Hey everybody! This is yours truly, Marc Kohlman, bringing you what’s cool in the English Department.
Last time I told you about the top cool courses that are being taught this semester, and now we’re switching over to the cool courses that are coming this spring. I’m here with the scoop on one particular spring course that’s really exciting. This is Dr. Gerald Majer’s ENG 381 The End of the World. If you’re interested in the ways in which the apocalypse has been represented and how those representations affect the world and the psyche, you will definitely want to take this class.
I reached out to Dr. Majer to hear why he thought students might be interested in apocalyptic representations. Dr. Majer summed it up the attraction nicely: “things blowing up, all systems down, fire and earthquake and flood and minutes to go.” This class is about the fascinations of the apocalypse and looking at it socially, politically and psychologically.
Dr. Majer also told me that his students will “focus on matters of real import, talking about what we make of our world as we see it coming apart at the seams.” So the canvas is vast, but its also a context in which to understand individuals better, since it explores “the extremes of human behavior, the noble and ignoble characters.” As you can see, this is a class anyone can be fascinated with.
For the English Department, I’m Marc Kohlman. Special thanks to Dr. Gerald Majer for his time. See ya soon!