Virtually all courses in the English Department are open to all students, majors and non-majors alike. 100-level courses have no prerequisites. 200-level courses have Writing 120 (Writing and Rhetoric) or its equivalent as a prerequisite. 300-level courses ordinarily build upon prior work in the English Department. 300-level creative writing courses generally require prior completion of a relevant a 200-level creative writing course as a prerequisite. 300-level courses in literary studies (English courses other than those in creative writing), generally require as prerequisites English 185 and two 200-level English courses. Any course offered in the English department can count as an elective in any of our majors (English, English with CAL, and Creative Writing).
Please note that these classes are subject to change.
200-level (Level II)
English 275 – Literature and Film – L Mokdad
Old Major Reqs: Genre
New Major Reqs: Elective
This course alternates between providing a history of the American film industry or focusing on specific periods of American cinema. We will examine the formal and stylistic elements of American film, while also being attentive to relevant cultural, industrial, and historical shifts and trends. Topics may include the star and studio system, genre, authorship, censorship, independent filmmaking, New Hollywood Cinema, as well as production, exhibition and distribution practices. Prerequisite: WRR or equivalent. GE: ALS-L.
ENGL 280 – Electronic Literature – J Shaiman
Old Major Reqs: Genre
New Major Reqs: Elective
With an emphasis on interactive fiction, this course will examine the ways that technology and literature intersect to allow new kinds of storytelling that center the reader and their experience with the text. In addition to visual novels, video games, hypertext narratives, twine fiction, and e-poetry, the class will also explore how the inclusion of electronic texts into print and performance media challenges and expands more traditional formats. We’ll even spend some time exploring the nuts-and-bolts of this genre by creating new works with some easy-to-use programs. Prerequisite: WRR or equivalent. GE: ALS-L.
ENGL 287 – Professional and Business Writing – R Eichberger
Old Major Reqs: Genre
New Major Reqs: Elective
This course gives students a hands-on opportunity to develop their use of writing strategies and technologies appropriate to workplaces. Course themes include workplace practices, professional ethics, technology resources, promotional resources, and writing on behalf of an organization. Students create individual and collaborative projects including employment documents, proposals, brochures, memos, and other professional genres. Through case studies, readings, and/or client-based projects, students analyze writing practices in a range of professional settings. Course fee for document production. Also counts toward management studies concentration. Prerequisite: WRR or its equivalent. GE: WRI. OLE Core: WAC.
ID 258 – Theater in London – K Marsalek (Off-Campus)
Old Major Reqs: Elective
New Major Reqs: Elective
For centuries, London has served as the cultural capital of a nation that has shaped and been shaped by the dramatic arts. In recent decades, with the rise of globalization and the rise of London as a global city, London’s stages have continued to play a central role in British life, while also reflecting the influence of ideas, individuals, and practices that have originated elsewhere. All of this makes London an ideal location in which to study the contemporary diversity of theater and performance. During January, we will attend approximately twenty performances that aim to span the breadth of what London’s theaters have to offer, from productions of Shakespeare and other acknowledged masters to devised productions, site-specific works, and stage plays by emerging playwrights. These live performances will serve as the center of the course, complimented by discussion-based seminar sessions and excursions within and beyond London to relevant sites of cultural and historical interest. Although the majority of our time will be spent in London, we will spend two nights in Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, and one night in Oxford. Toward the end of January, the program will pause for approximately three days, during which time students will be free to pursue individual plans in London or, depending on the pandemic and other travel restrictions, elsewhere in Europe. Prerequisites: None. GE: ALS-A. OLE Core: Creativity.