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English courses are classified into categories. Course descriptions are provided in numerical order immediately following this classified listing. You can also click on any course to jump to that description.
1. English Language and Writing
3 hours
A course designed to help students write with clarity, confidence,
and conviction, incorporating both regular practice in writing
(argument and exposition, writing as discovery and personal exploration)
and study of language and its social roles.
(Normally offered each semester.)
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2. Composition, Language and Literature
3 hours
This course is designed for further development of student writing
skills, with special attention to the origin, development and
current nature of the English language. The course includes an
introduction to literary genres.
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100. Introduction to Textual Study
3 hours
This course is designed to equip new English majors with the textual expertise
and vocabulary needed for the analysis and discussion of various texts. It will
cover English prosody (including meter, sound patterns, and traditional closed
forms), and the technical vocabulary appropriate to the discussion of fiction
and dram; it may also cover the classical figures of speech (schemes and tropes),
and a select number of the classical and Biblical archetypes most often alluded
to in literary works.
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101. Masterpieces of Literature
3 hours
An introductory course designed to help students appreciate the literacy record
of human relationships with nature, the supernatural, and each other. Each course
examines a particular question or condition as it is represented in a restricted
number of literacy works, with core readings from the Bible, Greek or Roman
classical literature, Shakespeare, literature by women, and literature by writers
of color. Current offerings include: "Encountering the Other"; "Coming
of Age: Becoming Men, Becoming Women"; "Writing the Self"; "Sexualities";
"Law and Justice"; and "Revolution." Note: "Coming
of Age" and "Sexualities" may be taken for Women's Studies credit.
Prerequisites: English 1 or permission of the department chair. For further
information, see the Masterpieces of Literature
topic descriptions and sample book lists.
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105. British Literature: To 1800
3 hours
A survey of British literature designed as a foundation course
for majors. Its aim is to provide a historical perspective of
British writers and genres, from the Anglo-Saxon beginnings to
the end of the Neoclassic era.
Prerequisites: English 1 and a Masterpieces of Literature Course (English 101,
History 16, Modern Language 134, or Theatre Arts 101).
(Normally offered each fall semester.)
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106. British Literature: Since 1800
3 hours
Continuation of English 105. A survey of British literature designed as a foundation
course for majors. Its aim is to provide a historical perspective of British
writers and genres, from the beginnings of the Romantic Movement to the present.
Prerequisites: English 1 and a Masterpieces of Literature Course (English 101,
History 16, Modern Language 134, or Theatre Arts 101).
(Normally offered each spring semester.)
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107. Literature of the U.S.: To 1865
3 hours
A survey course providing a historical perspective on the culture of the U.S.
through the study of its literature, from the colonial beginnings to the Civil
War.
Prerequisites: English 1 and a Masterpieces of Literature Course (English 101,
History 16, Modern Language 134, or Theatre Arts 101).
(Normally offered each fall semester.)
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108. Literature of the U.S.: Since 1865
3 hours
A survey course providing a historical perspective on the culture of the U.S.
through the study of the literature, from the Civil War to the present.
Prerequisites: English 1 and a Masterpieces of Literature Course (English 101,
History 16, Modern Language 134, or Theatre Arts 101).
(Normally offered each spring semester.)
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110. Advanced Composition
3 hours
The focus of this course is on the writing process and its product,
the central activity being to study the effects of writing on
both writer and reader. The course is conducted as a workshop
in which students read their own compositions to the class and
respond to the compositions of their classmates. The aim is to
reduce, or make productive, anxieties about writing and thereby
improve it.
Prerequisite: English 1.
(Normally offered each semester.)
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117. Fiction Writing
3 hours
An introduction to the writing of fiction with an emphasis on
a variety of forms, techniques and narrative voices. Discussion
of student writing will take place in a workshop setting.
Prerequisite: English 1 or permission of the instructor.
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119. Poetry Writing
3 hours
An introduction to the writing of poetry with an emphasis upon
a variety of forms and techniques. Discussion of student writing
will take place in a workshop setting.
Prerequisite: English 1 or permission of the instructor.
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169. Learning Resources for Young Adults
3 hours
A course in literature appropriate to high school students. This course is required
for the Secondary Certification in English Education, and is crosslisted as
Education 169.
