So these are the two courses I'll be taking at SMU this next fall (2013) in my graduate program. The Euro class is the second part of a History of Europe course. I took part one last fall and enjoyed the class immensely. Went right along with what I teach yet went so much deeper (as expected). The course added new dimensions to my understanding and really adds to my teaching. Dr. Mears is a legend and he is hinting this may be his last year before retirement. I'm lucky to have had at least two courses with him.
The Creating the Novel course is my attempt to finally produce a novel. Writing a novel has been a dream of mine since college. This course will hopefully serve as a motivation and a guide to actually getting the thing done. This will be my third class with Dr. Swaim and every time I leave his classroom I leave inspired. He is amazing and an encouragement to my amateur endeavors.
The Intellectual and Cultural History of Europe: Romanticism to the Present
Explores major trends in the development of European literature, philosophy, art, and music in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Primary attention is devoted to the role of arts and ideas in the shaping of our contemporary world. Part II of a two-part series; Part I is not a prerequisite.
Instructor: John Mears
Creating the Novel
This seminar focuses on learning the craft of writing a novel. Workshops will focus on writing exercises and analysis of novels (relative to structure, characterization, theme, plotline and its development). The primary intentions for this seminar involve writing in the direction of the completion of a novel. Work will involve the writing of some 45-60 pages as a ground beginning to a novel. Significant reading and writing will be essential to successful achievement in this seminar. This course may be applied to the following curricular field concentrations: Humanities and Creative Writing.
Instructor: Gary Swaim
