Training in writing expository prose. Further instruction in expository writing in conjunction with reading literature. Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement.

This course is centered around a story deeply ingrained in cultural consciousness that has much to say about modernity, Doctor Faustus. Beginning with Christopher Marlowe’s eponymous play and tracing the development of the myth through Lord Byron’s Manfred and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s Faust, we will consider how these narratives variously pose questions about the nature of knowledge, the changing relationship between man and divinity, and a newly registered burden of freedom. As a supplement to these literary works, Oswald Spengler’s concept of “Faustian Civilization” will help us to consider myth as something that can not just register but theorize cultural formations and patterns. This is an R1B course, which means this course will introduce students to the methods of academic research and argumentation. Beyond being exposed to topical scholarly literature, students will learn how to make their own scholarly contributions in the form of 2 research papers. That is to say, this course is writing intensive and students will be expected, over the course of the semester, to not only engage in, but reflect on, the stages of academic writing, from research to drafting and revision.

Requisites

• Previously passed an R_A course with a letter grade of C- or better. Previously passed an articulated R_A course with a letter grade of C- or better. Score a 4 on the Advanced Placement Exam in English Literature and Composition. Score a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Exam in English Language and Composition. Score of 5, 6, or 7 on the International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examination in English.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills