Course Offerings and Descriptions

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Required Courses for All Literature, Writing, and Dramatic Literature Concentrators

  • ENL 290 Introduction to the Study of Literature
  • ENL 290 Introduction to the Study of Literature
  • ENL 300 British and American Literary Traditions
  • ENL 300 British and American Literary Traditions
  • ENL 310 World Literature in Contexts                                  
  • ENL 310 World Literature in Contexts

 LITERATURE

  • ENL 305 Critical Approaches to Children’s and Young Adult Literature (eve)
  • ENL 318 English Literature of the Renaissance (day)
  • ENL 321 South Asian Literature (day)
  • ENL 345 American Fiction Since WW II (day)
  • ENL 352 Major Twentieth-Century Poets
  • ENL 358 World Drama (day)
  • ENL 361 The Early Shakespeare (day)
  • ENL 368 Queer Studies (eve)
  • ENL 377 The African American Literary Tradition
  • ENL 379 Major English Author II (day)
  • ENL 381 Major American Author I (eve)
  • ENL 397 Global Literature (eve)

WRITING

  • ENL 267 Craft of Creative Writing (day) prerequisite
  • ENL 267 Craft of Creative Writing (eve) prerequisite
  • ENL 277 Journalism (eve)
  • ENL 370 Craft of Creative Nonfiction (day)
  • ENL 371 Craft of Fiction (day)
  • ENL 430 Creative Writing (day)
  • ENL 432 Poetry workshop (day)
  • ENL 435 Playwriting Workshop (eve)

LINGUISTICS

  • LING 101 Linguistic Diversity
  • LING 201 Introduction to Language
  • LING 201 Introduction to Language
  • LING 301 Introduction to Linguistics
  • LING 301 Introduction to Linguistics
  • LING 302 Phonetics
  • LING 304 Syntax I
  • LING 350 Structure of Words
  • LING 380 Sociology of Language
  • LING 402 Speech Science
  • LING 410 First Language Acquisition
  • LING 430 Phonetic and Phonological Disorders
  • LING 450 Audiology

Spring 2025 Course Offerings for Literature, Writing, and Linguistics

 Undergraduate Courses: 

 Required Courses for the Literature, Creative Writing, and Drama Concentrations 

  • ENL 290 Introduction to the Study of Literature (day) 
  • ENL 290 Introduction to the Study of Literature (eve) 
  • ENL 300 British and American Literary Traditions (day)  
  • ENL 310 World Literature in Contexts (day)                              

LITERATURE COURSES  

  • ENL 306 Disabilities in Literature and Culture 
  • ENL 323 Coming of Age Narratives 
  • ENL 327 Twentieth-Century US Poetry 
  • ENL 335 Modern East Asian Literature 
  • ENL 362 The Later Shakespeare 
  • ENL 368 Queer Studies 
  • ENL 390 Women, Literature, and the Arts 
  • ENL 392 Literature of the African Diaspora 

WRITING CONCENTRATION COURSES 

  • EWR 267 Craft of Creative Writing (day) prerequisite
  • EWR 267 Craft of Creative Writing (eve) prerequisite
    EWR 277 Journalism (day)
  • EWR 372 Craft of Poetry (eve)
  • EWR 373 Craft of Playwriting (day)   
  • EWR 431 Fiction Workshop (day) 
  • EWR 434 Creative Nonfiction Workshop (eve)   
  • ENL 281 Writing and Peer Tutoring 

 LINGUISTICS CONCENTRATION COURSES 

  • LING 101 Linguistic Diversity 
  • LING 201 Introduction to Language 
  • LING 201 Introduction to Language 
  • LING 301 Introduction to Linguistics 
  • LING 301 Introduction to Linguistics 
  • LING 302 Phonetics 
  • LING 303 Phonology I 
  • LING 304 Syntax I 
  • LING 380 Sociology of Language 
  • LING 410 First Language Acquisition 
  • LING 412 Sign Language Linguistics 
  • LING 420 Anatomy & Physiology for Speech Science 

 

Graduate Courses

  • ENG 630 Writing Across the Curriculum 
  • ENG 690 Methods of Graduate Study 
  • ENG 721 Studies in Medieval Literature 
  • ENG 733 Studies in Poetry 

In order to complete the Literature Concentration in English, you need to complete classes in the following five coverage areas:

  1. British Literature
  2. American literature
  3. Literature in Translation
  4. Literature Written by Women, American Minorities, or Writers in Asia (including the Middle East), Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean
  5. Genre / Theme

*Please note that one of above courses must cover pre-1800 literature.  The courses that more typically do so are British Literature, Literature in Translation, and Genre/Theme.

Our Spring 2024 Literature Courses Will Satisfy These Coverage Areas:

English/British Literature: ENL 353, 355, 361

American Literature: ENL 323, 377

Literature in Translation: ENL 338, 347, 399, ITL 350, 352

Lit by women, American Minorities, or writers in Asia (including the Middle East), Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean: ENL 323, 338, 377, 399

Genre and Theme: ENL 323, 338, 347, 353, 355, 361, 377, 399, ITL 350, 352

Pre-1800 Courses: ENL 338, 361, ITL 350

  • ENL 290           Introduction to Literary Studies                              Prof. Sohom Ray

           

This course will introduce four major literary genres (lyric poetry, drama, short story, novel), as well as the basic concepts and terminology used in literary analysis. We will examine plot and narrative technique (what is the story? how is it being told?) in fiction, characterization and dialogue (how does a character take shape? are they given distinct words, actions, motivations?) in drama, and form and style in poetry. Thematically, the readings are clustered around two broad groups that sometimes overlap: i) myth and memory; ii) uncanny and the surreal. The readings include two plays (Wole Soyinka’s lyrical tragedy of ethical conflict, Death and the King’s Horseman; Seamus Heaney’s reworking of Sophocles’s Antigone in The Burial at Thebes); a short novel (Doris Lessing’s chilling contemporary fable The Fifth Child); poetry by Rainer Maria Rilke, Adrienne Rich, Solmaz Sharif, Eavan Boland, and Natasha Trethewey; short stories by James Joyce, Nikolai Gogol, Rabindranath Tagore, Ray Bradbury, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Hasan Blassim. All texts except the novel will be provided on Blackboard.

