ENGL 190.01 First Year Seminar: Literature
Fenton, M
CRN 11725
MWF 12:20p.m.-1:10p.m.
As an introduction to some facets of “English” as a discipline, this Freshman seminar will explore different ways that “home,” “family,” and “a sense of belonging,” are presented in short stories, poetry, essays, and film. For example, we will read Barbara Kingsolver’s 2001 collection of personal essays, Small Wonder, as well as Sir Thomas More’s 1516 fictional “novel,” Utopia. Short stories and poems by American and international authors, and films such as A River Runs Through It, The Joy Luck Club, and City of Joy will provide other views and perspectives in addition to an introduction to different literary genres. Further, the class will engage in experiential and service learning projects, such as doing a “Family Heritage” interview and oral presentation, learning about the history of Sylva and Cullowhee, and helping build homes with “Habitat for Humanity.” Students will do a variety of writing assignments, from literary and film interpretation to personal as well as researched essays.
ENGL 190.02 First Year Seminar: Literature
Hampton, L
CRN 11727
MWF 10:10a.m.-11:00a.m.
Reading and writing about literature, with emphasis on human experience and values.
ENGL 190.03 First Year Seminar: Literature
Kinser, B
CRN 11728
TR 11:00a.m.-12:15p.m.
Reading and writing about literature, with emphasis on human experience and values. The Victorians in Love and in Film In this course I will develop your understanding of intellectual life at WCU, hone the skills in reading and writing and thinking and communicating verbally that will set you on a path for success at the university and for the rest of your lives, and enjoy accomplishing these goals. There will be three major texts for the class: Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, and Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles. We will also watch filmed versions of these stupendous novels as we discuss cultural similarities and differences in the context of some of the major issues of our time.
English 190 satisfies the Liberal Studies Requirements for the First-Year Seminar. The primary goal of the First-Year Seminar is to introduce students to intellectual life at the university level. In these courses you will also:
›Learn about the importance of Liberal Studies in a university education.
› Consider how reasoning skills and communication skills are the foundations for life-long intellectual and professional growth.
›See that cultural, social, economic and political issues of a global society are not limited to one academic discipline or one profession.
›Discuss serious ideas and develop rigorous intellectual habits.
ENGL 192.01 First Year Seminar: Motion Picture Studies
Bruder, M
CRN 11732
MWF 9:05a.m.-9:55a.m.
Learning from Hollywood In this course we will consider the ways in which the mainstream American film industry has shaped cultural and aesthetic perceptions. Our popular films influence how we dress, how we act and sometimes even how we think. To a large extent, our notion of how stories are told comes from the narratives Hollywood has offered us over the years. This course will offer a general introduction to the American film industry with special emphasis on the ways in which it responds to and shapes our understanding of historical events. Films include Victor Fleming’s Gone with the Wind, Robert Wise’s The Sound of Music, Mike Nichols’ The Graduate, Stephen Spielberg’s Jaws, James Cameron’s Titanic and Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino.
ENGL 192.02 First Year Seminar: Motion Picture Studies
Heffelfinger, E
CRN 11733
MW 2:30p.m.-3:45p.m.
Reading and writing about motion pictures, with an emphasis on critical viewing practices. The final project will be a student-run film festival.
ENGL 200.01 Introduction to the English Major
Debo, A
CRN 11734
T 9:30a.m.-10:45a.m.
REQUIRED FOR ALL STUDENTS DECLARING ENGLISH FROM FALL 2009 FORWARD.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR ALL STUDENTS MAJORING IN ENGLISH.
This one-hour course provides an opportunity to welcome you to the major, explain the different opportunities for study in the major, offer assistance in considering employment opportunities, and plan a possible route through the English classes you will take during the next two and a half years at Western. Faculty from literature, English education, professional writing, film studies, and TESOL will speak about the different classes in their areas of specialty so that you become informed about the many classes offered. Western’s campus presents unique opportunities to become involved in cultural events, especially through the Literary Festival, as well as study abroad, a choice particularly well suited for English majors. We will consider the usual, and not so usual, job paths for English majors and how to be prepared for work when you graduate. Internships and summer jobs also contribute toward career preparation, and we will work with staff from the Career Center to make sure you are aware of all opportunities as well as how to create your own opportunities. Some English majors choose to go on to graduate or professional schools like law or medical school, and we will consider how to be prepared for those choices too. You will develop career goals and then consider how to shape your college experience so that you reach those goals. All in all, this class will help prepare you for success in your college classes and beyond.
