Information Package
baskent.edu.tr

Program of American Culture and Literature (English)

ACL331

CLASSICAL AND MODERN CRITICAL THEORY

Course Code
ACL331
Semester
Fifth Term (Fall)
Theory+Practice
3 + 0
ECTS
5
Course TypeCompulsory Course
Course LevelBachelor's Degree
Year of Study3
SemesterFifth Term (Fall)
ECTS5
Name of Lecturer(s)
Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, the students;

  1. Identify the historical development of critical theory from the classical period to the late twentieth century.
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of key theoretical concepts of critical approaches to literature and major differences between them.
  3. Show ability to read, contextualize and compare various theoretical texts.
Mode of DeliveryFace to face
PrerequisitesNo
Recommended Optional Programme Components
Course DescriptionThis course aims to teach classical and modern literary and cultural theories by examining the Classical, Renaissance, Neoclassical, Romantic, Victorian, and Modern views. It equips students with the knowledge of key theoretical approaches, terms and mimetic, expressive, pragmatic and formalist orientations observed in these literary periods.
Course Contents
WEEK TOPICS
1st Week Introduction: Major Elements of Theory (based on M. H. Abrams's "Introduction: Orientations of Critical Theory" in The Mirror and the Lamp: Romantic Theory and the Critical Tradition)
2nd Week Classical Literary Criticism: Plato
3rd Week Classical Literary Criticism: Aristotle
4th Week Classical Literary Criticism: Longinus and Horace
5th Week Medieval Theory and Criticism - Criticism and Literary Theory in Renaissance
6th Week Public Holiday
7th Week Neo-Classical Criticism
8th Week Midterm
9th Week Romantic Criticism
10th Week Introduction to Modern Literary Criticism
11th Week Russian Formalism and New Criticism
12th Week Reader-Response Criticism
13th Week Student Presentations
14th Week Revision
Recommended or Required ReadingAbrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 6th ed. Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1993.
Adams, Hazard, editor. Critical Theory Since Plato. Harcourt, 1971.
Blamires, Harry. A History of Literary Criticism. Macmillan, 1991.
Bressler, Charles E. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. 4th ed. Prentice Hall, 2007.
The Cambridge History of Literary Criticism. 9 vols: Volume 1: Classical Criticism, Ed. George Alexander Kennedy (1993); Volume 2: The Middle Ages, ed. Alastair Minnis and Ian Johnson (forthcoming 2002); Volume 3: The Renaissance, ed. Glyn Norton (1999); Volume 4: The Eighteenth Century; ed. H. B. Nisbet and Claude Rawson (1997); Volume 5: Romanticism, ed. Marshall Brown (2000); Volume 6: The Nineteenth Century (forthcoming 2006); Volume 7: Modernism and the New Criticism, ed. A. Walton Litz, Louis Menand and Lawrence Rainey (2000);
Crane, R. S., editor. Critics and Criticism: Ancient and Modern. U of Chicago P, 1952. Abridged ed. 1957.
Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory: An Introduction. 2nd ed. Blackwell, 1996.
Goulimari, Pelagia. Literary Criticism and Theory. Oxford UP, 2014.
Habib, M. A. R. A History of Literary Criticism: From Plato to the Present. Blackwell, 2005.
Harland, Richard. Literary Theory from Plato to Barthes: An Introductory History. Macmillan, 1999.
Leitch, Vincent B., et al., editors. The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Norton, 2001.
Parker, Robert Dale. How to Interpret Literature: Critical Theory for Literary and Cultural Studies. Oxford UP, 2008.
Rice, Philip and Patricia Waugh. Modern Literary Theory: A Reader. 3rd ed. Arnold, 1996.
Ryan, Michael. Literary Theory: A Practical Introduction. Blackwell, 1999.
Saintsbury, George. A History of Criticism and Literary Taste in Europe. 3 vols. 1900-4. Slatkine, 1971.
Selden, Raman, editor. Theory of Criticism: From Plato to the Present: A Reader. Longman, 1988.
Webster, Roger. Studying Literary Theory: An Introduction. 2nd ed. Arnold, 1996.
Wimsatt, W. K. and Cleanth Brooks. Literary Criticism: A Short History. Routledge, 1957.
Planned Learning Activities and Teaching Methods
  • Lecture
  • Discussion
  • Questions/Answers
  • Presentation
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Quantity Percentage (%)
Mid-term 1 40
Presentation of Article 1 20
Total(%) 60
Contribution of In-term Studies to Overall Grade(%) 60
Contribution of Final Examination to Overall Grade(%) 40
Total(%) 100
ECTS Allocated Based on Student Workload
Activities Quantity Duration (Hour) Total Workload (Hour)
Midterm exam 1 2 2
Preparation for Quiz 1 5 5
Individual or group work 14 4 56
Preparation for Final exam 1 15 15
Course hours 14 3 42
Preparation for Midterm exam 1 10 10
Laboratory (including preparation)
Final exam 1 2 2
Homework 1 10 10
Presentation (including preperation) 1 10 10
Total Work Load152
Total Work Load / 30 (h)5.06
ECTS Credit of the Course5
Language of InstructionEnglish
Work Placement(s)No

Programme Qualifications / Learning Outcomes

LO1 LO2 LO3
K1 X X X
K2 X X X
K3 X X X
K4
K5
K6
K7 X X X
K8 X X X
K9 X X X
K10 X X X
K11
K12 X X X
K13
K14 X X X