DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH: COURSE OFFERINGS
Spring, 2016
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ENGL 101 ENGLISH COMPOSITION
(Total of 28 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,
fulfills 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, 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, 05 INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE
Dr. Thayer
(03) M W F 10:00 - 10:50 a.m.
(05) M W F 1:10 - 2:00 p.m.
Part of the University core curriculum and required of all
undergraduates, this course exposes students to a range of literary genres
and assists students in developing and articulating ideas about texts in
oral and written form.
ENGL 102, 04, 06, 07 INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE
TBA
(04) M W F 12:00 - 12:50 p.m.
(06) M W F 2:10 - 3:00 p.m.
(07) M W F 11:00 - 11:50 a.m.
ENGL 102, 10 INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE
Dr. Smith
(10) T TH 1:15 - 2:30 p.m.
ENGL 105, 01, 03 / WGST 219, 01, 03 IMAGINATION AND
Prof. Roewe
IDENTITY
(01) 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, 02 / WGST 219, 02 FROM BOOK TO BIG SCREEN
Prof. Roden
(02) 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, 04, 05 / WGST 219, 04, 05 POLITICS IN GENDER
Dr. Fowler
(04) M W F 10:00 - 10:50 a.m.
(05) M W F 11:00 - 11:50 a.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, 06 HOW TO TELL A TRUE WAR STORY
Prof. Roewe
(06) M W F 11:00 - 11:50 a.m.
Can a story about war convey a truth even 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, 12 / WGST 219, 07 SEXUAL POLITICS
Dr. Ciasullo
(12) T TH 9:25 - 10:40 a.m.
In this course, we will critically examine literature that addresses the
intersections between identity and gender, identity and sexuality, and
sexuality and power. Our readings will explore the politics of
homosexuality and heterosexuality; our cultural understandings of
femininity and masculinity; the sexual rivalry between women; the misuse
and abuse of sexual power; and the relationship between racial/ethnic
identities and sexual identities. Course requirements include active
participation, weekly writing assignments, a midterm, and a final.
ENGL 105, 08 DEPICTING THE DIVINE IN LITERATURE
Prof. Roden
(08) M W F 12:00 - 12:50 p.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, 09 / WGST 219, 09 MAN & WOMAN IN LIT
Prof. Roden
(09) 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, 10, 11 OF MONSTERS AND THE MONSTROUS
Dr. Marshall
(10) T TH 9:25 - 10:40 a.m.
(11) T TH 10:50 - 12:05 p.m.
In this course we’ll study literature that explores various conceptions of the
monstrous–both the “supernaturally” monstrous and the human
monstrosity. We’ll consider what has been historically considered
monstrous and how conceptions have changed in the last two hundred
years. Possible authors (of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry) include Shelley,
Browning, Capote, Larson, Gonzales, Shields, and others. Students will
write essays and take exams. Participation is expected.
ENGL 105, 13, 14 VOCATION: THE MEANING OF WORK
Dr. Lewis
(13) T TH 10:50 - 12:05 p.m.
(14) T TH 1:15 - 2:30 p.m.
Why work? The question might seem too obvious to be worth asking: we
work to pay for food, for clothes, for tuition (one hopes!). But anyone who
works, or who is preparing for the work force, cannot help but pose such
questions to herself at some point: what is the value of my work? How
does my work define me? What makes work fulfilling? In this course, we
will explore how literary texts, from sonnets to slave narratives to modern
novels, have imagined the meaning--or futility--of work. Assignments will
range from response papers and quizzes to formal essays and exams.
Students will learn the protocols of academic writing and gain a greater
appreciation for the pleasures and insights literary works can offer.
ENGL 106 SPECIAL TOPICS: (RE-)IMAGINING AFRICA
Prof. Dodd
T TH 8:00 - 9:15 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 21st century? How did struggles for
national independence shape writers’ work (and vice versa)? How can we
even discuss African literature, when the continent comprises more than 50
nation-states and over 1,500 languages? And, of course, who was the real
Lion King? Graded assignments will include three projects, a reading
journal, one exam, and thoughtful participation in class discussion.
All 200-level literature courses require prerequisites:
(ENGL 101, ENGL 200, or ENGL 103 H) and
(ENGL 102, ENGL 105, ENGL 106, or ENGL 104 H)
ENGL 200 INTERMEDIATE COMPOSITION
Written permission from the Director of Composition
Dr. Eliason
T TH 10:50 - 12:05 p.m.
Building upon skills developed in earlier courses that required writing,
you will engage in a deliberate study of the art and craft of writing and
give special emphasis to building a multi-genre portfolio of your original
compositions.
ENGL 201, 01 STUDIES IN POETRY
Prerequisites: ENGL 101 & 100-level literature course
Dr. Easterling
(01) T TH 1:15 - 2:30 p.m.
Today we live in a 24-7, device-driven, attention-splintered society, with
little trust in the language of political leaders or of ephemeral media.
