EN 121 — English Composition
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course encourages students' confidence, writing fluency, and the development of a competent writing self by focusing on the writing process. A number of forms are employed, including brainstorming, freewriting, journal writing, reading response journals, and formal essay writing. Classes are conducted as workshops, and both peers and instructor offer constructive feedback. (G1: Basic Communication)
Prerequisite or Co-requisite: college-level English proficiency as demonstrated by placement test or completion of appropriate ES course(s).
EN 141 — Fundamentals of Communication
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students examine principles associated with human communication and its contexts. Specific contexts where communication plays a vital role include interpersonal, intercultural, listening, organizational, small group, verbal, and nonverbal communication. Theoretical concepts and their practical applications are addressed.
EN 200 — Digital Writing
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Investigates digital writing, ranging from individual artifacts such as memes to complex digital environments such as websites. Students explore digital identity, “slactivism,” remix culture, and other topics through course readings, discussions, and digital composition projects ranging from text-driven blogs to truly multimodal animations, infographics, and videos.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 201 — Organizational Communication and Workplace Relationships
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course explores modes of communication and workplace relationships as they converge to shape organizational behavior. The class cultivates professional communication skills expected in a business environment, especially in creative industries. A prominent component of the course includes city lab assignments capitalizing on FIT’s location in New York City.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 202 — Women Write New York City
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course examines women’s contributions to the creation of NYC as literary construct through analysis of their writings on literature, art and activism. Students will engage the city as literary landscape by visiting spaces and attending events in correlation with the works we study to create their own writing.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 203 — Your Digital Life: Online Literacies for a Networked World
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students will explore topics from the digital humanities, conceptualizing and developing digital projects using a variety of technologies to promote their progress as students, engaged citizens, and critical thinkers. Students will engage in researching, curating, filtering, and navigating information streams to become networked learners and communicators. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121.
EN 204 — Contemporary US Immigrant Literature: Border Crossings and Migrations
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course on contemporary fiction, memoirs and poetry from the mid-1900s to the present focuses on stories of U.S. immigrant experience and border crossing. Students will consider how migration is reflected in literary narratives among overlapping discourses of place, nation, family, gender roles, cultural hybridity, transnationalism, history and ethnicity. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or equivalent.
EN 230 — Martial Arts Cinema and its Global Impact
3 credits; 2 lecture and 2 lab hours
This course introduces representational martial arts films, directors and stars from around the world to investigate the transformation, diversification, ongoing appeal and globalization of this evolving genre. Close attention will be paid to formal and stylistic aspects of films as well as their historical, transnational, and socio-cultural contexts.
EN 231 — Short Fiction
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students read and analyze stories by authors from around the world. They consider various aspects of narrative and explore different modes of storytelling. The study of short fiction prepares students to read more widely on their own in the future. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 232 — Perspectives on American Literature
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course gives students an understanding of the American heritage based on three suggested themes: the Puritan ethos, the American dream, and reevaluation of the dream. Includes readings from such major writers as Dickinson, Faulkner, Fitzgerald, Hawthorne, Melville, Twain, and Whitman. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 233 — Poetry
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
By reading and analyzing a wide range of poems from a variety of time periods and cultures, students are introduced to the literary genre of poetry. Students examine word usage, figures of speech, rhythm and meter, and other poetic devices. Understanding and appreciation of poetry are enhanced by reading criticism and listening to recordings. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 234 — Gay and Lesbian Literature
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students read a selection of fiction, poetry, and drama from the mid-19th and 20th centuries and analyze how the texts make use of themes and images such as race, class, gender, sexuality, same-sex desire, homosociality, and the trope of the closet. The construction of, and criteria for, a canon of gay and lesbian literature are considered. Readings are chosen from such authors as Wilde, Whitman, Freud, Hughes, Baldwin, and Rich. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 235 — African-American Literature
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
A survey of the history of African-American literature from slavery to the present is offered. Students read and analyze various genres of African-American literature and are introduced to the social, economic, and political forces that have influenced the writers. Through presentations, critical reading, and analytical writing, students become familiar with the influence of these works on the evolution of world literature. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129.
