LIT 140 - British Literature I

Credit(s) 3.00
Lecture Hours: 3.00
This course examines the development of British literature from the Old English Period to the 18th century, with emphasis on major authors. Students will apply several methods of literary analysis to interpret how literature is affected by its social, political, and intellectual context, as well as study the relationship between English literature and the human condition.

Prerequisite(s): ENG 105 or ENG 107
SLOs:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Demonstrate familiarity with major British authors from the Old English Period to the 18th century.
Analyze, in discussion and writing, British literary works in relation to their historical, social, and intellectual context.
Distinguish how factors related to class, institutional power structures, and changing cultural traditions influence writers from each period. These factors should include the impact of colonialism and the beginning of the Atlantic slave trade on English literature.
Assess similarities and differences between the various cultural traditions found within early English literature, such as Anglo-Saxon and Celtic traditions.
Explain the contribution of women writers in each period.
Distinguish literary themes and structures from the Medieval, the Renaissance, the Seventeenth Century, the Restoration, and the Enlightenment periods.
Compose formal critical essays in which they evaluate literature, connect it to other works, explore its contexts, and assess its relationship to the human condition.