AJ2305 Critical Reading

Faculty of Education
Spring 2023
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s). Type of Completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Mgr. Barbora Kašpárková, Ph.D. (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. Zuzana Kršková, Ph.D.
Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Contact Person: Jana Popelková
Supplier department: Department of English Language and Literature – Faculty of Education
Timetable of Seminar Groups
AJ2305/01: Mon 15:00–15:50 učebna 12, B. Kašpárková
AJ2305/02: Mon 14:00–14:50 učebna 54, B. Kašpárková
AJ2305/03: Thu 8:00–8:50 učebna 11, B. Kašpárková
AJ2305/04: Thu 16:00–16:50 učebna 38, B. Kašpárková
Prerequisites (in Czech)
AJ2102 Practical Language 1B
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 7 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
This course introduces students to the basic skills of critical reading, thinking and writing. At the end of the course, students will be able to pose effective questions for subsequent analysis, examine crucial concepts in writings from varied disciplines, make connections between ideas, and synthesize them. They will learn how to turn their interpretation into a complex argument and support it with relevant textual evidence. The Critical Reading course is not an overview course, i.e. it does not necessarily follow a chronological development of British literature and history, although there is an overlap with both the present course and History, Literature and Culture of the USA scheduled for the next semester. It focuses on practical skills and tools used for reading, critical thinking, and analysis. Whereas History, Literature and Culture of Great Britain aims at BOTH literary history, reading strategies, and analysis, Critical Reading exercises reading strategies and analytical skills PRIMARILY. It is a support course that branches out into all module courses on both Bachelor and Master's levels.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students will:
- be able to choose a topic suitable for an academic analysis;
- specify that topic to suit the required length of an academic text (call for papers x essay x thesis);
- formulate an argument;
- pose effective questions for an analysis of a literary text and other cultural material;
- approach the literary and cultural material from various perspectives (using different literary approaches to the analysis of a literary/cultural material) ;
- use the primary sources´ textual evidence to support their argument;
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction: how to become a critical reader, how to work with text (close reading and annotation) 2. How to read and write about Poetry 3. Poetry focusing on Speaker and Tone and Audience 4. Poetry focusing on Form, Theme, Diction 5. Writing Workshop: The written analysis of one of the poems 6. How to analyze Fiction 7. Wilde´s "Happy Prince" focus on its symbolic level and socio-historical context 8. Writing workshop: a short story analysis 9. Conflict 10. Setting and Point of view 11. the Central theme 12. Writing workshop
Literature
    recommended literature
  • Terence Brunk, Suzanne Diamond, Priscilla Perkins, Ken Smith: Literacies: Reading, Writing, Interpretation, Second edition, 2000
  • BARNET, Sylvan, William BURTO, William E. CAIN and Cheryl L. NIXON. Literature for composition : an introduction to literature. Eleventh edition. Boston: Pearson, 2018, xxxi, 1439. ISBN 9780134678702. info
  • BARNET, Sylvan, Morton BERMAN and William BURTO. An Introduction to Literature : fiction, poetry, drama. 8th ed. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1985, 1219 s. ISBN 0316082279. info
Teaching methods
independent reading, class discussion, individual projects (reading assignments and written assignments), peer review
Assessment methods
Attendance is required.
Active participation in class discussions
Completion of the course is based upon the timely completion of various assignments during the semester.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
https://moodlinka.ics.muni.cz/course/view.php?id=2910
The access to the moodlinka course is reserved only to people currently registered there. The password will be announced in the first class of the semester. Although this course addresses some elements of English composition, this is not its major focus. Therefore, this course cannot be recognized as a replacement for other writing courses, where composition is its main activity, offered at the MU university or elsewhere.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2024, Spring 2025.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2023, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/ped/spring2023/AJ2305