Department of English
Advanced Courses
Fall 2014
English 3301.001: Critical Theory and Practice for English Majors (WI).
10:00-10:50 MWF, FH 225
Instructor:
Graeme Wend-Walker
Course Description:
Current approaches to literature with attention to reading
strategies and artistic techniques and conventions. (Required for
majors; open to minors; should be taken immediately after
completing the 6-hour sophomore requirement.)
Books:
Barry, Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and
Cultural Theory
Mikics, A New Handbook of Literary Terms
MLA, MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7/e
Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Case Studies in
Critical Controversy)
Satrapi, The Complete Persepolis
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
Gw15@txstate.edu
English 3301.002: Critical Theory & Practice for English Majors (WI).
12:30-1:50 MW, FH 225
3301.003: 2:00-3:20 MW, FH 225
Instructor:
Allan Chavkin
Course Description:
Current approaches to literature with attention to reading
strategies and artistic techniques and conventions
COURSE GOALS
1. To introduce students to the major critical approaches to
literature.
2. To gain experience examining works by a variety of
methods.
3. To learn the basic literary terms.
4. To gain experience organizing ideas on literature and clearly
and persuasively expressing them.
5. To see the development of at least one important American
writer by examining several of his works.
6. To become sensitive to the formal aspects of literature, such
as narrative point of view, structure, patterns of imagery, and so
forth.
7. To read all the assigned material and become aware of the
variety and complexity of literature and human experience.
8. To learn the unique characteristics of the various genres
(poetry, drama, short story, novel, film)
9. To introduce students to the current controversies in the study
of literature
Format: Discussion
Books:
Saul Bellow, Collected Stories; Henry James, The Turn of the
Screw, A Case Study in Contemporary Criticism edited by Peter
Beidler; Arthur Miller, The Portable Arthur Miller; Louise
Erdrich, Shadow Tag, David Mikics, New Handbook of Literary
Terms; J. Tanizaki, The Key
Films: Death of a Salesman; The Crucible; The Innocents
Evaluation:
class participation & exams.
E-Mail:
For more information: see Allan Chavkin in FH 239; e-mail,
Chavkin@txstate.edu
The above is a tentative plan.
English 3301.004 Critical Theory and Practice for English Majors (WI),
2:00-3:20 TTH, FH 254
Instructor:
Teya Rosenberg
This course introduces important elements of English studies. It
Course Description:
introduces the craft of textual analysis and the different critical
perspectives developed during the past century. It also
introduces ideas about genres, terms, and research resources and
techniques for textual studies. The goals are learning these
crafts, perspectives, and techniques as well as polishing
academic writing skills.
Books:
Rapaport, The Literary Theory Toolkit; Broadview Pocket
Glossary of Literary Terms; MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers (7th ed.); Pratchett, The Amazing Maurice and
His Educated Rodents (2001); various short readings.
Evaluation:
Short essays, reading questions and quizzes, presentation,
research paper, participation.
E-Mail:
TR11@txstate.edu
English 3301.005: Critical Theory and Practice for English Majors (WI).
3:30-4:50 TTH, FH 225
Instructor:
Susan Morrison
Course Description:
This course explores fundamental questions that every English
major should ask: What is ‘English,” and why “study” it? The
course introduces current issues in literary study and includes
examinations of major critical approaches, literary terms and
documentation, various genres, and resources for literary
research in varied media. It addresses questions basic to the
study of literary texts: what is literature, and why study it rather
than read merely for pleasure? What role does literature play in
the university and in society? Are our responses to literature
necessarily subjective, or are there objective ways of reading
and interpreting texts? How do theories of literature affect our
reading of texts? What way(s) of reading should we choose
given the many alternatives? How do various contexts
(historical, environmental, cultural, feminist/gender) affect how
we read?
How should we read a particular text given the many
ways that it might be read? This last question is at the heart of
the course, and we will spend the majority of our time
practicing various ways of reading--ways that emphasize the
text, the author who wrote it, the reader who reads it, or the
context (historical, social, cultural) in which it was written.
How and why do we read literature? It seems a simple, to some
perhaps even an irrelevant question. But to those of us who
study literature, the question is of paramount importance.
By the end of the course, you’ll be more aware of
assumptions that underlie different responses to a text. You
will be able to demonstrate in class discussion and in written
assignments the ability to make an arguable claim about one or
more literary texts that is situated within a critical conversation.
And you will be able to demonstrate an awareness of critical
terminology in developing arguments about one or more literary
texts. Through class discussions and student presentations, we
can construct together a lively, intellectually stimulating course.
Be sure to have the required Frankenstein edition on the
first day of class. We’ll be discussing it the second day we
meet.
Books:
Michael Ryan, An Introduction to Criticism: Literature - Film Culture
ISBN: ISBN-10: 1405182822; ISBN-13: 978-1405182829.
Wiley-Blackwell. 2012
Gwynn, R. S. Literature: A Pocket Anthology (Penguin
Academics Series) (5th Edition) Prentice Hall, 5th edition.
ISBN-10: 0205032192; ISBN-13: 978-0205032198
Evaluation:
Mary Shelley. Frankenstein. Norton Critical Edition. Ed. J.
Paul Hunter. 2nd Edition. 2011. ISBN 978-0-393-92793-1.
Participation/quizzes/attendance: 15%
One 1-2 page handout on a theory/theorist with 3 page paper.
Use MLA Documentation. Include bibliography. Presentation
of handout to class. You must include application of the theory
to a text we’ve read in the Pocket Anthology: 20%
E-Mail:
Term paper and presentation. Handout must be given to all
students. You will sum up your approach for the term paper,
with documentation. Term paper (6-7 pages, MLA format):
25%
Mid-Term: 20%
Final Examination: 20%
morrison@txstate.edu
English 3302.001: Film and Video Theory and Production (WI).
11:00-12:20 TTH, FH 120
Instructor:
Kathleen McClancy
Course Description:
This course is an introduction to making movies, and will
acquaint students with the techniques and theories of film and
digital video production. We will discuss shot composition,
location scouting, narrative construction in film, and non-linear
editing, among other topics. As we learn the elements of the
medium of film, looking in particular at cinematography and
editing, we will put our new knowledge into action, creating our
own digital videos. In the process, we will reach a new
understanding of how films work to inspire and create specific
responses in audiences. Equipment is provided, but a portable
USB drive is highly recommended.
Books:
Hurbis-Cherrier, Mick, Voice & Vision: A Creative Approach to
Narrative Film and DV Production, 2nd ed. Handouts. Films
TBD.
Evaluation:
Individual and group film projects, weekly written and video
work, participation, quizzes.
E-Mail:
krm141@txstate.edu
English 3303.010: Technical Writing (WI). 11:00- 12:20 MW, FH G13
3303.012: 12:30-1:50 MW, FH G13
Instructor:
Susan Tilka
Course Description:
This course teaches the skills needed for writing in scientific
and technical fields. Students produce documents for various
purposes and audiences, drawing on their own disciplines for
subject matter. Writing applications include: memos, letters,
abstracts, resumes, and a longer documented project--all with
consideration of document design.
Books:
Markel, Technical Communication, 10 edition
Evaluation:
Based on quality of written documents
E-Mail:
st11@txstate.edu
English 3303.011: Technical Writing (WI). 11:00-12:20 MW FH 114
Instructor:
Dr. Miriam F. Williams
Course Description:
The study and practice of expository writing in technical and
scientific professions. Emphasis on planning, writing, revising,
editing, and proofreading proposals, reports, and other forms of
professional communication for a variety of audiences.
Computer technology included.
Books:
Markel, Technical Communication, ISBN-10: 0312679483
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
mfw@txstate.edu
English 3303.013: Technical Writing (WI). 12:30- 1:50 MW, FH 120
Instructor:
Scott Mogull
Course Description:
English 3303 is an advanced communication course designed
to prepare you to communicate effectively in professional
settings. The primary goal of the course is to polish your
communication skills as you make the transition from student to
professional.
