Fall 2008 English Department Courses

All Courses are described below

Fall 2008 Upper Level Course Descriptions

English 102.01 — English for Non-Native Speakers II
Meg Fincher, Instructor
MW, 2:00-3:30 pm, and TR, 1:30-2:50 pm

The course is designed to increase a student's English language profi¬cien¬cy in all skill areas. Prerequisite for English 113 unless entering TOEFL score exempts the student. Hours count as foreign language credit. Students meet for 3 lectures and two laboratories. Prerequisite: English 101, equivalent or placement. Four credit hours.

English 155.01 A & B — Introduction to Creative Writing: Poems
Greg Rappleye, Instructor
MW, 4:00-5:50 pm

Format: Workshop, discussion, some lecture, videos, attendance at readings and panels by visiting writers, small groups, large groups, fun
Reading: Poems by participants and established poets
Writing: Works-in-progress each week

An exploration of the practice of writing poetry for students not planning to continue with the creative writing. No prior experience in poetry writing is assumed. We will work with a variety of approaches to the composition of a poem (memory, persona, surrealism, observation/reflection, etc.) and with such elements of poetry as image, rhythm, line, sound, pattern, and structure. The course hopes to enable students to discover personal meaning, to discover what poetry really is, and to have fun. Two credit hours.

English 213.01A — Expository Writing II (1st half of semester)
English 213.01B — Expository Writing II (2nd half of semester)
Carla Vissers, Instructor
TR, 9:30-10:50 am

We’ll read a collection of essays to see how writers assemble and condense the details of observation and follow their examples to generate our own ideas. We’ll also devote time to writing exercises and experiences that can help generate ideas and lead to further writing. And, finally, we’ll work on revising your prose. To accomplish all this we’ll spend class periods writing, workshopping, discussing the texts, and/or reviewing writing mechanics. Two credit hours.

English 214.01 — Workplace Writing
Jon Huisken, Instructor
M, 6:30-8:20 pm

This introductory course is designed to help you develop your skills of effective business communication, both written and oral. Course teaching and learning methods will include reading, quizzes, close analysis of business documents, in-class writing and oral exercises, brief lectures, and formal writing assignments. We will identify and practice elements of an effective business style, and we’ll learn some specific writing and organizational strategies for certain types of situations—persuasive, informative, and negative. By the end of this course, you will have gained a familiarity with business writing and communication that will prove invaluable in other college courses, your job search, and your future career. Two credit hours.

English 214.02 — Workplace Writing
Janice Aslanian, Instructor
TR, 12:00-12:50 pm

Communication skills help organizations and the people in them achieve their goals. The ability to write well will become increasingly important as you rise in an organization. Therefore, this course is designed to prepare you to respond effectively to a variety of workplace situations. You will practice writing to different audiences using memo or letter format. Additionally, you will construct a resume and job application letter, and complete a short report. You will polish your document drafts throughout the semester and submit them in a portfolio at the end of the term. Two credit hours.

English 231.01 — Literature of the Western World I
Barbara Mezeske, Instructor
TR, 9:30-10:50 am

Do you like to read? Are you interested in the literary works that both shape and reflect the values of Western culture? Do you like classes that are a mix of discussion and lecture? Are you intrigued by the possibility of choosing whether the professor evaluates you by the tests you take, or by the writing you do?

If the answer to ANY of these questions is “yes,” then consider this course. We will look at three broad time periods (the ancient world of the Greeks and Romans, Europe in the Middle Ages, and the European Renaissance), about twenty-five authors (give or take), and a wide range of epic poems, plays, and poetry. Marvel at the evolution of the epic poem from Homer to Dante, grow sad over the inevitable fates of tragic heroes like Oedipus and Roland, laugh at the bawdy tales of Chaucer, ponder the limits of human reason and the limitations of gender. This course is writing-flagged in the core, so you can expect to write about 10 pages of finished prose, or more if you choose the writing options. Four credit hours.

(Note: This course fulfills half the Cultural Heritage core requirement. Since English 231 is an “ancient” course, it should be paired with IDS 172, or with a history course and a philosophy course, one of which must be History 131 or Philosophy 232. The three-course option is recommended particularly for majors thinking of doing graduate work in English.)

