English

Associate Professor Rosen, Chair; Charles A. Dana Professor of English Literature Benedict, Professor Fisher, Allan K. Smith Professor of English Language and Literature Goldman, Allan K. and Gwendolyn Miles Smith Professor of English Lauter, James J. Goodwin Professor of English Riggio; Associate Professors Bilston, Paulin, Wall, and Wheatley; Assistant Professors Berry∙, González, Hager, and Younger∙; Writer-in-Residence Ferriss; Artist-in-Residence Rossini; Allan K. Smith Lecturer in English Composition and Director of the Allan K. Smith Center for Writing and Rhetoric O’Donnell; Visiting Assistant Professors Cullity, Mrozowski, and Shapiro; Visiting Writer Libbey

The English major—By majoring in English, students set out to refine their ability to comprehend works of literature, to understand how literature and culture affect one another, and to express their interpretations in speech and in writing. In order to declare a major in English, students must meet with the department chair. While students may choose to concentrate in literature, in creative writing, or in literature and film, all three concentrations are designed to equip students to achieve these goals by requiring a minimum of 12 courses divided into the categories below. A course will count toward the major if the grade earned is a C- or higher.

Requirements for the concentration in literature

Read a literary work closely and critically. Required course for all majors: ENGL 260. Introduction to Literary Studies. The department strongly recommends that students take ENGL 260 before enrolling in any upper-level English course. The Writing Intensive Requirement Part II is fulfilled by ENGL 260.
Recognize the importance of the cultural contexts in which each work locates itself. The department requires two courses in “cultural context.” One of the courses must be one of the following surveys: ENGL 204, 205, 210, 211, 213, or 217. A more advanced cultural context course may be substituted for a survey upon petition. Alternately, GDST 252 and GDST 253 shall count as filling the requirement of a survey course.
Become knowledgeable about the broad traditions of American and British literature. The department requires three 300/400-level courses emphasizing literature written before 1800; two 300/400-level courses emphasizing literature written after 1800; and two courses as electives (at least one elective English course must be at the 300/400-level).
Develop and refine the interpretive theories and formal patterns students use to understand works of literature. The department requires one course in literary theory.
Bring to bear on each work your experience as readers and critics. The department requires a senior English major project, which may be a senior thesis or a senior seminar. You should undertake your project in your senior year.

The selection of courses must also take into account the following distribution requirements:

One advanced course (excluding ENGL 260) must emphasize poetry.
One advanced course must emphasize British literature.
One advanced course must emphasize American literature.

Requirements for the concentration in creative writing

Read a literary work closely and critically. Required course for all majors: ENGL 260. Introduction to Literary Studies. The department strongly recommends that students take ENGL 260 before enrolling in any upper-level English course. The Writing Intensive Requirement Part II is fulfilled by ENGL 260.
Recognize the importance of the cultural contexts in which each work locates itself. The department requires two courses in “cultural context.” One of the courses must be one of the following surveys: ENGL 204, 205, 210, 211, 213, or 217. A more advanced cultural context course may be substituted for a survey upon petition. Alternately, GDST 252 and GDST 253 shall count as filling the requirement of a survey course.
Become knowledgeable about the broad traditions of American and British literature. The department requires three 300/400-level courses emphasizing literature written before 1800; and two 300/400-level courses emphasizing literature written after 1800.
Cultivate your talents for imaginative writing. The department requires all those concentrating in creative writing to take ENGL 270. Introduction to Creative Writing. Some upper-level creative writing courses may require ENGL 270 as a prerequisite.
Take at least one advanced creative writing workshop (ENGL 333, 334, 335, 336, 337, or FILM 337. Writing for Film, or THDN 293. Playwrights’ Workshop I, or THDN 345. Writing for Stage and Screen). Each of these workshops has a literature pre- or co-requisite—see your adviser.
Take a senior workshop (ENGL 492 or ENGL 494).
Write a thesis (restricted to students with an A- average in the English major, or to students who have submitted a successful petition to the director of creative writing), or take a second advanced creative writing workshop (ENGL 333, 334, 335, 336, 337, or FILM337. Writing for Film, or THDN 293. Playwrights’ Workshop I, or THDN 345. Writing for Stage and Screen) in a different genre from the course taken to fulfill the advanced creative writing workshop. Each workshop has a literature pre- or co-requisite—see your adviser.

The selection of courses must also take into account the following distribution requirements:

One advanced course (excluding ENGL 260) must emphasize poetry.
One advanced course must emphasize British literature.
One advanced course must emphasize American literature.

Requirements for the concentration in literature and film

Read a literary work closely and critically. Required course for all majors: ENGL 260. Introduction to Literary Studies. The department strongly recommends that students take ENGL 260 before enrolling in any upper-level English course. The Writing Intensive Requirement Part II is fulfilled by ENGL 260.
Cultivate an understanding of the essential problems and techniques of film interpretation. The department requires that all those concentrating in literature and film take ENGL 265. Introduction to Film Studies. Some upper-level film courses may require ENGL 265 as a pre-requisite.
Recognize the importance of the cultural contexts in which each work locates itself. The department requires students concentrating in literature and film to take one further course besides 265 in “cultural context.” The course must be one of the following surveys ENGL 204, 205, 210, 213, or 217, preferably in the student’s first or second year. A more advanced cultural context course may be substituted for a survey upon petition. Alternately, GDST 252 and 253 shall count as filling this requirement.
Develop and refine the interpretive theories and formal patterns students use to understand works of literature and film. The department requires that concentrators in literature and film take one of the following theory courses: ENGL 470. Film Theory: An Introduction, ENGL 401. Theories and Methods of Literary Studies, or ENGL 301. Literature and Meaning: from Aristotle to Queer Theory.
Become knowledgeable about the broad traditions of American and British literature. The department requires two 300/400-level courses emphasizing literature written before 1800; and two 300/400-level courses emphasizing literature written after 1800.
Become knowledgeable about the history of cinema. The department requires three advanced courses, at least two on the 300/400 level, in film studies. Of these courses, one must be specifically on literature and film (so designated in the Course Catalogue). Up to one of these courses may be taken in a co-ordinate department.
Bring to bear on each work your experience as readers, viewers, and critics. The department requires a senior English major project, which may be a senior thesis or a senior seminar. You should undertake your project in your senior year.

The selection of courses must also take into account the following distribution requirements:

One advanced course (excluding ENGL 260) must emphasize poetry.
One advanced course must emphasize British literature.
One advanced course must emphasize American literature.

The English minor—The student electing a minor in English will choose a concentration in either literature or creative writing. In order to declare a minor in English, the student must meet with the department chair. Only courses in which the student has received a grade of at least C- can count toward the minor in English.

Literature concentration

Six courses in literature:

ENGL 260. Introduction to Literary Studies
One cultural context (introductory or advanced level) or one survey (ENGL 204, 205, 210, 211, 213, or 217, or GDST 252 or 253) (A more advanced cultural context course may be substituted for a survey upon petition.)
One 300/400-level pre-1800 course
One 300/400 level post-1800 course
Two electives, at least one of which must be at the 300/400-level

The selection of courses must also take into account the following distribution requirements:

One advanced course (excluding ENGL 260) must emphasize poetry.
One advanced course must emphasize British literature.
One advanced course must emphasize American literature.

Creative writing concentration

Six courses—three in literature and three in creative writing:

ENGL 260. Introduction to Literary Studies
Two literature courses—one must be pre-1800; one must be upper-level
ENGL 270. Introduction to Creative Writing
One advanced creative writing workshop (ENGL 333, 334, 335, 336, 337, FILM 337, THDN 293, or THDN 345)
Senior workshop in fiction or poetry (ENGL 492 or 494)

Honors—In order to earn honors in the major, all students must attain a minimum of an A- GPA in all English courses counting toward major requirements. In addition, all students must successfully complete an honors senior project, of which both semester credits will count toward the major GPA. The honors senior project consists of either:

A two-semester senior thesis.
A senior seminar plus a one-semester senior thesis. The student may do the thesis and the seminar in either term.
For students concentrating in creative writing, a fall-term senior workshop plus a spring-term creative thesis if the student has earned a minimum GPA of A- in the major by the end of junior year.

Students who plan to continue the study of English in graduate school should see Professor David Rosen about special preparation, preferably in their sophomore year or early in their junior year.

Study away—The English Department encourages its students to take the opportunity to study abroad, both in countries in which English is the primary language and elsewhere. Students interested in studying abroad or elsewhere in the United States should discuss questions of transferring credits, fulfilling requirements, and other related matters with the department’s study abroad adviser, Professor Milla Riggio. The English Department accepts two courses for a semester away, and three courses for a year away toward the major, with the possibility of petitioning the chair to count additional courses under exceptional circumstances.

Fall Term

Composition and Rhetoric Courses

All expository writing and composition courses that were formerly designated with the ENGL prefix are now given the prefix RHET and can be found under the designation WRITING AND RHETORIC in the Schedule of Classes. At the 100 and 200 levels, the following courses do not count toward English major credit. A student may count one 300-level course as an elective in the English major.

[101. Writing]— An introduction to the art of expository writing, with attention to analytical reading and critical thinking in courses across the college curriculum. Assignments offer students opportunities to read and write about culture, politics, literature, science, and other subjects. Emphasis is placed on helping students to develop their individual skills. (Enrollment limited)

[102. Writing Studio]— The Writing Studio will function as a weekly small-group writing tutorial and writing support group, facilitated by a Writing Studio Coach, an upper-level or graduate student. Weekly meetings will focus on specific writing topics and will provide ample opportunities for members to have their writing work-shopped by their group. (0.25 course credit) (Enrollment limited)

[302. Writing Theory and Practice]— A study of the art of discourse, with special emphasis on the dynamics of contemporary composition and argumentation. This course examines rhetorical theory from the Classical period to the New Rhetoric, as well as provides students with frequent practice in varied techniques of composing and evaluating expository prose. A wide selection of primary readings across the curriculum will include some controversial ideas about writing from Plato’s Phaedrus, the heart of Aristotle’s Rhetoric, and examples of the best writing in the arts and sciences. By invitation only. For students admitted to the Writing Associates Program. (Enrollment limited)

[303. Writing Studio Coach]— A pro-seminar designated for coaches who will facilitate the First-Year Writing Studios. This seminar will provide coaches with background in writing pedagogy that emphasizes first-year writers’ needs and extensive training in conducting small group writing workshops. Coaches will study specific writing strategies to present to their Writing Studios in their weekly sessions. Responsibilities will also include maintaining periodic contact with their Studio participants’ FYSM faculty, keeping records of participants’ work and attendance, and writing a final evaluation of each writer in their Studio.

For the first three weeks of the semester, the seminar will meet as a group three times a week, during the two regularly scheduled times and during a Common Hour. Beginning on September 26, 2011, each week Coaches will meet with the pro-seminar class, with a small working group of Studio Coaches, and with their Writing Studio. (Enrollment limited)

Creative Writing Courses

The following courses emphasize the writing of prose fiction, poetry, and sometimes drama. It is strongly recommended that students do not enroll in more than one writing course simultaneously during a single semester. For all creative writing courses, attendance at a minimum of two readings offered on campus by visiting writers is required.

