Description
LIT240: BANNED LITERATURE: FICTION THAT FRIGHTENS GOVERNMENTS
New Course Offered: 2022 Term 1. Eight consecutive sessions per Term. First class meets Wednesdays beginning 16 February 2022, 6:00-7:30pm, and the last class meets on Wednesday 6 April 2022.
Location: EarthDiverse, 401 Anglesea Street, Hamilton Central, Hamilton (see map below under Location tab), on-line via Zoom, or through video recordings of our live-streamed sessions posted 1-2 days after each class. (Update: Please note that this course, due to the current Covid outbreak, is offered as an on-line course only via Zoom.)
Growing up with a regime that censored all publications/media, our course instructor, Dr Leen Al-Hadban (who grew up in Iraq) was taught that learning a new language can set your mind free…there simply aren’t enough translators to censor all languages! And now in the 21st century, we live in an age of distorted social media, misinformation, propaganda and even more censorship than ever before. This course is designed with a selection of books that were banned or challenged in different countries on various grounds in different eras. So join us to talk about types of censorship, banned or challenged books, and the freedom to read.
Individual sessions focus on:
- Week 1: The Prince (1532) by Machiavelli – Banned by the Pope in 1559
- Week 2: Huckleberry Finn (1885) by Mark Twain – Racism & negative influence
- Week 3: Madame Bovary (1856) by Gustave Flaubert – Overt Sexuality
- Week 4: Of Mice & Men (1937) By John Steinbeck – Socialism/Anti-Capitalism
- Week 5: Animal Farm (1945) by George Orwell – Political reasons
- Week 6: Doctor Zhivago (1957) by Boris Pasternak – Anti-Socialism
- Week 7: Children of the Alley (1962) by Naguib Mahfouz – Religious reasons
- Week 8: Banned Children Books: Dr Seuss, Where the Wild Things Are (1963) by Maurice Sendak, A Wrinkle in Time (1962) by Madeleine L’Engle & others
Prerequisites: There are no prerequisites for this course.
Distance Learning: This course has distance-learning options for those unable to attend the live class sessions in Hamilton. Students have three options for attending our courses once they have registered:
- attend in-person classes in our Hamilton classrooms at the regularly scheduled day and time (please note that the in-person component for this course is not available during Term 1 due to the current Covid outbreak. This course is only accessible via Zoom at the moment),
- attend our live on-line classroom sessions via Zoom at the regular scheduled day and time,
- watch the live-recorded class sessions at your leisure, at a time, day and place more suited to your schedule.
These options can be mixed and matched throughout the course to suit your own availability and location.
Dr Leen Al-Hadban, PhD, is originally from Iraq, and her mother tongue is Arabic. She came to New Zealand to do her PhD in English Literature and ended up staying in beautiful Aotearoa. Leen is passionate about women’s rights, education and comparative literature, she enjoys working with learners and assisting them in their learning. She also works with Arab refugees and migrants as an interpreter/translator. She considers language diversity a significant bridge connecting people from different ethnicities and views literature and education as important tools in the fight against racism, and the progression of women’s rights. Leen teaches the Arabic Literature courses for EarthDiverse (beginning in 2021 Term 3). When Leen is not interpreting for the Arab community in Hamilton, there is a good chance that she is hiding somewhere with a book, or getting her hands dirty doing pottery!
DISTANCE-LEARNING OPTIONS:
In addition to our in-person classes in Hamilton, our courses offer distance learning options for those unable to attend classes in-person. Live-streamed Hamilton classes are available via free Zoom software for those living outside the Waikato. Live-streaming allows you to participate fully in your own learning, ask questions of the instructor and participate fully in the same way as if you were in the physical classroom.
Those unable to attend the scheduled date and time of the actual class sessions, or those who need to miss a class or two due to previous engagements or unexpected illness, can watch any or all of the live-recorded video sessions on their computers, laptops, tablets or mobile devices and study at their own pace and in their own time.
Detailed instructions on how to access our distance learning components will be sent after completing your registration. There are no additional fees for this service. However, distance learners will need access to a desktop or laptop computer with a good quality web-camera (tablet devices and mobile phones can also access our live-streamed classes), a built-in microphone (most modern laptops have built-in microphones) or a headset with a microphone. You will also need to download and install the free Zoom software on your computer or device. Those accessing the video recordings will be able to do so with a simple web browser on any device.
- Detailed Syllabi are available at the start of each Term.
- Any Term can be taken independently of the others, and there are no prerequisites for any of the Term courses.
- This class has no assignments, quizzes, tests or exams.
- Some preparation however is required for familiarising yourself with the short stories, myths and texts prior to each course session.
- Sources for accessing and reading these are provided each week, either via PDF or web-based URL for on-line reading, downloading or printing at home.
- You will not need to purchase any reading materials.
- All classes encourage questions and group discussion.
- PDF copies of each class presentation are emailed to all participants the next day so that you are free to focus on class content rather than taking notes. You are most welcome to come, sit back, relax, take part in and enjoy the discussions!
- Course fees include a short tea/coffee/snack break in the middle of each session.
- There are no refunds for missed classes.
- Guests of registered participants are welcome to attend a single class at no charge.
- Certificates of Completion for any particular Term Course or Series are available for Professional Development purposes upon request at the end of each Term or Series.
Cost per person per Term (8 classes):
- Waged: NZ$150 (includes GST + online registration fee)
- Unwaged (unemployed, students, seniors): NZ$125 (includes GST + online registration fee)
Prices for Waged and Unwaged registrants remain the same regardless of your chosen method for accessing our courses. This means that you have the option to mix and match access between attending our regularly-scheduled live class sessions in our Hamilton classrooms, accessing our live class sessions on-line via Zoom at the regularly scheduled class meeting time (no matter where you are located), or watching the video-recorded sessions anywhere at a time and date of your choosing. This allows you to study at your own pace and in your own time.
Once registered, you have three choices for attending your course:
- attend our in-person class sessions in our Hamilton classrooms,
- Zoom in to our live classroom sessions and participate in discussions,
- access the live-recorded class sessions each week. This allows you to register for an entire course, even though the scheduled class session day/time may not be suitable to your schedule. You may also use this option to watch any recorded session for review, or in case you may miss a class session due to prior engagement, being away, or due to illness. This allows you to catch up with any “missed” sessions at a more suitable time.
Once registered, you will receive detailed instructions on how to access our courses via either of the distance-learning options, i.e. live access via Zoom, or watching the video-recorded sessions.
LOCATION: All in-person classes are held at the EarthDiverse offices and classrooms located at 401 Anglesea Street, Hamilton Central, Hamilton (located just north of the Hamilton Central Bus Station) (entrance is located on the side of the building, see map below). Those looking for parking for our evening classes can park just in front of the building in any of the available car parks. Daytime parking can be found in our dedicated car parks, or free 2-hour on-street daytime parking can be found just in front on Anglesea Street. (Update: Please note that this course, due to the current Covid outbreak, is offered as an on-line course only via Zoom.)
DISTANCE LEARNING: You get to choose your location when you Zoom in to our live classroom sessions, or access our classes at your leisure and at a time and day of your choosing by watching the video recorded sessions from each class. This allows you to study at your own pace.
