 lectures on CD dealing with the subject.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

wouldnt contemporary American Fiction be 21st century american lit now?

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

No, I don't think that's what hte class would be about.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

American fiction since the 1920's then? theres some great authors in that catagory... Fitzgerald, Hemmingway, Grishum,... ok maybe not Hemingway

[stacer]

will be sure to recommend Children's Lit, and if you like reading books marketed to younger people, you'd do well in that.

Hear, hear! That is, if you like that kind of thing. It sounds like it's a survey class, so I'm sure you'll get a lot of reading on the picture book side, and work your way through middle readers and YA. If it's a good survey class, it'll cover nonfiction as well as fiction, and several of the major fiction genres. Even though I'm a children's lit advocate, though, the literature and war sounds fascinating.

Can you see a syllabus beforehand of any of your classes? Do you know anyone who has taken any of the classes? That might help you make your decision, though you're on a tight timeline. Many profs post their syllabi under the dept websites--you might find one or two and be able to compare.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

At least the reading wont be tough....  
Just kidding Stacer

[Mistress of Darkness]

I wonder if they mean 20th or the Contemporary movement in Am Lit. In any case, I'd stay away from that too, Gemm.

War & Lit might be fun, but sounds burdened with one particular political opinion. Children's Lit sounds the most enjoyable, to me.

[Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock]

Here's an address to the course descript's: http://www.canton.edu/can/can_start.taf?page=CD_EngHum

And for the clickity-challenged, I'll Copy and Paste them here too.

APPROACHES TO LITERATURE
This course is designed to acquaint students with different kinds of literature - plays, short stories, novels and poems - and with various methods of understanding literature. Students will read a wide variety of literary works and will be encouraged to employ proper literary terminology in writing about them. Emphasis will be on intelligent interpretation and on the relationships between literary themes and everyday life.

WAR AND LITERATURE
This course will investigate war from a literary and historical perspective. The course will focus on the significant American and European literature from the period of the Civil War to the Vietnam War. Through writings, recordings, and films, students will be able to examine human response and reaction, as well as various writers attitudes, toward the war experience.

CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN FICTION
Through the writings of current authors, this course will examine literary trends and their relationship to social, political, cultural phenomena in America. Students will be given an opportunity - through their own writing and class discussion - to explore contemporary ideas, values, and attitudes expressed in the literature.

CHILDRENS LITERATURE
This is a survey course of traditional and modern literature written for young children. Emphasis is on critical appreciation and understanding of literary qualities appealing and valuable to children.

And those are the four Lit's that I can take next semester.

[42]

My vote is for Children's Lit. or Approaches to Lit. I think those two seem to cover more and therefor seem less like a professor's pet project.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

There, you see, I hate most American fiction. Especially 20th century "literary" fiction. The exceptions I can count on one hand. Mark Twain, Steinbeck, mmmmmaybe Faulkner (but DANG he's hard to read). Very few others.

That War literature class sounds cool now that I know it's the literature written DURING, not just about.