2008 Woodie Awards
The Plague Is Coming
Cross curriculum reading enhances learning at Longview
Issue date: 12/5/08 Section: Campus
by Megan Reinsch
Students may think "The Plague Is Coming" button badge on their teacher's vest refers to the final tests next week. And the posters freckling the campus with the same message may make some students concerned.
In fact, "The Plague" is coming to Longview next semester, and so far it seems to be taking a firm grip upon the faculty.
The random signs are no need for alarm. "The Plague" referred to is actually the work of fiction by Albert Camus. Next semester Longview will try to bring back a method attempted nearly two decades ago on this campus: cross-curriculum reading. Various professors from many different educational departments have signed on to use this novel in the classroom this spring.
Several ideas were taken into consideration for this project. English instructors Terri Lowry and Jan Rog explain that the idea was largely a move of FLYT, First Learning Year Team, a committee dedicated to making each student's first year of college a dynamic experience. A single piece of literature taught across multiple curriculums has the appeal of enhancing that first experience for new students.
Choosing the right book proved a challenging task. Lowry said that 20 to 30 professors participated in making the decision. Over the summer all involved in the selection took the time to review the many possibilities. A reasonable obstacle was to find a piece that could be applicable to many departments. About 20 years ago the experimental book was "Galapagos" by Kurt Vonnegut. This time the goal was to choose an even more suitable book.
Literature is important and many teachers stand by that idea. Lowry said, "Literature can be used to explore moral and philosophical questions if used in the right way, such as using fiction to examine the human condition."
Written in 1947, immediately following World War II, The Plague is a layered book with possibilities for several interpretations. Librarian Candice Baldwin breaks the book into three meanings. First, literally the novel tells of the fatal bubonic plague rising from nature and the responses of humans to natural evil. Secondly, metaphorically the plague is the invasive occupation of Germany in France during WWII. Finally as an allegory The Plague depicts moral evil as a broader theme.
Students may think "The Plague Is Coming" button badge on their teacher's vest refers to the final tests next week. And the posters freckling the campus with the same message may make some students concerned.
In fact, "The Plague" is coming to Longview next semester, and so far it seems to be taking a firm grip upon the faculty.
The random signs are no need for alarm. "The Plague" referred to is actually the work of fiction by Albert Camus. Next semester Longview will try to bring back a method attempted nearly two decades ago on this campus: cross-curriculum reading. Various professors from many different educational departments have signed on to use this novel in the classroom this spring.
Several ideas were taken into consideration for this project. English instructors Terri Lowry and Jan Rog explain that the idea was largely a move of FLYT, First Learning Year Team, a committee dedicated to making each student's first year of college a dynamic experience. A single piece of literature taught across multiple curriculums has the appeal of enhancing that first experience for new students.
Choosing the right book proved a challenging task. Lowry said that 20 to 30 professors participated in making the decision. Over the summer all involved in the selection took the time to review the many possibilities. A reasonable obstacle was to find a piece that could be applicable to many departments. About 20 years ago the experimental book was "Galapagos" by Kurt Vonnegut. This time the goal was to choose an even more suitable book.
Literature is important and many teachers stand by that idea. Lowry said, "Literature can be used to explore moral and philosophical questions if used in the right way, such as using fiction to examine the human condition."
Written in 1947, immediately following World War II, The Plague is a layered book with possibilities for several interpretations. Librarian Candice Baldwin breaks the book into three meanings. First, literally the novel tells of the fatal bubonic plague rising from nature and the responses of humans to natural evil. Secondly, metaphorically the plague is the invasive occupation of Germany in France during WWII. Finally as an allegory The Plague depicts moral evil as a broader theme.
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St. Louis mover
posted 7/12/10 @ 4:21 PM CST
This is an excellent program.
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