EN 236 — Major Writers of the Western World
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Studies major themes in the cultural heritage of the Western world from Greek tragedy to the modern novel. Readings are from such representative writers as Plato, Sophocles, Euripides, Dante, Shakespeare, Austen, Flaubert, Tolstoy, Ibsen, Chekhov, Mann, and Sartre. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 238 — Comedy
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Studies the nature and characteristics of comedy. Includes an equal consideration of form and meaning. Materials are from such authors as Aristophanes, Shakespeare, Jonson, Moliere, and Congreve, and performers such as Chaplin, the Marx Brothers, and Woody Allen are studied. Includes background readings from such critics as Santayana, Meredith, Frye, Langer, Freud, and Bergson. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or equivalent.
EN 241 — Professional Speech Communication
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Communication theory is discussed and applied to various areas such as verbal and nonverbal communication and listening in professional contexts. Among the activities the course focuses on are interviews and presentations. Videotaping is used to facilitate learning and assessment. (G1: Basic Communication)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 242 — Public Speaking
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Covers all major aspects of speech preparation, such as formulating purpose statements, analyzing and adapting to audiences, organizing and outlining ideas, assessing evidence and reasoning, and using language effectively. The study of various areas of speech presentation--such as vocal and nonverbal communication, and use of appropriate visuals--complement preparation. Students give a variety of informative and persuasive presentations, which are videotaped and analyzed by the students and the instructor. (G1: Basic Communication)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 243 — Voice and Articulation: Theory and Practice
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students learn to apply theories of speech perception and production in order to analyze, modify, and control their voices and articulation so they can communicate more effectively. Exercises in listening, voice, and speech are conducted.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 244 — Speech Dynamics in Group Communication
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Studies techniques of effective communication in the group process. Students learn to become more skillful communicators through the use of speech dynamics as applied to the psychology of communication. Group members are involved in controversial discussions as participants and group leaders. Emphasis is placed on the enlightenment and problem-solving types of discussion.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or or ES 129 equivalent.
EN 245 — Intercultural Communication
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students are introduced to the communication process among people from different cultures. The course examines how factors such as cultural patterns, verbal and nonverbal communication, and perception play a role in intercultural relationships. Theory and research in intercultural communication are presented and students apply this information to intercultural encounters.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 246 — Interpersonal Communication
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course examines interpersonal communication processes that shape human interactions. Various communication situations will be analyzed. Topics discussed include perception, culture, identity formation, nonverbal and verbal communication, listening and conflict resolution.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 251 — Theater Arts
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Focuses on appreciation of the theater through the study of dramatic art as it evolves from page to stage. Students study the relationship of drama text to performance through reading, acting exercises, and theater attendance. (G6: Arts)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 253 — Dramatic Literature
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Surveys dramatic literature and the development of theatrical performance. Focuses on the evolution of the use of theatrical space in the history of theater. Students read representative plays and documents of Greek, Roman, medieval, Elizabethan, Restoration, and 19th- and 20th-century drama. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 257 — Major Movements in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Film
3 credits; 2 lecture and 2 lab hours
This course is cross-listed with FI 244. This course is an introduction to major film directors, movements, and genres from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea. Formal and stylistic aspects of films as well as their historical, transnational, and sociocultural contexts are addressed. Students discuss and write critically about East Asian film. (G7: Humanities; G9: Other World Civilizations)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or equivalent.
EN 258 — Introduction to Performance Studies
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course provides an overview of the field of performance studies by studying both its interdisciplinary history and its enactment in different kinds of performance-based activities. By analyzing, attending, and creating performance, students come to understand the way performance constructs spectacle and everyday life.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or equivalent
Gen Ed: Humanities (G7) & The Arts (G6).
EN 266 — Screenwriting I
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course is cross-listed with FI 256. This course introduces the practice of writing fiction for the screen, focusing on the short film. In a workshop setting, students explore a range of approaches to the short screenplay, from traditional to innovative, and use examples from a variety of genres and geographical origins. (G6: Arts)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 271 — Literature and History: The Development of American Culture to 1865
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students read significant texts from America's cultural development against the background of a narrative of U.S. history through the Civil War. The course surveys a wide variety of literature, from firsthand accounts of slavery to philosophical sources of the U.S. Constitution to early documents in the debate over the role of women in society. (G7: Humanities; G10: American History)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129.
