In the glass lounge of Cox on March 7, students from a Hampden-Sydney College English class focusing on colonial literature and students from the Literature of Diversity Longwood English course met to discuss the novel "Crossing the Mangrove" by Maryse Conde.
Longwood University Assistant Professor of English David Magill and Hampden-Sydney College Professor of English Dr. Sarah Hardy presided over the session.
"Crossing the Mangrove," a required reading for both courses, revolves around, as described by Dr. Hardy, "a stranger who comes to live and eventually die in a small community in Guadeloupe."
During his life, the man, Francis Sancher, changes everyone's lives in the small village of Guadeloupe upon arrival.
Hardy also stated the major lure of the book. "Through the thoughts of the characters, we learn about life in Guadeloupe. Its problematic history, ethnic diversity, challenges of racism and sexism, tensions with parts of the developed world and the exploitation of natural resources."
Hampden-Sydney and Longwood Students were required to choose from themes like sex, alcohol and liberation and explain their role in the book.
The class has been in the works since last October when Magill led a faculty workshop at Hampden-Sydney. Sharing similar teaching interests, Hardy and Magill settled on an author and novel for a spring course.
Hardy said, "This was certainly a positive experience," and added, "I think it was useful to have both classes test their ideas out on students who were coming at the novel from another angle."
