Course Schedule and Catalog
Course Schedule - Spring Semester 2026
Meeting location information can now be found on student schedules in ESTHER (for students) or on the Course Roster in ESTHER (for faculty and instructors).Additional information available here.
Meeting location information can now be found on student schedules in ESTHER (for students) or on the Course Roster in ESTHER (for faculty and instructors).Additional information available here.
ENGL 253 001 (CRN: 24295)
LITERATURE AND ACCENT
Long Title: ENGLISH LITERATURE WITH AN ACCENT
Department: English and Creative Writing
Instructor: Srinivasan, Ragini Tharoor
Meeting: 4:00PM - 6:30PM W (12-JAN-2026 - 24-APR-2026)
Part of Term: Full Term
Grade Mode: Standard Letter
Course Type: Lecture
Language of Instruction: Taught in English
Distribution Group: Distribution Group I
Method of Instruction: Face to Face
Credit Hours: 3
Course Syllabus:
Course Materials: Rice Campus Store
Restrictions:
Must be enrolled in one of the following Level(s):
Undergraduate Professional
Visiting Undergraduate
Undergraduate
Section Max Enrollment: 25
Section Enrolled: 6
Waitlisted: 0 (Max 99)
Current members of the waitlist have priority for available seats.
Enrollment data as of: 25-NOV-2025 1:43AM
Final Exam: No Final Exam
Description: This class explores voice and accent in English literature and cultural production, including podcasts, audiobooks, film, and television. Topics include race and voice (e.g. brown voice); the cybernetic voices of virtual assistants like Siri; the call center; and forensic listening. Everyone has an accent, but some are heard as "neutral" and others as markers of difference. This has serious implications: accent discrimination costs jobs, housing applications, and asylum claims. Do literary texts have accents, like people do? Students will gain understanding of the politics of accent and voice, while learning to use their accented voices to produce close, critical readings.