What class would you like to take at UMD, but it is not offered?
UMD offers many English classes, but one in particular I would like to see is a class devoted specifically to "beatnik" writers. Authors Like Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs who were writing in the late 50's and into the 60's. These young people like Allen Ginsberg were some of the most influential artist at a critical time in our country's history, a time when casual drug use and the latent counter-culture came to the surface, a time when people stopped merely accepting the information given to them by the Government, and began openly challenging the idea of a young person's role in this country. In my opinion it's the closest thing to a Renaissance this country has ever seen. Therefore its participants deserve proportional recognition. We should honor these writers not just by studying their work but also the vast effect it had and how it molded our country's future. - Tony Mauren
October 23, 2006