Literary Genres

Catalog description

The purpose of the course is to acquaint students with the conventions of the novel, short story, poetry, drama, and newer literary forms (including online collaborative writing, fan fic, flash fic) and to provide them with the tools they need to interpret, evaluate, and appreciate quality literature throughout a variety of forms and themes. Providing students with a richly diverse menu of selections, which balance the classic with the contemporary, will facilitate their reflection on and understanding of the human condition. The course involves class discussions pertaining to the analysis and interpretation of selections in each genre, but also considers, at times, historical, political, and social forces that may impact on a writer’s vision. It also considers major approaches to literary criticism. Students will be introduced to a minimum of four genres.