Courses and Descriptions
ENG 205 Understanding Literature 3 Credits
The novel, the short story, drama, and poetry are studied, with a view to the insights to be gained from literature. This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 206 Introduction to Creative Writing 3 Credits
A workshop that introduces students to basic conventions and techniques of creative writing. Students will read and study published writing in multiple genres, such as short fiction, drama, poetry, and creative nonfiction, and write and revise their own creative pieces.
ENG 208 Arthurian Legends in Literature 3 Credits
The legends attached to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table have become cultural touchstones in England and the United States. This survey of medieval to contemporary Arthurian literature examines the legends and their written versions within their respective cultural, historical, philosophical and aesthetic contexts.This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 210 Major American Authors 3 Credits
An introductory course focusing on major American poets, novelists, essayists, and playwrights. This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 211 Major British Authors 3 Credits
An introductory course focusing on major British poets, novelists, essayists, and playwrights. Students will learn to understand, interpret, and evaluate literary works.This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 213 Literature and Mythology 3 Credits
The interrelationships that exist between literary works and folklore, ritual, and religious scriptures and beliefs are explored. The primary emphasis is on analyzing the presence of mythic patterns in specific literary works; the secondary emphasis is on theories of mythology. This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 214 Monsters in Literature 3 Credits
This course examines various texts on the topic of monsters. Students read and watch films, and explore the answers to the following: Who are they? Undead, alien, satanic, outcast, hidden, hostile, tragic. Where are they? Crossroads, arctic wastes, moors, abandoned buildings, forests, outer reaches, inside. What do they want? Revenge, bodies, lives, escape, life, contact, humanity. This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 215 Satire and Comedy 3 Credits
Explores these two related modes of literature with the primary emphasis on satire. Possible readings include works by Euripedes, Jonson, Shakespeare, Moliere, Voltaire, Pope, Swift, Dickens, Twain, Wilde, Waugh, Orwell, and Heller.This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 217 Introduction To Shakespeare 3 Credits
Students in this course study Shakespearean drama on an introductory level through close reading, analysis, and discussion of selected plays. They learn the relevance and importance of Shakespeare’s themes, characterizations, and imagery. This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 218 Literature and the Environment 3 Credits
Students examine literature on important environmental issues, such as climate change, pollution, dams, oil pipelines, and nuclear energy. The class focuses on how literature, which may include fiction, poetry, drama, and essays, helps readers understand and grapple with these complex global challenges.
ENG 219 Literature and Violence 3 Credits
This course will examine and critique themes of violence that have become a pervasive and recurring artistic thread in classic literary texts. Through careful, close textual readings and critical analyses of thematically selected texts that contain multiple artistic representations of violence in varied literary genres, students will explore literary violence as a possible metaphor for understanding dimensions of power, control and dominance. In analytical studies of thematically selected texts, students will gain new insights and critical perspectives on modern American society and the social causes and ills of violence. Students will delve into the root, cause and meaning of violence and they will further grow to understand why and how violence still maintains a pervasive presence in their daily lives and in the very literature they read. This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 220 Literature & Society 3 Credits
Literature is examined, emphasizing human behavior as it relates to such social phenomena as war, alienation, social disorganization, injustice, and poverty. This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 221 Literature and Psychology 3 Credits
Students will study Freudian and other psychoanalytical concepts as they appear in literature, plus psychological patterns of behavior such as aggression, frustration, and submission, that have been utilized by creative literary artists to expand the reader’s understanding of the human experience. This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 222 Crime and Literature 3 Credits
This introductory course focuses on representations of crime in novels and short stories. The primary goal of this course is to equip you with the basic tools you need to interpret fiction. Examining how narrative elements such as plot, character, point of view, and setting function in literature will enable you to analyze, not just comprehend and summarize, fiction. This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 224 Science Fiction 3 Credits
This course is designed to introduce students to science fiction, its major themes and preoccupations, as well as some of its significant authors and genres. It has been argued that science fiction or “speculative” fiction represents a viable way to make sense of our everyday world. Our primary focus, therefore, will be on how these texts--written and visual--help us understand our culture and ourselves through encounters with alien and unfamiliar worlds, species, and technology. By the end of the course, students are expected to be able to critically engage with science fiction, and to identify its broad cultural impact. This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 226 Introduction to Film 3 Credits
Focuses on various cinematic techniques used to develop underlying thematic and symbolic concepts and to shape viewer response. Students will analyze classical and contemporary features for their masterful use of visual language.
