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Literature Courses |
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Course Descriptions: ENG 231: Introduction to Literature: Poetry and Drama. Prerequisite: A satisfactory score on the English placement test or a grade of S in English 093 and a grade of S in English 081, if required. English 231 focuses on reading, discussion, and written analysis of poems and plays in order to develop an understanding and enjoyment of various authors and works. The poems are mostly British and American, but may, as well, be drawn from other literary traditions; the plays range from ancient Greek tragedy to Shakespeare and modern drama. Video and audio recordings may supplement readings and lectures. ENG 233: Introduction to the Novel. Prerequisite: A satisfactory score on the English placement test or a grade of S in English 093 and a grade of S in English 081, if required. English 233 examines how novels both reflect and contribute to the development of the novel as a genre. Students will read major novelists primarily from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The titles chosen exemplify important developments and themes in prose fiction, each discussed as a statement of a particular author, a reflection of the times in which the work was written, and an enduring expression of human experience. ENG 234: Topics in Literature Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in English 131. English 234 is a course in literature organized around a specific theme, genre, or field of inquiry. The student may take the course twice for credit, six hours maximum, but only if the topics are different. Recent topics have included memoir writing, immigrant literature, and Arab American literature. ENG 235: American Literature Before 1900 Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in English 131. Through discussion and written analysis, English 235 encourages the reading of literary works in their entirety in an attempt to understand the meaning of the texts and their relation to the development of American thought and tradition. Authors include Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Dickinson, Whitman, Twain, and Crane. Biographical and critical information is obtained through lectures and reference reading. ENG 237: American Literature Since 1900 Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in English 131. Through discussion and written analysis, English 237 encourages the habit of reading literary works in their entirety in an attempt to understand the meaning of the texts and their relation to the development of American thought and tradition. Themes include alienation, materialism, race relations, identity, conformity/rebellion, technology, environment, and war. Biographical and critical information is obtained through lectures and reference reading. ENG 239: Reading in Modern American Poetry Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in English 131. A survey of modern American poetry emphasizing the period since World War II and including such poets as Robert Frost, Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, Frank O'Hara, Elizabeth Bishop, Anne Sexton, Imamu Amiri Baraka, Gary Snyder, and Allen Ginsberg. Students will learn the techniques and strategies American poets developed to write powerfully of the vast social and cultural changes affecting modern Americans' lives. ENG 241: Shakespeare Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in English 131. An introduction to the works of William Shakespeare, this course includes reading, discussion, and written analysis of six to eight o Shakespeare's comedies, histories, and tragedies. Readings can also include Shakespeare's non-dramatic poetry. Students also have the opportunity to observe, analyze, and evaluate his works in performance, either live or on film. Secondary readings, such as literary criticism and historical context, may also be introduced. ENG 243: Women's Lives in Literature Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in English 131. Women's lives in literature is a course emphasizing the reading and analysis of writing by (or perhaps about) women from the Middle Ages to the present. The materials include drama, poetry, novels, short stories, diaries, memoirs, letters, fantasy, and other. Students will have the opportunity to explore the interaction of dominant and marginal cultures as reflected in literature and the relationship of their individual experiences to women's lives as portrayed in literature. ENG 245: The Bible as Literature Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in English 131. Reading, discussion, and written analysis of major literary selections from the Old and New testaments. The Bible will be studied not as a religious document but as a source of ideas and style reflected in various works of world literature. ENG 246: Introduction to Children's Literature Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in English 131. Includes the forms, themes, history, and uses o literature written for children ages three to twelve. Students learn to evaluate and select literature critically and understand its use in preschool, elementary and middle school classrooms. Genres to be studied include traditional fiction/folktales, contemporary realistic fiction, picture books, fantasy/science fiction, historical fiction, biography, nonfiction, and poetry/verse. ENG 248: African American Literature Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in English 131. A survey of African American literature from its eighteenth-century beginnings to the modern era, emphasizing the reading and analysis of representative texts in all genres, including poetry, slave narrative, fiction, essay, and drama. ENG 295, ENG 296, ENG 297: Directed Study in English Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in English 131 and permission of instructor, English Division Associate Dean, and Dean of Academic Education. A course allowing advanced study under the direction of a member of the English Division faculty. This course may be taken only after consultation with the instructor to determine the course content and the credit hours appropriate for the chosen project. |
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