Literature and Composition

Students will write and revise essays that demonstrate their ability to read and think critically, to incorporate evidence into the development of their ideas, and to articulate their responses persuasively. Readings may include essays, articles, literature, or literary criticism. Basic concepts of information literacy will be introduced. Grammar, usage, and mechanics will be reviewed as necessary.

Based on the assumptions that writing is a way of thinking and the process of writing is an act of discovery, the goals of the CIA's writing program are to help students think, read, and write critically. Through these interrelated activities, students will learn to develop and communicate ideas about focused subjects for particular audiences in a clear, convincing manner. This course proceeds from College Writing to further develop students' abilities to read and think critically and write clearly. Students will compose persuasive, well-developed, and clearly organized essays that synthesize, document, and respond to sources in building arguments. In addition, students will develop a substantial research project that demonstrates the information literacy skills required to find, evaluate, and make appropriate use of primary and secondary materials relevant to their topics.

This is a 200-level literature and writing course focusing on the critical thinking, discipline, and skills involved in reading literature and writing analytical essays. While developing your abilities as a writer, you'll be challenged to read literary texts carefully and critically, discovering the reader's role in interpreting the meaning of a text and cultivating a tolerance for (even an appreciation of) ambiguity. The aim of the course is to extend your capacity to think critically-that is, to explore issues from multiple perspectives and, through your reading, to develop ideas that are important to you.

This is an upper-level, discussion-based course focusing on the critical reading and analysis of literature. Students will learn to read texts closely and deeply while understanding them within thematic, historical, and/or cultural contexts. Readings may include novels, short fiction, poetry, drama, essays, and literary criticism. Course work includes reading assessments and writing of critical essays.