Introduction to Literature - Analysis and Contexts

Catalog description

This course cultivates sophisticated reading, analytical, and writing skills through rigorous engagement with diverse literary texts. Students will learn to use critical thinking to analyze texts critically, evaluate secondary sources, and form their own interpretations, moving beyond surface-level readings to construct nuanced understandings. A key focus will be on learning to analyze how literary works make meaning in their cultural, historical, and political contexts, and how literary forms and themes travel across boundaries, fostering an appreciation for the dynamic relationship between literature and its world. Students will cultivate adeptness with disciplinary norms, including the ability to construct interpretive arguments in essay form, developing strong academic writing skills specific to literary studies. The course will also enable candidates to demonstrate an awareness and understanding of the methods and terminology distinctive to literary analysis and/or literary theory. Ultimately, this course aims to help candidates develop critical thinking, reading, and writing skills, and gain a deeper appreciation for the diversity of human expression and cultural contexts through the study of literature.