Critical theory provides us with innumerable ways to illuminate our readings of both text and embodied performance.

The primary goal of this seminar is to introduce students to a number of critical theories with a particular emphasis on how their approaches can be applied to the study of literature. The objective for the students is to become acquainted with a broad spectrum of critical methods:

• Reader-response theory;
  
• Mythical/Archetypal Theory;
  
• Marxist criticism;
  
• Feminist criticism;
  
• Postcolonial Criticism;
  
• Deconstructive Criticism;
  
• New Criticism.
  

The goal is that the material that is covered will make students more comfortable with reading and applying theory so that you will be more inclined to pursue these areas further and/or investigate other theoretical methods on their own.