76-461 Refugee Stories: Literature, Art and Film

9 units, Carnegie Mellon University

"No one leaves home unless/home is the mouth of a shark," Somali British poet Warsan Shire writes of displaced people. In the works of this course, refugees, migrants and asylum seekers tell their own stories of leaving, moving, arriving, and sometimes moving again. Students in this discussion-based, interdisciplinary course will study Anglophone and some translated global literature, documentary and feature film, art installations, and digital activist projects that reimagine the experiences of transnational migration, border crossing, detention, and assimilation. We will encounter a wide range of forms, aesthetics and themes that represent these experiences, including unexpected elements like humor, horror, romance, and beauty.

Prerequisites: 76-101 or 76-102 or (76-106 and 76-107) or (76-106 and 76-108) or (76-107 and 76-108)

Offered: Fall 2026

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