Undergraduate Course Catalog

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42.100	College Writing A	Credits: 3
Provides an intensive review of the basic rules of grammar and the basic principles of rhetoric necessary for success in College Writing I.
42.101	College Writing I	Credits: 3
Examines the writing process and reviews fundamentals of grammar, sentence structure, and paragraph development. Students analyze rhetorical models by professional writers and are introduced to library research and techniques of documentation. Students write expository essays.
42.102	College Writing II	Credits: 3
Reinforces the principles of good writing established in College Writing I. Students submit six essays based on critical analysis of readings in fiction, drama, and poetry. One documented research paper is required.
42.103	College Writing I for International Students	Credits: 3
Serves as the equivalent to 42.101, for students who speak English as a second language. Credit for both 42.101 and 42.103 may not be granted.
42.104	College Writing II for International Students	Credits: 3
Serves as the equivalent to 42.102, for students who speak English as a second language. Credit for both 42.102 and 42.104 may not be granted.
42.110	College Writing A ESL	Credits: 3
Provides an intensive review of the basic rules of grammar and the basic principles of rhetoric necessary for success in College Writing I, with special attention paid to the needs of ESL students. Credit for both 42.100 and 42.110 will not be granted.
42.111	College Writing I ESL (formerly 42.103)	Credits: 3
Serves as the equivalent to 42.101, for students who speak English as a second language. Credit for both 42.101 and 42.111 will not be granted, nor credit for both 42.101 and 42.103.
42.112	College Writing II ESL (formerly 42.104)	Credits: 3
Serves as the equivalent to 42.102, for students who speak English as a second language. Credit for both 42.102 and 42.112 will not be granted, nor credit for both 42.102 and 42.104.
42.200	Critical Methods of Literary Inquiry	Credits: 3
Examination of diverse critical and theoretical approaches to literature in the development of literary analysis.
42.201	Great Books of Antiquity	Credits: 3
Studies representative literary selections from the Hebrews, the Greeks, the Romans, and other societies of the ancient world.
42.202	Great Books of the Modern Period	Credits: 3
Much of what we consider "contemporary" was born out of the modernist period, roughly 1900-1950, and was considered radical, even salacious, in its time.This course provides a sampling of modernist literature. Students will explore this period by examining exemplary texts, numerous historical and social events, and a few films.
42.205	Human Values in Western Culture I	Credits: 3
Addresses some of the important questions of human existence through a close study of representative literature from ancient times to the present. In the first semester students explore and evaluate three perennial themes: the problem of evil; self and society; freedom and fate.
42.206	Human Values in Western Culture II	Credits: 3
A continuation of 42.205. In the second semester students explore and evaluate three perennial themes: the pursuit of knowledge; the nature of humankind; the experience of love. May be taken independently of 42.205.
42.210	Drama	Credits: 3
Presents a study of plays from the classical period to the present.
42.211	Poetry	Credits: 3
Studies selections from the Renaissance through contemporary periods.
42.212	The Short Story	Credits: 3
Studies the development of the short story from Poe and Chekhov to the present.
42.216	Monsters, Apes & Nightmares	Credits: 3
This course examines literary responses to science in England and the United States from the early Nineteenth Century to the present. Readings include novels--Frankenstein, The Island of Doctor Moreau, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Jurassic Park--essays, and poems.
42.217	The Horror Story	Credits: 3
Explores the genre from Poe to the present.
42.218	Comedy	Credits: 3
Presents the theory and practice of comedy from the Greeks to the present.
42.219	Intro to Theatre	Credits: 3
This course explores the forms and social roles of theater from classical to contemporary culture. Students are introduced to the basic concepts of the art and practice of theater as well as to the theories of its origins and purposes.
42.220	Oral & Written Communication for Computer Science	Credits: 3
The main goal of this course is to enhance the student's understanding of the elements of effective communication, and to put that knowledge into practice in a supportive, co-operative, workshop environment. Limited to Computer Science majors.
42.221	Writing for Interactive Media	Credits: 3
Adds new dimensions to traditional, text-based writing. Hypertext links allow for multiple story lines, while integrating audio, animation, and video presents new challenges for the writer. Participants will examine successful multimedia scripts and work on their own creations.
