HONORS PROGRAM:
The departmental Honors Program is intended to challenge majors to go beyond
the minimum requirements by taking extra courses, reading, and thinking
about literature. In addition, the Honors Program is intended to foster
intellectual exchange among students and faculty. A central objective
of this program is extensive reading from the list included in the
English Department Handbook. Detailed information and application forms
are available from the department chairperson, Professor Schakel. Early
application, even in the freshman year, is encouraged.
Academic Support Center -- Individual assistance
is offered daily at scheduled times to help students improve writing
skills, study skills, and reading rate and comprehension. Students
may seek these services voluntarily, be referred to the Center
by one of their teachers, or even be required for a particular
course to do work in the Center. In the last instance, students
register formally for English 010.
COURSES:
102. English for Non-Native Speakers II -- An advanced
course designed to increase a student's English proficiency in
all skill areas. Sometimes required of foreign students before
taking English 113. Three lectures, two laboratories per week.
Hours may be increased upon consultation with the chairperson of
the English Department and the instructor. By placement. Four Credits
Fall Semester
Writing
113. Expository Writing I -- A course designed
to encourage students to explore ideas through reading, discussion,
and writing. The emphasis is on development of writing abilities.
The area of exploration varies with individual instructors. Consult
department for current list. Typical topics include Questions of
Identity, Voices of the Third World, Critical Thinking about the
Future, Crime and Punishment, Focus: Africa, C.S. Lewis, Medicine
and Literature, Electronic Media, Writing and the Movies. May be
repeated for additional credit, with a different subject matter.
Not counted toward an English major or minor. Four Credits Both
Semesters
154. Introduction to Creative Writing: Fiction
-- An exploration of the elements of narrative technique. No prior
experience in fiction writing is assumed. Investigates characterization,
plot, setting, scene, detail, and point of view. Two Credits Spring
Semester
155. Introduction to Creative Writing: Poems --
An exploration of the practice of writing poetry. No prior experience
in poetry writing is assumed. Investigates a variety of approaches
to the composition of a poem and such elements of poetry as image,
rhythm, line, sound, pattern, and structure. Two Credits Fall Semester
213. Expository Writing II -- A course designed
to further the student's ability to write effective expository
prose. For students in any discipline. Prerequisite: English 113
or waiver of English 113 requirement. Two Credits Both Semesters
214. Business Writing -- A course designed to further
the student's ability to write the types of expository prose appropriate
to business, business administration, and technical fields. Prerequisite:
English 113 or waiver of English 113 requirement. Two Credits Both
Semesters
215. Legal Writing -- A course designed to further
the student's ability to write the types of expository prose appropriate
to law school and the legal profession. Prerequisite: English 113
or waiver of English 113 requirement. Two Credits Spring Semester
216. Technical Writing -- A course designed to
further the student's ability to read and understand technical
material and to write about it clearly and well. In addition to
a textbook, materials used include various technical documents
from the workplace: manuals, user's guides, instructions sheets,
and on-line help texts. Students will use the documents to accomplish
tasks and then systematically analyze the documents' effectiveness
and make editing changes. Two Credits Fall Semester
254. Creative Writing: Fiction -- An introduction
to the techniques of fiction writing. No prior creative writing
experience required. Includes practice in the writing process,
point of view, characterization, plot, setting, theme, and voice.
Four Credits Both Semesters
255. Creative Writing: Poems -- An introduction
to the practice of writing poetry. Includes a variety of approaches
to the composition of a poem as well as the elements of poetry:
image, rhythm, line, sound, pattern, form, and structure. Four
Credits Both Semesters
257. Creative Writing: Plays -- An introduction
to the art of writing for the stage. Includes work on selected
special problems of the playwright: scene, dialogue, structure,
and staging. Offered jointly with the Department of Theatre. Alternate
years, 1998. Four Credits Fall Semester
258. Creative Writing: Nonfiction -- An introduction
to the art of writing the contemporary literary essay. Includes
work on style, structure, audience, and critical thinking and reading
in essays by a broad range of writers. Topics may include humor,
commentary, opinion, personal observation, autobiography, argument,
social criticism, occasional essay. Four Credits Fall Semester
259. Creative Writing: Satire -- An introduction
to the techniques of satire. Designed to sharpen wits and writing
skills, to educate and entertain, and to familiarize students with
satiric masterpieces and their own potential to contribute to this
humorous genre. Alternate years, 2000. Four Credits Fall Semester
313. Expository Writing III -- A course in particular
forms of expository writing. Announced topics will reflect the
interest of students and instructors. Prerequisite: English 213,
214, or 215, or demonstrated writing ability. Not limited to English
majors or minors. Two Credits Offered Occasionally
354. Intermediate Creative Writing: Fiction --
Intensive study of and practice with the techniques of fiction.
