Culture and Critical Analysis

This course is designed to introduce you to a variety of cultural
perspectives and to teach you how to critically analyze all the texts you read.
Our course material will include literature, popular culture, and ethnographic
texts, all chosen to help you think about issues of power, ideology, and
difference within and between cultures. Although this is an English class, the
texts and issues we will be dealing with are interdisciplinary, and you will be
able to use the analytical skills gained in this class in other courses, as
well as in your life in general.  In
addition to learning how to analyze a variety of texts, you will also produce
several types of writing (including a journal, informal writing pieces, and
formal essays) to show you how each genre can be utilized to your benefit, both
in and outside of academia. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to
recognize and understand ideologies and biases inherent in texts, have the
skills to analyze the details of texts to understand their messages, produce
several forms of writing relevant to various situations, and understand the
multiple roles writing can play in academic and regular life.  

 

 For more information, please
contact the course instructor: Melinda Smith melinda4@hawaii.edu