Faculty and Staff

ENG 3014: Theories of Literature

What is theory? A theory is an account of what things are, why they are the way they are, and how and why they work. A "thing" can be a physical thing, like a person or book, or an abstract concept, like the proletariat or being or love.

From Wikipedia:

The English word theory was derived from a technical term in philosophy. in Ancient Greek. As an everyday word, theoria. θεωρία, meant "a looking at, viewing, beholding", but in more technical contexts it came to refer to contemplative. or speculative. understandings of natural things. such as those of natural philosophers. as opposed to more practical ways of knowing things, like that of skilled orators or artisans. The word has been in use in English since at least the late 16th century. Modern uses of the word "theory" are derived from the original definition, but have taken on new shades of meaning, still based on the idea that a theory is a thoughtful and rational explanation of the general nature of things.

In this course, we will explore the question of how and why literary and other texts work as they do, but also we will explore and practice thinking. Intended as a survey of critical theory, this course is about how to think about and through literature. We are learning to think because thinking for ourselves is better than having other people do our thinking for us.

The discourses of theory in the 20th century and into the 21st include formalist, psychological, Marxist, feminist, semiotic, structuralist, post-structuralist, gender and queer, ecocriticism, and cultural studies areas such as new historicism, postcolonialism, and multiculturalism. We will examine works of literature using each theoretical discourse as a lens through which to view and understand them. Additionally, we will take time in the middle of the semester to gain a better understanding of interpretation itself.

ENG 3014 is designated as a Research-Intensive (RI) course. This designation will be noted on your transcripts. Your active engagement in the research and/or creative scholarship process will be the core of your learning experience in this course. A significant portion of your grade for ENG 3014 will be derived from both your active participation in the research process and the tangible course-related project(s) that comes out of said project. If you have any questions about this designation, please ask your course instructor.

ENG 3014 is also a Gordon Rule course. It contains 6000 words of evaluated writing as required by the English Department. Each has the following characteristics:

1.      The writing will have a clearly defined central idea or thesis

2.      It will provide adequate support for that idea

3.      It will be organized clearly and logically

4.      It will show awareness of the conventions of standard written English

5.      It will be formatted or presented in an appropriate way

LIT3212-24Spring 0W61

Course Description

LIT 3212: Research and Writing about Literature

Catalog Description: Research and Writing about Literature (LIT 3212) This course is designed to teach literary research and writing skills. PR: Grade of “C” (2.0) or better required in ENC 1102 or C.I. Research, writing, and critical analysis skills applicable to upper-level English courses. 3 credit hours

LIT 3212 is designated as a Research-Intensive (RI) course. This designation will be noted on your transcripts. Your active engagement in the research and/or creative scholarship process will be the core of your learning experience in this course. A significant portion of your grade for LIT 3212 will be derived from both your active participation in the research process and the tangible course-related project(s) that comes out of said project. If you have any questions about this designation, please ask your course instructor.

Detailed Description: This course walks you through the process of conducting literary research while helping to refine your library skills. Along the way, we will draw from the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Framework. According to the ACRL, “Research is iterative and depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers lead to additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field.” We will discuss this concept more in-depth throughout the course. Your goal in the course is to produce a research paper suitable for publication in a literary studies journal.

The course will also focus on a research project created by Jada, an English major who conducted a literary study of James Baldwin’s classic short story, “Sonny’s Blues.”

The basic textbook we will be using for our class is Strategies for Conducting Literary Research, 2e. It has loads of concepts and vocabulary, some of which you may not have encountered before. In a research-based course, your instructor will require you to write a research paper of 8-12 pages, but the knowledge you need to perform this task can fill up dozens of pages. Writing about literature is a complicated, often messy process; it needs to meet high standards while incorporating knowledge from other fields such as psychology, history, science, and other arts. It entails knowledge about language, genre, structures, styles, and more. To produce good research about literature, we need to know a lot of things about a lot of things!

