Monsters in the Classroom - by Adam Golub & Heather Richardson Hayton (Paperback)

About the Book

"The contributors discuss the implications of inviting fearsome creatures into the classroom, showing how they work to create compelling narratives and provide students a framework for analyzing history, culture and everyday life. Essays explore ways of using the monstrous to teach literature, film, philosophy, theater, art history, religion, foreign language and other subjects"--

Book Synopsis

Exploring the pedagogical power of the monstrous, this collection of new essays describes innovative teaching strategies that use our cultural fascination with monsters to enhance learning in high school and college courses. The contributors discuss the implications of inviting fearsome creatures into the classroom, showing how they work to create compelling narratives and provide students a framework for analyzing history, culture, and everyday life. Essays explore ways of using the monstrous to teach literature, film, philosophy, theater, art history, religion, foreign language, and other subjects. Some sample syllabi, assignments, and class materials are provided.

Review Quotes

"highly recommended"-Religious Studies Review; "This collection invites us all to dwell in the monster classroom. Professors are challenged and changed with their students throughout this collection, and dwelling in such disruption of the goal of introducing monsters to our classrooms. Professors across disciplines in the humanities and some social sciences will find inspiration and practical suggestions for inviting monsters into their classrooms. The range of subject matter and perspective within the collection means that any teacher can find something worth taking away from this book"-The Comparatist; "This book is in and of itself an example of another wonderful thing happening in education today...the 12 educators who wrote chapters for this book share a great deal of their research and many also include full syllabi with reading lists and assignments...they do this so other educators can use these ideas to encourage deeper engagement with students in their own classes"-PopMatters; "[The essays] usefully, insightfully, and often ingeniously, demonstrate how a wide range of existing theoretical work on monstrosity can be productively employed in a variety of classroom contexts."-Sean Moreland, University of Ottawa; "A strong collection that is truly pedagogical insofar as it provides concrete tools...syllabi, assignments, etc....for educators of all levels. It also folds in scholarship, as the two go hand-in-hand.-Lisa Nevarez, Siena College.

About the Author

Adam Golub is associate professor and director of the M.A. program in American Studies at California State University, Fullerton, where he teaches courses on literature, popular culture, childhood, and monsters. His academic writing has appeared in various journals, including Film and History, American Quarterly, Hybrid Pedagogy, and Anthropology Now.

Heather Richardson Hayton is an award-winning professor in the English Department and the Director of the Honors Program at Guilford College, and is the President of the Society for Comparative Literature and the Arts. A medievalist by training, she teaches early-period courses as well as popular culture topics.