115 English Where Art Meets Literature A creative approach to literature gains popularity in its second year. One of the students from the fall 2024 class was sophomore J.T. Spears, who had been expecting a traditional World Literature class when he registered for the course. Spears enjoyed every aspect of the class, despite claiming to be not good at the art requirements. “This class taught me that I can still be creative even though I’m not a kid anymore and to think outside the box,” Spears said. Another student was senior Katherine Moore. She took the class to satisfy an English credit and loved being around both of the teachers, who she said made every class day compelling. “The class was challenging for me because I had to think of literature and art in an entirely new way,” Moore said. “The two seemingly ‘different’ ways of artistic expression were constantly crossing wires in my head. However, by the end of the semester, I felt much stronger in my skills as a writer and my skills as an artist. I developed a creative language I could use to better understand the visual and written world around me.” After its continuation into a second year, World Literature - Artistic Response cemented itself as a popular choice for students yearning for a nontraditional classroom experience. Written by Addie Echols PICTURE PERFECT! Smiling next to her artwork, sophomore Achakan Lowasa presents her final project displayed in the art building. Lowasa took this the World Literature-Artistic Response class in Fall of 2024. Photo courtesy of Daniel Adams Fall 2024 marked the second year of the World Literature - Artistic Response course taught by associate professor and chair of the English department Dr. Jon Singleton and professor and director of Harding University in Greece (HUG) Daniel Adams. This class counted as a credit for world literature or English since the curriculum incorporated aspects of both. Due to the scheduling of the HUG program, the course was offered exclusively in the fall. When brainstorming for the class began, Singleton and Adams wanted to find a way to bring together Art and English majors. Following the course’s debut, they opened enrollment for the class to any interested students. The coursework primarily consisted of reading pieces of literature and keeping a corresponding sketchbook. This sketchbook took the place of a typical English essay. There were also two significant art projects serving as the midterm and the final evaluations. Singleton explained this alternative approach to essay writing. “While the students keep a sketch journal, they also will do a bit of writing about what was the most powerful or beautiful about what they read,” Singleton said. “We try to teach them to pay attention to the beauty and language, but they’re also supposed to always try to draw—put something they like into a visual form.”
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