Statement of Goals for English 203, 209, 210, and 211

By the end of each of these courses, students should be able to:

1. Maintain and continue to improve the abilities gained in English 101 and 102

2. Develop multiple strategies of reading

§ Contextualize a work generically or thematically

§ Make comparisons among works within the genre or theme

§ Engage confidently in scholarly conversations about the texts

§ Use critical terminology relevant to the genre or theme effectively

3. Write about literature in ways appropriate to the genre or theme

§ Write a sustained, in-depth analysis and comparison of two texts

§ Demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of a text’s rhetorical situation

§ Address multiple perspectives on a topic while clearly voicing your own

§ Incorporate evidence, following the citation style particular to the genre

§ Develop a consistent, mature style

4. Understand the connections between critical reading and writing

§ Become familiar with a variety of critical ways of writing and reading texts and apply these critical strategies to texts produced by critics as well as by peers

§ Develop an understanding of the interrelationship of writing and reading in composing and interpreting meaning

§ Develop a deeper understanding of the rhetorical uses of language in texts to challenge accepted ideas