ENGL 206.01 Literature of Place
Spencer, W
CRN 11735
MWF 9:05a.m.-9:55a.m.
This section of English 206 will focus on the South, so “yu’d hev to be a nat’ral born durn’d fool” not to take it. We’ll enjoy ourselves reading such classic Southern fiction as Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and Eudora Welty’s short stories. We’ll also have the special treat of reading contemporary fiction by Cormac McCarthy, Lewis Nordan, John Dufresne, Kaye Gibbons, and Ernest J. Gaines. Then we’ll read some great Southern poetry and watch the film version of Crimes of the Heart. Please note: Southern writers are often willing to take risks with subject matter that some might consider offensive or too graphic—but if you like to read good literature and are not too squeamish, prudish, or easily offended, then this is the class for you. (P4)
ENGL 207.01 Popular Literature and Culture
Bruder, M
CRN 11736
MWF 1:25p.m.-2:15p.m.
The Many Lives of Elizabeth Bennet:
Jane Austen in Contemporary American Culture In this course we will explore the continuing interest in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. By looking at recent adaptations, revisions, sequels, appropriations, etc. we will consider why a novel published in 1813 still resonates with modern audiences and why Jane Austen herself still enjoys such an active fan base. This “case study” will allow us to question notions of the popular, fandom, and participation in culture, as well as helping us to work out a context to explain Austen’s 21st Century appeal. Students will be asked to employ the methods of the fan culture in order to see how participation provides new insights into the original and allows us to re-envision it to serve our own cultural moment. Readings include Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Paula Marantz Cohen’s Jane Austen in Boca and Seth Graham-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Films include Pride & Prejudice (1940), Pride & Prejudice (2005), Bridget Jones’ Diary, Bride & Prejudice, Lost in Austen and The Jane Austen Book Club. (P4)
ENGL 207.02 Popular Literature and Culture
Saunders, S
CRN 11748
MWF 12:20p.m.-1:10p.m.
This section of 207 will focus on the figure of the vampire in literature and popular culture- poetry, fiction, nonfiction, television, film, and the Internet. We will read a variety of works by such authors as Bram Stoker, Stephen King, and Anne Rice and review films and Internet sites to examine the reflections of vampires and vampirism in America today. How do we move from the figure of the nosferatu, the undead monster, the soulless walking corpse who steals lives and spreads his evil doom--to a sweet kids’ show character, the Count on Sesame Street (or an even sweeter kids’ cereal)--to a lonely tragic figure who is only looking for love to redeem him? What is the appeal of the vampire? What draws us to this figure, even as he repels us? Why do we keep recreating Dracula, resurrecting him?
Engl 207 qualifies as a P4: Humanities liberal studies course. (P4)
ENGL 207.03 Popular Literature and Culture: Cherokee Literature
Conley, R
CRN 12244
MW 2:30p.m.-3:45p.m.
Examines various popular literary genres, including gothic, popular romances, mysteries, westerns, science-fiction and fantasy, children’s literature, film, television, and the Internet. (P4)
ENGL 209.01 Past Times: Literature and History
Ghanssia, J
CRN 11749
TR 12:35p.m.-1:50p.m.
Focuses upon the relationship between literature of the past and historical events, historical documents, and the events and texts of our time. (P4)
ENGL 209.70 Past Times: Literature and History
Gastle, B
CRN 11750
MW 4:00p.m.-5:15p.m.
This course addresses the relationships between literature and history (both as disciplines and as texts traditionally assigned to those disciplines). We will read documents traditionally classified as literature alongside documents traditionally classified as historical and asking ourselves how they relate to each other. This course will focus on medieval literature and history – specifically how we think about the Middle Ages today, how it is represented in contemporary culture, and how those representations compare to “real” medieval literature, history, and culture. Readings will include Dante, Boccaccio, Chaucer, Marie de France, Andreas Capellanus, and others.
ENGL 231.01 Interpretation of Literature
Ghnassia, J
CRN 11751
TR 9:30a.m.-10:45a.m.
