Docs - ENGL 2328 Spring 2003 UTPB

Methodological—What defines literature? What determines the texts included in our anthologies or syllabus? Why do we analyze literature? What makes for a persuasive interpretation? Do we read non-literary texts differently? How should the social/historical context of a piece effect our interpretation of it? How does the "form" of a literary text effect its meaning? What purposes are served by a literary survey such as this one?

History of Ideas—How have ideas about "American Identity" shifted over time? How do authors see the relationship between the individual and community? What is the "American Dream" and how does literature comment upon it? What ideas about freedom, class, race, gender, and progress are reflected in literature? From what positions are these texts written and to what implied audiences? For what purposes?

Literariness—How do writers position themselves with respect to "tradition" and what need for literary authority have they felt? To what extent do the class texts constitute a unified "American" literature? Why has it been important for some authors to define themselves or be defined as American?