ENG 228 Black American Lit 3 Credits
A survey of writings by black Americans, presented historically from early slave narratives through emancipation, reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, and literature from the 1930s to the present. This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 229 Multi-Ethnic Literature in America 3 Credits
Surveys the literature of various ethnic groups including African Americans, American Indians, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans, Jewish Americans and European Americans. This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 230 Women In Literature 3 Credits
A range of literary presentations of the female experience and of the conditions of women’s lives is explored. These works are placed in historical and social contexts in order to see behind and beyond traditional literary conventions. This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 236 Applied Grammar & Syntax 3 Credits
This course offers a review of the essential elements of English grammar and syntax and fosters understanding of how these elements work in notable argumentative and expository writing as well as in the student's own compositions. Focus is on both expert reading and effective writing. Changing attitudes toward usage, including influence of digital media on language use, are discussed. May be taken as preparation for, or independently of ENG 336, which addresses grammar, syntax, and style at a more advanced level.
Prerequisite(s): completion of composition requirements or permission of instructor.
ENG 240 Contemporary Literary Lenses 3 Credits
This class teaches students to read literary and other cultural texts through a range of lenses including psychoanalysis, theories of gender and sexuality, social class and ideology, and race and ethnicity. Required of all English literature and writing majors, and literature minors.
ENG 245 Creativity 3 Credits
This course is an introduction to the history of literary creativity and the related topics of invention, genius, imagination, and originality. It examines theories of literary creativity throughout history from ancient ideas about the origins of inventiveness to recent theories. It looks at select works in English and other sources, and it looks at the subject of creativity in poetic, prose, and dramatic works.
Prerequisite(s): English Literature majors should take all Gateway Courses before they take 300- and 400- level courses.
ENG 250 Literary History I 3 Credits
Surveys British literature beginning with the old English epic of Beowulf and ending in 1785. Students analyze diverse works of literature from different genres, movements, and periods while taking into account historical context. Students learn to analyze literature using formal strategies and terms, and to develop arguments about literature. All English majors and writing concentration minors must take this course. Literature and cinema studies concentration minors must take either ENG 250 or 251. Students are advised to take this course prior to upper-level English courses.
ENG 251 Literary History II 3 Credits
Surveys literature in English since 1785. Students analyze diverse works of literature from different genres, movements, and periods while taking into account historical context. Students learn to analyze literature using formal strategies and terms, and to develop arguments about literature. All English majors and writing concentration minors must take this course. Literature and cinema studies concentration minors must take either ENG 250 or 251. Students are advised to take this course prior to upper-level English courses..
Prerequisite(s): ENG 250 or permission of the instructor or chairperson.
ENG 270 Introduction to Poetry 3 Credits
This course introduces students to diverse poets and poetic forms. Students will learn to appreciate a wide range of poetic voices and to situate them within their cultural context. Particular attention will be paid to formal innovations and the evolution of poetic forms across the globe. Our aim is to achieve a richer understanding of poetry in its varied modes of expression. The course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 275 Posthumanism: Bodies and Technology in Literature 3 Credits
This course explores the concept of posthumanism in speculative and futuristic literature. Who counts as human? How do advances in science and technology change what it means to be human? How much can we change our bodies before we stop being human? Categories of posthumanism that may be explored include virtual reality, cybercultures, and bodily transcendence; cyborgs; body modification, duplication, and replacement; cloning; genetic engineering; and postapocalyptic/ecocritical narratives.
