AMU2017 Reading literature

The primary aim of this elective is to encourage you to actively, ethically and critically read literature, whether originally written in, or translated into, English, in order to underscore its importance as aesthetic expression, cultural heritage and social memory. Covering classical and contemporary works from Western and non-Western writers, the unit will include poetry, the short story and play, and also introduce you to a wide variety of styles and genres (e.g., realism, science-fiction, horror, modernist, postmodernist, allegory, parody, satire, postcolonial, etc.), It is designed for students with little to no background in literary studies, and hence can be taken by students across the campus. Lectures will be conducted to simulate a reading group to create a more relaxed, conversational atmosphere with weekly set texts and accompanying questions for you to consider for discussion and group activities during the session. 

By the end of the semester, you will be able to demonstrate critical thinking when reading literature that takes into account ethical questions and is informed by an understanding of the cultural and historical contexts in which it was written and/or its relationship to respective authors.