COURSE DESCRIPTIONS FOR SPRING 2027
Please Note:
All undergraduate courses are worth 4 credits.
All graduate courses are worth 3 credits.
Undergraduate Courses
ENG105 – Introduction to Creative Writing
Introduction to basic principles of reading and writing poetry, fiction, and nonfiction (may also substitute genres to include drama and/or screenwriting). (Lec. 3. Project 3/Online). (A3) (B1)
ENG110 – Introduction to Literature
Analysis of literature through reading and discussion of a number of genres derived from a variety of literary cultures. (Lec. 3, Online 1) (A3) (B1)
ENG120 – Poetry Out Loud; Tu/Th 9:30-10:45am; Professor J. Jennifer Jones
Study of great poetry through the art of performance. Emphasis on public speaking skills, self-confidence, and study of literature to understand and express fundamental beliefs about life, love, pain, happiness. (Lec. 3, Online 1) (A4) (B2)
ENG121 – OUTRAGE! Literature of Protest and Dissent
Study of proud history of poems, songs, plays, and fiction speaking truth to power. Examination of the ways selected literary texts have engaged with different kinds of oppression. (Lec. 3, Online 1) (A3) (C1)
ENG122 – Poplife: How Popular Culture Explains the World; M/W 2:00-3:15pm; Professor Kyle Kusz
Introduction to critical study of how social power and inequalities are reproduced and resisted through popular culture. (Lec. 3, Project 3) (A3) (C3)
ENG160 – Literatures of the World
Cross-listed as (ENG), CLS 160. Introduction to significant works of world literature. (Lec. 3, Rec.1, Online 1) (A3) (C2)
ENG205A – Creative Writing: Poetry Writing and analysis of works written by class members and professional writers. (Lec. 3. Project 3/Online) ENG 205A may be offered online. Students may repeat ENG 205 for a total of 16 credits but may not repeat the same letter (A, B, C, D).
ENG205B – Creative Writing: Fiction Writing and analysis of works written by class members and professional writers. (Lec. 3, Project 3/Online) ENG 205B may be offered online. Students may repeat ENG 205 for a total of 16 credits but may not repeat the same letter (A, B, C, D).
ENG205D – Creative Writing: Screen Writing Writing and analysis of works written by class members and professional writers. (Lec. 3, Project 3) Students may repeat ENG 205 for a total of 16 credits but may not repeat the same letter (A, B, C, D).
ENG211 – The Young Adult Novel; Tu/Th 3:30-4:45pm, Professor Scott Kushner
Close examination of the young adult novel genre with particular attention to the cultures and ideologies of adolescence, the teenager, and the young adult. (Lec. 3, Project 3) (A3) (C3)
ENG243 – The Short Story
Critical study of the short story from the early 19th century to the present. (Lec. 3, Project 3/Online) (A3) (B1)
ENG 248 – African American Lit from 1900 to Present; M/W 2:00-3:15pm; Professor Janet Chow
Cross-listed as (ENG), AAF 248. Twentieth-century African-American literature, with emphasis on major issues, movements, and trends, including the study of W.E.B. DuBois, the Harlem Renaissance, the civil rights movement, and the black arts movement. (Lec. 3, Project 3) (A3) (C3)
ENG 265 – Introduction to Literary Genres: The Novel; Tu/Th 9:30-10:45am; Professor Heather Johnson
(4 crs.) Introduction to the study of the novel. (Lec. 4) (A3) (B1)
ENG 304 – Irish Literature Into Film; Monday, 12:20-2:50pm; Professor Heather Johnson
For a relatively small country, Ireland has produced many great writers, including three Nobel prizewinners. The importance of land, the legacy of colonialism, the impact of religion on society – all worked on the imaginations of these writers and have given us powerful stories, whether in fiction, poetry, film, or song. In comparison to the traditions of literature and music, the film industry in Ireland is relatively young. We will watch Irish and American films to learn about the representation of Irish life in this medium, with an emphasis on translations from literature to screen. Writers include Joyce, Beckett, Trevor, Toíbín, and Keegan.
ENG 305A – Advanced Creative Writing: Poetry; M/W 2:00-3:15pm
Intensive writing and reading workshop for students at the advanced level who have preferably taken at least one previous class in creative writing. (Lec. 3, Project 3/Online) Student may repeat ENG 305 for a total of 16 credits but may not repeat the same letter (A, B, C, D).
ENG 305B – Advanced Creative Writing: Fiction; M/W 2:00-3:15pm; Professor Shastri Akella
Intensive writing and reading workshop for students at the advanced level who have preferably taken at least one previous class in creative writing. (Lec. 3, Project 3/Online) Student may repeat ENG 305 for a total of 16 credits but may not repeat the same letter (A, B, C, D).
