Star-crossed lovers, meddling immortals, feigned identities, battles of wits, and dire warnings: these are the stuff of fairy tale, myth, and folklore that have drawn us in for centuries. In this course, we’ll read some re-imaginings of traditional folklore and mythology from East and South Asia.

English 201 builds upon skills introduced in English 101. In this course, literature is the field of study for the development of critical reading, critical thinking, independent research, and writing skills. Close readings of the myths retold in A Thousand Beginnings and Endings (ed. Oh & Chapman) will introduce you and your fellow students to literary criticism and help you acquire basic knowledge necessary for the analysis of texts (including literary terms and some literary theory). In this course, you’ll gain proficiency in library and internet research and hone key skills as readers and writers. Assignments move from close readings of literary texts in a variety of genres to analyses that introduce literary terms and broader contexts, culminating in an independent, documented, thesis-driven research paper.

By the end of English 201, you will be prepared for the analytical and research-based writing required in upper-level courses across the curriculum, including advanced courses in literature.

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