Day 1: Introductions & Syllabus

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

The spring 2020 semester started today and our “Monsters, Hauntings, and the Nation” class had its introductory meeting. I asked students to tell each other a little about themselves: their major and year, why they were taking the course and what they were hoping to learn, and a book or film they enjoyed over the winter break. I was happy to see not only many English majors in the class, but also hearing a variety of texts students had engaged in their time away from UMass Lowell. Students spoke of books like Carmen Maria Machado’s new memoir, In the Dream House, and TV shows and movies like The Witcher, The Office, and Marriage Story. It was wonderful to see “genre” fiction and film spoken about in positive ways––a shift, I think, in the academy.

As varied as their reading and viewing practices were, students also expressed varied positions of comfort and knowledge when it came to the term “Latinx” and even horror and monster fiction. We spent a little time discussing the various uses of Latino/a, Latin@, and Latinx to lay a foundation for our readings this week, all which address the history of the term, its uses, and complications. Our class also touched on the connotations of the term “monster,” discussing the various potential uses and differences between monsters and hauntings such as ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and zombies. It is exciting to see many students eager to begin exploring the diverse and rich world of horror and Latinx literature, especially as they intersect.

I asked students, “What is a monster?” and students used fantastic language to describe their preconceptions of monsters, such as “terrify,” “fear,” “mysterious.” As we explored the syllabus, I explained how each text spoke to but, more importantly, expanded on common conceptions of monstrosity and haunting––asking them to read texts for the monsters and hauntings we cannot obviously see.

In preparation for our readings on Thursday, I spoke to the class about the importance of keeping the etymology of “monster” in mind as a basis for all our readings. From the Latin “monstrum”––a portent or unnatural event––monsters signify a warning, they point to contemporary anxieties and say “look at that!” As they read throughout the semester, I asked students to consider, What is the monster warning us about? Why is he warning us? What does he point to and why?

Finally, we reviewed in detail the “Monster Blogs” students will be curating this semester, and I’m excited to see what they come up with!