Course Descriptions
Literature
LIT 201
Introduction to Literature
3 credits
This course introduces students to forms of literature that include short story, drama, poetry, and the novel. Students will read and critically analyze selected works from each literary genre. Students will learn how literary devices from all of the genres are used to create meaning for readers: plot, characterization, theme, point of view, symbol, irony, and figurative language. Students will engage in close reading: they will be asked to analyze literature inductively, using clues from the surface level of literature (literary devices) to create larger truths they see in the literature. Student analysis of literature will be expressed through essays, presentations, and other activities.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 122 or COM 245
LIT 205
World/Non-Western Literature
3 credits
This course is designed to provide students with an overview of Non-Western literature. The study will cover selected literary works from India, Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Latin America. Students will examine the influence of politics, religion, economics, and geography on literary expression. They will also explore the influence of the literature and culture of Non-Western countries on American culture. Students will engage in close reading: they will be asked to analyze literature inductively, using clues from the surface level of literature (literary devices) to create larger truths they see in the literature. Student analysis of literature will be expressed through essays, presentations, and other activities.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 122 or COM 245
LIT 302
Adolescent Literature
3 credits
This course is a study of literature for children and adolescents and is designed to introduce students to both classic and contemporary materials related to children's literature. The course will emphasize the development of knowledge of literature and how to effectively integrate that knowledge into the curriculum. Students will learn how to evaluate and select appropriate literature for children through consideration of age, values, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds. Students will engage in close reading: they will be asked to analyze literature inductively, using clues from the surface level of literature (literary devices) to create larger truths they see in the literature. Student analysis of literature will be expressed through essays, presentations, and other activities.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 122 or COM 245
LIT 313
Visual Approaches to Literature: The Graphic Novel
3 credits
This course presents students with the means for understanding and creating visual stories. Students will learn how to read, interpret, and discuss graphic novels, and also how to create and craft comic stories. Students will use various critical frames to read and analyze four graphic novels. Students will engage in close reading: they will be asked to analyze literature inductively, using clues from the surface level of literature (literary devices) to create larger truths they see in the literature. They will also use Scott McCloud’s book, Making Comics, to better understand the choices writers and artists make when crafting visual stories and how those choices will affect their own comic stories.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 122 or COM 245
LIT 400
Multicultural Literature
3 credits
At the end of this course, students will understand how to read literature to gain insight into cultures and human experiences different from their own, from both past cultures and present cultures. Student analysis of texts will allow them to grow in empathy and awareness that will help prepare them as they move into increasingly diverse personal and professional spaces. The readings selected will be a mixture of long form (book length) and short form (essay) readings. Students will engage in close reading: they will be asked to analyze literature inductively, using clues from the surface level of literature (literary devices) to create larger truths they see in the literature. Literary analysis will be communicated through essays, presentations, and other class activities in the rhetorical forms of description, analysis, and reflection.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 122 or COM 245
LIT 410
Non-Fiction Literature
3 credits
At the end of this course, students will understand how to read and interpret non-fiction literature to gain insight into the rhetorical tools used in non-fiction. Because of an increased emphasis on non-fiction in education and a societal emphasis towards increasing levels of literacy, this course was designed to help students with close-reading and analytical skills. Students will be asked to analyze literature inductively, using clues from the surface level of literature (literary devices) to create larger truths they see in the literature. The readings selected will be a mixture of long form (book length) and short form (essay) readings. Literary analysis expressed through written communication and other activities will take the rhetorical forms of description, analysis, and reflection.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 122 or COM 245