AMST 6401: Literature and Culture of the Americas

3 Credit Hours
In this interdisciplinary course, students learn about major transnational literary movements in the Americas, with an emphasis on understanding literature in a global context. Course readings and assignments provide an overview of important questions, methods, and theoretical approaches in contemporary American Studies literary scholarship as well as an advanced introduction to important literary works.

Course Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

Identify the key characteristics of major movements in American literature from the colonial era to the twenty-first century.
Analyze major works of American literature, paying special attention to close reading and interpretation of texts.
Evaluate a variety of secondary resources that relate to your individual research questions.
Apply concepts from various kinds of critical theory to deepen understanding of and engagement with American literature.
Develop original ideas through low stakes and mid-stakes writing assignments that draw on literary, historical, cultural, generic, and/or theoretical approaches to American literature.
Communicate complex arguments to specific audiences through high stakes writing assignments.