Representations of Individual and Community Health in Literature

Curriculum guideline

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Course
ENGL 3180
Discontinued
No
Course code
ENGL 3180
Descriptive
Representations of Individual and Community Health in Literature
Department
English
Faculty
Language, Literature & Performing Arts
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
Not Specified
PLAR
No
Semester length
15 weeks
Max class size
25
Contact hours
4 hours per week
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Learning activities

Some or all of the following methods will be used:

  1. lecture/discussion;
  2. group work;
  3. peer review;
  4. independent research;
  5. instructor feedback on students’ work;
  6. individual consultation; and
  7. presentation (individual or group).
Course description
This course is for students from any discipline who wish to explore through literature a variety of individual, social, cultural, and interdisciplinary perspectives on health-related experiences. The literary readings may include a variety of forms such as fiction, drama, poetry, or life writing, and the issues considered may include topics related to community, mental and/or physical health through different time periods or cultural contexts. Readings will include theory/criticism relevant to the course focus.
Course content

All third-year English literature courses share the following features:  

  1. Students are presumed to have had first-year level instruction and experience in writing critical essays on literary subjects.
  2. Students are required to read in the course subject area beyond the texts assigned by the instructor.
  3. Students are required to incorporate into their oral and written coursework secondary source materials which may include biographical information, literary criticism or theory, unassigned texts by the author under study, relevant cultural or intellectual history, or other aesthetic works such as music or visual art.

Readings and topics vary with each instructor's presentation of a course, but all course materials are consistent with the objectives  and outcomes for this course.           

 Additionally, in English 3180

  1. The literary readings may include a diversity of genres such as drama, fiction, poetry, literary non-fiction, and life writing;
  2. Literary readings may be complemented by related readings from non-literary perspectives, such as journalistic essays or scholarly articles which will encourage students to examine health-related issues or experiences from the perspective of a range of disciplines such as psychology, sociology, criminology, nursing, or medicine.
Learning outcomes

Upon completion of any third-year English literature course, students should be able to

  1. read and analyze literary texts with increased skill and insight;
  2. integrate their understanding of literature into an evolving awareness of relevant cultural and historical contexts and perspectives;
  3. perceive connections among literary texts across genres, historical periods, and/or cultural contexts;
  4. conduct independent research to supplement the course material and integrate this information into course assignments;
  5. write different kinds of literary analysis, such as thematic, technical, or theoretical.

Upon completion of English 3180, students should have

  1. analyzed the use of literary techniques and forms to describe specific experiences related to community, mental and/or physical health;
  2. deepened their understanding of the community, mental and/or physical experiences described in the course readings;
  3. understood from this literature the dynamic and evolving nature of cultural attitudes towards particular aspects of health;
  4. formed their opinions and arguments about health issues by drawing from a variety of perspectives such as literary, clinical, sociological, psychological, economic, and public policy points of view;
  5. broadened their understanding of the diverse ways people experience their communities, minds and bodies.
Means of assessment
  1. A minimum of two academic essays and a final exam.
  2. A minimum of 80% of the course grade will be based on writing assignments (essays, essay-based exams, journals, paragraphs).  A maximum of 20% of the course grade may be based on informal writing (quizzes, short answer tests); oral reports/presentations; participation/preparation grades; and/or other non writing-intensive assignments.
Textbook materials

The following reading lists represent two possible versions of this course:

1. Changing attitudes toward mental health through Western history

A coursepack including selections from Greek mythology, the Bible, and medieval literature, as well as non-literary essays and articles.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet

Goethe, J.W. von. The Sorrows of Young Werther

Stevenson, Robert Louis. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Plath, Sylvia. The Bell Jar

Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

 

2.  Environmental Health

Boyd, David, ed.  Northern Wild: Best Contemporary Canadian Nature Writing.

Glotfelty, Chery and Harold Fromm, eds.  The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology.    

Kingsolver, Barbara.  Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

Maracle, Lee.  Ravensong.

Penn, Briony.  A Year on the Wild Side.

Course pack of selected poems, essays and criticism

Prerequisites

Any TWO university-transfer first-year English literature courses, or ONE university-transfer first-year English literature course and ONE university-transfer first-year Creative Writing or English writing course, AND a minimum of 45 credit hours