EN 272 — Identity in America: History and Literature, 1865 to Present
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students read and interpret literary texts in order to understand the evolution of America's self-images since the Civil War. They explore the cultural context of particular works and how identity manifests itself in literature. Themes examined include regional and ethnic diversity between 1865 and World War I; modernism and expatriation in a context of alienation, loss of faith, and new scientific questions between 1918 and World War II; the civil rights and women's movements through 1980; and multiculturalism, postmodernism, and the implications of technological development and globalization in the last 20 years. (G7: Humanities; G10: American History)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 273 — Literature of India
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students examine selected texts from major periods of Indian literature with a focus on the historical context. Throughout the readings, they consider how the interactions of mythical ancient stories, history, culture, and religion are represented. (G7: Humanities; G9: Other World Civilizations)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 274 — Voices of Civil Rights in American History
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
An examination of the evolution of civil rights rhetoric in the history of the United States. Students study civil rights speeches and the political, social, and cultural events that surrounded them. Speeches are analyzed using Aristotle's logic, emotion, and ethics. (G10: American History)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 275 — Literature of the Sixties
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course is an introduction to the literature of the cultural and social revolution that took place in the U.S. during the 1960s and early 1970s. Students read a range of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and consider aspects of music, film, fashion, and art, focusing on themes and images that reflect this period. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 278 — Science Fiction
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students are introduced to the literary genre of science fiction. Attention is paid to the ways this genre addresses human responses to changing technologies and how alien settings are used to address complex cultural issues. Students examine the place of texts in the science fiction canon. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 279 — Women's Writing: 1900 - Present
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course examines how women writers construct and analyze their identity through literature. The impact of gender, race, class, sexuality, culture, and other aspects of identity are considered by close reading of a selection of writings by women in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 280 — Special Topics in English and Communication Studies
0 credits; 0 lecture hours
EN 280A — Special Topics in English – Creativity: Theory and Practice
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students discover practices useful in producing innovative work in multiple disciplines through readings, discussion, activities, journal entries, and study of creative achievers. Students will review historical and current theories of creativity, learn to articulate their own processes, consider how identity affects creative practices, and develop strategies for enhancing creative output. (G6: The Arts)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 280B — Special Topics in English:Comparative World Literature– Revolutions, Uprisings and Resistance
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course focuses on novels and memoirs that address the development and/or aftermath of revolutionary movements as reflected in modern and contemporary comparative literature. It will introduce students to the study of world literature from a comparative perspective, by examining texts produced across different historical periods and national contexts. (G7: Humanities; G9: Other World Civilizations)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 281 — Chinese Cinema
3 credits; 2 lecture and 2 lab hours
This course is cross-listed with FI 245. Students are introduced to major film directors, movements, and genres from China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. They discuss and write critically about Chinese film, with close attention paid to the formal and stylistic aspects of film, and their historical, transnational, and sociocultural contexts. (G7: Humanities; G9: Other World Civilizations)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 299 — Independent Study in English or Speech
1-3 credit
Prerequisite(s): a minimum 3.5 GPA and approval of instructor, chairperson, and dean for Liberal Arts.
EN 301 — Imaginative Worlds
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This writing course focuses on fictional world-building, of special interest to creative writers, comics illustrators, filmmakers, animators, and game designers. Inspired by literature and other narrative media, students conceptualize aspects of an imagined world, from its geography to its history to its society as a platform for storytelling. (G6: The Arts)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121.
EN 302 — Gender and Nationalism in World Fiction (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course explores how gender and nationalism are constructed and reflected in modern and contemporary works of world fiction from the 1900s to the present; focusing on Asia, Asia-Pacific, Middle East, Africa and Latin America. It includes a basic introduction to literary criticism and theories of nationalism, sexuality and gender. Required qualification for Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA with approval of Dean for Liberal Arts
Prerequisite(s): EN 121.
