ENGL 302 B: Critical Practice

English 302: 

Cultural Studies of the Novel

‘For whom are we doing what we are doing when we do literary criticism?’ ... The answer to that question determines what orientation we take in our work, the language we use, the purposes for which it is intended. 

                                            -- Barbara Christian, "The Race for Theory" (1988)

COURSE OVERVIEW: This course provides a follow up to English 202, the Introduction to the English major.  It is a practicum of critical methods.  This particular 302 will provide in-depth practice in cultural studies approaches to the novel.  By the end of the course, students should have a grasp of various approaches to the study of culture and narrative forms.   Students will also have been exposed to a range of social and political questions related to cultural studies methodologies, including theories of race, gender, sexuality, class, and colonialism.  Our course will be anchored by two specific novels focused on themes of war, empire and displacement: Jeanette Winterson's The Passion (1987) and Mohsin Hamid's Exit West (2017). 

COURSE GOALS: The class is designed to support your own reading practice, to enhance it by putting it into dialogue with a range of different reading practices (some provided in readings, some provided in peer discussion), and to leave you with a profound sense of curiosity about how your own practices make sense of world around you.  The assignments are designed to move from low-stakes writing (credit/no credit) to formal essays (graded literary argument).  I provide detailed Literary Argument Essay expectations and assessment rubrics to help make this process transparent.   For people interested in a Deep Dive: Extra Credit option, I have provided a space to explore related literary texts, additional cultural contexts, and broader political and historical questions.  

COURSE SCHEDULE:  The Course Schedule provides week-by-week links to the readings to be completed before each class session; helpful handouts outlining key issues in the reading; questions to consider for class discussion activities; and required writing portfolios.  

DETAILED BREAKDOWN:

Required Novels (purchase or borrow):

Jeanette Winterson, The Passion (1987)

Mohsin Hamid, Exit, West (2017)

Course Readings: 

All remaining course readings will be posted as reading links on the Course Schedule Page and can also be accessed through the Files Page.  If you have any trouble accessing the uploaded documents or links please contact me immediately.

Course Objectives: 

• To be able to read a novel critically
• To be able to write about a novel critically
• To be able to differentiate between critical methods
• To be able to discuss the relevance of different critical methods
• To maybe like one or two particular methods
• To be very excited about reading novels

Course Requirements:

• Discussion: You will be expected to participate actively in group discussions each week; there will be a variety of options for participation.  We will center diversity, equity and inclusion practices throughout our discussions (see Sample Ground Rules for Discussion).  Discussion: 15%

• Portfolio: Each week portfolio entries will help you practice specific skills expected in your formal Literary Argument Essays.  These are low-stakes (credit/no credit) writing assignments, meaning you will receive full points for completing the assignment each week.  Portfolio: 35%

• Essays: You will write two Literary Argument Essays of 5-7 pages each for this course.  The essays will make a claim about one novel and situate this claim in relation to at least one critical approach discussed in the course.  The claim and its reasons will be supported by close reading of literary and critical passages (details in the Literary Argument Essay Assignment).  Sample paper topics; literary argument tips; a grading rubric; and sample essays from prior classes are available in this Literary Argument Module.  Each essay is worth 25% of your final grade.  Total: 50%.

• Extra Credit: Deep Dive!  Take a side track, read some of the associated readings gathered in the Deep Dive link.  This is your chance to delve into related literary texts, additional cultural contexts, and broader political and historical questions.  It is also designed to be an accessible way to make up for missed discussion activities.  You can enter or upload a Deep Dive in the Extra Credit: Deep Dive! Assignment. Extra Credit: maximum of 2 points each.