An introduction to the close reading of poetry, fiction, and drama, emphasizing theme, structure and form, figurative language, and style. Introduction to major critical approaches. (P4)
ENGL 231.70 Interpretation of Literature
Samal, L
CRN 11752
TR 3:35p.m.-4:50p.m.
“But what’s it about ???” Do you ever find yourself asking this question when you read a piece of literature? Does literature sometimes seem like a secret code that you just can’t unlock? English 231 may be able to help! This course is aimed at introducing you to some of the tried and true methods that scholars and readers of literature have developed to empower you to answer that perennial question for yourself. In this course, you will become proficient in using several major critical approaches to reading literature in a variety of genres as you experience the joys, sorrows, and puzzles of human existence through the words of some of the world’s greatest writers. We will critically examine works by writers of the past, such as Shakespeare, Keats, Browning, Melville, Hawthorne, Tolstoy, Kafka, and others, as well as contemporary poetry, fiction and plays, including the novel Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison, whom you will get a chance to see in person at the WCU Spring Literary Festival. (P4)
ENGL 240.01 Research, Literary Criticism and British Literature
Fenton, M
CRN 11753
MWF 9:05a.m.-9:55a.m.
English 240 aims to serve the dual purpose of introducing you to some of the major, canonical works for British Literature and also teaching you the fundamentals of literary research and literary criticism. To that end, we will read, discuss, and research works ranging from Old English texts such as Beowulf to works in Middle English such as Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, to early modern texts by writers such as Katherine Philips, John Donne, and John Milton. We will also study 18th century writers Alexander Pope and Jonathan Swift before moving onto Romantic writers such as William Wordsworth and Jane Austen. Finally, we will address 19th and 20th century writers such as Virginia Woolfe and T.S. Eliot. Our aim will be to gain an introductory understanding of these authors and some major works while also learning the basic techniques, strategies, and aims of literary research and literary criticism and how to incorporate research into your writing.
This course is required as one of the CORE courses in the newly revised Literature curriculum.
ENGL 241.70 Formalism and American Literature
Claxton, M
CRN 11754
TR 3:35pm.-4:50p.m.
Survey of American literature with a particular emphasis on formalism, the technical vocabulary used in literary study and the skill of close reading. This course has three primary goals: to provide some coverage of the American literary canon and a sense of literary history in that tradition; to train you in formalism—technical vocabulary and close readings; and to improve your thinking and writing skills. We will spend much of the semester learning the formalist approach to literature, which means acquiring some basic tools and terms of literary study, and we will practice our skills extensively, reading a wide variety of American literature in the genres of fiction, poetry, and drama. We will also pay particular attention to how to write about literature–developing thesis statements, constructing arguments, and supporting with textual evidence.
ENGL242.01 Cultural Studies and Non-Western World Literature
Wright, L
CRN 11755
MWF 1:25p.m.-2:15p.m.
In this course, we will be reading a variety of texts, watching a variety of films, and studying various other forms of visual media in order to learn how various cultures (in Africa, the Caribbean, India, and New Zealand) are imagined, depicted, and created through these artifacts. Through the close study of selected written and visual texts, students will be encouraged to develop critical reading, writing, and thinking skills, to learn literary and historical movements, terminology, and concepts, and to understand the relationship between literary works and authors and their cultural contexts. Second, by studying non-Western texts and textual production, students will gain an appreciation of other cultures in the world and will understand how variables like geography and colonization affect the characteristics of a culture – including aspects such as art, architecture, and diet, conceptions of time, gender role expectations and family structures, as well as the establishment of social hierarchies and institutions. Third, through an examination of Western popular cultural representations of the non-Western world, students will deconstruct our assumptions, particularly in the current moment.
ENGL 278.01 Introduction of Film Studies
Heffelfinger, E
CRN 11756
MWF 10:10a.m.-11:00a.m.
We’ll watch great films: The Wizard of Oz
Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane
The original King Kong
North by Northwest
and Jaws
AND
learn about:
the most important directors
theories
movements
and technologies in film history. Highly recommended for English students. This is a required course for BSED students and the Motion Picture and Television Production program’s BFA. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours).
ENGL 302.01 Introduction to Creative Writing and Editing
Duncan, P
CRN 11757
MWF 9:05a.m.-9:55a.m.
