English Courses

ENGL 142 Literary Forms: (subtitle)

An examination of the tradition and development of the literary form identified in the subtitle (e.g., epic, novel, romance, tragedy). (May be taken for credit twice under different subtitles.) Credits: 3(3-0)

ENGL 170 The Practice of Criticism

Introduction to the interpretation and analysis of literature, as well as to the abstract principles and assumptions that underlie all efforts to represent the meaning, structure, and value of texts. In classroom discussions and short essay assignments, students undertake critical readings of texts from a variety of genres (poetry, novel, drama, etc.), while examining how critical controversy emerges from the different theoretical commitments and preconceptions of readers. This course is a prerequisite or co-requisite for any 300-level English literature course taken for the English major or concentration. Credits: 3(3-0)

ENGL 200 College Writing II

This course is a writing workshop designed to give students many opportunities to practice their critical thinking and writing skills. Frequent writing required. Credits: 3(3-0)

ENGL 201 Creative Writing

An intermediate-level writing workshop involving assignments in various literary forms. Class discussions will focus on student work as well as work by published authors. Credits: 3(3-0)

ENGL 205 Business and Professional Writing

An intensive course in composition based on a variety of rhetorical models and subject matter related to business and government. Required of business administration, economics, and accounting majors; limited availability to others but open to all.   Prerequisites: Completion of at least 30 semester hours.  Credits: 3(3-0)

ENGL 210 Elements of Screenwriting I

Elements of Screenwriting I is a study and practice of writing the feature film screenplay. The principle of character, environment, plot and event, dramatic force and arc, dialogue, music, and the physical format of the professional script will be covered.   Prerequisites: ENGL 201 or permission of instructor.  Credits: 3(3-0)

ENGL 212 British Literature I

A study of selected works in British literature from its beginnings to 1700, with analyses of their artistic significance and descriptions of their place in the intellectual contexts of their ages. Credits: 3(3-0)

ENGL 213 British Literature II

A study of selected works in British literature from 1700 to the present, with analyses of their artistic significance and descriptions of their place in the intellectual contexts of their ages. Credits: 3(3-0)

ENGL 215 Understanding Poetry

This course will enrich students' understanding of the craft of poetry--its design, its specialized techniques for creating and communicating meaning, and the specialized methodology necessary to constructing interpretations of it. This is not a course in writing poetry, but in the analysis of it. We will read a wide variety of poems written in English from British, American, and other English-speaking traditions. Although this course will give some attention to the history of individual poetic forms, its primary goal will be to increase understanding of poetry's design and poets' methods.Credits: 3(3-0)

ENGL 218 Contemporary British Literature in London: (subtitle)

A study of representative texts created and published in Britain, by British writers, largely for a cosmopolitan audience. The course explores how contemporary writers conceptualize their identity in relation to the nation.Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered every summer at Goldsmiths College, University of London

ENGL 222 Exploring the Renaissance: (subtitle)

A study of selected works to introduce students to major issues in Renaissance literature and to the techniques of literary methodology. Each section of the course will range over a variety of literary genres central to this period (lyric poetry, epic poetry, drama and prose fiction). May be taken twice for credit under different subtitles.Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered when demand is sufficient.

ENGL 232 Topics in pre-1799 British Literature: (subtitle)

A study of selected works in British Literature prior to 1700, seen within multiple contexts, such as themes, cultural issues, intellectual movements, nationhood, and genre. (May be taken for credit twice under different subtitles.)Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered fall of even years

ENGL 233 Topics in post-1700 British Literature: (subtitle)

A study of selected works in British Literature after 1700, seen within multiple contexts, such as themes, cultural issues, intellectual movements, nationhood, and genre. (May be taken for credit twice under different subtitles.)Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered spring of even years

ENGL 235 American Literature

A study of selected major works in American literature from its beginnings to the present, with analyses of their artistic significance and descriptions of their place in the cultural context of their times. Emphasis is placed upon the continuities of the American tradition. Credits: 3(3-0)

ENGL 237 American Voices: (subtitle)

An exploration of diversity in America's literary traditions, focusing on the perspective of once-marginalized American writers. The literature will be studied in the context of such factors as class, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, and/or sexual preference. (May be taken for credit twice under different subtitles.) Credits: 3(3-0)

ENGL 239 American Visions: (subtitle)

