English Courses Descriptions
NOTE: Courses that can be used to fulfill the English major category requirements are indicated
by an asterisk (*). Courses without an asterisk can be used to meet the remaining number of
credits in English required for the major.
A Eng 102Z Introduction to Creative Writing (3)
general education: WI
Introductory course for students with little or no experience in creative writing. Practice in the writing of
poetry, fiction, autobiography, and other literary or personal forms. Consideration of such elements of
composition as rhythm, imagery, poetic conventions, narrative, tone, point of view, and atmosphere. May be
taken only by freshmen and sophomores. S/U graded.
A Eng 105Z Introduction to Writing in English Studies (3)
general education: WI
Introduction to the opportunities for and demands of writing in the English major. Particular emphasis on strategies of writing and thinking, the relationship between writing and context (concepts of genre, audience, evidence, etc.) and writing as a discipline in English studies. For first- and second-year students intending to major in English.
A Eng 121L *Reading Literature (3)
general education: HA
Development of the critical skills for interpreting and evaluating literature in the major genres-fiction,
drama and poetry-with a focus on significant representative works from a variety of cultures and historical
periods. A Eng 121E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 121L; only one may be taken for credit.
May not be offered during 2001-2002.
A Eng 121E *Reading Literature (3)
general education: HA & WI
A Eng 121E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 121L; only one may be taken for credit.
A Eng 122L *Reading Prose Fiction (3)
general education: HA
Introduction to methods of analyzing fiction: plot, character, theme, point of view, symbolism, setting, etc.
Readings consist of short stories and novels from a variety of cultures and historical periods. A Eng 122E is
the writing intensive version of A Eng 122L; only one may be taken for credit.
May not be offered during 2001-2002.
A Eng 122E *Reading Prose Fiction (3)
general education: HA & WI
A Eng 122E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 122L; only one may be taken for credit.
May not be offered during 2001-2002.
A Eng 123L *Reading Drama (3)
general education: HA
Introduction to the study of dramatic literature from ancient Greece to the present. Primary focus on
dramatic structure, plot, character, theme, setting, dialogue-but attention also given to the relationship
between the plays and the cultures that produced them. A Eng 123E is the writing intensive version of A Eng
123L; only one may be taken for credit. May not be offered during 2001-2002.
A Eng 123E *Reading Drama (3)
general education: HA & WI
A Eng 123E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 123L; only one may be taken for credit.
May not be offered during 2001-2002.
A Eng 124L *Reading Poetry (3)
general education: HA
Introduction to the analysis of poetry. The course considers a range of modes through readings from various
periods of English and American poetry, examining such elements as voice, figures of speech, diction, tone
and poetic form. A Eng 124E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 124L; only one may be taken for credit.
May not be offered during 2001-2002.
A Eng 124E *Reading Poetry (3)
general education: HA & WI
A Eng 124E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 124L; only one may be taken for credit.
May not be offered during 2001-2002.
A Eng 144L Reading Shakespeare (3)
general education: HA
Introduction to the variety of Shakespearean genres-comedy, history, tragedy, romance, tragicomedy and
sonnets-in light of both their Renaissance context and their relevance to contemporary issues. (Intended for
nonmajors.) A Eng 144E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 144L; only one may be taken for credit.
A Eng 144E Reading Shakespeare (3)
general education: HA & WI
A Eng 144E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 144L; only one may be taken for credit.
May not be offered during 2001-2002.
A Eng 202Z Introduction to Creative Writing: Creative & Persuasive (Poetics & Rhetoric) (3)
general education: WI
An introduction to writing as it is informed by rhetoric and poetics. Features extensive student writing.
Emphasis on key concepts and basic terminology, analysis of both literary and student texts, and workshop
pedagogy. May be taken only by freshmen and sophomores.
A Eng 210 *Introduction to Literary Study (3)
A study of relationships among writer, text and reader as they bear upon literary interpretation and theory.
Primary focus will be on the basic issues and assumptions underlying literary study and on varying approaches
to practical criticism. Readings: selected literary texts, essays in practical criticism and critical theory.
Prerequisite(s): completion of or current enrollment in a 100-level English literature course.
A Eng 215L Methods of Literary Criticism (3)
general education: HA
This course involves investigation and application of a particular critical method such as Freudian, Marxist,
historical, structural or mythic criticism. By focusing on only one critical method among many in the
discipline, nonspecialist students gain experience with an important tool of literary analysis, using it to
discover new dimensions in a variety of literary texts. May be repeated once for credit when content varies.
A Eng 216 (= A Lin 216) Traditional Grammar and Usage (3)
Thorough coverage of traditional grammar and usage with an introduction to the principles of structural and
transformational grammar. Brief exploration into recent advances in linguistic thought. Practice in stylistic
analysis using such grammatical elements as syntax, voice, subordination and sentence structure.
A Eng 217M (= A Ant 220M & A Lin 220M) Introduction to Linguistics (3)
general education: SS
The principles of modern structural, transformational, and historical linguistics, with English as the prime
example in the examination of language and languages. Only one of A Eng 217M, A Ant 220M & A Lin 220M may be
taken for credit.
A Eng 221 (= A Jst 242 & A Rel 221) The Bible as Literature (3)
general education: CHP
Literary genres of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and the cultures from which they emerged. Attention to
parallel developments in other literatures and to the influence of the Hebrew Bible on Western life and
letters. Only one of Eng 221, Jst 242, and Rel 221 may be taken for credit
A Eng 222L Masterpieces of Literature (3)
general education: HA
Major works of world literature in a variety of forms, including epic, dramatic and narrative as they provide
a context of literary tradition and a foundation for literary study and intellectual history. A Eng 222E is
the writing intensive version of 222L; may be repeated once for credit when content varies.
A Eng 222E Masterpieces of Literature (3)
general education: HA & WI
A Eng 222E is the writing intensive version of 222L; may be repeated once for credit when content varies.
May not be offered during 2001-2002.
A Eng 223L Short Story (3)
general education: HA
Analysis and interpretation of the short story as it occurs in one or more periods or places. A Eng 223E is
the writing intensive version of A Eng 223L; only one may be taken for credit.
May not be offered during 2001-2002.
A Eng 223E Short Story (3)
general education: HA & WI
A Eng 223E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 223L; only one may be taken for credit.
A Eng 224 Satire (3)
Exploration of the mode of satire: the view of the human estate which informs it and the characteristic
actions and images by which this view is realized in prose fiction, drama and poetry and in the visual arts.
Studies Roman, medieval, 17th and 18th century, modern and contemporary works.
A Eng 226L Study of a Literary Theme, Form or Mode (3)
general education: HA
Exploration of a single common theme, form or mode using varied texts to promote fresh inquiry by unexpected
juxtapositions of subject matter and ways of treating it. Sample themes might include Slavery, Radicalism, or
the Old West. Sample forms might include the sonnet or lyric. May be repeated once for credit when content
varies.
A Eng 227 Literature and Technology (3)
An examination of the relations between technology and literature. Topics to be addressed may include the
presentation of science and technology in fiction, drama and poetry as well as the impact of technological
innovation on literary production and consumption.
A Eng 232L Modern Novel (3)
general education: HA
Consideration of the forms, techniques and themes of the modern American, British and Continental novel.
A Eng 233L Modern Drama (3)
general education: HA
Survey of modern European and American drama from naturalistic theatre to post-modern theater. Dramatists
include Ibsen, Chekhov, Shaw, O'Neill, Brecht, Ionesco, Williams, Pinter and others.
A Eng 234L Modern Poetry (3)
general education: HA
The forms, techniques and themes of modern British and American poetry, with concentration on such major
figures as Yeats, Eliot, Williams, Bishop and Stevens.