270. Introduction to Creative Writing— An introduction to imaginative writing, concentrating on the mastery of language and creative expression in more than one genre. Discussion of work by students and established writers. Beginning with the class of 2009, this is a required course for creative writing majors. One requirement of this class is attendance at a minimum of two readings offered on campus by visiting writers. (Enrollment limited)-Cullity, Ferriss, Gonzalez, Libbey

[333. Creative Nonfiction]— In this writing workshop, we explore the genre of creative nonfiction. The term “nonfiction” implies that the writer is telling the truth—that the reader can assume and trust that the writer is describing people who are real and events that have happened. The writer strives for accuracy, even if the nature of that accuracy remains within the bounds of human limitations. The adjective “creative” refers to the fact that in creative nonfiction there is an important transformation of life into art, through the use of poetic and fictional techniques. Our readings will enhance our understanding of how creative nonfiction essays are constructed; they will also serve as springboards for writing exercises. In writing workshops, the main focus of the course, we will produce various types of creative nonfiction. For English majors, this course counts as an elective; for writing, rhetoric, and media arts minors, it counts as a core course. (Enrollment limited)

[333. Creative Nonfiction]— In this writing workshop, we explore the genre of creative nonfiction. The term “nonfiction” implies that the writer is telling the truth–that the reader can assume and trust that the writer is describing people who are real and events that have happened. The writer strives for accuracy, even if the nature of that accuracy remains within the bounds of human limitations. The adjective “creative” refers to the fact that in creative nonfiction there is an important transformation of life into art, through the use of poetic and fictional techniques. Our readings will enhance our understanding of how creative nonfiction essays are constructed; they will also serve as springboards for writing exercises. In writing workshops, the main focus of the course, we will produce various types of creative nonfiction. For English majors, this course counts as an elective; for writing, rhetoric,and media arts minors, it counts as a core course. Prerequisite: C- or better in ENGL 270 or Permission of Instructor (Enrollment limited)

334. Advanced Creative Writing: Fiction— Students will write and rewrite fiction. The class is run as a workshop, and discussions are devoted to analysis of student work and that of professional writers. One requirement of this class is attendance at a minimum of two readings offered on campus by visiting writers. This course satisfies the requirement of a 300-level workshop for creative writing majors. Prerequisite: C- or better in ENGL 270 or Permission of Instructor (Enrollment limited)-Gonzalez

[337. Writing for Film]— An introduction to the craft of screenwriting with a strong emphasis on story selection and development. Students will complete a full-length screenplay over the course of the semester. We will read and analyze scripts that have been made into films, and we will workshop student work through the semester. Writing experience recommended. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of an elective. This course can be counted toward fulfillment of requirements for the film studies minor. Not open to first-year students. Prerequisite: Permission of Instructor. (Enrollment limited)

492. Fiction Workshop— Advanced seminar in the writing of fiction. Class discussions devoted primarily to the analysis of student fiction, with some attention to examples of contemporary short stories. One requirement of this class is attendance at a minimum of two readings offered on campus by visiting writers, and an advanced creative writing workshop. This course satisfies the requirement of a 400-level workshop for creative writing majors. Prerequisite: English 270 and one of the following English 333, 334, 335, 336, Film 337, or Theater and Dance 293 (formerly Theater and Dance 393). (Enrollment limited)-Goldman

494. Poetry Workshop— Advanced seminar in the writing of poetry. Class discussions devoted primarily to the analysis of student work, with some attention to examples of contemporary poetry. One requirement of this class is attendance at a minimum of two readings offered on campus by visiting writers, and an advanced creative writing workshop. This course satisfies the requirement of a 400-level workshop for creative writing majors, and a senior project. Prerequisite: English 270 and one of the following English 333, 334, 335, 336, Film 337, or Theater and Dance 293 (formerly Theater and Dance 393). (Enrollment limited)-Rossini

Introductory Literature Courses

These courses require only a minimal background in the study of literature, but they demand close attention to the text. Students will normally analyze literary works in class discussion and write a number of papers. Except for seminars and writing classes, and unless otherwise specified, all English courses are limited to 30 students.

205. Introduction to American Literature II— This course surveys major works of American literature after 1865, from literary reckonings with the Civil War and its tragic residues, to works of “realism” and “naturalism” that contended with the late 19th century’s rapid pace of social change, to the innovative works of the modern and postmodern eras. As we read works by authors such as Mark Twain, Kate Chopin, William Faulkner, and Toni Morrison, we will inquire: how have literary texts defined and redefined “America” and Americans? What are the means by which some groups have been excluded from the American community, and what are their experiences of that exclusion? And how do these texts shape our understanding of the unresolved problems of post-Civil War American democracy? For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. (Enrollment limited)-Hager

210. Survey of English Literature I: Anglo-Saxon Period to 1700— Through selected readings in works from the Anglo-Saxon period to the late 17th century, this course will study the development of English literature in the context of stylistic, cultural, and historical changes and influences. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. (Enrollment limited)-Wheatley

[217. Introduction to African American Literature]— This course surveys African American literature in a variety of genres from the 18th century to the present. Through the study of texts by Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, Charles Chesnutt, W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, and others, we will explore the ways these writers have represented and influenced the history of people of African descent in the United States, from slavery and abolition to Jim-Crow segregation and struggles for civil rights; how their work has intervened in the construction of race and imagined the black diaspora; and how their innovations in literary form have engaged with continuing political questions of nation, gender, sexuality, and class. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural contexts. (Enrollment limited)

[247. Poetry Of(f) The Page]— A close listening course which foregrounds poetry’s sound text by means of reading aloud, audio and videotapes, live poetry readings and Slams, and live class performance. We will explore: today’s audio-text in relation to early oral tradition; sound text and written text as two different texts generated by any given poem; sound as artistic medium; the place of the spoken poem in our current U.S.A. culture(s). The class community will do some writing, but the focus is on sound–speech, hearing, listening as embodiment of text. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. (Enrollment limited)

260. Introduction to Literary Studies— This course introduces students to the fundamental techniques of close reading. The course will show students how to apply this critical vocabulary to a wide range of literary genres from different historical periods, and to develop the writing and research skills necessary for composing clear and compelling arguments in the interpretation of a text. Note: This course is required of all English majors. This course can be counted toward fulfillment of requirements for the literature and psychology minor. (Enrollment limited)-Bilston, Mrozowski, Wall

[264. Victorian London: Center and Suburbs]— In the 19th century, Britain became for the first time in history an urban nation. In this course, we will investigate literary responses to the transformation of Britain - some well-known, others more obscure. Discussions will center on questions such as: Who built the new suburbs, and why? Who chose to live in the cities, who preferred the suburbs, and why? How and in what ways did experiences of the cities and suburbs differ for men and for women? For the working, middle, and upper classes? What were the hopes of urbanization, and what were its problems? How were the cities and the suburbs represented in literature across the course of the period? What was the imagined, and what was the real, relationship between the center, the suburbs, and the slums? Students will complete three papers and several shorter response papers on this topic. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. (Enrollment limited)

265. Introduction to Film Studies— This course provides a general introduction to the study of film and focuses on the key terms and concepts used to describe and analyze the film experience. As we put this set of tools and methods in place, we will also explore different modes of film production (fictional narrative, documentary, experimental) and some of the critical issues and debates that have shaped the discipline of film studies (genre, auteurism, film aesthetics, ideology). Note: Film screening only on Wednesday evenings. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a literary theory course, or a course emphasizing cultural contexts. This course can be counted toward fulfillment of requirements for the film studies minor. (Enrollment limited)-Riggio

[276. How Stories Get Told]— This course examines theories and techniques of the art of narrative and its adaptations across media. Where do stories come from? How and why do they get told? What happens, for example, when Francis Ford Coppola transforms Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness into Apocalypse Now, or graphic novelist Alan Moore merges words and images to create Watchmen? What do we make of traditional literary theories of narratology when a contemporary Macbeth struts and frets upon a digital stage? We will look at a wide variety of narrative theories, stories, and storytellers as we test our own perceptions against the claim by Roland Barthes that “narrative is international, transhistorical, transcultural: it is simply there, like life itself.” For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a literary theory course. (Enrollment limited)

277. The Strange Meaning of Things— How important is your “stuff” to you? What does it mean? When is a thing just a thing, and when does it represent something else? In this course, students will examine the literary representations of material culture, including clothes, tools, collections of things, paintings, jewelry and books, in a range of works from the Renaissance to the present. We will analyze what different kinds of things mean at different periods of history, and how writers invest them with magical, religious, satirical and sentimental significance. Readings will include drama, novels, poetry, poltergeist tales, and journalism, as well as some history, and anthropological and literary theory. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. (Enrollment limited)-Benedict

[286. European Modernist Cinema]— The 30-year period from 1950-1980 is often regarded as the golden age of European cinema. Launched by the post-war epiphanies of Italian Neorealism, a new cinematic language, modernism, was forged both by movements of young radicals and older directors eager to transcend their past achievements. Embraced by an expanding audience of cinephiles (self-educated film-lovers), European modernist cinema became one of the most dynamic and significant phenomena of 20th century culture. This course offers an introduction to this essential area of film history and will situate key directors and movements within the exciting political and cultural contexts of the times. Directors to be examined may include Antonioni, Bergman, Bresson, Bunuel, Dreyer, Fassbinder, Fellini, Godard, Has, Pasolini, Rosselini, Rivette, Tarr, Tarkovsky, Tati, Truffaut, and Wertmuller. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. (Enrollment limited)

Literature Courses

Although these are not introductory courses, many of them are open to non-English majors.

[301. Literature and Meaning: from Aristotle to Queer Theory]— This course explores the different ways in which literature has been—and can be—interpreted and justified. Students will read critical theories from Platonism to feminism and queer theory, and will apply these theories to selected texts by Shakespeare, Keats, Austen, Conrad, and others in order to define their own literary theory. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a literary theory course. (Enrollment limited)

[306. Memory and History in African Literature]— Through the close reading of eight works by African writers—encompassing a variety of forms and genres, touching on traditional Africa as well as contemporary ideas—the course will explore the variety of styles, forms, and themes in African writing. The course will examine narrative strategies, aesthetic choices, and the broader historical forces and cultural experiences informing the work of African writers. A good deal of the class will be devoted to exploring each writer’s engagement with a facet of Africa’s historical or post-colonial experience, and how each author seeks to reshape historical experience in fiction, drama, or memoir. We shall also investigate writers’ use of memory, their integration of folktale in their narrative, and their experimentation with the wider resources of orature. We will pay attention to the tension between the individual and community, how each text defines private and public spheres, and how each writer responds to the Euro-American canon. Through the texts, we will explore such broad subjects as the roots and impact of slavery; fault lines in indigenous African societies; the colonial subjugation of Africa; the emergence of neo-colonial nation-states in Africa; post-colonial anxieties and disillusionment, and the evolution of gender relations. For the English major, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800, or a course emphasizing cultural context. (Enrollment limited)

314. The Post-911 American Short Story— The short story has been described as a sensitive barometer of our social conditions - a form that chronicles our times and shows us new sensibilities. In this course we examine the resilient form of the American short story in the decade following September 11, 2001. Reading from a course packet made up of stories published in Harper’s, The Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, we will come to understand exactly how the genre has changed during its most recent period of growth. The course includes an American history of the form, comparisons of our stories to those from other decades and countries, a focus on close readings and the elements of craft, as well as attention to solid research skills, and full-class workshops of students’ essay drafts. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. (Enrollment limited)-Cullity

[322. Southern Gothic Tales]— This course will explore Southern Gothic literature and film, including a range of works from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe to the fiction of Cormac McCarthy and the pop culture images of HBO’s True Blood. With a focus on murder, madness, freaks, and vampires, the genre pushes toward what Flannery O’Connor called “the limits of mystery” in its attempts to deal with the tragic extremes of human behavior and the comic twists of the grotesque. We will establish the cultural context, survey the media’s fascination with stereotypes of the southern United States, and study the narrative structuring of terror and horror, the textual and visual encoding of characters overwhelmed by anxiety and alienation, and the embedding of political allegories and themes of social disorder. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context or a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. For literature and film concentrators, this course fulfills the requirement of an advanced course toward the major. (Enrollment limited)

324. The Resisting Reader— Using feminist, narratological, and reader-response approaches, we will re-examine a number of canonical American texts read “against the grain.” That is, we shall pay attention to the inadvertent ways in which both central and marginal figures are distorted in order to create stories that re-enact central American myths of adventure, manliness, conquest, and manifest destiny. Authors will include Sherwood Anderson, Henry James, Fitzgerald, and Hemingway, and possibly Stowe, Cather, Richard Wright, Mailer, and Erdrich, among others. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800, or a literary theory course. (Enrollment limited)-Ferriss