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180. African-American Literature
3 hours
This course supplements the basic American survey courses. Its aim is to acquaint
students with representative autobiography, fiction, drama, poetry, literary
criticism and essays by African-American writers from Frederick Douglass to
Toni Morrison.
Prerequisites: English 1 and a Masterpieces of Literature Course (English 101,
History 16, Modern Language 134, or Theatre Arts 101).
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190. Selected Topics
2 or 3 hours
A topical course designed to investigate any relevant subject matter not included
in any of the standard courses. The title, content and credit will be determined
by current, mutual interests of students and faculty. This course will usually be a course in literature, but it may be sometimes be a course in language or writing. This course may be offered to
meet a group requirement for a major only by approval of the department chair.
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200. Shakespeare
3 hours
An advanced course required for all majors. Its aim is to provide
a systematic study of the outstanding literary artist of the
English language: comedies, tragedies and historical plays.
Prerequisites: English 1 and 100 and junior standing.
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215. Writing in the Professions
3 hours
An advanced writing workshop, sometimes conducted in a computer classroom, covering
rhetorical principles (invention, arrangement, style, presentation) of various
disciplines. Students will complete writing projects related to their professional
interests.
Prerequisite: English 110 or permission of the instructor.
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217. Advanced Fiction Writing
3 hours
An advanced course in the writing of fiction with a continued emphasis on a
variety of forms, techniques and narrative voices. Discussion of student writing
will take place in a workshop setting.
Prerequisite: English 117 or permission of the instructor.
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219. Advanced Poetry Writing
3 hours
An advanced course in the writing of poetry with a continued
emphasis on a variety of forms and techniques. Discussion of
student writing will take place in a workshop setting.
Prerequisite: English 119 or permission of the instructor.
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221. Literature of the Middle Ages
3 hours
An advanced course focusing primarily on British medieval literature, sometimes
including comparisons to Continental medieval literature. Its aim is to provide
depth of knowledge by concentratring upon a single author, genre, or theme that
distinctively represents the medieval period. Training in scholarship is provided
through individual projects in literary research and analysis. The particular
subject will be determined each time the course is offered.
Prerequisite: English 1 and 100 and junior standing.
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222. Renaissance Literature
3 hours
An advanced course in British Renaissance literature. Its aim is to provide
depth of knowledge by concentrating upon a single author, genre or theme that
distinctively represents the Renaissance period. Training in scholarship is
provided through individual projects in literary research and analysis. The
particular subject will be determined each time the course is offered.
Prerequisites: English 1 and 100 and junior standing.
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223. Literature 1660-1800
3 hours
An advanced literature course designed to provide depth of knowledge by concentrating
upon a single author, genre or theme that distinctively represents British literature
from the years 1660-1800. Training in scholarship is provided through individual
projects in literary research and analysis. The particular subject will be determined
each time the course is offered.
Prerequisites: English 1 and 100 and junior standing.
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224. Nineteenth-Century Literature
3 hours
An advanced literature course designed to provide depth of knowledge by concentrating
upon a single author, genre or theme that distinctively represents the nineteenth
century or some portion of the century. Training in scholarship is provided
through individual projects in literary research and analysis. The particular
subject will be determined each time the course is offered.
Prerequisites: English 1 and 100 and junior standing.
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225. Twentieth-Century Literature
3 hours
An advanced literature course designed to provide depth of knowledge by concentrating
upon a single author, genre or theme that distinctively represents the twentieth
century or some portion of the century. Training in scholarship is provided
through individual projects in literary research and analysis. The particular
subject will be determined each time the course is offered.
Prerequisites: English 1 and 100 and junior standing.
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231. Studies in Fiction
3 hours
An analytical course designed to provide intensive study of the fiction genre, or some aspect of the genre, and to improve students' techniques and standards of literary analysis and judgment. The particular subject will be determined each time the course is offered.
Prerequisites: English 1 and 100 and junior standing.
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232. Studies in Drama
3 hours
An analytical course designed to give students exposure to some of the major achievements of British, Continental, and American dramatists. The particular subject will be determined each time the course is offered.