A Eng 240 *Growing Up in America (3)
general education: HD
A reading of novels, autobiographies and other literary works in which authors, both men and women, of
various ethnic and racial backgrounds describe the experience of growing up in a multi-ethnic society.
Discussions will be aimed at increasing an understanding of the problems and pleasures of diversity.
A Eng 241L Popular Literature (3)
general education: HA
Examines aspects of popular literary culture such as the best-seller, song lyrics, popular romances,
detective and mystery fiction, or books that have been in vogue on the campus during the last 20 years. The
course explores the power of cultural ephemera and gives insight into the nature of popular appeal. May be
repeated once for credit when content varies.
A Eng 242L Science Fiction (3)
general education: HA
The development of science fiction and the issues raised by it. Authors include such writers as Asimov,
Clarke, Heinlein, Huxley and LeGuin.
A Eng 243 Literature and Film (3)
Both films and literary works as outgrowths of their culture. From term to term the course focuses on
different periods or themes. May be repeated once for credit when content varies.
A Eng 243Z Four American Directors (3)
general education: WI
Representative films of Orson Welles, John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder from several perspectives.
Analyzed as examples of film art, expressions of an individual' s personal vision, products of a complex
industrial organization (Hollywood,) and texts to help explain a society's complex cultural condition.
May not be offered during 2001-2002.
A Eng 251 *British Poetic Tradition I (3)
A study of the British poetic tradition, focusing on representative works of a small number of authors.
Readings will include works from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and 17th century (e.g., Chaucer, Spenser,
Donne).
A Eng 252 *British Poetic Tradition II (3)
A continuation of British Poetic Tradition 1, which, however, may be taken independently. Readings will
include works from the 17th to 20th centuries (e.g., Milton, Pope, a Romantic or Victorian poet, a poet of
the 20th century).
A Eng 260L *Forms of Poetry (3)
general education: HA
A study of the forms of poetry, such as the ballad, sonnet and dramatic monologue, and poetic modes, such as
meditative, lyrical and satiric. Students will examine why certain forms are popular at certain times, and
how British and American poets adopt or change the forms they inherit.
A Eng 261L *American Poetic Tradition (3)
general education: HA
A study of American poetry from the 17th century through the modern period, stressing the richness of the
early poetic tradition and the resulting varied spectrum of 20th century poetry. Emphasis on close reading of
individual texts and theoretical issues that arise in the reading of poetry.
A Eng 289 Topics in English (1-6)
Topics in literature with a university-wide appeal. May be repeated once for credit when content varies.
A Eng 291L *English Literary Tradition I: From the Anglo-Saxon Period through Milton (3)
general education: HA
Representative works by major authors from the Anglo-Saxon period through Milton, with some attention to
necessary historical, biographical and intellectual background information. Provides a sense of continuity
and change in the English tradition, offering broad overviews of extended chronological periods.
A Eng 292L *English Literary Tradition II: From the Restoration through the Modern Period (3)
general education: HA
Representative works by major authors from the Restoration through the Modern period, with some attention to
necessary historical, biographical and intellectual background information. Provides a sense of continuity
and change in the English literary tradition, offering broad overviews of extended chronological periods.
A Eng 295L *Classics of Western Literature I: Ancient Epic to Modern Drama (3)
general education: HA
Classics of Western Literature I and II offer a foundation for literary study by tracing the evolution of
modern literary genres from Homeric epics. A Eng 295L/E examines the relationship of The Iliad to the Western
dramatic tradition. Representative authors include Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Shakespeare,
Molière, Racine, Goethe, Ibsen, Chekhov, Brecht. Critical writing is emphasized. A Eng 295E is the writing
intensive version of 295L; only one may be taken for credit.
A Eng 295E *Classics of Western Literature I: Ancient Epic to Modern Drama (3)
general education: HA & WI
A Eng 295E is the writing intensive version of 295L; only one may be taken for credit.