In this course, students will (1) develop effective written, oral,
and digital communications; (2) evaluate technical
communications to revise and redesign for greater effectiveness;
(3) use software and online tools to create informative,
multimedia communications; and (4) collaborate with others in
a professional-type setting.
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
Please note that the format of the class is a professional
workshop. Class sessions typically begin with a 30-minute
discussion of the topic followed by a 50-minute workshop.
Regular attendance and active participation is necessary for
success in this class.
Technical Writing Reader, ISBN: 978-1-62661-807-7
The course projects are graded according to the usefulness or
effectiveness in professional settings. The course is divided into
three major units with the following projects: (1) develop an
informative video on a technical communication topic as a team
(40%); (2) propose and develop a set of instructions for an
online tool (25%); (3) create job application materials for your
post-graduation career (15%). Additionally, a few short quizzes
will be given during class to evaluate your knowledge of
communication principles (20%).
mogull@txstate.edu
English 3303.014: Technical Writing (WI). 2:00- 3:20 MW, FH G13
Instructor:
Beverley Braud
Flowers Hall M20
Office times, Spring 2014: MW-12:30-2:00;TTh-2:00-3:15
bb08@txstate.edu
Course Description:
English 3303 discusses and practices the tenets and techniques
of technical writing common in science-based professions. This
course is writing-intensive and requires computer skills; the
course assumes the writing skills that junior-level students
should have developed by this time in their college courses.
English 3303 requires several substantial writing projects as
well as shorter assignments. The course also includes a required
final exam, written during the assigned exam time.
Books:
Markel, M. Technical Communication, 10th ed.
ISBN: 978-1-4576-0029-4
Evaluation:
Students will be assessed on how well their writing conforms to
the stylistic, mechanical, and formatting conventions for
professional writing and design covered in class as well as on
the completeness of their writing assignments. This class does
have an attendance policy.
Assignments & Points for Spring 2014
Writing sample
05
TechDoc Analysis 20
Memo re Ethics
20
Preliminary Refs for
Proposal/FS
20
Memo re FS Audience
& Topics
20
Proposal Edits (2x5) 10
Proposal
75
Fact Sheet Outline 20
Memo re FS graphics 20
FS edits (2x5)
10
Fact Sheet
100
Memo re UM Topic
& outline
20
UM edits (2x5)
10
User Manual
100
Final
25
Course Total Points 475
E-Mail:
bb08@txstate.edu
English 3303.022: Technical Writing (WI). 8:00-9:20 TTH, FH 114
3303.025 9:30- 10:50 TTH, FH 114
Instructor:
Course Description:
Books:
Pinfan Zhu
This course prepares students for workplace writings. Specific genres
include: instructions, proposals, memos, reports, job letters and résumés,
Web design, use of graphics, and document design. Students also learn
how to analyze audiences and use rhetorical strategies to target them.
Communicating with cross-cultural audiences is also one of the focuses.
Other skills students will learn in the course are skills used throughout the
writing process from invention to editing and research skills. The course
is writing intensive but also teaches students oral presentation skills and
some application software skills. Students have to participate in group
discussion, web board response, online research, and in-class exercises.
Practical Strategies for Technical Communication by Mike Markel
Evaluation:
Assignment
E-Mail:
Points
Job-application materials (Individual)
10%
Instructions (Individual) definitions, and description
7.5%
Research Proposal (Individual)
10%
Oral presentation (Individual)
5%
Completion Report (group project)
10%
Business letters (group project)
5%
informal reports (group project)
5%
Quizzes
15%
Web design
5%
Homework
7.5%
Final Exam
20%
pz10@txstate.edu
English 3303.029: Technical Writing (WI). 2:00-3:20 TTH, FH G13
3303.034 5:00-6:20 TTH, FH G13
Instructor:
Course
Description:
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
JoAnn Labay
The study and practice of expository writing in technical and scientific
professions. Emphasis on planning, writing, revising, editing, and
proofreading proposals, reports, and other forms of professional
communication for a variety of audiences. Computer technology
included.
jk16@txstate.edu
English 3303.039: Technical Writing (WI). 6:30-9:20 WED, FH 114
Instructor:
Libby Allison, Ph.D.
Course
ENG 3303.039 (#15356) Technical Writing, 6:30 p.m., Wed., Flowers
Description:
Hall 114
This course introduces students to various kinds of technical
documents that professionals in businesses, agencies, organizations,
and industries write, edit, design, and distribute to various audiences.
Students will learn key principles of communicating and writing that
can be applied to any technical and professional writing activity
including ones in students’ majors and careers.
Books:
Technical Communication Today, 4th ed. by Richard JohnsonSheehan. New York: Pearson Longman, 2012. Students must bring
their books to class.
Evaluation:
Class participation, in-class activities and exercises, and homework
assignments=40% of overall grade
Larger writing projects=20% of grade
Quizzes and exams=40% of grade
E-Mail:
lallison@txstate.edu
English 3303.040: Technical Writing (WI). 6:30-9:20 WED On-line course, meets
twice during semester 09/03 & 10/15 Round Rock Higher Education Center
3303.041: 6:30-9:20 THU On-line course, RRHEC, meets 09/04 & 10/16
Instructor:
Dan Price
Course Description:
This course prepares students for writing in the workplace.
Specific genres covered include letters, memos, job application
materials, instructions and manuals, reports and presentations.
Specific skills developed include document design, web page
design, use of graphics, collaborative writing, audience analysis,
and project management. The course is writing and computer
intensive and requires active participation.
Books:
Markel, Mike. Technical Communication. 10th ed. Boston:
Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2011.
Evaluation:
Five major writing assignments and a final.
E-Mail:
dp27@txstate.edu
English 3304.001: Professional Writing (WI). 12:30-1:50 MW, FH 114
Instructor:
Chad Hammett
Course Description:
English 3304 is a course that teaches professional
communication. We will design effective documents by paying
careful attention to audience and purpose. Documents will
include the memo, the letter, e-mail, and other documents
common to the workplace.
Books:
Writing That Works: Communicating Effectively on the Job 10th
ed. (with 2009 MLA and 2010 APA and Updates) by Walter
Oliu, Charles Brusaw, and Gerald Alred
Evaluation:
Grades consist of assignments and exam
E-Mail:
ch34@txstate.edu
English 3304.003: Professional Writing (WI). 9:30-10:50 TTH, FH 120
3304.004 12:30-1:50 TTH, FH 120
Instructor:
Susan Hanson
Course Description:
English 3304 adapts the principles of expository writing for use
in the workplace. The course teaches students in non-technical
fields to write documents commonly used in professional
settings. Computer technology is included.
Course Goals: The goal of the course is to prepare students to
write effectively in the workplace. Objectives include (1)
developing in students an awareness of rhetorical principles and
an understanding of how those principles apply to writing in the
workplace;
(2) teaching students to use the steps of the writing process to
produce effective documents; (3) familiarizing students with the
conventions and formats of contemporary professional writing,
including e-mail, letters, memos, promotional literature, and
résumés; and (4) introducing students to methods for
collaboration and the use of communication technology.
Books:
A Pocket Style Manual by Hacker ISBN 0312542542
Evaluation:
Students’ writing will be evaluated for its clarity and
conciseness, appropriateness of tone and style, adherence to
stated conventions, grammar, and visual appeal.
These are the types of documents/presentations students will be
creating this semester. The weight each assignment carries is in
parentheses.
1. Letter of introduction (5%)
2. Letter of complaint (5%)
3. Transcript and memo of analysis (10%)
4. Thank you letter (5%)
5. Proposal (10%)
6. Letter of inquiry (5%)
7. Brochure (10%)
E-Mail:
8. PowerPoint presentation (collaborative project) (10%)
9. Résumé (10%)
10. Letter of application (5%)
11. Portfolio, with table of contents (10%)
12. Final exam (format to be announced) (5%)
sh17@txstate.edu
English 3306.001: Writing for Film (WI). 2:00-3:20 TTH, FH 127
Instructor:
Jon Marc Smith
Course Description:
Course Emphasis
In this course we will study the theory and practice of writing
screenplays, including narratology, story elements
(characterization, plotting, dramatic structure, dramatic action,
dialogue, setting, and theme), the deconstruction of the
composition process, the Hollywood Paradigm, three-act
restorative structure, and the conventional format of
screenplays.