English 231.02 — Literature of the Western World I
Kathleen Verduin, Instructor
MWF, 8:30-9:20 am

The standard path of the mythological adventure of the hero is a magnification of the formula represented in the rites of passage: separation—initiation— return: which might be named the nuclear unit of the monomyth. A hero ventures forth from the realm of common day into a region of supernatural wonder; fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won; the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.
Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces (1948)

English 231 is a course in the classics: the texts that form the foundation of western—that is, European—literature from the beginnings of written history to about 1600. From Gilgamesh and Homer (the ancient world) through Dante’s Inferno and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (the Middle Ages) to Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus and the plays of the Mexican nun Sor Juana (the Renaissance), we will trace the development of literary expression, learn to surmount its difficulties, and recognize its continuing presence in the way that even we perceive our world and ourselves. Obviously it’s impossible to cover so many centuries with anything like thoroughness, but we make a valiant effort to investigate works either artistically superior or most representative of the culture that produced them. While the contentious climate of postmodern opinion now challenges the whole concept of “the classics,” most students who give these texts a careful reading come to confirm their value as embodiments and transmitters of all that is best in our tradition. To give a thread of continuity to this wide-ranging foray into the literature of the past, we will follow the recurrent themes of nature versus culture, male versus female, and action versus contemplation, and we will confront in particular the mighty archetype, persistent from Gilgamesh to Superman, of the hero’s journey. What gets these heroes going? What do they seek? How do their journeys lead them into the strangest of all regions, the human mind? And can their journeys tell us something, even at the distance of centuries, about the journeys we ourselves must undertake? These are some of the questions that will concern us this semester. Four credit hours.

(Note: This course fulfills half the Cultural Heritage core requirement. Since English 231 is an “ancient” course, it should be paired with IDS 172, or with a history course and a philosophy course, one of which must be History 131 or Philosophy 232. The three-course option is recommended particularly for majors thinking of doing graduate work in English.)

English 232.01 — Literature of the Western World II
Ernest Cole, Instructor
TR, 1:30-2:50 pm

Watch for description, available soon. Catalog description: Masterpieces of Western literature since the Renaissance. Meets part of the Cultural Heritage requirement. Four credit hours.

English 248.01 — Introduction to Literature
Julie Kipp, Instructor
TR, 1:30-3:20 pm

This course is an introduction to the literary forms of fiction, poetry, drama, and creative nonfiction, considering elements they have in common and elements unique to each. It will examine how genres differ, but also how they intersect and overlap and influence each other. It aims to teach how to read literature with sensitivity, understanding, and appreciation, and how to approach that reading from a variety of theoretical perspectives. It is not a course in writing stories or poems or drama--for that, see English 254 or 255 or 258. It is a foundational course, intended as preparation for all higher-numbered literature courses in the English department. But it also is of value in itself and is recommended for students looking for an elective dealing with literature broadly. Four credit hours.

English 248.02 — Introduction to Literature
Jesus Montaño, Instructor
TR, 6:00-7:50 pm

This course is an introduction to the literary forms of fiction, poetry, drama, and creative nonfiction, considering elements they have in common and elements unique to each. It will examine how genres differ, but also how they intersect and overlap and influence each other. It aims to teach how to read literature with sensitivity, understanding, and appreciation, and how to approach that reading from a variety of theoretical perspectives. It is not a course in writing stories or poems or drama--for that, see English 254 or 255 or 258. It is a foundational course, intended as preparation for all higher-numbered literature courses in the English department. But it also is of value in itself and is recommended for students looking for an elective dealing with literature broadly. Four credit hours.

English 248.03 — Introduction to Literature
Rhoda Janzen, Instructor
TR, 9:00 -10:50 am

This course is an introduction to the literary forms of fiction, poetry, drama, and creative nonfiction, considering elements they have in common and elements unique to each. It will examine how genres differ, but also how they intersect and overlap and influence each other. It aims to teach how to read literature with sensitivity, understanding, and appreciation, and how to approach that reading from a variety of theoretical perspectives. It is not a course in writing stories or poems or drama--for that, see English 254 or 255 or 258. It is a foundational course, intended as preparation for all higher-numbered literature courses in the English department. But it also is of value in itself and is recommended for students looking for an elective dealing with literature broadly. Four credit hours.

