| English majors and minors should consult pre-requisites and major requirements as well as the 8-year course cycle before registering for any course. English majors or minors are encouraged to complete the advising template, available in Word or .PDF format though these links, before meeting with their academic advisors. Those who choose to register on line might consider filling our the document in Word, saving it to file, and sending it by e-mail to their advisors as part of the "permit to register" request. Click here to download the template in Word format (can be saved, e-mailed, or printed). Click here to download the template in .PDF format (can be printed).
EN 098, Internship in Private School English
D. Dougherty, TBA This course places selected students in middle and secondary schools to learn about teaching English in the private school setting. Interns spend ten hours per week in a private school, working closely with a mentor who is an experienced teacher, under the supervision of the chair of the school’s English department. Interns are responsible for keeping journals, for meeting biweekly with the internship coordinator, and for producing a final reflection on the internship. Prerequisites: interns must be seniors, with at least six upper-division English courses completed and a Q.P.A of at least 3.0. Written permission of Internship Coordinator is required for registration. EN 099, Internships in English
D. Dougherty, TBA Qualified students, ordinarily seniors, can enrich their liberal arts education by taking advantage of available English department internships in areas including publishing, public relations, and advertising. Internships in law offices, judicial chambers and governmental agencies are also available to students interested in the law. Internships give the student an opportunity for intensive, hands-on experience in business, philanthropy, law, journalism, and other possible career options. An intern works closely with a faculty member to design a course during which the student learns skills and approaches specific to one enterprise, whether that be the court system, news reporting, public relations, publishing, or philanthropic organizations. Interns have the unique opportunity to apply their skills as English majors in areas in which they may choose to pursue their careers. These are unpaid positions. En 099 may be taken only once for degree credit, and does not count toward the English major or minor. Prerequisites: Interns must be seniors; in special circumstances, junior in their second semester may intern with specific permission from the instructor.
EN 201.01 & .03, Major Writers: English Literature: Growing Up Modern
M. Osteen TTH 9:25-10:40 & 01:40-02:55 What does it mean to grow up modern? What trials do children and adolescents endure on their way to adulthood? How do adolescents respond to authority? How do unusual people (such as the disabled and the racially or sexually atypical) challenge or confirm our definitions of normality? We’ll examine these and other questions by reading selected texts (mostly novels and short stories) from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In some cases we will pair texts to show the contrasts and similarities between sensibilities, styles, and subjects of the two eras. Readings will probably include William Wordsworth’s poems, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, one Victorian novel (Jane Eyre or Great Expectations), short stories by Joseph Conrad, James Joyce, and/or Katherine Mansfield, and a selection of recent novels that will include Jeanette Winterson’s Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Andrew Miller’s Ingenious Pain, Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, David Mitchell’s Black Swan Green, and/or Lloyd Jones’s Mr. Pip. We will also view and analyze film versions of selected texts. Each student will write a research paper and give an oral presentation. Students will also write three brief papers in which they reflect on their own identities, disabilities and confrontations with authority. Of course, students will also have the privilege of completing (and passing) a midterm and a comprehensive final exam. EN 201.02, Major Writers: English Literature: Creating the Modern
G. McGlamery TTH 10:50-12:05 From Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) to Lloyd Jones’s Mr. Pip (2007), our readings in this course will chart the sweeping changes of the late-eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that gave birth to modernity. The rise of science and technology, the emergence of individual rights and the democratization of power, challenges to religious faith, and the development of new ways of public expression—all will be the focus of study and debate as we explore the reactions of novelists, poets, and essayists to their changing times—and issues we still grapple with today. Students will take weekly reading quizzes and three period exams, give an oral presentation in partnership with a classmate, and write at least one documented, analytical essay. The class will combine lecture and discussion and may require the viewing of at least one film. EN 203.01 & .31, Major Writers: American Literature
J. Cole MW 3:00-4:15 & 4:30-5:45 This course examines the relationship between nature and urbanization, wilderness and civilization, in American literature from the colonial period to the present. Course requirements include student presentations, weekly responses, two exams, and a term paper. Note: course counts toward American Studies minor and is a designated service-learning course. EN 203.02 & .03, Major Writers: American Literature
P. Lukacs TTH 12:15-1:30 & 3:05-4:20 "Identity," declared the American novelist, Ralph Ellison, "is the great American theme." This section of EN 203 explores that theme by investigating different visions and versions of American identity. We do so by examining major works by major writers, including Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, and All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren. Course Requirements: We will read ten books in total. There will be weekly quizzes, two papers, and two tests. EN 203.04, Major Writers: American Literature: Imagining the Nation
S. Guttman TTH 3:05-4:20 This course will explore the idea of America as an imagined community, one where ideals of unity and a distinctive national identity sometimes conflict with the realities found in an expanding and diverse nation. Writers to be studied include: Frederick Douglass, Mark Twain, Zora Neale Hurston, T.S. Eliot, and Julia Alvarez. EN 205.01 & .02, Major Writers: Shakespeare
B. Crockett TTH 10:50-12:05 & 3:05-4:20 This course surveys some of the plays and poems of the greatest writer of all time (sorry, Homer; move over, Virgil; too bad, Dante: it’s true). In addition to a few sonnets, we’ll read nine of Shakespeare’s best plays. Likely candidates include Richard III, Henry IV, Part 1, either A Midsummer Night's Dream or Much Ado About Nothing, The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and The Tempest. Requirements include participation in discussions, short, informal written responses, a research paper, and mid-term as well as final exams. EN 205.31, Major Writers: Shakespeare
L. Hinkel MW 04:30-5:45 In this introduction to Shakespeare we will focus primarily on the comedies and tragedies of our language’s foremost playwright. In addition to close, detailed readings of the plays, we will entertain the question of “realization” (performance) on stage, on film, and in the classroom. We’ll also read the screenplay for the film Shakespeare in Love, and use it as the basis for a more nuanced consideration of Shakespeare’s cultural context and the special challenges of the English renaissance stage. In the second half of the semester, we’ll explore at least one play (yet to be determined) in much greater detail, including workshops in which all students will offer staged dramatic readings of selected scenes. The required research paper will support the activities of these workshops. Expect routine reading quizzes and frequent film screenings. EN 213.01, Major Writers: Greek Drama
T. McCreight MWF 10:00-10:50 A study of the traditional stories of the Greeks and Romans as expressed in their literature and art, with an emphasis on the relationship of mythology to rituals and religious beliefs, legends, and folktales.