Includes extensive reading in contemporary fiction. Students revise
and complete a series of short works or one longer work. Prerequisite:
English 254 or permission of instructor. Four Credits Both Semesters
355. Intermediate Creative Writing: Poems -- Intensive
study of and practice with the techniques of poetry. Students write
and critique poems, discuss poems in light of current issues, and
practice selection and preparation of poems for publication. Prerequisite:
English 255 or permission of instructor. Four Credits Both Semesters
357. Intermediate Creative Writing: Plays -- Intensive
study of and practice with the techniques of playwriting. Includes
attention to conflict, scene, dialogue, structure, and staging.
Students move towards completion of a one-act play. Whenever possible,
provision will be made for reading performances of work-in-progress;
in cases of exceptional merit, arrangements may be made for public
performance of a finished script. Offered jointly with the Department
of Theatre. Prerequisite: English 257 or permission of instructor.
Alternate years, 2000. Four Credits Spring Semester
358. Intermediate Creative Writing: Nonfiction
-- Intensive study of and practice with the techniques of the personal
narrative essay. Includes attention to style, structure, audience,
and critical thinking. Students complete three to four narrative
essays and prepare them for publication when appropriate. Prerequisite:
English 258 or 254 or permission of instructor. Alternate years,
1999. Four Credits Spring Semester
359. Internship In English -- IDS 359 may be awarded
up to eight hours of English credit at the discretion of the department.
This course may be taken as part of the Chicago, Philadelphia,
or Washington Semester Program, or by individual arrangement through
the department with a local host company or agency. At the discretion
of the department, a portion of the credits earned in this semester
may be applied toward the student's major or minor requirements.
Otherwise, the credits will constitute elective hours within the
department. Eight Credits (Maximum) Both Semesters
389. GLCA Arts Program -- IDS 389 may be awarded
up to sixteen hours of English credit at the discretion of the
department. The Great Lakes Colleges Association, Inc. Arts Program,
presently based in New York City, involves the student in a full
semester study of and involvement in the arts. At the discretion
of the department, a portion of the credits earned in this semester
may be applied toward the student's major requirements. Otherwise,
the credits will constitute elective hours within the department.
Sixteen Credits (Maximum) Both Semesters
454. Advanced Creative Writing: Fiction -- A workshop
for students with demonstrated ability and commitment to the craft
of writing fiction. Students write and edit three or four pieces
of fiction. A revised story of publishable quality is expected
by the end of the semester. Prerequisites: English 354, a writing
sample, and permission of the instructor. Four Credits Spring Semester
455. Advanced Creative Writing: Poems -- A workshop
for students with demonstrated ability and commitment to the craft
of writing poetry. Students develop a focused project and complete
a 20- to 30-page chapbook. Class sessions spent in critique and
discussion of issues pertinent to each student's project. Prerequisites:
English 355, a writing sample, and permission of the instructor.
Four Credits Spring Semester
493. Individual Writing Project -- An independent,
student-designed writing project culminating in a significant and
complete body of creative or expository writing. May be repeated
for additional credit with a different project. Prerequisite: departmental
acceptance of application (forms available in departmental office).
Two to Four Credits Both Semesters
Literature
231. Literature of the Western World I -- Masterpieces
of Western literature through the Renaissance. Meets part of the
Cultural Heritage requirement. Four Credits Both Semesters
232. Literature of the Western World II -- Masterpieces
of Western literature since the Renaissance. Meets part of the
Cultural Heritage requirement. 231 is not a prerequisite. Four
Credits Both Semesters
248. Introduction to Literature -- An introductory
course in reading and responding to poetry, fiction, drama, and
nonfiction from various critical perspectives. Required of all
English majors and minors; should be taken before or at least concurrent
with higher-numbered literature courses. Recommended also for students
not specializing in English.Four Credits Both Semesters
270. Literature in English to 1775 -- A survey
of British and American literature from their beginnings until
1775. Should be taken before English 271, if possible. Four Credits
Both Semesters
271. Literature in English 1775-1900 -- A survey
of British, American, and Commonwealth literature, 1775-1900. Should
be taken before English 272, if possible. Four Credits Both Semesters
272. Literature in English since 1900 -- A survey
of British and American literature and other literatures in English
since 1900. Four Credits Both Semesters
295. Special Topics -- A topic in literature, writing,
or language not covered in the regular course listings and intended
particularly for the general liberal arts student. May be repeated
for additional credit in a different field of study. Recent offerings
include Detective Fiction; 20th-Century African Literature; 20th-Century
Chinese Literature. Two to Four Credits
334. The Modern European Novel -- The nineteenth-
and twentieth-century influences on the novel from Balzac to Camus.
Ordinarily offered only in the Vienna Summer School program. Three
Credits Summer
371. Historical Connections -- An examination,
using a comparative model, of how literature, over time, reflects
and records intellectual, perceptual, and aesthetic changes. Recent
topics include The Middle Ages and Medievalism; Swift and Lewis;
Epic and Lyric; The Othering of American Literature. Topic for
Fall 1998: Country Life and Its Literature. Should be taken after
English 270 and 271, if possible. May be repeated for additional
credit with a different topic. Two or Four Credits Both Semesters
373. Literary Forms and Reformulations -- An examination
of how literature interrogates and revises received traditions.
