CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – A term dominating social media has found its way into an English classroom at the University of Virginia — but not in the way most might expect.
Assistant English Professor Piers Gelly designed a summer course inspired by the writings of Henry David Thoreau, who coined the term “brain rot” in his 1854 book “Walden.” Gelly built the class around a central question: whether Thoreau’s proposed remedy still applies in the modern era.
Students in the course put their phones down and read physical copies of “Walden” outdoors on UVA’s grounds. They wrote daily assignments by hand rather than on screens…