[342. Native American Writers]— Using a variety of texts including poetry, biography, literature, and criticsm, we will examine the stereotypes disseminated of Native American peoples and the way Native artists work to combat these stereotypes. The voices we will read will complicate the narrative of America, the American dream, and even American identity - whatever that may be. Works will include Sarah Winnemucca, Zitkala-Sa, Susan Power, N. Scott Momaday, Simon Ortiz, and Louise Erdrich, among others. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context, or a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. (Enrollment limited)

345. Chaucer— A study of The Canterbury Tales and related writings in the context of late medieval conceptions of society, God, love, and marriage. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written before 1800, or a course emphasizing cultural context. Prerequisite: C- or better in English 260 or permission of instructor (Enrollment limited)-Fisher

351. Shakespeare— In this course we will study selected Shakespeare plays, with an emphasis on understanding cultural contexts and on plays in performance. We focus on Shakespeare’s language and the language of the theater and the drama of his age, with an eye also to helping you understand why these plays and this dramatist have earned such an extraordinary place in the cultural history of so many people and places, from Russia to Africa. Plays to be studied may include: King Lear, The Merchant of Venice, Othello, Titus Andronicus, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Tempest. These choices are subject to change. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written before 1800, or a literary theory course. Not open to first-year students. (Enrollment limited)-Riggio

[355. Narratives of Disability in U.S. Literature and Culture]— This course introduces students to the ways in which disability has been used to represent both “normalcy” and extraordinariness in literature. We will consider how “tales told by idiots,” as framed in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, often supply the unique and insightful perspective that mainstream characters cannot see, hear, or experience because of their own limitations. We will look at how the notion of disability has been aligned with other aspects of identity, such as Charles Chesnutt’s representation of race as a disability in his turn of the century literature or of slaves using performances of disability to escape from the horrid institution during the 19th-century. We will read a variety of genres, fiction, memoir, and some literary criticism to come to a clearer understanding of the ways in which the meaning of disability and its representation in a variety of texts echoes a broader set of beliefs and practices in the U.S. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. (Enrollment limited)

[356. Milton]— In this course, we will consider the works of John Milton, with attention to how his prose and poetry synthesizes long-standing intellectual and literary traditions and grapples with issues that still engage us today: the relation of men and women, the realities of loss and mortality, the concept of significant individual choice, and the power and limitations of language as the tool with which we forge an understanding of the world. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written before 1800. Prerequisite: C- or better in English 260. (Enrollment limited)

364. Literary Transformations in the 18th Century— How do writers transform traditional literary forms to express new perceptions of identity, sexuality, society, and nature? In this course, we will examine the way the poets, playwrights, journalists, and fiction writers of Restoration and 18th-century England imitated, reworked, and finally rejected old genres to forge new kinds of literary expression. Readings include works by Aphra Behn, Dryden, Swift, Pope, Johnson, and Goldsmith. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written before 1800, or a course emphasizing cultural context. Prerequisite: C- or better in English 260 or permission of instructor (Enrollment limited)-Benedict

[383. Modern British Fiction]— This is a course in British fiction between 1890 and 1945. The prose (novels and stories) of this period is characterized by tremendous ambition, radical experimentation, the questioning of old conventions and the creation of new ones. Authors will include Wilde, Conrad, Ford, Forster, Joyce, Woolf, and Beckett. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. Prerequisite: C- or better in English 260 or permission of instructor (Enrollment limited)

399. Independent Study— A limited number of individual tutorials in topics not currently offered by the department. Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar’s Office and the approval of the instructor and chairperson are required for enrollment. (0.5-1 course credit) -Staff

401. Theories and Methods of Literary Studies— This seminar is designed to introduce students to the field of literary studies at the graduate level, to provide a perspective on varied critical vocabularies, and to explore the development of literary theories and methods from classical to contemporary times. Emphasis will be placed on a broad examination of the history and traditions of literary theory, the ongoing questions and conflicts among theorists, and practical applications to the study of works in literature. Students will write weekly, have opportunities to lead class discussion, and work in stages to compose a substantial critical essay based on research and the development of their own perspective on understanding and evaluating a literary text. (Note: English 401 and English 801 are the same course.) For the English graduate program, this course is required of all students and we recommend that entering students enroll in this course during their first year of graduate study. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a literary theory course or an elective. (Enrollment limited)-Rosen

403. Amistad and Other Rebellions— The period leading to the Civil War witnessed intense conflicts not only about slavery and race but about the spread of capitalism, restrictions on women’s economic and social rights, the growth of cities, and a variety of other social issues. “Literature” in this period was seldom seen as standing apart from these issues. On the contrary, art, politics, and social issues were generally seen as heavily intertwined. In this course we will look at the relationships between a number of issues prominent in ante-bellum America and works of art which at once expressed ideas about such issues and helped shape responses to them. The AMISTAD affair will provide one instance; we will examine two or three others as well. (English 403 and English 830 are the same course.) Note: For English majors, English 260 with a grade of C- or higher. Students other than English majors who wish to enroll in this course must have Professor Lauter sign a Course Exception/Override form. Also listed under American Studies Graduate Program. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. For graduate students, this course satisfies the requirement of a literary history course. Prerequisite: C- or better in English 260 or permission of instructor (Enrollment limited)-Lauter

[424. Sensational Literature of Victorian Suburbia]— One of the most extraordinary phenomena of the Victorian period was the growth and development of the suburbs. “The great suburban sea-change” that began around the middle of the 18th century picked up rapid pace after Waterloo, and between 1861 and 1891 the London suburbs grew as much as fifty percent per decade. Greater London absorbed one-quarter of the net increase of the population of the entire country in the 1890s; the nation would never be the same again. In this course students will investigate literary responses to this transformation - some well-known, but others far more obscure. Discussions will center on questions such as: who built the suburbs, and why? Who chose to live in suburbia,and why? What did daily life in suburbia look like? How and in what ways did experiences of suburbia differ for men and for women? For the working, middle, and upper classes? What were the hopes of suburbia, and what were its problems? What was the relationship between the suburbs and slums? How did suburbia gain its eventual reputation for dullness and stagnancy? Students will complete two long papers and several shorter response papers; they will also be responsible for presenting independent research on suburbia to the class. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. For the English graduate program, this course satisfies the requirement of a course in British literature or a course emphasizing cultural contexts for the literary studies track; it counts as an elective for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track. (Enrollment limited)

[431. Writing Women of the Renaissance]— The course will focus on literary works written by Renaissance women, as well as key representations of gender found in selected plays and poems by male writers of the same period. (Note: English 431 and English 833 are the same course.) For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written before 1800. For the English graduate program, this course satisfies the requirement of a course in British literature, or a course emphasizing cultural contexts for the literary studies track; it satisfies the requirement of an elective for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track. It satisfies the literary history requirement for the old requirements, predating fall 2004. (Enrollment limited)

[438. Modernism/Modernity]— What was Modernism? Concurrent with the growth of Modernist studies in the last 15 years or so has been decreasing agreement about the nature of Modernism itself. In this course, we will consider the various competing accounts of Modernism (the artistic movement) and Modernity (the period) current in cultural theorists’ attempts to reshape the modern canon; we will also examine the influential interpretations of modernist politics, aesthetics, technologies, and media. Readings will be divided equally between literature (familiar and less-familiar authors) and theory/philosophy (Nietzsche, Bergson, Adorno, Bourdieu, Jameson, and others). (Note: English 438 and English 838 are the same course.) For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a literary theory course, or a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. For the English graduate program, this course satisfies the requirements of a course in British literature, or a course emphasizing cultural contexts for the literary studies track; it counts as an elective for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track. (Enrollment limited)

[439. Special Topics in Film: The Documentary]— Documentary films chronicle varied cultural, social, and political realities, from coal miners’ strikes and social revolutions to the development of musical genres. Documentary styles range from fictionalized recreations (docudramas) to narrative reenactments to non-narrative commentaries. This course will examine key documentary strategies through representative films, which may include Harlan County USA (Barbara Kopple, 1976) and Shut Up and Sing (Kopple and Cecilia Peck, 2006), Journalist and the Jihadi: The Murder of Daniel Pearl (Ahmad Jamal and Ramesh Sharma, 2006): segments of The Battle of Algiers, Poto Mitan: Haitian Women, Pillars of the Global Economy (Renee Bergan and Mark Schuller), Jazz (selected episodes) (Ken Burns, 2001), Say Amen, Somebody (George Nierenberg, 1982), An Inconvenient Truth (David Guggenheim, 2008), and Fair Game (Doug Liman, 2010). English 439-16 and English 839-12 are the same course. For the English graduate program, this course counts as a core course for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track; it counts as an elective for the literary studies track. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies a post-1800 distribution requirement, a literary theory course, or a core course for the literature and film concentration. (Enrollment limited)

[457. Novels Into Film]— In this course we will study selected adaptations of novels into film, examining some of the basic theoretical and practical issues involved in adapting a text from one medium to another, using as case studies selected novels and films. Text to be studied may include Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter (comparing the 1926 version to the 1996 version), Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence (Scorsese film), John McDonald, The Executioners with two films: Cape Fear, (1962, J. Lee Thompson) and (1991, Martin Scorsese); Mario Puzo, The Godfather (1972, Coppola film); Daphne duMaurier, Rebecca (1940, Hitchcock). Other films and novels may be chosen, but the focus of the course will be the nature of the individual adaptation in relationship to the issues generically involved in adapting prose fiction to the medium of film. We will read the films as texts in their own right. (Note: English 457 and English 857 are the same course.) For the English graduate program, this course counts as a core course for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track or an elective in the literary studies track; for undergraduate English majors, it counts as a course emphasizing literature written after 1800, or a literary theory course. (Enrollment limited)

466. Teaching Assistantship— Students may assist professors as teaching assistants, performing a variety of duties usually involving assisting students in conceiving or revising papers; reading and helping to evaluate papers, quizzes, and exams; and other duties as determined by the student and instructor. See instructor of specific course for more information. Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar’s Office and the approval of the instructor and chairperson are required for enrollment. (0.5-1 course credit) -Staff

[477. The Sixties in Film, Fiction and Poetry]— “The Sixties” have taken on iconic status as a representation of progressive social change. In fact, quite varied images of The Sixties have been constructed in poetry, fiction, film, and other creative forms, a good deal of it composed during the years 1958-1974 or so. This course will read such works, examining the roles of creative texts in defining and carrying out the social and political conflicts of the era-and in shaping our own time. Authors to be read will likely include Martin Luther King, Jr., Alice Walker, Robert Bly, Denise Levertov, Allen Ginsberg. Note: English 477 and English 877 are the same course. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. For the English graduate program, this course satisfies the requirement of a course in American literature or a course emphasizing cultural contexts for the literary studies track; it counts as an elective for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track. Prerequisite: ENGL 260 with minimum grade of C- and Junior or Senior status. (Enrollment limited)

490. Research Assistantship— (0.5-1 course credit) -Staff

[495. Senior Seminar]— Senior English majors may, if they wish, take more than one senior seminar. These courses are ordinarily restricted to senior English majors, but non-seniors may petition individual instructors for admission. For English majors, the Senior Seminar satisfies the requirement of a senior project.

