DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH: COURSE OFFERINGS
Spring, 2015
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ENGL 101 ENGLISH COMPOSITION
(Total of 26 sections, see Schedule)
This course will assist you in making responsible and effective
contributions to intellectual discussions in a range of academic and other
cultural settings. You will be challenged to establish a strong foundation
in critical reading, writing, researching, and reflecting. In a variety of
rhetorical situations, you will also demonstrate your ability to express
ideas and to craft and articulate arguments with and for other writers and
readers. English 101 is intended to be taken in conjunction with PHIL
101 and SPCO 101.
ENGL 102, ENGL 105, & ENGL 106
fulfill the 100-level literature core requirement.
ENGL 102, 01, 02 INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE
Dr. Ciesla
(01) M W F 9:00 - 9:50 a.m.
(02) M W F 10:00 - 10:50 a.m.
This course introduces the concepts, terms, and practices encountered in
literary study. We will examine poetry, short fiction, nonfiction, and
drama with an emphasis on careful reading and interpretation. Graded
components of the course include short papers, quizzes, two exams, and
thoughtful participation in class discussion.
ENGL 102, 03, 04, 05 INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE
Dr. Armstrong
(03) M W F 12:00 - 12:50 p.m.
(04) M W F 2:10 - 3:00 p.m.
(05) M W F 3:10 - 4:00 p.m.
In this course, we’ll read fiction, poetry, and drama with the goal of
learning how to interpret literature from a critical and scholarly
standpoint. Graded elements will include short response papers,
quizzes, presentations, a mid-term, a final, and class participation.
ENGL 105, 01 (RE-) IMAGINING AFRICA
Prof. Dodd
(01) M W F 8:00 - 8:50 a.m.
Many of us are drawn to Africa’s beauty and mystery, but we often
don’t realize that its literature is rich with complex storytelling traditions
and intellectual orientations. We’ll examine a range of questions that
continue to drive a vibrant and diverse literary landscape, including:
How do oral traditions retain cultural value in the 21 st century? How did
struggles for national independence shape writers’ work (and vice
versa)? How can we even discuss African literature, when the continent
comprises 53 nations and over 1,500 languages? And, of course, who
was the real Lion King? Graded assignments will include short papers,
quizzes, two exams, and thoughtful participation in class discussion.
ENGL 105, 02, 03 / WGST 219, 04, 05 IMAGINATION AND
Prof. Roewe
IDENTITY
(02) M W F 8:00 - 8:50 a.m.
(03) M W F 9:00 - 9:50 a.m.
Many authors address the creative power of the imagination in their
works, and this class will explore the ways the individual imagination
contributes to the conception of the self. This class will also explore the
intersection between imagination and identity by interrogating how
gendered representations of male and female imaginations shift across
time. Students in this course will learn strategies for analyzing
literature, careful and interpretive reading, and conventions of academic
writing.
ENGL 105, 04 / WGST 219, 03 FROM BOOK TO BIG SCREEN
Prof. Roden
(04) M W F 9:00 - 9:50 a.m.
Meaning comes in a variety of shapes and forms. For some, the written
word is powerful, but for others the visual may be more provocative. This
course will ask how meaning is created as we examine the relationship
between word and image. Through an exploration of the many ways in
which primary texts are altered and adapted into other genres and other
media, students will become more aware of the connection between the
stories we tell, the mediums we express these stories in, and the world we
live in. In doing so, students will gain familiarity with the major genres of
Literature (Poetry, Fiction, Drama) and come to a greater awareness of the
interplay between Literature and the variety of popular “texts” that make up
our world.
ENGL 105, 05, 07 SPORTS LITERATURE
Dr. Ranum
(05) M W F 10:00 - 10:50 a.m.
(07) M W F 11:00 - 11:50 a.m.
In this course we will carefully read texts representing a variety of genres
(poetry, fiction, drama, prose nonfiction) that focus on or feature sports.
We will work through these texts to get at the ways in which this kind of
formalized play speaks to and for human needs and desires, as well as the
ways in which we then speak about that play. Requirements include active
participation in class discussion, informal writing, 2-3 formal essays, and
exams.
ENGL 105, 06 DEPICTING THE DIVINE IN LITERATURE
Prof. Roden
(06) M W F 10:00 - 10:50 a.m.