In this class you will explore
the four basic creative writing genres:
Fiction
Nonfiction
Poetry
Drama This course is designed to fit the needs of a range of students, including those with concentrations in writing, literature, or education. At the end of this course, you will have a good understanding of the four basic creative writing genres: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama. You will have the opportunity to explore your creative side through a variety of exercises and using techniques practiced by professional writers. You will also gain skills in the writing workshop process, editing, proofreading, revising, and professional manuscript preparation. By the end of the semester, you will have written,edited and revised poems, a short story, an essay, and a play. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours).
ENGL 303.01 Introduction to Professional Writing
Adams, M
CRN 11758
TR 11:00a.m.-12:15p.m.
This course will focus intensively on editing, covering such topics as editing, proofreading, creating a style sheet, collaborating, and understanding various editing technologies. We will also write a range of real-world documents such as business letters, press releases, profiles, and employment applications and resumes. This course is a prerequisite for several higher-level professional writing courses. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours).
ENGL 303.02 Introduction to Professional Writing
Spencer, W
CRN 11759
MWF 11:15a.m.-12:05p.m.
This course will develop your proofreading, editing, and writing skills through giving you plenty of business and professional documents to work with. You will become proficient using a proofreader’s revision symbols and will also be introduced to some professional writing/editing career opportunities. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours).
ENGL 304.01 Writing for Electronic Environments
Price, K
CRN 11760
TR 2:05p.m.-3:20p.m.
This course is designed to give instruction in the processes that involve planning, designing, testing, editing, and publishing online information. It introduces the theoretical principles of visual language and provides the practical opportunity to apply these principles using web-publishing tools such as Adobe Dreamweaver. During the semester, we will examine the following topics:
› Defining intended audiences and establishing information standards.
› Studying techniques and guidelines for effective graphical user interface design.
›Acquiring the skills and resources needed for developing, constructing, and deploying online information.
›Analyzing graphical interface design issues.
›Creating graphics or other external media to enhance text. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours).
ENGL 305.01 Technical Writing
Price, K
CRN 11761
TR 12:35p.m.-1:50p.m.
This course is a survey of the basic communicative purposes, forms, styles, and visual elements commonly used by professionals who write and edit scientific and technical documents, including summaries, abstracts, proposals, formal and informal technical reports, and instructional materials. In addition to developing your proficiencies in these types of documents, you will learn to write and edit in a collaborative environment.
ENGL 305.02 Technical Writing
Yazan, M
CRN 11762
MWF 1:25p.m.-2:15p.m.
Writing and editing technical manuals and reports; layout and production of technical document with practice in computer applications. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours).
ENGL 306.01 Nonfiction Writing
Elliott, D
CRN 11763
MW 2:30p.m.-3:45p.m.
In this writing workshop, we'll write and critique our own personal essays, memoirs, and "shorts" (brief bursts of nonfiction energy similar to prose poems or flash fiction). We'll read the best of contemporary nonfiction and use those works as our models.
Some of the most dynamic writing these days is nonfiction. If you want to be published, this is the genre to choose. Nonfiction outsells poetry and fiction 15 to 1!
Creative nonfiction is writing about:
- yourself - family
- travel - politics
- religion - the outdoors
- science - sports
- art - music
- and much, much more!
(Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours).
ENGL 308.01 Fiction Writing
Duncan, P
CRN 11825
MWF 12:20p.m.-1:10p.m.
In this class you will:
• Study & practice fiction writing
• create original work
• workshop student stories
• discuss assigned reading & writing exercises
• practice editing and revision
• participate in public reading at the end of the semester This course is designed to fit the needs of a range of students, including those with concentrations in writing, literature, or education. At the end of this course, you will have a good understanding of the elements of fiction and will have completed and revised several stories. You will also gain skills in the writing workshop process, editing, proofreading, revising and professional manuscript preparation. In addition, you will gain an overview of publishing fiction and jobs available in this profession. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours).
ENGL 312.01 Grammar for Teachers
Rogers (Balasubramanian), C
CRN 11826
MWF 11:15a.m.-12:05p.m.
The grammar of standard American English. For students who wish to pursue careers in teaching English and language arts. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours).
ENGL 319.01 Teaching of Grammar
Lawrence, B
CRN 11827
TR 8:00a.m.-9:15a.m.
