1 Course Descriptions Spring 2016 English and Journalism PLEASE NOTE: The day/time information listed in this brochure was accurate at the time of printing, but please double-check course times on MyWagner. ENGLISH COURSES: See course listings below for individual times and descriptions. Note that students declaring the English major or minor are governed by the requirements of the English major and may not count EN 101 or EN 110 toward the major or minor. Note, however, that non-majors who have taken EN 110 as part of a first-year LC may take EN 110(W) to fulfill their second writingintensive (W) literature requirement. EN 101 College English Dr. Florescu MW 1-2:30 The primary objective of this course is to provide students with the information and practice they need to produce successful academic writing and to gain more confidence as writers in academic settings. The course is divided into several sections: Personal Writing; Expository Writing: Shaping Information; Argumentative Writing: Contending with Issues; and Connotative Writing. They will also learn to become more aware of how they speak and use English. The ultimate goal of the course is to improve the students’ analytical thinking and oral/public speaking. EN 110(W) Introduction to Literature: Contemporary American Humor Prof. Jimenez MW 8-9:30 MW 9:40-11:10 The theme of this introductory literature course is humor. We will be honing your skills to analyze literature by exploring the work of several contemporary American fiction writers and examining how each author builds humor on the page through incongruity, mistaken identity, loss/lack of language, hyperbole, counterpoint and word play. This course will also introduce students to the basic elements of fiction: plot, arc, character, metaphor, point of view etc. Besides writing analytical essays, students will also have the opportunity to craft an original short story. Assigned reading will include the work of Junot Diaz, George Saunders, Lorrie Moore, Sherman Alexie, Sandra Cisneros, Sam Lipsyte, David Bezmozgis and Jonathan Franzen. EN 110(W) Introduction to Literature: Driving Through Fiction: Build, Drive and Meaning in American Literature Prof. Shore TTH 11:20-12:50 TTH 1-2:30 This course is devoted to analyzing the elements that make up a fully formed piece of fiction. By examining the build, drive and meaning within short stories, novels and plays students will gain 2 a higher understanding of why a piece of fiction is fulfilled. Students will develop their writing and analytic skills by exploring the language, style, characters and themes of each work. FOUNDATION COURSES--OPEN TO EVERYONE, NO PREREQUISITES All three foundation courses (EN 111, 211 and 212) are open to non-majors. Majors should take these courses by the end of sophomore year. EN 111(W) World Literature (I): Women’s Voices Dr. Florescu MW 9:40-11:10 (Honors) MW 11:20-12:50 This course offers a unique exploration into the vastness of world literature as seen, lived, and transposed into words from women’s perspectives. By focusing on the exclusive feminine vantage point, students will sophisticate their understanding and reading of literature. Selectionwise, whether belonging to Africa, Central America, South America, Eastern Europe, or Asia, this course also teaches students how to identify themes which are universally voiced out from different geographical spaces. Consequently, students start thinking about literature as a valid form of international “language.” EN 111(W) World Literature (I): Introduction to Culture for the World Traveler Dr. Hurley MW 1-2:30* (*first-year students only in this section) MW 2:40-4:10 This course is designed for the student who intends to wander the world, either informally through the desire for exploration or formally as a start to a career in business, government, education or international service. Literature, as an important cultural asset, can be an essential traveling companion. Accordingly, we will circumnavigate the globe through reading novels, poems, short stories and essays from the Middle East to the Far East, to Africa, South America, the Caribbean and just about everywhere except Antarctica (unless penguin lit is suddenly discovered). Expect to be engaged and challenged! EN 111(W) World Literature (I): Mapping Literature Prof. Dahlie TTH 9:40-11:10 Human beings rely on maps to understand our place in the world. We often turn to literature for this same reason. And just as works of fiction or nonfiction can orient readers and offer descriptions of places near or far, maps can tell us stories of conflict and desire. From islands in the Pacific to rabbit holes in England, in this course we will consider how humans use works of cartography and works of literature to help chart, navigate and create real and imagined worlds. 