This course allows students to explore English through its cultural development and use, its media forms and functions, and its literature. From rap lyrics to graphic novels to speeches to poetry, this course introduces the critical study and interpretation of written and spoken texts from a wide range of literary and non-literary genres. The formal analysis of texts is supplemented by awareness that meaning is not fixed but can change in respect to contexts of production and consumption. Students develop skills of literary and textual analysis, and also the ability to present their ideas effectively. A key aim is the development of critical literacy across genre, text, and media.