Although we will discuss the research process in a linear fashion throughout this course, you’ll find that, in practice, literary research is a highly recursive process. We’re constantly circling back through the process as we write. Because writing instructors are locked into presenting the writing process in a linear way, we tend to discuss it in terms of stages such as preliminary research, drafting, revising, and so on. But writing a research paper requires us to rethink and redo our work at any stage. It’s not uncommon for writers to be in the middle of proofreading (one of the final stages) and realize they need to go back and gather more research. Though this course focuses on research about literature, the skills and knowledge in these chapters apply to many other areas and topics, especially in the humanities.

Key Objectives for This Course

·         Read disciplinary texts and develop a “toolbox” of content knowledge, core principles, and practices. 

·         Improve research, interpretation, writing, and argumentation skills about literary texts and society by obtaining, critically evaluating, and synthesizing scholarly literature and relevant data. 

·         Implement appropriate methodologies to address key research problems.

·         Gain communication skills through the dissemination of the research (process and product) in appropriate formats and venues, including professional journals and platforms in literary studies.

·         A more granular breakdown of course objectives is below:

o    Understand the assignment 

o    Identify a research problem 

o    Develop audience awareness

o    Enter a scholarly conversation

o    Understand theory’s integral role within humanities research

o    Understand how theory relates to particular research methodologies and methods for gathering evidence

o    Learn to use online library catalogs, database search strategies, library services, citation management, and search alerts

o    Evaluate source credibility

o    Posit your research question

o    Posit a thesis statement

o    Compose a title

o    Define your key terms

o    Write persuasively

o    Write academic prose

o    Steer clear of plagiarism

“Research & Writing about Literature” is a Gordon Rule course, which means you will produce at least 6000 words of evaluated writing as required by the English Department. Each Gordon Rule assignment has the following characteristics:

1.      The writing will have a clearly defined central idea or thesis.

2.      It will provide adequate support for that idea

3.      It will be organized clearly and logically

4.      It will show awareness of the conventions of standard written English

5.      It will be formatted or presented in an appropriate way

Note that our course discussions will take place in Yellowdig, a social media type application.  You are free to use any of the questions there or to post your own questions and topics.

ENG 3014: Theories of Literature

What is theory? A theory is an account of what things are, why they are the way they are, and how and why they work. A "thing" can be a physical thing, like a person or book, or an abstract concept, like the proletariat or being or love.

From Wikipedia:

The English word theory was derived from a technical term in philosophy. in Ancient Greek. As an everyday word, theoria. θεωρία, meant "a looking at, viewing, beholding", but in more technical contexts it came to refer to contemplative. or speculative. understandings of natural things. such as those of natural philosophers. as opposed to more practical ways of knowing things, like that of skilled orators or artisans. The word has been in use in English since at least the late 16th century. Modern uses of the word "theory" are derived from the original definition, but have taken on new shades of meaning, still based on the idea that a theory is a thoughtful and rational explanation of the general nature of things.

In this course, we will explore the question of how and why literary and other texts work as they do, but also we will explore and practice thinking. Intended as a survey of critical theory, this course is about how to think about and through literature. We are learning to think because thinking for ourselves is better than having other people do our thinking for us.

The discourses of theory in the 20th century and into the 21st include formalist, psychological, Marxist, feminist, semiotic, structuralist, post-structuralist, gender and queer, ecocriticism, and cultural studies areas such as new historicism, postcolonialism, and multiculturalism. We will examine works of literature using each theoretical discourse as a lens through which to view and understand them. Additionally, we will take time in the middle of the semester to gain a better understanding of interpretation itself.

ENG 3014 is designated as a Research-Intensive (RI) course. This designation will be noted on your transcripts. Your active engagement in the research and/or creative scholarship process will be the core of your learning experience in this course. A significant portion of your grade for ENG 3014 will be derived from both your active participation in the research process and the tangible course-related project(s) that comes out of said project. If you have any questions about this designation, please ask your course instructor.