May not be offered during 2001-2002.
A Eng 296L *Classics of Western Literature II: Ancient Epic to Modern Novel (3)
general education: HA
Classics of Western Literature I and II offer a foundation for literary study by tracing the evolution of
modern literary genres from Homeric epics. A Eng 296L/E examines the emergence of the modern novel from the
epic tradition. Representative authors include Homer, Virgil, Dante, Cervantes, Joyce. Critical writing is
emphasized. Prior completion of A Eng 295L or 295E is recommended but not required. A Eng 296E is the writing
intensive version of 296L; only one may be taken for credit.
A Eng 296E *Classics of Western Literature II: Ancient Epic to Modern Novel (3)
general education: HA, WI
A Eng 296E is the writing intensive version of 296L; only one may be taken for credit.
May not be offered during 2001-2002.
A Eng 300Z *Expository Writing (3)
general education: WI
For experienced writers who wish to work on such skills as style, organization, logic and tone. Practice in a
variety of forms: editorials, letters, travel accounts, film reviews, position papers and autobiographical
narrative. Classes devoted to discussions of the composing process and to critiques of student essays.
Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. S/U graded.
A Eng 301Z *Critical Writing (3)
general education: WI
Exercises in literary description and literary criticism; attention to various critical tasks and approaches
to the major resources of literary bibliography. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. S/U graded.
A Eng 302Z *Creative Writing (3)
general education: WI
For the student who wishes to experiment with a variety of kinds of writing, but who has limited experience.
Admission is by permission, and those seeking to enroll should submit a sample of their work to the
instructor. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor. S/U
graded.
A Eng 303Z *Forms of Argumentative and Persuasive Writing (Rhetoric) (3)
general education: WI
Concentrated study of writing with an emphasis on rhetoric as a disciplinary context. Features extensive
practice in one or more of a variety of forms (argument, narration, exposition). Focuses on detailed analysis
of both literary and student texts, with special attention to generic conventions, rhetorical context,
textual logics, and style. Prerequisite(s): A Eng 202Z. May be repeated once for credit with permission of
the Director of Writing.
A Eng 304Z *Forms of Creative Writing (Poetics) (3)
Concentrated study on writing with an emphasis on poetics as a disciplinary context. Features extensive
practice in one or more of a variety of forms (e.g., drama, fiction, poetry). Focuses on detailed analysis of
both literary and student texts, with special attention to generic conventions, authorial voice, textual
logics, and style. Prerequisite(s): A Eng 202Z. May be repeated once for credit with permission of the
Director of Writing.
A Eng 308Z (= A Jrl 308Z) *Styles of Journalistic Writing (3)
general education: WI
Expository writing that might be done for newspaper, magazine, radio or television journalism. Designed for
students in the journalism second field but open to others. Admission is limited, and those seeking to enroll
should submit a sample of their work to the instructor. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Only one
of A Eng 308Z and A Jrl 308Z can be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor.
A Eng 309Z *Practical Writing (3)
general education: WI
Practice in the kinds of writing particularly useful to students in business and in the natural and social
sciences. Emphasis on clear, accurate, informative writing about complex subjects. Intended primarily for
juniors and seniors. S/U graded.
May not be offered during 2001-2002.
A Eng 310 Studies in Contemporary Theory (3)
Intensive study of a particular issue or nucleus of issues in critical/cultural theory. Individual semesters
may concentrate on feminist theory, gay and lesbian theory, theories of the imagination, or other topics. The
course may be repeated once for credit when the content varies.
A Eng 311L History of the English Language (3)
general education: HA
A broad tracing of the history, development and structure of the language from the beginnings to modern
English, including foreign influences on English, basic tendencies of the language, grammatical constructs,
and regional usages, especially American. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors.
A Eng 320 *British Novel I (3)
Origins and development of the British novel from its beginnings to 1850. Representative novelists may
include Defoe, Richardson, Fielding, Austen, the Brontes and Dickens.
