從傳統文學的定義到晚近對文學的重新檢視均略加介紹。但以作者、讀者、文本的交互牽涉，美學與文學批評，以及文學與語言的關聯為講授重點，課程中以例証與理論互映，並希望同學在習聽後，能融入自己閱讀、創作的經驗，加以活用。
The scope of the content of the instruction ranges from an introduction of the traditional definition of literature to the re-examination on issues of literature in modern era. The foci of the instruction are on the interrelation among authors, the reader and texts, esthetics and literal criticism, and the connection between literature and language. During the instructional process, examples will be employed to exemplify related theories. After the learning of this introductory course, students should be able to integrate what they have learned into their own reading and writing experience so that they could apply their knowledge on literature to their life.