The once venerable literature survey course is in desperate need of reinvention as we reassess the canon with brand new eyes – but, more importantly, as we reassess the skills a student needs in the academic and professional world. But how can we make the literature survey course truly LIT?
The once venerable literature survey course is in desperate need of reinvention as we reassess the canon with brand new eyes – but, more importantly, as we reassess the skills a student needs in the academic and professional world. Perhaps we can reconfigure a truly LIT survey course that builds on the bones of the old. By focusing on the skills of close reading, critical thinking, and written communication that are central to the study of literature, jettisoning that list of dusty “classics,” and prioritizing cultural competency and student voice in the classroom, we can infuse a very traditional English gateway course and make it relevant and relatable to general education students everywhere.
In this session, we’ll consider our own experiences with literature survey classes and collaboratively drill down to the core lessons that stuck with us. And, by looking at a recent course overhaul, we can point the way forward to a literature survey that excites and energizes.