ENG 3014 Fall 2019 Ward

This course is intended to introduce you to various schools of theory that inform current literary studies, and enable you to use the work of theorists in your own readings of literary and cultural texts. Meeting these objectives involves the following: Building a critical/theoretical vocabulary; attaining a basic understanding of and conversance with theoretical concepts contained in course readings; demonstrating that understanding as you read, discuss, and write about assigned texts.

How well you meet these objectives will be measured by your performance in class discussions and on quizzes, papers, and exams. I have tried to provide a pragmatic focus to this course, presenting opportunities to apply theories and concepts and to discuss the relationship between theory, theoretical writing/thinking, and culture(s)—past and present. In addition to works of theory, I have selected several literary and film texts related to “The Gothic.” These texts invite multiple theoretical readings. To help organize your responses to the assigned texts, we will engage in various exercises designed to hone your writing skills, like constructing strong thesis statements and developing rhetorical strategies that will be useful not only in this class, but in other courses as well. In other words, we’ll be engaging in praxis (the first vocabulary word for the course): “practice informed by theory and also … theory informed by practice” (Williams, Keywords, “Theory”).

Required Texts

• How To Interpret Literature: Critical Theory for Literary and Cultural Studies, Robert Dale Parker (NB: I have ordered the 3rd edition rather than the new 4th edition so you can take advantage of the available number of used copies)
• Maria; or the Wrongs of Woman, Mary Wollstonecraft
• The History of Mary Prince, ed. Sara Salih
• Plus readings posted on the Canvas course site