The Contemporary American Essay
ALL1367-Z First 6 Weeks Mondays 10:30-11:50 Start Date 8-Sep
Zoom Limit 15
More of The Contemporary American Essay
ALL1409-Z Second 6 Weeks Mondays 10:30-11:50 Start Date 22-Oct
Zoom Limit 15
Note: This is not a repeat class of the first 6-week session. We will discuss 12 new essays.
The course discusses essays. Essays can offer opinions, impart knowledge and information or share personal experience. This semester we will be discussing 12 essays from the book The Contemporary American Essay, edited by Phillip Lopate. The discussion of the essays revolves around considering the time period in which they were published as well as their continued relevance to today. We also look at themes, writing styles, and many other aspects of the essay. Many are by writers you know, all from the first quarter of the 21st century. Class members are encouraged to summarize an essay of their choice, describe the background of its author, and ask questions to the group for discussion. Two essays will be discussed each week. Please purchase the essay anthology, The Contemporary American Essay, edited by Phillip Lopate, Anchor Books. We will email the class a few weeks before the class begins with the two essays for week one.
Coordinator: Brett Burgess 
Brett has been taking ALL classes for three years. He is a passionate reader, especially of the classics, and loves to discuss all genres of literature, including essays.
Coordinator: Deborah Titolo 
Deborah is a retired high school librarian who has co-led numerous classes in Global Literature at her local ALL. She has co-led the classes at the Cape ALL ‘A Different Take on American History’ and ‘Great Decisions’. She has participated in all three previous semesters of the Essays course.