Prerequisites: English 1 and 100 and junior standing.
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233. Studies in Poetry
3 hours
An analytical course designed to provide intensive study of poetics and the various genres in verse, and to improve students' techniques and standards of literary analysis and judgment.
The particular subject will be determined each time the course is offered.
Prerequisites: English 1 and 100 and junior standing.
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234. Studies in Non-Fiction Prose
3 hours
An analytical course designed to provide intensive study of the different genres of literary non-fiction writing and to improve students' techniques and standards of literary analysis and judgment.
The particular subject will be determined each time the course is offered.
Prerequisites: English 1 and 100 and junior standing.
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236. Modern Novel
3 hours
A genre course in prose fiction. Its aim is to study the development
of the novel as a literary form since the end of World War II,
using examples drawn primarily from Great Britain, the United
States and the Anglophone world.
Prerequisites: English 1 and 100 and junior standing.
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240. Women Writing Across Cultures
3 hours
Fiction and essays by women from various cultures (including
the U.S., Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean) will
be the focus of this course. The multicultural, international
reading list will provide students insight into the lives and
experiences of women most likely very different from themselves;
thus they can appreciate and learn from the differences and make
connections across cultures.
Prerequisites: English 1 and 101.
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250. Third World Literature
3 hours
A thematic course designed to complement the more traditional
offerings in British and American literature. The emphasis will
be on the shock of colonization, the oppression of imperialism
and the struggle for independence. Attention will also be paid
to the encounter of the individual with the questions of God,
family, love, war, work, change and death. Readings will typically
include Achebe, Neruda, Soyinka, Naipaul, Gordimer, Rushdie,
Fuentes and Marquez.
Prerequisites: English 1 and a Masterpieces of Literature Course (English 101,
History 16, Modern Language 134, or Theatre Arts 101).
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251. Introduction to Linguistics
3 hours
In this introductory course, students study principles of linguistic
analysis and survey various theories of English grammar. Topics
include: English phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax,
semantics, and subfields of linguistics such as: sociolinguistics
(regional and ethnic dialects; issues of gender), historical
linguistics, and psycholinguistics (language acquisition, language
and the brain).
Prerequisite: English 1, 100, and junior standing.
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252. Origins of the English Language
3 hours
An introductory course, students study the historical and grammatical
development of Modern English from Old English and Middle English.
Prerequisites: English 1, 100, and junior standing.
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260. Early Rhetorical Traditions and Criticism
3 hours
In this course, students will study the early history of rhetoric, drawing upon the Western traditions (Gorgias, Plato, Isocrates, Aristole, Cicero, Quintilian) and those of at least one additional culture. Students will focus on the major tenets of these rhetorical traditions, enabling them to analyze a variety of texts from multiple cultural perspectives.
Prerequisites: English 1, 100, and junior standing.
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265. Modern Rhetorical Traditions and Criticism
3 hours
In this course, students will study the later history of rhetoric, drawing upon European (Christine de Pisan, the eighteenth-century Scottish school, Helene Cixous, Michel Foucault) and American (Richard Weaver, Kenneth Burke, I. A. Richards) rhetorical theorists, in addition to approaches from at least one non-Western culture. Students will focus on the major tenets of these rhetorical traditions, enabling them to analyze a variety of texts from multiple cultural perspectives.
Prerequisites: English 1, 100, and junior standing.
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270. Shakespearean Studies in Britain
3 hours
A study of Shakespeare's work and life on site in London and
Stratford-upon-Avon. Course work includes attendance at six productions
at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, a visit to the Shakespeare
Globe Museum and New Globe Theatre in London, a theatre tour
and workshop conducted by the Royal Shakespeare Company, lectures
by resident scholars at the Shakespeare Centre, and visits to
all of the Shakespeare Trust Properties and Holy Trinity Church.
The course culminates in a major paper developed from research
at the Shakespeare Centre Library and the Royal Shakespeare Collection.
Note: This course may be counted toward the English major in
lieu of English 200.
Prerequisites: Junior standing and permission of the instructor.
For photos of the most recent trip to England, see the page
for English 270, Summer 2000.