[495-01. Senior Seminar: Meanings in Literature and History: The Phenomenon of Literary Popularity]— Why is Shakespeare considered great? Why is Jane Austen so popular? Or Romantic Poetry? Or Stephen King? In this course students will explore the way theorists and critics from Aristotle to Edward Said have understood literary value and meaning, while they also read key texts in British literature. Students will have the chance to develop their own literary theories and apply them to their favorite texts. (Enrollment limited)

495. Senior Seminar: Wordsworth: Rewriting Wordsworth— How does literature change over time? How do earlier writers exercise an influence, for good or ill, over their successors, and how do those later writers grapple with their most powerful forerunners? In this seminar, you will be invited to think in the abstract, theoretically, about these large questions, which have formed a subtext to your work in the major thus far. To focus our discussion, we will concentrate on Romantic and Modern poetry. In the first half, we will read through the major works of William Wordsworth, the most influential English language poet since (at the very least) Milton. Then, in the second half, we will look at how the greatest Modern poets, both British and American, struggled with Wordsworth’s legacy - sometimes going so far as to rewrite specific Wordsworth poems, sometimes denying Wordsworth’s importance altogether. Modernists will include Yeats, Frost, Eliot, Pound, Moore, Bishop, Stevens and Auden. In the final project, you will have the opportunity to apply our broader conclusions to your work in the major over the last four years. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a senior project. (Enrollment limited)-Rosen

[495-01. Senior Seminar: Curiosity & Literature]— This course will examine the literary themes, forms and characters that manifest curiosity from the Renaissance to the 21st century. We will analyze the concept of curiosity, explore the way curiosity transformed both literature and culture in the age of inquiry, when Peeping Tom was invented, modern science was institutionalized, and the detective novel was born, and read accounts of both approved and disapproved kinds, such as witchcraft, voyeurism, and the exhibition of monsters. Texts will include drama, journalism, poetry, satire, and novels by Shakespeare, Defoe, Johnson, Jane Austen, Dickens and others. Assignments include oral presentations, and students will conduct original research on a related topic of their choice for their final essays. (Enrollment limited)

Senior Thesis Options—Students who wish to write senior theses may choose between the year-long, two-credit thesis and the semester-long, one-credit thesis. Students who choose to write two-semester year-long senior theses are required to enroll in ENGL 498. Senior Thesis Part I/Senior Colloquium in the fall of their senior year. They must also re-register for ENGL 499. Senior Thesis Part II during the spring of their senior year. Students who choose to write one-semester, one-credit theses must enroll in ENGL 497. One-Semester Senior Thesis. Students choosing to write a one-semester, one-credit thesis are not required to enroll in ENGL 498. Senior Thesis Part I/Senior Colloquium, which is primarily for those doing year-long, two-credit theses.

497. One-Semester Senior Thesis— Individual tutorial in writing of a one-semester senior thesis on a special topic in literature or criticism. Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar’s Office and the approval of the instructor and the chairperson are required. -Staff

498. Senior Thesis Part 1/Senior Colloquium— This course is designed to teach senior English majors the techniques of research and analysis needed for writing a year-long essay on a subject of their choice. It is intended to help the students to write such year-long theses, and to encourage them to do so. It will deal with problems such as designing longer papers, focusing topics, developing and limiting bibliographies, working with manuscripts, using both library and Internet resources, and understanding the uses of theoretical paradigms. This course is required of all senior English majors who are planning to write two-semester, year-long theses. Please refer to the department’s website for more information. Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar’s Office and the approval of the instructor and the chairperson are required. (2 course credits are considered pending in the first semester; 2 course credits will be awarded for completion in the second semester.) (2 course credits) (Enrollment limited)-Wheatley

Graduate Courses

801. Theories and Methods of Literary Studies— This seminar is designed to introduce students to the field of literary studies at the graduate level, to provide a perspective on varied critical vocabularies, and to explore the development of literary theories and methods from classical to contemporary times. Emphasis will be placed on a broad examination of the history and traditions of literary theory, the ongoing questions and conflicts among theorists, and practical applications to the study of works in literature. Students will write weekly, have opportunities to lead class discussion, and work in stages to compose a substantial critical essay based on research and the development of their own perspective on understanding and evaluating a literary text. (Note: English 401 and English 801 are the same course.) For the English graduate program, this course is required of all students and we recommend that entering students enroll in this course during their first year of graduate study. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a literary theory course or an elective. Prerequisite: Course is open only to English majors -Rosen

824. Reading Victorian Narratives— This course offers an advanced investigation into major writers and issues from the British Victorian period (1837-1901). We will concentrate on texts—fiction, non-fictional prose, poetry—in which notions of propriety and morality are in productive dialogue with crimes, threatening secrets, and subversive passions. In seminar sessions and in written work we will interrogate textual constructions of sexuality and gender, considering the potential for slippage between high-conservative ideals and actual lived experiences. Our readings will be informed by a range of modern critical, theoretical, and socio-historical examinations of Victorian literature and culture. Note:For the English graduate program, this course satisfies the requirement of a course in British literature or a course emphasizing cultural contexts for the literary studies track; it counts as an elective for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800.-Bilston

[824. Sensational Literature of Victorian Suburbia]— One of the most extraordinary phenomena of the Victorian period was the growth and development of the suburbs. “The great suburban sea-change” that began around the middle of the 18th century picked up rapid pace after Waterloo, and between 1861 and 1891 the London suburbs grew as much as fifty percent per decade. Greater London absorbed one-quarter of the net increase of the population of the entire country in the 1890s; the nation would never be the same again. In this course students will investigate literary responses to this transformation - some well-known, but others far more obscure. Discussions will center on questions such as: who built the suburbs, and why? Who chose to live in suburbia,and why? What did daily life in suburbia look like? How and in what ways did experiences of suburbia differ for men and for women? For the working, middle, and upper classes? What were the hopes of suburbia, and what were its problems? What was the relationship between the suburbs and slums? How did suburbia gain its eventual reputation for dullness and stagnancy? Students will complete two long papers and several shorter response papers; they will also be responsible for presenting independent research on suburbia to the class. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. For the English graduate program, this course satisfies the requirement of a course in British literature or a course emphasizing cultural contexts for the literary studies track; it counts as an elective for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track.

830. Amistad and Other Rebellions— The period leading to the Civil War witnessed intense conflicts not only about slavery and race but about the spread of capitalism, restrictions on women’s economic and social rights, the growth of cities, and a variety of other social issues. “Literature” in this period was seldom seen as standing apart from these issues. On the contrary, art, politics, and social issues were generally seen as heavily intertwined. In this course we will look at the relationships between a number of issues prominent in ante-bellum America and works of art which at once expressed ideas about such issues and helped shape responses to them. The AMISTAD affair will provide one instance; we will examine two or three others as well. (English 403 and English 830 are the same course.) Note: For English majors, English 260 with a grade of C- or higher. Students other than English majors who wish to enroll in this course must have Professor Lauter sign a Course Exception/Override form. Also listed under American Studies Graduate Program. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. For graduate students, this course satisfies the requirement of a literary history course. Prerequisite: C- or better in English 260 or permission of instructor -Lauter

[833. Writing Women of the Renaissance]— The course will focus on literary works written by Renaissance women, as well as key representations of gender found in selected plays and poems by male writers of the same period. (Note: English 431 and English 833 are the same course.) For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written before 1800. For the English graduate program, this course satisfies the requirement of a course in British literature, or a course emphasizing cultural contexts for the literary studies track; it satisfies the requirement of an elective for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track. It satisfies the literary history requirement for the old requirements, predating fall 2004.

[838. Modernism/Modernity]— What was Modernism? Concurrent with the growth of Modernist studies in the last 15 years or so has been decreasing agreement about the nature of Modernism itself. In this course, we will consider the various competing accounts of Modernism (the artistic movement) and Modernity (the period) current in cultural theorists’ attempts to reshape the modern canon; we will also examine the influential interpretations of modernist politics, aesthetics, technologies, and media. Readings will be divided equally between literature (familiar and less-familiar authors) and theory/philosophy (Nietzsche, Bergson, Adorno, Bourdieu, Jameson, and others). (Note: English 438 and English 838 are the same course.) For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a literary theory course, or a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. For the English graduate program, this course satisfies the requirements of a course in British literature, or a course emphasizing cultural contexts for the literary studies track; it counts as an elective for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track.

[839. Special Topics in Film: The Documentary]— Documentary films chronicle varied cultural, social, and political realities, from coal miners’ strikes and social revolutions to the development of musical genres. Documentary styles range from fictionalized recreations (docudramas) to narrative reenactments to non-narrative commentaries. This course will examine key documentary strategies through representative films, which may include Harlan County USA (Barbara Kopple, 1976) and Shut Up and Sing (Kopple and Cecilia Peck, 2006), Journalist and the Jihadi: The Murder of Daniel Pearl (Ahmad Jamal and Ramesh Sharma, 2006): segments of The Battle of Algiers, Poto Mitan: Haitian Women, Pillars of the Global Economy (Renee Bergan and Mark Schuller), Jazz (selected episodes) (Ken Burns, 2001), Say Amen, Somebody (George Nierenberg, 1982), An Inconvenient Truth (David Guggenheim, 2008), and Fair Game (Doug Liman, 2010). Note: English 839-12 and English 439-16 are the same course. For the English graduate program, this course counts as a core course for the writing, rhetoric and media arts track; it counts as an elective for the literary studies track. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies a post-1800 distribution requirement or a literary theory course, or a core course for the literature and film concentration.

851. Queer Harlem Renaissance— This course approaches the Harlem Renaissance or “the New Negro” Movement through the lens of sexuality, paying particular attention to the ways in which understandings of racial identity were filtered through representations of sex and gender. We will consider how writers of the Harlem Renaissance explored notions of sexuality and gender given the history of slavery and exploitation that generated rigid formulations of race and gender. How did cultural producers challenge, reinforce, question and imagine sexuality and its intersection with other aspects of identity, such as class, gender, and national origins. Writers/artists include, Wallace Thurman, Carl Van Vechten, Bessie Smith, Angelina Weld Grimke, Claude McKay, Countee Cullen, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Langston Hughes, and Bruce Nugent. Note: For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800, or a course emphasizing cultural context. For the English graduate program, satisfies the requirement of a course in American literature, or a course emphasizing cultural context for the literary studies track.-Paulin

[857. Novels Into Film]— In this course we will study selected adaptations of novels into film, examining some of the basic theoretical and practical issues involved in adapting a text from one medium to another, using as case studies selected novels and films. Text to be studied may include Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter (comparing the 1926 version to the 1996 version), Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence (Scorsese film), John McDonald, The Executioners with two films: Cape Fear, (1962, J. Lee Thompson) and (1991, Martin Scorsese); Mario Puzo, The Godfather (1972, Coppola film); Daphne duMaurier, Rebecca (1940, Hitchcock). Other films and novels may be chosen, but the focus of the course will be the nature of the individual adaptation in relationship to the issues generically involved in adapting prose fiction to the medium of film. We will read the films as texts in their own right. (Note: English 457 and English 857 are the same course.) For the English graduate program, this course counts as a core course for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track or an elective in the literary studies track; for undergraduate English majors, it counts as a course emphasizing literature written after 1800, or a literary theory course.

865. The Media and the Presidential Election— In this course, students will use the current presidential election as a living laboratory as they explore the role of the media in shaping perceptions, presenting content, and providing criticism. Students will follow the election in each news medium (including the Internet), interview consultants and “spin doctors,” analyze television broadcasts, including television election ads, and prepare a talk radio show. The course will focus also on such issues as media bias, corporate ownership, and FCC regulation. We will also look at the nature of “content” in the political process and how it corresponds (or doesn’t) to literary notions of “text.” The instructor has worked for 32 years in daily newspapers and talk radio. This course will count as a core course in the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track and an elective for the literary studies track in the English M.A. This English course also counts towards the American Studies graduate program. It is advisable to register early.-McEnroe

[877. The Sixties in Film, Fiction and Poetry]— “The Sixties” have taken on iconic status as a representation of progressive social change. In fact, quite varied images of The Sixties have been constructed in poetry, fiction, film, and other creative forms, a good deal of it composed during the years 1958-1974 or so. This course will read such works, examining the roles of creative texts in defining and carrying out the social and political conflicts of the era-and in shaping our own time. Authors to be read will likely include Martin Luther King, Jr., Alice Walker, Robert Bly, Denise Levertov, Allen Ginsberg. Note: English 477 and English 877 are the same course. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. For the English graduate program, this course satisfies the requirement of a course in American literature or a course emphasizing cultural contexts for the literary studies track; it counts as an elective for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track.

