Course details

Name: ENGL - 300

Title: CRITICAL APPROACHES TO ENGLISH

Section: 04

Semester: Fall - 2024

Credits: 3

Description:
This section of Critical Approaches clarifies what literary criticism is and explores the ways in which literary theory can help explain important cultural phenomena. Three case studies, supported by authors of literature and critical theory, guide our investigation. The first question we consider is: Why do we need poetry? Numerous treatises have debated this question about the oldest literary genre, from P. B. Shelley’s “A Defense of Poetry” to Audre Lorde’s “Poetry Is Not a Luxury.”

The second question concerns debates within feminism, particularly some British feminists’ rejection of transgender women’s rights. The fiction of Angela Carter, the theoretical writings of Judith Butler, Germaine Greer’s essay and interviews, and of course J. K. Rowling’s social media postings shed light on this divisive and painful issue.

Finally, the course will address postcolonialism in our own country by asking: How and why has American culture simultaneously appropriated and erased Native American identity? To answer this question, we will read Tommy Orange’s novel “There There” and sections of Philip Joseph Deloria’s book, “Playing Indian.”

The methodologies of reader response and narratology will help us respond to some of these questions as well. Students will leave the course with an appreciation for the ways in which literary criticism and theory can help answer pressing issues that preoccupy empathetic readers.

Last updated on 2024-03-08 By Nielsen Wendy (nielsenw)

Schedule: Monday,Thursday From 12:45 pm To 2:00 pm

Graduation requirements:

Teaching Faculty: Nielsen Wendy (nielsenw)

Is course canceled: No