42.222	Oral Communication	Credits: 3
Develops and applies the basic speaking skills that can be adapted to a variety of personal and professional contexts. Emphasis is placed on selection, analysis, organization and presentation of speech materials. Practice skills include listening, interviewing and the delivery and critique of extemporaneous speeches.
42.224	Business Writing	Credits: 3
Studies the theory and practice of writing letters, memoranda and reports on specific business and technical problems. Registration preference for students enrolled in Business programs.
42.226	Technical and Scientific Communication	Credits: 3
Studies the theory and practice of letters, memoranda, reports and oral presentations on specific scientific and technical problems.
42.227	Essay Writing for English Majors	Credits: 3
Analyzes and discusses the techniques and styles of selected professional essayists as well as the preparation of student essays. Emphasis will be placed on the writing process from prewriting through drafting and revising. English majors and minors only.
42.229	Essay Writing for Non-English Majors	Credits: 3
Analyzes and discusses the techniques and styles of selected professional essayists as well as the preparation of student essays. Emphasis will be placed on the writing process from prewriting through drafting and revising. Non-English majors only.
42.232	Turning Fiction into Film	Credits: 3
Often when we encounter narratives (in the movies or in books) we tend to practice a "suspension of disbelief" letting the story unfold, following the conventions of film and fiction without question This course will direct our critical focus on the mechanisms through whic writers and filmmakers convey meaning to their audiences.
42.236	Science Fiction and Fantasy	Credits: 3
Designed to introduce students to understand science fiction and fantasy within the broader context of literature and literary theory. It attempts to develop and hone student's skills of critical analysis as it supplies them with the tools to contextualize their reading experience - i.e., to understand the origins and politics of the books that they read.
42.240	Literature and Women	Credits: 3
A survey of literary attitudes toward women from the Judaic and Hellenic periods through the present.
42.242	The Heroine in Modern Fiction	Credits: 3
Provides a study of selected short stories and novels which deal sympathetically with the changing roles of women.
42.243	Contemporary Women Writers	Credits: 3
Contemporary Women Writers introduces students to American women writers of the last fifty years. We examine the historical,socio-cultural, political, and personal influences on these writers' work by studying trends and events in recent American history and themes reflected in the works. By studying contemporary women's writing in this contextualized fashion, students can appreciate larger trends in our society, the role writing plays in examining such trends, and the value of literature as an exploration of human growth and struggle. Through discussion, group collaboration, critical analysis, and by designing their own graphic organizers, students gain a breadth of knowledge in the following areas: the themes and stylistic concerns of contemporary American women writers; the key historical events that influence contemporary American women's writing; the critical reading of literary texts.
42.244	Women in the Middle Ages and Renaissance	Credits: 3
A study of major literary and historical women of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Attention to impact on their times and their place in society.
42.246	Gay & Lesbian Literature	Credits: 3
Explores the treatment of homoeroticism and homosexual love in literature from Antiquity to the present. Emphasis is given to texts reflecting the construction of a homosexual identity and recurring motifs among gay, lesbian, and bisexual writers.
42.248	Values in American Culture	Credits: 3
Deals with the development and interrelationship of American views on individualism, nature, science, technology, democracy, ethnicity, and the American dream. Readings begin with the Puritans and end with contemporary essayists. Deals with the development and interrelationship of American views on individualism, nature, science, technology, democracy, ethnicity, and the American dream. Readings begin with the Puritans and end with contemporary essayists.
42.249	Literature on Technology and Human Values	Credits: 3
A study of the relationship between works of fiction, cultural attitudes toward technology, and social values.
42.250	The Bible as Literature	Credits: 3
Presents a literary and historical analysis of selected Old and New Testament books.
42.251	War in Literature	Credits: 3
In "War in Lierature" we will study conflict and human values in times of war, focusing on the literature of World War I, World War II, Vietnam, and the Gulf War. Content covered includes a selection of representative (and divergent) literary texts written throughout the 20th century in a variety of genres (poetry, essays, memoir, short story, novel, and hybrid forms like the "graphic novel").
42.252	Stagecraft	Credits: 3
An introduction to the basic elements of technical theatre through a combination of classroom and hands-on training.
