Time Schedule:
Roderick B Overaa
ENGL 200
Seattle Campus
Techniques and practice in reading and enjoying literature. Examines some of the best works in English and American literature and considers such features of literary meaning as imagery, characterization, narration, and patterning in sound and sense. Emphasis on literature as a source of pleasure and knowledge about human experience.
Class description
"The function of literature," American literary critic Lionel Trilling claimed, "through all its mutations, has been to make us aware of the particularity of selves." While one might propose a number of counterarguments about the "function of literature," Trilling does succeed in identifying "selfhood" as one of literature's principal themes. In this class we will read three novels and a number of short stories, poems, and critical articles to explore how conceptions of selfhood have evolved over the past 200 years. This course is also designed to familiarize you with different periods of literature and the dominant modes of thought that have influenced literature at various historical junctures. The overall course goals are to hone your: 1) critical thinking skills; 2) ability to analyze literary texts; and 3) ability to write about literature. Student responsibilities include daily attendance, active participation in discussions and activities, and two 5-7 page papers with revisions.
Student learning goals
General method of instruction
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Class assignments and grading
