Welcome to English 102: Monsters and Horror

This section of English 102, a second-semester, research-based composition course at Montgomery County Community College, asks students to consider the role of the monstrous in defining social norms. During the course of the semester, we will read and research both fictional and non-fictional accounts of what society has labeled monstrous and attempt to develop working theories about why a particular monster or behavior has been labeled as taboo in that particular time and place by a specific culture.

This class web site is primarily intended to be used via the Blackboard course management system, but all of the materials produced by the course professor are available on the web as well. Blackboard is required for use of the Course Documents, Discussion Board, and Grade Book features.

Image: The Heavy Basket by Yoshitoshi. Woodblock. #36 from the series New Forms of Thirty-six Ghosts. "The Heavy Basket, No. 36 - A kindly old man fed a sparrow daily. One day the sparrow picked at his neighbor's rice and she punished it by cutting out its tongue. The old man was upset and set off into the woods to find the sparrow who was delighted to see him, set out a huge banquet and offered him a choice of two boxes as a gift. The humble old man chose the smaller box and was rewarded with gold, silk and jewels. Upon seeing his gift, his neighbor ran off to the woods and pretended to be happy to see the sparrow. The sparrow gave her the large box, she opened it and was greeted by ghosts and goblins who quickly devoured her."