940. Independent Study— A limited number of tutorials are available for students wishing to pursue special topics not offered in the regular graduate program. Applications should be submitted to the department chairperson prior to registration. Written approval of the graduate adviser and department chairperson is required. Contact the Office of Graduate Studies for the special approval form. -Staff

952. Thesis Colloquium— As part of the culminating two-credit requirement for the MA in English, the colloquium is designed to provide support for students who are completing an academic thesis or final project. The colloquium functions as a structured community within which students can test their ideas, solve process issues, and serve as writing peers for each other. The colloquium instructor does not take the place of the student’s thesis/project advisor or departmental readers, but rather facilitates the research and writing process and provides individualized help in the context of each student’s work. The colloquium, together with the thesis or project, carries a pending grade of IP (In Progress); a final grade is awarded for 2.0 credits for successful completion of the thesis or project in English 955. (0 course credit)-Wall

953. Research Project— The graduate director, the supervisor of the project, and the department chairperson must approve special research project topics. Conference hours are available by appointment. Contact the Office of Graduate Studies for the special approval form. One course credit. -Staff

954. Thesis Part I— (2 course credits) -Staff

[954. Thesis Colloquium]— As part of the culminating two-credit requirement for the MA in English, the colloquium is designed to provide support for students who are completing an academic thesis or final project. The colloquium functions as a structured community within which students can test their ideas, solve process issues, and serve as writing peers for each other. The colloquium instructor does not take the place of the student’s thesis/project advisor or departmental readers, but rather facilitates the research and writing process and provides individualized help in the context of each student’s work. The colloquium, together with the thesis or project, carries a pending grade of IP (In Progress); a final grade is awarded for 2.0 credits for successful completion of the thesis or project in English 955. (2 course credits)

[954. Thesis Part I]— (2 course credits) -Staff

955. Thesis Part II— Continuation of English 954 (described in prior section). (2 course credits) -Staff

956. Thesis— (2 course credits) -Staff

Courses Originating in Other Departments

Only these courses originating in other departments and programs will count toward the English major.

American Studies 248. Female Bodies in 19th Century American Literature & Culture— View course description in department listing on p. 239. -Miller

[American Studies 270. Multi-Ethnic Literatures of the United States]— View course description in department listing on p. 239.

[American Studies 340. The Body in 19th Century American Culture]— View course description in department listing on p. 240.

[Film Studies 337. Writing for Film]— An introduction to the craft of screenwriting with a strong emphasis on story selection and development. Students will complete a full-length screenplay over the course of the semester. We will read and analyze scripts that have been made into films, and we will workshop student work through the semester. Writing experience recommended. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of an elective. This course can be counted toward fulfillment of requirements for the English Majors in Literature and Film and Creative Writing, and the Interdisciplinary Film Studies minor. Not open to first-year students.

[Theater & Dance 239. Contemporary American Theater]— View course description in department listing on p. 823.

Theater & Dance 345. Special Topics: Writing for Stage and Screen— View course description in department listing on p. 824. -Polin

[Women, Gender, and Sexuality 212. History of Sexuality]— View course description in department listing on p. 836.

[Women, Gender, and Sexuality 319. The Woman’s Film]— View course description in department listing on p. 837.

Women, Gender, and Sexuality 345. Film Noir— View course description in department listing on p. 837. -Corber

Spring Term

Composition and Rhetoric Courses

[103-02. Special Writing Topics: Language and Photography]— Emphasizing instruction and practice in writing, this course will explore the relationship between language and photography. Students will write extensively as they study photographic images and read works by John Berger, Susan Sontag, and others. The course will culminate with the publication of a collection of student photographic essays. (Enrollment limited)

[103-03. Special Writing Topics: Telling Stories in the Postmodern World]— A writing workshop on storytelling, with an emphasis on narratives that cut across cultures to see how people in different places construct their realities from their everyday lives, imagined lives, and the presumed lives of others. We will write our own narratives and analyze them to see how we create our reality from the essentially chaotic matter of everyday life. Readings will include prison diaries, war journals, film and television scripts, and hypertexts. (Enrollment limited)

[103-05. Special Topics: Thoughts of Peace and War]— This class is a writing workshop, focusing on writing and revising academic essays. The readings will involve issues of peace and war, and will lead us into the following sorts of questions: Why do countries go to war? What are the effects of war on people? How have people worked for peace, and how can they/we continue to do so? What role does gender play in war? Readings include personal stories like Ishmael Beah’s A Long Way Gone as well as writings by philosophers, psychologists, and others about the causes and effects of war and peace. (Enrollment limited)

[202. Expository Writing Workshop]— This intermediate workshop is designed for students who have achieved mastery in introductory-level college writing and who want to refine their writing abilities. Students will focus on developing stylistic strategies and techniques when writing for numerous purposes and audiences. Students will choose from these writing forms: interview, travel article, op-ed piece, memoir, sports article, criticism, humor, and science and technology article. (Enrollment limited)

[208. Argument and Research Writing]— A writing workshop emphasizing the development of argumentation and research skills. Students learn how to read and evaluate logical arguments, formulate research questions, explore print and electronic resources, and frame persuasive arguments in papers of substantial length. Frequent practice in writing and revising. (Enrollment limited)

[225. Writing Broad Street Stories]— This course combines community learning and writing as a means of discovering how we define others and ourselves through journals, diaries, essays, and stories. Students explore Broad Street as a social and cultural metaphor, with a wide variety of readings depicting “the other” and reflecting the voices of members of underprivileged and privileged classes throughout history. Students perform community service as a part of course activities.This course has a community learning component. (Enrollment limited)

[226. The Spirit of Place: Writing with an Active/Reflective Eye]— In this course we will write about “place,” and explore how writers render ideas of location, nature, and the environment, ranging from wilderness to city streets. We will move from simple descriptions to an exploration of the larger issues that arise in the interactions between people and places. Readings will include Gretel Erlich and Barry Lopez, among others, who have artfully evoked the spirit of place. (Enrollment limited)

[297. Writing the Public Sphere: Theory and Practice]— This course will examine the way written language works in the public sphere. Students will read and write about the following sorts of questions: In what ways can writing best promote public dialogue and deliberation? How is the digital landscape changing our conception of writing? Is the opinion essay as a form dying? As books evolve, what happens to the habits of contemplation and reflection fostered by the sustained, quiet reading of traditional texts? How do the changing ways that people acquire news affect the process by which public opinion is formed? In addition to a focus on theories of the public sphere, the class will also be a workshop for student writing. Students will write, revise, and engage with classmates’ writing in various genres aimed at asserting their views on public issues, from traditional essays and op-eds to blogs and multimedia forms. (Enrollment limited)

[319. Constructing Thought: A Short, Fun Course in Sentence Diagramming]— This half-credit course is for language fanatics. Whether you are a “good” writer or a “bad” writer, “good” or “bad” at English grammar, if you love the shape and flow of sentences, this course is for you. For 75 minutes each week, we will gather and explore the structure of the basic unit of thought in written English. We will diagram rock lyrics; we will diagram Shakespeare; we will diagram Biblical quotations, we will diagram Joyce, we will diagram love letters. We will search out and diagram quirky sentences from the news and the internet. We will attempt to diagram undiagrammable sentences and discover why they fail to work as units of thought. We will find multiple ways to speak a diagrammed sentence, and multiple ways to diagram the same sentence and discover its varied meanings. (0.5 course credit) (Enrollment limited)

Creative Writing Courses

316. The Novella— More expansive than the short story but more compressed than the traditional novel, the novella is a prose form with distinctive characteristics that has been practiced by many great writers, both classic and contemporary. In this hybrid creative writing/literature course, we will read works by a variety of authors, such as James Joyce, Lorrie Moore, Anton Chekhov, Alice Munro, Willa Cather, George Saunders and Herman Melville, with the aim of studying and understanding the form. Additionally, each student will be required to complete a novella of his or her own (40-60 pages) by the end of the term. There will be a series of assignments, deadlines, individual conferences with the instructor, and workshop sessions, all of which will focus on the completion of this project. This course satisfies the requirement of a 300-level workshop for creative writing majors. Prerequisite: C- or better in ENGL 270 or Permission of Instructor (Enrollment limited)-Gonzalez

336. Advanced Creative Writing: Poetry— Students will do in-class exercises, and write and revise their own poems. The class is run as a workshop, and discussions are devoted to analysis of student work and that of professional writers. One requirement of this class is attendance at a minimum of two readings offered on campus by visiting writers. This course satisfies the requirement of a 300-level workshop for creative writing majors. Prerequisite: C- or better in ENGL 270 or Permission of Instructor (Enrollment limited)-Berry

337. Literary Journalism— In this writing workshop, we will deeply explore one form of creative nonfiction: literary journalism. Our readings, springboards for initial writing exercises, will enhance our understanding of the scope and meaning of the term. In workshops, the main focus of the course, each student will produce three essays in draft form on subjects of his or her choice. We might write about travel/study abroad experiences or human rights; we might try our hands at investigative reporting or ethnography. These are only some examples. Whatever we write, our subject matter will be sculpted and transformed through our great attention to language into pieces of art. Passion is a prerequisite! Significant revision and the submission of polished final products are essential to success in this class. This course satisfies the requirement of a 300-level workshop for creative writing majors. Prerequisite: C- or better in ENGL 270 or Permission of Instructor (Enrollment limited)-Cullity

Introductory Literature Courses

204. Introduction to American Literature I— A survey of literature, written and oral, produced in what is now the United States from the earliest times to around the Civil War. We will examine relationships among cultural and intellectual developments and the politics, economics, and societies of North America. Authors to be read include some that are well known—such as Emerson, Melville, Dickinson—and some who are less familiar—such as Cabeca de Vaca, John Rollin Ridge, and Harriet Jacobs. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. (Enrollment limited)-Lauter

211. Survey of English Literature II: 1700 to the Present— Through readings in novels, drama, poetry, and prose from the Restoration to the 20th century, this course will examine shifts in the forms, functions, and meanings of English literature in the context of cultural and historical changes. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. (Enrollment limited)-Rosen

217. Introduction to African American Literature— This course surveys African American literature in a variety of genres from the 18th century to the present. Through the study of texts by Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, Charles Chesnutt, W.E.B. DuBois, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Toni Morrison, and others, we will explore the ways these writers have represented and influenced the history of people of African descent in the United States, from slavery and abolition to Jim-Crow segregation and struggles for civil rights; how their work has intervened in the construction of race and imagined the black diaspora; and how their innovations in literary form have engaged with continuing political questions of nation, gender, sexuality, and class. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural contexts. (Enrollment limited)-Paulin

[220. Crime and Passion: Studies in Victorian Literature]— This course introduces students to major writers and issues from the British Victorian period (1837-1901). It will focus on texts–fiction, non-fictional prose, and poetry–in which notions of propriety and morality are in productive dialogue with crimes, threatening secrets, and subversive passions. Texts to be studied include Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Charles Dickens’ Bleak House, D.G. Rossetti’s Jenny, and M.E. Braddon’s Lady Audley’s Secret. (Please note: this course requires substantial amounts of reading; Victorian novels are long!) For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. (Enrollment limited)

[235. Global Short Fiction]— This course will introduce students to a cast of writers from a variety of backgrounds who have used the form of the short story to project dramatic experiences and convey sometimes unique cultural ethos. In addition to examining thematic concerns and stylistic choices, we will explore how different writers have adapted the conventions of the short story and incorporated elements of other traditions to suit their narrative purpose. We will read some North American and European writers, but the emphasis will fall on writers from traditionally underrepresented parts of the world. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural contexts. (Enrollment limited)

264. Victorian London: Center and Suburbs— In the 19th century, Britain became for the first time in history an urban nation. In this course, we will investigate literary responses to the transformation of Britain - some well-known, others more obscure. Discussions will center on questions such as: Who built the new suburbs, and why? Who chose to live in the cities, who preferred the suburbs, and why? How and in what ways did experiences of the cities and suburbs differ for men and for women? For the working, middle, and upper classes? What were the hopes of urbanization, and what were its problems? How were the cities and the suburbs represented in literature across the course of the period? What was the imagined, and what was the real, relationship between the center, the suburbs, and the slums? Students will complete three papers and several shorter response papers on this topic. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. (Enrollment limited)-Bilston

[265. Introduction to Film Studies]— This course provides a general introduction to the study of film and focuses on the key terms and concepts used to describe and analyze the film experience. As we put this set of tools and methods in place, we will also explore different modes of film production (fictional narrative, documentary, experimental) and some of the critical issues and debates that have shaped the discipline of film studies (genre, auteurism, film aesthetics, ideology). Note: Film screening only on Wednesday evenings. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a literary theory course, or a course emphasizing cultural contexts. This course can be counted toward fulfillment of requirements for the film studies minor. (Enrollment limited)

