ENG116
THE SECRET LIVES OF BOOKS
- Department
- English
- Terms offered
- 2
- Data refreshed
- Jun 30, 2026
Description
Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover, not to mention judging by its ink and paper, by its typeface and layout, even by damage or by marks left by earlier readers. Books tell stories with the words printed inside them, of course, but they also tell stories just by being physical objects. In this course, students will learn to become book sleuths. Readings and seminar discussions on the history and theory of the book will be enhanced by a series of hands-on workshops at Special Collections as well as off-campus field trips. While the full scope of the class extends from the earliest periods of the written word through current-day digital advances, emphasis will be given to specific historical periods (the development of moveable type, the proliferation of print in the early hand-press period, mechanization during the Industrial Revolution, changing paradigms of electronic textuality today) in order to understand the interplay of technology, culture, and society over time.
Syllabi
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Offering history & forecast 2014–2023
| Year | Fall | Spring | Summer | Intersession |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2030 | 2030 Fall: 13% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 1 of 9 fall terms since 2018. | 2030 Spring: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 9 spring terms since 2018. | 2030 Summer: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 9 summer terms since 2018. | 2030 Intersession: 8% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 6 intersession terms since 2020. |
| 2029 | 2029 Fall: 13% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 1 of 10 fall terms since 2017. | 2029 Spring: 6% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 10 spring terms since 2017. | 2029 Summer: 6% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 10 summer terms since 2017. | 2029 Intersession: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017. |
| 2028 | 2028 Fall: 12% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 1 of 11 fall terms since 2016. | 2028 Spring: 5% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 11 spring terms since 2016. | 2028 Summer: 5% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 11 summer terms since 2016. | 2028 Intersession: 7% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017. |
| 2027 | 2027 Fall: 12% chance, high confidence. Offered in 1 of 12 fall terms since 2015. | 2027 Spring: 5% chance, high confidence. Offered in 0 of 12 spring terms since 2015. | 2027 Summer: 5% chance, high confidence. Offered in 0 of 12 summer terms since 2015. | 2027 Intersession: 6% chance, medium confidence. Offered in 0 of 7 intersession terms since 2017. |
| 2023 | 1 section | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2022 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2021 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2020 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2019 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | No data for this term |
| 2018 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | No data for this term |
| 2017 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered |
| 2016 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | No data for this term |
| 2015 | Not offered | Not offered | Not offered | No data for this term |
| 2014 | 1 section | Not offered | Not offered | No data for this term |
Future estimates combine recent offering frequency with detected multi-year cycles. Hover a cell for confidence and evidence; low-confidence estimates are marked with ~.
Meeting times
Most recent first- Tue, Thu, 10:25 AM–11:40 AM BP217 2023-1
- Wed, 1:30 PM–2:20 PM Sackler Science Center S223 2023-2
| Term | Professor | Type | Credits | Enrollment | CRN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall 2023 | Dianne E. Berg (She/Her) | Lecture | 1 | 18 of 18 enrolled | 22394 |
| Fall 2014 | Meredith Neuman | Lecture | 1 | 14 of 16 enrolled | 23727 |