Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "EN 201"
COURSE NAME: "Foundations for Advanced Literary Studies"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2025

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Stephanie Richards
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 4:30 PM 5:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisites: EN 110 with a grade of C or higher
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
In this course students learn the fundamental skills for advanced undergraduate literary studies, including a consideration of what literature is, and what constitutes a literary text; the major genres in literary studies; the major historical periods of literature in English; the significant theoretical and critical approaches to literature; the mechanics and terms required for advanced reading of poetry, prose, and drama; and the research methods, sources, and conventions in literary studies. This course is intended for English majors and minors or any students interested in advanced literary studies. This is a reading and writing intensive course. Students in 200-level literature classes are required to produce 4,000-5,000 words of critical writing.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

This course encourages students to become more rigorous and effective as readers, researchers, and writers. A writing-intensive course in close reading, working on texts from different periods, geographies, and genres, the course develops strategies for reading, analyzing, and writing about literature, noticing formal features, historical contexts, and intertextual references. Students will also consider how to address the responses generated by texts and examine the theoretical frameworks through which the texts can be interpreted. Students will reflect on the changing ways of approaching and classifying literary studies, considering national literatures, comparative and transdisciplinary approaches, and global perspectives.

Beginning with a consideration of what constitutes a literary text, the course specifically considers the three genres of fiction, poetry, and drama (reading Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, and Carol Anne Duffy’s The World’s Wife), analyzing each as an exemplar of its genre and learning the research methods and terms required for advanced critical writing. The course then considers the historical periods of literatures in English. Using the exemplary texts students study the theoretical and critical approaches with which they can develop their own interpretations. Students will demonstrate their skills in critical analysis in a final scholarly essay, will also write weekly responses, take mid-term and final exams, and make a presentation related to their scholarly essay.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Students will learn how to articulate a clear thesis, develop a coherent interpretive argument, and support their interpretation with textual citation and scholarly research.

On completing this course students will have the ability:

to identify and discuss literary genres, their forms and functions, and specific language associated with the analysis of each.
to conduct a close reading of literary and scholarly texts
to place a text in a historical or theoretical framework
to carry out effective research using different types of scholarly sources

to develop a critical argument and produce well-documented papers
to present critical findings orally

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Comments	Format
An Introduction to Literary Studies. Fourth edition.	Klarer, Mario.	Routledge: London, 2024	9780367678289	Please purchase at Almost Corner Bookstore or online. Be sure to get the 4th edition.
Things Fall Apart	Achebe, Chinua	Penguin Classics: London, 2006.	9780141023380	Purchase at Almost Corner Bookstore or online
Angels in America	Kushner, Tony	Theatre Communications Group: New York, 2013	9781559367691	Available on EBSCOhost eBook collection https://research.ebsco.com/c/2lxrwk/search/details/aao76xhwhj?db=nlebk correlated ISBNs: 9781559363846, 9781559367691	Ebook
The World’s Wife	Duffy, Carol Ann	Pan Macmillan, 2024	9781035038541	Purchase at Almost Corner Bookstore, Feltrinelli, or online

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Response essays		15
Midterm exam		20
Scholarly essay		30
Final Exam		20
Presentation		15

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. Regular attendance is required. More than four absences will result in a grade reduction. Students with more than five absences will automatically fail the course.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

SCHEDULE (This is a sample schedule. The actual schedule for the course is found in the Moodle classroom.)

	Class focus	Readings	Assignments
Week 1	Introduction to the course and to advanced literary studies
Week 2	Introduction to the course and to advanced literary studies II	Klarer, Mario. Chapter 1: “What is literature? What is a text?”	Response Essay: What is literature? What is a text? (500 words)
Week 3	Major Genres in Textual Studies I: Drama. The literary / critical language for the analysis of Drama.	Klarer, Mario. Chapter 2: “Major Genres in Textual Studies.” Kushner, Tony. Angels in America.
Week 4	Major Genres in Textual Studies I, Part 2: Drama	Kushner, Tony. Angels in America, continued.	Response Essay: Drama (500 words)
Week 5	Major Genres in Textual Studies II, Part 1: Fiction. The literary / critical language for the analysis of Fiction.	Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart.
Week 6	Major Genres in Textual Studies II, Part 2: Fiction	Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart, continued.	Response Essay: Fiction
Week 7	Major Genres in Textual Studies III, Part 1: Poetry. The literary / critical language for the analysis of Poetry.	Duffy, Carol Ann. World’s Wife.
Week 8	Major Genres in Textual Studies III, Part 2: Poetry	Duffy, Carol Ann. World’s Wife, continued.	Response Essay: Poetry (500 words). Midterm exam: The language of literary studies.
Week 9	Periods of English Literature	Klarer, Mario. Chapter 3: “Periods of English Literature”	Response Essay: Periods of English Literature (500 words)
Week 10	Theoretical Approaches to Literature I	Klarer, Mario. Chapter 4: “Theoretical Approaches to Literature”
Week 11	Theoretical Approaches to Literature II	Klarer, Mario. Chapter 4: “Theoretical Approaches to Literature,” continued.	Response Essay: Theoretical Approaches (500 words)
Week 12	Writing the Scholarly Paper I	Klarer, Mario. Chapter 5: “Where and How to Find Secondary Literature” and Chapter 6: “How to Write a Scholarly Paper”
Week 13	Writing the Scholarly Paper II	Klarer, Mario. Chapter 5: “Where and How to Find Secondary Literature” and Chapter 6: “How to Write a Scholarly Paper,” continued.	Presentations: Literature Review and Thesis Presentation for Scholarly Paper
Week 14	Worshopping the Scholarly Essay		Presentations: Literature Review and Thesis Presentation for Scholarly Paper