ENG 230 - Introduction to English: Engaging with Critical Communities

Building on the skills developed in ENG 209 - Introduction to English: Writing about Literature, students majoring in English will learn how to engage the discourse of larger reading communities by utilizing critical frameworks and literary scholarship to inform, deepen, and clarify their own literary interpretations. Thus, students in this course will study critical and theoretical methods used by contemporary literary scholars; consider the role of aesthetic, geographic, and historical contexts in the study of literary texts; develop their ability to find secondary sources relevant to the study of diverse texts; gain proficiency in integrating sources effectively into their own prose (including the use of current MLA style); and revise and edit their work based on peer and faculty feedback. Because this class is devoted to engaging with multiple communities, the work in this class is explicitly antiracist and inclusive. Course readings will include multiple forms and genres and help students to begin developing a critical toolbox relevant to the study of texts throughout their coursework in the major and after graduation. Students majoring in English should enroll in this course as soon as possible after completing ENG 209 - Introduction to English: Writing about Literature and no later than the end of their sophomore year or, for transfer students, their second semester at Truman.

Prerequisite: Successful completion of ENG 209 - Introduction to English: Writing about Literature with a grade of “C” or better.
Credit(s): 3