EN 303 — Writing Mystery and Crime Fiction
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course is designed to examine the craft of crime fiction writing. Students read and analyze short stories in the mystery genre and create a portfolio of their own works. They critique each other’s works-in-progress and explore structure, plot, characterization, point of view, atmosphere, and dialogue.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or equivalent.
EN 304 — Writing as Activism
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course will engage critical analysis of literature and creative nonfiction practice to understand the strategies of a diverse range of authors who use writing as a method of activism. Students will use research, creative expression and analysis through writing to consider their own position on causes relevant to them.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or equivalent.
EN 321 — Strategies of Business Communication
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students analyze business situations to write effective correspondence, job search materials, reports, and presentations. They also learn various strategies to elicit appropriate responses for specific audiences. Students are guided in techniques of business research and documentation and develop strategies for using available technology.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent, and any additional EN course.
EN 322 — Writing in the Art and Design Professions
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Art and Design students analyze a variety of professional situations in order to create competitive marketing materials, persuasive presentations, and reader-appropriate correspondence. They also develop strategies for producing effective proposals and briefs through guided research and descriptive writing practice. Students develop strategies for using available technologies.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent, and any additional EN course.
EN 323 — Specialized Writing and Thesis Preparation
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Art and Design students develop their research, presentation, and writing skills in preparation for their senior thesis projects. They also analyze professional communications, correspondence (electronic messages, memoranda, and letters), promotional materials, basic contracts, and oral reports. Using available technology, students learn to write and speak in a clear, specific, and organized manner.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent, and any additional EN course.
EN 324 — Writing on The Arts
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students learn to think and write critically about the primarily non-verbal arts, such as sculpture, painting, architecture and dance. Students learn to place a given art form in a cultural context that interacts meaningfully with their own analysis and insight. Renowned and ground-breaking critics will serve as models for student’s work. (G6: Arts and G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or equivalent.
EN 325 — Playwriting
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students learn the major elements of playwriting through a variety of exercises and examples. In a workshop environment, they read published plays, and discuss and respond constructively to each other’s works-in-progress. Plays are revised and performed at the end of the semester. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or Equivalent.
EN 331 — Introduction to Shakespeare
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Selected poetry and plays are presented from a variety of historical, theatrical, and critical perspectives. Students explore Shakespeare's works in relation to the Elizabethan and Jacobean times in which they were produced. They also consider the works' continuing appeal to readers and audiences of theater and film. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or equivalent.
EN 333 — Modern Literature: The Spirit of the 20th Century
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Emphasizes innovative literary techniques and themes of alienation and social criticism in works by such modern authors as Dostoyevsky, Kafka, T.S. Eliot, Ellison, Sartre, Camus, and Beckett, and by authors from Latin America, Africa, and Asia. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 334 — The Novel
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Introduces students to the novel as a genre, through the study of selected English, Continental, and American works. Readings are from such representative novelists as Cervantes, Fielding, Austen, Stendhal, Dickens, Dostoyevsky, James, and Hemingway. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or equivalent.
EN 335 — Working Women in the United States: 1865 to Present
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
A survey of 150 years of U.S. history and literature through the lens of working women. Students learn the place of women's struggle—as well as their contributions—in shaping America. Economic perspectives are covered, including class and racial differences, as are political and technological changes. (G7: Humanities; G10: American History)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 336 — From Gothic to Horror: Literature of Fear
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students are introduced to the aesthetics of gothic and horror literature. The course focuses on the rise of the gothic during the Romantic and Victorian periods, and the way in which dominant motifs in gothic and horror literature speak to larger societal concerns. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 337 — Poetry in a Global Society
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students read and discuss poems from many cultures and time periods, examining how poetry helps us understand, develop, repair, and sustain human community in a global society. The course emphasizes close reading, written responses, and a final project.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent
Gen Ed: Humanities (G7).
EN 338 — Introduction to Asian American History and Literature
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course focuses on significant Asian American literary and historical works by immigrant and US-born authors from the 1800's to the present. Students examine the role important political and social events played in the formation of Asian-American literature, history, and culture in terms of ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent
Gen Ed: Humanities (G7) and American History (G10).
