Course Descriptions

Please refer to the current Academic Bulletin for the most updated list of course descriptions for this major.

ENGL 100 Writing Workshop I
3 Semester Credit Hours

Students in this course will develop the necessary skills to recognize the aesthetics of writing, to engage in critical thinking, and to write research papers appropriate for college level coursework. Offered every Fall.

ENGL 102 Writing Workshop II
3 Semester Credit Hours

Provides students with information on and practice in skills needed to produce college-level writing involving research, to develop critical thinking necessary to analyze and select sources appropriate for research projects, to use MLA documentation and cite sources correctly, and to create and deliver oral presentations. Prerequisite: ENGL 100 Offered every Spring.

ENGL 110 Writing Workshop I Laboratory
1 Semester Credit Hour

A one-hour credit lab which is to be taken in conjunction with ENGL100 for students who require further development in composition. Offered every Fall.

ENGL 200 Approaching Literature
3 Semester Credit Hours

Introduction to reading good literature intelligently, and appreciatively. Emphasis on basic critical principles applied to outstanding works of literature. *LIT Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102. Offered online on an irregular basis.

ENGL 204 Creative Writing Survey
3 Semester Credit Hours

A critical study of prominent writers accompanied by a survey of the creative writing workshop. Emphasis on several genres and writing within those genre conventions. *CRW. Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102. Offered Spring of Odd years.

ENGL 205 British Literature Survey
3 Semester Credit Hours

A study of the major poets and prose writers who contributed to the development of literature, intellectual thought, and language of English speaking peoples from the Anglo-Saxon period to the present day. *LIT Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102. Offered every Fall.

ENGL 206 American Literature Survey
3 Semester Credit Hours

A study of significant American writers and survey of American literary traditions from pre-colonial settlement to the present time. *LIT Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102. Offered every semester.

ENGL 207 Medieval Literature Survey
3 Semester Credit Hours

Medieval Literature focuses on appreciation of a particular period of literature drawn from classical English, French, and Italian works. The course places emphasis on basic critical principles applied to outstanding works of medieval writing while comparing parallels to modern pieces of literature. *LIT Prerequisites ENGL100 and ENGL102. Offered every Spring.

ENGL 210 Grammar and Linguistics
3 Semester Credit Hours

Grammar and linguistics will focus on the structure of the English language through the study of the basic principles of grammar and linguistics. This course will place a strong emphasis on grammar, mechanics, and usage. Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and 102. Offered Fall of Odd Years.

ENGL 230 Readings in World Literature
3 Semester Credit Hours

Concentration on some aspect of world literature from ancient times to the present. The schedule of course offerings will specify the geographical origin, period and genre of literature a given section will treat. * LIT Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102. Offered every semester.

ENGL 300 Film Script Analysis and Production
3 Semester Credit Hours

Film Script Analysis and Production focuses on developing script analysis skills with a view to creating a cohesive production. Aspects of scripts such as structure, pacing, and originality with an emphasis on formatting and their impact on producing a film will be explored. *CRW Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102.

ENGL 303 Topics in Literature
3 Semester Credit Hours

Topics in Literature will focus on a range of literature. Subject matter in the course varies depending on instructor and student interests. The schedule of course offerings will specify the subject of the course. *LIT Prerequisites: ENGL100 and 102. May be repeated up to 6 credit hours. Offered in the Fall most years.

ENGL 304 The Lyric Essay
3 Semester Credit Hours

This course will examine the blending of the creative nonfiction and poetry genres, which in the past ten years have created the hybrid genre of lyric essays. Lyric essays combine the linguistic potential of poetry with the personal struggles of the essay. We will study the essay, starting with Montaigne, and trace the progression from a formal exercise to one that seeks to capture the essence of human experience. Students will read, write, and workshop in this genre while always examining truth, language, and self. *CRW Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102.

ENGL 305 Sports Journalism
3 Semester Credit Hours

This course will provide basic knowledge of the responsibilities and skills necessary for sports journalists and sports communications professionals. Students will gain an understanding of the basic issues related to ethical practices in sports media professions while learning about the history and future trajectory of the field. Students will be exposed to examples in all forms of sports media (print, radio, TV, etc.) but will focus on print journalism. Students will be expected to put their research and knowledge into practice through written and verbal assignments. Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and 102; CART 100. Offered Fall of Even Years.

