Essential Questions

How is our understanding of culture and society constructed through and by language?
How can language be powerful?
How can you use language to empower yourself?
How is language used to manipulate us?
In what ways are language and power inseparable?
Is it possible to have culture without language?
Is it possible to think without language?
How does language influence the way we think, act, and perceive the world?
How do authors use the resources of language to impact an audience?

Literature

How is literature like life?
What is literature supposed to do?
What influences a writer to create?
What is the purpose and function of art in our culture?
How does literature reveal the values of a given culture or time period?
How does the study of fiction and nonfiction texts help individuals construct their understanding of reality?
In what ways are all narratives influenced by bias and perspective?
Where does the meaning of a text reside? Within the text, within the reader, or in the transaction that occurs between them?
Can a reader infer an author's intentions based on the text?
What are enduring questions and conflicts that writers (and their cultures) grappled with hundreds of years ago and are still relevant today?
How do we gauge the optimism or pessimism of a particular time period or particular group of writers?
Are there universal themes in literature that are of interest or concern to all cultures and societies?
What are the characteristics or elements that cause a piece of literature to endure?
What distinguishes a good read from great literature?
Who decides the criteria for judging whether or not a book is any good?
What is the purpose of: science fiction? satire? historical novels, etc.?