 

This class is IN-PERSON and meets TTH, 4:40 – 6:20.

 

  • ENL 290           Introduction to Literary Studies                              Prof. Simon Reader

                       

Wherever we find poems, plays, or stories, we also find people who like to study and judge them. This course offers skills for how to do so. Serving as a foundation for other courses in the English department, the content of this course includes an array of literary media from the ancient world to the present (multiple poems, short fiction, and a play are on deck) as well as vocabulary and techniques for writing about such literature convincingly.

 

This class is IN-PERSON and meets M 6:30 – 9:30.

 

  • ENL 300           British and American Literary Traditions             Prof. Simon Reader

                       

This course surveys British literature from the medieval period to the early nineteenth century. Covering about a thousand years of literary history will be no easy task, but strong recurrent themes will sustain our reading from week to week: obedience and rebellion, the role of men and women in society, romantic love, magic, the supernatural, and evil.

 

This class is IN-PERSON and meets MW, 2:30 – 4:25.

 

  • ENL 310           World Literature in Contexts                                   Prof. Janet Dudley

 

Sincerity and Authenticity

We’ll explore the idea of self and self-identity in different cultures and in different historical periods. We examine how different societies understand what it means to be a genuine person or a good person. We ask how these societies deal with contradictions between individual desires, aspirations, and social expectations. We also explore if there is a true self within us to which we can be completely faithful. And if so, should we be?

 

This class is HYBRID-ASYNCH and meets TH 12:20 – 2:15.

 

  • ENL 323           Coming of Age Narratives                                      Prof. Christopher Miller

                       

What does it mean to be “of age”? In legal or social terms, it means reaching an age at which a person assumes certain rights, privileges, and responsibilities. The idea of “coming of age,” however, represents a longer evolution rather than particular milestones. We will be studying the ways that a diverse range of authors make sense of that process through narrative fiction.

 

This class is IN-PERSON and meets MW 4:40 – 6:20.

 

  • ENL 338           Epic and Romance                                                   Prof. Steven Monte

           

This course traces the development of the narrative poems that became known as epics and romances, from ancient times to the Renaissance. We will read selections of medieval works, including Dante’s Inferno. The main theme of the course is how competing values—especially values relating to war and love—are put into play, and how they help determine which stories get told and how they are told. There will also be special emphasis on female characters: ladies, queens, and sorceresses.

 

This class is HYBRID-ASYNCH and meets T, 12:20 – 2:15.

 

  • ENL 347           Major Twentieth Century Novelists                        Prof. Timothy Gray

 

In this class we will look at four influential works of fiction from different eras and different areas of the globe: Ireland, the Czech Republic, Nigeria, and New Zealand. Discussion about form (story versus novel) will supplement our discussion about content. We will also explore the relationship between abstract thought and physical space, especially where colonialism is involved. We will read James Joyce’s Dubliners (1914), Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis and Other Stories, Chinua Achebe’s No Longer at Ease (1960), and Keri Hulme’s The Bone People (1986).

 

This class is IN-PERSON and meets T, 6:30 – 9:50.

 

  • ENL 353           Contemporary Poetry                                               Prof. Steven Monte

                       

This is a course on English-language poetry of the last 20 years or so—American, Canadian, Australian, British, Irish, and more. In a way, it is a course on twenty-first-century poetry in English. We will be reading many poets in small selections, but every student will be encouraged to explore more intensely one poet or one group of related poets. Everyone will give a presentation on a poet or poets of their interest, and everyone will write a review of a contemporary poetry book

 

This class is HYBRID-ASYNCH and meets T, 10:10 – 12:05.

 

  • ENL 355           Modern European Drama                                         Prof. Lee Papa

 

We will concentrate on modern plays from the British Isles, looking at works by writers from the UK and Ireland. From Harold Pinter to Caryl Churchill to Natasha Gordon, from Samuel Beckett to Martin McDonagh to Marina Carr, we’ll look at an array of styles and backgrounds, concentrating on the theatrical, the historical, and the political aspects of the plays. And I promise that some of them will even be fun and funny.

 

This class is IN-PERSON and meets TH, 6:30 – 9:50.

 

  • ENL 361           The Early Shakespeare                                  Prof. Katharine Goodland

                  

Queer Shakespeare

In this course we will explore all things queer in Shakespeare, from the fool in King Lear to the cross-dressed boys who played the female characters on stage during Shakespeare's time. We will explore queerness in the most expansive definition of the word, looking at its etymological origin, what it meant during Shakespeare's time.

This class is ONLINE-SYNCH and meets M, 6:30 – 9:50.

 

  • ENL 377           The African American Literary Tradition              Prof. Maria Bellamy

                       

This course will focus on two novels about slavery by two of the most influential and award-winning writers of this century: Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning novel The Underground Railroad and Ta-Nehisi Coates’ first venture into fiction, The Water. Both novels use fantastic means to tell the story of slavery and resistance and speak to our contemporary moment in startling ways. 

 

This class is IN-PERSON and meets MW, 12:20 – 2:15.

