MIDST Oral Examination-SJ

Event Details:

Todd Ross, MIDST in Interdisciplinary Studies, will present his thesis entitled, “We Need Literature in New Brunswick Classrooms.”

Supervisor:  Dr. David Creelman, Professor, English

Committee: Dr. Beth Keyes, Senior Teaching Associate, Education and Dr. Robert J. Moore, Professor, English

Chairperson of Proposal Defense:   Dr. Mary McKenna, Assistant Dean, School of Graduate Studies & Professor, Faculty of Kinesiology

Abstract

Traditionally the study of literature has been a corner stone of education, but this is beginning to change.  Education has moved away from focussing on the literature being read, to an emphasis on the skills involved in reading. Board games, films, short non-fiction, and pop fiction have replaced poetry, Shakespeare, and literary fiction.   The intention of these changes has been to focus on communication skills, vocabulary, and decoding skills, however, this change flies in the face of traditional beliefs.  This study is interested in why literature was the corner stone of a traditional education, and what effects are loss or lessened by the lack of literature in a student’s reading diet.  Literary greats such as Aristotle, Shelley, and Du Bois have boasted about the value of literature in advancing culture.  Are they right, or were they simply defending their own vocations?  This study will examine traditional defenses of literature, and then examine the advances in neuroscience that have documented the effects of literature on the brain.  This study also focuses on Advanced Placement students who have continued to be immersed in literature as the cornerstone of their education.  Literature is valuable and encourages empathy, creativity, and critical thought in those who regularly read it; only literature produces these outcomes. 

Building: Oland Hall

Room Number: 202