This course is designed to help future teachers of English and the language arts understand the theoretical and practical choices they will have to make in their own classrooms when they teach grammar to elementary, middle grades, and high school students. By the end of this semester, students will have a better grasp of the linguistic challenges that students face when they prepare oral and written assignments in English. Students should leave the course with the knowledge and skills to implement effective instructional practices for grammar instruction in their own future classrooms. The primary assessments for the course will include quizzes, teaching demonstrations, and an instructional portfolio. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours). PREQ: 312.
ENGL 350.01 The Renaissance
Fenton, M
CRN 11830
MWF 11:15a.m.-12:05p.m.
The purpose of this upper-level Liberal Studies perspectives course is to offer insight into and knowledge about the complex period in European history known as The Renaissance (also more recently called “the Early Modern period”). Our goal will be o understand how the ideas, values, and ethics of this cultural and educational movement spread through Europe from the 14th through the 17th centuries, and how they then arrive in England via the Protestant Reformation. We will focus on the literature, art, history, and culture of England, Ireland, and Scotland during the 16th and 17th centuries.
This course will culminate in a 16-day trip at the end of the semester (May 25th-June 9th—but no worries if you’re graduating). The trip begins in Ireland and goes through Scotland to England. The syllabus of the course is largely coordinated with the itinerary of this EFTours educational trip, called “Britain and Ireland in Depth.” (Go to eftours.com, and check out the tour!). The course also aims to replicate, as much as possible, the pedagogical aims of Renaissance education grounded in the notion that “a lesson lived is a lesson learned.” The trip will literally bring to life the history, art, literature, and ideas we will be studying all semester long at the same time as it offers you an opportunity for immense personal enrichment through travel and exposure to other countries and cultures here and now. The ultimate goal of this course to enliven and vitalize the rich cultural history of the Renaissance, to understand how this past influences our present western cultural values, and to appreciate in general the ways history can and does shape the present and future.
• The trip is a requirement of the course, and therefore is eligible for Financial Aid
• The course and trip are “by permission of instructor,” so if you are interested, please contact Dr. Fenton ASAP for more information about how this exciting opportunity and experience works! (mfenton@wcu.edu or 227-3934 or CO424)
(Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours). (P4) PREQ: 101 and 102.
ENGL 352.01 Journey in Literature
Addison, J
CRN 11831
MWF 1:25p.m.-2:15p.m.
In this course, we will read a wide variety of stories that employ the quest narrative as their base structure. We will also read from Joseph Campbell's important work on this central myth pattern and watch several videos of Campbell talking about his thinking, his research, and his writing. The readings themselves will be organized in six sections: the Call, the Other, the Journey, Helpers and Guides, the Treasure, and Transformation. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours). (P4) PREQ: 101 and 102.
ENGL 364.01 Southern Literature
Claxton, M
CRN 11832
TR 2:05p.m.-3:20p.m.
This class will be a historical survey of the poetry, fiction, and non-fiction works from the Southern region of the United States with particular emphasis on cultural and historical themes of the region. We will also discuss music, photography, film, and popular culture relating to the South. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours). (P4)
ENGL 365.01 African-American Writings
Debo, A
CRN 11834
TR 12:35p.m.-1:50p.m.
This course opens with the origins of Africans in the United States through a nineteenth-century slave narrative, which leads us to Charles Chesnutt’s short stories about conjuring on the plantation and Paul Laurence Dunbar’s poetry. The Harlem Renaissance was an explosion of literature and art in the 1920s, and we will read Langston Hughes’s poetry and Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. James Baldwin and Richard Wright’s short stories pushed the nation toward the Black Arts Movement, which we will investigate through its many poetic voices and The Autobiography of Malcolm X, as well as Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon. The class will close with contemporary short stories by writers like Alice Walker and spoken word/slam/hip hop poetry. Acclaimed poet Patricia Smith will be part of Western’s Literary Festival in March, and we will read her poetry and then hear her read it herself. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours). (P4)
ENGL 368.70 Film Genres: Documentary
Heffelfinger, E
CRN 11858
W 6:00p.m.-8:50p.m.
How do documentaries help us understand social, political and cultural trends, events and problems? Who makes documentaries? How? Why? And, what can we learn by studying documentary films?
