Development of skills in literary interpretation through study of ancient Greek, Roman, and non-Greco-Roman literature of the ancient Mediterranean in translation. Students read dramatic and nondramatic poetry, fictional and nonfictional prose, non-Greco-Roman literature of ancient Mediterranean, and classical reception; 8th century B.C.E. to 4th century C.E.
Interpretation of LiteratureFormat: Interpretation of Literature is a small-enrollment class. Students can expect mini-lectures from the instructor, but most class sessions will focus on discussion of reading material either as a full class or in smaller groups. Assignments: Students can expect to read texts in four literary genres: poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and drama, as well as shorter pieces of literature. Reading comprehension quizzes or tests will be given, and some form of midterm and a final are required. Written work will include formal and informal projects comprising some 5,000 words (around 20 pages). At the semester’s end students will collect this written work into an electronic portfolio and write a reflection on the arc of their work across the semester.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY REQUEST TO ADD THIS COURSE OR CHANGE SECTIONS OF ENGL:1200 AFTER 12:00 AM ON THE SIXTH DAY OF CLASSES WILL BE DENIED.
Interpretation of LiteratureTHIS COURSE IS FOR STUDENTS MAJOR IN ENGLISH or ENGLISH & CREATIVE WRITING.
This course will offer a rigorous introduction to English literature by emphasizing three activities essential to a literary education: (1) close reading skills, (2) critical writing skills, and (3) a comprehensive knowledge of literary history. We will learn to read and write about key genres (prose, poetry, and drama), drawing on exemplary texts that span the major periods of English studies (Medieval, Early Modern, Romantic, Victorian, High Modern, Postcolonial, and Postmodern). Who will we read? William Shakespeare, John Milton, William Blake, Olaudah Equiano, Mary Shelley, W. B. Yeats, Nella Larsen, Langston Hughes, Shirley Jackson, Nnedi Okorafor, and more.
Interpretation of LiteratureThis course serves as an introduction to well-known works of the French literary tradition. Focus will be on critical reading techniques, in-class discussion, and writing assignments that will discuss themes, characters, concepts and historical dimensions of the various works we will read. Although this is not primarily a history or culture course, we will view literary works as inroads into the understanding of different cultural formations across historical time. Thus we will be getting a sense for the differences between Medieval culture and the Renaissance as it manifested itself in France; also for the major flashpoints in the chronological unfolding of modernity in France, through the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and up to the end of the twentieth century opening onto the present day. The various social trends we observe will bring us to ask questions about gender, power, social class, environment and identity, all through the lens of literary language and the storytelling it carries out.
Interpretation of Literature