Interpreting Literature: Form & Transformation
Loyola University Chicago
UCLR 100E
What makes us human? And what makes someone—or something—inhuman? In this course, students will investigate these questions through compelling works of literature. Drawing from a diverse body of writers from across time periods, this class will explore three genres of literature: poetry, drama, and fiction. We will read fantastical transformation stories about werewolves, vampires, and humans mysteriously turning into animals, as well as works about other types of bodily, emotional, and spiritual transformations we experience throughout our lifetimes.
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This class will also explore the ways in which our understanding of humanity is complicated by race, gender, disability, and animality. We will ask questions such as: What does language and our identities as readers, writers, and speakers have to do with being human? How does transformation complicate what we understand to be the human form? Students will complete three major assessments—a midterm, a final, and an analytical essay—in addition to short assignments such as reading responses and quizzes.
Exploring Shakespeare
Loyola University Chicago
ENGL 274
You’ve probably heard of Shakespeare. Chances are you have read one of his plays in school, watched one of his dramas performed, or seen an adaptation of one of Shakespeare’s works. If you follow SparkNotes on Instagram or Twitter, chances are you have also stumbled upon a Shakespeare meme. This course will investigate Shakespeare’s plays as they were meant to be encountered: through the multifaceted lenses of adaptation, interpretation, remediation, and cultural perspective.
In addition to learning the vocabulary, historical knowledge, and analytical skills necessary to read Shakespeare’s plays as products of their time, we will explore how the “Bard” has inspired countless adaptations in film, text, and more. In doing so, we will address the question of what makes Shakespeare significant today.
Texts: The Merchant of Venice, Twelfth Night, The Tempest, Macbeth, Hamlet, Othello, Coriolanus
Business Writing
Loyola University Chicago
ENGL 210
Business Writing will train you to approach any professional writing task by first assessing the rhetorical situation. You will learn to analyze genres and styles of writing commonly used in business (such as job ads, memos, letters, flyers, proposals, recommendation reports, and resumes) and compose your own writing based on your assessment of audience and persuasive goals. Collaboration and working effectively in groups are essentials skill to mastering professional communication; assignments and class activities therefore will text your ability to incorporate and respond to your peers’ ideas and work in class.