General Education Literature Program

Mailing Address:
The University of Iowa
Department of English
308 EPB (English Philosophy Building)
Iowa City IA 52242
Phone: (319) 335-0454 Fax: (319) 335-2535

The General Education requirements of the College include three Humanities courses. One of these, 8G:1, Interpretation of Literature, is required for everyone (with the exception of those students who have declared an English major). The General Education Literature Program is responsible for the design and teaching of that course, as well as other General Education Literature courses.

8G:001 is a course required for almost all undergraduates in the College of Liberal Arts. Students who declare an English major may satisfy the 8G:001 requirement with another Humanities course. Therefore, students in 8G:001 are probably not English majors, although the course often creates interest in the major. Students must satisfy the Rhetoric requirement (i.e. a course focusing on argument, both in writing and in speaking) before taking 8G:001. Thus, typically, students in 8G:001 are either second-semester freshmen or first-semester sophomores.

Building on previously acquired skills of reading and writing, 8G:001 seeks to reinforce in every student a lifetime habit of frequent, intelligent, and satisfying reading. The course focuses primarily on "ways of reading," asking students to become aware of themselves as readers, to learn how to deal with different kinds of texts, and to understand how texts exist within larger historical, social, political, and cultural contexts. The central concern of the course is the act of interpretation, as students use and refine their skills of reading, speaking, and writing to respond critically and sensitively to literary texts. Books taught in 8G:1 give students readings of quality and breadth. They come from several genres (fiction, drama, poetry, essay, etc.), more than a single century, and more than one country. The reading list includes a significant diversity of race, gender, and social background among the authors read.