  • ENL 399           Themes in Literature                                                Prof. Alyson Bardsley

 

 Ecofeminism in Literature and Culture

Before global heating and the climate crisis were front page news, feminists of various backgrounds, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color feminists, Anglo-American feminists, and feminists of the Global South, disabled feminists, and queer feminists, were questioning the exploitation and destruction they observed. This class digs deep into their brilliant observations.

 

This class is IN-PERSON and meets TTH, 10:10 – 12:05.

  • EWR 267         Craft of Creative Writing                                          Prof. Tyehimba Jess

 

Craft of Creative Writing introduces students to the literary conventions of creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and playwriting. The course will explore the elements that set the genres apart, the elements they share, and the relationship between reading and writing. Texts will be taken from the four major genres and used as models for students' creative writing. For English majors and minors, this is designated as a writing course.

 

This class is HYBRID-ASYNCH and meets W, 6:30 – 9:50.

  • EWR 267         Craft of Creative Writing                                          Prof. Lewis Dimmick 

                       

In EWR 267 in Spring 2024 we’ll practice short forms, like flash fiction, sometimes called sudden fiction or microfiction, lyric poetry, creative nonfiction of no more than 750 words (as modeled by the excellent online magazine BREVITY) and flash drama. This will be a dialogue-based class where student voices are centered in the experience and where students contribute to decision-making and curriculum-building.  

 

This class is IN-PERSON and meets TTH, 4:40 – 6:20.

  • EWR 277         Introduction to Journalism                                    Prof. Frederick Kaufman

Introduction to Journalism will present students will the concept of newsworthiness while emphasizing the basic elements of journalistic writing and media analysis, including hard news, soft news, objective reporting, working with sources, profiles, spot event coverage, opinion writing, and photojournalism. Special emphasis will be placed on the language, vocabulary, and structural requirements of successful heds, deks, and ledes. Throughout the semester we will focus on newsroom issues such as the manifold legal and ethical issues that surround reportage.

 

This class is IN PERSON and meets T 6:30 – 9:50.

  • EWR 308         Theories of Composition                                          Prof. Melanie McNulty             

 

ENL 308 is an exciting exploration of the intricacies of teaching writing. Not just teaching writing but understanding the profound impact of writing on our world. Together, we'll uncover major themes within writing studies: personal writing, the empowerment of multicultural learners, the exciting world of multimodal composition, and the groundbreaking frontier of AI in writing and writing instruction. We'll bridge theory with practice, ensuring that you can connect the dots between the classroom and the real world.

 

This class is IN PERSON and meets MW, 10:10 – 12:05.

  • EWR 370         Craft of Creative Nonfiction Writing                      Prof. Frederick Kaufman

                       

We will read samples of different genres of creative non-fiction and produce four stories of different type and length. We will discuss the reading and edit student work in class. Students will pay close attention to researching, reporting, structuring, and writing these stories. We will focus on the structures that comprise narrative, including character (as opposed to source), voice and dialogue (as opposed to quote), approaches to scene and setting, historical and contemporary research, reporting strategies and tactics.

This class is ONLINE-SYNCH and meets one TTH, 12:20 – 2:15.

 

  • EWR 371         Craft of Fiction Writing                                             Prof. D. Sharp                     

 

The course explores the literary conventions that distinguish fiction as a genre. By considering models for their own creative writing, students will learn how to employ basic narrative techniques in creating their own short fiction, the focus of which may include but not be limited to: image, voice, character, setting, and plot. For English majors and minors, this is designated as a writing course.

 

This class is ONLINE-SYNCH and meets one T, 6:30 – 9:50.

 

  • EWR 373         Craft of Playwriting                                                   Prof. Lee Papa

                        MW, 2:30 – 4:25, IN-PERSON

 

This class will serve as both an introduction to the writing of dramatic scripts, as well as a place to develop short plays.  We will approach plays as a performed medium, and we will build our skills with various exercises and readings.  The class will be writing intensive, both in class and out.  Playwriting, like other genres, has its own demands, and we will explore how writers can use the space of the stage and the word on the page to create compelling drama.

 

This class is IN-PERSON and meets WM, 2:30 – 4:25.

 

  • EWR 432         Poetry Workshop                                                      Prof. Cate Marvin

 

This is an advanced poetry workshop in which we will explore and experiment with traditional and invented forms. We will back at the traditions that brought us to where American poetry is today and consider how poems of the moment talk back at the past. The poems we read and discuss will be vibrant, ingeniously structured, and thrilling, as will the poems we write.

 

This class is HYBRID-SYNCH and meets MW, 12:20 – 2:15.

 

SPRING 2024 COURSE OFFERINGS

Literature

  • ENL 290 Introduction to the Study of Literature (day & eve)
  • ENL 290 Introduction to the Study of Literature (day & eve)
  • ENL 300 British and American Literary Traditions (day) 
  • ENL 310 World Literature in Contexts (day) 
  • ENL 323 Coming of Age Narratives (day)
  • ENL 329 Migration and Diasporas in Literature and Culture (eve)
  • ENL 338 Epic and Romance (day) 
  • ENL 347 Major 20th Century Novelists (day)
  • ENL 353 Contemporary Poetry (day)
  • ENL 361 The Early Shakespeare (eve)
  • ENL 355 European Drama (eve)
  • ENL 377 The African American Literary Tradition (eve)
  • ENL 399 Themes in Literature (day)  
  • ENL 470 Senior Seminar in Literature (day)

 

Creative Writing 

  • ENL 267     Craft of Creative Writing (day & eve) prerequisite
  • ENL 277     Journalism (eve)
  • ENL 370     Craft of Creative Nonfiction (day)  
  • ENL 371     Craft of Fiction (eve) 
  • ENL 432     Poetry Workshop (day)
  • ENL 373     Craft of Playwriting (day)
  • ENL 308     Theories of Composition (day)