A Eng 321 *British Novel II (3)
Development of the British novel from 1850 through the modern period. Representative novelists may include
George Eliot, Hardy, Conrad, Lawrence, Joyce and Woolf.
A Eng 322 *British Drama (3)
A chronological study of representative plays of major dramatists, periods and movements from the Middle Ages
through the 20th century.
A Eng 323 *Nineteenth-Century American Novel (3)
A study of the American novel in the 19th century, emphasizing its development in form and theme, its
intersections with American history and culture, and/or the context of literary movements such as
Romanticism, Realism and Naturalism.
A Eng 324 *Twentieth-Century American Novel (3)
A study of the 20th century American novel, emphasizing the shifts and developments in form and theme in this
century.
A Eng 325L *American Drama (3)
general education: HA
A survey of the American drama. The primary focus will be on representative works by 20th century playwrights
as well as on major theatrical movements in this country.
A Eng 341 *Chaucer (3)
The medieval background and the ideas and narrative art in the poet's major works. No previous knowledge of
Middle English is required. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English
literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 344 *Early Works of Shakespeare (3)
The development of Shakespeare's dramatic art, with emphasis on character, language, theme, form and
structure in comedies, histories and tragedies of the 16th century. Intended primarily for juniors and
seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 345 *Later Works of Shakespeare (3)
The development of Shakespeare's dramatic art, focusing on works from the 17th century-the mature tragedies
(including Hamlet,) the "dark" comedies, and the dramatic romances-with emphasis on character, language,
theme, form and structure, as well as dramatic history. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors.
Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 348 *Milton (3)
Milton's poetry and selected prose in the intellectual context of his time. Major emphasis on Paradise Lost,
with appropriately detailed study of Comus, Lycidas, Samson Agonistes and significant minor poems. In prose,
emphasis on Of Education and Areopagitica. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a
100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 350 *Contemporary Writers at Work (3)
Rhetoric and poetics as practiced by contemporary writers across a range of genres and media. Particular
attention to social, intellectual, and aesthetic contexts out of which such work emerges. Prerequisite(s):
junior or senior class standing.
A Eng 352 *Study of a British Author (3)
The major British author to be studied in depth varies from section to section and from term to term. May be
repeated once for credit when content varies. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a
100-level English literature course or permission of instructor. This course is cross-listed with A Wss 352
when the topic is Virginia Woolf.
A Eng 353 *Study of an American Author (3)
The major American author to be studied in depth varies from section to section and from term to term. May be
repeated once for credit when content varies. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a
100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 354 *Comparative Study of Authors (3)
Study of two authors whose works illuminate each other in terms of style, theme and their relationship to
particular historical eras. May be repeated more than once for credit when content varies. Intended primarily
for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.
This course is cross-listed with A Wss 354 when the topic is Woolf and Lessing.
A Eng 362L (= A Wss 362L) *Critical Approaches to Women in Literature (3)
general education: HA
An examination of the relations among gender, text and literary study. The course analyzes different images
of women in texts, the relationship of these images to the form and content of the works studied, and the
connections between individual works and cultural or critical history. Intended primarily for juniors and
seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor. Only one of
A Eng 362L & A Wss 362L may be taken for credit.
A Eng 365 *Comparative Study of Minority Literatures (3)
A comparative study of works from the literature of different minorities. The course focuses on the
relationships of writers and works to cultural and critical history, on the conditions under which these
groups write, and the effect of these conditions on the moods, themes, language and shape of reality in
literature. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature
course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 366 (= A Wss 366) *Minority Writers (3)
A study of the literature of a given subculture and the ways in which such factors as sex, age, class and
race are presented in literature. The course focuses also on the relationship of minority works to cultural
and critical history, on the effects of writing outside the cultural mainstream, and on the questions of
technique, voice and tradition for minority writers. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. May be
repeated once for credit when content varies. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or
permission of instructor. Only one of A Eng 366L & A Wss 366L may be taken for credit.
