Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Students will be able to:

• Think critically about a text in order to evaluate its effectiveness in terms of conveying theme.
• Identify how culture affects an author’s perspective, choice of genre, style, and overall purpose in writing.
• Use collaborative techniques to explore texts and test interpretations.
• Construct an original interpretation of a literary text and communicate it effectively both orally and in writing.

The SAC expects the instructors will assess student learning throughout the term using a variety of methods. The SAC encourages instructors to consider the following in determining the achievement of course outcomes:

• Analyze primary literary texts and secondary sources of contextual information both in written work and in oral presentations.
• Present ideas, analyses, and interpretations both in small group activities and in large class discussions.
• Investigate the historical, cultural, and social contexts in which a particular text was created and read/heard, as well as any specific references or allusions in the text itself.
• Assess how literature has responded to historical events.
• Demonstrate mastery of the technical vocabulary for literary analysis.
• Make connections and comparisons between texts and our own lives.

Themes

• Literature as a vehicle for protest and revolution

• Gender roles

• Agency and voice

• Identity construction (personal, political, national)

• Literature as laboratory (experimental fictive space)

• Literature as history

Concepts  
(Specifically how these things contribute to the success of a literary work)

• Genre

• Structure and form

• Figurative language, imagery, and symbolism

• Point-of-view and voice

Issues

• Ethnicity, gender and socio-economic class

• Contribution of oral/folkloric traditions

• Role of European education

• Accessibility

• Language and translation

COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

• Thinking critically and creatively

• Identifying literary devices in a primary text

• Researching cultural and historical information

• Constructing and evaluating interpretations of literary texts

• Communicating ideas both orally and in writing

• Producing and receiving constructive criticism effectively

• Drawing connections between literary texts and our own lives

• Working collaboratively with others

• Contributing actively to group discussions