As the name of this course implies, Advanced English Reading I aims to strengthen in-depth reading abilities of students by scrutinizing the novel Dubliners by the Irish author, James Joyce. The welcoming atmosphere of the class encourages students to share their ideas and read assertively as they savor the book word by word - from identifying the overall theme to detecting carefully written details. This course is undoubtedly the right choice for students who are looking to dive deep into the world of Irish literature.

Advanced English Reading I is a general studies course held in English where students learn methods of analytical reading through the work of James Joyce. Professor Peter McAuley (Department of English Language and Literature), who is a native Dubliner, teaches this class using Dubliners, a collection of short stories which portray the middle-low class lives of Dubliners during the British colonization. This class consists of a few quizzes, class discussions, a group presentation, Blackboard discussion questions, and a final essay. Although the requirements seem strenuous at first glance, they are given not to confer academic burden, but rather to engage students and develop their critical thinking skills. Students are highly encouraged to participate in class discussions to share their opinions about the short stories of Dubliners, reflecting on them by receiving feedback from peers and the professor. Background knowledge in Irish literature is not needed; the most crucial requirement is having the passion and eagerness to think and read.

Assertive Reading Through Irish Literature

One of the most fascinating factors of this class is the unusualness of the material. Unless one majors in English Language and Literature, a class solely devoted to Irish literacy is hard to come by. However, by thoroughly examining Dubliners throughout the whole semester, this class provides a unique opportunity for students to not only learn to comprehend English literature but also be introduced to Ireland’s own literature and history. Therefore, this class acts as a gateway to the realm of enchanting Irish literacies. Since students encounter Irish social and historical backgrounds and connect them with the short stories, they naturally develop interest in other renowned Irish authors such as W.B. Yeats and Oscar Wilde.

Another appeal of this class is that it pushes students to approach English reading in an active way. Professor McAuley does not simply convey a list of information but rather focuses on allowing students to formulate their own opinions and explain their assessment of the various features of the short stories, such as the writing style and theme. The most important aspect is to ultimately guide the students to attentively contemplate while reading, which is why they are graded on how they are able to interpret and develop their own opinions logically, with connection to what they learned during the class. For instance, the final essay requires students to justify their interpretation of the major themes of the short stories with literary evidence, rather than merely providing a summary. To get a further in-depth view of Advanced English Reading I, The Granite Tower (GT) interviewed Professor McAuley.

GT: What are the main objectives of this course?

Professor McAuley: Most immediately, this course aims to offer students an opportunity to improve their reading skills in English; it is right there in the title of the course. In this course, we are more interested in how we read, not just what we read. Students are encouraged to develop their critical thinking skills in class each day as we discuss and argue about each story, share our opinions, examine the social and historical contexts, and so on. One of the strengths of a humanities education is to develop such reading skills, which can be invaluable on any future career path.

GT: Why are James Joyce and Dublin specifically chosen as the topic for this course?

Professor McAuley: In today’s parlance, we could call it a “deep dive” into this topic. Students can develop their confidence in understanding something of Joyce’s Dublin as we go through each of the fifteen stories in the Dubliners collection. More broadly, they are a set of stories about everyday life in a European capital at the turn of the century, and they offer all sorts of interesting historical and ethnographic detail about that emerging modern world. Joyce devoted his life to writing about his hometown, but he’s not a local writer. For instance, it is worth mentioning that Dublin and Ireland at this time were colonized by their nextdoor neighbor, Britain, which is a sadly familiar predicament to Korean students. While the historical circumstances of Korea and Ireland were each unique, it is worthwhile to consider some of the affinities between their shared experience of colonization, in addition to exploring how Joyce’s stories might speak to us in 2022 on contemporary “hot topics” as varied as political corruption, gender discrimination or bullying at work. GT Any last words for KU students?

GT: Any last words for KU students?

Professor McAuley: Just recently, I had an interesting exchange with a student who was thinking about taking this course. One concern they had was that the topic might be too unfamiliar or “foreign.” While that’s naturally a legitimate consideration, I would say that is actually a solid reason to give a course like this one a try. After all, college life should be about experiencing new things and encountering difference. I would like to think that after the past two years, and until we can all travel again, ENGL 157 can offer an enjoyable trip to Europe at the turn of the twentieth century via Joyce’s stories. Indeed, it is always nice to hear back from the occasional Korea University (KU) student who later hopped on a plane to Dublin after taking this course!