ENG 280 Special Topics in Literature 3 Credits
Uses literary works to achieve insights into different areas of human experience. Topics change annually as announced by the English department.
ENG 281 Global Film History: Origins to 1960 3 Credits
Examines major technological and aesthetic developments in both American and international cinema of the period, with an emphasis on global cinema. From silent comedy and melodrama to German Expressionism and Soviet activist cinema; from French poetic realism and Italian Neo-realism to Hollywood sound cinema, this course will survey and assess the impact of influential movements, major film artists, and groundbreaking films of the period. ENG 281 is crosslisted with FMS 250 and this course counts towards the fulfillment of the Global Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 282 Global Film History: 1961 to Present 3 Credits
Examines major technological, industrial and aesthetic developments in both American and international cinema of the period. From the decline of the studio system and the emergence of the 'New Hollywood' to the digital revolution; from the renaissance in Western and Eastern European cinemas to Latin American, Asian, and Middle Eastern cinema, this course will survey and assess the impact of influential movements, major film artists, and groundbreaking films of the period. ENG 282 is crosslisted with FMS 251 and fulfills the general education global perspectives requirement.
ENG 284 Language of Film Analysis 3 Credits
Provides students with the fundamentals necessary for achieving beginning proficiency in methods of cinema studies scholarship. The course provides an in-depth introduction to concepts of film analysis, theory, and history, as well as to the field of cinema studies as an academic discipline. Through close analysis of selected films and readings, students will examine the various and complex ways in which formal elements shape meaning. Students also will study key concepts in film theory, applying these concepts as a further means of understanding the ways in which film positions viewers and mediates ideology. Required of all English majors and minors with a cinema studies concentration. ENG 284 is crosslisted with FMS 284.
ENG 285 American Film History: Origins to 1960 3 Credits
Examines major technological and aesthetic developments in American cinema as it grew from the days of one-reel silent shorts exhibited in storefront theaters through the days of studio productions exhibited in lavish picture palaces and featuring iconic stars the system manufactured and promoted. From the inception of sound and color, to the later development of lightweight equipment that freed filmmakers from the confines of the studio, from the “golden age” to the gradual decline of the Hollywood studio system in the 1950s, we will study the lasting genres that grew out of the system, the filmmakers who flourished and those who rebelled against the system, and the ground-breaking films that established the American film industry as a dominant force within the world. ENG 285 is crosslisted with FMS 252.
ENG 286 American Film History: 1961 to Present 3 Credits
Examines the transitions of Hollywood in the post-studio era— the rise of the 1960’s-1970s New Hollywood and its ground-breaking films, the rise of the blockbuster as an industry standard; the responses of independent filmmakers and the avant-garde to blockbuster dominance; the transition from the Production Code to the ratings system, the move back to studio- owned theaters, and the emergence of digital cinema and CGI. We will look at how genres are being redefined, how major filmmakers are re-shaping their work to fit 21st century demands, how “gaming,” YouTube, and other media sources are altering the very definition of cinema.
ENG 290 The Short Story 3 Credits
Presents the development of the short story from the 19th century to the present with an emphasis on the techniques of plot, setting, characterization, theme, and point of view. This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
ENG 295 Human Relationships in Literature (HONORS) 3 Credits
Through in-depth analysis of significant pairs of literary works from a variety of time periods, students in this honors course will study the dynamics of human relationships as they are presented in literature. Emphasis will be on portrayal of interpersonal relationships as inflected by conventions, constraints, and taboos. Social and psychological theories will complement esthetic and formal analysis of fiction, drama, poetry, and film. This course counts towards the fulfillment of the Disciplinary Perspectives element of the CLAS general education curriculum.
Prerequisite(s): 3.3 GPA.
ENG 303 Creative Writing: Poetry 3 Credits
A workshop analyzing the techniques of poetic expression, with a focus on the student’s original experiments in traditional and contemporary verse forms.
Prerequisite(s): completion of composition requirements or permission of instructor.