A Eng 367 *Jewish-American Literature (3)
Literature written by American Jews of the 20th century. Among the topics offered are Jewish fiction writers,
Jewish-American Drama, Jewish-American Women Writers, Jewish Humor, and Jewish-American Literature and Film.
Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. May be repeated once for credit. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level
English literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 368L (= A Wss 368L) *Women Writers (3)
general education: HA
Selected works of English and/or American women writers in the context of the literary and cultural
conditions confronting them. The course focuses on the development of a female tradition in literature and on
the narrative, poetic, and/or dramatic styles of expression, voice and values of women writers. May be
repeated for credit with change in topic. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or
permission of instructor. Only one of A Eng 368L & A Wss 368L may be taken for credit.
A Eng 371 *Regional Studies in British Literature (3)
The regional literature of Great Britain and the literature written in English in the Commonwealth and former
British possessions. Topics to be discussed may include how the literature reflects the political and
cultural experiences of inhabitants of a region and to what extent these regional writers have developed
distinctive voices, literary languages, forms and/or themes. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. May
be repeated once for credit when content varies. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or
permission of instructor.
A Eng 374 *Regional Studies in American Literature (3)
The literature of various regions of the United States. Topics to be discussed include how the literature
reflects the political and cultural experiences of inhabitants of a region and to what extent these regional
writers have developed distinctive voices, literary languages, forms and/or themes. Intended primarily for
juniors and seniors. May be repeated once for credit when content varies. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level
English literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 375 The Literature of New York State (3)
Readings from authors, whether native New Yorkers or not, who deal with New York settings, themes and
subjects. Writers may include Irving, Cooper, Melville, Whitman, James, Wharton, Dos Passos and more recent
authors. Attention will be given to the cultural and social backgrounds of the literature. Intended primarily
for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 378 Mythic Concepts in Literature (3)
Individual sections concentrate on a particular mythic concept that recurs in literature such as the hero,
the monster, the ideal society, the fantastic voyage. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. May be
repeated once for credit when content varies. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or
permission of instructor.
A Eng 382 Literature and Other Disciplines (3-6)
Carefully focused study of literature in relation to one or more of the other subject-matter fields (e.g.,
the literature and history of a period, literature and art, literature and philosophy, literature and
psychology or psychoanalysis, or even literature as part of the total culture of a period). Intended
primarily for juniors and seniors. May be repeated once for credit when content varies. Prerequisite(s): a
100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 382U The Psychiatric Case Study in Literature (3)
A psychoanalytic approach to literature, which emphasizes the author's own experience with mental illness and
the reflection of that experience in art. Discussion topics include the link between the creative and
therapeutic process as well as literary representations of psychological breakdown and the patient-therapist
relationship. Authors studied are Freud, Fitzgerald, Eliot, Plath, Lessing, Nabokov and Roth. Intended
primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of
instructor.
A Eng 382Z Literature and Medicine (3)
general education: WI
Explore the area where the field of medicine and the field of literature intersect. the course begins by
examining the works of literature written by doctors; works in which medical issues of illness and health
play a larger role; and works which treat illness and healing in other cultures. In the latter stages of the
course an examination of narrative relationships that exist between the case study and fiction, sampling
various works from a continuum that exists between these two endpoints. Finally, a study of plague
literature, focusing on the current A.I.D.S. epidemic and the way it has shaped the dramatic discourse of the
1980's and 1990's. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 385 *Topics in Cultural Studies (3)
This course will deal with a particular subject or issue in the study of culture. Individual courses may deal
with post-coloniality, the impact of social institutions on the production of subjectivities, and similar
topics. This course may be used to fulfill the English major subculture requirement only if so approved by
the English Academic Adviser.
