For information on the undergraduate major in English, please click here.

Undergraduate Courses Offered

110.   College Composition I   3 credits

Immersion in college-level critical reading and expository writing, emphasizing revision and careful preparation of manuscripts. Does not apply to English major or minor.

120.   College Composition II   3 credits

Prerequisite: Engl 110. Continues the work of College Composition I but emphasizing the production of college-level research and writing. Does not apply to English major or minor.

125.   Technical and Business Writing   3 credits

Prerequisite: Engl 110. Continues the work of College Composition I but emphasizing the production of college-level research and writing applicable to business and technical fields. Does not apply to English major or minor.

209.   Introduction to Linguistics   3 credits

An introduction to the nature of language, phonology, grammar, semantics, and historical, geographical, social, and developmental aspects of language.

225.   Introduction to Film   3 credits

The study of film drama, concentrating on appreciation and evaluation of motion pictures.

226.   Introduction to Creative Writing   3 credits

Prerequisite: Engl 110, 120 or 125 or instructor’s permission. An introduction to the types and basic principles of creative writing, taught through a combination of class discussion and practice writing.

227.   Introduction to Literature and Culture  3 credits

A course with alternating topics that asks students to read literary texts of a variety of genres. The course may emphasize form and texts from various historical periods as it introduces students to the pleasures of analyzing text and culture.

241.   World Literature I   3 credits

Great literature of western Europe, or in the European tradition, studied with emphasis upon intellectual and cultural values.

242.   World Literature II   3 credits

Great literature of western Europe, or in the European tradition, studied with emphasis upon intellectual and cultural values.

265.   Native American Literature   3 credits

Writings by and about American Indians, studied for understanding and critical appreciation.

271.   Reading and Writing About Texts   3 credits

A writing-intensive introduction to English Studies offering practice in the conventions of analyzing texts and of writing literary analysis. Required of English majors.

272.   Introduction to Literary Criticism   3 credits

A writing-intensive course that introduces students to various schools of literary criticism. Required of English majors.

299.   Special Topics   1-4 credits

A course for undergraduate students, on topics varying from term to term. Repeatable when topics vary.

301.   Survey of English Literature   3 credits

English literature from its beginnings to the twenty-first century.

302.   Survey of English Literature   3 credits

English literature from its beginnings to the twenty-first century.

303.   Survey of American Literature   3 credits

The literature of the United States from its beginnings to the twenty-first century.

304.   Survey of American Literature   3 credits

The literature of the United States from its beginnings to the twenty-first century.

306.   Creative Writing: Fiction   3 credits

Prerequisite: Engl 226 or instructor’s permission. Intermediate-level study and practice of fiction-writing.

307.   Creative Writing: Poetry   3 credits

Prerequisite: Engl 226 or instructor’s permission. Intermediate-level study and practice of poetry-writing.

308.   Advanced Composition I   3 credits

Prerequisite: Engl 120 or permission of department. Advanced writing. Emphasis on the rhetorical effectiveness and style.

309.   Modern Grammar   3 credits

Various approaches to the structure of modern English, with emphasis on dialect variation and applications to the problems of teaching.

315.   Shakespeare   3 credits

Shakespeare’s works studied in chronological sequence.

316.   Shakespeare   3 credits

Shakespeare’s works studied in chronological sequence.

320.   Studies in American Fiction   3 credits

Repeatable when topics vary.

321.   Studies in American Poetry   3 credits

Repeatable when topics vary.

322.   Studies in American Drama   3 credits

Repeatable when topics vary.

330.   Studies in English Fiction   3 credits

Repeatable when topics vary.

331.   Studies in English Poetry   3 credits

Repeatable when topics vary.

332.   Studies in English Drama   3 credits

Repeatable when topics vary.

357.   Women Writers and Readers   3 credits

Literature by and about women, examining the social, historical, and aesthetic significance of the works. Repeatable when topics vary.

359.   Young Adult Literature   3 credits

The study of literature for and about young adults (from the middle school through the high school years), examining the social, historical, and aesthetic significance of the works.

365.   Black American Writers   3 credits

Writing by Black Americans studied for understanding and critical appreciation.

369.   Literature and Culture   3 credits

The study of literature in its cultural context. Repeatable when topics vary.

370.   Language and Culture   3 credits

Prerequisite: Engl 209. Interaction of language with other cultural subsystems. (Same course as Anthropology 370.)

372.   Literary Theory   3 credits

Prior course recommended: English 272. An exploration of particular writers of, approaches to, or debates within literary theory and criticism. Topic varies by semester.