ENG 304 Creative Writing: Fiction 3 Credits
Students write original fiction and analyze the techniques of writing fiction in discussion of both their own drafts and published examples of the form.
Prerequisite(s): completion of composition requirements or permission of instructor.
ENG 305 Creative Writing: Nonfiction 3 Credits
A workshop in Creative Nonfiction (aka Literary Nonfiction or Narrative Nonfiction, abbreviated CNF) in which students will write and read different forms of memoir and essay, including Personal Essay, Lyric Essay, Travel Writing, Oral History, and Personal Profiles. Creative Nonfiction (CNF) tells true stories using the literary techniques of fiction-writing, such as building dramatic scenes, establishing suspense, and developing a narrative sequence of events, or plot. CNF employs vivid sensory detail and builds characters and scenes to enhance the reader’s experience of the story. Challenging the traditional journalist’s stance of objectivity and emotional distance from her topics, CNF writers often put themselves into their stories to create a voice of reflection. We’ll talk about what types of creative license CNF gives writers, and also about the ethics of storytelling, especially when your story’s characters are real, living people.
Prerequisite(s): completion of composition requirements or permission of instructor.
ENG 306 Creative Writing: Drama 3 Credits
Examines cultural developments in the United States from the late 19th century to the present. Topics include popular culture, intellectual history, gender history, literary history, film, institutions like museums and department stores, subcultures and countercultures, popular commemorations like World’s Fairs, and political culture. Some of the largest trends explored include the development of the modern culture of consumption, the urban landscape, and the polarization of cultural values.
ENG 311 Creative Writing: Playwriting 3 Credits
A workshop teaching and analyzing how students write for the stage that pays particular attention to the demands of the genre. Through reading and writing assignments, students will discuss and analyze the development of their own dramatic scripts for theatrical performance. A portfolio of revisions will serve as a final for the course.
ENG 312 Creative Writing: Screenwriting 3 Credits
A workshop teaching and analyzing how students write for the screen, both television and film, that pays particular attention to the demands of the genre. Through reading and writing assignments, students will discuss and analyze the development of their own dramatic scripts for production. A portfolio of revisions will serve as a final for the course.
ENG 313 Creative Writing: Experimental Writing 3 Credits
A creative writing workshop dedicated to developing a wider range of literary techniques. For the purposes of this course, Experimental Writing is defined as writing that departs -- in form, structure, or style -- from the conventions of literary realism. Students will demonstrate proficiency in writing and reading experimental fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, with an emphasis on experimental narrative techniques such as metafiction, magic realism, the unreliable narrator, multi-genre and hybrid forms (works that blur the lines between poetry and prose, for example), nonlinear storytelling, fragmentation, and poetic techniques such as found text and readymades, self-imposed constraints, and the collage or mashup.
ENG 315 Topics in Specialized Writing 3 Credits
A workshop in which students will write on specialized topics chosen by the instructor.
Prerequisite(s): completion of composition requirements or permission of instructor.
ENG 316 Theories of Writing & Tutoring 3 Credits
A workshop on writing and tutoring theory for students interested in becoming writing tutors or teachers.
Prerequisite(s): minimum GPA 3.0, sophomore standing, and permission of the instructor.
ENG 318 Food Writing 3 Credits
Food Writing is a thematically based course in essay writing. It develops students’ ability to write effective informal prose while also extending their knowledge about food sources, preparation, and consumption. They learn through readings and exercises, however, that food writing is about more than food. It encompasses the pleasures of the table, history, culture, science, and politics.
Prerequisite(s): completion of composition requirements or permission of instructor.
ENG 320 Editing for Literary Publishing 3 Credits
This course introduces students to the process of publishing literary magazines and books. Student will learn all aspects of publishing from solicitation of manuscripts to the production of copy. Specific skills will include copyediting, proofreading, and layout.