Students will develop story ideas, pitches, beat sheets, and
loglines. Students may also choose to write the first act of a
screenplay. Students will read and analyze screenplays as texts,
as well as view and analyze films as texts.
Students will participate in writing workshops by providing
peers with feedback/commentary on their manuscripts. Each
student will have story ideas, film treatments, and the first act of
a screenplay discussed by the class in workshop format.
Because creative writing is an artistic endeavor, we will not
always agree. Readers and viewers have different tastes and
beliefs. We will, however, engage in a lively exchange of ideas.
Discussion is integral to this course. Each student should come
to class prepared, eager to share ideas, and open to new points
of view. We must create an environment in which all our views
are respected and explored. Because we discuss student work,
we should all be sensitive and compassionate to each other. I
expect you to evaluate your peers, but you should always
criticize your fellow students in a constructive manner.
Student Outcomes
Students will learn to eliminate vague and “tired” language in
their writing; use conventional techniques, styles, tools, and
modes of screenwriting; engage with the creative work of other
students; and evaluate and improve their own creative work.
In addition, students will deconstruct screenplays in order to
understand why authors made specific compositional choices.
Students will then apply what they learn to their own drafts.
Students will also evaluate, interpret, and judge the writing of
other students, thus creating a community of writers and
learners.
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
1) Two essays (3-5 pages each) on screenplay theory and
practice
2) A logline (or pitch sentence) workshopped in class
3) A beat sheet (or outline) for about half a screenplay
workshopped by peers
4) A final essay OR a first act of a movie in conventional
screenplay form
5) Workshopping peers’ loglines, pitches, and beat sheets
6) Vocal participation in class including reading the
assignments on time and discussing them in class
7) Politeness and work ethic
8) Regular attendance
Js71@txstate.edu
English 3307.001: Introduction to the Study of Film (WI). 2:00-3:20 MW, FH 130
Instructor:
Dr. Rebecca Bell-Metereau
Course Description:
Instructor’s Description of Course: The course
introduces students to concepts and vocabulary of film
analysis. The thematic topic is the construction of history,
memory, personal identity, and reality through
technology.
Course Goals: To understand the history and influence
of film and media and methods for analyzing and writing
about film. Format is primarily discussion, brief reports
by students, video clips, outside viewing of videos.
Books:
Texts and Films: Short Guide to Writing About Film (8th
edition), Tim Corrigan. Selected readings available online in
TRACS Video viewing outside of class is required.
Students may view on reserve at Alkek, purchase or
stream DVD's from Amazon.com or another dealer, rent
videos through Netflix, etc., or share purchase with group
members.
Tentative List: Nosferatu, Freaks, Citizen Kane, Spellbound
(Hitchcock, 1945), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The
Piano, Dead Man Walking, Alien, 12 Monkeys, Pleasantville, A
Beautiful Mind, Gasland, Slumdog Millionaire, Zero Dark
Thirty
Evaluation:
20% = weekly responses or brief quizzes, 20% = 500-word
essay, 20% = group presentation, 20% = midterm multiple
choice, 20% = final multiple choice
Attendance: Record kept through weekly in-class
responses.
Special Needs: Students with special needs (as documented
by the Office of Disability Services) should identify themselves
at the beginning of the term. The English Department is
dedicated to providing these students with necessary academic
adjustments and auxiliary aids to facilitate their participation
and performance
in the classroom
E-Mail:
Rb12@txstate.edu
English 3307.002: Introduction to the Study of Film (WI). 3:30-4:50 TTH, FH 341
Instructor:
Kathleen McClancy
Course Description:
In this class, we will examine the many aspects of the medium
of film, from the script to the shot to the sound. We will
consider films as constructs and cultural artifacts, as texts and as
art. We will unravel the history of the medium, to discover how
film has transformed since its origin. And we will ask ourselves
whether, in this era of digital production, we can still call this
medium “film” at all. In our plan of study we will alternate
between an examination of film techniques and an exploration
of the history of film productions. As a result, we will consider
film as a medium in transition, dynamic rather than static.
Finally, we will produce our own short films, to cement our
connection to the medium.
Books:
Corrigan and White, The Film Experience: An Introduction (3rd
Edition) and handouts.
Films may include: Bamboozled (2000); Blade Runner: the
Final Cut (2007); Breathless (1960); Brick (2005); Citizen Kane
(1941); Chinatown (1974); Double Indemnity (1944); Drive
(2011); The Maltese Falcon (1941); Metropolis (1927); Psycho
(1960); The Searchers (1956), Sherlock Jr. (1924).
Evaluation:
Course grades will be based on exams, papers, quizzes, and a
collaborative film project and accompanying essay.
E-Mail:
krm141@txstate.edu
English 3308.001: Advance Topics in Film (WI). Topic: As Time Goes By: Change
and Continuity in American Film Genres, 11:00-12:20 TTH, FH 227
Instructor:
Jon Marc Smith
Course Description:
Course offers a focused examination of film as text, with an
emphasis on critical, theoretical, cultural, historical, and stylistic
aspects. Topics may include history of classical Hollywood
cinema; silent film; world, European, or national cinemas; or
the documentary. Repeatable once when topic varies.
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
Js71@txstate.edu
English 3311.001: Advanced Writing: Writing for the Computer Industry (WI).
11:00-12:20 MW, FH 120
Instructor:
Beverley Braud
Flowers Hall M20
Office times, Spring 2014: MW-12:30-2:00; TTh-2:00-3:15
bb08@txstate.edu
Course Description:
Writing for the Computer Industry introduces participants to
the skills required for creating hard-copy and online documents
for employees in the computer industry and for users of
software and hardware. The course focuses on the techniques
for producing user materials and design-based documents; these
techniques include user-analysis, elicitation, document design
and style for documents such as functional requirements
documents, user manuals, and everyday communication.
Participants will also practice the writing and computer skills
necessary for producing those documents.
PLEASE NOTE: Students should have at least a general
knowledge of computer functions and terminology as well as
software use.
Books:
Evaluation:
Read Me First! A Style Guide for the Computer Industry, 3rd ed.
Sun Technical Publications (ISBN: 9780137058280).
We will also look at numerous web-based documents and
reports to study the techniques and documents important to
writing in this field.
Written assignments will be evaluated based on professional
writing and design standards for informative documents.
Assignments will include (but will not be limited to) descriptive
and instructional writing, editing, work with graphics,
requirements documents, user manual.
Assignments and Points for Spring 2014
I indicates an Individual assignment; G indicates a Group
assignment.
Writing Sample (I)
05
Style exercise 1 (I)
20
Style exercise 2 (I)
20
Definition Wksht
10
Extended Definition (I) 25
Tech Instructions (I)
25
Tech Instructions Edits (I)10
GUI Description (I)
25
Email re Mobile App (G)10
Formatting Exercise (I) 20
V&S (G)
75
V&S Draft
10
Reqs Format Exercise (I)20
FRS Outline (G)
10
FRS Draft (G)
20
FRS (G)
75
QuickGuide (G)
75
Presentation Outline (G) 20
Presentation(G)
75
Final (I)
25
Course Total Points 575
E-Mail:
bb08@txstate.edu
English 3311.002: Advanced Writing: Life Stories (WI).
12:30-1:50 MW, FH 226
Instructor:
Dr. Eric Leake
Course Description:
Why and how do we tell life stories? What do life stories do? In
this course we will examine and practice the telling and writing
of life stories. We will look at life stories across fields and
genres to consider memoirs, case studies, interviews, profiles,
celebrity tabloids, personal essays, and films. In each instance
we will attend to the different purposes and ways of telling
those stories and what those stories do. We will also consider
the ethics of telling life stories, especially when those stories
belong first to other people. This course combines analysis with
practice, as students will write their own life stories and those of
others to further reflect upon the work of life stories.