EN 300.01, English Literary History before 1800
T. Scheye MW 3:00-4:15 This course traces out the main line in English literary history, the tradition handed down from Chaucer to Spenser to Shakespeare and, finally, to Milton. In addition to placing these authors in the context of their times and in relationship to one another, the course will examine how the tradition continues into the modern world beginning with its influence on the 18th century. Because this course is content-oriented, and because the reading assignments are substantial, there will be frequent quizzes and tests but no formal paper. EN 301.01, Chaucer
P. McCaffrey TTH 1:40-2:55 A study of several of Chaucer's early works (dream visions), his Troilus and Criseyde and The Canterbury Tales, all in Middle English. Three tests (not cumulative), one longish paper. This course counts towards a Medieval Studies Minor. EN 307.01, Seminar in Medieval Literature: Medieval Heroism
K. Forni TTH 3:05-4:20 In this course we'll examine notions of heroism and masculine identity formation in the Middle Ages. Since most of our texts are either products of, or intended for, an aristocratic elite, the ethos of this socioeconomic class will be our primary focus. Texts will include Beowulf, Havelok the Dane, Einhard's Life of Charlemagne, Fulcher's The First Crusade, The Song of Roland, Chretien de Troyes's Arthurian Romances, The Geste of Robin Hood, The Return of Martin Guerre, The Condemnation Trial of Joan of Arc, Duby's Chivalrous Society, and Karras's From Boys to Men: Formations of Masculinity in Late Medieval Europe. Quizzes, two presentations, three short papers; research paper (10 pages). This course counts towards a Medieval Studies Minor. EN 311.01, Shakespeare II
R. Miola TTH 12:15-1:30 Shakespeare 311, primarily examines the comedies and romances of William Shakespeare—plays of love, marriage, suffering, and redemption. It is open to English majors and to all students who have completed English core requirements, especially those with an interest in theatre and literature, regardless of whether or not they have taken EN 310. Together we will read the plays with an eye to theatrical performance. We will see performances on film also, in which medium there are many interesting and controversial adaptations readily available. Students will participate in dramatic readings of Shakespearean scenes, taking responsibility for rehearsal, props, costumes, setting, pace, gestures, delivery, and interpretation. We will also be interested in ethical and religious issues in the plays. There will be quizzes, a research paper, an hour exam and a final. The papers will test ability to read critically, think clearly, and write persuasively. Readings will probably include The Comedy of Errors, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, The Tempest, and others. EN 339.01, Seminar in Literary Topics before 1800: Art of Biblical Literature
T. Linafelt TTH 10:50-12:05 The Bible has been long recognized as a primary source for ethical and theological teachings, but recent years have seen a renewed appreciation for it as a work of literature as well. This course will explore the literary art of the Bible, and students will gain the skills needed to analyze both the poems and the narratives that constitute so much of the biblical canon. The style of biblical literature differs in significant ways from both classical and modern Western literature, and by learning what is distinctive about biblical literature we may begin to read the Bible with new appreciation (and we may also come to fresh insights about the theological and ethical dimensions of these texts as well). The semester will be divided into roughly equal sections on biblical poetry (including the Psalms, the Song of Songs, and the book of Job) and biblical narrative (including the books of Genesis, Samuel, Ruth, and Esther). Students will keep a reading journal, write four short papers (about 3 pages each) and one longer term paper (about 10 pages), and memorize a handful of biblical texts. EN 376.31, Post-Colonial Literature
J. Ellis MW 4:30-5:45 This course focuses on the creation and depiction of homelands by writers from the Indian subcontinent, Africa, New Zealand, and the South Pacific. We investigate the power of home, belonging, and security in the face of invasion, displacement, and alienation. Geography, language, and culture play a significant role in fashioning and defending homelands against violent incursions in the forms of weapons or ideologies. We focus on the specific histories and situations the writers depict; of course their depictions also illuminate our own homelands. Writers we read may include Salman Rushdie, Bharati Mukherjee, Chinua Achebe, Albert Wendt, and Patricia Grace. Two exams, oral presentation, weekly papers and one term paper. EN 379.01, Gender in American Literature: Dead Women Talking
