Journals and student engagement with literary theory

Student journals are a form of ‘radical pedagogy’ which enable students to engage meaningfully with their work. Using the online journals created by students on a course in literary theory, this article analyses student engagement, initial and developing perceptions of literary theory, the students' creation of their identity as ‘literary critics’, and reflections on their own experience as learners and issues of progression. We argue that journals are a very useful way of developing both theoretical ideas and self‐reflection, offering ideas about changing identity. They enable students to engage with or practise theory rather than repeat it, by applying its ideas to the world around them and their lives.