ENG-102 Introduction to Reading Literature

ENG-102 invites students to learn, practice, and develop the critical reading skills that enable one to understand, interpret, and engage with a variety of literary, academic, and popular texts. Through the study of literature, students will explicitly develop critical reading skills that transfer across disciplines. This course carries SUNY General Education Humanities credit.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

Placement at the ENG-101 level or higher or completion of ENG-095

Lecture Contact Hours

3

Lab Contact Hours

0

Other Contact Hours

0

Department

• Humanities

Grading Scheme

• Letter

SUNY Gen Ed Credit

• Yes

Semesters Course Will Be Offered

• Fall
• Spring
• Summer

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Students will use a variety of critical reading strategies to analyze and interpret literary works.
2. Students will locate and select relevant passages and sources to write literary analyses that make an interpretive claim supported by textual evidence.
3. Students will reflect on how they engage with texts in order to better understand themselves as learners and readers.
4. Students will evaluate information from traditional sources (such as primary and secondary sources) and emerging technologies in order to select, use, and responsibly cite credible, relevant texts.

View Course Outline

ENG 102: Introduction to Reading Literature

Department

Humanities

Course Description

ENG-102 invites students to learn, practice, and develop the critical reading skills that enable one to understand, interpret, and engage with a variety of literary, academic, and popular texts. Through the study of literature, students will explicitly develop critical reading skills that transfer across disciplines. This course carries SUNY General Education Humanities credit.

Credit Hours

3

Contact Hours

Lecture	3
Lab	0
Other	0

Grading Scheme

Letter

Semester(s) Course Will Be Offered

Fall, Spring, Summer

Prerequisites

Placement at the ENG-101 level or higher or completion of ENG-095

SUNY General Education Course

• Humanities

First Year Experience Course

No

Capstone Course

No

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Students will use a variety of critical reading strategies to analyze and interpret literary works.
2. Students will locate and select relevant passages and sources to write literary analyses that make an interpretive claim supported by textual evidence.
3. Students will reflect on how they engage with texts in order to better understand themselves as learners and readers.
4. Students will evaluate information from traditional sources (such as primary and secondary sources) and emerging technologies in order to select, use, and responsibly cite credible, relevant texts.

Topic Outline

Students read a range of literary texts—including written, oral, visual, and cultural works—to develop skills in interpretation, analysis, and reflection. The course emphasizes reading as an active, recursive, and context-aware practice.

Reading Practices and Processes, which may include, but are not limited to:

• Pre-reading strategies

• Re-reading and recursive reading to deepen understanding

• Rhetorical reading (considering audience, purpose, and context)

• Annotating texts

• Inquiry-based reading

• Considering how prior knowledge, experiences, and perspectives shape interpretation

• Applying reading strategies across courses and contexts

• Reading and discussing texts in conjunction with emerging technologies (such as an AI co-pilot)

Analytical and Interpretive Strategies, which may include, but are not limited to:

• Identifying literary elements, such as patterns in language, imagery, and theme

• Recognizing historical, cultural, and social contexts

• Exploring genre conventions

• Developing and refining interpretive claims

• Considering multiple perspectives

• Making connections across texts (intertextual connections)

• Connecting literature to personal, cultural, and contemporary contexts

• Evaluating texts from aesthetic, ethical, and cultural perspectives

• Writing Processes, which may include, but are not limited to:

• Writing literary analyses that present clear interpretive claims

• Supporting claims with carefully selected and integrated textual evidence

• Using writing to explore and refine ideas about literature

• Evaluating, selecting, and incorporating appropriate primary and secondary sources to support interpretation

• Integrating and citing sources ethically and effectively

• Revising writing to improve clarity, focus, and support

• Reflection and Transfer, which may include, but are not limited to:

• Reflective writing about composing processes

• Self-evaluation before, during, and after projects

• Recognizing growth in writing and critical thinking

• Transferring writing strategies and skills to new contexts, disciplines, and modalities