In this course, students of the Faculty of Arts will read different texts such as short stories, novellas and parts of novels and explore other forms of media (such as visual art, film and television). These serve as means for students to learn about some well-established critical approaches in literary theory and engage actively in discussion regarding the content and ideas in the texts, as well as the writing strategies used by the authors. These concepts in literature are universal throughout the Humanities and it is hoped that through this course, students will develop their critical thinking skills via textual analyses and that these skills can be transferred to their own disciplines. The texts and film adaptations cover different genres, cultural backgrounds and eras with topics that will focus on social change. These texts and adaptations will be used to highlight different critical literary approaches used in analyses of literature and film. Students are expected to apply these ‘lenses’ to their own writing and to critically evaluate their work and the work of their classmates. Participation in class discussions of the assigned readings is crucial – which means reading or viewing the texts in preparation for each class is essential.

Advisory: For Year 2 students of Faculty of Arts only.