Goals: Students will be able to describe different conventions
and purposes for telling life stories, practice those conventions
in writing their own life stories, and demonstrate awareness of
appropriate ethical considerations in telling the stories of others.
Books:
Evaluation:
Format: Class discussions and writing workshops.
(tentative): The Faraway Nearby, Triumphs of Experience,
Other People’s Stories, Life Stories: Profiles from the New
Yorker.
Writing projects across genres, weekly reading responses, story
E-Mail:
analysis project, and student participation and presentations.
ewl8@txstate.edu
English 3311.003: Web and Multimedia for Technical Communication #10628 (WI).
2:00-3:20 MW FH 120
Instructor:
Dr. Scott A. Mogull
Course Description:
In this course, students will learn to develop digital media from
a technical communication perspective, which emphasizes
content and information design. Students will learn to create
websites and informative/instructional YouTube videos. We
will explore important and timely topics related to digital
communication (such as search engine optimization, single
sourcing, and designing websites for mobile devices).
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
We will take a flipped classroom model: Class sessions
typically begin with a 30-minute discussion followed by a 50minute workshop. Regular attendance and active participation
are necessary for success in this class.
The following textbooks are required for this course:
 Learning Web Design (4th edition) by Robbins (ISBN:
978-1-4493-1927-4)
 Content Everywhere by Wachter-Boettcher (ISBN: 1933820-87-X)
Please purchase print copies of these books so that you can use
them alongside the computer.
The projects and evaluation criteria are:
 Website development (25%)
 Informative or instructional YouTube video (25%)
 Presentation on digital communication issue (25%)
 Short, open-note quizzes that cover readings and class
discussions (25%)
NOTE: Assignments and evaluation criteria are subject to
change.
mogull@txstate.edu
English 3312.001: Internship in English Studies. 6:30-9:20 MON, FH 127
Instructor:
Dan Price
Course Description:
This course is paired with an internship during which students
apply knowledge of writing, editing, design, copy editing, and
production in the professional workplace. Students will have
worked with professors in their concentration and the Internship
Director to establish goals and learning objectives specific to
their internships.
Books:
Portfolios for Technical and Professional Communications.
Upper Saddle River, NJ. 2007.
Evaluation:
Journal, timesheets, employer evaluation at mid-term and end of
E-Mail:
semester, presentation and portfolio.
Dp27@txstate.edu
English 3315.001: Introduction to Creative Writing (W). 11:00-12:20 MW, FH 255
Instructor:
Caitlin McCrory
Catalog Description:
English 3315 is an introductory course to creative writing. The
goal of this course is to introduce various elements of craft to
students who are interested in creative non-fiction, fiction, and
poetry. Everyone will write creative non-fiction, fiction, and
poetry; everyone will submit poems and stories for discussion,
and, of course, everyone will be expected to participate, take
notes, and prepare for class by reading assigned material. After
taking this class, students will have a better understanding of
their strengths and weaknesses as writers, their motivations for
writing, and the purpose and structure of academic writing
workshops.
Books:
Kim Addonizio Ordinary Genius, Francine Prose Reading like
a Writer, Anne Lamont Bird by Bird, Alice LaPlante The
Norton Guide to Creative Writing
Evaluation:
peer review, self-evaluations, and a writing portfolio
E-Mail:
cm84@txstate.edu
English 3315.002: Introduction to Creative Writing (WI). 12:30-1:50 MW, FH 252
Instructor:
John Blair
Course Description:
A critical seminar for writers of fiction, poetry, and articles.
Creativity, criticism, and revision are emphasized.
Books:
Strout, Best American Short Stories 2013 ISBN-13: 9780547554839; Lehman, Best American Poetry 2013 ISBN-13:
978-1476708133
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
Jb20@txstate.edu
English 3315.003: Introduction to Creative Writing (W). 11:00-12:20 TTH, FH 252
Instructor:
Jason Coates
Catalog Description:
A critical seminar for writers of fiction, poetry, and articles.
Creativity, criticism, and revision are emphasized.
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
Jc209@txstate.edu
English 3315.004: Introduction to Creative Writing (WI). 12:30-1:50 TTH, FH 255
Instructor:
Cecily Parks
Course Description:
A critical seminar for writers of fiction, poetry, and articles.
Creativity, criticism, and revision are emphasized.
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
Cgp35@txstate.edu
English 3315.005: Introduction to Creative Writing (WI). 3:30-4:50 TTH, FH 252
Instructor:
Roger Jones
Course Description:
A critical seminar for writers of fiction, poetry, and articles.
Creativity, criticism, and revision are emphasized.
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
Rj03@txstate.edu
English 3315.006: Introduction to Creative Writing (WI). 6:30-9:20 TUE, FH 255
Instructor:
Miles Wilson
Course Description:
The course involves a study of the theory and practice of fiction
and poetry writing. This is accomplished through selected
readings from the texts, discussion of genre theory, workshop
commentary, and written critiques of student work. The central
focus of the course is the workshop; the primary text, student
manuscripts. Each student will have at lest one manuscript
discussed in workshop, either a short story or a group of poems.
The material is photocopied and distributed to the class on a
fixed schedule that provides for careful review of the
manuscript by members of the class before workshop discussion
Books:
Charters, The Story and Its Writer; Perrine, Sound and Sense
Evaluation:
Course requirements include the writing of two short stories or
8 poems or one short story and 4 poems; active participation in
the workshop is expected.
The course grade is based principally on work written for the
class and any revision of that material. Workshop participation
which is especially effective or negligible can affect the course
grade. A final examination moves grades microscopically,
affecting only those grades that are balancing between two
levels.
E-Mail:
mw14@txstate.edu
English 3319.001: The Development of English (WI). 11:00-12:20 MW, FH 254
Instructor:
TBA
Course Description:
Origin and growth of the English language with particular
attention to phonological, morphological, and grammatical
changes; history of dialects, spelling, and dictionaries; sources
of vocabulary.
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
English 3319.002: The Development of English (WI). 2:00-3:20 TTH, FH 228
Instructor:
Dickie Heaberlin
Course Description:
Origin and growth of the English language with particular
attention to phonological, morphological, and grammatical
changes; history of dialects, spelling, and dictionaries; sources
of vocabulary.
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
Format: Lecture, group work.
We will use several eBooks available free through our library
Class work, three tests, and a Final Exam
For more information, see Professor Heaberlin in FH 244. 2453710. Email Heaberlin@txstate.edu
English 3321.001: The Short Story (WI). Arranged Online.
Instructor:
Roger Jones
Course Description:
The short story throughout the world since Poe and Gogol.
Books:
Fiction 100: An Anthology of Short Fiction, 12 ed., Pickering
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
rj03@txstate.edu
English 3326.001: American Drama on Film (WI). 11:00-12:20 MW, FH 130
Instructor:
Dr. Rebecca Bell-Metereau
Course Description:
Instructor’s Description of Course: The course
introduces students to concepts and vocabulary of film
analysis and adaptation through the study of great
American plays and the films made from them.
Course Goals: To understand the history and influence
of drama, film and media and methods for analyzing and
writing about film. Format is primarily discussion, brief
reports by students, video clips, outside viewing of
videos.
Books:
Texts and Films: Short Guide to Writing About Film (8th
edition), Tim Corrigan. The Norton Anthology of Drama Second
Edition, Volume 2. Selected readings available online in
TRACS Video viewing outside of class is required.
Students may view on reserve at Alkek, purchase or
stream DVD's from Amazon.com or another dealer, rent
videos through Netflix, etc., or share purchase with group
members.
Evaluation:
Tentative List: The Women, Streetcar Names Desire, Cat on a
Hot Tin Roof, Death of a Salesman, The Children’s Hour,
Glenngarry Glen Ross, Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf? Fool
for Love, Driving Miss Daisy, M. Butterfly, Angels in
America, Six Degrees of Separation, Other People’s Money,
Oceans
20% = weekly responses or brief quizzes, 20% = 500-word
essay, 20% = group presentation, 20% = midterm multiple
choice, 20% = final multiple choice
Attendance: Record kept through weekly in-class
responses.
