ENG3014-Fall 2025-Jaffe

Feeling overwhelmed by structuralism, post-structuralism, postmodernism and post-humanism and the endless parade of -isms? Instead of drowning in the full Gulf of Theory (yes, with a capital T), we'll make a base camp on the most compelling ideas and questions. We'll read fascinating primary texts, literature alongside influential theoretical ideas, examining how these frameworks can illuminate your understanding of stories, poems, film, culture, "new" and "old" media, memes, and more. Together we'll create cognitive maps to navigate this intellectual terrain. No need to memorize every theoretical school from Aristotle to Žižek—we'll focus on approaches that genuinely expand how you read and think about literary, social, and cultural texts across multiple platforms. This course cuts through the jargon to deliver what matters: powerful critical tools and exciting literature, films, and media artifacts that will transform how you see the world.