2003 - 2004 English Courses

An introduction to writing expository prose. This course provides an overview of grammar, syntax and paragraph writing so that students can master the skills necessary for success in ENGL 110.

This course serves as the college's composition requirement and introduces students to strategies and forms of argumentation, independent and collaborative intellectual inquiry, uses of critical reading and rhetorical analysis, and issues of grammar and mechanics for professional presentation. Prerequisite: adequate ACT or SAT placement scores or successful completion of ENGL 098. International students are required to take ENGL 111-112 (English as a Second Language).

This two-course sequence is the equivalent of ENGL 110 for international students. The first course introduces structured writing for students whose native language is not English. The second course develops the skills acquired in the first course and explores more advanced rhetorical strategies and styles.

A changing topics course that approaches specific genres, themes, and periods at the introductory level. Possible topics include science fiction, the literature of mystery, introduction to poetry, utopian literature, practical grammar, and the Gothic tradition. Prerequisite: ENGL 110.

This course will introduce students to studies in the humanities. Through reading and discussing works of literature, philosophy, and history, students will investigate a theme. Investigation of this theme will introduce students to the history, methodologies, and practices of disciplines in the humanities. Themes have included Human Freedom, Great Issues in Western Civilization, The Meaning of Love, and Human Nature. Same as HIST/PHIL 200FN.

An introduction to the critical reading, analysis, and evaluation of fiction, poetry, and drama. Prerequisite: ENGL 110.

Students learn the building blocks of creative writing - including diction, figurative language, narrative, imagery, point of view, meter, and form - by reading examples of professional writing, writing short-short stories and poems of their own, and meeting visiting writers. This workshop course emphasizes experimentation and imitation and is designed to expand the student's repertoire of literary technique. Strongly recommended as a prerequisite to other creative writing courses. Prerequisite: ENGL 110.

An introduction to the comedies, histories, and tragedies of William Shakespeare, including critical debates about his life and works. Prerequisite: ENGL 110. Teaching majors and minors planning careers in secondary education should take either this course or ENGL 346.

A survey of British and colonial literature from 650 to 1660 with emphasis on the cultural interchanges between medieval, renaissance, and reformation values and literary themes. This course explores the different modes of literary composition that characterize early English and American genres, including the transformation of British forms and ideas in the American colonial environment. Prerequisite: ENGL 110.

A survey of British and American literature from 1660 to the present, this course covers influential authors and literary movements in multiple genres. While exploring the cultural and artistic contexts of individual works, the course also examines the unique interconnection of British and American literary practice from colonial to contemporary literature. Prerequisite: ENGL 110.

A changing topics course that addresses specific genres, themes, periods, or eminent writers. Possible topics are the epic, mythology, romance, and postcolonial literature in theory and practice.

A survey of applied critical approaches to literature with emphasis on the reading process, the application of theory, and materials and methods of literary research. Recommended for students beginning a major or an academic minor in English. Prerequisite: ENGL 241 or ENGL 242.

A course that focuses on the writing of short stories and short-short stories and integrates workshop experience with readings of various narratives and theoretical material. Prerequisite: ENGL 230 or consent of instructor.

This course, often taught around a central theme, combines reading of poetry and criticism with workshop discussion of students' own poems. Meter, form, line, imagery, figurative language, and point of view are among the topics addressed. Students read work of visiting poets and meet with them. Prerequisite: ENGL 230 or consent of instructor.

A course in writing nonfiction including essays, personal narratives, and articles. Writing for workshop will be balanced by readings of various model texts. Prerequisite: ENGL 230 or consent of instructor.

Students learn how to evaluate contemporary literature and how to produce a literary/arts magazine, the nationally recognized student-edited journal Ellipsis. In the fall semester, the emphasis is on evaluating submissions of poetry, fiction, essays, and visual art; in the spring semester, the focus is on design, layout, publicity, and updating the journal's website. Students also meet with visiting writers and editors. May be taken four times for credit.

Advanced course focusing on changing topics in creative writing. Prerequisite: ENGL 311.

A survey of the influential philosophies that shape our relationship to literature. This course will examine classic texts and contemporary trends in criticism to familiarize students with literary theory and position them to apply its insights to their own reading and thinking. Prerequisite: ENGL 311.

The study of language as a symbolic system with a special emphasis on English. Includes an introduction to the history and structure of the English language; language acquisition and evolution; English syntactic and grammatical structure; and beginning Anglo-Saxon. Prerequisite: ENGL 220 or 311.

This course is an opportunity for students to examine closely one or more of the theoretical issues introduced in such classes as 311 and 330. Students will gain an understanding of theoretical approaches to literary study, methods of applying theory to works of literature, theories and conventions of genre, and the works of literary theorists. Possible topics include structuralism and poststructuralism, poetics, anthropology and literary theory, archetypal criticism, and ecocriticism. Prerequisite: ENGL 311.

A course focusing on British literature before 1500 with attention to language change; contemporaneous intellectual, social, and religious issues; historical contexts; literary sources; and generic conventions. Possible topics to be offered include Anglo-Saxon literature, fourteenth-century poetry, Chaucer, and women in medieval literature. Prerequisite: ENGL 311

A course focusing on British literature between 1500 and 1660 with attention to developments in English politics, religion, education, and social structure. Emphasis will be given to emerging genres such as secular drama and short poetry and to the emergence of diverse new audiences for whom the theater and printing press made literature accessible. Possible topics to be offered include Spenser, Renaissance drama, metaphysical poetry, and Milton. Prerequisite: ENGL 311.