ENGL 311 Poetry
3 Semester Credit Hours

This course concentrates on some aspect of poetry from ancient times to the present. The schedule of course offerings will specify the geographical origin, period or theme a section will treat. Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102.

ENGL 312 Literature and Film Studies
3 Semester Credit Hours

This course will focus on the movement from a literary work to the medium of film and will consider those occasions when the reverse is true – when a popular film is transformed into a literary work. The course will examine the phenomena of metamorphosis when a narrative moves from one form to another. *LIT Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102.

ENGL 313 The Novel
3 Semester Credit Hours

Artistic, historical and analytical study of the novel. Readings and discussion of major novelists and representative works. The schedule of course offerings will specify the geographical origin, period or theme a section will treat. *LIT Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102.

ENGL 315 Drama
3 Semester Credit Hours

A study of dramatic literature with attention to historical and cultural perspective. The schedule of course offerings will specify the geographical origin, period or theme a section will cover.. *LIT Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102.

ENGL 330 Screen Writing
3 Semester Credit Hours

Screen Writing Basics focuses on developing short screenplays individually and collectively. Students’ individual work will be read and discussed in class through workshop. Group work to produce a collaborative piece will enable students to augment their own creative learning goals as well as experiment in filming. An emphasis on structure and revision/editing will be applied to the screenplays produced by the students with a minor focus on professional screenplays/films for comparative analysis as well as submission of creative works. Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102.

ENGL 335 Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults
3 Semester Credit Hours

Through reading, discussing, workshopping, and analyzing form and content of canonical and contemporary literature, students will learn about and create poetry and fiction for elementary and middle grades students and young adults. Attention to audience and appropriate rhetorical devices. *CRW Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102.

ENGL 344 Page to Stage Workshop
3 Semester Credit Hours

Students will compose character sketches, monologues and scenes and perform the work generated in class. Students will offer a public performance of selected work, generated in class, as a final project. Cross-listed with THEA 344. *CRW Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102.

ENGL 346 Topics in Creative Writing
3 Semester Credit Hours

Practice in types of writing including fiction, poetry and personal essay. Opportunity to experiment in various literary forms. Selected work by students will be read and discussed in class. Attention to editing and publishing. Qualified students by permission of instructor. *CRW. Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102. Offered Spring of Even Years.

ENGL 347 Poetry Workshop
3 Semester Credit Hours

Students will experiment with image, metaphor, meter, and stanza as they develop their poetic skills. Students will share their writing and offer peer evaluation in a workshop environment. Students will create a chapbook of poetry as a final project. *CRW. Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102.

ENGL 348 Fiction Workshop
3 Semester Credit Hours

The course will cover the fundamentals of fiction writing with a focus on established writers to study form and structure. Students will compose original works of fiction. Participation in class discussion is required. Students will develop their writing skills in a workshop environment and produce a final portfolio of work. Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102.

ENGL 349 Truth is Stranger Than Fiction: Nonfiction Workshop
3 Semester Credit Hours

Students will write in a variety of nonfiction genres, and will write and evaluate peer writing in a workshop environment. Students are required to complete a portfolio of work including a 10-15 page memoir essay, one six page essay responding to a secondary text, one journalism project, and participation in weekly workshops and writing prompts. Each student will create a chapbook of nonfiction writing as a final project. Prerequisites: ENGL 100/101 and ENGL 102.

ENGL 402 The Feminine Voice
3 Semester Credit Hours

This course focuses on appreciation, understanding, and interpretation of British literature and the emergence of the female voice in writings ranging from the 18th century to modern times. Content will include novels, essays, and theory. *LIT. Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and 102.

ENGL 411 Major American Writers
3 Semester Credit Hours

Comprehensive study of the works of a major figure or figures in American literature. The author or authors to be considered in the course will be announced in the annual schedule of course offerings and may include “Melville and James,” “Faulkner,” and “Wharton and Cather.” Students will use critical thinking and writing skills to evaluate scholarly research, to engage in literary analysis, and to write research papers appropriate to advanced college level coursework. Students will create and deliver oral presentations appropriate for entry level in graduate school or professional positions. * LIT. Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102. Offered Spring of Odd years. Alternates with 412 & 413.

