Estb. 1882

University of the Punjab

Critical Theory

























































Code:         401
Title:          Critical Theory
Rating:      3 Credit hours

Type:
        Compulsory
Pre-requisites:

The students are expected to be proficient in spoken and written English. Correct usage of language is mandatory.
Introduction:

Study and analysis of critical frameworks and methodologies for the interpretation of literature and culture.
Objectives:

This course will introduce students to the field of literary theory, a central component of contemporary studies in English and world literature. As they progress through this course, students will gain knowledge of the various premises and methods available to them as a critical reader of literature.  The course aims to develop an insight within students to identify and engage with key questions that have animated - and continue to animate - theoretical discussions among literary scholars and critics, including issues pertaining to ideology, cultural value, the patriarchal and colonial biases of Western culture and literature, and more. Students will explore the basic principles and preeminent texts that have defined many of the major critical debates surrounding literature over the past hundred years.
Contents:

o Raymond Williams: Modern Tragedy

o Catherine Belsey: Critical Practice

o Edward Said: Introduction to Culture and Imperialism
Outcome:
Identify major theoretical/critical movements and theorists, as well as primary concepts with which they are associated.
Define and apply specific theoretical concepts, theories, and terms to literary and cultural texts.
Use online databases to define key terms and trace implications in source texts.
Evaluate and analyze strengths and limitations of critical/theoretical arguments.
Examine historical contexts for the development of contemporary theory and criticism.
Strengthen and deepen critical reading, writing, and interpretive practices
Provide a brief overview of the major tenets, practitioners, and ideas stemming from the  critical and theoretical movements and/or schools
Identify and discuss some of the viewpoints opposed to the practice of literary criticism.
Discuss contemporary cultural forces influencing some of the newly emerging trends in literary theory, such as ecocriticism.
Credit hours/ Marks:- 03

Reference Books

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