ENGL 301 X - Intro to Critical Theory

Campus: Urbana-Champaign

Description:

Introduction to the critical frameworks and methods that have had the greatest impact on the field of literary studies. Students will read, discuss, and write about numerous theoretical approaches, including (but not limited to) critical race studies, ecocriticism, feminism, Marxism, postcolonialism, poststructuralism, psychoanalysis, queer theory, and structuralism. No previous background with theory is required. Course Information: Prerequisite: Completion of the Composition I requirement; one year of college literature or consent of instructor. For majors only.

Special Instructions:

On the books, this course promises to introduce you to the basic terrains of literary criticism, or more specifically, it promises to offer a survey of the major critical and theoretical movements that have influenced the study of literature in the last half a century, taking you through a whirlwind tour of new criticism, structuralism and narratology, deconstruction and poststructuralism, psychoanalysis, feminism, queer studies, Marxism, new historicism, cultural studies, critical race theory, postcolonial studies, and reader response. This particular section of the course will indeed introduce you to the above, but it will do so, with the literary text always at the centre of the discussion. In other words, you will read about the emergence of a specific theoretical movement, and then you will read a short story or novel or folk tale and analyze it such that you yourself may practice the critical trend you have just learnt about. In some cases, you will also read an essay that models

Option 1

Course Level: Undergraduate

Credit: 3

Term(s): Spring