[275. Introduction to Poetry]— In an attempt to demystify the art of reading poetry for those interested in both critical and creative writing, this class will focus on the various blocks out of which poems are built, and the various shapes a poem might take. Working with poems as ancient as the anonymous 14th-century lyric, “The Cuckoo Song,” and as recent as Li-Young Lee’s “Persimmons,” we will begin to decipher the workings of meter and metaphor, diction and tone, image and line, and syntax and sound. From there, we will move to considering structural forms such as the sonnet, the villanelle, and the sestina, and thematic forms such as the ode, the elegy, and the pastoral. After that, we will think about the treatment of certain themes including religion, history, and politics in poetry through the ages. Through this work, participants should gain a firmer grasp of how poems are made, and how they might be more easily approached. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing poetry. (Enrollment limited)

[288. World Cinema]— This course provides an introduction to the study of world cinema, with a focus on cinematic cultures other than those of the USA or Europe. We will begin by considering some of the theoretical questions involved in intercultural spectatorship and introducing/reviewing critical categories we can use to discuss the films. We will then proceed through a series of units based around specific cinematic cultures, focusing on movement, genres and auteurs and on the historical, cultural, and geopolitical issues that the films illuminate. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context, or a literary theory course. This course can be counted toward fulfillment of requirements for the film studies minor. (Enrollment limited)

291. Bollywood and Beyond: An Introduction to Popular Indian Cinema— The course provides an introduction to Indian cinema, with a focus on popular Hindi cinema from World War II to the present, i.e. “Bollywood.” For over 50 years Bollywood has dominated India’s domestic market and made a huge impact in markets and cultures around the world: China and other Asian countries, the former Soviet Union, Africa, the Middle East, Greece, and the diasporic audiences of the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and North America. Understanding the global popularity of Bollywood cinema requires a journey through the films into Indian aesthetics, culture, society and history, a journey that will provide you with a unique set of perspectives on the contemporary world. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. This course fulfills the elective requirements of the template film studies major. (Enrollment limited)-Younger

293. Tough Guys & Bad Girls: 20th Century American Crime Fiction— Crime fiction has been an amazingly resilient and pliable genre, a cultural barometer registering revisions to cultural fantasies about knowledge and power, sex and gender, race and ethnicity, violence and freedom. Its character types are interwoven into the fabric of popular culture, from the detective to the sociopath, the femme fatale to the street tough. This course will trace an alternative American history through the brutal, lurid, and stylish crime fiction of the 20th century. We will explore its pulp roots through Dashiell Hammet, its modernist peaks with Raymond Chandler, it post-war weirdness in Chester Himes and Patricia Highsmith, and its contemporary renaissance by Walter Mosley. Assignments may include book reviews, weekly responses, and a directed final project. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. (Enrollment limited)-Mrozowski

Literature Courses

Although these are not introductory courses, many of them are open to non-English majors.

301. Literature and Meaning: from Aristotle to Queer Theory— This course explores the different ways in which literature has been—and can be—interpreted and justified. Students will read critical theories from Platonism to feminism and queer theory, and will apply these theories to selected texts by Shakespeare, Keats, Austen, Conrad, and others in order to define their own literary theory. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a literary theory course. (Enrollment limited)-Benedict

(Enrollment limited)

[310. 1816: A Romantic Microcosm]— “The Year without a Summer,” so named for the drastically cooler temperatures caused by a volcanic eruption in Indonesia, was also a remarkable one for British literature: in the space of one year, major works were composed or published by writers including Percy and Mary Shelley, Byron, Coleridge, Austen, Hunt, Scott, and Edgeworth. Sampling published works, letters, and journals, as well as the era’s thriving periodical culture, this course focuses on a single crucial year to give students both a sense of day-to-day existence in the Age of Romanticism and a unique perspective on literary history. In addition to written assignments, students will make significant use of new resources in the digital humanities to map and contextualize the social and cultural events of 1816. For English majors, this course fulfills the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. (Enrollment limited)

[311. Afro-Asian Intersections]— This seminar examines Asian American and African American literary and cultural production comparatively. We will look at primary texts, supplemented by theoretical and historical readings from various fields, including performance studies, literary studies, psychoanalytic theory, cultural studies, gender studies, legal studies, and post-colonial studies, in order to critique representations of racial formations relationally rather than as strictly defined categories of identity that have, traditionally, been studied in segregated disciplines (such as Black studies, whiteness studies, Asian and Asian American studies). Along these lines, we will also account for the ways in which race intersects with other categories of identity, such as sexuality, gender, nation, and class. Texts will include works by Ann Cheng, WEB Du Bois, Christina Garcia, Moon-Ha Jung, Bill Mullen, Mira Nair, Patricia Powell, Gary Okihiro, Vijay Prashad, and Anna Deveare Smith. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural contexts. (Enrollment limited)

[312. Modern Poetry]— An introduction to British and American poetry, 1885-1945. In response to the challenges of modernity, poets produced work of unprecedented variety, experimental daring, and complexity. Authors will include Yeats, Pound, Eliot, H.D., Frost, Williams, Stevens, Moore, Crane, and Auden. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. (Enrollment limited)

[317. Romantic Autobiography]— How does Jane Eyre’s subtitle—“An Autobiography”—shape our reading of the novel? Why did contemporary readers and reviewers of Byron’s poetry confuse the deeds of his brooding heroes with those of the poet himself? Does the use of the former slave Mary Prince’s autobiography as abolitionist propaganda make it less - or more - “her” story? The Romantic period (1780-1830) is often credited with inventing both the modern individual and the genre that attempts to present the experience of this individual: autobiography. This course, however, will consider autobiography as a mode of writing and reading that cuts across generic lines, intersecting with poetry, literary criticism, nature writing, and the novel. Authors will include William and Dorothy Wordsworth, Byron, De Quincey, Mary Prince, and Charlotte Bronte, in addition to critical and contextual readings that suggest some of the complexities of autobiography as a technique for writing experience. (Enrollment limited)

[321. Curiosity and Literature]— This course will examine the way curiosity transformed literature and culture in the age of inquiry, when Peeping Tom was invented, modern science was institutionalized, and the detective novel was born. We will read texts that explore both approved and unapproved kinds, such as witchcraft, voyeurism, and the exhibition of monsters. Texts will include drama, journalism, poetry, satire, and novels by Aphra Behn, Defoe, Johnson, and others. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written before 1800 and for a course emphasizing poetry. Not open to first-year students. (Enrollment limited)

322. Southern Gothic Tales— This course will explore Southern Gothic literature and film, including a range of works from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe to the fiction of Cormac McCarthy and the pop culture images of HBO’s True Blood. With a focus on murder, madness, freaks, and vampires, the genre pushes toward what Flannery O’Connor called “the limits of mystery” in its attempts to deal with the tragic extremes of human behavior and the comic twists of the grotesque. We will establish the cultural context, survey the media’s fascination with stereotypes of the southern United States, and study the narrative structuring of terror and horror, the textual and visual encoding of characters overwhelmed by anxiety and alienation, and the embedding of political allegories and themes of social disorder. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context or a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. For literature and film concentrators, this course fulfills the requirement of an advanced course toward the major. (Enrollment limited)-Wall

[327. Reading and Writing Women’s Fiction]— This is both a course on literary interpretation and an opportunity for creative fiction writing. We will read a series of women’s texts, from Jane Austen onwards, as literary critics and as practitioners, thinking about themes, trends, preoccupations, and the practical application of technical excellences. For English majors, this course counts as an elective. (Enrollment limited)

[328. Contemporary Fiction: Not Realism]— Two competing aesthetics have dominated American and English fiction during the past century—realism, and everything that is not realism, from the rigorously avant-garde or “post-modern” to pop sci-fi and fantasy and “high-low” hybrids. In much of the rest of the world, realism is regarded as an outdated or minor form. In class we will examine some of the reasons for this split, though our readings will be almost entirely of non-realist works that explore and interrogate the imaginative, verbal and formal possibilities of fictional narrative. We will begin with some writings by still influential precursors and writers of the past century (selections from among Kafka, Beckett, Borges, Bernhard, Nabokov, Calvino, Dick) to contemporary writers such as Coetzee, Murakami, Rushdie, Bolano, Aira, Foster Wallace, Markson, and younger writers such as Junot Diaz, Tom McCarthy, Marissa Pessl, and Rivka Galchen. There will be a selection of critical readings as well. Recommended for creative writing students and enthusiastic readers of fiction from other disciplines. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of an elective. (Enrollment limited)

330. Sex, Violence and Substance Abuse: Mexico by Non-Mexicans— Some of the greatest and most lasting depictions of México in fiction, non-fiction, cinema and photography have been produced by non-Mexicans. Rather than exposing any lack of significant Mexican creators in all these genres, such works reflect the strong pull, the attraction and at times repulsion, exerted by this complicated country and culture on outsiders. We will choose readings from such twentieth and twenty-first century works such as John Reed’s Insurgent México, Malcolm Lowry’s Under the Volcano, DH Lawrence’s The Plumed Serpent, Graham Greene’s The Power and the Glory, the short-stories of Katherine Anne Porter and Paul Bowles, the novels of B. Traven, Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridien, the poetic meditations on Pre-Colombian México by recent French Nobel Prize winner Le Clézio, the contemporary México novels of the Chilean Roberto Bolaño, and, in Ana Castillo’s fiction, a U.S. Chicana’s return to México, as well as other contemporary writings. Movies will be chosen from among A Touch of Evil, The Treasure of Sierra Madre, The Wild Bunch, Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia, The Night of the Iguana, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, and Sín Nombre. The emphasis will be on the prose, novels especially, with three or four movies, and a class devoted to photography. We study the works themselves, their relation to their own literary-cultural traditions, their depiction of México, and the multiple issues raised by their status as works created by “foreigners.” Supplemental readings, some by Mexicans. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context. (Enrollment limited)-Goldman

[332. Short Story Masterpieces]— In this course we examine the resilient form of the short story through a wide selection of both classic and contemporary writers. To list just some examples, we will read work by Chekhov, Virginia Woolf, Faulkner, Hemingway, Borges, Welty, Cheever, James Baldwin, Flannery O’Connor, Alice Munro, and Ha Jin. Our main text is The Art of the Short Story (Dana Gioia and R.S. Gwynn). We will perform close textual readings, use various critical approaches and literary terms, and set the stories in the context of their historical periods and literary traditions. What is also important in this course is that we view the works from the authors’ perspectives, and learn to read like a writer through the analysis of some of the basic elements of short fiction. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. (Enrollment limited)

[341. American Literary Modernism and the Great War]— This course will consider the impact of the Great War on American literary modernism. Grappling with apocalyptic devastation in Europe, massive shifts in global politics, and dramatic changes in technology, the Lost Generation responded with enduring and enigmatic works, haunted by wounds both psychic and spiritual. We will consider canonical writings by Ernest Hemingway and e.e. cummings, lesser-known works by Jessie Redmon Fauset and Edith Wharton, and first person accounts by combatants such as Thomas Boyd. As our focus will be on introducing the aesthetics of modernism through the context of the war itself, we will study maps, songs, photographs, newspapers, and other historical materials alongside traditional literary objects. Assignments will include a creative research project, weekly responses, and short essays. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. (Enrollment limited)

343. Women and Empire— This course examines women’s involvement in British imperialism in the 19th and 20th centuries. What part did ideologies of femininity play in pro-imperialist discourse? In what ways did women writers attempt to “feminize” the imperialist project? What was the relationship between the emerging feminist movement and imperialism at the turn of the 20th century? How have women writers in both centuries resisted imperialist axiomatics? How do women authors from once colonized countries write about the past? How are post-colonial women represented by contemporary writers? Authors to be studied include Charlotte Bronte, Flora Annie Steel, Rudyard Kipling, Jean Rhys, Jamaica Kincaid, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Alexander McCall Smith. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. (Enrollment limited)-Bilston

