Literature

Explore the world through literature. This minor reflects the changing and dynamic landscape of literary studies. It offers students the opportunity to engage U.S. and international works of literature across genres, voices, and perspectives. Focus on developing reading, writing, and critical thinking skills in small, discussion-based classes taught by dedicated faculty mentors.

Students explore social, cultural, and historical contexts crucial to examining the ways politics, social movements, and cultural shifts shape literary texts. Through research and analysis, prepare for a variety of post-graduate opportunities, including graduate and law school, as well as work within nonprofit and governmental organizations, museums and art galleries, publishing, writing, marketing, and advertising.
 

A minimum of 12 credit hours (four courses) is required for the minor. Students will take:

• One of the following four courses: 
  • Studies in Fiction
  • Studies in Poetry
  • Studies in Drama
  • Studies in Nonfiction
• Three literature courses at the 300 or 400 level

For more information, visit the undergraduate catalog. 

There are many academic options at Bryant within the literature and culture space: 

• Literature Concentration
• Literary and Cultural Studies Minor
• Literary and Cultural Studies Concentration
• Media and Cultural Studies Minor
• Media and Cultural Studies Concentration

For more information on any of these, visit the undergraduate catalog. 

The Literary and Cultural Studies major focuses on the critical interpretation, social and historical context, and creative expression of literature and culture. In so doing it cultivates in students the understanding and skills critical to participation and success in a complex, multicultural, and global world. 

Students of Literary and Cultural Studies learn about the music, literature, art, and cultural practices of their own community as well as others. They engage in creative expression through language, performance studies, creative writing, and other forms, learning to see themselves as agents whose actions shape the world they live in. Fundamental to Literary and Cultural Studies is the cultivation and honing of communication skills necessary in a dynamic, global context: written, oral, visual, and multimedia. The curriculum focuses on cultural literacy – the ability to read, interpret, and create a variety of literary and cultural texts and practices.

Students in the Literary and Cultural Studies Major will:

• Interpret, analyze and critique cultural artifacts and practices (literature, music, visual arts, philosophy, theater, popular culture)
• Create various types of cultural texts and participate in various kinds of cultural practices (poetry, narrative, drama, theory, argumentation, images, video, music)
• Describe and critique the social or historical worlds that surround cultural artifacts, with emphasis on diverse perspectives
• Demonstrate effective writing and speaking skills.

For more information on this major, visit the undergraduate catalog.