Fall 2023 Special Topic: Reporting from the Margins

In this course, we’ll study, report and write stories that are told from uncommon, unlikely and surprising perspectives. In many cases, the stories we consume are told from “the center” of an event; in this class, we’ll look at ways that reporters engage with subjects whose perspectives the public might not recognize as relevant, or central, or obviously meaningful to a story. 

One example: in November 1963, following the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the reporter Jimmy Breslin, in an attempt to capture the gravity of the president’s death, spent the morning with 43-year-old Clifton Pollard. Why Pollard? Pollard was not Kennedy’s best friend; he was not the president’s policy advisor, nor was he central in any way to Kennedy’s public image. The reason Breslin chose to prioritize Pollard’s voice was simple: Pollard, as an employee of Arlington National Cemetery, was the last person to serve the president—by digging his grave, for his usual hourly rate of $3.01 per hour. 

How does engaging with such subjects—offering their voices, and prioritizing their perspectives and experiences--change our understanding of the stories we tell? How does it shape the way we present the meaning of an event? How does it challenge us as reporters to center the experience of people might not be seen as an “important” or “central” part of public discourse?

Interested students should contact the instructor, Prof. Jaed Coffin, to reserve a seat: https://cola.unh.edu/person/jaed-coffin

General English majors may take ENGL 721 for Capstone credit if all stated pre-reqs have been met and it is not taken to satisfy other major requirement areas. Pick up a Capstone Declaration Form in the main English office (HS 230F) if interested. 

Special Topic Fall 2023: Shakespeare in the 21st Century

This course is designed to introduce you to issues and practices that have become central to Shakespeare criticism and performance in the past twenty-five years. We'll examine the ways in which cross-gender and cross-racial casting has reshaped Shakespeare performance, the rise of Shakespearean adaptation and same-language "translation," the globalization of Shakespeare, festival performance, screen Shakespeare (especially the small screen), efforts to bring decolonization and social justice to the fore in teaching and performance, and the vexed question of "canceling" Shakespeare, among other issues. In addition to delving deep into several Shakespeare plays, we will read a range of essays and view many different kinds of Shakespeare performances. This course will assume that you have some previous familiarity with Shakespeare; it is an ideal follow-up to ENGL 657, "Introduction to Shakespeare." Requirements will include short writing assignments, a class presentation, and a final research paper. 

This course satisfies a Pre-1800 Literature requirement for English Department majors. 

General English majors may take ENGL 758 for Capstone credit if it is not taken to satisfy other major requirement areas. Pick up a Capstone Declaration Form in the main English office (HS 230F) if interested.