3 EN 111(W) World Literature (I): Short Stories and the Loneliness of Being in the World Dr. Tommasi TTH 2:40-4:10 The world is a lonely place, and perhaps no form of expression conveys a better sense of that than the short story. For about a century and a half now, fiction writers, rather than only writing comprehensive novels of human lives and societies, have also developed a form that lends itself to representing smaller fragments of experience. These stories often communicate a sadness, strangeness, incompleteness, or loneliness -- a sense that our place in the world is very uncertain. We will read a selection of short stories from all over the world, taking into special consideration how expressions of uncertainty arise from the geopolitical situation of a work's nation of origin. EN 211(W) British Literature Survey Dr. Schotter MW 9:40-11:10 This course focuses on the changing nature of the "British" literary tradition over the thousandyear period in which England moved from being a small country on the edge of Europe to the world's dominant empire and the to a diminished post-imperial and multicultural country. We will examine such changes by reading authors such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Behn, Swift, Wordsworth, Wilde, Woolf, Joyce, and Orwell. EN212(W) Introduction to Literary Analysis and Theory Dr. Arant MW 2:40-4:10 This course asks what literary theory is, how it helps us think about literature and culture, and how literature and culture help us think about it. Using texts like Hitchcock's Vertigo, Lorde's "Royals," and Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, the class will introduce you to a variety of theoretical approaches including psychoanalysis, Marxism, feminism, structuralism, deconstruction, African-American criticism, and lesbian, gay, and queer criticism. We will investigate how these various theoretical lenses focus on particular aspects of texts and we will consider the risks and benefits of such approaches. We will also practice locating and evaluating relevant scholarly sources, and we will write papers that draw on the interpretive, critical, and theoretical skills developed throughout the course. 4 CORE COURSES-- OPEN TO EVERYONE, NO PREREQUISITES PLEASE NOTE: ANY ADDITIONAL CORE COURSES NOT USED TO FULFILL THE PRE-1800, POST-1800 AND AMERICAN LITERATURE REQUIREMENTS OF THE MAJOR MAY COUNT AS ELECTIVES TOWARD THE MAJOR. PRE-1800 COURSE (open to everyone—no prerequisites) EN 304 (W) Early Modern Literature Dr. Hurley TTH 9:40-11:10 Sin, Guilt, Love, Damnation--and Politics. Ever wonder why those themes so engage our interest and seem so central to everything we read or view--from serious literature to sitcoms? Shakespeare wasn't alone in his preoccupation with romance and tragedy. Much of this material emerged out of the Early Modern Period (formerly known as "Renaissance and Reformation") with its discovery of the individual and the wonderful language that evolved to express the excitement of that discovery. Characters like Astrophil, the Red Cross Knight, Donne's lovers and Sir Thomas More's Utopian visions are our ancestors. Come and get acquainted with them over the coming semester and discover your own individuality through and with them. POST-1800 COURSE (open to everyone—no prerequisites) EN 311(W) Modern English and Irish Literature Dr. Schotter MW 1-2:30 In the first decades of the twentieth century, Britain experienced great changes in class and gender relations, hastened by the devastation of World War I. The British Empire began its long decline, and nineteenth-century norms eroded. Visual artists, composers, and writers alike experimented with new aesthetic forms to capture the uncertainties and freedoms of the new age. We will read writers such as Conrad, Woolf, and Forster, as well as Yeats and Joyce, who register the concerns of Britain’s first colony to declare independence in modern times—Ireland. AMERICAN LITERATURE COURSE (open to everyone—no prerequisites) EN 228(W) American Literature from 1865 to the Present Dr. Tommasi TTH 4:20-5:50 This course is a survey of major works, literary movements, and historical contexts for American literature beginning with the reconstruction of American society and culture after the end of slavery and continuing to the present day. 5 REQUIRED COURSES for Majors (Senior standing in the major) EN 400 Senior Reflective Tutorial Dr. Thomas TTH 11:20-12:50 This course, taken in conjunction with EN 425 as part of the Senior Learning Community, combines theory and practice. We will theorize and debate some of the key concepts for the study of literature and culture. We will also use those concepts to analyze the experiential component of the course, which for most students takes the form of an internship (unless the student has already begun an honors thesis.) Prerequisites: Senior standing in the English major