42.253	The Culture of American Sport	Credits: 3
An examination of the history, literature, sociology, and aesthetics of sport. Attention to corollary issues and values including racism, sexism, and violence.
42.257	The Family in American Literature	Credits: 3
A study of literary selections dealing with traditions of family life, the individual, and social change.
42.258	Disability in Literature	Credits: 3
The course will focus on historical and contemporary portrayals of disability and disabled people in literature.
42.261	Acting I	Credits: 3
Examines the theory and practice of acting including exercises in the elements and methods of acting and the preparation of a public performance.
42.262	Acting II	Credits: 3
Designed for acting students who have experience in amateur productions or may be considering careers in the field.
42.267	Introduction to Shakespeare	Credits: 3
A study of selected histories, comedies, and tragedies. Not for English majors.
42.272	Continental Fiction	Credits: 3
A study of selected fiction by major continental writers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
42.274	The Literature of the Beat Movement	Credits: 3
Explores both the writings and the personal lives of a loose confederation of poets, novelists, and essayist who emerged onto the American literary and cultural scene following World War II and who came to be known as the -Beat Generation.+ The primary focus will be on the life and writings of Lowell native Jack Kerouac (1922-1969) with others of the -beat circle+ included as well, i.e., Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Diana DiPrima, etc.
42.277	American Ethnic Literature	Credits: 3
The course addresses the literature of America's immigrant and cultural groups and how it contributes to defining our national character.
42.278	Literature of the Vietnam War	Credits: 3
In this course, the student will read some of the best known contemporaneous Vietnam War narratives, study personal choices from the genre, analyze text in an understanding of its time and place, and study the impact of this war on United States literature, society, culture and myth.
42.280	Introduction to American Studies	Credits: 3
This course introduces students to the history of the field of American Studies. To this end, students read major critical works from the 1920s to the present in order to map the shifting tenets, methodologies, and unstated assumptions of the field. The course focuses on seminal moments in U.S. history which are also transformative moments in the field.
42.285	Crime in Literature	Credits: 3
42.286	The Graphic Narrative: Comics in Context	Credits: 3
While picture-images date as far back as sthe Egyptian tombs, or the caves of Lascaux, this course wiill consider the development of the modern comic in twentieth-and twenty-first century America. Readings will include not just comics, but also the history of comics, art and literary theory, a novel about comics, and articles that consider the legal, political, and social issues surrounding comics. We will also look at traditional and contemporary comic strips and graphic novels to explore what we can learn from them about American Popular Culture. Comics are on the cutting edge of contemporary literature, and there are many avenues to pursue in the study of this narrative form. This course will include intensive reading and writing, and will ask students to engage with demanding theoretical works, in addition to incorporating a considerable amount of research. While the subject matter can be lighthearted the course takes these texts seriously, and asks for intellectual engagement with the issues and concerns of culture depicted in these words and pictures. (Full proposal and supplemental material available).
42.291	History of English Literature I	Credits: 3
A survey of representative writers and works from the Anglo-Saxon period to the mid-seventeenth century.
42.292	History of English Literature II	Credits: 3
A survey of representative writers and works from Milton into the twentieth century.
42.294	History of American Literature I	Credits: 3
Studies the historical development of American literature from the Colonial period to the Civil War. Selected works by representative authors from each period are studied.
42.295	History of American Literature II	Credits: 3
Studies the historical development of American literature from the Civil War to World War I.
42.298	Children's Literature	Credits: 3
A survey course covering traditional and contemporary children's literature. Texts are selected to represent different historical periods and a diversity of authorial perspectives. Attention is given to changing views of children and childhood as reflected in selected texts.
42.300	Intro to Journalism	Credits: 3
An introduction to techniques of writing for the news media.
42.301	Newswriting	Credits: 3
Introduction to techniques of radio and television newswriting, to fundamentals of public affairs reporting, and to principles of newspaper editing.
42.302	Creative Writing: Fiction	Credits: 3
Studies the theory and practice of fiction. Conducted as a workshop with close analysis of student work.
42.303	Creative Writing: Poetry	Credits: 3
Discusses the theory and practice of poetry. Conducted as a workshop with close analysis of student work.