This course will introduce you to documentary films: their history and contemporary significance, and their role in social and political culture. We will watch classic documentaries like Flaherty’s Nanook of the North and controversial documentaries like For the Bible Tells Me So. We also have a chance to see current documentaries that come to campus every month as part of the Southern Circuits tour of independent films.
ENGL 389.01 Co-op CRN 12413
ENGL 483.01 Internship CRN 11856
Elliott, D
Co-ops and internships are intensive writing, editing, or research experiences with an employer in a professional workplace, either on-campus or off-campus. The co-op or internship is required of Professional Writing students, but is available to all English students. Co-ops (ENGL 389) are paid and require a 300-400 hour commitment; Internships (ENGL 483) are unpaid and require a 150-200 hour commitment. Both count as 3 credit hours.
The co-op or internship should be the culmination of your course work. To enroll in the co-op or internship, you must first make an appointment with Deidre Elliott, Director of Professional Writing.
ENGL 401.01 Writing for Careers
Yazan, M
CRN 11846
MWF 8:00a.m.-8:50a.m.
Theory and application of rhetoric in professional communication; emphasis on triad of author, subject, and audience. Practical assignments: memos, letters, resumes, reports, and persuasive messages. Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours.
ENGL 401.70 Writing for Careers
Pant, D
CRN 11847
MW 4:00p.m.-5:15p.m.
Theory and application of rhetoric in professional communication; emphasis on triad of author, subject, and audience. Practical assignments: memos, letters, resumes, reports, and persuasive messages. Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours.
ENGL 405.70 Advanced Creative Writing
Rash, R
CRN 11947
M 6:00p.m.-8:50p.m.
Intensive study and practice of creative writing; emphasis on required individual projects. Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours. PREQ: Satisfactory writing sample and permission of instructor.
ENGL 412.01 Grammar for Writers
Carter, C
CRN 11848
TR 9:30a.m.-10:45a.m.
Professional writing majors: if your spirit is willing, but your commas could use a little time at the gym, this is your class. Despite the title, we'll focus more on usage than on grammar proper, and we'll do some editing (because no one ever really gets enough editing.) We'll talk about the ways in which grammar and usage interact with style. You'll generate your own examples, and we'll work some on your own writing. And when you leave, you will have six major comma rules tattooed on your cerebrum. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours).
ENGL 414.70 Fundamentals of Teaching Composition
Lawrence, B
CRN 11849
W 6:00p.m.-8:50p.m.
This course will analyze various approaches to teaching composition for elementary, middle grades, and secondary teachers. It should help future teachers of English and the language arts develop a practice of writing, as a means both of learning and of personal expression and exploration: that is, this course takes the stance that writing teachers should write. Students will leave this course with a more thorough understanding of the choices they will make as writing teachers and with a variety of strategies and specific practices they can implement in their teaching careers. For the major course assessments, students will compose a memoir, teach a model lesson, and assemble an instructional portfolio. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours).
ENGL 431.01 Shakespeare and His Age
Adams, M
CRN 11852
TR 2:05p.m.-3:20p.m.
In this course we will seek to understand Shakespeare in his historical context, exploring in special depth events surrounding the plays of 1599, the year his company moved to the Globe and in which Shakespeare became a stakeholder in the Lord Chamberlain’s Men . We will seek to understand Shakespeare from a range of recent critical perspectives, including ecocriticism, performance criticism, new historicism, gender criticism, and Marxism. Plays will include Titus Andronicus, Richard II, Merry Wives of Windsor, Henry V, As You Like It, Hamlet, Julius Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra, and The Winter’s Tale. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours).
ENGL 451.01 Nineteenth-Century British Writers
Kinser, B
CRN 11853
TR 9:30a.m.-10:45a.m.
The poetry and fiction of the major Romantic and Victorian authors, including Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, Shelley, Tennyson, Browning, Arnold, and Dickens. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours). “It was the best of times, it was the blurst of times: Great Writers of the Nineteenth Century” If you know about Dickens and all that but have never read Dickens and all that, then I invite you to join us for an exploration of some of the remarkable literature of nineteenth-century Britain. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours).
ENGL 463.01 American Literature Since 1945
Carter, C
CRN 11854
TR 11:00a.m.-12:15p.m.
