The major in Literary Studies, with tracks in literature and in writing is designed to consider the written word and other textual modes from both critical and creative perspectives. The program is grounded by two Literary Foundations courses that introduce texts from the classic to the contemporary, build a solid grounding in basic literary studies, and provide students with a common language and literary experience as they proceed to more advanced study. All students are also required to take an Approaches to Literary Studies course that explores ways and methods of reading, and an intensive single-text course that allows both critics and practitioners to explore the nuances of one major work. As they complete these four core courses, students may begin work in either the Literature or Writing track.
In addition to the major, students have the option, if majoring in a different program, to elect an academic minor in Writing or Literature in Literary Studies. Students interested in completing the minor for either track should review the minor curriculum.
Writing
Building on the core courses, the writing track offers students the chance for intensive study of craft and technique of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and journalism, taught by active practitioners in their genre with national reputations. In conjunction with The Arts, Writing offers LLSW Introduction to Playwriting and LLSW Intermediate Playwriting, which writing concentrators can choose as a secondary genre.
Writing is informed by several basic commitments:
- that writing is a liberal art, requiring a broad exposure of the student writer to the full array of liberal arts and social sciences
- that writers are, above all, readers, and that a profound apprenticeship in the aesthetic, critical, and historical concepts of each genre is essential
- that the writer has a vital relationship to society, culture, and nature, and that this relationship is explored and expressed by their art (i.e., the “writer in the world”)
Finally, because writing is the primary mode of active reasoning and communication through which students in every major will be effective—and by which they will be evaluated—writing courses emphasize essential communicative and research skills, a profound understanding of craft, and the development of personal voice in an encouraging atmosphere. Students are encouraged to participate in The New School Free Press, the student newspaper, and Release, the literary magazine, and to take advantage of publishing and writing internships and opportunities, in which they work with professional writers and editors currently active in the city.
Literature
In the literature track, students develop the skills they need to be critical readers, writers, and analytical thinkers. Students learn close reading techniques and literary criticism and theory; they read works in poetry, fiction, and drama, and are introduced to a wide range of cultures and literary and historical periods. While nearly all courses are offered in English, materials include translated literature from Russia, Eastern Europe, France, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Anglophone courses include literature from Britain, the U.S., Africa, the Caribbean, South Asia, Australia, Canada, and Ireland. Many of the faculty teaching literature courses are also creative writers and understand approaches to the study of literature from the perspectives of practitioner, scholar, and critic. Although many students in literature classes are themselves creative writers, the formal writing assignments in literature courses are almost always in the form of the critical essay or research paper.
Faculty members in Literary Studies regard critical and theoretical writing as creative a process as that of writing poetry, fiction, and drama. Both writing and literature courses use innovative methods to discover breadth and depth in a text and in the field as a whole. This variety and versatility helps students develop portable skills such as research methods, argumentation, analysis, and effective writing. Graduates in Literary Studies often go on to pursue careers in publishing (including magazine and book editing), primary- and secondary-level teaching, law, business, and public service as well as graduate programs in literature and writing. Lang’s internship program places students with publishing houses and other venues in New York City.