Revised 08/2022

ENG 255 - World Literature (3 CR.)

Course Description

Examines literary texts across a variety of cultures, genres, and time periods. Develops critical thinking and interpretive skills through close reading, discussion, and analysis of literary texts from around the world in their historical, cultural, social, and/or literary contexts. This is a UCGS transfer course. Lecture 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

ENG 255 examines the diversity and depth of the human experience through literature across a variety of cultures and traditions. This course develops skills in close reading, interpretation, and comparative 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, interpret, and use information, ideas and arguments from a variety of perspectives (including the written arguments of others) to analyze complex issues related to literature and its study
  • Interpret and combine information to reach and/or evaluate well-reasoned conclusions

Communication

  • Explain the complex ideas of others
  • Develop, convey, and exchange ideas in writing
  • Develop writing that is appropriate to a given context and for a specific audience

Cultural and Civic Engagement

  • Assess the impact of culture as it relates to world literatures and its traditions
  • 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 world literatures.

Inquiry

  • Construct and explore meaningful questions about diverse human experiences through comparative 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