42.304	Creative Writing: Playwriting	Credits: 3
Studies the theory and practice of playwriting. Conducted as a workshop with close analysis of student work.
42.305	Reviewing the Arts	Credits: 3
Theory and practice of writing short, critical essays in a journalistic mode on the visual and performing arts. Special attention to theater, movie, and television criticism. Conducted as a workshop with close analysis of student work.
42.307	History of the English Language	Credits: 3
Examines the phonetic, lexical, syntactical, and semantic shifts in the English language from its beginnings to the present.
42.308	Analysis of Modern English	Credits: 3
A study of English syntax examining traditional, structural, and transformational grammars. Attention to issues of dialect, usage, phonology, and morphology.
42.309	Writing About Issues	Credits: 3
Analyzing and writing arguments. Emphasis on the claim, support, and warrant approach to argumentation. Attention to research skills and bibliographic techniques applying both to traditional and the developing electronic resources.
42.311	The South in American Literature	Credits: 3
A study of the writers, movements, and social culture of the South, from both the nineteenth- and twentieth-centuries.
42.313	Realism and Naturalism American Fiction	Credits: 3
A study of realism and naturalism in fiction from the end of the Civil War to World War I.
42.315	Old English Language and Literature	Credits: 3
Students will acquire reading knowledge of the Old English language, spending half the semester mastering grammar and vocabulary, and the second half translating texts such as The Wanderer, Dream of the Rood, and Beowulf. Attention will also be given to Anglo-Saxon culture.
42.316	American Dialects	Credits: 3
An examination of the dialects in America that reflect regional, social, ethnic and cultural differences in the way we speak. Dialect samples will be described in terms of phonology, morphology, and syntax.
42.317	British Literature of the Twentieth Century	Credits: 3
A study of twentieth-century British short stories, poetry, and drama.
42.320	Personal and Reflective Writing	Credits: 3
A workshop format encourages peer criticism of individual writings and discussion of models from various texts.
42.321	Community Writing Lab	Credits: 3
Students work on various writing projects the professor brings into the classroom on behalf of local non-profit organizations. This service learning course provides opportunities for students to learn through thoughtful engagement with the community, appling kowledge of writing gained in the classroom to real world problems. The course will be held in a workshop format with strong emphasis on revision.
42.323	Writing About People	Credits: 3
A creative non-fiction course run in a workshop format. Writing assignments are equally divided between reflective, personal pieces about people you know and more journalistic, biographical writing about people you don't know. Readings cover both categories.
42.324	Writing About Place	Credits: 3
Writers throughout time have been thoroughly grounded in place. Students in this course will read and write on a variety of topics: travel, cities, suburbs, dwelling places, nature, environmental issues, etc., in a variety of genres: creative non-fiction, essays, journalism, short stories, poetry, journals. This course will be held in a workshop format with strong emphasis on revision.
42.325	The Rise of the Novel	Credits: 3
A study of the British novel in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries from DeFoe through Austen.
42.327	Victorian Fiction	Credits: 3
A study of fiction from 1837 through 1901. May include reading and writing about texts by Dickens, Collins, Gaskell, Bronte, eliot, thackeray, Trollope, Hardy, wilde, and others.
42.328	Writing About Women	Credits: 3
Writing About Women
42.330	Twentieth Century British Novel	Credits: 3
A study of the novel from Conrad through Greene and others.
42.331	American Novels to 1900	Credits: 3
A study of the American novel from colonial beginnings to 1900.
42.335	American Women Novelists	Credits: 3
A study of selected novels by American women. Focus on the female voice within the American tradition. Treatment of such issues as domesticity, education, and authorship.
42.337	The Gothic Tradition in Literature	Credits: 3
This course will consider works that fall under the very broad genre known as "The Gothic." As this genre is one of highly contested boundaries, we will consider how to define the Gothic, and what exactly constitutes this form. We will look at texts from both England and America, and spanning from the late 18th century to our own times. Our study will focus on the form of the novel, and the development and emergence of the gothic novel from its beginnings in England to its contemporary manifestations in the United States.
42.341	Studies in Film	Credits: 3
A rigorous examination of a topic of current interests in film studies organized by particular themes, genres or filmmakers.
