Beat Generation Seminar

This class has been, by far, the best experience of my Columbia career. First off, Prof. Douglass is amazing - brilliant, articulate, interesting, straightforward and eccentric (but in the good, run home and tell your friends "you'll never believe what went on in class today" way). She has the greatest stories I have heard from a professor to date, from gossip on the Beats themselves to tales culled from her own life experience. You will find yourself wanting her to like you. You will look forward to class. She is also talented at creating animated discussions, while not tolerating mindless rambling. She is openminded, yet not one of those prof's who answers every remark with a "yes, that's interesting" - she will challenge you, without shooting you down unduly or harshly. And, of course, the syllabus is unbeatable, covering everything from predictable Kerouac and Ginsburg to Charlie Parker to the films Boys Don't Cry and Rebel Without a Cause. As a special bonus, the course includes visits from various guests, including Beat memoirist Joyce Johnson. This is a truly exceptional course and exceptional professor, and I recommend trying to gain admission to it by whatever means possible (you must write an essay explaining why you want to take it).