A critical study of a theme, movement, or special subject matter of some consequence in the cultural tradition of the United States. Representative offerings are The Environmental Spirit, Slavery and the Civil War, and The Puritan Legacy. (May be taken for credit twice under different subtitles.) NOTE: Some sections of ENGL 239 featuring a significant concentration on film studies may be scheduled 3(2-2) to permit extended time for the viewing and discussion of films.Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered every fall

ENGL 241 World Literature: (subtitle)

The comparative study of significant literary works from Western and other cultural traditions. (May be taken for credit twice under different subtitles.) Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered every fall, odd years

ENGL 242 M/Literatures of the African Diaspora

The term African diaspora has been used to refer to the grouping of diverse peoples and cultures that have, although dispersed throughout the world, retained a consciousness of shared origins and are identified as part of a cultural and social continuum with other communities of African origin, including those that remained on the African continent. This course will take up a diverse group of works from the African diaspora, inviting students to make connections and distinctions about themes, formal devices, political outlooks, etc., among African diasporic writers.Credits: 3(3-0)

ENGL 250 Literature and (subtitle)

A variety of relationships between literature and other intellectual endeavors is studied in different sections of this course (e.g., Literature and Society, Literature and Science, Literature and History, Literature and Psychology). (May be taken for credit twice under different subtitles.) Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered fall, odd years

ENGL 254 Introduction to Shakespeare

A critical introduction to Shakespeare's dramatic world through a study of from six to eight plays and some of the leading ideas which inform them. Credits: 3(3-0)

ENGL 267 M/Non-Western Literature: (subtitle)

A study of various non-Western literatures in translation. Usually the literature of a single nation or area is selected (e.g., African, Asian, Chinese, Indian, Islamic, or Japanese). (May be taken for credit twice under different subtitles.) Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered every fall

ENGL 282 The Bible as Literature

A literary evaluation of the English Bible and a study of its influence in Western literature. Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered every spring

ENGL 285 F/Introduction to Film Studies

An examination of world cinema, emphasizing the technological, formal, cultural and historical specificity of the moving image.Credits: 3(2-2)  Offered every fall

ENGL 301 Poetry Writing I

A practical course in the writing of poetry, using student assignments in the genre as a central means in discussions both in class sessions and individual conferences with the instructor.   Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.  Credits: 3(3-0)

ENGL 302 Fiction Writing I

A fiction writing workshop using student writings in the genre as well as published stories, both in class sessions and individual conferences with the instructor.   Prerequisites: ENGL 201 and permission of the instructor, based on evaluation of a writing sample.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered every fall

ENGL 303 Poetry Writing II

A practical course in the writing of poetry, using student assignments in the genre as a central means in discussions both in class sessions and individual conferences with the instructor.   Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered

ENGL 304 Fiction Writing II

A fiction writing workshop using student writings in the genre as well as published stories, both in class sessions and individual conferences with the instructor.   Prerequisites: ENGL 201 and permission of instructor, based on evaluation of a writing sample.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered every fall

ENGL 305 Creative Nonfiction Writing I

A practical course in the writing of creative nonfiction. Student assignments in the genre are the focus of discussions, both in class sessions and individual conferences with the instructor.   Prerequisites: ENGL 201 and permission of the instructor, based on evaluation of a writing sample.  Credits: 3(3-0)

ENGL 306 Writing for Teachers

This course offers writing instruction to advanced undergraduates who intend to teach. Students read writing theory, review English grammar, and write a series of essays over the course of the term.  Prerequisites: 60 completed credit hours.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered every spring

ENGL 307 Creative Nonfiction II

A practical course in the writing of creative nonfiction. Student assignments in the genre are the focus of discussions, both in class sessions and individual conferences with the instructor.   Prerequisites: ENGL 201 and permission of the instructor, based on evaluation of a writing sample.  Credits: 3(3-0)

ENGL 310 Medieval British Literature

A study of the fascinating variety of English literature from 597-1500 including Beowulf, The Owl and the Nightingale, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Students will read Old English texts in translation and some Middle English works in their original form.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered fall, odd years

ENGL 311 The British Renaissance

A critical study of the literature from More to Bacon (other than Shakespeare's plays) including such authors as Spenser and Sidney.  Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered fall, even years