By focusing on sequences of works, juxtaposed works, or the works
of a single author, it examines imitations, critiques, and transformations
within formal literary categories and within canons. Recent topics
include History and Development of the Short Story; Contemporary
Women's Poetry; From Page to Screen: Contemporary Literature and
Film Adaptation. Two topics are offered every semester: 1. Shakespeare,
2. Literature for Children and Adolescents. Should be taken after
English 270 and 271, if possible. May be repeated for additional
credit with a different topic. Two or Four Credits Both Semesters
375. Language, Literature, and Social/Cultural
Difference - An examination of literary works as cultural artifacts,
examining how they not only record and reflect the dynamics of
social and cultural difference but also influence or resist change.
Under investigation will be conflicts and modifications in cultural
identification, how literature draws upon the lives and times of
its authors, and how race, class, gender, and other forms of difference
generate social and cultural tensions and express and embody them
in literature. Recent topics include Cultures in Fiction; African
Literature; Religion, Race and Gender in the Literature of Antebellum
America. Three topics are offered annually: one dealing with ethnic
American literature (Fall), History of the English Language (Fall),
and African American Literature (Spring). Other topics for 1998-99:
Fall -- Shakespeare's Sisters in Context; Spring -- Salinger and
Potok. Should be taken after English 270 and 271, if possible.
May be repeated for additional credit with a different topic. Two
or Four Credits Both Semesters
395. Studies in English -- An author or authors,
genre, or special topic, usually in British or American literature.
May be repeated for additional credit in a different field of study.
Recent offerings include Contemporary American Poetry; American
Women Writers; 20th-Century Irish Literature; Hawthorne and His
Times; Angels in the Literary Imagination. Two to Four Credits
(One or Two Credits During August Term)
480. Introduction to Literary Theory -- A chronological
survey of major 20th-century theoretical approaches to literature.
Topics include Formalism and New Criticism, Reader-Oriented Theories,
Marxism, Structuralism and Poststructuralism, Feminist, Postmodern
and Postcolonialist theories. Strongly recommended to students
considering graduate school. Same as French 480. Prerequisite:
permission of instructor. Alternate years, 2000. Four Credits Spring
Semester
Teaching
379. Writing for Teachers --An introduction to
the basic techniques of writing intended especially for prospective
teachers. Topics include writing practice, short fiction, poetry,
evaluating creative writing, publication, curriculum development,
and nonfiction writing. Includes attention to the student's understanding
of his or her own writing process. Four Credits Both Semesters
380. Teaching of Secondary School English -- A
study of and experience in applying methods of teaching grammar,
discussion, literature, and composition in the secondary school.
Required for Secondary Certification. Recommended with an English
minor as well as a major. Should be taken after or concurrently
with Education 360, and before student teaching. Four Credits Fall
Semester
381. Teaching Writing in All Disciplines -- For
prospective and practicing elementary and secondary teachers in
all the disciplines. A survey of the most recent theories about
writing and practices in the teaching of writing across the curriculum.
Assignments will allow students to apply theory to actual practice
in creating assignments, inventing sequences of activities, using
writing to personalize learning, and responding to student writing.
One Credit Spring Semester
383. Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language
-- Four Credits [EN]Fall Semester
Summer Seminars: Teaching -- A one-week study of
methods of teaching primary or secondary English in one of these
areas: grammar, discussion, literature, composition. Intended for
prospective and practicing teachers. Available for one or two hours
credit. This workshop is not a substitute for English 380, Teaching
of Secondary School English. Individual course titles will be announced
by mid-April of each year. One or Two Credits Summer Only
Readings and Research
490. Individual Study -- An individual research
project, investigating some topic in depth and culminating in a
paper that demonstrates literary scholarship and independent thought.
May be repeated for additional credit, with a different project.
Not limited to the senior level. Prerequisite: departmental acceptance
of application (forms available in department office). Two to Four
Credits Both Semesters
495. Advanced Studies -- A seminar in a field designated
by the instructor. Preparation and presentation of research papers
are central to the course. Prerequisite: previous work in or related
to the topic of the seminar; students are urged to consult the
instructor if they are doubtful about the nature and quality of
their previous work. May be repeated for additional credit in a
different field of study. Recent offerings include James Joyce;
G.B. Shaw; Early English Drama Exclusive of Shakespeare; C.S. Lewis;
Novels of the American West; Three Southern Writers. Topic for
Spring 1999: Shakespeare's History Plays. Four Credits
499. Readings in Literature -- Designed to fill
in gaps in knowledge of important authors and works and of major
trends and patterns. Readings under tutorial supervision of an
instructor assigned by department chairperson. May be repeated
for additional credit in a different field of study. Prerequisite:
departmental acceptance of application (forms available in department
office). Two to Four Credits Both Semesters