[346. Dream Vision and Romance]— A study of two major medieval genres as they are developed in the works of Chaucer, Langland, the Gawain-poet, and Malory. The course will explore the structural and stylistic as well as the political, social, and psychological issues raised by these genres and the individual authors’ treatments of them. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written before 1800. Prerequisite: C- or better in English 260 or permission of instructor (Enrollment limited)

348. Women Writers of the Middle Ages— This course will study works in a variety of genres, from the lyric and the romance to the autobiography and the moral treatise, written by medieval women in England, Europe, and Asia. In addition to analyzing the texts themselves, we will be examining them within their social, historical, and political contexts as we discuss such issues as medieval women’s literacy, education, and relationships to the male-authored literary traditions of their cultures. Through the term, we will be trying to determine the degree to which we can construct a recognizable woman’s literary tradition for this period. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written before 1800. Prerequisite: C- or better in English 260 or permission of instructor (Enrollment limited)-Fisher

360. Shakespeare on Film— In this course, we will study selected films based on Shakespeare plays. Though we will read the Shakespeare plays as prelude to film analysis, the films will be studied as independent texts. The film script (adapted from or based on a Shakespeare play) will be treated as one aspect of the text. Students will concentrate on analyzing camera angles, mise-en-scene, lighting, sound, editing, and script as aspects of a composite text. We will also discuss film genres and look at the signature work of specific directors, such as Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh. Plays may be selected from Titus Andronicus, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Richard III, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, and King Lear. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context, or a course emphasizing literature written before 1800. For literature and film concentrators, this course fulfills the requirement of an advanced course toward the major. Not open to first-year students. (Enrollment limited)-Riggio

[363. Mark Twain and the Making of America]— Mark Twain’s fiction often acted as a moral seismograph registering the intense shifts in American cultural, political, and economic life in the post-Civil War era. His memoirs became a kind of public narrative describing what it meant to be an American - for both a national and a world audience. This course will consider a large swath of his works, including Huckleberry Finn, Pudd’nhead Wilson, and Life on the Mississippi, against the backdrop of the social transformations of the late 19th century in the United States. We will also explore Twain’s aesthetic innovations and techniques in the context of literary history. The class will make a visit to the Mark Twain House in the second half of the session; assignments will include shorter writing opportunities as well as a self-directed and substantial seminar paper. (Enrollment limited)

[365. Jane Austen and the Romantic Period]— Is Jane Austen a Romantic or a rationalist? A conservative or a feminist? Why is she so popular now and how was she regarded in her own time? This course will analyze Jane Austen’s entire opus while exploring what influences that helped to shape her world and her writing. Readings will include all of Austen’s work, Romantic poetry, 18th-century novels, and theoretical, critical, and historical texts. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written before 1800, or a critical theory course. (Enrollment limited)

[373. Irish Poetry Since Yeats]— We’ll consider the blossoming of Irish poetry in English since the foundation of the Irish Free State. Given his centrality to both the state and the art form, we’ll begin by considering the work of W.B. Yeats. From Yeats, we’ll move up through the 20th century, looking at work by Patrick Kavanagh, Louis MacNiece, John Montague, Seamus Heaney, Michael Longley, Paul Durcan, Eamon Grennan, Eavan Boland, Paul Muldoon, Ciaran Carson, Vona Groarke, and Sinéad Morrissey. We’ll consider the poems through the lens of Irish independence and cultural identity, the Troubles, tensions over religion and class, the urban/rural divide, and the place of women within the tradition. We will also consider the poems as aesthetic objects, governed by different schools and traditions within the art form, Irish or otherwise. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context and a class that emphasizes poetry. (Enrollment limited)

379. Melville— Though a superstar during his early career, Herman Melville watched his reputation decline as his literary ambitions escalated. One review of his seventh novel bore the headline, “Herman Melville Crazy.” Not until the 20th century did even his best-known work, Moby Dick, attract considerable attention, but it now stands at the center of the American literary pantheon. Melville’s work merits intensive, semester-long study not only because he is a canonical author of diverse narratives—from maritime adventures to tortured romances to philosophical allegories—but also because his career and legacy themselves constitute a narrative of central concern to literary studies and American culture. Through reading and discussion of several of his major works, we will explore Melville’s imagination, discover his work’s historical context, and think critically about literary form. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context, or a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. (Enrollment limited)-Hager

[381. The Brontes]— Blending emotional intensity, social consciousness, and formal innovation, the writings of the Bronte sisters offer a bridge between the Romantic and Victorian eras in British literature. Their careers illustrate the changing status of women as authors, readers, and subjects of literary representation in the 19th century. This course studies the major novels by Anne, Charlotte, and Emily Bronte (including Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and Villette, among others), as well as poetry by all three sisters, and their early writings set in the imaginary kingdoms of Gondal and Angria. (Enrollment limited)

383. Modern British Fiction— This is a course in British fiction between 1890 and 1945. The prose (novels and stories) of this period is characterized by tremendous ambition, radical experimentation, the questioning of old conventions and the creation of new ones. Authors will include Wilde, Conrad, Ford, Forster, Joyce, Woolf, and Beckett. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. Prerequisite: C- or better in English 260 or permission of instructor (Enrollment limited)-Rosen

[398. Literary Studies: The State of the Art]— Why should anyone write about literature? How does the field of literary studies contribute to greater understanding of literature, culture, and the world? In this course, students practice methodologies for archival literary research and study the hallmarks of convincing original arguments about literary history, genre, interpretation, and canon. The course is organized around a series of case studies, each of which involves a literary text, an influential work of literary scholarship, a presentation by or discussion with a guest professor, and a writing assignment in which students enter into a current conversation in literary studies. For the final project, each student will develop a proposal and work plan for an original research project (which may become his or her senior thesis). For English majors, this course fulfills the requirement of a course in literary theory. Prerequisite: C- or better in English 260 or permission of instructor (Enrollment limited)

407. Remixing Literature— Will “the remix” become a defining art form of the twenty-first century? This course will examine a variety of classic literary works and their adaptations and appropriations across multiple media arts, ranging from redactions of oral folktales to cinema blockbusters, digital mashups, and transmedia storytelling. Among the most popular current literary remixes are Beowulf, Macbeth, Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, and Jane Eyre. We will study these texts and linked remixes, explore the reasons for their continued popularity, and address topics in remix theory, creativity and originality, the aesthetics and politics of sampling, and the rhetorical dynamic of intertextuality in digital culture. Students will help choose contemporary remixes and have opportunities to experiment individually and collaboratively with crafting their own literary remixes and mashups.(Note: English 407 and English 807 are the same course.) (Enrollment limited)-Wall

[411. Electric English]— In Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift satirizes attempts to invent a machine that would enable anyone to write books using an enormous wooden frame filled with wires and random words on movable bits of paper. While our contemporary machines are made of plastic, not wood, and seem so much more sophisticated and powerful than Swift’s imaginary device, the rhetorical and literary questions raised by his satire are more relevant than ever in the digital age. This seminar will explore what happens when writers and readers go online. How do the new media arts affect the way we read and understand literature? What changes when literary protagonists become avatars of story? What do we make of hypertext novels and poetry machines on the Web? We will seek to establish whether there is a distinctively new phenomenon that can be called “digital literature.” If so, how do we define and evaluate it, and how do we place it in relation to a history of literature and literary aesthetic? We will ground our conversations in a small sampling of traditional works of fiction and poetry from print culture, comparing these texts with a range of rhetorical and literary experiments taking place online. NOTE: English 811 and English 411 are the same course. For the graduate program, this course counts as a core course for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track; it counts as an elective for the literary studies track. For undergraduate writing, rhetoric, and media arts minors, it counts as a core course. (Enrollment limited)

418. 17th-Century Poetry— The poets of the early modern period made their contribution to an English literary tradition against a dynamic context of religious, political, and social change. Poets studied in this course will include Lanyer, Jonson, Donne, Herbert, Crashaw, Marvell, Philips, Bradstreet, and Milton. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written before 1800. For the English graduate program, this course fulfills the requirement of a course emphasizing English literature or a cultural context for the literary studies track. It counts as an elective for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track. Prerequisite: C- or better in English 260 or permission of instructor (Enrollment limited)-Wheatley

[432. Turns in the South]— This course will emphasize representations of the US South in literature and film throughout the twentieth century. The course will begin with V. S. Naipaul’s A Turn in the South; it will include works by Katherine Anne Porter, Eudora Welty, Carson McCullers, Margaret Mitchell, William Faulkner, and Tennessee Williams. Films will include A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie, Gone with the Wind, and Tomorrow (an adaptation of a Faulkner short story). (Note: English 432-01 and English 832-01 are the same course.) For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800, or a literary theory course. For the English graduate program, this course counts as a core course for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track, or an elective in the literary studies track. (Enrollment limited)

[450. Living Writers]— Students will read work by selected authors giving readings or lectures at Trinity and in the vicinity; attend events featuring the authors themselves; and write both response papers and more contextualized literary critiques of living authors. Each student will also prepare for and conduct an interview with a selected author, for both class and written presentation. For students interested in contemporary prose and poetry and in placing creative writing within the context of both current trends and deep traditions in literature. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800.This course has a community learning component. (Enrollment limited)

[451. Queer Harlem Renaissance]— This course approaches the Harlem Renaissance or “the New Negro” Movement through the lens of sexuality, paying particular attention to the ways in which understandings of racial identity were filtered through representations of sex and gender. We will consider how writers of the Harlem Renaissance explored notions of sexuality and gender given the history of slavery and exploitation that generated rigid formulations of race and gender. How did cultural producers challenge, reinforce, question and imagine sexuality and its intersection with other aspects of identity, such as class, gender, and national origins. Writers/artists include, Wallace Thurman, Carl Van Vechten, Bessie Smith, Angelina Weld Grimke, Claude McKay, Countee Cullen, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Langston Hughes, and Bruce Nugent. Note: For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800, or a course emphasizing cultural context. For the English graduate program, satisfies the requirement of a course in American literature, or a course emphasizing cultural context for the literary studies track. (Enrollment limited)

[454. The Phenomenon of Literary Popularity]— Why is Shakespeare considered great? Why is Jane Austen so popular? Or Romantic Poetry? Or Alice Sebold? In this course students will explore the way theorists and critics from Aristotle to Edward Said have understood literary value and meaning while they also read key texts in British literature. Students will have the chance to develop their own literary theories and apply them to their favorite texts.(Note: English 454 and English 854 are the same course.) For the English graduate program, this course satisfies the requirement of a course in British literature for the literary studies track; it counts as an elective for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context, or a literary theory course. (Enrollment limited)

[456. American Auteurs: Fuller, Hawks, Hitchcock]— This course explores and celebrates the work of classic American film directors and constitutes an introduction to the critical methodology of the auteur theory. The directors to be examined in Spring 2011 are Samuel Fuller, Howard Hawks, and Alfred Hitchcock. After an introduction to various approaches to the auteur, we will use the work of Fuller, Hawks and Hitchcock to explore the history and creative potential of these approaches. Emphasis will be given to contemporary developments that integrate a focus on auteurs with the practices of history and philosophy. (Note: English 456-01 and English 856-01 are the same course.) For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context, or a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. For the English graduate program, satisfies the requirement of a course in American literature, or a course emphasizing cultural context for the literary studies track. Film screenings will be discussed at first class meeting. (Enrollment limited)

[468. Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson]— Nothing that precedes them in the American literary tradition quite prepares us for the poems of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. We will steep ourselves in the verse of these two literary iconoclasts. At the same time, we will trace the critical history of both, reading essays from the 19th century to the present which have made the complex works and lives of Whitman and Dickinson more legible. The final class period will be reserved for reading selections from 20th-century poets – not all of them American – who have openly professed a debt to Whitman’s and Dickinson’s experimental and often exhilirating poems. Note: English 868-16 and English 468-06 are the same course. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a literary theory course, or a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. For the English graduate program, this course satisfies the requirements of a course in American literature, or a course emphasizing cultural contexts for the literary studies track; it counts as an elective for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track. (Enrollment limited)

470. Film Theory: An Introduction— This course introduces the most important theoretical models which have been used to explain how films function as art, ideology, language, history, politics and philosophy. Some theorists are mainly concerned with the aesthetic potentials of the cinema: How do categories such as realism, authorship and genre explain and enhance our experience of films? Other theorists are focused on the relations between films and the societies that produce them, or on general processes of spectatorship: How do Hollywood films address their audiences? How do narrative structures shape our responses to fictional characters? As the variety of these questions suggests, film theory opens onto a wide set of practices and possibilities; though it always begins with what we experience at the movies, it is ultimately concerned with the wider world that we experience through the movies. Theorists to be examined include Munsterberg, Eisenstein, Burch, Kracauer, Balazs, Bazin, Altman, Gunning, Mulvey, Metz, Wollen, Havel, Benjamin, Pasolini, Deleuze and Jameson. (Note: English 470 and English 870 are the same course.) For undergraduate English majors, this course fulfills the requirement of a literary theory course or a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. For the English graduate program, this course can count as an elective for the literary studies track, or a core course for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track. This course fulfills requirements toward the film studies minor. Film screenings to be discussed at the first class meeting. Graduate students can make alternative arrangements for screening the weekly films. (Enrollment limited)-Younger

[490. Research Assistantship]— (0.5-1 course credit) -Staff

[496. Senior Seminar]— Senior English majors may, if they wish, take more than one senior seminar. These courses are ordinarily restricted to senior English majors, but non-seniors may petition individual instructors for admission. For English majors, their Senior Seminar satisfies the requirement of a senior project.