 

Linguistics 

  • LING 101 Linguistic Diversity
  • LING 201 Introduction to Language
  • LING 201 Introduction to Language
  • LING 301 Introduction to Linguistics
  • LING 301 Introduction to Linguistics
  • LING 302 Phonetics
  • LING 304 Syntax I 
  • LING 350 Structure of Words
  • LING 412 Sign Language Linguistics
  • LING 402 Speech Science
  • LING 410 First Language Acquisition
  • LING 430 Phonetic and Phonological Disorders
  • LING 450 Audiology

COVERGE AREAS FOR ENGLISH MAJORS WITH A LITERATURE CONCENTRATION

In order to complete the Literature Concentration in English, you need to complete classes in the following five coverage areas:

  • British Literature
  • American literature
  • Literature in Translation
  • Literature Written by Women, American Minorities, or Writers in Asia (including the Middle East), Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Genre/ Theme

 

*Please note that one of above courses must cover pre-1800 literature.  The courses that more typically do so are British Literature, Literature in Translation, and Genre/Theme.

Our Spring 2023 Literature Courses Will Satisfy These Coverage Areas:

English/British Literature: ENL 318, ENL 361, ENL 379

American Literature: ENL 323, ENL 345, ENL 352, ENL 377, ENL 381

Literature in Translation: ENL 321, ENL 358, ENL 397

Lit by women, American Minorities, or writers in Asia (including the Middle East), Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean: ENL 321, ENL 345, ENL 352, ENL 358, ENL 368, ENL 377, ENL 379, ENL 381, ENL 397

Genre and Theme: ENL 318, ENL 321, ENL 323, ENL 345, ENL 352, ENL 358, ENL 361, ENL 368, ENL 377, ENL 379, ENL 381

 

Pre-1800 Courses: ENL 318, ENL 361

  1. COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

SPRING 2023

ENL 267           CRAFT OF CREATIVE WRITING                     TBA                    M 6:30 – 9:50

WRITING                                                                                                                                 IN PERSON

Craft of Creative Writing introduces students to the literary conventions of creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and playwriting. The course will explore the elements that set the genres apart, the elements they share, and the relationship between reading and writing. Texts will be taken from the four major genres and used as models for students' creative writing. For English majors and minors, this is designated as a writing course.

*This is a PREREQUISITE for all 300/400 Writing Courses.

 

 

ENL 267           CRAFT OF CREATIVE WRITING                     MARVIN           MW 10:10 – 12:05

WRITING                                                                                                       ONLINE SYNCH                                                                                                                           

Ever wonder when reading a piece of writing, be it a poem, an essay or story, why you find yourself powerfully moved by the language? This course is an introduction to hard and fast means by which you can make your writing vivid, visceral, and uniquely you own. These skills do not arise by magic, nor are they dependent on inspiration (who is, as Spanish poet Lorca noted, “a fickle muse”). We will think of these as “elements of craft” and we will study them and practice them. This course is also exploration of the four primary genres in creative writing: poetry, creative nonfiction, fiction, and playwriting. We will read a lot, we will write a lot, and we’ll have great conversations about the power of literature to enact change.

*This is a PREREQUISITE for all 300/400 Writing Courses.

 

 

ENL 277           INTRODUCTION TO JOURNALISM              KAUFMAN      TF 12:20 – 2:15

WRITING                                                                                                                                 IN PERSON

Introduction to Journalism will present students will the concept of newsworthiness while emphasizing the basic elements of journalistic writing and media analysis, including hard news, soft news, objective reporting, working with sources, profiles, spot event coverage, opinion writing, and photojournalism. Special emphasis will be placed on the language, vocabulary, and structural requirements of successful heds, deks, and ledes. Throughout the semester we will focus on newsroom issues such as the manifold legal and ethical issues that surround reportage.

 

 

ENL 290           INTRODUCTION TO LIT STUDIES                BARDSLEY      M 6:30 – 9:50

REQUIRED                                                                                                                             IN PERSON

An introduction to the study of literature and specifically to the ways that people think, talk, and write about literature.  We will address the basic questions of literary study and its vocabulary: What is literature?  What are the main kinds of literature?  What are the main approaches to the study of literature?  Students will read a selection of works that represent a variety of periods and movements; and through frequent informal writing assignments, two short essays, and an annotated bibliography assignment, learn to apply formal terms crucial for further study in the field. 

*This is a pre and/or corequisite for ENL 300 and ENL 310.

*This is a requirement for Lit, Writing, and Dramatic Lit Majors

 

 

ENL 290           INTRODUCTION TO LIT STUDIES                GOODLAND   W 10:10 – 12:05

REQUIRED                                                                                                                             HYBRID ASYNCH

An introduction to the study of literature and specifically to the ways that people think, talk, and write about literature.  We will address the basic questions of literary study and its vocabulary: What is literature?  What are the main kinds of literature?  What are the main approaches to the study of literature?  Students will read a selection of works that represent a variety of periods and movements; and through frequent informal writing assignments, two short essays, and an annotated bibliography assignment, learn to apply formal terms crucial for further study in the field. 

*This is a pre and/or corequisite for ENL 300 and ENL 310.

*This is a requirement for Lit, Writing, and Dramatic Lit Majors

 

 

ENL 300           BRIT/AMERICAN LIT TRADITIONS            GREELEY         MW 2:30 – 4:25

REQUIRED                                                                                                                             IN PERSON

A one-semester survey of British and American literature from the Medieval through the Romantic periods. It will include important works from many genres and modes, placing those works in their aesthetic and cultural contexts.

*Pre- or corequisite: ENL 290.

