The Art of Critical Reading and Writing

This course introduces students to deep reading by giving them the tools and habits of literary interpretation. The course aims to give our students the language of traditional literary practice as well as the basic concepts of literary theory. Students will learn how to construct a well-supported argument using textual evidence. This class provides a foundation for the understanding of stories and narratives, and the practice of critical thought. It gives students the skills to write thought-provoking works ranging from character analysis to book reviews, from literary close-readings to essay papers, and from summaries to poetry analysis.