496. Senior Seminar: Dickens/Chaplin— Charles Dickens was undoubtedly the most popular artist of the 19th century. The fictional worlds and characters he created formed a mythology that addressed and made sense of the experiences of early modern life for millions around the world; the adjective “Dickensian” testifies to how familiar his characteristic blend of comedy and melodrama has become. Like Dickens, Chaplin was his century’s most popular global artist, his work addressed some of the fundamental issues of contemporary social life, and he also employed a blend of comedy and melodrama that merited its own adjective (“Chaplinesque”). This course considers the evolution of these two major artists over the course of their careers. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a senior project. For literature and film concentrators, this course fulfills the requirement of an advanced course toward the major. Tuesday evenings for film screening only. (Enrollment limited)-Younger

[496-01. Senior Seminar: Evolution of the Western Film]— This course examines how the Western genre emerged from global popular culture at the end of the 19th century to become one of the most powerful and complex forms for expressing the experience of Modernity. After a careful consideration of the political and philosophical implications of the classic Western, we will track the development of the genre as it responds to the ideological contradictions and cultural tensions of 20th century history, focusing on broad trends within the mainstream, the contributions of individual directors (such as John Ford, Anthony Mann, Budd Boetticher and Sergio Leone) and the dissemination of generic elements into global cinema. For English majors, this course fulfills the senior project. Film screening only on Monday evenings. Open to American Studies undergraduates with permission of instructor. (Enrollment limited)

[496-01. Sem:What You Should Have Read]— This is your final semester as an English major, and this senior seminar will provide you with an opportunity to reflect back on the intellectual paths you have and have not taken. What texts do you consider true classics, but have not yet read? This course will give you a chance to address those perceived gaps in your literary education, as students in the course will generate the primary reading list. What has led you to think of these specific works as central to the study of English literature? In addition to our list of selected classics, we will read critical essays that discuss issues of canonicity, the history of the English major, and the fate of literature (and literary study) in this latest “information age.” Writing requirements will include weekly responses to assigned reading, class presentations, and a longer seminar paper. For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a senior project. This course open to senior English majors only. (Enrollment limited)

Senior Thesis Options—In the spring term, students who choose to write year-long, two-semester senior theses are required to enroll in ENGL 499. Senior Thesis, Part II. Students interested in writing a one-semester thesis during the spring semester should enroll in ENGL 497. One-Semester Senior Thesis. The registrar has special forms for registering for both thesis options.

499. Senior Thesis Part 2— Individual tutorial in the writing of a year-long thesis on a special topic in literature or criticism. Seniors writing year-long, two-credit theses are required to register for the second half of their thesis for the spring of their senior year. Submission of the special registration form, available in the Registrar’s Office and the approval of the instructor and chairperson are required for each semester of this year-long thesis. (2 course credits are considered pending in the first semester; 2 course credits will be awarded for completion in the second semester.) (2 course credits) -Staff

Graduate Courses

807. Remixing Literature— Will “the remix” become a defining art form of the twenty-first century? This course will examine a variety of classic literary works and their adaptations and appropriations across multiple media arts, ranging from redactions of oral folktales to cinema blockbusters, digital mashups, and transmedia storytelling. Among the most popular current literary remixes are Beowulf, Macbeth, Pride and Prejudice, Frankenstein, and Jane Eyre. We will study these texts and linked remixes, explore the reasons for their continued popularity, and address topics in remix theory, creativity and originality, the aesthetics and politics of sampling, and the rhetorical dynamic of intertextuality in digital culture. Students will help choose contemporary remixes and have opportunities to experiment individually and collaboratively with crafting their own literary remixes and mashups.(Note: English 407 and English 807 are the same course.)-Wall

[811. Electric English]— In Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift satirizes attempts to invent a machine that would enable anyone to write books using an enormous wooden frame filled with wires and random words on movable bits of paper. While our contemporary machines are made of plastic, not wood, and seem so much more sophisticated and powerful than Swift’s imaginary device, the rhetorical and literary questions raised by his satire are more relevant than ever in the digital age. This seminar will explore what happens when writers and readers go online. How do the new media arts affect the way we read and understand literature? What changes when literary protagonists become avatars of story? What do we make of hypertext novels and poetry machines on the Web? We will seek to establish whether there is a distinctively new phenomenon that can be called “digital literature.” If so, how do we define and evaluate it, and how do we place it in relation to a history of literature and literary aesthetic? We will ground our conversations in a small sampling of traditional works of fiction and poetry from print culture, comparing these texts with a range of rhetorical and literary experiments taking place online. NOTE: English 811 and English 411 are the same course. For the graduate program, this course counts as a core course for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track; it counts as an elective for the literary studies track. For undergraduate writing, rhetoric, and media arts minors, it counts as a core course.

818. 17th-Century Poetry— The poets of the early modern period made their contribution to an English literary tradition against a dynamic context of religious, political, and social change. Poets studied in this course will include Lanyer, Jonson, Donne, Herbert, Crashaw, Marvell, Philips, Bradstreet, and Milton. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written before 1800. For the English graduate program, this course fulfills the requirement of a course emphasizing English literature or a cultural context for the literary studies track. It counts as an elective for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track.-Wheatley

[832. Turns in the South]— This course will emphasize representations of the US South in literature and film throughout the twentieth century. The course will begin with V. S. Naipaul’s A Turn in the South; it will include works by Katherine Anne Porter, Eudora Welty, Carson McCullers, Margaret Mitchell, William Faulkner, and Tennessee Williams. Films will include A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie, Gone with the Wind, and Tomorrow (an adaptation of a Faulkner short story). (Note: English 432-01 and English 832-01 are the same course.) For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800, or a literary theory course. For the English graduate program, this course counts as a core course for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track, or an elective in the literary studies track.

[851. Queer Harlem Renaissance]— This course approaches the Harlem Renaissance or “the New Negro” Movement through the lens of sexuality, paying particular attention to the ways in which understandings of racial identity were filtered through representations of sex and gender. We will consider how writers of the Harlem Renaissance explored notions of sexuality and gender given the history of slavery and exploitation that generated rigid formulations of race and gender. How did cultural producers challenge, reinforce, question and imagine sexuality and its intersection with other aspects of identity, such as class, gender, and national origins. Writers/artists include, Wallace Thurman, Carl Van Vechten, Bessie Smith, Angelina Weld Grimke, Claude McKay, Countee Cullen, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Langston Hughes, and Bruce Nugent. Note: For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing literature written after 1800, or a course emphasizing cultural context. For the English graduate program, satisfies the requirement of a course in American literature, or a course emphasizing cultural context for the literary studies track.

[854. The Phenomenon of Literary Popularity]— Why is Shakespeare considered great? Why is Jane Austen so popular? Or Romantic poetry? Or Alice Sebold? In this course students will explore the way theorists and critics from Aristotle to Edward Said have understood literary value and meaning while they also read key texts in British literature. Students will have the chance to develop their own literary theories and apply them to their favorite texts.(Note: English 454 and English 854 are the same course.) For the English graduate program, this course satisfies the requirement of a course in British literature for the literary studies track; it counts as an elective for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context, or a literary theory course.

[856. American Auteurs: Fuller, Hawks, Hitchcock]— This course explores and celebrates the work of classic American film directors and constitutes an introduction to the critical methodology of the auteur theory. The directors to be examined in Spring 2011 are Samuel Fuller, Howard Hawks, and Alfred Hitchcock. After an introduction to various approaches to the auteur, we will use the work of Fuller, Hawks and Hitchcock to explore the history and creative potential of these approaches. Emphasis will be given to contemporary developments that integrate a focus on auteurs with the practices of history and philosophy. (Note: English 456-01 and English 856-01 are the same course.) For English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a course emphasizing cultural context, or a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. For the English graduate program, satisfies the requirement of a course in American literature, or a course emphasizing cultural context for the literary studies track. Film screenings will be discussed at first class meeting.

[868. Walt Whitman & Emily Dickinson]— Nothing that precedes them in the American literary tradition quite prepares us for the poems of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson. We will steep ourselves in the verse of these two literary iconoclasts. At the same time, we will trace the critical history of both, reading essays from the l9th century to the present which have made the complex works and lives of Whitman and Dickinson more legible. The final class period will be reserved for reading selections from 20th-century poets–not all of them American–who have openly professed a debt to Whitman’s and Dickinson’s experimental and often exhilarating poems. Note: English 868-16 and English 468-06 are the same course. For the English graduate program, this course satisfies the requirements of a course in American literature, or a course emphasizing cultural contexts for the literary studies track; it counts as an elective for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track. For undergraduate English majors, this course satisfies the requirement of a literary theory course, or a course emphasizing literature written after 1800.

870. Film Theory: An Introduction— This course introduces the most important theoretical models which have been used to explain how films function as art, ideology, language, history, politics and philosophy. Some theorists are mainly concerned with the aesthetic potentials of the cinema: How do categories such as realism, authorship and genre explain and enhance our experience of films? Other theorists are focused on the relations between films and the societies that produce them, or on general processes of spectatorship: How do Hollywood films address their audiences? How do narrative structures shape our responses to fictional characters? As the variety of these questions suggests, film theory opens onto a wide set of practices and possibilities; though it always begins with what we experience at the movies, it is ultimately concerned with the wider world that we experience through the movies. Theorists to be examined include Munsterberg, Eisenstein, Burch, Kracauer, Balazs, Bazin, Altman, Gunning, Mulvey, Metz, Wollen, Havel, Benjamin, Pasolini, Deleuze and Jameson. (Note: English 470 and English 870 are the same course.) For undergraduate English majors, this course fulfills the requirement of a literary theory course or a course emphasizing literature written after 1800. For the English graduate program, this course can count as an elective for the literary studies track, or a core course for the writing, rhetoric, and media arts track. This course fulfills requirements toward the film studies minor. Graduate students can make alternative arrangements for screening the weekly films.-Younger

954. Thesis Part I— (2 course credits) -Staff

955. Thesis Part II— Continuation of English 954 (described in prior section). (2 course credits) -Staff

[956. Thesis]— (2 course credits) -Staff

Courses Originating in Other Departments

Only these courses originating in other departments and programs will count toward the English major.

American Studies 335. The Play’s the Thing: Staging Race in African American Theater and Drama— View course description in department listing on p. 253. -Paulin

Jewish Studies 222. Jewish Literature and Film— View course description in department listing on p. 605. -Patt

[Women, Gender, and Sexuality 335. Mapping American Masculinities]— View course description in department listing on p. 839.

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