English 248.04 — Introduction to Literature
Natalie Dykstra, Instructor
MW, 3:00-4:50 pm

This course is an introduction to the literary forms of fiction, poetry, drama, and creative nonfiction, considering elements they have in common and elements unique to each. It will examine how genres differ, but also how they intersect and overlap and influence each other. It aims to teach how to read literature with sensitivity, understanding, and appreciation, and how to approach that reading from a variety of theoretical perspectives. It is not a course in writing stories or poems or drama--for that, see English 254 or 255 or 258. It is a foundational course, intended as preparation for all higher-numbered literature courses in the English department. But it also is of value in itself and is recommended for students looking for an elective dealing with literature broadly. Four credit hours.

English 254.01 — Creative Writing: Fiction — The Twisted Spine, Part II
Jennifer Young, Instructor
TR, 9:30-11:20 am

Stories are a lot of fun to read. Heck, even the first draft the first draft is fun to write. But, what makes a good story better? How does action play a role in invigorating the tale? Why should every protagonist have someone or something blocking the goal? And, what about other characters and conflicts in the subplot? How do story mechanics enhance a story's spine?

This course will help writers explore the essential elements of a story. Writers can intrigue their readers by clarifying the stories' "bare bones". This clarification makes the story more complicated. Beware: This course is writing intensive. You will write every week. To consider different writing techniques, we will consult several texts including Jerome Stern's Making Shapely Fiction. Also, be prepared to practice critiquing the works of your peers. Four credit hours.

English 255.01 — Creative Writing: Poems
Pablo Peschiera, Instructor
TR, 1:30-3:20 pm

Watch for new description, coming soon. Catalog description: 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 credit hours.

English 279.01 — Writing for Teachers
David James, Instructor
TR, 1:30-2:50 pm

Two intertwined amusements will comprise this course: enjoying writing and discovering ways to help your future students (at all levels) enjoy writing. Writing better in various genres will then follow naturally. Everyone will no-threat write every day (gradually uncovering the pages/pieces he or she wishes to pursue and finish), as well as read and discuss writing workshop attitude, philosophy, and technique from Nancie Atwell and others. If you like to write and look forward to teaching, this will be fun; if you don’t like to write and aren’t quite sure about the teaching piece, this will still be fun. It may also give you some new views, so just remember I warned you. Four credit hours.

English 295.01 — Creative Writing: Mixed Genres
Carla Vissers, Instructor
W, 6:00-9:50 pm

English 295.02 — Creative Writing: Mixed Genres
Rhoda Janzen, Instructor
W, 6:00-9:50 pm

This course will give you opportunities to experiment with writing fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry. It is intended as an introductory course for students who intend to pursue (or are thinking about pursuing) the English department's creative writing emphasis. No previous experience is necessary. Expect a moderate reading load in all genres and lots of writing. Target skills include workshopping, revising, and releasing your inner hounds. Four credit hours.

English 301.01 — British Literature I
Peter Schakel, Instructor
MWRF, 11:00-11:50 am

This course surveys literature written in England until the late eighteenth century. Its purpose is to give students a general knowledge and understanding of the great works and writers of early England (Beowulf and other Old English texts), medieval England (Chaucer, Langland, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight), Renaissance England (Sidney, Spenser, Marlowe, and Shakespeare), writers of the early seventeenth century (Donne, Jonson, Herrick, Herbert, Marvell, Milton) and the later seventeenth century (Bunyan, Pepys, Dryden), and writers of eighteenth century England (Swift, Pope, Johnson, and Austen). These are the “classic” works and writers that established the tradition on which later writers built, works and writers with which all students of English literature should be familiar. Four credit hours.