Special Needs: Students with special needs (as documented
by the Office of Disability
Services) should identify
themselves at the beginning of the term. The English
Department is dedicated to providing these students with
necessary academic adjustments and auxiliary aids to facilitate
their participation and performance in the classroom
E-Mail:
rb12@txstate.edu
English 3329.001: Mythology (WI). 9:30-10:50 TTH, FH 130
Instructor:
Robin Cohen
Course Description:
Study of myths in ancient cultures, mythic, patterns in modern
literature, and Hollywood as mythmaker. Repeatable once, in
special situations, when topic various.
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
Rc08@txstate.edu
English 3331.001: Literature of Black America (WI). 10:00-10:50 MWF, FH 227
Instructor:
Dr. Elvin Holt
Course Description:
This course surveys the development of the African American
literary tradition from Phillis Wheatley to Toni Morrison.
Students study pertinent literary movements and critical
approaches. Also, students engage African American writing in
a variety of genres (classic slave narratives, poetry, fiction,
drama). Texts are placed in their proper social, historical and
cultural contexts.
Books:
Henry Gates, ed., Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
and Incidents in the Life of a Slave; Girl in Classic Slave
Narratives
Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God
Toni Morrison, Sula
Nella Larson, Passing
Dudley Randall, ed., Black Poets (Selected poets)
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
August Wilson, Fences
Richard Wright, Native Son
Phillis Wheatley, Selected poems - handouts
Paul Laurence Dunbar, Selected poems in Black Poets
Format: Discussion and lecture
Class participation, reading quizzes, mid-term essay exam, term
paper (5-8 double-spaced, typed pages), final examination
For more information, see Professor Holt in FH 212, 2452644 or
eh07@txstate.edu
Spring Office Hours: 10-10:50 MWF and by appointment.
English 3333.001: Early American Literature (WI). 11:00-12:20 MW, FH 226
Instructor:
Robert T. Tally Jr.
Course Description:
This course will focus on the development of narrative forms
America prior to the Civil War. We will pay special attention to
the different ways narratives were used to represent the shifting
social spaces in the United States in the nineteenth-century.
Objectives: (1) To gain familiarity with several important
narrative works in early American literature (2) to understand
the literary and historical contexts of the literature; and (3) to
analyze the literature.
Format: Interactive lecture and classroom discussion.
Books:
This list is subject to change, but readings will likely include
selections from Washington Irving’s local sketches, James
Fenimore Cooper’s The Pioneers, Edgar Allan Poe’s tales,
Frederick Douglass’s Narrative, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The
House of the Seven Gables, and Herman Melville’s “Benito
Cereno.”
Evaluation:
The final grades will be based on two short papers, a midterm
exam, and a final exam.
E-Mail:
For more information, contact Professor Tally: Flowers Hall
M09, 245-3016, or robert.tally@txstate.edu.
Spring Office Hours: none. Dr. Tally is on leave; please email
if you have questions.
English 3335.001: American Literature 1865-1930 (WI). 11:00-11:50 MWF, FH 227
Instructor:
Elvin Holt
Course Description:
This course focuses on literary realism, naturalism, and
modernism in selected works produced in the late nineteenth
and early twentieth centuries. We will examine the social,
historical, and cultural contexts that inform the works.
Goals: Students will learn how to apply a variety of critical
methods to their analyses. Students will develop a keener
awareness of the impact of gender and racial biases on
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
individuals and communities. Students will improve their
critical thinking and writing skills.
Maggie: A Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane, As I Lay Dying
by William Faulkner, The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories
by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Sun Also Rises by Ernest
Hemingway; The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean
Howells, Daisy Miller and Other Stories by Henry James, The
Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon
Johnson, McTeague by Frank Norris, and Pudd’nhead Wilson
by Mark Twain.
Format: Primarily lecture and discussion
Three major tests, frequent reading quizzes, term paper (7-10
pages), class participation.
For additional information, contact Dr. Holt in Flowers Hall,
245-2644, or eh07@txstate.edu
English 3335.003: American Literature 1865-1930 (WI). 2:00-3:20 MW, FH 228
Instructor:
Dr. Priscilla Leder
Course Description:
We will study a variety of texts from the post-Civil-War
years until the 1930s. We will also consider literary
movements such as realism, regionalism, naturalism, and
modernism. These texts embody the rich variety of the
American experience and idiom; that is, I think you'll enjoy
reading and discussing them.
Objectives:
To become familiar with characteristic American themes
and variations on literary forms.
To identify and analyze changes and developments in
American literature.
To consider how American literature both reflects and
shapes a rapidly changing culture
Format:
Mainly discussion with occasional monologues from the
instructor to provide background or focus issues.
Books:
Cather, Willa, O Pioneers!
Hemingway, Ernest, In Our Time
Nagel and Quirk, eds, The Portable American Realism
Reader
a selection of poetry available on the Web, including works
by T. S. Eliot, Robert Frost, Edna St Vincent Millay, and
Wallace Stevens
Evaluation:
Assignments will include a midterm, a final, two short (4-5
page) page essays, and brief daily comments on the
readings.
E-Mail:
E-Mail: PLeder@txstate.edu
Phone: 245-3714
English 3336.001: American Literature, 1930 to the Present: From Modernism to
Contemporary Forms (WI). 2:00- 3:20 TTH, FH 225
Instructor:
Mark Busby
Course Description:
The readings include works from various genres covering a
wide range of themes and styles used by American writers of
the period. Students will examine the changing perceptions of
America and American literature. Classes will primarily be
class discussions of the assigned literary works after I provide
brief introductions to the writers and their works.
Objectives: The purpose of the course is to examine works by
the important writers in the period covered to see how they
confront the issues they found the most compelling and to
compare how authors merged style and substance. Additionally
the readings are intended to enhance students’ reading, writing,
and analytical skills.
Books:
The assigned works will include such authors as Ernest Hemingway,
William Faulkner, Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, Cormac
McCarthy, and Tim O’Brien.
Evaluation:
One semester essay, two exams during semester plus final
exam, reading quizzes, attendance, and class participation
E-Mail:
Mb13@txstate.edu
English 3336.002: American Literature, 1930 to the Present: From Modernism to
Contemporary Forms (WI). 11:00- 12:20 MW, FH 224
Instructor:
Dr. Priscilla Leder
Course Description:
We will study a variety of texts from 1930 to the present in
order to discover how these texts develop characteristic
American themes and vary traditional literary forms, and to
identify and analyze changes and developments in American
literature. These texts embody the rich variety of the American
experience and idiom; that is, I think you'll enjoy reading and
discussing them.
Format: Mainly discussion with occasional monologues from
the instructor to provide background or focus issues.
Books:
Baym, Nina et al, ed.; The Norton Anthology of
American Literature: LiteratureSince 1945 , Volume E
(We'll read a variety of selections from this anthology,
including, but not limited to, works by Raymond Carver,
Sandra Cisneros, Allen Ginsberg, Toni Morrison,
Flannery O'Connor, Thomas Pynchon, and Theodore
Roethke.)
Steinbeck, John; The Grapes of Wrath
Evaluation:
Assignments will include a midterm, a final, one or two short
papers, and brief daily comments on the readings.
E-Mail:
PLeder@txstate.edu
English 3341.001: Studies in World Literature, Topic: World Poetry in Translation
9:30-10:50 TTH, FH 226
Instructor:
Tomas Q. Morin
Course Description:
In this course we will discuss some of the major European and
South American poets of the last century. We will also discuss
the importance of translation in our culture and in what ways
translation opens us up to new experiences as readers and,
ultimately, human beings.
Course Goals
We will examine closely the way in which these poets
manipulate stanza, line, voice, metaphor, and syntax in order to
understand what their poems are saying to us, as well as how
they are communicating to us. We will also familiarize
ourselves with New Historical and Formalist criticism and the
ways in which they can be applied to literary texts.