EN 342 — Argumentation and Persuasion
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Examines the strategies and techniques used to influence the decision-making processes. Students prepare and present persuasive speeches based on principles of argumentation and persuasion. Exercises in debate are also included.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 343 — Advanced Public Speaking
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Taught from a mulicultural perspective, this course advances students' ability to create and deliver informative and persuasive presentations adapting to a wide range of audiences and speaking contexts. Focus is placed on research, organization, argumentation, use of multimedia and speaking practice. Presentations are recorded for self-evaluation.
Prerequisite(s): EN 242.
EN 353 — Theater of the Americas
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course is an introduction to the theater of the Americas. Students read and discuss U.S. and Latina/o and Latin American theater, its continuities and divergences since the 1960's. Themes studied include trauma, gender violence, and performance, censorship and self-censorship, and the impact of globalization on national identities.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or equivalent
Gen Ed: Humanities (G7) and Other World Civ (G9).
EN 361 — Creative Writing
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
In a workshop environment, students prepare a portfolio of works from one or more of the following genres: fiction, poetry, or drama. Structure, plot, characterization, point of view, theme, and metaphoric language are explored, and works-in-progress are critiqued by faculty and fellow students. Through the processes of writing, critiquing, and revising, ideas are shaped into imaginative form. (G6: Arts)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 362 — Creative Nonfiction
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
In this advanced writing course, students are taught the skills needed to produce informal essays or chapters of nonfiction books of high quality. Drawing upon observation, experience, and research, they create works of intellectual substance that reveal carefully shaped structure. Students develop ease and efficiency in their writing processes and work toward clarity, grace, and individual style. (G1: Basic Communication; G6: The Arts)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 363 — Fiction Writing
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This writing course focuses on imaginative storytelling. Students read short stories and novel excerpts by established writers and create their own fictions, beginning with craft exercises and evolving toward polished stories as the semester progresses. In a workshop environment, students discuss and respond constructively to each other's works-in-progress. (G6: Arts)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129.
EN 364 — Poetry Writing
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students learn the major elements of writing poetry through a variety of exercises and examples. Works-in-progress are critiqued by fellow students in a rigorous yet supportive environment. Poems are revised and collected in a portfolio at the end of the semester. (G6: Arts)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129.
EN 365 — Research Writing
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course focuses on developing research proposals and presenting research in a documented format. Students are introduced to qualitative research topics, learn to conduct interviews, maintain an ethical regard for their subjects, and engage in field work. Students make revisions in a workshop setting and engage in peer reviews.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or equivalent.
EN 366 — Screenwriting II
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course is cross-listed with FI 356. This course focuses on elements of screenwriting for feature-length films, including story concept, three-act structure, the world of the story, protagonist and antagonist, conflict, characterization, scene development, and dialogue. Students formulate individual projects, from pitching a story to presenting a synopsis, preparing an outline, and writing a screenplay. The business end of screenwriting is discussed and students meet film industry professionals. (G6: Arts).
EN 367 — Writing for Art History and Museum Professions
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course focuses on developing strategies for writing in a variety of art-related professional settings. Students learn to think critically about the conventions and challenges of writing about art. They write reviews, responses, press releases, critiques, blog posts, resumes, cover letters, grant proposals, and a short research paper.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 and one additional 200 or 300 level EN course.
EN 371 — Chinese Odyssey: Introduction to Chinese Literature
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students study Chinese literature by reading and examining a variety of literary forms from a range of historical periods. The course focuses on relationships between the self, the nation, gender roles, and modernity and how the influence of local and global histories has shaped the focus and reception of each work. All readings are in English. (G7: Humanities; G9: Other World Civilizations)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 372 — Rhetoric in Popular Culture
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This course examines popular culture as a form of communication, and the tools used to analyze it. Using theories of rhetoric, communication, and social criticism, students unravel popular cultural artifacts and examine how dominant societal discourses, cultural myths, individual identities, and institutional ideologies are reified and subverted.
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 373 — The Graphic Novel
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students are introduced to the literary field of graphic novels. The course surveys the evolution of comics' form and content from the 'Golden Age' through the Underground Comix Revolution to today's graphic novels. Themes including war and survival, religious and cultural identity, sexuality, and memory and consciousness are explored. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): EN 121 or ES 129 or equivalent.
