Captives, Cannibals, and Rebels

During the Spring 2013 semester I took a class entitled “Captives, Cannibals, and Rebels,” which was offered through the English Department.  The exciting course name had attracted me while I was choosing classes at registration time, and I was eager to start the semester to see what the course would be like!

Throughout the semester, our class read many works, from short works from captives to long-form readings, including William Shakespeare’s The Tempest. My professor divided the course into three sections, each focusing on one of the topics – captives, cannibals, or rebels.

The Tempest, one of the works we read for the class.

We discussed the relation between Europeans and the natives they encountered during periods of great exploration, as well as the possibility of a transfer of cultural beliefs from one group to another as a result of these interactions.  Through class discussions and two in-class debates, I was able to learn a great deal about this particular period in history as well as to sharpen my writing and speaking skills!

The thrilling content and enlightening nature of “Captives, Cannibals, and Rebels” made it one of my favorite classes at Fordham thus far!