ENGL 614 - Teaching Lit in Urban Settings

3 Credit(s)

Description:
This course showcases literary themes that are relevant to urban students’ lives and to their experiences as students of English language and literature, selecting exciting materials that capture issues of identity, class, language, and culture. Urban classrooms are often enriched by high percentages of learners from various cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds, including many who are multilingual or have special needs. In this course we examine the ways in which language and literacy are acquired within urban contexts and consider how teachers can use compelling literary texts to promote this process of acquisition. The course readings-which include novels, poetry, plays, short stories, autobiographical accounts, graphic novels, film, and theoretical articles-enrich and illuminate our understanding of this process. Central to the course is a range of contemporary and classic literary texts that encourage engaged literary inquiry, emphasizing close reading and comprehension, interpretation and analysis, integration of knowledge and ideas, and understand of craft and structure.

038554:1