ENG 3014 is also a Gordon Rule course. It contains 6000 words of evaluated writing as required by the English Department. Each has the following characteristics:

1.      The writing will have a clearly defined central idea or thesis

2.      It will provide adequate support for that idea

3.      It will be organized clearly and logically

4.      It will show awareness of the conventions of standard written English

5.      It will be formatted or presented in an appropriate way

LIT3212-24Spring 0W61

Course Description

LIT 3212: Research and Writing about Literature

Catalog Description: Research and Writing about Literature (LIT 3212) This course is designed to teach literary research and writing skills. PR: Grade of “C” (2.0) or better required in ENC 1102 or C.I. Research, writing, and critical analysis skills applicable to upper-level English courses. 3 credit hours

LIT 3212 is designated as a Research-Intensive (RI) course. This designation will be noted on your transcripts. Your active engagement in the research and/or creative scholarship process will be the core of your learning experience in this course. A significant portion of your grade for LIT 3212 will be derived from both your active participation in the research process and the tangible course-related project(s) that comes out of said project. If you have any questions about this designation, please ask your course instructor.

Detailed Description: This course walks you through the process of conducting literary research while helping to refine your library skills. Along the way, we will draw from the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Framework. According to the ACRL, “Research is iterative and depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers lead to additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field.” We will discuss this concept more in-depth throughout the course. Your goal in the course is to produce a research paper suitable for publication in a literary studies journal.

The course will also focus on a research project created by Jada, an English major who conducted a literary study of James Baldwin’s classic short story, “Sonny’s Blues.”

The basic textbook we will be using for our class is Strategies for Conducting Literary Research, 2e. It has loads of concepts and vocabulary, some of which you may not have encountered before. In a research-based course, your instructor will require you to write a research paper of 8-12 pages, but the knowledge you need to perform this task can fill up dozens of pages. Writing about literature is a complicated, often messy process; it needs to meet high standards while incorporating knowledge from other fields such as psychology, history, science, and other arts. It entails knowledge about language, genre, structures, styles, and more. To produce good research about literature, we need to know a lot of things about a lot of things!

Although we will discuss the research process in a linear fashion throughout this course, you’ll find that, in practice, literary research is a highly recursive process. We’re constantly circling back through the process as we write. Because writing instructors are locked into presenting the writing process in a linear way, we tend to discuss it in terms of stages such as preliminary research, drafting, revising, and so on. But writing a research paper requires us to rethink and redo our work at any stage. It’s not uncommon for writers to be in the middle of proofreading (one of the final stages) and realize they need to go back and gather more research. Though this course focuses on research about literature, the skills and knowledge in these chapters apply to many other areas and topics, especially in the humanities.

Key Objectives for This Course

·         Read disciplinary texts and develop a “toolbox” of content knowledge, core principles, and practices. 

·         Improve research, interpretation, writing, and argumentation skills about literary texts and society by obtaining, critically evaluating, and synthesizing scholarly literature and relevant data. 

·         Implement appropriate methodologies to address key research problems.

·         Gain communication skills through the dissemination of the research (process and product) in appropriate formats and venues, including professional journals and platforms in literary studies.

·         A more granular breakdown of course objectives is below:

o    Understand the assignment 

o    Identify a research problem 

o    Develop audience awareness

o    Enter a scholarly conversation

o    Understand theory’s integral role within humanities research

o    Understand how theory relates to particular research methodologies and methods for gathering evidence

o    Learn to use online library catalogs, database search strategies, library services, citation management, and search alerts

o    Evaluate source credibility

o    Posit your research question

o    Posit a thesis statement

o    Compose a title

o    Define your key terms

o    Write persuasively

o    Write academic prose

o    Steer clear of plagiarism

“Research & Writing about Literature” is a Gordon Rule course, which means you will produce at least 6000 words of evaluated writing as required by the English Department. Each Gordon Rule assignment has the following characteristics:

1.      The writing will have a clearly defined central idea or thesis.

2.      It will provide adequate support for that idea

3.      It will be organized clearly and logically

4.      It will show awareness of the conventions of standard written English

5.      It will be formatted or presented in an appropriate way

Note that our course discussions will take place in Yellowdig, a social media type application.  You are free to use any of the questions there or to post your own questions and topics.

