20801211Gay and Lesbian Literature
Course Information
Description
Examines work by representative authors in American literature written by and about lesbian and gay people from the 19th century to the present, including short stories, novels, drama, poetry and film. Works will be analyzed in regard to both specific and universal messages they have to offer, for nongay and gay readers alike.
Total Credits
3
Course Competencies
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Apply appropriate strategies when reading literary worksAssessment Strategiesby completing all assigned literature by specified dateby participating in small and large group discussionsby meeting instructor's criteria on quizzes, tests, and other written assignmentsCriteriayou identify the purpose or reading a literary text: enjoyment, appreciation, and the development of an interpretationyou recognize explicit and implicit meanings within a literary textyou annotate and highlight key passages while readingyou formulate questions and opinions while readingyou identify literary conventionsyou recognize complexity and ambiguity in literary textsyou assess understanding and reread the text as necessaryyou synthesize opinions, questions, and responses to the text to develop an interpretation
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Analyze literatureAssessment Strategiesby completing assigned reading and participates in class discussions at the scheduled timesby completing all writing assignments on time, and according to all criteria specified by the instructor for length, content, and format of written workCriteriayou explain the defining features of each of the major genres covered in the course (drama, novel, short story, poetry, memoir, and film/television)you identify the major generic elements present in an individual textyou explain the historical, cultural, sociological and literary context of a literary workyou use literary terminology to describe and discuss a literary workyou recognize literary canons and their limitationsyou apply the skills listed above to a new text, without assistance
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Interpret literatureAssessment Strategiesby completing assigned reading and participates in small and large group discussions, as scheduledby completing all assigned written work and complies with instructor's criteria for length, content, and formatby moving beyond a discussion of explicit meaning to a detailed description of the complexity and ambiguity implicit in literary texts, (the systematic encoding process that may inform texts written by lesbian and gay authors in repressive climates)by using a critical approach to construct and support an interpretation of a literary textby applying the performance criteria listed above to a new text, without assistance from the instructorCriteriayou examine the explicit message or content of a literary textyou examine how a given text is an example of given literary genre and how the text reflects the formal conventions of the genreyou bring historical information to bear on a textyou bring knowledge of literary history and canons to bear on the textyou explain the assumptions, ambiguities and hidden agendas that inform the explicit messageyou examine how a literary text engages social issuesyou examine several critical approaches that are used to analyze and interpret literature, including queer theoryyou use a critical approach, such as formalism or deconstruction, to interpret a literary text
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Write about literatureAssessment Strategiesby completing all assigned readingby completing the specified writing assignments (examples: analytic essays, reading journals, essay exams, response to critical essays, class notes) by the assigned dateby meeting all requirements specified by the instructor for length, format, and content of written workCriteriayou use literary terminologyyou demonstrate the cultural, historical, and sociological context of literary worksyou express an appreciation for literary aestheticsyou apply a variety of critical approaches to textsyou explore the complexity and ambiguity of literary texts
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Evaluate literatureAssessment Strategiesby completing assigned reading and participates in class discussion and activities, as scheduledby completing all writing assignments on time and according to the criteria established by the instructor for length, content, and formatby meeting instructor's criteria on quizzes and testsCriteriayou examine the relationship between literature and life (by answering the question "Why study literature?"you examine an awareness of a personal aesthetic response to the literary texts covered in the courseyou identify major similarities and contrasts among the body of literary works covered in the courseyou examine how historical, sociological and cultural developments within the historical period are reflected in the body of works covered in the courseyou identify major literary movements and describes how these changes in literary aesthetics and theory are reflected in the works discussed in the course.you identify literary canons and their limitationsyou apply all of the criteria listed above to the evaluation of a new text, without assistance from the instructoryou prepare written work that evaluates literary works according to the criteria listed above
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Determine the thematic issues particular to LGBT literatureAssessment Strategiesby completing assigned reading and participates in small and large group discussionsby meeting instructor's criteria on quizzes, tests and other written assignmentsCriteriayou identify gay-related issues and themes in the textyou determine both explicit and implicit messages in the text regarding lesbian and gay people
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Critique works of literature in regard to their portrayal, positive and negative, of lesbian and gay life, characters, and messagesAssessment Strategiesby completing assigned reading and participates in small and large group discussionsby meeting instructor's criteria on quizzes, tests and other written assignmentsCriteriayou examine the elements that contribute to a positive or negative rendering of gay issues and characters in the textyou examine the effect of those elements upon the public response to the text
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Apply terminology appropriate to discussion of LGBT literatureAssessment Strategiesby completing assigned reading and participates in small and large group discussionsby meeting instructor's criteria on quizzes, tests and other written assignmentsCriteriayou use queer theory terminologyyou identify examples of items illustrating those terms
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Judge the importance of the level of gay and lesbian oppression in evaluating the textAssessment Strategiesby completing assigned reading and participates in small and large group discussionsby meeting instructor's criteria on quizzes, tests and other written assignmentsCriteriayou demonstrate knowledge of the degree of oppression of LGBT people during the period of the production of the text.you relate that knowledge to an understanding of the messages explicit and implicit in the text.
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Evaluate the impact of the AIDS epidemic upon the form, reception, and marketing of the genre of LGBT literature and its standing in the literary canonAssessment Strategiesby completing assigned reading and participates in small and large group discussionsby meeting instructor's criteria on quizzes, tests and other written assignmentsCriteriayou demonstrate knowledge of the timeline of the history of the AIDS epidemic.you explain the changes in the publishing market in regard to LGBT literature as a result of the AIDS epidemicyou explain the changes in the genre of LGBT literature as a result of the AIDS epidemic