This course will focus on skill building: from writing correctly worded sentences and taking effective notes to developing well-organized paragraphs, summaries, expository essays, and literary analyses. The writing process will involve generating ideas, framing concise thesis statements, analyzing information, prewriting, drafting, revising/editing/proofreading, and composing final projects. Students will learn the importance of including specific details as support for thesis statements and will work to eliminate grammatical errors through written practice.
Every Fall
Previously: ENGL 110, ENGL 112
This composition and conversation course is designed specifically to help students learning English as a foreign language succeed in rigorous academic coursework at Augustana University. We will use the topic of modern American culture—specifically customs, traditions, art, and literature—to the end of writing polished academic papers on topics that fall under this umbrella. We will emphasize the writing process throughout the course, and we will engage in both formal and informal speaking activities to complement the work of written communication. We will also study and practice writing in different academic areas, including literature, history, social sciences, and the natural sciences.
Every Fall
Previously: ENGL 111
An introduction to major literary types including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama. Course themes and readings vary by section. The writing component consists of three to five essays of analysis and an emphasis on the writing process.
Every Fall and Spring
Previously: ENGL 200
This course considers the representation of bodies in literature from the 19th century to the present and examines how social, cultural, historical, and scientific expectations determine our responses to bodies marked by disease, trauma, gender, race, and class. Although not a scientific study itself, this course encourages students to encounter scientific thought and medical practices through the narrative imagination, introducing them to literary genres, including short fiction, novel, nonfiction, poetry, drama, and film. Students enrolled in this course should expect to gain confidence in approaching texts, thinking analytically and critically, and writing interpretively.
Occasional Interims
Previously: ENGL 207
This course combines a study of fundamental filmmaking techniques with a historical survey of American film from 1920 to 2000. In addition to developing an aesthetic appreciation for the art of American cinema, the course will examine the economic, social, cultural, and historical contexts in which that art form has been shaped.
Every Summer online
Previously: ENGL 150
This course develops an aesthetic and critical appreciation of film by examining artistic trends and critical theories in contemporary cinematography. The course focuses on visual imagery, sound, story, acting, and directing to develop a critical framework for appreciating the artistic aspects of film. Students are challenged to think about how filmmakers use these elements of the motion picture to create films of enduring worth in what is perhaps the most popular medium of fine art in the twenty-first century.
Most Interims
Previously: ENGL 140
During World War II, American women and girls were called upon to support the war effort in the workforce, the military, and their homes in a myriad of new ways and found themselves caught in an uncomfortable dichotomy. While encouraged to take on responsibilities previously considered gender inappropriate, they were simultaneously expected to fulfill traditional pre-war feminine roles and to revert to only those roles once the war was over. This course examines this pivotal time for American women and girls via a variety of sources, including memoirs, films, trade magazines, plant newspapers, women’s magazines, comic books, and paper dolls.
Occasionally
Previously: ENGL 175
“Criminals and Their Nemeses in Literature and Media” explores detective fiction from the amateur detectives of the 19th century to the private eyes of the early 20th century to the law enforcement officers of present day. Students will examine literary works and films, viewing them from historical, analytical, ethical, and literary perspectives. Students will also investigate the criminal activity and the perpetrators of each era, as well as the evolution of crime solving methods.
Occasional Interims
Previously: ENGL 168