The University in Fiction is a course that I originally developed as an independent study, and went on to scale as a full class. The course examines fictional depictions of university life and how they align with the realities of and public attitudes toward higher education. Course readings included campus novels—novels set on college campuses—scholarly sources about campus novels, as well as texts that examine the history, philosophy, and transformation of higher education.
backwards design
syllabus design
bloom's taxonomy
This course was born out of my overlapping interests in higher education and literature. Guided by Dr. Margaret Debelius, I explored fictional depictions of higher education and what they reflected about attitudes towards academia. Specifically, I explored themes of anti-intellectualism, satire and the fabrication of stakes in the academy, academic freedom, and aestheticizing academia. Texts for the initial course included The Groves of Academe by Mary McCarthy, Straight Man by Richard Russo, Loner by Teddy Wayne, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, and Babel by R.F. Kuang, as well as a variety of accompanying scholarly sources.
The culmination of the independent study was a scaled-out syllabus, which allowed me to revisit the sources—now having read all of them—and piece them together more intentionally. The scaled course involves more reflection and reading questions, as well as opportunities for collaborative work.