and successful (C- or higher) performance in EN 212. EN 425 Senior Seminar Dr. Arant MW 11:20-12:50 This course is a culminating experience for the senior English major. The advanced level will permit intensive study of the subject, and the seminar format will permit active student participation. Topics may include an author, genre, or the relationship between the study of literature and another discipline. ELECTIVES-- OPEN TO EVERYONE, NO PREREQUISITES (any exceptions are noted below) EN/SP 213(W) (H) Hispanic Literature in Translation (I) Dr. Kiss M. 6-9 pm This is a course in English designed to introduce several masterworks of the Spanish and Latin American literary traditions to students who may or may not be ready to read the texts in the original language. Readings include selections from early peninsular works, such as El Cid and the Quixote, pre-Columbian texts such as the Popol Vuh, poetry from colonial Mexico’s Sor Juana and, finally, contemporary works from both Latin America (Borges, Cortázar, Allende) and Spain (Matute, García Lorca, Arrabal). EN 280(W) Writing Intensive Tutoring Dr. Napolitano TBA This course prepares Writing Intensive Tutors (WITs) to work in the College's Writing Center. The class will review the theories, philosophies and pedagogies on the teaching of writing. Students will then apply what they have learned in a tutoring practicum in the Writing Center. This course is restricted to selected students. Students who complete this course will be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, employment in the Writing Center. To promote flexibility, this 6 course's meeting day/time will not be established until the roster has been formed; class meetings will take place on days/times when all of the enrolled students are available. This course can be taken for 1 or 0 units. Students must be recommended in order to register for this course. EN 291(W) Advanced Creative Writing Prof. Shore TTH 2:40-4:10 A course for students who have demonstrated previous ability in creative writing. They will develop their skills in genres such as longer fiction, playwriting, and memoir- writing, with an eye to publishing their work. Attention will be given to the challenges of and opportunities for publication in a digital age. EN 291 Screenplay Writing Prof. Dahlie TTH 1-2:30 This course will introduce students to film and television screenplay structure. Students will analyze the work of accomplished screenwriters in different genres (comedy, drama, horror, adaptation etc) and will learn to apply this analysis to their own screenplay writing. They will learn about character construction, narrative arch, story telling strategies, and proper screenwriting form. Students will be evaluated on their participation, creative writing (screenplays) and analytical writing. EN 291(W) -ILC Topics in World Cultures and Cinema: Sankofa (must also take HI 242) Dr. Thomas TTH 2:40-4:10 The word “Sankofa” in the Akan language of Ghana means “reach back and get it.” Symbolized by a bird with its head turned around to take an egg off its back, the heart-shaped image suggests a metaphor for the importance of having an honest historical consciousness in order to fly forward. Sometimes it is translated as, “it is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.” The symbol has been adopted by New York City’s African Burial Ground National Monument and by Washington D.C.’s Museum of African American History and Culture. It is also the title of one of the most controversial dramatic movies about the memory of slave revolt by the Ethiopian-American director Haile Gerima. This class will feature films from around the world that aim to think about the relationship between past, present, and future. We will watch films from Italy, England, the Netherlands, Curacao, Cuba, Nigeria, Senegal, and other countries in the world, as well as the United States of America, that investigate the history of Africa’s connection to Europe, North America, and the Caribbean. We will watch films about several topics, including recent movies about the transatlantic slave trade, about anti-colonialist struggle in the 1960s and 70s, and the about the recent media arts movement called “Afro-Futurism.” 