Course Description

This course will provide foundational skill sets through engagement with the aesthetic and political dimensions of literature. Skills include critical reading, thinking and writing; analysis; argumentation; and independent research. Assignments move from informal responses and close readings toward formal essays involving argumentation and eventually research. This course covers the three main genres of literature: fiction (both short stories and the novel), poetry and drama. Readings and class discussions are loosely based around the theme of the role and power of art (in its various forms: written, visual, auditory, etc.) and nature in our lives. Throughout our readings, we will examine the potential of art and nature as both positive and negative forces.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

In this course, you will acquire skills in literary analysis including understanding and using literary terms, criticism and theory. You will hone your skills as readers, writers and researchers. With an emphasis on close reading, English 220 is intended to develop in students the analytical and interpretive skills necessary for both written and verbal critical response to literature that is firmly grounded in the text. It also establishes a common knowledge base, however minimal, in literature in English, and it equips students with the vocabulary and techniques for describing and analyzing literary works, with an emphasis on developing critical writing skills specific to literary analysis. In addition, the course develops in students an appreciation and understanding of the aesthetic qualities of literature, as well as an awareness that literature is part of a larger ongoing cultural, social, and historical dialogue that informs, influences, and inspires our experience.

By the end of the semester, students should be able to:

  1. Write thesis-driven analytical essays of at least 3-5 pages on all three genres (poetry, fiction, and drama) that incorporate evidence from literary texts and demonstrate close reading skills.
  2. Write an analytical research paper of at least 5-7 pages that demonstrates close reading skills and the appropriate use of evidence from literary texts; the ability to create a clear thesis statement; and the ability to incorporate and engage scholarly critical sources as part of a well-organized, thesis-driven argument.
  3. Discuss fiction, poetry, and Shakespearian drama verbally through the use of close reading skills and, where appropriate, basic literary terminology.
  4. Demonstrate some familiarity with literary criticism in class discussion or writing, or both.
  5. Demonstrate the ability to compare and/or contrast literary works in a final exam essay.