Books:
Another Republic: 17 European and South American
WritersEdited by Charles Simic and Mark Strand. ISBN:
0880011912
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
tm28@txstate.edu
English 3341.080: Studies in World Literature. ARR ARR
Via internet for OCED majors; call 245-2115 for approval
Instructor:
Jon Marc Smith
Course Description:
Selections from ancient and modern literature in western and/or
non-western cultures. Repeatable once, in special situations
when topic various.
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
Js71@txstate.edu
English 3342.001: Editing. 12:30-1:50 TTH, FH G13
3342.002 3:30 – 4:50 TTH, FH G13
Instructor:
Beverley Braud
Flowers Hall M20
bb08@txstate.edu
Course Description:
English 3342 studies the editing process as well as the
professional settings in which editors work. We will also
discuss and put into practice the techniques of editing (the
major content of the course), including global and sentencelevel editing. Other topics include, but are not limited to:
common language and writing problems; page layout; web
presentation; graphic presentation and editing.
Books:
Evaluation:
Rew, Lois Johnson. Editing for Writers. Prentice Hall. ISBN 013-749086-0
Einsohn, Amy. The Copyeditor’s Handbook. University of
California Press, 3rd ed. ISBN 970-0-520-27156-2
A variety of assignments, including a semester project, related
to the topics described above. Grading in this course will
assume that students have a familiarity with basic grammar,
vocabulary, and writing types. Assignments will be graded
using a 100-point scale.
Assignments & Points for English 3342, SPRING 2014
Diagnostic Grammar Test10
Ethics Discussion
20
Developmental Edit 30
Proofer’s Quiz
25
Sentence Types
25
Copyedit
30
Rew,Ch 12, Ex 1 +
25
Midterm Exam
25
Substantive Edit
50
Graphics Edit
25
Design Edit
50
Typecoding
50
In-class assignments (10x8) 80
Final
25
Points
470
E-Mail:
bb08@txstate.edu
English 3343.001: The Interdisciplinary Approach to Literature, Topic: Jack
Kerouac (WI). 11:00-12:20 MW, FH 225
Instructor:
Steve Wilson
Course Description:
Using novels and texts by 1950s Beat Generation author Jack
Kerouac (On the Road, The Subterraneans, and others), this
course will explore the ways readers can investigate literature
from a variety of disciplines. Kerouac's novels – experimental
in both style and content – offer us lively avenues for such
exploration while also capturing the rebellions throughout U.S.
society in the 20th century. Among the disciplines we will
consider, outlined by essays in Barricelli's Interrelations of
Literature, are philosophy, religion, myth, sociology, politics,
psychology, music and film.
Books:
Kerouac, Road Novels 1957-1960 (Library of America);
Barricelli, Interrelations of Literature (MLA).
Evaluation:
2-page response essays (25% of total grade), participation (15%
E-Mail:
of total grade), mid-term in-class essay exam (15% of total
grade), final in-class essay exam (15% of total grade), research
paper of 6-7 pages (30% of total grade).
sw13@txstate.edu
English 3343.002: The Interdisciplinary Approach to Literature, Topic: George
Eliot (WI). 9:30-10:50 TTH, FH 228
Instructor:
Dr. Kitty Ledbetter
Course Description:
This course will be an in-depth study of three classic novels by
George Eliot, often referred to as the “Victorian Sage.” She was
a controversial, political, and highly moral agnostic whose
novels reflect a realist, psychological approach and depict rural
English society and common people. Students should plan to
read at least 200 pages of fiction per week and prepare for
frequent reading quizzes and lively class discussions.
Books:
Adam Bede, The Mill on the Floss, and Middlemarch
Evaluation:
Two research essays (60%); frequent reading quizzes (15%);
syllabus exam (10%); final comprehensive exam (15%).
Strict attendance and late policy.
E-Mail:
KLedbetter@txstate.edu
English 3344.001: Chicano/a Narrative and Social History (WI).
9:30-10:50 TH, FH 252
Instructor:
Jaime Armin Mejía
Course Description:
The readings for this course include novels, short stories
and poems and cover a wide variety of themes which
literature by Mexican Americans treats. Most of the
writers are well known among scholars of Mexican
American Literature, that is, of Chicano and Chicana
Literature. Reading these authors’ works will provide
students with an understanding of the wide range of
topics writers from this ethnic group have written about
during the second half of the 20th century as well as the
early part of the 21st century. I’ve included works by
males and females as well as by a gay writer. These
books also provide an historical overview of the lives
people of Mexican descent have had to endure as citizens
of the US. As time permits, I’ll also bring in some films
relevant to the discussion of these ethnically based
literary works.
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
jm31@txstate.edu
English 3344.002: Section 2 (on Round Rock Campus), Fall 2014: Mexican
American Narrative and Social History (WI). THU 6:30-9:20 AVRY
Instructor:
Edna Aguirre Rehbein
This course is a chronological and thematic introduction to short
Course Description:
stories, novels, plays and poetry written by U.S. citizens of
Mexican background after the Civil Rights Movement. The
survey looks briefly at World War II writings, focuses on the
works written at the height of the Hispanic movement during
the 1970s and 1980s, and examines more recent collections
through the present. The class examines the socio-historical
foundations of the literary movement.
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
Rivera, And the Earth Did Not Devour Him
Anaya, Bless Me, Ultima
Cisneros, The House on Mango Street
Martinez, Mother Tongue
Casares, Amigoland
2 Essays, 2 Exams, Class Presentations
Er04@txstate.edu
English 3345.001: Southwestern Studies I (WI). 11:00-12:20 TTH, FH 130
Instructor:
William Jensen
Course Description:
This course is the first in a two-course sequence leading to a
minor in Southwestern Studies,
designed to examine the richness and diversity of the
Southwestern United States and Northern Mexico. The course
offers a multicultural focus by studying the region’s people,
institutions, history, and physical and cultural ecology. An
intercultural and interdisciplinary approach
increases awareness of and sensitivity to the diversity of ethnic
and cultural traditions in the area. Students will discover what
distinguishes the Southwest from other regions of the United
States, as well as its similarities, physically and culturally. The
images, myths, themes, and perceptions of the region will be
examined in light of historical and literary texts.
Books:
 The Narrative of Cabeza de Vaca by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de
Vaca (available free online at
http://alkek.library.txstate.edu/swwc/cdv/index.html)
 Anglos and Mexicans in the Making of Texas, 1836-1986 by
David Montejano (University of Texas Press, 1987)
 American Indian Myths and Legends edited by Richard
Erdoes and Alfonso Oritz (Pantheon Fairy Tale and
Folklore Library 1984)
 Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West by
Cormac McCarthy (Vintage International 1992)
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
Two papers, one midterm, and a final exam. Graduate students
must also give a formal fifteen-minute presentation.
wj13@txstate.edu
English 3348.001: Creative Writing: Fiction (WI). 11:00-12:20 MW, FH 252
Prerequisite: English 3315
Instructor:
John Blair
Course Description:
A seminar for writers of fiction, with emphasis on creativity,
criticism, and revision. Prerequisite: ENG 3315.
Books:
Strout, Best American Short Stories 2013, ISBN 9780547554839
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
JBlair@txstate.edu
English 3348.002: Creative Writing: Fiction (WI). 2:00-3:20 MW, FH G04
Prerequisite: English 3315
Instructor:
Doug Dorst
Course Description:
This is a fiction workshop in which students will continue to
explore the craft of fiction (including issues of point of view,
plot, character, story arc, etc.), practice applying them to
their own work, and discover new ways to generate stories.
We will approach the subject of fiction in three ways: by
reading published stories and analyzing them as writers
(that is, by focusing more on how they work than on what they
“mean”); by undertaking various exercises, each focused on a
specific aspect of craft; by writing and revising our own
stories; and by critiquing our peers’ fiction. Student work will be
discussed in a constructive, supportive workshop environment,
with particular emphasis on strategies for revision.
