Reflections from the Classroom: Students Engage Steinbeck’s Work with the Arts at San José State University

Abstract

This article offers a showcase of students’ work from the class “ENGL 167: Steinbeck” at San José State University. At the end of the term, students were presented with three options: they could compose a traditional research-based, analytical essay; they could create a series of lesson plans for a high school unit on Steinbeck’s work; or they could craft a creative response. All students were required to submit an initial prospectus and a research summary, and students who submitted a creative project were also asked to submit an artist’s statement that connected their project to the semester’s readings and their external research. The projects shared here use visual art, crafts, collage, creative writing, music, and a crossword to reflect on the author, his work, and his enduring legacy.