Class Schedule - Fall 2023
An introduction to English linguistics with emphasis on the phonetic, syntactic, and semantic structures of English; language variation, standardization, and change; language legislation and linguistic rights; English as a world language; and the study of language in American schools. Same as BTW 402. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours.
Survey of the plays and poems of William Shakespeare. Reading assignments will reflect the generic diversity and historical breadth of Shakespeare's work. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: One year of college literature or consent of instructor.
Advanced study of poetry and prose written between the reign of Elizabeth I and the late seventeenth century. Authors may include Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Ben Jonson, Mary Wroth, John Donne, Katherine Philips, Andrew Marvell, Margaret Cavendish, and others. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: One year of college literature or consent of instructor.
From Jane Austen's witty couples to Charles Dickens's haunted reformers and Bram Stoker's aristocratic vampires, the characters, stories, and novels created by British writers in the nineteenth century still fascinate us today. This research class gives students a chance to read deeply in the prose fiction of this period; texts may include William Thackeray's Vanity Fair, Emily Brontë's Wuthering Heights, Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, Wilkie Collins's The Moonstone, and Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated with permission of English advising office to a maximum of 6 undergraduate hours if topics vary; Graduate students may repeat if topics vary. Prerequisite: One year of college literature or consent of instructor.
After the Civil War the United States entered a period of accelerating modernization and change. This course addresses how the nation's writers helped build modern America in response to a host of exciting and daunting developments in economics, science, and politics, including the enfranchisement of African Americans, Jim Crow segregation laws, growing income inequality, the rise of unions and anarchist movements, the invention of the automobile and the department store, new sciences such as including Darwinism and psychoanalysis, and American empire-building in places like Hawai'i and the Philippines. Writers studied might include Emily Dickinson, Mark Twain, Henry James, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. DuBois, Zitkala-Sa, Stephen Crane, William Dean Howells, and Edith Wharton. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: One year of college literature or consent of instructor.
Intensive study of the work of one or two major authors. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated with permission of English advising office to a maximum of 6 undergraduate hours if topics vary. May be repeated for graduate credit if topics vary. Prerequisite: One year of college literature or consent of instructor.
Advanced seminar on any of a variety of topics in literature and culture, including those that bridge traditional historical periods, focus on themes or movements, and cross disciplinary boundaries. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated with permission of English advising office to a maximum of 6 undergraduate hours if topics vary; Graduate students may repeat if topics vary. Prerequisite: One year of college literature or consent of instructor.
From the developing field of "ecocriticism" to new historical examinations of canonical writers such as Thomson, Thoreau, or the "nature poets", to the new field of Science Studies, this advanced seminar examines a range of specialized topics related to literature and the environment. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. May be repeated in separate semesters for graduate credit if topics vary; for undergraduates to a maximum of 6 undergraduate hours if topics vary with permission of the English advising office. Prerequisite: One year of college literature or consent of instructor.
Introduces students to the challenges of "turning data into narrative." With a focus on students' professional development as writers, this course emphasizes the research and rhetorical skills required to communicate current scientific research in earth and environmental science through non-fiction narrative forms--the investigative essay, long-form journalism, personal memoir, and op-ed--aimed at a general audience. Same as ESE 477. 3 undergraduate hours. No graduate credit.
Study of the history and theory of written composition. This course explores basic rhetorical principles, various theoretical perspectives in the field of composition/rhetoric, and helps students form practical approaches to the guidance of, response to, and structuring of student writing. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: One year of college literature or consent of instructor.
Examines the relationship of computer technology to the larger field of writing studies. Topics include a historical overview of computers and other writing technologies; current instructional practices and their relation to various writing theories; research on word processing, computer-mediated communication, and hypermedia; and the computer as a research tool. 3 undergraduate hours. 4 graduate hours. Prerequisite: Junior standing and consent of instructor. Students must have a basic knowledge of word processing.
Introductory course in methods and techniques in research and literary criticism.
May be repeated if topics vary. Prerequisite: A college course devoted entirely to an aspect of eighteenth-century studies or consent of instructor.
May be repeated if topics vary. Prerequisite: One college course devoted entirely to an aspect of American studies or consent of instructor.
May be repeated if topics vary. Prerequisite: One year of graduate study of literature or consent of instructor.
Examines the relationships among writing studies, theories of pedagogy, and the practice of the writing teacher and administrator. Also focuses on particular problems or particular schools of thought. Typical topics include Writing Program Design and Administration; Writing, Thinking, and Problem Solving; The Classroom as a Research Site; Collaborative Learning; and Writing Across the Curriculum and Discourse Communities. Requirements will vary with instructors and topics. Same as CI 566. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in writing studies or consent of instructor.
Independent study under the guidance of a member of the graduate faculty. May be repeated to a maximum of 8 hours.
Seminar on undergraduate pedagogy for new graduate instructors. Individual sections will focus on the teaching of film, literature, or rhetoric. 0 to 4 graduate hours. No professional credit. Approved for Letter and S/U grading. May be repeated by PhD students to a maximum of 8 hours as topics vary. Credit is not given for more than 8 hours, but course may be repeated for no credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in the Department of English or consent of instructor. Students needing the proseminar for their programs will be given priority enrollment.
Guidance in writing theses for doctoral degrees. Approved for S/U grading only. May be repeated up to a maximum of 16 hours. Prerequisite: Doctoral candidate standing.