Introduction to Literature (2025/2026: Semester 1 – Fall)

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Cursusdoel

After completing this course students are able to:
  1. Identify significant formal features of literary prose, poetry, and drama.
  2. Combine observations about formal features and themes of literary works into interpretive claims.
  3. Write argument-driven, well-evidenced interpretive essays about literary works.
  4. Relate literary works to their historical, cultural, and political contexts.
  5. Understand and deploy a few theoretical frameworks common in literary studies.

Relationship between assessment and learning goals:

In this course, the final course grade is based on three elements: a midterm written assignment, a final written assignment and class participation (including logbooks and chairing a discussion)
  1. The midterm develops and tests the skills required to achieve learning goals 1-4.
  2. The final tests the skills required to achieve learning goals 1-5.
  3. Class participation (including logbooks and chairing discussion) tests your knowledge and insight on learning objectives 1-5.

Vakinhoudelijk

What is literature and how do we study it?

In this course, students develop fundamental skills in literary analysis by learning to interpret poems, plays, and literary prose from different cultures and historical periods. By completing this course, you will improve your knowledge of literary history and develop your ability to ask—and answer—interesting questions about the works you read. We will consider how texts are written, what their possible effects on readers are, in what ways they reflect or envision the society in which they were composed, why societies cherish some literary works and censure others, how certain writers acquire or lose value over the course of time, and how literature helps to shape the sense of who we are as individuals and as members of society. The emphasis of the first half of the course is on developing skills in literary analysis / close reading; in the second half, the emphasis is on combining close reading with historical contextualization and theoretical framing.


Format
The course format combines short lectures by the instructors, introducing relevant skills, works, and concepts, with discussions. Students will take turns in leading group discussions. Occasionally, classes will run as writing workshops.

Werkvormen

UCU hum 1 course

Toetsing

Class participation, including logbook

Verplicht | Weging 30% | ECTS 2,25

Mid term written assignment

Verplicht | Weging 30% | ECTS 2,25

Final written assignment

Verplicht | Weging 40% | ECTS 3

*midterm FEEDBACK*

Niet verplicht

Ingangseisen en voorkennis

Ingangseisen

Er is geen informatie over verplichte ingangseisen bekend.

Voorkennis

Er is geen informatie over benodigde voorkennis bekend.

Voertalen

  • Engels

Competenties

  • Academisch schrijven
  • Internationale en interculturele oriëntatie
  • Kritisch lezen
  • Onderzoeksvaardigheden
  • Presenteren

Cursusmomenten

Gerelateerde studies

Tentamens

Er is geen tentamenrooster beschikbaar voor deze cursus

Verplicht materiaal

  • BOEK
    Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway
  • BOEK
    Alison Bechdel, The Secret to Superhuman Strength
  • BOEK
    Anne Carson, The Autobiography of Red
  • BOEK
    Dante, Inferno
  • BOEK
    Athol Fugard, The Township Plays
  • BOEK
    Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist
  • BOEK
    Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God
  • BOEK
    Luigi Pirandello, Six Characters in Search of an Author
  • BOEK
    Andrei Platonov, The Foundation Pit
  • BOEK
    Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (the 1818 text)
  • BOEK
    Colson Whitehead, The Intuitionist

Aanbevolen materiaal

Er is geen informatie over de aanbevolen literatuur bekend

Coördinator

dr. S.P. van Bommel s.p.vanBommel@uu.nl

Docent

Inschrijving

Let op: deze cursus is niet toegankelijk voor studenten van andere faculteiten, bijvakkers mogen zich dus niet inschrijven.

Naar OSIRIS-inschrijvingen
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