A Eng 398Z Honors Seminar I (4)
general education: WI
First course in the English Honors sequence of four seminars offered over a two-year period. Topics vary with
each sequence. The seminars explore special topics in literary history, literary theory and critical
methodology. May be repeated for credit when topic varies. Prerequisite(s): admission to Honors Program.
A Eng 399 Honors Seminar II (4)
Second course in the English Honors sequence of four seminars offered over a two-year period. Topics vary
with each sequence. The seminars explore special topics in literary history, literary theory and critical
methodology. May be repeated for credit when topic varies. Prerequisite(s): A Eng 398Z.
A Eng 403Z *Writing Prose Fiction (3)
general education: WI
Advanced workshop in writing fiction. Admission is limited, and those seeking to enroll should submit a
sample of their work to the instructor. May be repeated once for credit. Intended primarily for juniors and
seniors. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor. S/U graded.
A Eng 404Z (= A Thr 406Z) *Writing Drama (3)
general education: WI
Advanced workshop in writing for the stage. Admission is limited, and those seeking to enroll should submit a
sample of their work to the instructor. May be repeated once for credit. Intended primarily for juniors and
seniors. Only one of A Eng 404Z & A Thr 406Z may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): permission of
instructor. S/U graded.
A Eng 405Z *Writing Poetry (3)
general education: WI
Advanced workshop in writing poetry. Admission is limited, and those seeking to enroll should submit a sample
of their work to the instructor. May be repeated once for credit. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors.
Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor. S/U graded.
A Eng 421 *Literature of the Middle Ages (3)
Students will examine a number of representative works of the Middle Ages, read in translation. Additional
readings in, for example, the classics and religious literature will help to situate each work in time and
place. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or
permission of instructor.
A Eng 422 *Literature of the Earlier Renaissance (3)
The various forms that developed and flourished in England during the 16th century: prose, narrative and
lyric poetry, and drama (exclusive of Shakespeare.) Attention to classical and continental influences, the
historical background, the legitimation of English, and the power of individual texts. Major figures may
include More, Wyatt and Surrey, Sidney, Marlowe, Spenser and Jonson. Intended primarily for juniors and
seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 423 *Literature of the Later Renaissance (3)
The poetry, prose and drama of England from 1600 to 1660 (exclusive of Milton). Major figures may include
Bacon, Donne, Hobbes, Herbert, Marvell and Webster. Attention to political issues intellectual issues and
religion as they bear upon the poetry of wit, the prose of conviction, and the drama of power and intrigue.
Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or
permission of instructor.
A Eng 425 *Literature of the Restoration and the 18th-Century Enlightenment (3)
In poetry, the range and variety achieved within the ordered, urbane, civil style of Dryden and Pope and the
later development of the innovative, exploratory style of Gray, Collins and Cowper. In prose, the achievement
of Swift, Addison and Steele, and its extension in Johnson, Goldsmith, Gibbon and Burke. Intended primarily
for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor
A Eng 426 *The Romantic Period (3)
Literature of the early 19th century in England, especially the poetry of Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge,
Byron, Shelley and Keats, studied particularly as it reflects the developing concepts of romantic imagination
and romantic individualism, concepts basic to modern literature. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors.
Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 427 *The Victorian Period (3)
Prose and poetry of Tennyson, Carlyle, Browning, Ruskin, Arnold and others, studied in relation to the broad
social, intellectual and artistic movements of the latter part of the 19th century in England. Intended
primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of
instructor
A Eng 428 Twentieth-Century British and Irish Literature (3)
Major works in prose, poetry, and drama, and major literary movements in British and Irish literature in the
modern period. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature
course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 432 *American Literature to 1815 (3)
Major poetry and prose of the colonial and federal periods, with some attention to the theological and
political backgrounds. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English
literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 433 *American Literature 1815-1865 (3)
The works of the major writers of the romantic period. Particular attention to the transcendental writers and
to the development of the American novel. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-
level English literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 434 *American Literature 1865-1920 (3)
The major writings of the great period of American realism. Special attention to the development of critical
theory, the local color writers, the psychological novel. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors.
Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 435 American Literature 1920 to Present (3)
Selections from American literature from the modern and contemporary periods, emphasizing the novel. Intended
primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of
instructor.
A Eng 439 Contemporary American Novel (3)
The major formal and thematic developments in the American novel of the past 25 years, with particular
attention to contemporary fictional experiments and aesthetic preoccupations. Intended primarily for juniors
and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 442 Modern Drama (3)
The growth of naturalism, realism and expressionism. Selected European and American playwrights from Ibsen to
O'Neill. Intended for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or
permission of instructor.
A Eng 446 Modern American Poetry (3)
Selected poets from Robinson to the present with emphasis on analysis. Intended primarily for juniors and
seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of the instructor.
A Eng 447 *The Historical Imagination I (3)
An investigation of the relationship between history and literature and the meaning of the concept of
"literary history." Work from two or more eras will be discussed and compared with attention to such
questions as the connection between history and literary production, what constitutes a literary period, the
influence of its literature on that of subsequent eras, and the decline and reemergence of particular
literary forms, themes or approaches.
May be repeated once for credit when content varies. This course may be used to fulfill the English major
period requirement only when it is linked with another "period course" (448 or other course) that has been
approved for such pairing, and a waiver has been provided, by the English academic adviser.
Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or
permission of the instructor.
A Eng 450* Special Topics in Rhetoric and Poetics (3)
Carefully focused study in the history, theory, or practice of rhetoric and/or poetics (e.g., narrative
theory; poetic movements; twentieth century rhetorical theory). May be repeated once for credit with
permission of the Director of Writing.
A Eng 461 Forms of Modern Fiction (3)
A study of the major narrative modes in modern British, American, and Continental fiction. Special attention
to the problem of how experimentation in fictional forms relates to the social realities and philosophical
attitudes of the contemporary world. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level
English literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 462 Study of a Literary Movement (3)
Study of an international literary movement or movements, their aesthetic philosophy, representative works,
and their passages from one culture to another. May be repeated once for credit when content varies. Intended
primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of
instructor.
A Eng 487 Studies in Literature (1-6)
Special topics in literature. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. May be repeated once for credit
when content varies. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.
A Eng 489 Advanced Topics in English (1-2)
A short course devoted to the intensive study of limited materials-a particular work or works, a particular
author or authors, a limited theme or topic, a minor genre. Directed to the special interests of upper-division students. May be repeated for credit when content varies. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English
literature course.
A Eng 490 Internship in English (3)
Supervised practical apprenticeship of 10-15 hours of work per week in a position requiring the use of skills
pertaining to the discipline of English, such as reading and critical analysis, writing, research, tutoring,
etc., with an academic component consisting of the internship colloquium. Written work and report required.
Selection is competitive and based on early application, recommendations, interviews and placement with an
appropriate internship sponsor. Open only to junior or senior English majors with a minimum overall grade
point average of 2.50 and a minimum 3.00 average in English. S/U graded.
A Eng 494 Seminar in English (3)
A seminar for qualified upper-division students; the topic for each term varies and is announced in advance.
Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor. May be repeated once for
credit when content varies.
A Eng 497 Independent Study and Research in English (1-4)
May be taken for a maximum of 8 credits. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s):
permission of a faculty member in the department and of the appropriate departmental committee.
A Eng 498 Honors Seminar III (3)
Independent honors thesis individually formulated and written under the direction of the coordinator.
Students writing theses will meet occasionally in colloquia to become acquainted with each other's work in
progress. Prerequisite(s): A Eng 399. S/U graded.
A Eng 499 Honors Seminar IV (3)
Continuation and completion of thesis begun in A Eng 498. The thesis will be reviewed and evaluated by an
honors committee. Prerequisite(s): A Eng 498.
