Outside reading focuses on broader philosophical ideas, encouraging wider reading, including classics by American authors. CSU Requirement ENG British Literature A begins with a study of the literature of the Anglo-Saxon period, includes the Medieval and Elizabethan periods and concludes with the Jacobean and Puritan ages, a sweep that entails Britain's dramatic literature and history from 449 to 1660. British Literature B is a separate semester course that deals with literature written from 1660 to today, including the Restoration and Eighteenth Century, the Romantic Age, the Victorian Age and the Twentieth Century. Speaking, extended writing and language development activities are integrated with literature studies. Themes central to the human situation are discussed and debated.
Students write extended expository essays.
Through the study of more than one representative work of an author, the student observes consistency and variety in theme, language, tone, structure and symbolism within that writer's canon of works. In class discussion and through extended writing, the student is responsible for accurate reading and interpretation of literature. Students are expected to do extensive summer readings. A Oral Composition provides a literature-based curriculum integrating composition, both oral and written, as well as literary analysis. The course is unique because it is the only advanced class in the curriculum which provides direct instruction in public and interpersonal speaking and listening, as well as emphasis on oral expression, listening, and critical thinking in relation to both classic and contemporary literature.