ENG 111 Rhetoric and Composition
3 Semester Hours
This course emphasizes skills related to expository prose. Students write using major rhetorical modes and do basic research following MLA guidelines. The development of writing style through prewriting, writing, and revision is emphasized. Essays are regularly assigned. Some sections of ENG 111 will focus readings and writing assignments on themes such as Writing about Nature, Writing about the Arts, Writing about Media, etc. Prerequisite: placement in ENG 111 or a grade of C- or higher in ENG 100.
ENG 111H Honors Rhetoric and Composition
3 Semester Hours
An honors course, ENG 111H is an interdisciplinary writing seminar designed to develop students’ abilities for writing clear, cogent expository prose. Thematically organized, topics will change on a semester by semester basis. This honors seminar is designed to promote rigorous written and oral intellectual exchange. Essays and research are regularly assigned. Prerequisite: placement or permission of instructor.
ENG 112 Critical Inquiry and Communication
3 Semester Hours
A continuation of ENG 111, ENG 112 adds readings mainly from selected literature and further develops critical thinking skills, argumentative and persuasive, expressed in both written and oral forms. Essays and oral presentations are regularly assigned; a research paper and presentation are also required. Prerequisite: a grade of C- or higher in ENG 111 or 111H.
ENG 112H Honors Critical Inquiry and Communication
3 Semester Hours
An honors course, ENG 112H is an advanced study of selected literature designed to promote rigorous written and oral intellectual exchange and to develop further students’ critical thinking skills in argumentative and persuasive modes, expressed in both written and oral forms. Essays and oral presentations are regularly assigned; a research paper and presentation are also required. Prerequisite: placement or permission of instructor.
ENG 205 British Literature
3 Semester Hours
A selected study of major writers, genres, periods, and/or themes in British Literature, this course may include such authors as Spenser, Shakespeare, Pope, Shelley, Keats, Arnold, and Tennyson. The course may be chronological or thematic, covering such topics as Medieval Literature or The Gothic Novel. Prerequisite: ENG 112 or 112H.
ENG 206 American Literature
3 Semester Hours
A selected study of major authors, genres, periods, and/or themes in American Literature, this course may include such writers as Thoreau, Hawthorne, Whitman, Dickinson, Frost, Faulkner, Hemingway and Morrison. Prerequisite: ENG 112 or 112H.
ENG 207 Creative Writing
3 Semester Hours
An introductory class, creative writing allows students to explore imaginative resources, develop descriptive power, and experiment with original poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Prerequisite: ENG 112 or 112H.
ENG 208 World Literature
3 Semester Hours
A selected study of major authors, genres, periods, nationalities, and/or themes in literature other than British and American (taught primarily in English translation). Prerequisite: ENG 112 or l12H.
ENG 211 Introduction to Film
3 Semester Hours
A historical survey of the development of the film industry as a distinctive art form, this course promotes critical analysis through discussion and individual projects. Students view films from the silent era through modern times. Prerequisite: ENG 111 or 111H or permission of instructor.
ENG 217 Studies in Environmental Literature
3 Semester Hours
American culture developed from confrontation with the frontier. Environmental literature reflects our roots grounded in landscape and responds to the rise of ecological awareness in the late 20th century. Ecological criticism or “eco-criticism” of literature uses concepts from the science of ecology to analyze literary style and content. In this course, students encounter poetry, fiction, the historic memoirs of frontier explorations of North America, and essays on wilderness issues. They develop critical thinking skills and practice writing critical and creative essays. Prerequisite: ENG 112 or 112H.
ENG 220 Thematic Studies in Literature
3 Semester Hours
Covering the basic terminology and methods of literary analysis, this topic-specific course introduces students to a range of historical and contemporary literatures, including various genres of American, British, and World literature and connects literature with other fields of study, showing its relevance to any major discipline. Critical essays and oral presentations are required. Sample themes might include war, ethics, reinvented stories, etc. Prerequisite: ENG 112 or 112H. May be repeated if the topic changes.
ENG 240 African-American Literature
3 Semester Hours
Many of the most exciting writers in English today are African-American; they have discovered and rewritten their own history while filling in gaps in the larger quilt of American tradition. Authors studied may include Wheatley, Douglass, Hughes, Ellison, Wright, Brooks, Dove, and Morrison. Topics may include slavery, religion, family, and oral history. Prerequisite: ENG 112 or ENG 112H.
ENG 241/341 Women in Literature
3 Semester Hours
Students in this course encounter novelists, poets, essayists, and critics whose works stem from their identity as women who think, feel, and write. These women may include Wollstonecraft, Stein, Woolf, Lessing, Plath, Levertov, Walker, Rich, and others. Readings explore the roles of women in varying racial and cultural situations. Students taking the course at the 300-level will do additional research and be expected to conduct analysis and interpretation at a more sophisticated level. Prerequisite: ENG 112 or ENG 112H; for enrollment at the 300-level, a prior course in literature.