ENGL 312 17th-Century British Literature

A study of dramatists, poets, and some prose writers from the period 1600-1660. Central issues include economy and desire, gender, nature and art, faith, Puritanism, and revolution. Authors include Donne, Jonson, Herbert, Marvell, Herrick.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered spring, odd years

ENGL 313 18th-Century British Literature

A study of literature from the Restoration and Eighteenth century, including writers such as Aphra Behn, Daniel Defoe, John Dryden, Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, Samuel Johnson, and Frances Burney.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered spring, even years

ENGL 314 British Romanticism

A study of selected prose and poetry of the leading Romantic writers (Blake, the Wordsworths, Coleridge, Byron, the Shelleys, Keats) as well as selections from lesser known and/or recently rediscovered writers of the period (ca. 1785-1830).   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered fall, even years

ENGL 315 Victorian Literature

A study of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction prose of the period 1837-1901. Issues include sexual politics, the morality of capitalism, and the impact of science on culture. Authors include Carlyle, Tennyson, Dickens, the Brontes, and Hardy.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered spring, even years

ENGL 316 Modern British Literature

A study of significant literary figures and trends in British intellectual history from the late-19th to the mid-20th century. Representative authors include Conrad, Yeats, Lawrence, Joyce, and Woolf.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered fall, odd years

ENGL 317 Contemporary British Literature

A study of British literature since 1945. Focal points include post-World War II aesthetic and philosophical developments, the decline of the British Empire, and broader societal changes informed by race, class, gender, and sexuality. Authors may include Amis, Barnes, Beckett, Duffy, Heaney, Jureishi, McEwan, Osborne, Pinter, Rushdie, X. Smith, Spark, Swift, Winterson.  Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered fall, even years

ENGL 318 M/Black British Literature and Culture

A study of representative literature created and published in Britain by black writers, largely for a British audience. Those who were born in Britain are descendants of the wave of immigrants from Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean and offer a singularly black British account of their experience.  Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered spring, even years.

ENGL 319 Literary Theory

A study of major trends in literary theory in the twentieth century.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170 and two courses in literature (with ENGL, SPAN, or FREN prefix) or permission of instructor.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered every spring

ENGL 320 Irish Literature

A study of works by representative Irish authors writing in English. Course topics may include Ireland's position within and relationship to the United Kingdom; the material, social, and psychological impacts of British colonization; the Irish Literary Revival and its influence; class and sectarian divisions; the attempt to reclaim Irish identities; the loss (or eradication) of the Irish language and the problems of translation; gender and its relationship to Irish identities; the impact of the Catholic Chursh; exile, emigration, and the role of the artist in times of violence.  Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered spring, odd years

ENGL 321 British Drama: (subtitle)

A study of a selected grouping of non-Shakespearean British plays drawn from a major era of dramatic literature (such as Renaissance, Jacobean, Restoration, or 18th-century) or focusing on a selection of particular types of drama (e.g., romantic or classical drama, revenge tragedy, comedy of manners). (May be taken for credit twice under different subtitles.)   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered when demand is sufficient

ENGL 324 The British Novel: (subtitle)

A study of representative major novels emphasizing the development of the British novel as a literary form. Typical offerings are the rise of the novel; the picaresque novel; quest novels; psychological and social realism in the novel; the 19th-century British novel; and Fielding, Richardson, Austen, Dickens, and Lawrence. (May be taken for credit twice under different subtitles.)   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered when demand is sufficient

ENGL 330 American Romanticism

A study of representative literature of the pre-Civil War period (1821-61), with emphasis on major figures such as Thoreau, Melville, and Hawthorne.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered every spring

ENGL 331 American Realism

A study of representative literature written between 1865-1918, emphasizing the reaction against Romanticism and a new concentration on social, political, and artistic concerns.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered when demand is sufficient

ENGL 332 Early American Literature

A study of representative literature from the first European encounters of the New World through the turn of the 19th Century.  Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered fall, even years

ENGL 333 Modern American Literature

A study of representative writers and important works from the period between the two world wars.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered every fall

ENGL 336 Native American Literature

A study of representative Native American literature written in English.  Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered when demand is sufficient

ENGL 337 African-American Literature

A study of works by representative African-American writers from the mid-19th century to the present in their cultural and social contexts. The course will cover a variety of genres.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered every spring

ENGL 338 Contemporary American Literature

A study of representative important writers and trends in American literature since World War II.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered fall, odd years

