Banned Books

9 units · Undergraduate

Fall: 9 units Literature is powerful! Indeed, we're interested in books that are so controversial that people will shout, argue, and try to change laws in order to have a book removed from a curriculum, a school or public library, or a prison. At the same time, we'll learn about how, in response, other people work extremely hard to defend books against removal and censorship. The term "banned books" can be a bit misleading in the US context; only in very rare cases does the US federal government get involved in trying to ban or censor a published work. Nonetheless, the US is a hot spot for those who seek to attack books, and those who seek to defend them. In this course you will find that the actions of attackers and the actions of defenders are often mutually reinforcing. Every student in this course will contribute to a public facing website called The CMU Banned Books project. This website is used by journalists, scholars and activists around the world. Course Website: https://bit.ly/f26undergradenglish