What then is the place and significance of poetry’s precise language and
observations in such a world? What is poetry? In this course we will
ask and try out thoughtful answers to these questions while developing
as attentive readers of poetry and the ways it makes meaning. We will
study both the form and content of poetry, paying attention to matters of
genre, individual poetic styles, and some aspects of poetry’s historical
development. Requirements include a reading notebook, two papers, at
least one exam, and engaged critical attention in reading and classwork.
ENGL 201, 02 STUDIES IN POETRY
Prerequisites: ENGL 101 & 100-level literature course
Dr. Tredennick
(02) 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. Butterworth
(01) T TH 9:25 - 10:40 a.m.
(02) T TH 10:50 - 12:05 p.m.
Students will study the elements of fiction through an examination of
short stories and novels. Requirements: active participation, mid-term
and final exams, two formal papers, and a range of informal writing
assignments.
ENGL 205, 01, 02 STUDIES IN SHAKESPEARE
Prerequisites: ENGL 101 & 100-level literature course
Dr. Ranum
(01) M W F 12:00 - 12:50 p.m.
(02) M W F 1:10 - 2:00 p.m.
This course presents the opportunity for close, careful reading and lively
discussion of texts by Western literature’s most famous writer, William
Shakespeare. We will explore plays from different genres, paying close
attention to language and the historical/cultural situations of the texts.
Active participation is essential. Other graded work will include midterm and final exams and two to three formal essays.
ENGL 220, 01, 02 BRITISH LITERATURE SURVEY II
Prerequisites: ENGL 101 & 100-level literature course
Dr. Cooley
(01) M W F 10:00 - 10:50 a.m.
(02) M W F 11:00 - 11:50 a.m.
This course will examine major works of British literature beginning with
the Romantic writers (around 1800) and moving through the present time.
Requirements include two papers, two exams, informal writing
assignments, active class participation and informal presentations.
*** 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. Butterworth
T 2:40 - 5:10 p.m.
The purpose of this course is to learn various strategies for writing poems
and to practice using meter, rhyme, alliteration, assonance, figurative
language, imagery, particular verse kinds, stanzaic patterns, and other
poetic devices. There will be weekly reading and writing assignments,
and class time will be divided between lecture, discussion, and workshop.
Fulfills Writing Concentration Elective requirement.
ENGL 303 CREATIVE NON-FICTION WRITING
Dr. Ciesla
M W 1:10 - 2:25 p.m.
This course will focus on the art and craft of creative nonfiction. We will
study the historical development of the genre to gain footing in this
literary tradition and will write and read subgenres including: memoir,
personal essay, literary journalism, and travel writing. Through the
processes of close reading, analysis, collaboration, experimentation, and
revision, we will focus on the skills necessary to produce and critique
writing in the genre. Participation is crucial and written work includes
writing exercises, longer works, peer critiques, and craft papers. Fulfills
Writing Concentration Elective requirement.
ENGL 306 SPECIAL TOPICS IN WRITING:
WRITING IN THE WORKPLACE
Dr. Eliason
T TH 1:15 - 2:30 p.m.
Students in this course will learn how to identify and navigate social and
communicative contexts that affect writing and composing processes in
organizational settings. To support their learning, students will write and
read about writing in the workplace, critique samples of professional
writing, and research workplace writing in situ, within an organization of
their choosing. Fulfills Writing Concentration Elective requirement.
ENGL 340 THE ROMANTIC AGE
Dr. Cooney
T TH 10:50 - 12:05 p.m.
At the tail end of the 18th C., Britain and Europe were contending with the
social tumult resulting from two epochal events: The French Revolution
and the Industrial Revolution. These destroyed age-old social hierarchies,
ravaged communities, and continued the demographic shift from country
to city. In this class, we will look at how major figures of the period,
including William Wordsworth, John Clare, and Lord Byron, reflected on
and revolted against what was, in effect, the beginning of what we now
call modernity. Students will be expected to write two papers, do regular
reading responses, take a final exam, and participate actively. Fulfills
British Literature Post-1660 requirement.
ENGL 342 VICTORIAN ERA
Dr. Ranum
M W F 10:00 - 10:50 a.m.
The Victorian Era in England was a time of unprecedented economic,
political, and social change. If one constant can be claimed about the
literature of these Victorians, it is that every artistic movement and every
paradigm of values was met by a conflicting reaction. In this course, we
will read texts in a variety of literary genres (including prose fiction, nonfiction, and drama but emphasizing lyric and narrative poetry), setting the
texts in conversation with one another and in the cultural contexts of a
fascinatingly dynamic period. Students will have some flexibility in
choosing their own assignments. Options will include essays, exams, and
presentations. Fulfills British Literature Post-1660 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 402 ADVANCED FICTION WRITING
Dr. Cooley
M W 3:10 - 4:25 p.m.
This course will focus on crafting fiction through the practice of writing
and extensive revision. Students will explore character creation, plot
development, voice and other elements of fiction. They will become more
conscious of the writing process with an emphasis on revision and read a
number of contemporary short stories. Those who choose to take this class
should be highly motivated and self-directed, with time to devote to
intensive writing. Workshop format. Two original stories and extensive
revisions required. Fulfills Writing Concentration and/or English Elective
requirement.
