Tips on Teaching Theory
From UCSB English Department Knowledge Base
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Many literature courses offered by the English Department introduce schools of literary criticism to students or assume previous knowledge of a particular school. Sometimes, particularly in upper division courses, a review of vocabulary, concepts, and theoretical questions is not necessary. More often, however, students will look to the TA for help with the material. Here are some approaches that encourage students to think about the application of theory.
This compilation of tips was adapted from existing department resources by Zia Isola in September 2003.
- Begin by acknowledging that the material is difficult, but remind students that they can rise to the challenge.
- Make a list of the vocabulary and the concepts that will help students understand the article or lecture at hand. For example, a lecture drawing heavily on Lacanian psychoanalysis might require an understanding of the Phallus and an explanation of who Lacan is, or a feminist article might assume previous knowledge of the difference between French feminists and American feminists. Work together with the students to define these terms. If time is limited, use handouts that define the terms for students, but insist that they work together as a class to apply the information to the literary text.
- Formulating questions posed by different theoretical orientations can be the most useful way to teach students what theory is. For example, you might tell your student that a New Historicist scholar may ask questions such as these: What historical or cultural events that we have heard about in lecture seem to appear in or influence this text? How can the authorities in the text maintain their positions of power? How does this text reveal the operations of power at work at the time of its publication?
- If the course is using four different schools of theory to discuss texts, try dividing the class into four groups. Ask each group to analyze a rich passage of text from a different theoretical perspective. When the students report on their readings to the whole class ask them to consider the connections and disputes between the various schools of thought.
- It is sometimes wise to review reading skills with students working with theory for the first time. Encourage students to read with a pen in their hand, to pose questions and underscore passages as they read, to re-read the text several times, and to keep reading notes.
- Alert students to sources that provide brief definitions and bibliographies for different theories of criticism and literature. M. H. Abrams's A Glossary of Literary Terms is particularly useful to students looking for a quick definition. For a more extensive discussion, Terry Eagleton’s Literary Theory is a good resource. Ask the professor teaching the class for a list of articles that will be easy for undergraduates to digest and put these articles on reserve for students to read.
