Course Approach:

• I don't consider this course to be a "lecture" course; instead, it will be mostly a discussion-based course. For each class period, we will have full-group discussions, which will often be preceded or followed by small-group discussions. Of course, sometimes I may have to lecture, but I will try to keep these short and focused. The reason for the discussion-based model is that I feel, based both on my own learning and teaching experiences and on my research, this is the best way to run a literature course. And, it moves us toward accomplishing many of the goals for the course, including close, careful reading, critical thinking, and the "art of intellectual conversation." For each class session, we will concentrate on the literature assigned for that day. I think the class will be more meaningful and enjoyable if we all actively participate in all in-class activities and discussions. I know from past experiences that the best classes have been those where everyone is prepared for each class, having read the material beforehand, and is ready for class discussion, having written down questions or problems or ideas ahead of time. Also, bring your textbook and notebook to each class session, since we will often look at passages together and you will often have to write notes about what we talk about. Finally, the exams in this course rely on the discussion-based model rather than the lecture-based one. Instead of asking you to "regurgitate" material you memorized from lectures, the exams will ask you to (1) identify passages from the literature we read by author and title and (2) analyze, interpret, and/or evaluate some of them. Through the class discussions about each work of literature, you will discover different ways to analyze, interpret, and evaluate literature, and hopefully you will get some ideas that you can use on each exam.