The course will consist of lectures (for all participants) in the first period with associated tutorials (2 groups) in the second period.

The aim is to learn to read theoretical texts, some of which are highly complex, and discover their line of argumentation. An important part of the effort is to become aware of the historical dialogue in which the theories are engaged, and to understand how one might take part in it.

The course will touch on the fields of New Criticism, structuralism, Marxism, psychoanalysis, feminism, poststructuralism, deconstruction, the New Historicism, cultural materialism, postcolonial and queer theory, as well as recent developments in ecocriticism and cognitive poetics.

Each student is expected to purchase Hans Bertens: Literary Theory: The Basics (3rd ed., 2014), which will provide preliminary reading for each lecture.

In the tutorials, students will work in teams to apply the methods learned to literary texts and see how readings change according to theoretical position, broadening one's view of the text. Assessment will be based on class participation and a process learning diary.