ENG 305 Technical Writing and Editing
3 Semester Hours
This course introduces students to the specialized writing styles and formats used for business and other technical audiences. Students study advanced grammar and refine style, analyze content, learn editing techniques, write effective letters and memos, present oral reports, and write such specialty items as feasibility studies and formal bids or proposals. Prerequisite: ENG 112 or 112H.
ENG 308 Creative Nonfiction
3 Semester Hours
An advanced writing class, Creative Nonfiction fuses attention to style and form with concern for fact, often using powerful setting and characterization. Essays are enhanced by personal reflection, honed by careful crafting, and may inform, persuade, or amuse. Prerequisite: ENG 112 or 112H.
ENG 309 Poetry Writing
3 Semester Hours
An advanced creative writing class, Poetry Writing seeks to make students aware of their obligations to craft. Students will keep a journal of ideas, do exercises that stimulate figurative power, practice laser-like description, experiment with form and rhyme and meter, learn to peel away sentimentality and self-pity, and begin developing a personal style. Students will build a manuscript of verse separate from their class exercises, will read aloud frequently, and will do at least one special project. Prerequisite: ENG 207.
ENG 310 Fiction Writing
3 Semester Hours
An advanced creative writing class, Fiction Writing explores the forms and techniques of the short story by requiring a wide range of reading and by exploring narrative technique, point of view, characterization, structure, and style. Students will write several stories and do at least one special project. Prerequisite: ENG 207.
ENG 322 Shakespeare
3 Semester Hours
If comedy is about laughing, students will laugh with Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. If tragedy is about crying, students will cry over Othello and King Lear. If history is about conflict, students will fight about Henry IV and Richard III. In other words, students in ENG 322 will laugh, cry, and fight as they discover why Shakespeare is the most quoted writer of all time. Prerequisite: a 200 level ENG course other than ENG 207 or 211, or permission of instructor.
ENG 330 Advanced Studies in Literature
3 Semester Hours
An upper-level study of literature, this course offers the opportunity for in-depth study of a particular author, period, theme, or genre in American, British, or world literature. Prerequisite: ENG 112 or 112H.
ENG 342 Southern Literature
3 Semester Hours
Whether viewed as one region or as several “Souths,” the southeastern United States has a recognized identity in literature as well as history. This course charts the development of Southern writers and themes, and includes such authors as Faulkner, Wolfe, O’Connor, Welty, and Warren. Prerequisite: a 200 level ENG course, other than ENG 207 or 211, or permission of instructor.
ENG 343 Adolescent Literature
3 Semester Hours
A study of literature for students grades six through twelve, including genres, themes, authors, and history. The course will emphasize various teaching methods for engaging young adult readers and developing their love of reading. Pre-requisite: a 200 level literature course or permission of instructor.
ENG 350 Language Studies
3 Semester Hours
An exploration of the development of the English language from its Indo-European background to the present, ENG 350 covers various grammars, dialects, and levels of language use. The class explores psychological factors, cultural roles, and the nature and development of human/other languages and their historical changes. Prerequisite: ENG 112 or 112H; a 200 level ENG class is strongly encouraged.
ENG 351 Literary Criticism
3 Semester Hours
What do the terms literature, interpretation, meaning and text really mean? This class provides a brief historical overview of the development of literary criticism, then concentrates on the application of modern methods such as formalism, structuralism, deconstruction, reader-response, and cultural historicism. Students will write practical criticism on a variety of genres. Prerequisite: ENG 112 or 112H. A prior sophomore literature course is highly recommended.
ENG 353 Writing Assessment
3 Semester Hours
An advanced seminar in the writing process, including approaches to the teaching and assessment of writing in a variety of content areas, this course is primarily intended for students seeking teacher licensure. Hands-on experience in the Writing Lab and/or work as a teaching assistant in a section of ENG 111 or ENG 112 is a key element of the course. Pre-requisite: any 200 level literature course. Students not in the teacher licensure program must have instructor permission to enroll.
ENG 380 Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature
3 Semester Hours
This course offers the opportunity for upper-level explorations of the relationship between literature and other fields, such as religion, philosophy, history, psychology, or the natural sciences. The course format invites team teaching to take advantage of the expertise of faculty members in multiple academic disciplines. May be taken more than once, if topics vary. Prerequisite: ENG 112 or 112H or permission of instructor.
ENG 410 Special Topics in Literature
3 Semester Hours
Creativity and concentration are the key words for this varying-emphasis course. Some possibilities include an in-depth study of one author, close examination of a literary episode ( e.g., the Harlem Renaissance ), a thematic study ( e.g., Gender and Media) or a regional study ( e.g., the literature and culture of Appalachia). Prerequisite: junior or senior standing, or permission of instructor.
ENG 495 Senior Thesis and Presentation
3 Semester Hours
Students do an in-depth project in their emphasis area. Possibilities include a significant research paper, a course or workshop proposal, or an extended creative writing assignment. A committee of three faculty members oversees this project. An oral presentation of the final product is a requirement. Prerequisites: second-semester junior or senior status and permission of the English major coordinator.