ENGL 2000 - Introduction to Criticism and Theory

(LA-AS)

Spring. 4 credits.

Gateway course, of which two are required of English majors.

S. Mohanty.

An introductory survey of modern methodologies in criticism and theory. Readings include key texts from such schools as New Criticism, psychoanalysis, structuralism, post-structuralism, Marxism, feminism, and postcolonial studies. The course gives students a solid foundation in the issues, techniques, and vocabularies of advanced literary analysis. While literary questions are predominant throughout the semester, this course is nevertheless designed to be accessible and useful not only for English and literature majors (and prospective majors) but also for anyone interested in gaining a foundation in aesthetic and cultural analysis. The contemporary humanistic disciplines largely share a technical vocabulary, and this class provides undergraduates from various fields a firm grounding in the key concepts and issues of what has come to be called “theory.”