*This is a requirement for Lit, Writing, and Dramatic Lit Majors

 

 

ENL 310           WORLD LITERATURE IN CONTEXT            DUDLEY           TH 12:20 – 2:05

REQUIRED                                                                                                                             HYBRID ASYNCH

Sincerity and Authenticity

In this semester, we explore the idea of self and self-identity in different cultures and in different historical periods. We examine how different societies understand what it means to be a genuine person or a good person. We ask how these societies deal with contradictions between individual desires, aspirations and social expectations. We also explore if there is a true self within us to which we can be completely faithful. And if so, should we?

*Pre- or corequisite: ENL 290.

*This is a requirement for Lit, Writing, and Dramatic Lit Majors

 

 

ENL 318           16TH CENTURY ENLGISH LIT                           FEOLA               TTH 10:10 – 12:05

LITERATURE                                                                                                 ONLINE SYNCH                                                                                                                        

                                               Love and Marriage
Welcome to the magical, lyrical, thought-provoking century known as the English Renaissance. The texts we will study address many of the same passions and problems that engage us today: politics, religion, rebellion, travel, love, and marriage. We also will explore the fascination that writers had with innovation and literary form.

For many students, the Renaissance conjures up images of royal purple and gold; for others it is remembered as the era when new worlds were encountered. However, it was also a time of lively questions and commentary concerning marriage. [Henry VIII, the second Tudor monarch, had six wives, and his daughter, Elizabeth I is remembered as the “Virgin Queen.”] Also, during this period an increasing number of women and commoners [people like us] began making their way into print. With so much change and [early] modern ideas taking shape, your study of Tudor literature and culture will expand your understanding of the periods that preceded it, as well as those that followed.

Literature Concentration Coverage Area(s): British, Genre/Theme, Pre-1800.

 

 

ENL 321           SOUTH ASIAN LITERATURE                           RAY                     MW 12:20 – 2:15

LITERTAURE                                                                                                                                IN PERSON

The Rural Indian Novel

 

“For me, India begins and ends in the villages.”— M. K. Gandhi

 

For better or worse, India has been imagined frequently through its villages, whether in popular culture or literature. Seen variously as the site of authenticity, beauty, tradition, simplicity, self-sufficiency, gender- and caste-based oppression, Indian villages figure in literature as both myth and reality. 

     

In this course, we will read four novels set in 20th c. rural India (Premchand’s The Gift of a Cow, trans. from the Hindi by Gordon C. Roadarmel; U. R. Anantha Murthy’s Samskara, trans. from the Kannada by A.K. Ramanujan; Arundhati Roy’s God of Small Things; Raja Rao’s Kanthapura) to examine these often contradicting images of the Indian village, sometimes turning to cinema as context (possible examples: Pather Panchali dir. Satyajit Ray; Rudaali dir. Kalpana Lajmi; Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge dir. Aditya Chopra).

Literature Concentration Coverage Area(s): Translation, Genre/Theme, or Literature Written by Women/American Minorities, Etc.

 

 

ENL 323           COMING OF AGE NARRATIVES                      DAWSON         T 6:30 – 8:10

LITERATURE                                                                                                                               HYBRID ASYNCH

What does it mean to come of age today, in a world fractured by multiple crises, from the erosion of democracy to the breakdown of a stable climate? Can we imagine better futures for our children and young people? In this course, we will explore Young Adult literature that represents possible alternative futures to our crisis-ridden present. How will young people’s identity and ways of socializing by reshaped by the upending of the stable life worlds that have been taken for granted by so many generations? In particular, we will explore the genre of Cli-Fi or climate fiction. The emphasis will be on short stories and novels, and will include works written both in the US and in formerly colonized nations around the world, the places least responsible but most affected by the climate crisis.

Literature Concentration Coverage Area(s): American, Genre/Theme.

 

 

ENL 345           AMERICAN FICTION SINCE WWII                GRAY                 TTH 4:40 – 6:20

LITERATURE                                                                                                                              IN PERSON

This course in American fiction published since 1945 will be divided into three sections. In the first section, “You’re Too Hip, Baby,” we read Paul Bowles’s The Sheltering Sky (1949), set in Morocco, and James Baldwin’s Another Country (1962), set in NYC and France. In both novels, countercultural types are made to measure progressive ideas about racial and sexual difference as their unconscious desires get exposed. In section two, “Affective Lineages,” we read Joan Didion’s Play It as It Lays (1970) and Louise Erdrich’s Tracks (1988). In the Didion novel, an affluent white woman tries to navigate (on her own) the toxic atmosphere of late 1960s Los Angeles, where sexism runs rampant amongst Hollywood’s dirty, dirty cheats. In the Erdrich novel, set in early 20th century Dakota, a poor Chippewa woman aims to survive assault and illness, bolstered by deep-seated spiritual kinships, as her winnowing tribe, wracked by settler colonialism, faces the loss and environmental degradation of their homeland. In our final section, “Who Loves the Sun?”, we will read Lauren Groff’s acclaimed story collection Florida (2018), because we clearly need to figure out what’s going on down there.

Literature Concentration Coverage Area(s): American, Genre/Theme, or Literature Written by Women/American Minorities, Etc.