If you've ever taken an American literature survey that did its best, but was hitting 1960 along about the end of April (like Dr. Carter's 262, maybe), maybe you've got questions, like, "And then what happened?" "Where are those writers now?" "What does this have to do with Hannah Montana?" ENGL 463 attempts to answer some of them (no promises on Hannah Montana.) And, rumor to the contrary, its secret name is NOT "More About Ursula K. Le Guin." (Well, maybe a little Le Guin.) Some novels, some poetry, some mystery meat. Some Toni Morrison (early version), some Billy Collins, some Linda Hogan, maybe even some Cormac McCarthy, plus some writers that maybe you've never heard of. Come and find out. (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours).
ENGL 470.01 Twentieth-Century and Contemporary Postcolonial Literature
Wright, L
CRN 11855
MWF 10:10a.m.-11:00a.m.
Although there is considerable debate over the precise parameters of the field and the definition of the term “postcolonial,” for the purposes of this course, consists of the study of the interactions between European nations and the societies they colonized both during the period of colonization as well as after independence. In this course we will read a variety of postcolonial theoretical texts in conjunction with and as a way of understanding primary literary texts written by postcolonial authors from India, Africa, and Ireland. Our theoretical grounding will help us explore issues of power, race, and gender with regard to colonial domination within the literary texts we will read. In this course, we will work to develop an understanding of and appreciation for various literatures being written in the historic colonies and dependencies of the European powers as we examine how the colonial experience may have affected the type and content of literature produced in these areas. We will explore the following questions: How did the experience of colonization affect those who were colonized while also influencing the colonizers? What were the forms of resistance against colonial control? How did colonial education and language influence the culture and identity of the colonized? How did Western science, technology, and medicine change existing knowledge systems? What are the emergent forms of postcolonial identity after the departure of the colonizers? To what extent has decolonization (a reconstruction free from colonial influence) been possible? How do gender, race, and class function in colonial and postcolonial discourse? Are new forms of imperialism replacing colonization? (Closed to freshmen 0-24 hours).
ENGL 514.70 Fundamentals of Teaching Composition
Baker, M
CRN 11859
W 6:00p.m.-8:50p.m.
Theoretical and practical basis for designing and teaching composition course; analysis of rhetorical, cognitive, and linguistic approaches. Practical, research-based techniques and issues.
ENGL 550.70 Major British Authors – Joyce
Addison, J
CRN 11860
M 6:00p.m.-8:50p.m.
In this course, which will function as a seminar, we will be introduced to one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, and we will carefully read and discuss and write about Joyce's early collection of stories called Dubliners, his first successful novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and his masterpiece, Ulysses. In all of our reading and discussion, we will be noticing how the simpler, early work informs the latter, more complex work, especially Joyce's characterizations, themes, and techniques. As Harry Levin, a Joyce scholar and editor, wisely noted about Joyce's writing, "The technical and psychological paradox is that Joyce, as his comprehension of ordinary humanity increased, became less comprehensible to the common reader."
ENGL 580.01 Studies in English Southern Literature
Claxton, M
CRN 11862
W 3:00p.m.-5:50p.m.
Independent study/directed research in English.
ENGL 604.70 Writing for Electronic Environment
Price, K
CRN 11865
TR 3:35p.m.-4:50p.m.
Teaches clear, coherent writing in a variety of electronic environments, including multimedia presentation and publication, web page design, and computer documentation.
ENGL 606.70 Nonfiction Writing
Elliott, D
CRN 11953
W 6:00p.m.-8:50p.m.
Explore the current revolution in American literature--the rise of creative nonfiction--in this hands-on writing workshop. You'll work with three types of creative nonfiction: the personal essay, the memoir, and the "short" (a brief burst of nonfiction energy that has a lot in common with the prose poem and flash fiction).
You'll read the best of contemporary nonfiction and you'll workshop your own experiments in truth-telling. You will also examine publishing possibilities. If you want to be published, this is the genre to choose. Nonfiction outsells poetry and fiction 15 to 1.
Note: This is an especially helpful class for future composition teachers. You will learn--from the inside out--how to create dynamic nonfiction writing.
ENGL 608.70 Fiction Writing
Rash, R
CRN 11949
M 6:00p.m.-8:50p.m.
Students write short stories (or chapters); explore trends in twentieth-century fiction: interior monologue, present-tense narration, second-person narration, third-person interior monologue, multiple flashbacks/time sequencing. PREQ: Satisfactory writing sample and permission of instructor.