ENG 305D – Advanced Creative Writing: Screenwriting; Tu/Th 3:30-4:45pm; Professor Derek Nikitas
Intensive writing and reading workshop for students at the advanced level who have preferably taken at least one previous class in creative writing. (Lec. 3, Project 3/Online) Student may repeat ENG 305 for a total of 16 credits but may not repeat the same letter (A, B, C, D).
ENG 333 – The Sensuous Sentence: Grammar for Grammarphobes; M/W 2:00-3:15pm; Professor Travis Williams
A critical and historical examination of style, tone, diction, grammar, and sentence form as aesthetic and ideological qualities of literary texts. (Lec. 3, Project 3) (A3) (C3)
General Education: A3. Humanities and C3. Diversity and Inclusion
We will read widely in the theories and structures of English style and grammar, with special attention to the binary contrast of descriptive and prescriptive grammatical systems; how the binary breaks down under critical attention; the historical, political, and social roles of grammar; and the evolution of the English sentence. Readings are likely to include works by Shaw, Kelley, Jonson, Austen, Woolf, Díaz, and many commentators on grammar and style. The tone of the course will be conversational, exploratory, and adventurous. We will not labor under the turgid rules of punctuation, but you should nevertheless expect to come away with a refined and expanded understanding of the basic rules of English style, punctuation, and mechanics. Frequent in-class participation and contribution to online discussion threads will be required.
ENG 350 – Literary Theory & Criticism; M/W 3:30-4:45pm; Professor Stephen Barber
Introduction to theories of literature and their application in the analysis of selected texts. Topics may include representation as problematized in works selected from classical to contemporary thought. (Lec. 3, Project 3) May be repeated for credit as often as topic changes.
ENG 376 – Topics in Victorian Literature and Culture: Rebellion; Tu/Th 12:30-1:45pm; Professor Carolyn Betensky
This course considers surprising representations of rebellion in Victorian fiction, poetry, and drama. From uprisings among workers and colonized peoples to radical, nonconforming performances of gender, rebellion punctuates a culture better known for politeness and order.
ENG 378 – Aspects of Postmodernism; M/W 3:30-4:45pm; Professor Ryan Trimm
Introduction to major issues and theories of Postmodern Literature and Culture, emphases may include temporality, borders, cyberculture, theories of the image and constructions of subjectivity. (Lec. 3, Project 3)
ENG 385 – Women Writers; Tu/Th 12:30pm-1:45pm; Professor Heather Johnson
This course will focus on English women’s writing of the 20th and 2st centuries, with an emphasis on feminist and postcolonial writers. We will explore how women’s voices speak to issues of culture, politics, and literary innovation. This semester we will read and discuss novels and short stories by Woolf, Rhys, Winterson, Carter, Levy, and Smith.
ENG 396 – Literature of the Sea: The Rumowicz Seminar; Tu/Th 12:30-1:45pm; Professor Martha Rojas
Studies of maritime literature and culture. Guest lecturers and field trips. (Seminar)
ENG 405 – Creative Writing Capstone; Tu/Th 2:00-3:15pm; Professor Derek Nikitas
A capstone course in creative writing for English majors taking the Creative Writing Option; includes workshop, portfolio creation, critical responses to texts, exploration of creative writing field. (Lec. 1, Workshop 2, Online 1) Pre: ENG 205 and 305, or two ENG 305 courses in different genres (ENG 305A, 305B, 305C, or 305D).
ENG 410 – Capstone Seminar in Literary and Cultural Studies; M/W 2:00-3:15pm; Professor Stephen Barber
A capstone course in literary and cultural studies research for English majors: requires the completion of a scholarly essay or another research-intensive project. (Lec. 3, Practicum 1) Pre: two 300- or 400-level ENG courses (excluding 477). (B4) (D1)
ENG 450G — Performing Race; Tu/Th 2:00-3:15pm, Professor Christine Mok
Interdisciplinary consideration of drama, race, and performance in political, historical, cultural, and ethical contexts. (Lec. 3, Online) (D1) (C3) (GC)
ENG 462 — Contemporary African Poetry & Writing; Tu/Th 11:00am-12:15pm; Professor Afia Ansong
(3 crs.) Cross-listed as (AAF) ENG462. Exploration of 20th-century African Diaspora poetry, examining themes of (post)coloniality, Black identity, and Pan-Africanism, and will write a collection of poems. (Lec. 3) Pre: ENG105. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 credits.
ENG 472 — Shakespeare; M/W 3:30-4:45pm; Professor Travis Williams
Reading in all of Shakespeare’s dramatic genres, we will develop advanced skills of textual analysis, argumentation, persuasion, research, and reference. Special emphasis will be placed on close reading and arguing from evidence, and the social role of “Shakespeare,” the brand.
ENG 478 — Medieval Authors; Tu/Th 11:00am-12:15pm; Professor J. Jennifer Jones
Studies in works by one or more major medieval authors. May be repeated once, barring duplication of writers. (Seminar)