 

 

ENL 352           MAJOR 20TH CENTURY POETS                       GRAY                 T 6:30 – 9:50

LITERATURE                                                                                                                              IN PERSON

Lyric Geographies

This course in 20th century poetry focuses on four poets, each based in the Americas, whose travels provided detail for some of their era’s finest literary explorations. In “North and South,” the first section of the course, we read the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop (born 1911) and Octavio Paz (born 1914). Bishop was born in Massachusetts, but she was raised in Canada and lived for many years in Brazil. Paz was born in Mexico but lived in multiple cities on several continents, working as a diplomat and academic. In addition to the social issues they address, the ever-changing definition of “home” will loom large as we survey their writings. In section two, “East and West,” we read the work of two poets still living. Gary Snyder (born 1930) is renowned for his rugged poems of west coast mountains, and for his Buddhist meditations, informed by his twelve-year residence in Japan. Yusef Komunyakaa (born 1941) taps a deep fount as he recounts his life growing up in segregated Louisiana and as a Vietnam veteran trying to make sense of the military adventurism placing so many people of color in harm’s way. From different angles, Snyder and Komunyakaa show how the borderlands of America and the Pacific Rim were imagined in the late 20th century, often as a zone of conflict, but at other times as a utopian space capable of facilitating cooperation and peace.

Literature Concentration Coverage Area(s): American, Genre/Theme, or Literature Written by Women/American Minorities, Etc.

 

ENL 358           WORLD DRAMA SINCE 1800                          RAY                     MW 4:40 – 6:20

LITERATURE                                                                                                                              IN PERSON

After political decolonization in twentieth century, postcolonial drama became a zone of exciting formal experimentation where playwrights sought to create a new theatrical language to meet the moment. In this course, we will look at examples from Africa (Athol Fugard, Wole Soyinka, Ama Ata Aidoo, Ngugi wa Thiong’o) and South Asia (Girish Karnad, Badal Sircar, Vijay Tendulkar, Usha Ganguli, Tripurari Sharma) to explore how they combine Western dramaturgical structures and influences with a range of indigenous audiovisual elements inspired by classical dance, religious ritual, and popular entertainment to forge new cultural idioms for drama in the postcolony.

Literature Concentration Coverage Area(s): Translation, Genre/Theme, Literature Written by Women/American Minorities.

 

 

ENL 361           THE EARLY SHAKESPEARE                             GOODLAND   W 12:20 – 2:05

LITERATURE                                                                                                                               HYBRID ASYNCH

In ENL/DRA 361, “Making, Unmaking, and Mistaking Identity”, we will explore the making, unmaking, and mistaking of identity in five of Shakespeare’s early comedies: The Comedy of Errors, The Taming the Shrew, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Merchant of Venice. Across these plays we will look closely at the relationship between identity and love, considering how these very funny comedies often teeter on the brink of tragedy. Shakespeare was master of balancing his plays on what Frances Dolan describes as “the fine, unstable, line between comedy and tragedy.” As we explore these questions, we will hone our skills in close reading, writing about literature and drama, and gain a deeper understanding of Shakespeare’s poetics and dramaturgy.

Literature Concentration Coverage Area(s): British, Genre/Theme, Pre-1800.

 

 

ENL 368           QUEER STUDIES                                                     TBA                    T 6:30 – 9:50

LITERATURE                                                                                                                               IN PERSON

An introduction to the field of lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender and queer studies. Readings will be drawn from a variety of literary and critical works that explore sexual identity categories and their meaning in culture For English majors and minors, this is designated as a literature, women, minority and world literature, and genre course. 

Literature Concentration Coverage Area(s): Genre/Theme, or Literature Written by Women/American Minorities, Etc.

 

 

ENL 370           CRAFT OF CREATIVE NONFICTION            TBA                    M 4:40 – 6:20

WRITING                                                                                                                                 HYBRID SYNCH

In this hybrid nonfiction writing workshop, we will focus almost exclusively on memoir writing, including experimental forms. We will discuss: fracture; self-portraits and family portraits; the role of memory and perception; and, the relation of the individual to society. We also examine how writers use literary devices such as point of view, “scenes” vs. “summarizing,” and attention to character, setting, and detail to craft their stories. Assignments will be reflective of the published stories we read in class. Be prepared to write!

Prerequisite: ENL 267

 

 

ENL 371           CRAFT OF FICTION                                               TBA                    TTH 10:10 – 12:05

WRITING                                                                                                                                  IN PERSON

The course explores the literary conventions that distinguish fiction as a genre. By considering models for their own creative writing, students will learn how to employ basic narrative techniques in creating their own short fiction, the focus of which may include but not be limited to: image, voice, character, setting, and plot. For English majors and minors, this is designated as a writing course.

Prerequisite: ENL 267

 

 

ENL 377           THE AFRICAN AMERICAN LIT TRAD          BELLAMY        TH 4:40 – 6:25

LITERATURE                                                                                                                              HYRBID ASYNCH

African American Graphic Novels

This course will focus on contemporary African American Graphic Novels. Growing out of the world of comics, graphic novels have grown in popularity in recent decades and often address challenging historical and cultural issues, including resistance, rebellion, and social justice. In this course we will read a mixture of historical and fictional graphic novels to examine how they engage audiences differently from traditional novels and histories. Texts under consideration for this course include Nat Turner by Kyle Baker, The Life of Frederick Douglass by David F. Walker, Incognegro by Mat Johnson, Billie Holiday by Ebony Gilbert, March by John Lewis, The Black Panther Party by David F. Walker, Damien Duffy’s adaptations of Kindred and Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler and Black Panther by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

Literature Concentration Coverage Area(s): American, Genre/Theme, or Literature Written by Women/American Minorities, Etc.