ENG 321 Business and Professional Contexts 3 Credits
Students practice writing effectively to achieve specific purposes in typical business and professional workplace environments. Genres include various kinds of internal and external communication, including print and social media, for a range of audiences.
Prerequisite(s): CMP 125 or COM 203 or BHP 150 or permission of instructor.
ENG 322 Grant Proposals, Fundraising and Development 3 Credits
Students employ their analytical and writing skills to research and write grants for non-profit organizations in their local or regional communities. Fundraising and development activities on behalf of area organizations introduce them to career opportunities in this growing field.
Prerequisite(s): CMP 125 or CMP 203 or BHP 150 or permission of instructor.
ENG 323 Reviewing and Publishing 3 Credits
Students learn to write arts and literary criticism through studying the work of prominent critics in literature, theatre, film, dance, visual arts, and music. Students learn how to market themselves as potential reviewers for print and online publications.
Prerequisite(s): CMP 125 or CMP 203 or BHP 150 or permission of instructor.
ENG 324 Writing for Online Audiences 3 Credits
This course will help students adapt their writing to online environments. A writing- intensive course grounded in rhetorical principles, it focuses upon planning, writing and producing online texts distributed entirely through virtual portals. Genres include E-mail, instant messages, text messages, blogs, wikis, workplace social-media, and online team collaborations.
Prerequisite(s): CMP 125 or CMP 203 or BHP 150 or permission of instructor.
ENG 325 Jobs in Book Publishing 3 Credits
Students will practice the forms of writing used by literary agents and publishing professionals working in acquisitions, editorial, and production at trade, academic, and small literary presses. These forms may include the query letter, book proposal, reader’s report, and marketing plan.
Prerequisite(s): Completion of composition requirements or permission of instructor.
ENG 326 Editing for Academic Publishing 3 Credits
The course will provide an overview of academic publishing with an emphasis on peer-reviewed scholarly journals. Students will learn firsthand the process of publishing a scholarly journal, from soliciting manuscripts to laying out copy. Assignments may include mastering the standard system of proofreading marks; copyediting, fact-checking and source-checking manuscripts; and correcting page proofs. Students will learn about style sheets, style manuals and reference books; document management; and professional communication standards for querying authors and reviewers.
Prerequisite(s): completion of composition requirements (CMP 125, CMP 203, or BHP 150 with a grade of C) or permission of instructor.
ENG 331 Fantasy and Fable in Medieval Literature 3 Credits
A study of monsters, fairies, magical women, green men, and more in medieval literature. From divine to bawdy, the stories and lyrics cover diverse themes and styles.
ENG 332 British Literature, 20th-Century to Present 3 Credits
A seminar on literature in the United Kingdom from 1900 to the present, emphasizing formal experiments as well as historical contexts, and including such writers as Joyce, Woolf, Beckett, Rhys, Eliot, and Ishiguro.
ENG 333 16th-Century Literature 3 Credits
A seminar on Renaissance literature including such writers as More, Wyatt, Surrey, Spenser, Sidney, Shakespeare, and Marlowe.
ENG 335 17th-Century Literature 3 Credits
A seminar on literature in England from 1600 to 1660, including such writers as Donne, Jonson, Browne, Herbert, and Marvell.
ENG 336 Grammar and Style 3 Credits
By building a comprehensive knowledge of the conventions of English grammar, punctuation and syntax, students will learn how to analyze the way words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs work in expert writing, and they will apply this knowledge to their own writing. Emphasis is on argument, exposition, and analysis.
Prerequisite(s): completion of composition requirements or permission of instructor.
ENG 337 Global Literature 3 Credits
A study of the recent literature, in English, of one or more writers whose cultural identification is with one of the former colonies of the British Empire, as it was defined at the beginning of the 20th century. Literature in the English language, written by authors of African, Caribbean, Pacific Island, East Asian, or South Asian cultures may be included.
ENG 340 Restoration & 18th Century Literature 3 Credits
An exploration of literature in England from 1660 to 1800, including such writers as Astell, Pope, Finch, Swift, Defoe, Fielding, Johnson, and Wollstonecraft.
