Paint Freedom Literature

One of my professional goals is to teach English/Literature at the Community College level. Students at this level of education are often overlooked and swept to the side, when they should be students that are nurtured and supported the most. Below are course topics and other resources for courses that I would like to teach. To request formal documentation or other course materials please email paintfreedomlit@gmail.com. Course are, in general, a work in progress. =

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Course Topics :

• A Biography of Edgar Rice Burroughs
  
• The Technology of Burroughs and the impact of future literature/media and real-world science.
  
• The Edgar Rice Burroughs formulas for serialized novels.
  
• Beautiful People in Literature
  
• Strong Women in Burroughs – An Analysis of Feminist Iconography in Burroughs’ Work and the Debate Between the Role of Women in Society
  
• Burroughs in Film
  
• Why does John Carter have a Dog? – Companion Creatures in Adventure
  
• When Mythologies and Religions are True – The Social Effect of Proof and Religious Truth
  
• Disney and Burroughs
  
• Burroughs and the West
  
• Losing Relevance – The Social Factors that Caused Burroughs to Fall out of Fashion
  
• Superheroes and Burroughs
  
• Should Literary Characters Have Sex – Stopping at a Thrill-ogy in order to create a Dynasty
  
• Placing Burroughs within Genre Fiction
  
• Decomposing the Tarzan Mythos – Africa from America’s View
  
• Decomposing the Barsoom Mythos – European History from America’s View
  
• Caspak and the False Myth of Atlantis
  
• The Center of the Earth and Pelucidar

Suggested Reading: A Princess of Mars; The Gods of Mars; The Warlord of Mars; The Master Mind of Mars; Tarzan of the Apes; Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar; The Land that Time Forgot; The War Chief; The Outlaw of Torn; The Mucker; At the Earth’s Core; The Return of Tarzan; The Son of Tarzan; Thuvia, Maid of Mars;

American Realism

Course Topics:

• Tom Sawyer: Joviality
• Defining the Genre of American Realism
• Interpreting American Realism
• The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass and Uncle Tom’s Cabin: Slavery
• Bartelby the Scrivener – Interpretations
• Maggie – Girl of the Streets: Poverty
• The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock: Retelling Mythology in Reality
• The Short Stories of Jack London: Survival
• McTeague: Greed
• The Goophered Grapevine: Charity and Reconstruction
• To Kill A Mockingbird: Morality
• The Poems of Emily Dickinson: Love and Loss
• Whitman: Hope
• Ralph Waldo Emerson: Enlightenment
• The Poetry of Claude McKay: Despair
• Whose Names Are Unknown: Destitution

Suggested Reading: Tom Sawyer; The Narrative of the Life of Fredrick Douglass; Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Bartelby the scrivener; Maggie: Girl of the Streets; The Love Song of Alfred J. Prufrock; The Awakening; McTeage; To Kill a Mockingbird; Leaves of Grass; To Build a Fire; Whose Names are Unknown

WW II and Literature’s Aristocrats

Course Topics:

• The Nature of Adventure
• Adventure Myths – Gods Among Men
• The Quest For Divinity
• Colonialism and Adventure: The Role of Africa in Shaping the European Mind; South American Racial Subjugation versus African Domination
• The Search for Wealth in Europe – The Count of Monte Cristo
• The Search for Wealth in the Sea – Treasure Island
• The Search for Wealth in the Earth – King Solomon‘s Mines
• The Search for Wealth in Space – A Princess of Mars
• The Search for Wealth in Society – The Great Gatsby
• The Search for Wealth in Fantasy – The Hobbit
• The Search for Wealth in the Past – Ben-Hur; A Tale of the Christ
• The Role of WWII in Changing Adventure
• The Problems with the Hero’s Journey in Literature
• The Post Colonial Era of Adventure
• Christ Figures – The Lord of the Rings
• Rejection of Power – Harry Potter
• Finding Love – The Princess Bride
• Toppling the Corrupt – The Hunger Games
• Retelling the Mythos – Percy Jackson

Suggested Reading: The Count of Monte Cristo, Treasure Island, King Solomon’s Mines; A Princess of Mars; The Great Gatsby; The Hobbit; Ben-Hur; A Tale of the Christ; The Return of the King; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; The Princess Bride; Catching Fire; The Last Olympian; The Red Pyramid

Nature Writing

Course Topics:

• Colonial View of American Natural Resources
• Lewis and Clarke
• Interpreting American Realism
• The Weighing and Measuring of Resources
• Transcendentalism and Nature
• Picturing the Natural World
• Preserving Nature
• The Death of Nature Writing

Suggested Readings:The Pioneers; Nature; The Maine Woods; Specimen Days; A White Heron; To Build a Fire