Through an examination of literary representations of the divine, this
course will consider how Literature has provided a medium by which men
and women are able to explore the complexities of crafting a relationship
between the fallen and the immortal, the divine and the earthly, and
between man and his maker. It is the goal of this course that by exploring
Literature’s treatment of this complicated, but incredibly rich relationship,
we will better understand how Literature enables us to contemplate our
own humanity and the human condition itself.
ENGL 105, 08 / WGST 219, 02 SECRETS AND SUFFERING
Prof. Roewe
(08) M W F 11:00 - 11:50 a.m.
Even secrets with the best of intentions can have unforeseen consequences,
and as readers we are attracted to texts that allow us to be “in on” a
character’s secret. By looking closely at the relationship between secrets
and suffering in literature, students will learn strategies for analyzing
literature, careful and interpretive reading, and conventions of academic
writing.
ENGL 105, 09 / WGST 219, 06 SEXUAL POLITICS
Dr. Fowler
(09) M W F 12:00 - 12:50 p.m.
Broadly, politics refers to complex social relationships involving authority
and power in any given culture. This course, then, will examine literature
that explores the ways in which gender and sexuality intersect with
dominant cultural ideology. Topics include constructions of masculinity &
femininity, representations of sexualities, and depictions of power relations
among genders and sexualities. Course requirements include active and
mature participation, two exams, two papers, and weekly reading quizzes.
ENGL 105, 10, 14 HOW TO TELL A TRUE WAR STORY
Prof. Roewe
(10) M W F 12:00 - 12:50 p.m.
Dr. Easterling
(14) T TH 9:25 - 10:40 a.m.
Can a story about war convey a truth even if it isn’t true? Do the stories we
tell about war show us what we must remember, or what we want to
forget? In this course we are interested in the ways narrative mediates
what we know, or what we think we know about war and about men and
women encountering war. By reading literature (poetry, fiction, drama)
across time that confronts war, including our most current conflicts, this
course explores what war-literature teaches us beyond the facts of
violence. Course assignments will include regular writing for class, two
formal essays, and exams.
ENGL 105, 11, 12 / WGST 219, 01, 07 MAN & WOMAN IN LIT
Prof. Roden
(11) M W F 12:00 - 12:50 p.m.
(12) M W F 1:10 - 2:00 p.m.
The battle of the sexes has been an age-old literary theme; male and female
authors alike have struggled to represent, defend, counter, and interrogate
social roles associated with the sexes, love (both romantic and sexual), and
the complicated nature of relationships between men and women. This
course addresses these themes by considering a range of literary works of
various genres and time periods to examine precisely how Literature
enables both readers and authors to explore what it means to be a man or
woman.
ENGL 105, 13 WHAT AM I READING?: DECONSTRUCTING
THE BOUNDARIES OF GENRE
Prof. Huffstutter
(13) M W F 3:10 - 4:00 p.m.
What’s the difference between a short story, a vignette, and a novel? What
constitutes “poetry,” “prose,” or “spoken-word”? Can literature be a visual
medium? Shatter the boundaries of genre with longer tests such as Cane;
the Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven; and Winesburg,Ohio, as
well as shorter pieces like Forché’s “The Colonel,” Mura’s “An Argument:
On 1942,” and the works of contemporary spoken-word poets. This course
also integrates the unique contributions of women and of non-European
cultures to American Literature
ENGL 105, 15 THE CITY IN LITERATURE
Dr. Cooney
(15) T TH 10:50 - 12:05 p.m.
This class will examine works that explore the way cities have shaped
modern consciousness. We will also develop our close reading skills of
poetry, film, and fiction. We will likely read some classic writers such as
Baudelaire, Gogol, and Whitman, and we will also spend some time
exploring a range of writers working in or near New York. Students will be
expected to write two short papers, take a final exam, do a few small
contextual research projects, and participate actively.
ENGL 105, 16 NATURE & PLACE
Dr. Easterling
(16) T TH 10:50 - 12:05 p.m.
This is a course that confronts concepts of NATURE and PLACE, both
often seen as essential to human identity, imagination, and existence. Can
literature’s tools offer us uniquely valuable modes of contemplating Nature
and Place? From these can we glean richer ideas about our human selves?
With focuses on Nature, Place, and American identity as well as on the
‘Wasteland’ as a dimension of humans and nature, we’ll read selections
of poetry, short fiction, non-fiction, and drama from the 16th century to
our current moment of urgent environmental concern. Requirements:
active participation, weekly informal writing, 2 essays, and exams.