B. Norman MWF 11:00-11:50 Figures of dead women talking pop up in all sorts of American literature. We find them in a gothic story from Edgar Allen Poe, a realist tale by Sarah Orne Jewett, modernist experiments by Henry James and William Faulkner, postmodern historical novels by Toni Morrison and Suzan-Lori Parks, and fantastic tales from Tony Kushner, Randall Kenan, Ana Castillo, and Alice Walker. These figures of dead women prove to be much more active than their deceased status would suggest: they talk, wail, sing, share wisdom, and move the plot along in crucial directions. And sometimes live women are taken for dead, such as in slave narratives and passing narrative. What is the role—literary, cultural, historical, political—of these dead women talking? Together, let's try to figure it out. To aide us, we'll occasionally consult feminist and literary theory. Required work will likely include: on-line discussion board participation, formal response papers, and a final essay in addition to spirited class discussion. This course also carries credit for Gender Studies and American Studies. EN 382.01, Topics in Literature and Film Studies: Shades of Black
M. Osteen TTH 3:05-4:20 This course surveys the darkest genre in American cinema, with its unsettling tales of crime, corruption and alienation. We will trace the literary origins of noir back to American crime novels by Hammett, Chandler, Cain and others, and examine its cinematic sources in German Expressionism and neo-realism. Then, through a large selection of films, we’ll analyze film noir in its cultural contexts, exploring how the genre reflected and shaped post-war anxieties about issues such as the changing roles of women and domesticity, the condition of traumatized veterans, the Cold War and atomic secrets, capitalism and the new workplace, the media, and racial relations. We will read source novels and selected critical writings in addition to immersing ourselves in films such as Double Indemnity, Scarlet Street, Out of the Past, The Killers, Kiss Me Deadly, The Big Combo, and Touch of Evil. We’ll also view a few “neo-noir” films such as Chinatown and Devil in a Blue Dress to assess how these revivals remodeled the genre’s characters and themes and revised the meaning of noir’s blackness. Requirements will include weekly Blackboard posts, two or three shot analyses, a substantial research paper, two exams and about four hours of film viewing every week. EN 386.01, Seminar in Literature and film (Post-1800)
G. McGlamery M 3:00-5:30 “The only reason for the existence of a novel is that it does attempt to represent life.”
-Henry James, “The Art of Fiction” (1888) “Photography is truth. The cinema is truth twenty-four times per second.”
–Jean-Luc Goddard, Lettres Francaises, 31 January 1963 “We all know that Art is not truth. Art is a lie that makes us realize truth, at least the truth that is given us to understand.”
–Pablo Picasso, quoted in Dore Ashton, Picasso on Art (1972) We will read and analyze a number of nineteenth-century novels, approaching them from a variety of critical perspectives. We will also view one or more film adaptations of each novel and analyze aspects of these films and their relation to the novels using appropriate film terminology. Texts and film adaptations may include Sense and Sensibility and/or Pride and Prejudice and/or Emma; Wuthering Heights; Vanity Fair; Far from the Madding Crowd and/or The Mayor of Casterbridge [adaptation The Claim]; and Great Expectations and/or A Christmas Carol. Students will also read at least one film script. Other requirements: two seminar reports; a midterm and a final; and a documented analytical essay of 12-15 pp. EN 387.31, Seminar in Post-Modern Literature: Poetry
D. Dougherty TTH 4:30-5:45
The speaker of one of T.S. Eliot's dramatic monologues asks, "After such knowledge, / What forgiveness?" This metaphysical question may usefully be turned on its creator as an aesthetic and historical query. As the foremost representative of a group who fomented a revolution in poetics unprecedented in modern literary history, (a poet of the next generation called them "a dynasty of extraordinary gifts and powers") Eliot and his allies left an imposing legacy of achievement and innovation for future generations to turn away from or to emulate. In this course, we'll look at some important strategies groups and individual poets came up with to go "beyond the Waste Land." The course will be organized according to four definable experimental movements, each represented by one major poet and several allied innovators: - Academic Discourses: W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Philip Larkin, and others.
- Confession: Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, W. D. Snodgrass, and others.
- Bardic Tradition and Social Consciousness: Dylan Thomas, Allen Ginsberg, Dudley Randall, and others.
- Deep Images and Surrealism: Theodore Roethke, James Wright, and others.
The course also focuses on the integration of voices that had been generally left out of the Modernist mainstream, including feminists, African-American writers, and American poets of Oriental descent. To supplement classroom discussions, students will read assigned chapters from David Perkins's History of Modern Poetry, Volume 2 and comments on the state of poetry by individual poets. Requirements: a final with written and oral components, Class participation; Research and interpretative presentations. Regular discussion board postings on assigned poems. Research Paper proposal. Research Paper.
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