Jennifer Horwitz earned a PhD in literature from Tufts University. Her teaching and research interests include multi-ethnic US literature, ecocriticism, environmental justice and place-based education. Her courses emphasize diverse perspectives on and experiences with the earth and often incorporate projects that ask students to reflect on their local environment and community.
In both her classroom and scholarship, Horwitz approaches literature as a vital tool in the struggle to address the climate crisis. In particular, her research focuses on literary representations of education that help us envision and enact the teaching needed in our time of climate change. Her writing can be found in the journal Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States and in Cli-Fi and Class: Socioeconomic Justice in Contemporary American Climate Fiction, an essay collection from the University of Virginia Press. Horwitz also cares deeply about writing pedagogy; she has tutored students in a range of contexts and enjoys thinking with others about each step of the writing process. As the first-year liberal arts academic advisor, she works one-on-one with students to build their confidence in their liberal arts courses and to connect them to other student support services on campus.
Courses
Fall 2024 Courses
LAS E101-27 - FIRST-YEAR LITERATURE SEMINAR
LevelUndergraduate
UnitLiterary Arts and Studies
Subject Literary Arts and Studies
Period Fall 2024
Credits 3
FormatSeminar
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
LAS E101-27
FIRST-YEAR LITERATURE SEMINAR
LevelUndergraduate
UnitLiterary Arts and Studies
Subject Literary Arts and Studies
PeriodFall 2024
Credits3
FormatSeminar
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2024-09-04 to 2024-12-11
Times: MTH | 2:50 PM - 4:20 PMInstructor(s): Jennifer HorwitzLocation(s): Washington Place, Room 021AEnrolled / Capacity: 15Status: Closed
SECTION DESCRIPTION
An introduction to literary study that helps students develop the skills necessary for college-level reading, writing, research and critical thinking. Through exposure to a variety of literary forms and genres, historical periods and critical approaches, students are taught how to read closely, argue effectively and develop a strong writing voice. The course is reading and writing intensive and organized around weekly assignments. There are no waivers for LAS-E101 except for transfer students who have taken an equivalent college course.
First-year Students are pre-registered for this course by the department.
Sophomore, Junior, Senior or Transfer Students register into designated section(s).
In her now-famous speech at the World Economic Forum, Greta Thunberg implored the adults in the room, I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if our house is on fire. Because it is. As a literary genre, coming of age, or the bildungsroman, has always meant a shifting relationship to authority as young people develop their own understanding of the world. But what does it mean to come of age on a planet whose future is uncertain? In this course, we will examine the representations of young people and the environment in select American coming-of-age novels. How does our environment shape who we are and who we will become? Whose childhoods are devastated by environmental hazards? What kinds of education can build a more sustainable future? Possible authors include: Jesmyn Ward, Karen Thompson Walker, Octavia Butler, Helena Maria Viramontes, Ann Pancake, and Brandon Hobson. Throughout, the course will emphasize critical thinking, multicultural perspectives, and socio-historical contexts.
