Ways of Reading

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

What is “reading,” after all? “Ways of Reading” exposes students to a range of analytical methods, creative practices, and objects of study relevant to the interpretation of culture. We will learn how influential forms of the past continue to inspire aesthetic innovation and invite new habits of engagement. We’ll also discuss how texts and media reflect, contest, and otherwise intervene in the power dynamics of their own time and ours. Along the way, we will learn strategies for interpreting cultural forms; for thinking about artistic genres and social contexts; for conducting imaginative research; and for writing about, in response to, and alongside a range of literature and other media. All this work showcases the various pleasures of English study today.