TEACHING
INTERESTS:
I
teach graduate and undergraduate courses in American literature. Most of my courses are about fiction of
the twentieth century, but some also extend back to the nineteenth century or forward
to the twenty-first. Others look outward to other genres. A few of my courses
are "theory" courses that deal with the emergence of new media as
well as disputes over the meaning and value of culture, broadly defined. Below
are syllabi for courses I teach regularly and some I expect to offer in the
near future.
The Alternative Press (ENG 17a)
Cyber-Theory (ENG 101b)
The Superpower Novel
(ENG 257a: graduate)
Methods of Literary Study (ENG
200a: graduate)
American
Popular Music and Contemporary Fiction (ENG 177b)
American
Literature, 1900-2000 (ENG 7a)
Copyright
and Contemporary American Writing (ENG 217b: graduate)
Spring 2008:
American
Utopias (ENG 106b)
Nature
Writing (ENG 28a: new course)
Fall 2008:
The Worlds of
20th-Century American Fiction (new graduate seminar)
21st-Century
American Literature (ENG 8a)
Spring 2009:
American Writers and World
Affairs (ENG 187b)
New USem
RESEARCH
INTERESTS:
My
research analyzes political and social themes in contemporary North American
literature (literature of the US and Canada). My current book project asks how
contemporary American women writers have responded to changes in US
intellectual property law. In other recent projects, I have been interested in
new media technologies as well as literary representations of economic and
cultural globalization. Another topic I have studied is the relationship
between the Old Left and American literary culture. In the next few years, I
expect to develop a new research project on green literacy; I want to learn how
reading and writing can help us to perceive eco-systems more clearly.
For
a list of my publications and presentations, see CV.
OTHER:
Finding
Things to Read:
Contemporary American Literature Resources
Other Places to Find Interesting
New Literature
A Good Site for Theory
Buffs
One Spot to Find Free
Books Online. And another.
Volunteer
to Proofread or Produce Free Books
Unsolicited
Advice:
How to Proofread
How to Get a Good Letter
of Recommendation
Tips for English Graduate
Students:
Where to Find Conferences to Attend
Some Useful Information about the Job Market
How to Keep up with Issues in the Academy
EMAIL: irr@brandeis.edu
Last
updated 1/08