(Prerequisite: ENG 3315)
Books:
Evaluation:
Course requirements include the writing and substantive revision of
two short stories; active participation in workshop critiques (both in
discussion and in written comments); and completion of various
exercises.
E-Mail:
dd35@txstate.edu
English 3348.003: Creative Writing: Fiction (WI). 12:30-1:50 TTH, FH 252
Prerequisite: English 3315
Instructor:
Jennifer duBois
Course Description:
Through the discussion of published fiction and student
workshop stories, we will explore the elements of the craft of
fiction—including character, plot, point of view, and point of
telling—while investigating larger questions about what makes
fiction meaningful, beautiful, and satisfying.
Goals: To improve as writers, readers, and critics of fiction.
Format: Discussion
Attendance: Mandatory/all classes
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
Written comments to your peers: Mandatory/due the week the
story is discussed
Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction; student
manuscripts (two stories per workshop student required).
Based on quality of stories submitted, attendance, written
comments
jjd64@txstate.edu
English 3348.004: Creative Writing: Fiction (WI). 2:00-3:20 TTH, FH 255
Prerequisite: English 3315
Instructor:
Miles Wilson
Course Description:
The course involves a study of the theory and practice
of fiction writing. This is accomplished through selected readings
from the texts, discussion of genre theory,
workshop commentary, and written critiques of student
work. The central focus of the course is the workshop;the primaryy
text, student manuscripts. Each student will have at least one
manuscript discussed in workshop. The fiction
is photocopied and distributed to the class on a fixed
schedule that provides for careful review of the
manuscript by members of the class before workshop discussion.
Submission of manuscripts for publication
will be discussed and encouraged.
Objectives: To refine the ability to draft, revise, and
critique literary fiction
Books:
Cassill, The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction; Shapard and
Thomas, Sudden Fiction International
Evaluation:
Course requirements include the writing of two short
stories or their equivalent and active participation in the
workshop. The course grade is based principally on work
written for the class and any revision of that material. Workshop
participation which is especially effective or insubstantial
can affect the course grade. A final essay examination affects
only those course grades which have not been clearly
established by students’ writing and workshop commentary.
Format: Discussion, lecture
E-Mail:
mw14@txstate.edu
English 3349.001: Creative Writing: Poetry (WI), 3:30-6:20 MON, FH G04
Instructor:
Course Description:
Books:
Evaluation:
Cyrus Cassells
This course is an intermediate undergraduate workshop
designed to deepen students’ involvement with their own
poetry, as well as enhance their critical reading of
significant contemporary American poets.
Objectives: An affable, constructive workshop
environment that provides solid support for individual
poetic efforts. The course also provides greater exposure
to the field through energetic discussion of the work of
several acclaimed poets.
Required Books: Contemporary American Poetry;
by M.W. Poulin
participation (discussion, contribution, and un-graded
weekly critiques) 30%; take home midterm 30%; creative
writing portfolio of four or poems worked on during the
semester, 40%.
Format: primarily a writing workshop with critical
discussion of assigned texts.
E-Mail:
Requirements: The major requirements of this course are
an end-of-semester
portfolio of four or more poems that you have developed
primarily during the course of the semester and a takehome essay midterm. You are also required to submit
typed, un-graded critical papers on a weekly basis on
assigned poets in the course anthology.
Cc37@txstate.edu
English 3354.001: Early Shakespeare (WI). 11:00-12:20 MW, FH 113
3354.002: 2:00-3:20 MW, FH 113
Instructor:
Joe Falocco
Course Description:
English 3354 studies representative works of Shakespeare’s
career up to but not including Hamlet. Students will read these
plays in their entirety, take quizzes on this reading, and prepare
paraphrases and textual analyses for key passages from each
play. For a final project, students will have the opportunity to
either write a five-page paper or prepare a scene for
performance.
Books:
Complete Works of Shakespeare. Ed. David Bevington.
Seventh. New York: Pearson Longman, 2004. ISBN
03231886518.
Evaluation:
This course is graded on a “cost” basis. In other words,
everyone starts with an “A.” Students will lose a full-letter
grade if they miss class (or are late) more than four times. All
assignments (weekly paraphrase/text analysis assignments;
quizzes; papers; and the final project) are graded pass/fail. If
students fail (or miss) more than two quizzes, they lose a full
letter grade for the semester. Students will lose a full letter
grade if they fail the paper, the final project, or any
paraphrase/text analysis. For a detailed description of each
assignment and the standards required for passing, please ask
the professor for a copy of the syllabus.
E-Mail:
jf48@txstate.edu
English 3357.001 English Literature of the Restoration and Augustan Periods,
1660-1750 (WI). 12:30-1:50 TTH, FH 225
Instructor:
Elizabeth Skerpan-Wheeler
Course Description:
The period from 1660 to 1745 saw the beginning of the modern
world. Its writers addressed issues that concern us today:
politics, race, gender, individualism, and economics. We'll read
works that reflect these issues, including political and social
satire, lyric poetry, prose fiction, and journalism. Writers include
John Dryden, Aphra Behn, Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe,
Katherine Philips, and Alexander Pope. The course also offers
intensive practice in research and writing about literature.
Format: discussion, with presentations by students and the
instructor.
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
British Literature 1640-1789, ed. Robert DeMaria, Jr. 3rd ed.
Blackwell.
40% four short papers of 500-750 words; 20% bibliographical
essay; 20% term project; 20% take-home final.
see Professor Skerpan-Wheeler in FH 243. Email:
es10@txstate.edu. Telephone/voice mail: 245-3727.
Spring Office Hours: 8:30-9:30 T TH, 1-2.T TH, 3:30-4:30 TH
English 3362.001 The English Romantics (WI). 9:30-10:50 TTH, FH 225
Instructor:
Dr. Nancy Grayson
Course Description:
In addition to the six so-called “Major Poets” (Blake,
Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, Keats), in this survey of
the English Romantics, we will read works by writers such as
Robert Burns, Thomas DeQuincey, and John Clare. We will also
study Mary Wollstonecraft, Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Dorothy
Wordsworth, and several writers who were among some 400(!)
Englishwomen publishing poetry in the early 19th Century.
Books:
Evaluation:
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Objective: To understand the aesthetic achievement of the
English Romantics in its cultural and historical context.
The Norton Anthology of English Literature: The Romantic
Period, Volume D, 9th edition (2012); Jane Austen, Northanger
Abbey (Norton Critical Edition, 2004)
Research paper, 7-10 pages. Analyses of two different poems,
3-5 pages each. Mid-term essay exam. Comprehensive Final
essay exam. Each assignment counts 20%.
ng01@txstate.edu
English 3365.001: Victorian Literature (WI). 2:00-3:20 TTH, FH 227
Instructor:
Dr. Paul Cohen
Course Description:
We will get an overview of the literature, arts, and culture of
19th-century England, seen as the immediate background of our
own. Great Expectations and the painting Derby Day will
provide a sweeping picture of the age, portraits will contribute
insights into the era’s leading minds, music-hall songs will give
us a taste of the popular culture, great poetry will address the
Empire’s deep spiritual perplexities, early photographs will
make history real for us, and the Alice books and The
Importance of Being Earnest will provide comic perspectives
on the ideas of the era. Finally, we will look briefly at the
Victorian legacy in modern literature.
Books:
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 9th Ed., Vol. E;
Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking
Glass (any edition); Charles Dickens, Great Expectations (any
edition); Peter Carey, Jack Maggs
Evaluation:
Two papers and two examinations
E-Mail:
cohen@txstate.edu
English 3370.001: Twentieth-Century British Literature (WI). 11:00-12:20 TTH, FH
226
Instructor:
Dr. Paul Cohen
Course Description:
We will study a selection of the most important writers of the
British Isles during the past century.
