Course

by completing all assigned literature by specified date

by participating in small and large group discussions (in-class or online)

by completing all assignments on time and according to all criteria specified by the instructor for length, content, and format

by quoting and paraphrasing primary and secondary sources in support of your theories of the texts

you recognize explicit and implicit meanings within a literary text

you annotate key passages while reading

you formulate questions and opinions while reading

you identify literary conventions

you recognize complexity and ambiguity in literary texts

you assess your understanding and reread the text as necessary

you synthesize opinions, questions, and responses to the text to develop an interpretation

by completing all writing assignments on time and according to all criteria specified by the instructor for length, content, and format of written work

you explain the defining features of each of the major genres covered in the course (drama, novel, short story, poetry, and autobiography)

you identify and explain the major generic elements present in an individual text

you explain the historical, cultural, sociological and literary context of a literary work

you use literary terminology to describe and discuss a literary work

you recognize literary canons and their limitations

you apply the skills listed above to a new text, without assistance from the instructor

by completing assigned reading and participating in small and large group discussions, as scheduled

by completing all assigned written work and complying with instructor's criteria for length, content, and format

by moving beyond a discussion of explicit meaning to a detailed description of the complexity and ambiguity implicit in literary texts

by using a critical approach to construct and support an interpretation of a literary text

by applying the performance criteria listed above to a new text, without assistance from the instructor

you explain the explicit message or content of a literary text

you explain how a given text is an example of a given literary genre and how the text reflects the formal conventions of the genre

you bring historical information to bear on a text brings knowledge of literary history and canons to bear on the text

you explain the assumptions, ambiguities and hidden agendas that inform the explicit message

you explain how a literary text engages social issues

you explain several critical approaches that are used to analyze and interpret literature (examples: feminism, deconstruction, post-colonialism)

you use a defined critical approach to interpret a literary text

by completing all assigned reading

by completing the specified writing assignments (examples: analytic essays, reading journals, essay exams, response to critical essays, class notes) by the assigned date

by meeting all requirements specified by the instructor for length, format, and content of written work

by taking responsibility for the moral, ethical, aesthetic, and political arguments you make in the act of interpretation

by citing primary and secondary sources ethically within writing assignments and in a bibliography

you use appropriate literary terminology

you demonstrate your knowledge of cultural, historical, and sociological context of works of the assigned American authors

you express appreciation for literary aesthetics

you apply a variety of critical approaches to texts

you explore the complexity and ambiguity of literary texts

by participating in class discussion and activities

by completing all writing assignments on time and according to the criteria established by the instructor for length, content, and format

you explain the relationship between literature and life (by answering the question "Why study literature?")

you explain an awareness of a personal aesthetic response to the literary texts covered in the course

you identify major similarities and contrasts among the body of literary works covered in the course

you explain how historical, sociological and cultural developments within the historical period are reflected in the body of works covered in the course

you identify major literary movements and explain how these changes in literary aesthetics and theory are reflected in the works discussed in the course

you identify literary canons and their limitations