ADA, Ohio — Honors students at Ohio Northern Univeristy are analyzing banned books in a course taught by Douglas Dowland, associate professor of English, according to a news release from the university.

What You Need To Know

  • Students at Northern Ohio University are analyzing banned books

  • The professor of the course notes that many books considered classics were banned or challenged at some point, or still are

  • The professor created the course after recent increases in demand for book censorship around the country

These books include those that have been considered controversial in the past, like “Fahrenheit 451” and “Lady Chatterley’s Lover.”

The release cites Dowland’s course syllabus, in which the professor notes that almost every classic book was or still is banned.

“We will also discover that books which address contemporary issues are as frequently challenged as classic texts, which will lead us to consider how literature continues to be a source of personal discovery with political ramifications,” Dowland said in the syllabus, according to the release.

The release notes that Dowland created the course after the recent increases in demand for book censorship in recent years.

In the release, one of the students in the full course, freshman Abigail Hamill, said she took the class to push herself out of her comfort zone with reading.

“One thing that doesn't pop into my mind when I hear the term ‘banned books’ is the term ‘classics,’” she said in the release. “Criticism of any art or written work is valid. Interpretation is left with the one who consumes the media. However, disgracing such esteemed literature so no one has access to it strikes a nerve in me where I am not angry nor rejoiced about the situation, just left curious as to why.”

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