Catalog Description: Research and Writing about Literature (LIT 3212) This course is designed to teach literary research and writing skills. PR: Grade of “C” (2.0) or better required in ENC 1102 or C.I. Research, writing, and critical analysis skills applicable to upper-level English courses. 3 credit hours

LIT 3212 is designated as a Research-Intensive (RI) course. This designation will be noted on your transcripts. Your active engagement in the research and/or creative scholarship process will be the core of your learning experience in this course. A significant portion of your grade for LIT 3212 will be derived from both your active participation in the research process and the tangible course-related project(s) that comes out of said project. If you have any questions about this designation, please ask your course instructor.

Detailed Description: This course walks you through the process of conducting literary research while helping to refine your library skills. Along the way, we will draw from the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Framework. According to the ACRL, “Research is iterative and depends upon asking increasingly complex or new questions whose answers lead to additional questions or lines of inquiry in any field.” We will discuss this concept more in-depth throughout the course. Your goal in the course is to produce a research paper suitable for publication in a literary studies journal.

The course will also focus on a research project created by Jada, an English major who conducted a literary study of James Baldwin’s classic short story, “Sonny’s Blues.”

The basic textbook we will be using for our class is Strategies for Conducting Literary Research, 2e. It has loads of concepts and vocabulary, some of which you may not have encountered before. In a research-based course, your instructor will require you to write a research paper of 8-12 pages, but the knowledge you need to perform this task can fill up dozens of pages. Writing about literature is a complicated, often messy process; it needs to meet high standards while incorporating knowledge from other fields such as psychology, history, science, and other arts. It entails knowledge about language, genre, structures, styles, and more. To produce good research about literature, we need to know a lot of things about a lot of things!

Although we will discuss the research process in a linear fashion throughout this course, you’ll find that, in practice, literary research is a highly recursive process. We’re constantly circling back through the process as we write. Because writing instructors are locked into presenting the writing process in a linear way, we tend to discuss it in terms of stages such as preliminary research, drafting, revising, and so on. But writing a research paper requires us to rethink and redo our work at any stage. It’s not uncommon for writers to be in the middle of proofreading (one of the final stages) and realize they need to go back and gather more research. Though this course focuses on research about literature, the skills and knowledge in these chapters apply to many other areas and topics, especially in the humanities.

Key Objectives for This Course

·         Read disciplinary texts and develop a “toolbox” of content knowledge, core principles, and practices. 

·         Improve research, interpretation, writing, and argumentation skills about literary texts and society by obtaining, critically evaluating, and synthesizing scholarly literature and relevant data. 

·         Implement appropriate methodologies to address key research problems.

·         Gain communication skills through the dissemination of the research (process and product) in appropriate formats and venues, including professional journals and platforms in literary studies.

·         A more granular breakdown of course objectives is below:

o    Understand the assignment 

o    Identify a research problem 

o    Develop audience awareness

o    Enter a scholarly conversation

o    Understand theory’s integral role within humanities research

o    Understand how theory relates to particular research methodologies and methods for gathering evidence

o    Learn to use online library catalogs, database search strategies, library services, citation management, and search alerts

o    Evaluate source credibility

o    Posit your research question

o    Posit a thesis statement

o    Compose a title

o    Define your key terms

o    Write persuasively

o    Write academic prose

o    Steer clear of plagiarism

“Research & Writing about Literature” is a Gordon Rule course, which means you will produce at least 6000 words of evaluated writing as required by the English Department. Each Gordon Rule assignment has the following characteristics:

1.      The writing will have a clearly defined central idea or thesis.

2.      It will provide adequate support for that idea

3.      It will be organized clearly and logically

4.      It will show awareness of the conventions of standard written English

5.      It will be formatted or presented in an appropriate way

Note that our course discussions will take place in Yellowdig, a social media type application.  You are free to use any of the questions there or to post your own questions and topics.