Literary Analysis and Argumentation

Literary Analysis and Argumentation deepens students’ skills in close textual analysis of literature, in making and supporting meaningful arguments, and in crafting elegant argumentative prose. Students will hone their critical writing skills, particularly with regard to thesis development, paragraph unity, and argumentative structure. The reading is from a wide range of literary genres. During the fall semester, students will read a series of short stories that deal, in one way or another, with hauntings and illusions. We will explore what these departures from the ordinary reveal about individual perspective and cultural norms. During the spring semester, we will read texts by James Baldwin, William Shakespeare, and others.