A Random Walk Through Literature and Film

3-0-9 units. HASS-A; CI-H · Undergraduate

Focuses on the activity of walking in poems, novels, essays, film, and in everyday life. Combines reading and discussion with experiential learning. Considers broad historical transformations in the practice and representation of walking. Students conduct regular walks in the Greater Boston area on themes suggested by class material. In creative nonfiction assignments, students narrate their own walking experiences and engage imaginatively with the works under discussion. Authors and filmmakers vary but may include: Jane Austen, Henry David Thoreau, Virginia Woolf, Frank O'Hara, Richard Linklater, and Ava DuVernay. Enrollment limited.