CHTR 3840

I loved this class! I used it to fulfill my second-year writing requirement and it was a really worthwhile experience. However, I definitely would only recommend it if you're actually interested in literature. There is a fair amount of readings (100-200 pages) with an occasional movie per class, but since class is once a week it's doable. The emphasis seems to be more on the literature itself rather than improving your writing, which is probably because it also satisfies a requirement for East Asian studies. There's a quiz at the start of the semester which isn't awful and only counts as 2% of your grade. There are three short papers, 3 pages each double-spaced, which count for 12%. They're not too bad to write at all and you also have the opportunity to revise each one. You do an after-class discussion post every week which counts for completion and is a very nice grade boost. I would recommend writing them in class during discussion so you can just post them afterwards rather than do it later. There is also a final term paper that is about 10 pages double-spaced, but it is supposed to be an extension of one of the short papers so again, it's not too bad. Class is a bit dry at the start because it's mostly lecture and the context of the readings, but the next half of class involves talking within assigned groups and with assigned questions, so if your group is cool, then the rest of class will be a breeze. Laughlin does cold call but he'll just ask for your group's thoughts during the discussion aspect of class, so you should generally be prepared to answer his questions. Overall, this course is a pretty fun way to fulfill some requirements and you should have no trouble securing a decent grade. The readings are also super interesting, and while some are rather obscure, most can be googled online in case you need any other sources to supplement your understanding.