397.   Cooperative Education   1-8 credits, repeatable to 15

Prerequisites: 15 credits completed in English; 2.5 GPA; 2.75 GPA in English. A course designed to offer English majors work experience related to their disciplinary training in close reading, careful writing, and interpretative analysis. S/U grading only.

398.   Independent Study   1-4 credits

For English majors only. Prerequisite: Written consent of the department. Supervised independent study. Only 6 hours may apply to the 36-hour English major.

401.   Studies in Medieval Literature   3 credits

A course in the literature of England in the medieval period. Repeatable when topics vary.

403.   Studies in Colonial American Literature   3 credits

A course in the literature of America in the colonial period. Repeatable when topics vary.

404.   Studies in Renaissance Literature   3 credits

A course in the literature of the English Renaissance. Repeatable when topics vary.

404.   Studies in Restoration and Eighteenth Century Literature   3 credits

A course in the English literature of the Restoration and 18th century. Repeatable when topics vary.

406.   Studies in Nineteenth Century Literature   3 credits

A course in literature in English of the 19th Century. Repeatable when topics vary.

407.   Studies in Twentieth Century Literature   3 credits

A course in literature in English of the 20th Century. Repeatable when topics vary.

408.   Advanced Composition II   3 credits

Prerequisite: Engl 120 or permission of department. Engl 308 recommended. Intensive work in advanced writing in English Studies or other professional fields.

409.   Art of the Cinematic Drama   3 credits

Prerequisite: Engl 225. An investigation of the aesthetics of the film drama with a concentration on the theory and evaluation of the medium. This course examines the relationship of the verbal and visual arts. Repeatable when topics vary.

413.   The Art of Writing: Poetry   3 credits

Prerequisite: Engl 307 or instructor’s permission. Continues the work of Engl 307, Creative Writing: Poetry, at the advanced level.

414.   The Art of Writing: Fiction   3 credits

Prerequisite: Engl 306 or instructor’s permission. Continues the work of Engl 306, Creative Writing: Fiction, at the advanced level.

415.   Special Topics in Literature   1-4 credits

A course for advanced students on topics varying from year to year. Repeatable.

417.   Special Topics in Language   1-4 credits

A course for advanced students on topics varying from year to year. Repeatable.

418.   Second Language Acquisition   3 credits

Prerequisite: Engl 209. This course focuses on recent second language acquisition (SLA) research findings from the areas of linguistics, psychology, education, and communication and on how to relate these findings to language learning and teaching.

419.   Teaching English as a Second Language   3 credits

Prerequisite: Engl 209. An introduction to the principles of teaching English as a second language, with special attention to tutoring.

421.   Methods and Materials for Middle and Secondary School Writing and Language
          3 credits

Prerequisites: T&L 325 and 345. Pre- or Corequisite: T&L 486. Various teaching methods, strategies and materials used in teaching middle and secondary school English writing and language. For English Education majors only.

422.   Methods and Materials for Middle and Secondary School Literature and Reading 
          3 credits

Prerequisites: T&L 325 and 345. Pre- or Corequisite: T&L 486. Various teaching methods, strategies and materials used in teaching middle and secondary school English literature and reading. For English Education majors only.

425.   Introduction to Editing and Publishing 
          3 credits

An overview of editing as a career and of publishing as a process from the perspective of both the editor and the writer. Students will gain knowledge of job opportunities in the field and develop an introductory skills set useful in those careers.

426.   Professional Writing and Editing 
          3 credits

Intensive practice in preparing technical and other professional materials written for dissemination through various media, in learning the methods of gaining the necessary knowledge to work with vocabularies that are not familiar, and in developing the necessary high standards that are required in work published for selected audiences as well as the general public.

427.   Scholarly Editing 
          3 credits

An exploration of the history of the book, practice in preparing specialized texts for presentation in print and online, and experience working with authors, editors, and academic journals and presses.

428.   Digital Humanities 
          3 credits

Examines the growing necessity for digital products in the humanities and moves the concept of publishing from hard copy to electronic copy. Students will have hands-on opportunities to create new knowledge by doing such work across campus as digitizing materials in the library's Special Collections Department or working directly with professors' research initiatives.

429.   Studies in Writing and Editing
          3 credits

A course for advanced students on topics in writing and editing, varying from year to year.

442.   History of the English Language   3 credits

The development of the language from the earliest times to the present. This course is recommended for all prospective English teachers.

489.   Senior Honors Thesis   1-8 credits

Prerequisite: consent of the Department and approval of the Honors Committee. Supervised independent study culminating in a thesis.