This course is designed to introduce students to foundational skills needed for English studies and to foster habits of mind needed to analyze and write about the complex texts typically assigned throughout the English major. These skills include: 1) development of close reading skills; 2) knowledge of the methods of literary interpretation; 3) ability to understand and discuss the contradictions, complexities, and ambiguities of linguistically dense texts; 4) ability to discuss the relationship between form and meaning; 5) development of writing skills needed to succeed as an English major, including the ability to generate paper topics independently, the ability to revise substantively, and the ability to sustain a critical argument over 8 to 10 pages. Note: Required of new English majors beginning in Fall 2002, to be taken in the first or second semester after declaring the major; strongly recommended for other English majors as well.