Prerequisite(s): Any 200-level ENGL course. An inquiry into what constitutes contemporary literary study: its subject matter and its underlying goals and methods. Students study literary and cinematic texts of various genres, as well as literary criticism and theory; inquire into the nature of authorship and of texts; examine and expand their ways of reading, interpreting, and writing about texts; trace the relation of literary criticism to theory; consider the relation of literary study to issues of power; and develop independent habits of thought, research, discussion and analytic writing that are informed by literary theory and criticism. Meets the Graduation Writing Requirement for majors in English.