 

 

ENL 379           MAJOR ENGLISH AUTHOR II                           MILLER            TTH 12:20 – 2:15

LITERATURE                                                                                                                              IN PERSON

The Novels of Jane Austen

Jane Austen (1775-1817) wrote six major novels that culminate in the marriages of their heroines. Austen, who was never married herself, represented these as happy outcomes, but she also cast a critical and satirical eye on the social practices of courtship and the institution of marriage itself. This course offers an in-depth study of Austen’s novels as entertaining but serious works of social observation and critique, with attention to their role in the development of English prose fiction and in the long tradition of female novelists. Along the way, we will consult critical commentary on Austen’s work, and we will consider several feature-length film adaptions and web series inspired by Austen’s novels. Through short writing assignments and analytical essays, students will gain an appreciation of the subtleties of Austen’s art—its psychological characterizations, its representations of interiority and points of view, its plot structures, and its engagements with philosophical, aesthetic, and ethical concerns. In this intense focus on Austen’s work, we will also be sharpening our interpretive analytical approach to narrative fiction in general.

Literature Concentration Coverage Area(s): British, Genre/Theme, or Literature Written by Women/American Minorities, Etc.

 

 

ENL 381           MAJOR AMERICAN AUTHOR                           PAPA                  W 6:30 – 9:50

LITERATURE                                                                                                                              IN PERSON

This semester, we’ll be reading the works of playwright Tony Kushner. Best known for his two-part epic play about the gay community in the time of AIDS, Angels in America, Kushner’s works take on huge subjects in world and American history, from the fall of the Soviet Union in Slavs to the treatment of African Americans in the southern United States in the 1960s in his musical Caroline, Or Change. As serious as the issues are around the plays, Kushner approaches them with a great deal of humor and even more humanity. We’ll read his major works, and we’ll contextualize them in both theatrical and general history. We’ll also take a look at the films he’s written for Steven Spielberg, including Lincoln and Munich.

Literature Concentration Coverage Area(s): American , Genre/Theme, Literature Written by Women/American Minorities, Etc.

 

 

ENL 397           GLOBAL LITERATURE II                                    RAY                     M 6:30 – 9:50

LITERATURE                                                                                                                              IN PERSON

Interlingual Literature

 

“Can humanism ever be monolingual?” – Aamir R. Mufti

 

Despite the global dominance of English, contemporary literature has often turned to themes of multilingualism, translation, and language confusion to make sense of the world. In this course, we will read texts that can be called interlingual: they come bearing traces of other languages, cultures, worlds, persistently reminding us that in the wake of complex planetary events and processes like globalization, climate change, colonization, and war, one language for literature simply isn’t enough. Possible readings: Anita Desai, In Custody; Colm Tóibín, The Story of the Night; Yoko Tawada, Scattered All Over the Earth (trans. from the Japanese by Margaret Mitsutani); Mireille Gansel, Translation as Transhumance (trans. from the French by Ros Schwartz); selected shorter texts—poems by Solmaz Sharif, Arundhathi Subramaniam, Shailja Patel, and others.

Literature Concentration Coverage Area(s): Literature in translation, Literature Written by Women/American Minorities, Etc.

 

 

ENL 430           CREATIVE WRITING                                            MARVIN           MW 2:30 – 4:25

WRITING                                                                                                                                 ONLINE SYNCH

The Blessing of Obsession

“A real diehard, indestructible, irresolvable obsession in a poet is nothing less than a blessing. The poet with an obsession never has to search for subject matter. It is always right there, welling up like an Artesian spring on a piece of property with bad drainage,” observed poet Tony Hoagland. The same can be said for all creative writing. In this advanced multi-genre creative writing course, we will explore the obsessions that haunt us and propel us. We will delve into the means by which to explore and erect one’s personal mythology in poetry and prose. Students will complete a short story, a creative nonfiction essay, and several poems.

Prerequisite: ENL 267

 

 

ENL 432           POETRY WORKSHOP                                           SMITH               F 10:10 – 12:15

WRITING                                                                                                                                 HYBRID ASYNCH

In this advanced workshop, students will look before the surface of the poem to search for the source of its rhythm and narrative muscle. Beginning with the poetic line, the class briefly look at the foundation of poetic meter before writing poems in free-verse and traditional forms--such as the sonnet, sestina and villanelle--as well as more contemporary forms, including the golden shovel, duplex, bop and contrapuntal. The class will review the elements of effective critique, and offer feedback for poems presented in class. ENL432 will also feature occasional guest poets and may include at least one class outing to a poetry reading in NYC.

Prerequisite: ENL 267

 

 

ENL 435           PLAYWRITING WORKSHOP                            PAPA                  TH 6:30 – 9:50

WRITING                                                                                                                                  IN PERSON

This class will serve as both a further exploration of the writing of dramatic scripts, as well as a place to develop short plays and monologues.  We will approach plays as a performed medium, and we will build our skills with various exercises and readings.  The class will be writing intensive, both in class and out.  Playwriting, like other genres, has its own demands, and we will explore how writers can use the space of the stage and the word on the page to create compelling drama.

Prerequisite: ENL 267

 

LINGUISTICS COURSES

SPRING 2023

 

LING 101         LINGUISTIC DIVERSITY                                     TORTORA       O. SYNCH
                                                                                                                        Mon. 2:30-5:30

An overview of linguistic diversity in the world today, and the factors that influence it. Questions asked include: How do languages originate? How are different languages related? How do social, cultural, and biological factors both contribute to and limit linguistic diversity? Major themes in this course will be language endangerment (the likely disappearance of 90% of human languages in the next 100 years) and the parallels between linguistic diversity and biodiversity.

LING 201         INTRODUCTION TO LANGUAGE                   BISHOP             O. ASYNCH

This course is an introduction to the study of language. It explores the following relationships: language and society; language and culture; language and thought; language and biology.

LING 201         INTRODUCTION TO LANGUAGE                   HUGHES           O. SYNCH Tues.                                                                                                                                        10:10-12:05

This course is an introduction to the study of language. It explores the following relationships: language and society; language and culture; language and thought; language and biology.