EN 381 — Asian Fiction: Regional Selections (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
An introduction to East Asian fiction. This course focuses on literature from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea from a transnational perspective. Through a range of contemporary to classical canonical fiction, students will investigate various literary genres and explore critical concepts of literary and cultural identity studies. All readings are in English. (G7: Humanities; G9: Other World Civilizations)
Prerequisite(s): qualification for Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA with approval of dean for Liberal Arts.
EN 382 — Contemporary Chinese Cinema (Honors)
3 credits; 2 lecture and 2 lab hours
This course is cross-listed with FI 343. An introduction to the contemporary cinemas of Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and the Chinese Diaspora, this course focuses on selected major directors, movements, and genres from the 1990s to the present. Students study the formal and stylistic aspects of films as well as their historical, transnational, and sociocultural contexts. (G7: Humanities; G9: Other World Civilizations)
Prerequisite(s): qualification for Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA with approval of dean for Liberal Arts.
EN 390 — The Uncanny (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This dual literature and writing course pursues Sigmund Freud’s notion of the uncanny in literature. Readings highlight texts that seek to subvert the familiar, drawing on Gothic, horror, Surrealist, and fantastic literary traditions, and students will apply techniques studied in class to producing their own literature of the strange.
Prerequisite(s): Qualification for Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA with approval of Dean of Liberal Arts.
EN 391 — The Creative Imagination: Theory and Process (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Theories of the creative process and the nature of creativity are explored. Through readings, journal entries, and case studies of writers, painters, and other artists, students discover practices useful in producing creative works. Particular attention is paid to the creative work of artists traditionally marginalized by gender, race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic class. (G6: Arts; G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): qualification for Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA with approval of dean for Liberal Arts.
EN 392 — Greek Myths and Their Transformations (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Introduces Greek deities and Greek myths through readings from original materials (in English translation) as well as interpretations by such authors as Racine, O'Neill, T.S. Eliot, and Sartre. Discusses and analyzes the transformation of myths in film, music, and dance. (G5: Western Civilization; G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): qualification for Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA with approval of dean for Liberal Arts.
EN 393 — Shakespeare (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Familiarizes students with the theater of Shakespeare through language, character, and plot analysis. Discusses themes of deception, betrayal, and power and emphasizes new interpretations of Shakespeare's plays through readings and videotaped performances. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): qualification for Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA with approval of dean for Liberal Arts.
EN 394 — American Lives (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
This literature seminar presents the opportunity to explore the autobiographical impulse in American writing, past and present, through full-scale biographies, works of fiction, drama, and poetry, and in the memoirs so popular today. Students write an autobiographical essay on an aspect of their lives. (G7: Humanities)
Prerequisite(s): qualification for Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA with approval of dean for Liberal Arts.
EN 399 — The Craft of Writing Poetry (Honors)
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
Students immerse themselves in writing poems while they examine the technical and historical aspects of poetry. They study basic elements of poetry such as image, figurative language, rhythm, diction, and form to develop the potential of those elements in their own writing. In order to understand their own creative processes, students read essays about craft and process. (G6: Arts)
Prerequisite(s): qualification for Presidential Scholars Program, or 3.5 GPA with approval of dean for Liberal Arts.
EN 480 — Special Topics in English and Communication Studies
0 credits; 0 lecture hours
EN 480A — Special Topics in English: Advanced Creative Writing – Poetry and Hybrid Forms
3 credits; 3 lecture hours
In this advanced creative writing course students cultivate attention to language, literary community, and the possibilities of creating with words. Readings and writing workshops will explore approaches including the lyric sequence, prose poetry, documentary poetics, verse drama and narratives, and multimodal forms incorporating video, visual images, sound, and/or performance. (G6: The Arts)
Prerequisite(s): EN 361 or EN 362 or EN 363 or EN 364 or EN 399.
EN 499 — Independent Study in English or Speech
1-3 credit
Prerequisite(s): a minimum 3.5 GPA and approval of instructor, chairperson, and dean for Liberal Arts.