Course Goals at Each Level

300 level courses should introduce students to the basic terms, conventions, and scholarly methods of studying literature, including:

developing an argument with a thesis statement,

appropriate terminology of the field, and

close reading skills.

Goals at the 400 level (other than Creative Writing and Expository Writing):

At the 400 level, students should refine their abilities to analyze literature, both in reading and writing though:

Learning the basics of research in the discipline of English, including a basic understanding of the range of archival resources,

Incorporating secondary sources into an argument of their own,

Introduction of theoretical approaches to literature and cultural studies across the curriculum.

NB - all 400 level literature courses will have ENGL 300 or 310 as prerequisite or 'permission of instructor'

Goals at 500 level (other than Creative Writing):

In 500 level English courses students should:

Develop their own voice in argumentative source-based writing, including a substantial project of 10 or more pages, or the equivalent.

Exhibit flexibility and complexity of though in analyzing literature and cultural studies,

Demonstrate comfort with a variety of theoretical approaches, scholarly methods, types of evidence and modes of presentation.

Department of English