ENG 344 Gods and Monsters: Biblical and Classical Influence in Literature 3 Credits
This course surveys biblical and classical influences on western literature and beyond, analyzing adaptations of seminal texts with special attention to gender, race, and sexuality. We will read selections from the Old and New Testaments, Homer, Sophocles, Virgil, Ovid, and Dante (to name a few) as well as adaptations of that material by popular writers, artists, and musicians.
ENG 345 Romantic Literature 3 Credits
A seminar on literature in England from 1780-1830, emphasizing a close study of the poetry of Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Byron, and Keats, as well as important novelists and female poets of the period.
ENG 346 Victorian Literature,1830-1900 3 Credits
A seminar on literature in England from 1830 to 1900, emphasizing close study of the literary culture, including such writers as Dickens, Browning, Mill, and Ruskin.
ENG 347 20th-Century British Literature 3 Credits
A seminar on literature in the United Kingdom from 1900 to 1960, emphasizing formal experiments as well as historical contexts, and including such writers as Joyce, Woolf, Beckett, Rhys, Delaney, and Eliot.
ENG 348 Contemporary British Literature 3 Credits
A study of contemporary literature written in English after 1945, in the U.K. and elsewhere, by writers of British, Irish, Scots, Welsh, and other cultural traditions. Poetry, fiction, literary essays, and drama will be included.
ENG 350 Sex and Sin in Early American Literature 3 Credits
A seminar on literature in the United States from its beginnings to 1800, emphasizing the changing and conflicted nature of religious beliefs and sexual identities in Early America. Students will read and analyze diverse literary genres including diaries, letters, essays, novels, short stories, poems, and sermons.
ENG 351 19th-Century American Literature 3 Credits
A seminar on literature in the United States from 1800 to 1900, emphasizing literary genres and the definition of an American literature as distinct from English literature.
ENG 353 Contemporary American Literature 3 Credits
A seminar on American literature from 1945 to the present.
ENG 354 Selected Topics in English 3 Credits
Exploration of special topics, themes or methodologies in English. This course may be repeated for credit on different topics.
ENG 355 Selected Topics in English 3 Credits
Exploration of special topics, themes or methodologies in English. This course may be repeated for credit on different topics.
ENG 356 Selected Topics in English 3 Credits
Exploration of special topics, themes or methodologies in English. This course may be repeated for credit on different topics.
ENG 357 American Literature, 20th century to Present 3 Credits
“A seminar on American literature from 1900 to the present, including such writers as O’Neill, Hemingway, Faulkner, Richard Wright, Stevens, Moore, and Williams, and Morrison.”.
ENG 361 Selected Topics in English 3 Credits
Exploration of special topics, themes or methodologies in English. This course may be repeated for credit on different topics.
ENG 362 The Novel 3 Credits
A close reading of novels from various historical periods and cultures.
ENG 363 The Drama 3 Credits
A close reading of drama, with attention to cultural contexts and the genres of tragedy and comedy.
ENG 364 The Poem 3 Credits
A close reading of poetry, with attention to historical periods and poetic genres.
ENG 365 Short Fiction 3 Credits
A close reading of short fiction from a variety of cultures, with attention to the various genres of short fiction: short-short, short story, long story, and novella.
ENG 366 Black and Multi-Ethnic Literature 3 Credits
A Survey of the literary writings of selected writers of Black and Multi-Ethnic America. Writers may include Zora Neale Hurston, Dorothy West, Maxine Hong Kingston, Anzia Yezierska, Louise Erdrich, Don Lee and Amy Tan.
ENG 371 Classics of Children's Literature 3 Credits
An analytic study of classic and contemporary literature for children. Students will be introduced to a variety of critical approaches, including psychoanalytic, social/historical and feminist. The course may be of particular interest, but is not restricted, to students majoring in education or psychology.