7 EN 310 (W)* (I)(H)--ILC Cities and Perversities: Art and Literature in Turn-of-theCentury Paris, Vienna, Berlin, and Barcelona (team-taught and crosslisted with FR 310 and AH 326) Drs. Urbanc and Morowitz TTH 11:20-12:50 This team-taught ILC focuses on the art and literature in the fin-de-siècle in three major European centers: Paris, Vienna and Berlin. The works of the period studied in relation to issues of national identity, as a response to the shock of metropolitan life, sexuality, the impact of psychoanalysis, escapism, and withdrawal to the interior. We will undertake a detailed reading of some of the major literary works of the period by authors such as Arthur Rimbaud, Paul Verlaine, Marcel Proust, Stefan Zweig, Lou Andreas-Salomé, Robert Walser, and Thomas Mann. Artistic movements studied include Symbolism, Expressionism, Art Nouveau, and Jugendstil. The course attempts to understand the shared visual and literary language of turn-ofthe-century Europe, while illuminating the special contributions of each city. The course includes museum visits, films, special lectures, and shared readings and assignments. *W is pending committee approval. JOURNALISM COURSES (no prerequisites except as noted) JR011 Wagnerian TBA Prof. Regan Students work on the Wagnerian as reporter, photographer, editor or designer and earn a halfunit for their work. The weekly staff meeting takes the place of class time. JR011 can be repeated each semester. JR 261(W)--ILC Reporting in the New Age of Journalism (must also take SO 270) Prof. Regan MW 7:31-9 As the journalism industry undergoes a digital transformation, journalists need broader skills to sort and report a relentless flow of information. his course explores the shifting journalistic landscape and best practices for journalists to navigate through the changes. Students will build a foundation of skills necessary to be a successful journalist in any medium. These include defining news, conducting an interview, writing a lead, reporting stories in real-time and following Associated Press Style. JR 366 (W) Magazine Writing and Publishing Prof. Regan TH 6-9 Whether printed on glossy paper or presented online, magazines continue to offer the best in narrative writing. Students will strengthen the traditional skills required to produce great journalism while learning how to develop strong feature stories, pitch them to editors, analyze a 8 target audience, and design and market their work. The course includes opportunities to meet editors and writers who work at magazines published in New York City. JR 397 (1 unit) & 497 (2units) Internship in Journalism Journalism internships are part-time on-the-job experience at a New York area newspaper, magazine, television network, or public relations outlet. May be taken for one or two units. Prerequisites: JR 261, minimum 2.5 GPA in the major, and approval of the advisor to the Journalism minor. 9 Requirements for the English Major and Minor (Major12 Units/Minor 5 units): All courses in BOLD are offered Spring 2016 REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ENGLISH MINOR (5 UNITS) 2 Foundation Courses (choose from EN 111, 211, 212) 1 Core Course 2 Electives REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ENGLISH MAJOR (12 UNITS) FOUNDATION COURSES (3 units) (should be completed by the end of the sophomore year) S16 S16 S16 111 (W) (I) World Literature 211 (W) British Literature Survey 212 (W) Introduction to Literary Analysis and Theory CORE COURSES, one from each of the following groups (3 units total) PLEASE NOTE THAT ADDITIONAL CORE COURSES NOT USED TO FULFILL THE CORE REQUIREMENT MAY COUNT AS ELECTIVES FOR THE MAJOR OR MINOR (should be completed by the middle of the junior year) Pre-1800 British or European Literature (1 unit): TBA S17 TBA S16 TBA F17 205 (W) Crime and Violence in 18th Century Literature 302 (W) Medieval Literature 303 (W) Chaucer 304 (W) Early Modern Literature 327 (W) Advanced Drama: Renaissance and Modern 355 (W) (I) (GS) Sex and Gender in Medieval French Literature Post-1800 British Literature (1 unit): F18 TBA S16 TBA TBA F16 206 (W) (GS) Romantic Poetry, Revolution, the Slave Trade and Women's Rights 224 (W) Orphans, Poverty and Scandal in 19th-Century British Literature 311 (W) Modern English and Irish Literature 313 (W) Contemporary Irish Literature 314 (W) (I) Postcolonial Literature 225 (W) (GS) Ghosts, Vampires and Civilization in English Gothic Fiction 10 American Literature (1 unit): TBA S17 S16 F17 F16 TBA TBA 226 (W) (D) American Cultures and Literatures 227 (W) American Literature from its Origins to 1865 228 (W) American Literature from 1865 to the Present 315 (W) (D) African American Literature 332 (W) (D)Pirates, Puritans and the Revolutionary Atlantic World 342 (W) (D) The Contested South 348 (W) (D) (GS) Southern Women Writers UPPER LEVEL REQUIRED COURSES (3 units): F16 330 The Shakespeare Survey (should be completed by the end of the junior year) S16 400 Senior Reflective Tutorial S16 425 Senior Seminar Both 400 and 425 require senior standing in the major. Students must take both courses since they constitute the Senior Learning Community (Taken senior year; offered in spring semester) ELECTIVES (3 units) OPEN TO EVERYONE, NO PREREQUISITES: F16 S16 TBA S17 S16 S16 S16 S16 TBA S16 S17 TBA TBA TBA F17 S18 TBA TBA S17 203 The Spiritual Quest in Literature 213 (W) (I) Hispanic Literature in Translation 229 (W) (I) Introduction to Comparative Literature 230 Introduction