All 200-level literature courses require prerequisites:
( ENGL101, ENGL 200, or ENGL 103 H) and
(ENGL 102, ENGL 105, ENGL 106, or ENGL 104 H)
ENGL 200 INTERMEDIATE COMPOSITION
Requires written permission from the English Department Chair.
Dr. Eliason
T TH 10:50 - 12:05 p.m.
Students will learn about the art and craft of writing and create original
multimodal projects that explore intersections of texts, images, sounds,
moving objects, videos, and other available resources.
ENGL 201, 01, 02 STUDIES IN POETRY
Prerequisites: ENGL 101 & 100-level literature course
Dr. Marshall
(01) T TH 10:50 - 12:05 p.m.
(02) T TH 1:15 - 2:30 p.m.
This course will offer an introduction to the study of poetry. We will
consider poets from different historical periods; these studies will aim at
improving our ability to read poetry both for analysis and enjoyment.
Students will write brief essays and one longer analytical assignment.
There will also be quizzes. Participation is essential and will be
evaluated.
ENGL 201, 03, 04 STUDIES IN POETRY
Prerequisites: ENGL 101 & 100-level literature course
Dr. Tredennick
(03) T TH 1:15 - 2:30 p.m.
(04) T TH 2:40 - 3:55 p.m.
“Poetry is what gets lost in translation.” Robert Frost
“Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.” Percy Bysshe Shelley
“A poet can survive everything but a misprint.” Oscar Wilde
“To have great poets there must be great audiences too.” Walt Whitman
In this class, we will study both the form and the content of poetry,
paying attention to issues of genre, individual poetic style, and historical
development. Requirements include a formal analysis of a poem, two
papers, and two exams, as well as various shorter assignments.
Participation will be crucial, exciting, and graded.
ENGL 202, 01, 02 STUDIES IN FICTION
Prerequisites: ENGL 101 & 100-level literature course
Dr. Thayer
(01) M W F 11:00 - 11:50 a.m.
(02) M W F 1:10 - 2:00 p.m.
An immersion into the world of prose fiction. This course will expand
on skills students honed in English 102. We will explore a variety of
short and long works ranging from the traditional to the bizarre. The
journeys we will take are not for the fainthearted; please check with your
doctor before enrolling. Requirements: two exams, two papers, class
participation, an open mind, a sense of humor, gobs of imagination.
ENGL 204, 01, 02 / WGST 221, 01, 02 STUDIES IN FILM:
CONSTRUCTING MASCULINITY IN FILM
Prerequisites: ENGL 101 & 100-level literature course
Dr. Maucione
(01) T 2:40 - 3:55 p.m.
TH 2:40 - 5:20 p.m.
(02) T 4:05 - 5:20 p.m.
TH 2:40 - 5:20 p.m.
This course explores the relationship between narrative film and the social
construction of masculinity. Working toward understandings of the
foundational vocabularies and principles of film theory, conventions, and
techniques alongside gender studies, we will conduct analyses of films in
terms of artistic and narrative elements as well as social, cultural, and
historical contexts. Assignments include readings, film viewings, papers,
exams, daily participation, journals, and quizzes.
ENGL 205 STUDIES IN SHAKESPEARE
Prerequisites: ENGL 101 & 100-level literature course
Dr. Pringle
M W F 9:00 - 9:50 a.m.
In this introductory course to Shakespeare’s works we will read a
representative selection of tragedies, comedies, and histories. Plan to
attend regularly, read the day’s selection closely, and be ready to discuss
the text in a critical manner. Class time will alternate between lecture and
discussion. Assignments will include two papers, three exams, and reading
comprehension quizzes.
*** UPPER DIVISION OFFERINGS ***
All ENGL 300 and 400 level courses require prerequisites:
(ENGL 101, ENGL 200, or ENGL 103 H) and
(ENGL 102, ENGL 105, ENGL 106, or ENGL 104 H) and
(200-level literature ENGL, excluding
writing class ENGL 200)
ENGL 301 POETRY WRITING
Dr. Marshall
T 3:00 - 5:40 p.m.
In this course, we will study the art of poetry writing. Toward this end, we
will discuss poetry written by members of the class and poetry from our
texts; we will write exercises and explorations; expect to create new poems
(weekly) ad expect to articulate your understanding of how poems (might)
work. Texts will include a few individual collections of poetry and an
inexpensive anthology. Fulfills Writing Concentration Elective
requirement.