ENG 372 Children's Literature: The Adolescent Experience 3 Credits
A study of enduring literature examines how exemplary writers chronicle the challenges of growing up. Texts may include influential Young Adult fiction, classics such as The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird, and contemporary fiction by important writers who focus on the relevant themes.
ENG 375 Literature and Sexuality 3 Credits
The study and application of theories of gender and sexuality in various periods of British and/or American literature. Possible course topics include the literature of AIDS, the literary history of sexuality, Gothic literature and sexuality, colonialism and desire, and sensibility and sexuality in the later 18th century.
ENG 381 Studies in Film Genre 3 Credits
Provides an in-depth examination of a variety of film genres (such as the gangster film, the western, the musical, the screwball comedy, the science fiction film, and the horror film, among others), to be examined through the perspective of film genre theory. Through close analysis of selected films and readings, students will define the aesthetic and thematic patterns characterizing specific genres, and will trace the development of those genres within the dual contexts of the film industry and cultural ideology. Note: This course is cross-listed as FMS 381. Although students may not get credit for both ENG 381 and FMS 381 in a single semester, they may repeat this course in future semesters, given that genres studied will rotate.
ENG 382 Comparative Film Directors 3 Credits
Provides an in-depth comparative study of major American, international, independent and avant-garde filmmakers. Through close analysis of selected films and readings, students will define the aesthetic and thematic patterns characterizing the work of individual directors and will draw meaningful comparisons among directors sharing similar aesthetic and thematic approaches. Students will trace the artistic development of directors through their careers, assessing individual works in the context of film criticism and theory, and in the context of multi-layered intertextual influences. Note: This course is cross-listed as FMS 382. Although students may not get credit for both ENG 381 and FMS 381 in a single semester, they may repeat this course in future semesters, given that directors studied will rotate.
ENG 383 Global Cinemas 3 Credits
Provides an in-depth study of the history and defining characteristics of national cinemas. Through close analysis of selected films and readings, students will examine the general movements within the history and development of various national cinemas, with attention to film historiography when considering how patterns are to be viewed in light of the culture, politics, and history of a particular producing nation. Further, students will trace and evaluate the influence of selected film movements and issues upon both cinematic and critical practice. Note: This course is cross-listed as FMS 383. Although students may not get credit for both ENG 381 and FMS 381 in a single semester, they may repeat this course in future semesters, given that national cinemas studied will rotate.
ENG 384 Film Adaptation 3 Credits
Provides an in-depth study of intertextual influence, as film enters into “dialogue” with various literary forms. Through close analysis of selected films and various forms of literature-including novels, graphic novels, short stories, plays, poetry, and journalism- students will study the aesthetic specificity of both film and literary genres and will analyze the transformative qualities at play when a work is adapted from page or stage to screen. Note: This course is cross-listed as FMS 384.
ENG 400 Creative Writing: Advanced Creative Writing 3 Credits
An advanced workshop in creative writing.
Prerequisite(s): completion of composition requirements or permission of instructor.
ENG 405 Advanced Prose Style 3 Credits
Students analyze prose styles in English from the Renaissance to the present, focusing on the development of syntax, diction, and content. Students will be encouraged to imitate stylistic models and to develop their own prose style.
Prerequisite(s): completion of composition requirements or permission of instructor.
ENG 407 Advanced Workplace Writing 3 Credits
Students will learn to adapt their writing skills to match specialized writing needs in publishing; corporate and personal finance; health, medicine, science, and technology. This course helps students build a portfolio and introduces them to corporate and freelance writing opportunities in our NJ/PA/NY area.
Prerequisite(s): completion of composition requirements or permission of instructor.
ENG 411 History of the English Language 3 Credits
A seminar on the historical development of the English language, including phonetics, diversity, and present-day usage.
ENG 425 Seminar in Shakespeare 3 Credits
A seminar on Shakespearean drama and poetry.
ENG 435 Seminar In Milton 3 Credits
A seminar on Milton’s lyric poetry, Samson Agonistes, Paradise Lost, and prose.
