Course to focus on universities

Next semester, students will be able to look at the University from a different perspective. A new course to be offered by the English Department entitled "Literature and the Idea of the University," will be team taught by Vice Provost Kim Morrisson and English Professor Robert Lucid. English 93 will integrate literary and educational texts in order to evaluate the theory behind the university as an institution. "What we intend to do is use a number of different philosophies of educational texts and literary texts," Morrisson said. "We're focusing on how we can illuminate the various texts with literary ideas." The texts for the class will include works by various essayists, philosophers and thinkers. They will range from those of Robert Maynard Hutchins, to John Henry Newman's Idea of the University. The literary texts will include Alan Lightman's Einstein's Dreams, Kingsley Amis' Lucky Jim and Don DeLillo's White Noise. "We've been kicking ideas around for the last five months or so," Morrisson said. "But we haven't worked out the full frame of it yet." She added that the course is directed toward upperclassmen, but will be open to anyone. English 93 will delve into the ideas of truth, teaching theory, the university's role in society and "the merits and risks of engagement," according to the department's course description. "The university has been and remains both the abstract ideal and the concrete space," the description reads. "Within that space is sought the realization of that ideal, reflecting sometimes a utopian vision and sometimes a painful disillusion." But Lucid called the description "only the tail of the dog." "What we're trying to do is create a relationship between the argument and the presentation of certain key educational texts?in connection with the modern literary texts," he added. "We're hoping that we can make it fly." Lucid explained that the course will be offered in a lecture format, capped at 50 people. "If we get 50 people, it's not going to be a very congenial atmosphere," he said. "But we would hope to get feedback from the people taking the course." Lucid said he is looking for input on possible literary texts -- a process he described as "a do-it-yourself invention of the chair." "Kim Morrisson is my secret weapon," he said. "She's going to take responsibility for the arguments of the educational philosophers and thinkers. I'm going to attempt to correlate it to literature. "I'm positive there's a very strong future for the idea," he added. "But we're a little apprehensive. We're just taking a chance on this one and hoping that we're going to come up with something that will have a future." The course will include a film schedule, in addition to four papers of approximately five pages each.