English 302.01 — British Literature II
Kathleen Verduin, Instructor
MTWF, 1:00-1:50 pm

This course surveys the literature of Great Britain and its empire from the end of the eighteenth century to the brink of the twenty-first, from the divine visions of William Blake to the disturbing prophecies of Salman Rushdie. We’ll cover two hundred years of British cultural activity—Romanticism, medievalism, the age of Victoria, aestheticism, modernism, and beyond—and examine both dwarfs and giants of the literary world. We’ll look at the way literature registers historical events, in particular the devastating wars of the period, but also seek its reflection of social change and cultural debate. Our primary text will be, of course, the trusty Norton Anthology of English Literature, with its copious notes and authoritative introductions: but we will also find time for a couple of English novels and even watch a film or two. Journal reactions, three examinations, probably four critical essays, a short research report. Four credit hours.

English 305.01 — American Literature I
David Klooster, Instructor
TR, 9:30-10:50 am

A fast-moving survey of American Literature, from its beginnings in Native American legends and the writings of the earliest European explorers, through the great writers of the Civil War era, including Hawthorne, Melville, Stowe, Whitman, and Dickinson. We’ll read a great deal, and continue to develop skills in literary analysis and interpretation, critical thinking, and writing about literature. Class time will alternate between lecture and discussion. Students will have several options in designing writing assignments to mesh with differing learning styles and career directions. Four credit hours.

English 306.01 — American Literature II
Stephen Hemenway, Instructor
MWF, 2:00-3:10 pm

This scintillating and daunting course will at¬tempt to acquaint you with the major move¬ments and writers in the United States from the end of the Civil War (1865) to the continuation of the Iraqi War (2008). The literary canon (i.e., dead but vital white males, such as Twain, James, Hemingway, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, O’Neill, and Frost) will be augmen¬t¬ed by wondrous women warriors (Dickinson, Chopin, Welty, Bishop, Cather, Plath, and Rich), African-American pacesetters (Washington, DuBois, Hurston, Hughes, Brooks, Morrison, and Walker), and fresh ethnic voices (Zitkala Sa, Black Elk, Ortiz, Cofer, Cisneros, Song, and Lee). Approximately equal time will be devoted to poetry, fiction, and drama. Forging links be¬tween geographical sections of the country, between genders, between genres, between races, and between critical approaches will be among the impossible dreams of the teacher. Four credit hours.

Format: lecture, discussion, improvisation, collab¬orative learning, experiments
Reading: moderate but very meaningful
Writing: three tests or test alternatives, three out-of-class papers or non¬papers, short journal-type reaction pieces, etc.

*****
Registration Process for
English 354 (fiction), 355 (poetry)

In the printed course schedule English 354 and English 355 are labeled "Written Permission of Instructor Required" because these courses have prerequisites and the instructors need to check that students who want to enroll in the courses have the necessary prior experience or the right prior courses.

If you are interested in enrolling in one of these classes, contact the professor listed (in person or by telephone or email) to describe your background for that course.

If the instructor agrees that you have the expected background, he/she will either (a) put your name on a list of students who want the course, and will tell you when and where you may pick up a “permission to register” slip; or (b) sign a “permission to register” slip for you to bring to the Registrar’s office.

*****

English 354.01 — Intermediate Creative Writing: Fiction
Elizabeth Trembley, Instructor
MW, 5:00-6:50 pm

Permission of Instructor needed for this class. See information above.

This workshop offers instruction and practice in the craft of fiction writing with a focus on the short story. Students will write several short stories and two-page reader responses and attend all Visiting Writers Series events. The most important text for this class will be students' own writing, but we'll also read texts of writing instruction, selected stories and essays by (mostly) contemporary writers. Fairly heavy writing load, medium to heavy reading load. Prior fiction writing experience is required. Four credit hours.

To obtain permission to register for this class: email Dr. Trembley (trembley@hope.edu) BEFORE Thursday, March 27. Dr. T is on sabbatical this term, and will read all registration requests on Thursday, March 27. The course list will be determined before online registration begins. In your email, please indicate your name, your major, why you want to take this course, the creative writing classes you've taken at Hope, other fiction writing experience you've had. And, of course, any questions you may have and anything else interesting you want to say about yourself. Four credit hours.