A study of selected sonnets, histories, tragedies, romantic comedies, romances, and problem plays of William Shakespeare with special attention to the rich legacy of criticism and interpretation his work has generated. Prerequisite: ENGL 311. Secondary teaching majors and minors should take ENGL 232 or ENGL 346.

An examination of aspects of British literature between 1660 and 1900. Students will explore this era of constant experimentation with the forms and conventions of earlier literary periods. Attention will be paid to genre change and development, social representation and satire, and the portrayal of society, nature, and women in literary works. Possible topics include the literature of the Enlightenment, romantic poetry, Victorian literature, and wit and satire. Prerequisite: ENGL 311.

This course examines the lively and provoking work of British 20th-century writers and will investigate major genres, significant themes, and unifying outlooks from across the century. Students will learn about international developments in literature, experimentation in form and style, and the influence of war, depression, and other political, social, and economic factors. Significant themes include politics and modernism, women's literature, and the avant-garde in Britain. Prerequisite: ENGL 311.

A special topics course in an area of British literature, typically spanning genres, themes, and literary periods. Students will use texts to make connections across literary periods and will develop the ability to contrast changing cultural and textual practices through time. Possible topics to be offered include Arthurian literature, Restoration drama, the Gothic novel, and imperialism and postcolonialism. Prerequisite: ENGL 311.

Survey of major works from Native American oral texts and Puritan writings to the rhetoric of the American Revolution and the development of American romanticism. Prerequisite: ENGL 311.

The course will trace formal and thematic developments in American fiction from 1865 to 1945, including schools of realism, naturalism, modernism, and social realism. In addition to analyzing literary trends, forms, and themes, we will consider ideological and historical contexts for selected texts. Prerequisite: ENGL 311.

The course will emphasize thematic developments within the contemporary American experience from a cross-cultural perspective by focusing on representative texts and genres since World War II. When possible, the course will include the study of poets visiting the college. Prerequisite: ENGL 311.

A changing topics course considering specific themes, genres, and topics spanning the American experience. Possible emphases include American poetry, modernism and postmodernism, the American West, regionalism in American literature, and African American, Latino, or Native American literature. Prerequisite: ENGL 311.

Survey of a broad range of works concerning the American environment and parallel historical and cultural trends. Works are selected from poetry, fiction, and such nonfiction genres as nature essays, autobiography, travel narrative, and political writing. Prerequisite: ENGL 220, 311 or instructor consent.

Survey of the literary history and development of a particular culture, language group, nation, or world region through works in translation. Different topics may be taken more than once for credit. Sample topics include the literature of Europe, Asia, Africa, France, Russia, Japan, Spain, and Spanish-speaking America. Courses may focus on a specific writer or group of writers such as Dante, Cervantes, or contemporary novelists from India. Prerequisite: ENGL 220, 311, or instructor's permission.

An advanced writing course emphasizing argumentation, rhetoric, and analysis. Students concentrate on developing a clear, precise style and a distinctive voice. Choice of topics may reflect major fields of study and career orientation. Recommended for students considering graduate school in the professions or in English. Prerequisite: ENGL 110.

Preparation for secondary and elementary teaching majors and minors to teach language arts in grades 7 through 12. Includes methods of teaching language, grammar, composition, and literature. Students should take this course as they near completion of their coursework. Prerequisite: ENGL 220, 311 or equivalent.

Survey of literature for elementary-age children, emphasizing literary and artistic merit as well as the scope of children's literature. Also examines the place of literature in elementary school curricula. Prerequisite: ENGL 220, 311 or equivalent.

Survey of literature for adolescents, emphasizing literary and artistic merit as well as varieties of literary expression. Also examines the place of literature in secondary school curricula. Prerequisite: ENGL 220 or 311.

A tutorial-based course used only for student-initiated proposals for intensive study of topics not otherwise offered in the English Program. Hours are arranged. Prerequisite: consent of instructor and school dean.

A course to support and guide English majors, participants in the Honors Program, and other upper-division students who are developing the skills to produce a well-researched, fully documented, comprehensive thesis on a literary or related topic. Hours are arranged. Prerequisite: ENGL 220 or 311 and senior standing or consent of instructor.

A capstone course for English majors ordinarily taken during one of the last two semesters of undergraduate study. The Senior Seminar gives a small group of students the opportunity to work with a faculty member in her or his specialty and the chance to interact with other advanced students in a seminar setting. Students will demonstrate their ability to grapple with complex issues of literary study and conduct advanced research. The course culminates in the successful completion of a written research project. Prerequisite: ENGL 311 and senior standing or consent of instructor.

Offers students the opportunity to integrate classroom knowledge with practical experience. Prerequisites: junior or senior standing (for transfer students, at least 15 hours completed at Westminster), minimum 2.5 GPA, completion of the Career Resource Center Internship Workshop, and consent of program director and Career Center Internship Coordinator.