LIT 400 - Introduction to Literary Theory

This course is a historical and analytical introduction to the major theoretical movements of the last 50 years in Western Europe and America. We will trace the philosophical origins and conceptual affiliations of the major developments in these movements. We will unpack the central concepts or master tropes of these theories to think about their function in literary criticism and learn how to use them purposefully. The course will cover structuralism and semiotics, poststructuralism and deconstruction, psychoanalytic theory, poststructuralist Marxist theory, Foucauldian theory and new historicism, postcolonial studies, and gender and feminist studies. The course will be taught as a seminar, with each student responsible for organizing the discussion of a reading or topic. It is designed for literature majors, but non-literature majors with adequate preparation may be admitted at the discretion of the instructors.

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group I
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or at least two literature courses
Instructional Method: Conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Cross-listing(s): ENG 400
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Analyze and interpret texts, whether literary or philosophical, in English or a foreign language, or works of the visual or performing arts;
Evaluate arguments made in or about texts (whether literary or philosophical, in English or a foreign language, or works of the visual or performing arts).