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290. Selected Topics
2 or 3 hours
An advanced course designed to investigate any relevant subject matter not included
in any of the standard courses. The title, content and credit will be determined
by current, mutual interests of students and faculty. This course will usually be a course in literature, but it may be sometimes be a course in language or writing. This course may be offered to
meet a group requirement for a major only by approval of the department chair.
Prerequisites: Junior standing or instructor approval.
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292. Preparation for Pedagogy Practicum
1 hour
Only offered Winter Term
A course in pedagogical theory as it relates to teaching composition and introductory
literature classes. This course is the required preparation for English 293
(English 1 or Masterpieces Student Instructor).
Pass/Fail Only
Prerequisites: Approval of instructor and department chair; English 100; English 101; junior standing.
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293. Pedagogy Practicum (English Student Instructor)
2 hours
Only offered Spring Semester
Student instructors will apply their knowledge of discipline-specific pedagogical
theories by working with faculty members in either English 1 or Masterpieces
of Literature. Students will plann class discussions; create and respond to
student assignments; and do independent projects designed to reflect on their
experiences in class. All students in English 293 will meet once a month with
the department chair to evaluate their progress.
Pass/Fail Only. Course may not be repeated for credit.
Prerequisites: Approval of instructor and department chair; English 292.
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296. Special Projects
2 or 3 hours
A projects course designed to analyze and develop techniques
and subjects not involved in any of the standard courses. The
topic, content and credit will be determined by current, mutual
interests of students and faculty. This course may be offered
to meet a group requirement for a major only by approval of the
department chair.
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297. Writing Internship
2 or 3 hours
A project course in which students serve as apprentice writers
in their chosen fields. Students' progress and performance will
be supervised and evaluated jointly by the cooperating supervisor
and instructor. Each project will be individually designed to
suit the student's professional interests.
Pass/fail only
Prerequisite: English 110 or permission of the instructor.
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298. Ways of Reading: Theory and Practice
3 hours
A course in the theory and development of literary criticism.
The first two weeks are a general overview of theories of literary
criticism before the 20th century. Writers may include Aristotle,
Sidney, Johnson and Arnold. The next six weeks are devoted to
20th century critical theories and emphasize
approaches to reading texts (e.g., New Criticism, Marxist Criticism).
During the last several weeks of the course, students research
the same literary piece, but each investigates the work from
the point of view of a different critical theory. The final weeks
constitute the bibliographic part of the course; each student
presents his or her findings to the other members of the seminar.
Prerequisite: Senior standing.
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299. Senior Workshop
1 hour
A senior-level research and writing seminar. In this course students
produce a research paper of approximately 20 pages or an original
work (e.g., a short story) supplemented with a 10-page essay
that explains their work critically. For example, such an essay
might survey those writers whose work influenced the student's
own and include illustrations of how critics have "read"
those writers. The class meets biweekly, each time with a different
full-time member of the department. At each meeting, students
discuss the progress of their work. At the end of the term, students
make panel presentations about their work to the entire department,
and each paper is read by two faculty chosen by each student.
Prerequisite: Senior standing.
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161. News Reporting
3 hours
An introductory course in journalism concentrating upon basic
techniques of news gathering and writing, including a basic history
of news media.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)
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162. Feature Writing
3 hours
Analysis of and practice in writing news feature stories for
a variety of publications. The course will stress audience appraisal,
interviewing and research.
Prerequisite: Journalism 161 or permission of the instructor.
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164. Computerized Publishing I
3 hours
Study and practice of various print-media production skills including
typography layout design, and printing techniques. Students will
learn several pagination and design computer programs.
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169. Journalism Laboratory
1 hour
Working session during which staff members produce the weekly
newspaper, The Cornerstone. May be repeated. Credit
is limited to 3 hours.
(Normally offered each semester.)
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264. Computerized Publishing II
3 hours
Advanced study and practice of computer-related print production
skills.
Prerequisite: Journalism 164 or permission of the instructor.
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297. Journalism Internship
2 or 3 hours
On-the-job training with a newspaper or other sponsor involved
with communications. Work may include writing, photography or
production. Each internship will be designed individually to
benefit both student and sponsor. Sponsors may be secured either
by the student or by the department.
Pass/fail only.
Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor.
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