This course will attempt to explore postmodern American literature, culture and society by focusing on a variety of texts written since 1960s. Emphasis will be placed on how the deferral or opposition to closure heightens or subverts our expectations in relation to how a narrative treats an array of socio-cultural conflicts.

Closure will be examined in tandem with the notions of non-linearity, hypertext and multimodality as well as in relation to spatiality and displacement, individuality and authenticity, virtuality and simulation that are central to postmodern theoretical debates.

This course aims to familiarize students with the principles and techniques of language teaching.  It will bring together current theory and research in order to encourage innovative classroom practice and it will provide students with the opportunity to relate the theoretical knowledge acquired in Ling 3-225 and Ling 3-226 to the choices and decisions English language teachers have to make in their daily teaching practice.  The course will cover a wide range of topics related to the teaching of English as a foreign language to learners of different age groups (e.g. teaching the skills, class management, lesson planning, the role of different discourse types in E.F.L., etc.) and it will attempt to allay the fears that are often expressed by teachers new to the profession.