Social Science and Humanities Program

The American Short Story: Critical Reading and Critical Thinking

Faculty Advisor: Adjunct Professor of Humanities, New York University

Research Program Introduction

Becoming a skilled critical reader and critical thinker can set you apart from other smart and talented young people. Understanding how to think critically about texts is essential for future academic success. An ability to confidently express your ideas about texts will provide you with a valuable skill in your personal and professional life. Engaging in careful, close reading of literary works builds these skills and brings the additional reward of reading works of literature with appreciation, pleasure, and understanding.

This program introduces key critical reading and thinking concepts through interactive sessions based on American literature, focusing on short stories from the 19th and 20th centuries. Students will develop an understanding of how to read and think critically about literary fiction. They will then apply their improved analytical skills to the literary analysis essay expected in selective American colleges and universities.

Students will also learn general and subject-specific research and academic writing methods used in universities and scholarly publications. They will focus on individual topics and generate their own work products upon completing the program.

Final Deliverables

Upon completion of the program, students will generate a final paper.  There are different forms and approaches students can select from. Examples of prospective papers include the following (suggestive rather than exhaustive): 

  1. A research paper based on a single short story by one of these American literary masters: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Eudora Welty, Katherine Anne Porter, Flannery O’Connor.

  2. A comparative analysis of two short stories by one of these writers, emphasizing style and theme, with connections between the stories highlighted and explored.

  3. A comparative analysis of two short stories by two different writers, emphasizing stylistic and thematic differences between the stories and their writers.

Program Details

  • Cohort size: 3 to 5 students

  • Workload: Around 4 to 5 hours per week (including class and homework time)

  • Target students: 9 to 12th graders who aim to become skilled critical readers and thinkers. This program is open to students intending to take any major.