English 355.01 — Intermediate Creative Writing: Poems
Jackie Bartley, Instructor
TR, 1:30-3:20 pm

Permission of Instructor needed for this class. See information above.

In this intermediate class, you'll write, read and critique poetry. We'll give special attention to revision techniques, developing voice and honing workshop skills. And we'll do all we can to nurture your writing and cultivate your appreciation and respect for poetry. Four credit hours.

English 359.01 — Internship in English
David Klooster, Director

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. Students are responsible to find their own internship placement. The Career Services Office is very helpful in this process. Students must complete learning plan and learning agreement prior to registration. Permission of Chairperson required. 1-8 credit hours. See www.hope.edu/academic/English/programs.htm for more information.

English 359.02 — Jack Ridl Visiting Writers Series (VWS) Internship
Carla Vissers, Director

The Visiting Writers Series Internship allows students an opportunity to meet and talk with well-known authors and gain practical experience managing a large arts organization. It is open to any student, in any major, freshman-senior.

The course is two credits, weekly hours vary; applications are available on the first floor of Lubbers Hall. Written permission of instructor required. Contact Carla Vissers or David Klooster for more information.

English 360.01 — Modern English Grammar
Rhoda Janzen, Instructor
MW, 11:00-12:50 pm

If you’ve ever hesitated between who and whom, this course is what you need to increase your poise as a speaker and writer. And if you have selected a career path whose success even partially depends on your oral and written presentation, then you will find this class valuable. Modern English Grammar, a four-unit, full-semester course, introduces you to the building blocks of speech and grammar. Its goal is to make you confident about your writing, and to give you a background that will permanently change the way you write. Beginning with the eight parts of speech, the course builds a cumulative knowledge through exercises, small group praxis, and games. Because the class assumes that some students will eventually be teaching grammar themselves, the learning environment is an active one, designed to model creative learning strategies that are easily adaptable for future teachers. By course’s end you will be able to detect even the subtlest usage errors. Four credit hours.

English 371.01 — Women on Trial
Julie Kipp, Instructor
TR, 9:00-10:50 am

Watch for description, coming soon, or see Instructor.

English 373 — Ethnic American Literature for Children and Young Adults
.01; TR, 1:30-2:50 pm — Richard Mezeske, Instructor
.02; TR, 1:30-2:50 pm — Jesus Montaño, Instructor

Do you want to change the world? Do you want to change the way people see the world? If you answered yes to one of these questions, then you must be prepared to create this new world(view) in the imagination. Through humanity’s time on earth, one of the main agents in constructing this brave new world has been writing, and especially the writing of literature. So if you want to change the world, then you must write. And, if you want to change the ways people see, then you must be prepared to interpret fine writing.

In this course we will analyze Ethnic American Literature for Children and Young Adults. We will ask question such as: who are these readers, what are our assumptions of them, who are the writers, and what are our assumptions of them and their roles? The goal of this course will be to explore a wide range of texts, ranging from nursery rhymes, picture books, poetry, folktales, mythology, and modern realist fiction. Most important, this course will be taught with a major emphasis on critical issues surrounding the renaissance of multicultural literature. Due to the novel nature of this approach, time and emphasis will be given to questions of intercultural production, intertextuality, historicism, and diversity in America. By exploring Literature for Children and Young Adults in this manner, we hope to raise fundamental questions over the very essence of our world and how we see it.

This course will require extensive reading and discussion, a variety of written responses through a variety of critical perspectives, multimedia presentations, and a more extensive final project. This course meets Hope College cultural diversity requirements and can fill either the English 373 or the English 375 requirement for English majors and minors. It will be team-taught by Professors Montaño and Mezeske. Four credit hours.

English 375.01 — History of the English Language -- In Two Parts
Curtis Gruenler, Instructor
MW, 3:30-4:50 pm

NEW FOR FALL ’08:
English 375-01: The History of the English Language
Now in two stand-alone (but mutually enhancing) parts!