ENGL 339 American Ways: (subtitle)

Advanced critical study of a theme, movement, or special subject matter in the U.S. cultural tradition. Representative offerings are Women Writers and 19th Century Social Reform, Literature and Film of the Cold War, and The Harlem Renaissance. (May be taken for credit twice under different subtitles.) NOTE: Some sections of ENGL 339 featuring a significant concentration on film studies may be scheduled 3(2-2) to permit extended time for the viewing and discussion of films.  Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered every spring

ENGL 341 The Romantic Hero

A study of the literary and cultural significance of the figure of the Romantic hero as exemplified in the works of major authors from the 18th to the 20th century and selected from several national literatures.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered when demand is sufficient

ENGL 343 Women and Literature: (subtitle)

An advanced course in literature by or about women designed to foster new insights into gender roles, identity politics, sexuality, class and race, through an examination of literary and cultural representation. Readings are informed by feminist theory and literary criticism. Maybe taken for credit twice under different subtitles.  Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered every fall

ENGL 345 Gay and Lesbian Literature

This course examines twentieth-century Anglo-American lesbian and gay literature and culture. We will explore a range of representational practices against the emergence of a modern homosexual subculture and identity with special attention to, for instance, social constructions of gender and sexuality, feminism, class, ethnicity, and race. Our reading will be informed by a discussion of key concepts (such as the closet, coming out, butch/femme, cross-dressing, and camp), theoretical essays (Butler and Sedgwick, for example) and historical turning-points (such as the trial of Oscar Wilde, the ban on Hall's novel, and Stonewall and AIDS).   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered spring, even years

ENGL 348 European Literature: (subtitle)

Studies of European literature in translation dealing with selected periods, styles, genres, themes, and writers. Typical offerings are medieval literature, Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, Romanticism, French novels, and Ibsen and Strindberg, (May be taken for credit twice under different subtitles.)   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered when demand is sufficient

ENGL 350 Chaucer and His Age

A study of Chaucer's major poetry read in the light of the literary, social, artistic, and philosophical concerns of the High Middle Ages.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered spring, even years

ENGL 353 Milton: Prose and Poetry

A study of the principal prose and poetical works against the background of the English Civil War.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered spring, odd years

ENGL 354 Shakespeare I

A critical study of selected plays by Shakespeare, including close analyses of representative histories, comedies, tragedies, and romances, such as Richard II, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello, and The Tempest.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered every fall

ENGL 355 Shakespeare II

A course which parallels Engl. 354 in offering a critical study of selected additional plays, including histories, comedies, tragedies, and romances such as 1 Henry IV, As You Like It, Macbeth, and The Winter's Tale.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered every spring

ENGL 358 Major Authors: (subtitle)

Comprehensive studies of the works of from one to three authors. (May be taken for credit twice under different subtitles.)   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)

ENGL 359 Film Authors

This course considers the work of one to three film directors through a close examination of their films, and to explore "authorship" as a concept with a constantly evolving and historically contingent definition. In doing so, we will consider whether, when, and how a director and/or his or her biographical history is considered a substantial influence on a film's meaning. Crucially, we will consider these films in relation to their historical moments and audiences.  Prerequisites: Another film course or permission of the instructor.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered when demand is sufficient

ENGL 360 M/Post-Colonial Literature: (subtitle)

Readings in contemporary literature which have emerged out of different experiences of (de) colonization and asserted themselves by foregrounding their difference from the assumptions of the imperial center, e.g. Wilson Harris's Palace of the Peacock, V. S. Naipaul's The Mimic Men, Jean Rhys' Wide Sargasso Sea, Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart, Ama Ata Aidoo's Our Sister Killjoy, Maryse Condé's Heremakhonon, Zee Edgell's In Times Like These, Jamaica Kincaid's Annie John.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered spring, even years

ENGL 361 History of the English Language

An historical survey of the English language, introducing the techniques of historical linguistic research and contrasting the phonology, grammar, and lexicon of Old and Middle English with that of Modern British and American English.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered fall, even years

ENGL 370 Senior Reading

Class time will be spent discussing revising the students\\\' body of work, determining appropriate material for reading/presentation and responding to poetry and fiction readings both on campus and at nearby colleges and universities.  Prerequisites: English Majors pursuing the creative writing track.  Credits: 1(1-0)

