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Jessica Virgin

Andrea Malouf

ENGL 2630

May 4th, 2023

Final Reflection

This course opened my mind as a reader and changed me as a writer. Expanding my

income of literature to the globe was as rewarding as it was interesting. Many of the books and

material we were taught made me realize just how little I knew about the outside world, or more

accurately, how little time I spent thinking about it. From Africa, the Caribbean, India, Middle

Eastern, Asia, Central/Eastern Europe, and finally Latin America, the amount of amazing authors

I was able to encounter were some of the best pieces of literature I’ve ever read. It sparked a new

wonder in me to scour the globe for better books instead of shuffling through the deck of

American classics I was taught in high school. It’s safe to say that I have more than enough

books on my reading list now to last me at least through the rest of college.

The course did present challenges, though. Not only were the books sometimes difficult

to fully understand, but the projects required a lot of work and time to make satisfactory. The

most challenging, but most rewarding, was the group project we were assigned. My group chose

to do women in contemporary literature and each of us selected a region of the world to cover

including Africa, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia (which was mine). Collaborating to

collect a display of authors and novels by so many different women was quite a project, and at

the beginning there was much debate on the approach we should take with such a broad

undertaking. We were able to narrow it down to a single mission statement though, and in the

end our museum of art and literature made me confident that a young girl could take a look at
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our lists and find an array of empowering and strong female authors to choose from. For me

personally, it was also a challenge because I had never taken a close look into Asian literature

before, let alone focused on who was writing it, but I’m happy I had the opportunity because it

exposed me to some fascinating works.

Most of the material or projects led me through this cycle of a big challenge to

overcome, and in the end being so grateful I was able to read such a work. Truly, there was a

great selection of pieces and I can honestly say that after each one I was able to learn something

completely new. My previous spring semester, I brushed the surface in international literature in

another English class I loved, but there was never a specific focus on it. This course allowed me

to take a deep dive into that interest, and truth be told I now keep a closer eye on what I’m

reading and where it’s coming from.

During this course, I was able to travel to Europe for the first time, which was

conveniently very on par for what this course would also teach me about the world. It was

challenging, and it was scary, but I can say now that the experiences I’ve gathered over the

semester from in school and out have changed who I am and my outlook on the world

completely. My love for these expounded works has deepened, and I have a new respect for my

education, and the ability to read and write. The 5 books we focused on: Things Fall Apart, by

Chinua Achebe, A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Too Loud A

Solitude Bohumil Hrabal, and Leaf Storm by Gabriel Garcia Marquez have all shaped me into a

different student and human being. They are truly magnificent books and I can’t wait to keep

pursuing this newfound love of global literature.