CMU Prison Education Project:

12 units · Undergraduate

Intermittent: 12 units (This course requires students to fill out a questionnaire and receive instructor approval. See course URL.) Getting a glimpse into someone else's life has always been a source of fascination. In this course, we will study how memoirs engage their readers, as well as design strategies for telling our own personal narratives. We will ask questions such as: what defines the truthfulness of a memoir? Can memoirs increase compassion? What makes a compelling memoir? Memoirs we will read include Bread of Angels by Patti Smith and Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton. This course is based on the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, and will be taught at SCI Somerset, a nearby prison. For more information about Inside/Out, see the website link. The course will include both "outside" students from CMU, as well as "inside" students at SCI Somerset. The course focuses on active participation and discussion between students. The Somerset class runs from 2:30-5:10 on Friday afternoons. CMU students will travel together by bus, leaving our campus at 12:30 sharp and return by around 6:15 pm. To enroll, students in the course will submit a brief application and interview with faculty. The course is part of an exciting initiative by CMU to bring education into America's prisons. Course Website: https://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/collester/community-engaged-learning/pep