ENG 440 Seminar in Selected Major Authors 3 Credits
Seminar focusing on literature by one or two authors.
ENG 441 Seminar in American Literature 3 Credits
A seminar focusing on literature by one writer or by a small group of writers.
ENG 443 Seminar in Literary Modernism 3 Credits
A seminar on literature from 1900 to 1940, by British, Irish, and American writers such as Hardy, Yeats, Woolf, Joyce, Eliot, Williams, Hurston, and Faulkner.
ENG 445 Seminar in Black/Multi-Ethnic Literature 3 Credits
A seminar focusing on literature by black, Native American, Hispanic, Asian American and first-generation immigrant writers.
ENG 455 Seminar in Chaucer 3 Credits
An examination of Geoffrey Chaucer’s writings from a number of critical perspectives, including close reading of the texts in Middle English, context and history, gender and sexuality, linguistics, and paleography and codicology.
ENG 465 James Joyce 3 Credits
This course will offer advanced English majors an in-depth exploration of the fiction of James Joyce with a particular focus on Joyce’s novel Ulysses, considered one of the most (if not the most) important novels written in the twentieth century. Through a carefully scaffolded reading of Joyce’s challenging work, students will explore the technical, aesthetic, and social innovations of modernist fiction and its contemporary and continuing cultural impact; recognize and articulate classical, biographical, and cultural influences on Joyce’s work; and understand how editors, publishers, critics, and readers contribute to the production of seminal works of literature.
ENG 484 Seminar in Cinema Studies 3 Credits
Provides an in-depth study of areas central to discussion and debate in the field of cinema studies (such as film violence, cinema censorship, feminism and film, post-colonial cinema, African- American cinema, blaxploitation, The French New Wave, and Italian Neorealism, among others). Through close analysis of selected films and readings, students will examine the impact of specialized influential movements in film history and in film theory and criticism. Further, students will trace and evaluate the influence of selected film movements and issues upon both cinematic and critical practice. Note: This course is cross-listed as FMS 484. Although students may not get credit for both ENG 381 and FMS 381 in a single semester, they may repeat this course in future semesters, given that topics in the field of cinema studies will rotate.
ENG 485 Cinema Studies for Teachers 3 Credits
Designed for teachers and education students who (will) use film in their classrooms, ENG
485 provides approaches to teaching basic film analysis; approaches to helping students recognize the permeable boundaries between film, culture, and ideology; and approaches to understanding selected issues crucial in cinema studies as a field of scholarly study. The course provides teachers and prospective teachers with various methodological approaches and flexible uses of fiction and documentary films across the curriculum, whether to supplement or reinforce existing curricula or in stand-alone courses devoted to the study of film.
ENG 490 Independent Study: Research and Creative Expression 1-4 Credits
Independent Research and Study allows juniors and seniors in good academic standing to investigate topics of interest under faculty supervision. To count toward the Certificate in Workplace Writing, an ENG 490 project must focus on workplace-related writing and be structured to include substantial formative feedback and revision. No more than one ENG 490 may be counted toward the certificate.
Prerequisite(s): completion of composition requirements or permission of instructor.
ENG 491 Internship in Writing and Publishing 1-6 Credits
Students work under the supervision of English faculty and on-site supervisors to complete real- world assignments in writing, publishing, and cinema studies. Their performance is assessed by professional standards. A minimum of 48 hours of field work per credit is required. Students report to faculty and on-site supervisors regularly, submit all work required by on-site supervisors, maintain a log, and complete a final report. Three credits required to count toward English writing concentration. Restricted to juniors and seniors.
ENG 497 Advanced Study 3 Credits
Qualified majors may apply for honors in their senior year. Upon approval from the department of English, a candidate for honors enrolls in Advanced Study, writes a thesis, and submits it for departmental approval. The student must achieve a course grade of “B+” or better to be graduated with honors in English.
Prerequisite(s): senior standing; 3.5 GPA in English; 3.25 cumulative GPA.