English 375-01A: The Early History of the English Language:
Philology and the Inklings
(first half of the semester)

This course will emphasize how the study of various aspects of early development of English—sounds, vocabulary, grammar, meaning—can help us read literature. We will begin with the pre-history of English in the Indo-European family of languages and then follow its development through Old and Middle English to Early Modern English (in the time of Shakespeare). This kind of literary study is often called philology, and we will use philological tools to understand passages from the works of Chaucer, Shakespeare, and others. You’ll learn enough about Old English to be able to read Beowulf in its original language with lots of labor and reference aids, and you’ll see what’s behind a modern translation of Beowulf and the choices a translator makes. Philology applies to later literature too. For instance, learning how words develop their meanings and how to study the meanings of words in older texts will also help you become more sensitive to words in later literature. Likewise, seeing how and why English verse forms have developed will give you a better understanding of all kinds of English poetry.

Three of the greatest English philologists of the past century happen to have been part of the literary fellowship called the Inklings: J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and Owen Barfield. As a sort of subplot, we will consider their ideas about philology, some of their philological research, and how, in Tolkien’s case, philology inspired the writing of The Lord of the Rings. Students are encouraged to have read The Lord of the Rings before the course begins, though this is by no means a prerequisite. Two credit hours.

English 375-01B: The Modern History of the English Language:
Varieties of English in America and around the World
(second half of the semester)

This course will focus on the many kinds of English in the modern world and how they relate to the idea of standard English. We will give special attention to the story of English in America, but also follow its expansion around the world into what is arguably the world’s most important language. At the same time, we’ll follow the development of the idea of an English standard from the rise of dictionaries through the latest controversies over dialect and usage. What determines standard English? How does English vary according to geography, class, ethnicity, and other factors? What are the social and political implications of varieties of English and controversies over good English? What do these issues mean for the teaching and study of English? How are things like technology affecting the way English is changing now? What is the future of English likely to be? Two credit hours.

NOTE:  Both courses in the History of the English Language are recommended for those preparing to teach at the secondary level or above or to attend graduate school in English.

English 375.02 — The Beat Generation
Stephen Hemenway, Instructor
TR, 1:30-2:50 pm

Are you ready to “Howl”? This once-in-a-lifetime (mine, at least) course on “The Beat Generation” explores the “beaten down,” “beat up,” and “beatific” aspects of many nonconformist, rootless, drugged, and searching American writers of the 1950’s and 1960’s. Secular and sacred aspects of the Beatnik movement receive critical attention and a fresh look at what makes the works durable or degrading half a century later. Classic and controversial novels from On the Road by Jack Kerouac, Naked Lunch by William Burroughs, and One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey nestle next to revolutionary black dramas by Amiri Baraka. Poems by Charles Bukowski, Gregory Corso, Diane di Prima, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Denise Levertov, and Kenneth Rexroth sidle up to nonfiction and memoirs by Carolyn Cassady, Ann Charters, Allen Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, and Timothy Leary. The course briefly examines early influences on the Beat writers from British Romantics (Blake and Shelley), American Romantics (Thoreau and Whitman) and American Modernists (Gertrude Stein and William Carlos Williams). Musical connections (Dizzy Gillespie, Bob Dylan, John Cage, the Beatles, and the Grateful Dead) get well-deserved attention, and campy films about Beatniks (High School Confidential, The Subterraneans, The Cool and the Crazy) show cinema at its worst. Beat celebrators (e.g., Anne Waldman in The Beat Book) and Beat debunkers (e.g., Norman Podhoretz in “The Know-Nothing Bohemians”) get equal coverage. The squeamish need not apply; some material is R-rated. Four credit hours.

Reading: moderate to heavy.
Writing: journal pieces, short response papers, research project.
Evaluation: numerous methods of class participation and a variety of writing assignments.

English 375.03 — Literature and Photography
Natalie Dykstra, Instructor
T, 7:00-9:50 pm

Since its invention in 1839, photography has profoundly influenced the ways in which we perceive and represent our lives. But what exactly are we seeing when we look at a photograph? Certainly, photographs can seem both overflowing with “facts” and opaque as to the meaning of the “facts” pictured. According to Alan Trachtenberg, “[a]ll photographs have the effect of making their subjects seem at least momentarily strange, capable of meaning several things at once, or nothing at all.” This advanced seminar begins with these complexities, investigating the relations between photography and the real, art and science, image and text, portrait and identity. We will look primarily at the first 100 years of photography in America, exploring how Americans understood and used this new technology and art form, how it gave an emerging middle-class a way to visualize itself, how it became a tool of both travel and conquest, and how it influenced and found its way into fiction, poetry, and autobiography. Time in class will be devoted primarily to discussion; assignments will include several short papers, an exam, and a large research project. The reading list reflects the interdisciplinary emphasis of the course, and will include texts from history, theory, and literature. Four credit hours.

