I’ve been teaching writing at Irvine as a lecturer since 2008. I have published literary essays on Upton Sinclair and Jamaica Kincaid, a novel set in 1976 from a ten-year-old’s perspective, short stories, literary nonfiction and journalism.
Courses Typically Taught:
- Writing 50
- Writing 60
- History 100W
Themes Typically Taught:
- Writing 50: (“Frankenstein Rhetoric”)
- Writing 60: (“Pedagogy of Liberation”)
- I also teach an upper division writing course (History 100W, “The Craft of History Writing”) for the History Department
Course Descriptions:
- WR 50 “Frankenstein Rhetoric”: In the original 1818 Frankenstein the 19 year old Mary Shelley arguably birthed the first artificially intelligent being as an act of critical reading and rhetoric. AI is just one among many contemporary themes you can choose to explore as we first read the early novel coming from and giving birth to many different genres but conforming to none. Then you get to put your own “Frankenstein rhetoric” into action, adopting or adapting your own pressing question raised by the novel in the context of your own times.
- WR 60 “Pedagogy of Liberation”: In this latest WR 60 course that I am currently developing, you’ll research and argue about the relationship between education and freedom in its contemporary and historical iterations. Core readings will be drawn from various writings on liberation pedagogy, problems and purposes in education, as well as contemporary legacies of slavery in education systems.
Textbooks Needed:
- WR 50: The original 1818 version of Frankenstein (second Norton critical edition) plus associated readings provided on Canvas
- WR 60: A selection of readings provided on Canvas
Email: kongshae@uci.edu