Кто читает:: Департамент иностранных языков

Статус:: Курс обязательный

Когда читается:: 1-й курс, 3, 4 модуль

Преподаватели

Авраменко Иван Александрович

Монсальве Карвахаль Рикардо Джезус

Full Syllabus Ask Question

Abstract

The course offers students a deep exploration of the critical frameworks and methodologies used to analyze and interpret literary texts. The aim of the course is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the diverse methods used to analyze and interpret literary texts; students examine various theoretical approaches to literature, such as structuralism, post-structuralism, feminism, postcolonialism, psychoanalysis, narratology, and more. Through studying these theories, students gain a comprehensive understanding of how literature functions as a cultural product, how it reflects and shapes society, and how it engages with philosophical and aesthetic questions. The curriculum includes close readings of literary texts through different theoretical lenses, discussions on the intersections of literature with other disciplines, and opportunities to pursue independent research projects. Students of the course will be well-prepared for careers in academia, research, publishing, criticism, creative writing, and various cultural and creative industries where a strong foundation in literary theory is valued.

Learning Objectives

To identify and apply key literary concepts such as genre, narrative perspective, plot structure etc.
To perform a systematic close reading of a literary text, analyzing the relationship between its formal elements (e.g., style, diction, structure) and its meaning.
To understand and apply basic concepts from major critical approaches.
To construct coherent, evidence-based literary arguments in clear academic prose.
To conduct basic academic research, including the proper citation of primary and secondary sources.

Expected Learning Outcomes

To demonstrate a comprehensive and systematic understanding of a literary text.
To describe the dynamics and specifics of the development of literary studies that comprise various approaches and schools.
To apply analytical skills for an in-depth professional analysis and interpretation of literary texts.
To appropriately use special terminology.
To analyze literary works in the context of a chosen theory.
To be able to discuss literary texts and theoretical concepts, to formulate and support their interpretation of the text.
To be able to prepare and deliver academic presentations.

Course Contents

1. Course overview
2. Literary theory and its key problems
3. Classical Theory: Plato and Mimesis
4. Classical Theory: Aristotle
5. Classical Theory: Horace & Longinus
6. Late Antiquity: Augustine & Macrobius: the problem of interpretation
7. Medieval Theory: St. Victor & Aquinas
8. Medieval Theory: Dante
9. Module Revision and testing
10. Renaissance and Neoclassical Theory: Boccaccio & Corneille
11. Romanticism: Young, Schiller, de Staël, and Coleridge
12. Hermeneutics: Schleiermacher
13. Marx, Freud & Wilde
14. New Criticism, Russian Formalism, Structuralism
15. Mikhail Bakhtin, Poststructuralism
16. Linguistics, Semiotics, Reader Response
17. Module revision and testing

Assessment Elements

Classroom participation
Students are expected to attend all lectures and seminars, complete homework and, above all, contribute to discussions. They need to be prepared for class by having read the assigned text(s). They contribute to seminar discussions by answering and asking questions relevant to the corresponding class section. Only active participation counts and real participation.
Module test
In two lectures or seminars, students are given a test based on lectures by the course instructor and/or the seminars. The number and form of questions may vary within the same test and from test to test: open-ended, multiple-choice, matching, etc. There is 1 test per module. The tests can be retaken with the consent of the course instructor if a student has a valid reason for missing the test. Otherwise, the result for the missed test is marked 0 (zero). The mark for this course component is the mean of the marks for all the tests offered throughout the module.
Exam
The Oral exam takes place during the exam session period scheduled by study offices. It is conducted in English and assessed by the course instructor(s) or by the course commission board (see below). Each student receives a question based on the material of the lectures and the seminars. The questions are selected by the examiner. The student cannot ask for a different set of questions in exchange for a lower mark. The student may be required to answer additional questions on any theme studied throughout the course so that examiners could gain full insight into understanding of the material.

Interim Assessment

2025/2026 4th module
0.3 * Classroom participation + 0.3 * Exam + 0.4 * Module test

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Белобородова, А. В. Analytical Reading. Text Analysis and Interpretation : учебное пособие / А. В. Белобородова, М. А. Вертилецкая. — Санкт-Петербург : СПбГУП, 2020. — 159 с. — ISBN 978-5-7621-1069-3. — Текст : электронный // Лань : электронно-библиотечная система. — URL: https://e.lanbook.com/book/215414 (дата обращения: 00.00.0000). — Режим доступа: для авториз. пользователей.

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Ахренова, Н. А. Искусство анализа текста = The Art of Text Analysis : учебное пособие / Н. А. Ахренова, Л. Н. Лунькова, Ю. С. Чернякова. — Москва : ФЛИНТА, 2024. — 84 с. — ISBN 978-5-9765-5499-3. — Текст : электронный // Лань : электронно-библиотечная система. — URL: https://e.lanbook.com/book/413942 (дата обращения: 00.00.0000). — Режим доступа: для авториз. пользователей.

Authors

Avramenko Ivan Aleksandrovich
Diugaeva Irina Dmitrievna

Бакалаврская программа «Тексты, языки и цифровые инструменты»

Контакты

Fundamentals of Literary Studies and Text Analysis