to Film (F) 280 (W) Writing Intensive Tutoring (students must be recommended in order to register for this course) 291(W) Topics in World Cultures and Cinema: Sankofa--ILC with HI 242 291(W) Advanced Creative Writing 291 Screenplay Writing 291 History of Theatre in Italy (crosslisted with IT) 310 (W--pending approval)(H)(I) Cities and Perversities: Art and Literature in Turn-of-the-Century Paris, Vienna, Berlin, and Barcelona--team taught ILC 323 (W) Aliens, Cyborgs and Time Travel in Literature and Film 326 (W) Drama Survey 329 (W) Creative Writing 344 (W)Modern Poetry 346 (W)Contemporary Poetry 347 (W) (I) (GS) The Study of Fairy Tales 351 (W) (I)(GS) French Women Writers 356 (I) French Cinema (F) 357 (I) Italian Cinema (F) Please note that an ILC including JR 261 (W) Introduction to Journalism is offered this 11 spring. Students must also take SO 270 to take this ILC. TBA 593 Independent Study Independent Study (open to junior or senior majors with an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher) A maximum of two courses (prior to Fall 2015, only one course) from either of the following two categories may be counted as electives: 1) Film courses designated as “F” (EN 230, 356, 357, and 291 or 593, when they focus primarily on film). 2) Courses devoted primarily to writing rather than literature (EN 280, 329, Journalism [JR] courses, and 291 or 593, when they focus primarily on writing). Only courses with a grade of C- or higher may be applied to the requirements of the major in English. Although the study of a foreign language is not required, students majoring in English are strongly urged to undertake such a study. 12 DEPARTMENTAL HONORS IN ENGLISH Initial eligibility for departmental honors in English: Students who have earned a GPA of 3.5 in the major and an overall GPA of 3.0 at the end of their junior year are eligible to pursue departmental honors by writing an honors thesis and passing a defense of that thesis in their senior year. Those who wish to do so may wish to register for an independent study (EN 593) to be directed by a faculty mentor during the fall of their senior year. Though a student may elect to pursue departmental honors without taking an Independent Study s/he should know that blocking out sufficient time to focus on the project is easier if there is an Independent Study obligation. It is essential that any student planning to pursue honors talk with a mentor during spring of junior year in order to begin work on the project during the summer prior to senior year. The same thesis may be counted toward the Wagner Honors Program and departmental honors in English. It is important that you understand that you should undertake this project only if you have a keen desire to do the work involved. If you miss a deadline (in September or after), you will not be allowed to proceed to the defense, though you should complete your work in time to receive a grade for the Independent Study if you have registered for one (it would usually be the completion of an incomplete from fall of senior year) Please note that the departmental honors thesis does not satisfy the writing requirements of the SLC. The two courses in the SLC require substantial writing and analysis. The departmental honors thesis is the experiential component of the SLC for those students who are eligible to pursue it and complete the undertaking. Also note that if you pursue departmental honors and take an independent study as part of that work, the paper alone is not sufficient to earn departmental honors. You must successfully submit (with your mentor’s approval) the final polished version to readers, pass an oral defense of the paper and submit clean, edited copy to the chair to earn departmental honors. Outline of Procedure for Departmental Honors: In order to earn departmental honors you must do all of the following: 1) spring of Junior year: identify an area of interest that will be the focus of your departmental honors thesis (if you are writing a thesis for the honors program that focuses on an appropriate area, you may count this project as your English thesis) 2) spring of Junior Year: talk with and identify a mentor among the English department faculty who can work with you 3) spring of Junior Year: register for an Independent Study for the fall of 2015 if that is part of your plan (see note above) 4) summer between Junior and Senior Years: do all research and background reading over the 13 summer 5) fall of Senior year: a working annotated bibliography is due to your mentor and the Department Chair (on paper--no e-mail) by the end of the day (4pm) on the last day of the drop/add period 6) fall of Senior Year: prepare a prospectus of at least 5 pages. Due by the third Monday in October. The prospectus must include a working Bibliography of critical works and must be submitted both to your mentor and the Department Chair (on paper--no e-mail). 