In this course students learn to do close, detailed readings of literary texts and respond critically, applying modern lenses and recent scholarship. Students will develop a critical vocabulary to describe the formal elements of a text and learn how to build a text-based argument advancing an interpretive point of view. Students will also learn how formal and stylistic elements as well as historical context shape the meaning and significance of literature. Students are encouraged to bring their own learned experience to literary analysis and develop critical thinking through discussion and written articulation of ideas. Prerequisites: ENGL110 or ENGL110X. (Fulfills English or Humanities requirement.)