42.342	Women Writers and the Past	Credits: 3
Women Writers and the Past
42.343	Directing Workshop	Credits: 3
Introduction of the process of directing plays of different styles. Students will direct scenes with other members of the workshop and their work will be analyzed by the instructor and fellow students.
42.345	British Women Novelists	Credits: 3
Selected novels by writers such as Austen, the Brontes, Eliot, Woolf, Bowen, and Drabble.
42.348	Modern American Drama	Credits: 3
A study of such playwrights as O'Neill, Odets, Wilder, Williams, and Miller.
42.349	Arthurian Literature	Credits: 3
Will examine works in modern English translation from a variety of genres (romance, history, tragedy, epic) that tell stories of the mythical King Arthur and the knights and ladies of his courtly world. The course will focus primarily on texts of the medieval and renaissance periods, but will include attention to nineteenth- and twentieth-century versions in poetry, prose, art, music and film.
42.351	Literature of the Middle Ages	Credits: 3
A study of the prose, poetry, and drama of England from 1200-1500 set against cultural and historical backgrounds.
42.353	Literature of the Seventeenth Century	Credits: 3
A study of English prose and poetry of the period excluding Milton.
42.354	Literature of the Eighteenth Century	Credits: 3
A study of the prose and poetry of the period.
42.355	Literature of the Romantic Period	Credits: 3
A study of English prose and poetry from 1798-1832.
42.356	Literature of the Victorian Period	Credits: 3
A study of British fiction, poetry, and prose from 1837 to 1901.
42.360	Medieval & Renaissance Theater	Credits: 3
A study of Medieval mystery cycles, morality plays, interludes, and other forms of popular and court theater.
42.361	Restoration Comedy	Credits: 3
A study of comic plays from 1660 to the mid-eighteenth century. Focus on the works of Ethridge, Wycherley, Congreve, and Sheridan.
42.362	Modern Drama	Credits: 3
A study of selected Continental, British and American plays of the late nineteenth century to the present.
42.363	English Renaissance Drama	Credits: 3
A study of major dramatists of the Age of Shakespeare including Marlowe, Dekker, Webster, Jonson, Beaumont and Fletcher, Massinger, Ford and others
42.370	Contemporary American Fiction	Credits: 3
Discusses novels and short fiction from World War II to the present.
42.373	Modern Poetry	Credits: 3
A study of the development of British and American poetry from 1900 through World War II.
42.374	Contemporary Poetry	Credits: 3
A study of selected British and American Poets since World War II.
42.375	Modern Irish Literature	Credits: 3
Poetry, drama, and prose fiction from the Irish literary renaissance to the present. Writers will include Yeats, Joyce, O'Casey, Friel and Heaney.
42.376	African-American Literature	Credits: 3
A study of selected works by black American writers, such as Toomer, Wright, Ellison, Walker, and Morrison.
42.382	Theatre History I: Ancient Greece through the 18th Century	Credits: 3
A survey of ancient to early modern theatre in its historical and social contexts, tracing changes and developments in acting syles, theatre architecture, scenic practices, dramatic literature, and the audience. The course examines how theatre both reflects and shapes the changing beliefs and priorities of a culture.
42.384	Working with the Playscript	Credits: 3
A hands-on introduction to a range of plays, studied as scripts intended for production. Conducted as a seminar/workshop with attention to both the critical interpretation and staging of various dramatic forms.
42.386	The Science of Editing	Credits: 3
The course will examine the varied editing roles in a publishing company, from acquisitions to copy editing.
42.387	Introduction to Editing and Publishing	Credits: 3
The course will examine the nature of publishing from traditional modes to desktop production, including the development of the industry and the reasons for change. The course also includes hands-on publishing activities, such as designing newsletters.
42.388	Undergraduate Seminar on the Teaching of Writing	Credits: 3
Training in writing theory for direct application in peer tutoring. Discussion supplemented by experimental exercises, class presentations, reading, and writing. Meets two hours each week. Students tutor four hours each week.
42.389	Undergraduate Seminar in High School Teaching	Credits: 3
Class meets weekly to examine secondary school curricula and methodology. Regularly schedules participation in English classes in local secondary schools is a major requirement.
