ENL 659 - Graduate Literature Seminar: Thematic and Cultural Approaches

3 credits
Prerequisites: Graduate status or permission of instructor and director
Exploration of the study of literature in light of current thematic and cultural perspectives. This course includes discussion of women’s literature, minority literature, and third-world literature, especially as such works contrast with or depart from the traditional canon. The course will examine the influences of these works on student learning and issues that arise in the classroom when they are introduced. In addition to traditional texts, the course will consider the options for use of alternative, non-traditional materials. Discussion will focus on the pedagogical limitations, problems, and issues inherent in using a cultural or thematic approach, with emphasis on finding ways to animate and vitalize the literature classroom.