Books:
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 9th Ed., Vol. D;
Tom McCarthy, Remainder
Evaluation:
Two papers and two examinations
E-Mail:
cohen@txstate.edu
English 3385.001: Children’s Literature (WI). 9:00-9:50 MWF, FH 225
3385.002: 11:00-11:50 MWF, FH 229
Instructor:
Dr. Graeme Wend-Walker
Course Description:
This course presents an overview of the field of Children’s
Books:
Evaluation:
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Literature – both the literature itself and the discourse around it.
What does “Children’s Literature” mean, exactly? What makes
Peter Rabbit worthy of our attention? Why do certain works
endure in the public imagination? These and other questions
will be addressed as we discuss a range of classic and
contemporary texts. Along the way, we will consider issues of
genre, audience, culture, and critical perspective. By the end,
students will be able to describe key concerns in the field and be
able to discuss Children’s Literature through a range of critical
frameworks. American, British, Mexican, Vietnamese, and
Australian texts will be considered.
Margaret Wise Brown, Mister Dog; Mem Fox, Possum Magic;
Jon Scieszka, The Frog Prince, Continued; Chara Curtis, No
One Walks on My Father’s Moon; Catherine Thimmesh, Team
Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon;
Juan Felipe Herrera, Downtown Boy; Frances Hodgson Burnett,
The Secret Garden; Lois Lowry, The Giver; Huynh Quang
Nhuong, The Land I Lost: Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam; and
a selection of children’s poetry (will be provided). A range of
other texts will also be discussed in class.
Exam (with take-home long-answer component); essay; final
exam; quizzes and occasional homework exercises; attendance
and participation.
gw15@txstate.edu
English 3385.003: Children’s Literature (WI). 2:00-3:20 MW, FH 226
Instructor:
Marilynn Olson
Course Description:
Description: Adolescent Literature is both the literature most
scrutinized for suitability by our society and a strong
contemporary literary phenomenon. It remains close to
adolescents, providing insight about growth and change. We
will attempt to gain perspective on our own time, the literary
qualities that make the works a worthwhile experience, the
critical approaches most appropriate to a sheltered and evolving
genre.
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
Divergent (Roth), and probably Absolutely True Story of a PartTime Indian (Alexie), Perks of Being a Wallflower (Chbosky).
Haven’t made final decision.
3 in-class writings, frequent reading quizzes and journals, style
exercises, final paper
mo03@txstate.edu
English 3385.004: Children’s Literature (WI). 9:30-10:50 TTH, FH 229
3385.005 11:00-12:20 TTH, FH 229
Instructor:
Dr. Teya Rosenberg
Course Description:
Books:
Evaluation:
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This course is a survey of traditional, classic, and contemporary
children’s literature. It provides some historical overview of the
development of children’s literature and an examination of
different genres within the literature. It also touches on some of
the critical and scholarly approaches to and debates about
children’s literature. This course does not focus on teaching
children; its focus is what the literature is and how it works. The
goal of this course is to increase knowledge, deepen
understanding, and encourage appreciation of children’s
literature as an art form.
Hallett and Karasek, Folk and Fairy Tales, 4th edition;
MacDonald, The Princess and the Goblin; Sendak, In the Night
Kitchen; Mckissack and Pinkney, Mirandy and Brother Wind;
Gaiman, The Graveyard Book; Muñoz Ryan, Becoming Naomi
León; Lobel, Frog and Toad Together
A paper, an exam, reading assignments, participation, final
exam
tr11@txstate.edu
English 3386.001: Adolescent Literature (WI). 8:00-8:50 MWF, FH 113
3386.002 MWF 9:00-9:50, FH 113
Instructor:
Katherine Kapurch
Course Description:
Description: Adolescent Literature is both the literature most
scrutinized for suitability by our society and a strong
contemporary literary phenomenon. It remains close to
adolescents, providing insight about growth and change. We
will attempt to gain perspective on our own time, the literary
qualities that make the works a worthwhile experience, the
critical approaches most appropriate to a sheltered and evolving
genre.
Books:
5-7 novels TBA
Critical theory addressing adolescent literature
Evaluation:
3 tests, short essay(s), final paper, informal and formal
presentation(s), participation
E-Mail:
kk19@txstate.edu
English 3389.001: The Discipline of English (WI). 6:30-9:20 TUE, FH 229
Instructor:
Keith Needham
Course Description:
The nature of English studies as a formal field, its components
and their relationships. Open only to candidates with 90
semester credit hours.
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
kn19@txstate.edu
English 4310.001: Modern English Syntax (WI). 9:30-10:50 TTH, FH 113
Instructor:
Course Description:
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
Dickie Heaberlin
Student will learn to recognize the structure of English
sentences, beginning with very simple structures and
progressing to increasingly complex ones.
My book, English Syntax, will be placed on Tracs.
Four tests and a final.
Format: Class time will usually be spent with group work
checking homework, class correction of homework, and lecture
over new material.
Email Address: Heaberlin@TXSTATE.edu
Offices
Flowers Hall 244
Office Phones:
512-245-3710
Office Hours
Tuesday Thursday 9-9:30
and by appointment
English 4348.001: Senior Seminar in Fiction Writing (WI).
2:00-3:20 MW, FH 255
Instructor:
Miles Wilson
Course Description:
This course involves study of the theory and practice of the
writing of literary fiction. This is accomplished through the
writing of fiction, selected readings, discussion of genre theory
and concerns of a writerly life, workshop commentary, and
written critique of student work. The central focus of the course
is the workshop; the primary text student manuscripts. Each
student will have at least one manuscript discussed in
workshop. The fiction is photocopied and distributed to the
class on a fixed schedule that provides for careful review of the
manuscript by members of the class before workshop
discussion. The course objectives include refining the ability to
draft, critique, revise, and publish literary fiction
Books:
The Story and Its Writer, ed. Ann Charters
Writing Past Dark: Envy, Fear, Distraction, and Other
Dilemmas in the Writer's Life, Bonnie Friedman
Evaluation:
Course requirements include the writing of two short stories or
their equivalent, submission of one manuscript for publication,
and active participation in the workshop. The course grade is
based principally on work written for the class and any revision
of that work. Workshop participation which is especially
effective or insubstantial can affect the course grade. A final
essay examination affects only those course grades which have
E-Mail:
not been clearly established by students' writing and workshop
commentary.
mw14@txstate.edu
English 4348.002: Senior Seminar in Fiction Writing (WI). 2:00-3:20 TTH, FH 253
Prerequisite: English 3348.
Instructor:
Debra Monroe
Course Description:
Workshop in writing fiction and evaluating manuscripts.
Students produce portfolio of creative work. Prerequisite ENG
3348.
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
dm24@txstate.edu
English 4351.001: Chaucer and His Time (WI).
2:00-3:20 MW, FH 227
Instructor:
TBA
Course Description:
The works of Chaucer and their significance in an important
literary and social era.
Books:
Evaluation:
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English 4358.001: Milton (WI). 2:00-3:20 TTH, FH 113
Instructor:
Elizabeth Skerpan-Wheeler
Course Description:
Fulfilling the single-author course requirement, this class
provides an overview of Milton’s works and focuses on the
construction of the self in both his poetry and prose,
concentrating on Paradise Lost, Samson Agonistes,
Areopagitica, and Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce.
Objectives: Students will learn how even a “major writer” like
Milton may be fruitfully studied as a participant in
contemporary debates, and how political and social issues form
an important part of Milton’s understanding of the development
and fulfillment of the self.
Books:
Evaluation:
E-Mail:
John Milton, The Major Works, ed. Stephen Orgel and Jonathan
Goldberg; Thomas N. Corns, ed., A Companion to Milton; MLA
Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 7th ed.
Format: conversation, with some presentations by the
instructor and students’ reports.
Evaluation: 20% research paper of 1,500-2,000 words; 40%
four short papers of 500-750 words; 20% bibliographical essay;
20% final examination.
For More Information: see Professor Skerpan-Wheeler in FH
243. Email: es10@txstate.edu. Telephone/voice mail: 2453727.
Spring Office Hours: 8:30-9:30 T TH, 1-2.T TH, 3:30-4:30
TH