ENGL 302 FICTION AND SCREENWRITING
Dr. Armstrong
M W F 11:00 - 11:50 a.m.
This creative writing class will focus on the craft of fiction through two
different forms of storytelling. During the first half of the semester, we will
examine the short story form through readings and discussion, culminating
in a story written by each student for workshop. During the second half, we
will delve into the techniques of screenwriting, looking at filmic examples
on page and screen, after which each student will finish by writing a short
screenplay adaptation of his or her earlier work. Fulfills Writing
Concentration Elective requirement.
ENGL 303 CREATIVE NON-FICTION WRITING
Dr. Eliason
T TH 1:15 - 2:30 p.m.
This course challenges students to develop nuanced perspectives on the art
and craft of creative non-fiction. At the center of student experience will
be original compositions in the genre and the analysis of published works.
The course will afford the study of creativity and its expression. By the end
of the semester, students will have stronger skills as writers and readers of
creative non-fiction. Fulfills Writing Concentration Elective requirement.
ENGL 306 SPECIAL TOPICS IN WRITING: DIGITAL WRITING
Prof. Halliday
T TH 10:50 - 12:05 p.m.
In this class we will analyze and create a variety of digital texts in an
attempt to answer the pertinent questions addressing the rapidly-changing
landscape of digital writing: How do we best take advantage of the
affordances of digital modes to create meaning in digital spaces? How has
technology changed our understanding of what it means to write? How do
we navigate the changing rhetorical situation? Assignments include
creating web narratives, podcasts, and image-driven concept articulation.
Fulfills Writing Concentration Elective requirement.
ENGL 323 THE MIDDLE AGES
Dr. Thayer
M W F 10:00 - 10:50 a.m.
A general survey of British literature from the Middle Ages. The course
will emphasize texts originally composed in Old English and Middle
English, but some Latin and Middle Welsh may also be included.
Accessible Middle English texts will be read in the original language; all
others will be in translation. Fulfills British Literature Pre-1660
requirement.
ENGL 360 MODERN DRAMA
Dr. Ranum
M W F 1:10 - 2:00 p.m.
Modern Drama is characterized by revolution, the rejection and
reformation of traditional dramatic modes in the attempt to capture more
precisely the modern human experience. In this course, students will read
a broad sweep of plays from the modern and contemporary eras of drama,
emphasizing the beginnings of dramatic modernism in nineteenth-century
continental Europe (texts to be read in translation), as well as the
development of drama in Britain and America from the late nineteenth
century to the present. Assignments will include mid-term and final
exams, formal essays, other options in critical research and interpretation,
and active participation. Fulfills English Literature Elective requirement.
ENGL 390 WRITING CENTER PRACTICUM
Requires written permission from the English Department Chair.
Dr. Eliason
Tutoring student writers and developing academic resources and
promotional materials for the Writing Center. May be taken for 1, 2, or 3
credits.
ENGL 394 TOPICS IN FILM: MOVEMENTS IN WESTERN FILM
Dr. Cooney
T 2:40 - 3:55 p.m.
TH 2:40 - 5:20 p.m.
Students will study major movements in European cinema from the 20th
century, including German Expressionism, Italian Neorealism, and French
New Wave with an eye towards at once understanding the methods of
the individual filmmakers and getting a sense of the historical
development of film narrative. Readings will familiarize students with
essential terms, ideas, and technical advances in film-making as well as
introduce essential critical debates. Work will include close reading of
sequences, an analysis of a film, quizzes, and active engagement with
the course material. Fulfills English Literature Elective requirement.
selected poems, in the context of his physical and intellectual worlds. In
order to understand this context, we’ll trace his three years aboard ship in
the Pacific and, to the extent possible, his decades of intense reading. We
will also follow the general course of Melville criticism since the revival of
the 1920s rescued him from obscurity. Requirements: active participation,
regular quizzes and a final exam, two formal papers (culminating in an endof-term research project), and a range of informal writing assignments.
Fulfills American Literature Pre-1900 requirement.
ENGL 406 ADVANCED SPECIAL TOPICS IN WRITING:
GENRE BENDING
Dr. Ciesla
W 2:10 - 4:50 p.m.
This course will focus on writing that defies easy categorization into a
single genre. We will discuss and produce genre-bending work such as:
prose poetry, flash fiction, lyric essays, graphic novels, nonfiction
novels, digital texts, and others. Through the creative processes of
collaboration, workshop, experimentation, and revision, we will focus
on questions of genre and reader expectations. Participation is crucial
and written work includes genre-bending exercises, longer works, peer
critiques, and craft papers. Fulfills Writing Concentration Elective
requirement.