ENGL 413 / WGST 422C 19th CENTURY AMERICAN NOVEL
Dr. Miller
T TH 9:25 - 10:40 a.m.
In this course we will read nineteenth-century American novels that
explore gendered spaces: natural, domestic, and/or urban spaces that are
fraught with connotations of femininity or masculinity. To what extent is a
kitchen or a river boat, for instance, associated with the idea of rigid
gender roles or indicative of “separate spheres”? We will assess how these
novels depict, evaluate, or critique these gendered spaces and examine how
other notions of identity (nationality, race, class) and moral sentiment,
especially as it is located in the idea of “sympathy,” overlap or conflict
with gendered identity. We will also situate these books in the context of
American literary and cultural history, which means we will define, apply,
complicate, and question the notions of Sentimentalism, Romanticism,
Realism, Naturalism, and the literary “canon.” Fulfills American
Literature Pre-1900 requirement.
ENGL 423 CHAUCER
Dr. Thayer
M W F 11:00 - 11:50 a.m.
A survey of Chaucer’s major works with special emphasis on The
Canterbury Tales. Texts in original Middle English. Fulfills British
Literature Pre-1660 requirement.
academy, and in the lived experience of people who do not fit society’s
heteronormative model. The course will include active reading and
discussion as well as reflective and formal writing; no previous course
work in Literary Theory required. Fulfills English Literature Elective
requirement.
ENGL 434 / WGST 417 TUDOR & STUART DRAMA:
SEX AND THE CITY ON THE LONDON STAGE
Dr. Easterling
T TH 2:40 - 3:55 p.m.
We associate the dramatic achievements of the early modern period
primarily with Shakespeare, but Shakespeare was only one of a great
number of playwrights who together created a stunning and eclectic
range of plays in Tudor/Stuart London. In this course we’ll be focused
on this non-Shakespearean drama. Reading an extensive range of plays
as well as secondary sources both historical and critical, we will discuss
specific works and the space of the stage, including the centrality of
gender to playing in the period. Requirements likely will include:
regular informal and formal writing about our readings, class
presentations, a term paper, and readiness to be an engaged and active
participant in the class. Fulfills British Literature Pre-1660
requirement.
ENGL 495 SENIOR SEMINAR:
RESTORATION & 18TH C. DRAMA
Prerequisite: Senior status or instructor’s permission.
Dr. Fowler
W 2:10 - 4:40 p.m.
This course traces the development of drama beginning with the reopening of the London stages in 1660 after the Restoration of Charles II
to the English throne. This is an important time in the development of
drama and theatre as women stepped onto London stages as actors for the
first time, and even more significantly, as women began writing
professionally for the first time. We will focus largely on the bawdy
comedies and political satires staged between 1660 and the Theatre
Licensing Act of 1737, but we will examine a later 18th C. play in order to
see how government censorship and evolving cultural mores affected the
genre. The seminar format requires extensive, meaningful participation.
Other requirements may include an annotated bibliography, class
presentation, and a longer research paper. Students should register for
ENGL 495 and ENGL 499 concurrently. Fulfills English Senior
Seminar requirement. One seminar required for English Lit majors.
ENGL 455 SPECIAL TOPICS: AMERICAN VISIONARY
LITERATURE
Dr. Marshall
T TH 1:15 - 2:30 p.m.
In this course, we will study authors of the last hundred and fifty years to
explore what is meant by the term “visionary,” what we can know of the
authors’ unique social, metaphysical, national, historical, aesthetic, and
mystical visions; and what we can glean of the contexts out of which
these visions emerged. We will also consider the relevance of their
“visions” for us today. Possible authors include: Emerson, Thoreau,
Whitman, Dickinson, Muir, Agee, Ginsberg, Creeley, Kerouac, Rich,
Dillard, Lesy, Lee, and Graham. Fulfills American Literature Post-1900
requirement.
ENGL 466, 01 TOPICS IN LIT: DIGITAL RHETORIC
Dr. Bollig
M W F 12:00 - 12:50 p.m.
This course explores digital culture and digital media objects through the
lenses of rhetorical theory and critical theory. Over the course of the
semester, we will investigate changing cultural norms surrounding
ownership and intellectual property, the affordances and constraints of
writing in digital environments, and the significance of race, gender, and
class identities in online communities. The goal of this course is to
consider how changing technological environments affect us as
producers and consumers of culture. Fulfills English Literature or
Writing Concentration Elective requirement.
ENGL 466, 02 / WGST 380 TOPICS IN LIT: QUEER THEORY
Dr. Tredennick
T TH 10:50 - 12:05 p.m.
What is the relationship between biological sex, gender, and sexuality?
How has the traditional model linking these categories shaped both
modern constructions of identity and modern society, and what would an
alternative model–a queer identity–look like? Shaped in large part by the
gay and transgender rights movements, queer theorists have been
wrestling with these questions since the nineties. This class will explore
both the questions and various answers as they appear in literature, in the
ENGL 496 WRITING SENIOR PROJECT
Dr. Marshall
ENGL 499 SENIOR PROJECT
Dr. Miller