7) spring of Senior Year: meet with others pursuing departmental honors in January. Workshop session with others pursuing departmental honors. 8) spring Senior year: request readers by the end of February. 9) spring of Senior Year: complete the final, polished version of your thesis by the week prior to Spring Break and submit paper copies to your mentor and the two readers 10) During late March or early April in spring of Senior Year: successfully defend the thesis in a meeting with your faculty mentor and two other readers from the department (full-time English faculty members) 11) Submit clean paper copy of the thesis to the Department Chair by the end of April. 14 Typical Progress toward the English major Possible Path One A student declares the major in spring of her or his first year, but intended to be a major early enough in fall term in order to begin taking courses in spring, so: Spring--Year one •2 English foundation courses •3 general education courses Fall--Year Two •1 English foundation course •1 core course in English •2 or 3 general education courses Spring--Year Two •2 core courses in English •2 or 3 general education courses Fall--Year Three •EN 330 Shakespeare Survey •3 or 4 general education courses or courses toward a minor Spring--Year Three •1 or 2 English electives •2 or 3 general education courses or courses toward a minor Fall--Year Four •1 or 2 English electives •general education courses or courses toward a minor Spring--Year Four •EN 400 and 425 •general education courses or courses toward a minor 15 Possible Path Two Another possibility is that a student declares the major in Spring of the first year and begins the major in fall of the second year: Fall--Year Two •2 English foundation courses •2 or 3 general education courses Spring--Year Two •1 English foundation course •1 English core course •2 or 3 general education courses Fall--Year Three •EN 330—Shakespeare Survey •1 English core course •2 or 3 general education or minor courses Spring--Year Three •1 English core course •1 English elective •2 or 3 general education or minor courses Fall--Year Four •2 English electives •3 general education or minor courses Spring--Year Four •EN 400 and EN 425 •2 general education or minor courses If a student begins the major after the fall of sophomore year, that student may have a couple of semesters when s/he takes three English courses. Our advice is that those semesters not be the ones when the student takes EN 330 or the Senior Learning Community (EN 400 and EN 425). OUTLINE OF THE MINOR IN COMPARATIVE LITERATURE 16 The minor consists of 5 courses distributed as follows: 1 core course: EN 229(W) Introduction to Comparative Literature (it is possible to substitute EN 212 if necessary) 2 courses from 2 of the following areas: 300-level English courses 200-300-level French, Spanish, or Italian courses At least one course must be conducted in French, Spanish or Italian. OUTLINE OF THE ENGLISH REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DUAL PROGRAM WITH EDUCATION++ The English component of the Dual Major (with Childhood Education--please check with the Education Department for the Education course requirements) consists of a total of 11 units with the following distribution: Foundation courses—3 units English 111, 211, 212. Core British and American Courses--3 units (one from each of the following categories) Pre-1800 British or European literature course (see list above in English major) Post-1800 British Literature course (see list above in English major) American Literature Course (see list above in English major) Elective upper-level course—4 units See list above in the English major. As with the regular English major, additional core courses beyond the required three may be counted as electives Required Course--1 unit EN 330 Shakespeare Survey Please note: One of the core or elective courses must be an intercultural course (designated by “I”). ++Course numbers in bold print indicate that that English course is offered in the Spring of 2016. REQUIREMENTS OF THE JOURNALISM MINOR—(6 units) 17 Required: 1 unit/ S16 JR 261 Reporting in the New Age of Journalism 2 units/ S16 Internship in Journalism (JR397 one unit/JR497 two units) Please note that a student may take two one-unit internships or one two-unit internship. And 1 unit/ S16 011 Intern Program in Writing for the Wagnerian-the Student Newspaper (half a unit)—Must take this twice for a total of one unit 2 units chosen from the following electives: TBA 291 Special Topics F16 321 Dying to Tell the Story TBA 363 Editing for Today's Newsroom S16 366 Magazine Editing and Publishing S17 368 Writing to Persuade F17 372 Journalism and Public Relations TBA 373 Ethics in Journalism: The National Enquirer to the New York Times TBA 376 History of Journalism