ENGL 381 Classical Literature

A study of the literary accomplishments of Greece or Rome, or both, with emphasis on such genres as drama, epic, or lyric, and with Plato and Aristotle as philosophical-literary background.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered when demand is sufficient

ENGL 386 Modern Drama

Continental, English, and American plays from Ibsen to Albee as examples of recent developments in the drama.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered spring, odd years

ENGL 390 Studies in Literature

Comparative or critical study of a literary type, movement, or figure chosen by the instructor. Some characteristic offerings are Existentialist literature, Drama of the Sixties, and Literature and the Jazz Age. (May be taken for credit twice under different subtitles.)   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered when demand is sufficient

ENGL 393 Honors Thesis Research/Writing

Two semesters of individual research and writing, directed by a member of the Department of English, for the composing of an undergraduate thesis. The thesis may be a work of literary analysis or a collection of original creative writing. To be eligible to enroll in the first semester of research, students must have completed 75 semester hours, including 24 hours in English, with a grade point average of 3.7 in the English major and 3.3 overall in the College. The Departmental Honors Committee, which grants permission for English honors and approves thesis proposals, may make exceptions to the eligibility criteria for students of demonstrable talent. To receive "English Honors" recognition at graduation, the student must complete 6 hours of English 393 with a grade of "A." English Honors students are encouraged to elect ENGL 319 Literary Theory and ENGL 394 Senior Seminar. Credits for English 393 may not be applied to the 36-hour English major. 3(0-6) each semester.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(0-6)  Offered by individual arrangement

ENGL 394 Senior Seminar: (subtitle)

Selected intensive studies of a focused topic in literature with a significant component of guided research. Sample topics include: Dante, the Bloomsbury Group, Metaphysical Poetry, the Epic Novel, the Confessional Hero, Ben Jonson and Classical Tradition, Literature and the Irrational, and Contemporary American Novelists.   Prerequisites: ENGL 170 and 3-300 level courses or permission of instructor.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered when demand is sufficient.

ENGL 398 20th-Century Poetry

Close readings from a number of national literatures, with an emphasis on emerging trends. (Works not written in English are read in the best translations available.)   Prerequisites: ENGL 170.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered spring, even years

ENGL 399 Directed Study

Individual study and research under the supervision of a faculty member. (May be taken at any level.) (One to three semester hours.)    Offered by individual arrangement.

ENGL 401 Creative Writing

Practice in writing fiction, drama, or poetry, with emphasis on individual writers and manuscripts. May be repeated for a total of 6 semester hours, under advisement only.   Prerequisites: Permission of instructor.  Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered when demand is sufficient

ENGL 406 Writing for Teachers

This course offers writing instruction to graduate students who intend to teach. Students read writing theory, review English grammar, and write a series of essays over the course of the term. You will be required to present your research findings on writing and pedagogy to the class. Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered every semester

ENGL 444 Masters Studies in British Literature

Studies in selected representative poetry, drama, and fiction in England from Chaucer to the 20th century.Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered alternate spring semester

ENGL 445 Masters Studies in American Literature

Studies in selected representative poetry and fiction in America from colonial times to the 20th century.Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered alternate spring semester

ENGL 460 English Language

Introduction to the study of English, including systems of phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics as well as historical and sociological aspects. Particular emphasis is placed upon applications to the teaching of American English at primary and secondary levels and upon uses of language study in literary analysis. Credits: 3(3-0)  Offered when demand is sufficient

WRTG 101 English Language and Culture I

Designed for the non-native speaker of Standard English, this course examines basic phonology and syntax in both theory and practice. These features are complemented by studies of semantics and pragmatics which offer insight into the cultural implications of language. Contrasts among various languages will further develop students' knowledge and application of the fundamental properties of English.  Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor.  Credits: 3(3-0)

WRTG 201 English Language and Culture II

This course is designed as the second level of studying English academic writing for non-native speakers of the English language. The main goal is to help students advance reading and writing skills, broaden knowledge of vocabulary and grammar, and to hone business and research papers writing skills. While major grammar trouble spots are reviewed in Writing 101, students will have an additional opportunity to practice newly acquired writing skills in this course.  Prerequisites: WRTG 101 and permission of the instructor.  Credits: 3(3-0)

WRTG

 

Information excerpted from the Undergraduate Bulletin