This course gives students skills for analyzing the stories that shape our world: traditional literary narratives such as ballads, romances, and novels, and also the kinds of stories we encounter in non-literary contexts such as journalism, movies, myths, jokes, legal judgments, travel writing, histories, songs, diaries, and biographies.
100-level courses are designed to increase students’ skills in close reading, interpretation, and effective writing; emphasize the development of analytical and essay-writing skills; and build acquaintance with major literary forms and conventions that students need in more advanced courses.