ENGL 609.70 Poetry Writing
Adams, M
CRN 11867
T 6:00p.m.-8:50p.m.
In this workshop, open to new and experienced poets at the graduate level, we will write many poems and learn to constructively critique them. At the same time, we will learn as much as possible about contemporary norms and practice in poetry writing and publishing, gaining an overview of the contemporary poetry scene and intensively studying the work of one or two established authors.
ENGL 614.80 (Asheville) Contemporary Rhetoric
Huber, B
CRN 11868
R 6:00p.m.-8:50p.m.
In-depth survey of rhetoric in the late twentieth century; examination of theory/application of “new rhetorics.”
ENGL 615.80 (Asheville) Linguistic Perspectives
Rogers (Balasubramanian), C
CRN 11869
T 6:00p.m.-8:50p.m.
Specific focus will vary: may cover phonology, morphology, syntax, sociolinguistics, dialectology, psycholinguistics, and child/adult language acquisition. PREQ: ENGL 515.
ENGL 618.80 (Asheville) Methods of Literary Research and Bibliography
Kinser, B
CRN 11870
T 6:00p.m.-8:50p.m.
When I took the required research methods course at Illinois State University, my beloved old professor called it “graduate student boot camp.” He was a fearsome drill instructor. The basic methods by which we make knowledge in the profession of English studies have remained fairly static—we read and we write and we edit and we teach and we discover. You will, therefore, note various similarities in my version of the course (not, I hope, the boot-campish and fearsome part). But, the world is much, much different than it was when I took this class, and that was not so long ago—2000. Computer technology has changed everything about the way we conduct research, and this course will reflect that (r)evolution. We will look at books and understand them for the wonderful artifacts that they are. We will read texts and understand them in various theoretical contexts. We will improve our skills as users of the library, understand methods of archival research, and actually touch paper. But, we will also acknowledge the overwhelmingly significant impact of digital technologies on the field. In the present, what my old friend Thomas Carlyle once called a “conflux of two eternities,” we will acknowledge the past as we look to the future of English Studies. Required for all graduate students in the M.A., the M.A.T., and the M.A.Ed. in English.
ENGL 625.80 (Asheville) Applied Phonetics and Pronunciation Teaching
Blake, C
CRN 11873
M 5:00p.m.-7:50p.m.
The study of the English sound system as it applies to developing speaking abilities in ESL students.
ENGL 626.80 (Asheville) ESL Methodology: Listening and Speaking
Blake, C
CRN 11874
R 5:00p.m.-7:50p.m.
This core course for the MA-TESOL degree provides an overview of ESL/EFL methodology focusing on aural/oral skills (listening comprehension, pronunciation, and overall speaking instruction).
ENGL 677.80 (Asheville) Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism and Theory
Debo, A
CRN 11877
R 6:00p.m.-8:50p.m.
Literary theory is “thinking about thinking,” according to Jonathan Culler. Theory is reflexive and speculative, but understanding theory offers concrete advantages in literary studies. Primarily, it provides the rationale behind the modes of literary interpretation that we all practice. Fundamental questions like should we allow authorial intentions or commentary to color our reading become clearer once we understand Roland Barthes’s effort to (metaphorically) kill the author in an effort to liberate the text or, in contrast, J. Hillis Miller’s contention that the author’s intention constitutes the absolute, final meaning. Poet Adrienne Rich on occasion addresses professional critics in print, finding fault with their interpretations—is she right because she wrote the poetry? Or do we look to the concept of “the unconscious” to explain why her poems have content that she might not have meant for them to have? We all make decisions on issues like this by the way that we practice interpretation, but studying theory offers you new options in how you interpret and provides justification for your choices. Besides authorial intention, there are issues in the very structure of language itself (do we use it or does it somehow use us), contentions over the performative nature of language and of life (do we have a gender or do we simply perform one), debates over the representation of nature in literature (can it become a speaking subject), and so on. ENGL 677 will survey the critical approaches most widely used in contemporary literature criticism, including new criticism, reader-response, deconstruction, feminism, queer theory, psychoanalysis, Marxism, new historicism, theories of race and ethnicity, post-colonialism, and ecocriticism. We will grapple with first understanding the theories and then with the equally challenging task of applying these theories to literature.