42.391	Writing on the Job	Credits: 3
A study of special problems of writing in business from memos and press releases through reports and proposals, including strategies for correspondence, presentation of complex information, and writing for diverse audiences. For English majors and minors.
42.401	Selected Authors	Credits: 3
A study of selected works. Authors to be announced each semester.
42.402	Topics in Writing	Credits: 3
A study of issues and the practice of skills needed in specific areas of professional writing. Topics to be announced each semester..
42.403	Special Topics	Credits: 3
Discussion and practice of skills necessary for newspaper feature writing. Special attention to lead writing, the "nut" paragraph, attribution, transitions, dialogue, and the inverted pyramid. Field experience. Guest writers and editors. Preparation of submissions for public encouraged. Prerequisite: 42.300.
42.406	Writing in the Community	Credits: 3
Students work for a local non-profit for the semester completing a variety of writing tasks, depending on the placement. In class students apply the principles of rhetoric and use the tools of research and revision to write effectively for their community partner; to articulate in a public presentation a thoughtful, intelligent position on relevant social policy; and to become more active, engaged citizens.
42.407	Creative Writing Fiction II	Credits: 3
Creative Writing Fiction II
42.414	Topics in Theatre	Credits: 3
Advanced study of a selected area of theatrical production, history, texts, or theory, taking into consideration the strengths and interests of current students in the program and the instructor.
42.415	Young Adult Literature-Critical Methods	Credits: 3
Using young adult literature as a vehicle, this course considers traditional methods of interpretation and evaluation. Particular attention is given to the analytical, psychological and sociological approaches.
42.421	Chaucer	Credits: 3
A study of the major works of Chaucer in Middle English.
42.423	Shakespeare I	Credits: 3
A study of selected histories, comedies, and tragedies.
42.424	Shakespeare II	Credits: 3
A study of selected histories, comedies, and tragedies not covered in 42.243. Shakespeare I is not a prerequisite.
42.429	Introduction to Literary Theory	Credits: 3
A solid introduction to major trends in contemporary critical theory. Emphasis on producing a sample critical paper treating one or more current critical approaches to reading a literary text.
42.459	Play Production	Credits: 3
Production of a full-length play or showcase of scenes, leading to a public performance.
42.465	Nanoscience and Literature	Credits: 3
The burgeoning fields of nanoscience, nanothechnology, and nanomanufacturing promise not only to become a trillion-dollar business within the next decade or two, but also profoundly to impact many aspects of the daily lives of ordinary people globally. Many commentators are predicting, more or less cautiously, that nanoscience will equal or surpass the Industrial Revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the ways that it will transform both the more mundane aspects of human life and the very nature of human nature. The primary focus of this course is to offer students the opportunity to explore a representative survey of literary responses to, reflections on, and representations of nanoscience. As a cultural studies course concerned with intellectual and cultural history more broadly, it also considers these responses, reflections, and representations in the context of relations between the "two cultures" of scientific and humanistic inquiry.
42.490	Directed Studies in Writing	Credits: 3
The student develops a plan for a sustained writing project or portfolio and submits preliminary and final versions for critique and evaluation.
42.491	Directed Study in Literature	Credits: 3
The student develops a plan of directed reading, defines a problem for individual research, and prepares a paper or papers.
42.492	Directed Study in Language Analysis	Credits: 3
The student develops a plan of directed readings in linguistics, semantics, or stylistics and defines a topic for individual research.
42.493	Directed Study in Creative Writing	Credits: 3
The student develops a series of projects in creative writing and composes poetry, fiction, or drama.
42.494	Directed Study in Theater	Credits: 3
The student develops a project or series of projects in theater arts and/or stagecraft.
42.495	Practicum in Theater	Credits: 3
A part-time full-semester internship at an approved off-campus theater. To be arranged through the Program Coordinator during pre-registration period.
42.496	Practicum	Credits: 3
An off-campus writing experience for English Majors. Practicum experience is intended to provide students with the opportunity of applying their writing skills in actual business, technical, or professional situations.
42.498	Practicum-English Study	Credits: 1
A short-term, intensive project related to English study and/or writing.