Revised 08/2022

ENG 246 - American Literature (3 CR.)

Course Description

Examines American literary traditions and texts from diverse time periods, genres, and authors. Analyzes literary works within their historical, cultural, social, and/or literary contexts. Emphasizes skills of close reading. Develops critical thinking and interpretive skills through discussion, interpretation, and analysis of these texts. This is a UCGS transfer course.

Lecture 3 hours.

General Course Purpose

ENG 246 introduces students to texts and traditions within American literature. This course requires close reading, interpretation, and analysis.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

Prerequisites: ENG 112, ENG 113, or departmental approval.

Course Objectives

Upon completing the course, the student will be able to:

Critical Thinking

  • Evaluate and interpret information, ideas and arguments from a variety of perspectives (including the written arguments of others) to analyze complex issues related to literature
  • Interpret and combine information to reach and/or evaluate well-reasoned conclusions about literature

Communication

  • Explain the complex ideas of others, as they relate to literature and its traditions
  • Develop, convey, and exchange ideas in writing that focuses on literary analysis
  • Develop writing that is appropriate to a given context and for a specific audience

Cultural and Civic Engagement

  • Assess the impact of culture across local, national, and global literary communities
  • Develop knowledge and civic values, within a humanities framework, that are necessary for contributing to civic life and the well-being of local, national, and global literary communities

Literary Traditions

  • Describe salient features of writers, literary movements, genres and/or texts within the American literary tradition.

Inquiry

  • Construct and explore meaningful questions about diverse human experiences through literary study

Historical and social contexts

  • Explain connections between literary texts and related historical, social, and literary contexts

Close Reading and Literary Analysis

  • Analyze literary texts using appropriate vocabulary and a variety of methodological approaches and perspectives, exploring the ways literary texts reflect and challenge cultural values and beliefs
  • Support interpretations of literary texts with valid textual evidence and use scholarly sources as appropriate to inform inquiry into literary texts

Writing

  • Compose literary analysis that is well-organized and features substantial, logical, and concrete development of ideas with appropriate documentation

Major Topics to Be Included

  • Literary Traditions Inquiry
  • Historical and social contexts
  • Close Reading and Literary Analysis Writing