 

LING 301         INTRODUCTION TO LINGUISTICS                              POPESCU                O. ASYNCH

The scientific study of language: sounds, grammar, words, animal communication, language families, etc. Special consideration is given to the dialect of New York City. 
 

LING 302         PHONETICS                                                               COLONNA     P. Tues. 4:40-6:20     

 

An introduction to the articulation and basic acoustics of speech sounds used in the world's languages, including English in comparison with other languages. This course includes extensive practice in speech-sound perception, phonetic transcription using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), and a basic introduction to phonemic analysis. 

 

LING 304         SYNTAX I                                                                     FRAGA                       O. SYNCH
                                                                                                                        W 2:30 – 4:25

This course is an introduction to syntax, the study of phrase structure in human language. Through examination primarily of English varieties, students will develop various skills in scientific analysis, such as: the identification of evidence to support hypotheses; the ability to deduce the nature of lexical and syntactic categories (such as noun, verb, noun phrase, subject, object); and the ability to recognize the abstract properties, elements, and operations which give rise to e.g. syntactic ambiguity, recursion, and the variety of surface forms we recognize as distinct "constructions," such as active vs. passive, interrogatives, and relative clauses.

LING 370         LANGUAGE CHANGE                                            PENTANGELO P. Wed. 6:30 – 9:50     

How languages change and why, using the English language and the Indo-European family as examples.

LING 380         SOCIOLOGY OF LANGUAGE                              PENTANGELO P. Fri 2:30-6:20

Areas of discussion include language and class, language and sex, language and race, and language and ethnicity.

LING 402         SPEECH SCIENCE                                                    COLONNA                      O. ASYNCH

 An introduction to the experimental methods used to study speech production and perception. Students will learn to analyze speech acoustically and physiologically. This course will also involve research design and the writing of research papers.
 

LING 410         FIRST LANGUAGE ACQUISITION                  FRAGA                             O. ASYNCH

An examination of how typically-developing children naturally acquire their first language, surveying what is known about grammatical development at the levels of phonetics, phonology, morphology, and syntax. Both theory and data on child language acquisition are discussed, with special emphasis on developmental universals

LING 430         PHONETIC & PHON. DISORDERS  HAGEDORN                  O. SYNCH
                                                                                                                            Th 4:40 – 6:20

An introduction to major disorders of linguistic speech sounds, both phonetic (articulatory) and phonological (cognitive) in nature. The course highlights theories of description and assessment, and linguistic approaches to intervention. 

LING 450         AUDIOLOGY                                            GAVIN         O. ASYNCH                                       

An introduction to the field of audiology. Topics covered include the anatomy and physiology of the auditory system, auditory disorders and their etiologies, types of hearing loss, and hearing loss management. Students will gain familiarity with standard audiological assessment tools, assessment procedures, interpretation of audiometric and tympanometric data, and post-evaluation patient referral.

KEY:

       IN PERSON 
*     ONLINE SYNCH
**   HYBRID SYNCH
*** HYBRID ASYNCH

 

ENL 267            CRAFT OF CREATIVE WRITING                      TBA                 M 6:30 – 9:50

 

*ENL 267         CRAFT OF CREATIVE WRITING                      MARVIN          MW 10:10 – 12:05

 

ENL 277            INTRODUCTION TO JOURNALISM                 KAUFMAN       TF 12:20 – 2:15

 

ENL 290            INTRODUCTION TO LIT STUDIES                  BARDSLEY      M 6:30 – 9:50

 

***ENL 290        INTRODUCTION TO LIT STUDIES                  GOODLAND     W 10:10 – 12:05

 

ENL 300            BRIT/AMERICAN LIT TRADITIONS                 GREELEY         W 6:30 – 9:50

 

***ENL 310        WORLD LIT ON CONTEXTSDUDLEY              DUDLEY           TH 12:20 – 2:05

 

*ENL 318          16TH CENTURY ENLGISH LIT                          FEOLA             TH 10:10 – 12:05

 

ENL 321            SOUTH ASIAN LITERATURE                          RAY                    MW 12:20 – 2:15

 

***ENL 323        COMING OF AGE NARRATIVES                    DAWSON          T 6:30 – 8:10

 

ENL 345            AMER FICTION SINC WWII                            GRAY                 TTH 4:40 – 6:20

 

ENL 352            MAJOR 20TH CENTURY POETS                   GRAY                 TH 6:30 – 9:50

 

ENL 358            WORLD DRAMA SINCE 1800                        RAY                     MW 4:40 – 6:20

 

ENL 361            THE EARLY SHAKESPEARE                        GOODLAND       W 12:20 – 2:05

 

ENL 368            QUEER STUDIES                                          TBA                     T 6:30 – 9:50

 

**ENL 370         CRAFT OF CREATIVE NONFICTION           CHIN                   HYBRID M 4:40 – 6:20

 

ENL 371            CRAFT OF FICTION                                      TBA                    TTH 10:10 – 12:05

 

**ENL 377          THE AFRICAN AMERICAN LIT TRAD          BELLAMY          TH 10:10 – 12:05

 

ENL 379            MAJOR ENGLISH AUTHOR II                        MILLER             TTH 12:20 – 2:15

 

ENL 381            MAJOR AMERICAN AUTHOR                        PAPA                 W 6:30 – 9:50

 

ENL 397            GLOBAL LITERATURE II                                RAY                   M 6:30 – 9:50

 

ENL 430            CREATIVE WRITING                                     MARVIN            MW 2:30 – 4:25

 

**ENL 432            POETRY WORKSHOP                                  SMITH               F 10:10 – 12:15

 

ENL 435            PLAYWRITING WORKSHOP                        PAPA                 TH 6:30 – 9:50