Hello,

The Institute of American Studies, in collaboration with the Latin American Studies Institute, the Department of English Language and Literature, and the Korean Association for American Studies, is pleased to invite you to a special lecture.

Speaker: Junot Diaz (Dominican Republic-born American novelist, current Professor of Creative Writing at MIT)
Lecture Title: CRITICAL WORLDBUILDING OR HOW TO UNDERSTAND AMERICA IN 20 MINUTES
(Spanish: Worldbuilding Critica o Como Entender Los Estados Unidos en 20 minutos)
Date: Friday, December 6, 2024, 4:00 PM
Venue: International Conference Room, Building 7, Room 308, College of Humanities, Seoul National University

Junot Diaz has established himself as one of the most significant contemporary American authors through works such as The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007). He has received numerous literary awards, including the Pulitzer Prize, and is actively engaged as a writer, editor, and educator, currently teaching creative writing at MIT. In this lecture, he will discuss how critical worldbuilding in narrative media, including novels, challenges the American frontier myth and Western-centric worldbuilding.

We look forward to your interest and participation.