English 375.04 — Banned Books
William Pannapacker, Instructor
W, 6:00-8:50 pm

What makes some writers so dangerous? Why would the Zeeland Public Schools get so upset about Harry Potter? Why would the Ayatollah Khomeni declare a Fatwa—effectively, a death sentence--against Salmon Rushdie, author of The Satanic Verses? Whitman's Leaves of Grass was banned in Boston; it made him famous. Even today Huckleberry Finn is excluded from many public school libraries. Why do some critics think Nabokov's Lolita is a threat to the safety of "the children"? Why has the struggle over teaching Darwin's Origin of Species persisted for more than a century? Are trash-talking stand-up comics and radio shock-jocks the front-line guardians of free speech? What is offensive? What is dangerous? Should some books be banned? For whom? Who decides? What do attitudes about censorship in our society indicate about the interplay of race, class, gender, religion, and sexuality? Banned books often become bestsellers and "classics"? Why? What are the best strategies for getting one's book banned?

"Banned Books" is designed with the embattled teacher, the muckraking journalist, and the aspiring culture-hero in mind. It should also benefit anyone who cares about freedom of expression (or restricting it). While the course will not take place in a moral vacuum, "Banned Books" will endorse no specific agenda other than free exploration of the cultural dynamics of censorship and the need, as mature thinkers, to balance freedom with responsibility. Material is not included in this course gratuitously; participants must risk being shocked and offended by some of the texts and films. Other requirements include active participation in the "live" class, a team investigation of relevant censorship issues (with a 30-minute class presentation), two exams, two response essays presented to the class online, and regular contributions to the course blog. The following works (excerpted in some cases) are included, tentatively: Milton's Areopagitica; Voltaire's Candide, some de Sade, Marx's Communist Manifesto; Twain's Huckleberry Finn; Spike Lee's film, Bamboozled; Randall Kennedy's Nigger; Salinger's Catcher in the Rye; Darwin's Origin of Species; Whitman's Leaves of Grass; Ginsberg's Howl; Nabokov's Lolita; Leslea Newman's Heather Has Two Mommies; Michael Willhoite's Daddy's Roommate, and J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. We'll also have many shorter readings in the history and theory of free speech and censorship. Classes will be a combination of interactive lecture (always coupled with multimedia experiences) and discussion in small-group and large-group forums. Four credit hours.

English 380.01 — Teaching of Secondary School English
William Moreau, Instructor
M, 7:00-9:20 pm

Are you an English major who wants to be an English teacher in a secondary school? Are you an English minor who may end up teaching some English as part of your future career choice? If either of these situations fits you, this class is designed to help. We'll learn concrete, practical methods for choosing and teaching literature, for teaching and evaluating the process of writing, and for presenting the study of grammar and usage. Topics of interest related to the profession of classroom teaching as a whole will also be shared. Class sessions will include informal lectures, student projects and presentations, and discussions. Reading will be from texts to be named later, and a mountain of handouts. Four credit hours.

English 495.01 — Shakespeare and Marlowe
John Cox, Instructor
MW, 3:00-4:20 pm

This course is an upper-division seminar on two Elizabethan playwrights: Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare. They were exactly the same age, they came from the same social background, and they both made their living by writing for the London stage. Moreover, they strongly influenced each other's plays until Marlowe was murdered in 1594, the year of his (and Shakespeare's) thirtieth birthday. There is no telling what might have happened to this amazing literary rivalry had Marlowe lived. We will be reading ten plays by both playwrights with an eye to the way they responded to each other's writing. As a seminar, the course will emphasize discussion and literary research. The principal requirement will be a major research paper. Four credit hours.