Literary Criticism
Students will
(1) gain a broader and deeper understanding of a particular disciplinary topic or issue,
(2) become familiar with the critical conversation about this area,
(3) develop sufficient competency in research and writing to make a contribution to the critical conversation about this area.
Capstone Project
Students will develop an independent research project and craft an argument with the supervision of the instructor. Their projects will produce original and sophisticated pieces of literary criticism that situate their arguments in the context of the critical conversation about the disciplinary topic and issue and are suitable for submission to an undergraduate journal. Students should develop their project with a real audience in mind--a particular journal or graduate admission committee, and for the guidelines for length (generally between 15-20 pages) listed in their submission instructions. Students should substantially revise a complete draft of their paper in personal consultation with the instructor.