Communications and Literature
Department
Humanities
Electives
Spring Semester 2014
ALL COURSES SATISFY HUMANITIES
OR OPEN ELECTIVE REQUIREMENTS
The Graphic Novel
ENL 257 David Sims
TTH 5:00-6:30 PM
Exploration of a recent and still emerging genre of
narrative literature. Course work ties together various
cross-disciplinary approaches in an investigation of
several significant modern novels that use both words
and images to tell their complex tales. Course topics
include words and images; perception and interpretation;
visual thinking; literary roots of sequential art;
underground comix as satire and critique; Krazy Kat and
surrealism; time, space and planes; women and
sequential art; culture, power and pleasure.
3 Credits Prerequisite: ENL 111
World Literature
ENL 231 Kent Bunting
TTH 2:00 – 3:30 PM
Exploration of the variations and developments in
eastern and western world views through the literature of
the ages. Course work offers a sampling of essays,
poetry, fiction, and drama from the ancients through the
moderns. An analysis of the literature of the world traces
the shifting perspectives of our world, the powers that
reign, and the condition of humankind.
3 Credits Prerequisite: ENL 111
American Literature
Since 1865
ENL 241 John Poritsky
TTH 12:30 – 2:00 PM
Overview of literary trends in American literature since
the Civil War with focus on individual stories, essays,
poems, and plays of representative authors. Emphasis on
literary movements such as romanticism, realism, and
naturalism and the critical analysis of literature using these
concepts. Class discussions of reading assignments assist
students in understanding the contexts out of which the
literature grows, how the literature reflects the times, and
how it reveals the nature of the characters who make the
times.
3 Credits Prerequisite: ENL 111
Sport Literature
ENL265 Mark Noe
M 6:30 – 9:30 PM
Serious study of selected literature with a
sport theme or background. Examination of
the nature of sport and its function in
American culture, using references from
fiction, poetry, drama, and film. Texts
represent a variety of sports, with an
emphasis on their humanist rather than
mechanical elements.
3 Credits Prerequisite: ENL 111
American Comedy
ENL270 John Hruschka
TTh 9:30 – 11:00 AM
3 Credits Prerequisite: ENL 111
Survey of the social and cultural uses of
comedy in America, beginning in the Colonial Era
and ending with current Web-transmitted comedy.
Examination of a wide variety of comedy in many
media, including a printed collection of comic
writing, a comic novel, sound and video clips, and
longer format video. Course work includes daily
class discussions, student presentations, essays,
and a final exam.
Children's and Young
Adult Literature
EDU121 Mary Ann Lampman
MWF 11:00 AM – Noon
Comprehensive survey of children's and young adult
literature, providing a basic knowledge and understanding of
a diverse group of authors, illustrators, and genres.
Discussion/participation covers trade books, classics,
award-winning books, and culturally diverse books geared
toward children and young adults. Course work is designed
to assist future teachers, parents, and caregivers in
developing a more comprehensive, creative, and insightful
utilization of literary materials with emphasis on recognizing
the primary characteristics of the best in children's books.
Fills a Humanity elective; 3 Credits
Early British Literature and
American Democratic Values
ENL243 Lawrence Beaston
Distance Learning Course
Overview of British literature from Anglo-Saxon
times until the beginning of the Industrial Revolution
with an emphasis upon the literary representation of
values and institutions that support the development
of American democracy. Themes discussed include
leadership, models of governance, freedom, justice,
and equality. Featured texts include poetry, prose,
and foundational documents of British and American
democracy.
3 Credits Prerequisite: ENL 111