This seminar considers special topics in American literature from colonial settlement through the Civil War. Each course is organized by a theme, central critical questions, or by a genre, literary movement, period, or major figure.

Prerequisites

ENGL 1100

Every Fall

Previously: ENGL 320

This seminar considers special topics in American literature from the Civil War to the present. Each course is organized by a theme, central critical questions, or by a genre, literary movement, period, or major figure.

Prerequisites

ENGL 1100

Every Spring

Previously: ENGL 330

This seminar will consider special topics in British literature from the 6th to the 18th century. Each course will be organized by a theme, by a central critical question or questions, or by a genre, literary movement, period, or major figure.

Prerequisites

ENGL 1100

Nearly every Fall

Previously: ENGL 300

This seminar considers special topics in British and Irish literature from the late 18th century to the present. Study may include not only writers from the United Kingdom and Ireland but also colonial/postcolonial writers from the former British Empire.

Prerequisites

ENGL 1100

Every Spring

Previously: ENGL 310

This seminar will consider literature from outside the mainstream of American, English, and Western European literary traditions. Each course will be organized by a theme, central critical questions, by a genre, literary movement, period, or major figure.

Prerequisites

ENGL 1100

Every Fall

Previously: ENGL 340

This course is designed to situate students in the critical conversation surrounding Young Adult Literature: when did it appear as a genre, who were/are the critical players, what are the major themes, literary devices, and motifs that define YA lit., who should be reading it, what is the value of reading it, and what is its place in the literary canon? As such, we will examine texts that provide a historical perspective, such as J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, alongside contemporary texts, such as Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give and Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor and Park, to explore the debates surrounding this increasingly popular genre and to challenge the criteria that establish texts as young adult literature and the assumptions about the genre itself.

Prerequisites

ENGL 1100

Every Spring

Previously: ENGL 335

A critical study of the major plays of Shakespeare, their place in the development of English drama, and their current performances on stage and screen.

Prerequisites

ENGL 1100

Every Spring

Previously: ENGL 361

Students in this advanced writing course develop their abilities as writers of non-fiction prose. Emphasis is on developing voice and perfecting style whether for composing personal essays or for presenting research. Students can expect to participate in class writing workshops as well as experience a short review of grammar and mechanics.

Prerequisites

ENGL 1100

Every Spring

Previously: ENGL 311

Conducted primarily as a writers' workshop, this course explores strategies for developing narrative voice as well as creating plot, setting, character, and dialogue. We explore different sub-genres, from the "short-short" story to the novel, and read both contemporary and classic writers to determine what constitutes excellence in fiction.

Prerequisites

ENGL 1100

Every Spring

Previously: ENGL 304

Conducted as a writers' workshop, this course explores the art and craft of poetry writing in both traditional forms and free verse. While reading work by a variety of outstanding poets - mostly modern and contemporary - we work to develop our own poetic voices and at the same time strive for the highest standards of poetry writing.

Prerequisites

ENGL 1100

Occasional Interims

Previously: ENGL 305

Conducted as a writer's workshop, this course explores the specific skills and knowledge necessary to the working playwright, including the fundamentals of stagecraft. Basic elements of screenwriting will also be considered.

Prerequisites

ENGL 1100

Every other Fall, even years

Previously: ENGL 306

This course is designed to serve students from across the University to the end of equipping them with the tools to adapt to a diverse set of writing situations. We will analyze the dialects and style conventions used in medicine, engineering, business, law, government, education, and marketing. The more writing dexterity we have in different fields, the more options we have after graduation. In addition to bringing in professionals from each of these fields to speak to the writing situations they face, we will practice these forms of writing from Amazon's Blue Papers to engineering reports to legal memos, etc. as part of the course. Relevant fields may be adjusted based on student interest.

Every Spring

Previously: ENGL 316

An in-depth study of how English sentences are constructed and how that knowledge can aid in other endeavors such as writing or the study of literature. Structural grammar will be emphasized with comparison to traditional and transformational grammars. The history of the language, morphology, and semantics are included.

Prerequisites

ENGL 1100

Every Fall

Previously: ENGL 269

What happens when we read literature? How does a literary work come to "mean"? What do literary texts tell us about the nature of language? What do they tell us about the culture they're part of? Many literary critics and theorists have pondered these questions lately, and we'll explore them too, by studying primary texts in 20th- and 21st- century criticism and theory. The particular focus of the course will vary but will typically involve discussion of structuralism and post-structuralism, feminist criticism, and cultural studies.

Prerequisites

ENGL 1100

Every other Spring, even years

Previously: ENGL 289

Work in a professional setting appropriate for English majors, in an area of interest to the student, involving part-time or full-time employment by a cooperating business, office, or agency. Arranged on an individual basis.  Additional fees may apply.

Every Fall and Spring

Previously: ENGL 395

Special Topics in English.

Previously: ENGL 397

An intensive study of an author or of a period on a semi-tutorial basis.

Previously: ENGL 399