ENGL 466, 02 TOPICS IN LITERATURE:
SHAKESPEARE AND FILM
Dr. Easterling
(02) T 2:40 - 3:55 p.m.
TH 2:40 - 5:20 p.m.
In this course we will examine both the promise and the possible tension of
this compound subject of ‘Shakespeare AND Film.’ That is, we’ll not only
learn about and assess film’s narrative and interpretive techniques via some
major plays and film adaptations, we’ll also take up the complex and
fascinating matter of Shakespeare and/as popular culture, exploring
questions -- via literary and theoretical readings and screenings -- about
film’s role in the contemporary production of ‘Shakespeare.’ Assignments
will include: active participation, including engaged film-viewing and
regular writing for class; several short papers; at least one exam; a final,
research-driven, critical essay.
Note: this class meets T/R at 2:40pm, with Thursday meetings extended for
film-screenings to 5:20pm. You must be able to attend these longer
Thursday meeting-times to enroll in this class. Fulfills British Literature
Pre-1660 OR British Literature Post-1660 requirement.
ENGL 418 / NTAS 321 AMERICAN INDIAN LITERATURES
Dr. Maucione
M 6:10 - 8:40 p.m.
This course examines important texts in the multifaceted genre of
American Indian literature and invites students into a critical discussion
of contemporary issues centering on the relationship between American
Indian literatures and contemporary sociopolitical and cultural realities.
Through close readings of poetry, short stories, and novels by writers
from various tribes and regions, students will explore the heterogeneity
of Native America and the complexities of all attempts to define or
shape indigenous nationhood. Assignments include several short papers,
final article-length paper, along with journals and class participation.
Fulfills American Literature Post-1900 and Social Justice requirement.
ENGL 436 / WGST 416 18th CENTURY BRITISH NOVEL
Dr. Fowler
M 2:10 - 4:40 p.m.
Focusing specifically on what may be termed gendered approaches to
novel writing, this course will examine the development of the novel as
it progresses through the 18th century. Through close reading of the
novels, we will explore the ways that male and female authors
approached similar themes in often very different ways, the ways their
works were often in dialogue with or in opposition to one another, and
the ways in which their works attempted to influence cultural ideology.
We will read works from such diverse authors as Aphra Behn, Eliza
Haywood, Sarah Scott, Daniel Defoe, Samuel Richardson, and Henry
Fielding. Requirements will include participation in class discussion, a
midterm exam, reader responses to academic articles, a critical formal
essay, and a final exam. Fulfills British Literature Post-1660
requirement.
ENGL 466, 01 TOPICS IN LITERATURE:
MELVILLE AND HIS WORLD
Dr. Miller
(01) T TH 10:50 - 12:05 p.m.
We will read Herman Melville’s Typee, Moby-Dick, Pierre, “Bartleby,”
“Benito Cereno,” The Confidence Man, and Billy Budd, along with
ENGL 480 / WGST 403 CRITICAL THEORY: LITERATURE
AND CULTURAL STUDIES
Dr. Tredennick
T TH 9:25 - 10:40 a.m.
In this class, we will survey the major schools on contemporary literary
theory in English studies, starting with New Criticism, and moving through
Feminism, Marxism, structuralism and post-structuralism, feminist and
queer theory, New Historicism, and post-colonialism. Students will be
introduced to the vocabulary and foundational concepts of each of these
theories, and will learn how to apply these theoretical concepts to the
analysis and interpretation of literary texts. Course requirements will
include numerous short writing assignments, one long formal essay, a
midterm and a final. Participation will be crucial, exciting, and graded.
Fulfills English Literature Elective requirement.
ENGL 495 SEMINAR: SLAVE NARRATIVES
Prerequisite: Senior status or instructor’s permission.
Dr. Pringle
W 2:10 - 4:50 p.m.
This seminar will focus on narratives depicting slavery in America. A
seminar is largely led by students and demands active participation and
leadership from all participants. We will work together to understand and
interpret primary, secondary, and theoretical sources. Each student will
complete a major research project, resulting in an article-length seminar
paper. Students will also be evaluated on preparedness and participation.
No exams. Students should register for ENGL 495 and ENGL 499
concurrently. Fulfills English Literature Elective requirement. One
seminar required for English Lit majors.
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