ENGL 412 Major English Writers
3 Semester Credit Hours

Comprehensive study of a major figure or figures in English literature. The author or authors to be considered in the course will be announced in the schedule of course offerings and may include “Chaucer,” “Milton,” and “Lawrence.” Students will use critical thinking and writing skills to evaluate scholarly research, to engage in literary analysis, and to write research papers appropriate to advanced college level coursework. Students will create and deliver oral presentations appropriate for entry level in graduate school or professional positions. * LIT. Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102. Offered Spring of Odd years. Alternates with 411 & 413.

ENGL 413 Major World Writers
3 Semester Credit Hours

Comprehensive study of a major figure or figures in World literature. The author or authors to be considered in the course will be announced in the schedule of course offerings. Students will use critical thinking and writing skills to evaluate scholarly research, to engage in literary analysis, and to write research papers appropriate to advanced college level coursework. Students will create and deliver oral presentations appropriate for entry level in graduate school or professional positions. * LIT. Prerequisites: ENGL 100, ENGL 102, and an ENGL 200 level survey course is suggested. Offered Spring of Odd years. Alternates with 411 & 412.

ENGL 414 American Renaissance
3 Semester Credit Hours

Students will read the writings of major American writers who created what F.O. Mathieson coined the “American Renaissance.” In discussion and research, students will consider the themes, innovations of language, and theory that brought about a divergence from British literature and created a recognizably American literature. * LIT. Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102. It is recommended that students complete ENGL 206 prior to taking this course. Offered every other Fall of Odd years. Alternates with ENGL 415.

ENGL 415 American Regionalism
3 Semester Credit Hours

Students in this course will read diverse representations of regionalism in American literature, consider definitions and uses of regionalism and examine the limitations and appeals of regional literature. Students will experience the language and social context that characterize regional literature. * LIT. Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102. Offered every other Fall of Odd years. Alternates with ENGL 414.

ENGL 416 Modern and Postmodern Literature
3 Semester Credit Hours

This course will focus on writing in the literary movements of modernism and postmodernism in the twentieth century. Students will examine the ways that World Wars I and II, worldwide depression, and the growth of colonialism influenced the development of aesthetic values of modernism and postmodernism. * LIT. Prerequisite: ENGL 102. Offered Online. (Starting spring 2022 will be offered on campus every other Spring of Even years.)

ENGL 440 Senior Seminar in Literature
3 Semester Credit Hours

A capstone course for seniors, depending upon the emphasis, the student will engage in multiple draft revisions and complete either a research paper or substantial creative piece that demonstrates potential for publication or provides a writing sample for graduate school. Prerequisites: ENGL 100, ENGL 102. (note, also the Capstone for English core in the General Studies degree.) Offered every Spring.

ENGL 450 Web Series Workshop
3 Semester Credit Hours

Web Series Workshop will focus on developing short web series individually and collectively. Students’ individual work will be read and discussed in class through workshop. Group work to produce a collaborative piece will enable students to augment their own creative learning goals as well as experiment in filming. An emphasis on structure and revision/editing will be applied to the web series produced by the students with a minor focus on professionally produced series for comparative analysis as well as submission of creative works. *CRW. Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102.

ENGL 460 Independent Study
1-3 Semester Credit Hours

For advanced students, this course might follow the form of (1) a reading course in literature, with individual assignments and conferences, or (2) a special project within any English emphasis to enrich the student’s background in that area. Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102 and consent of the English Program Director.

ENGL 470 English Practicum
3 Semester Credit Hours

Students majoring in certain emphases may apply for a practicum, which enables students to apply in business or professional settings theories and techniques learned in the classroom. Prerequisites: Usually, at least junior standing; completed application (thirty days prior to the practicum semester); approvals from the Division of Fine Arts and Humanities, the English Program Director and the Academic Dean. Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102.

ENGL 480 English Internship
3-12 Semester Credit Hours

Students majoring in certain emphases may apply for an Internship, which enables students to apply in business or professional settings–at advanced levels–theories and techniques learned in the classroom. Prerequisites: Usually, senior standing; successful completion of one English practicum of 3-hours credit; completed application (thirty days prior to internship semester); approvals from the Division of Fine Arts and Humanities, the English Program Director and the Academic Dean. (NOTE: Internships normally compensate monetarily the student as if the student were employed by the agency or firm.) Prerequisites: ENGL 100 and ENGL 102.