English

This course is the study and application of the principles and techniques necessary for successful thesis-based academic research writing. We pay particular attention to process: researching and prewriting, drafting, integrating sources and citing them accurately, and revising. Major Formal Assignments focus on the effective use of research and writing techniques commonly employed in academic writing. During class, you will learn about composition and academic research, discuss reading and writing assignments, and reflect on and improve your own writing. Outside of class, you will complete readings and informal writing assignments while also composing and revising your Major Formal Assignments.

This course is the study and application of the principles and techniques necessary for successful thesis-based academic research writing. We pay particular attention to process: researching and prewriting, drafting, integrating sources and citing them accurately, and revising essays in the genres of the literature review, the formal report, and the researched argument. Major Formal Assignments focus on the effective use of research and writing techniques commonly employed in academic writing. During class, you will learn about composition and academic research, discuss reading and writing assignments, and reflect on and improve your own writing. Outside of class, you will complete readings and informal writing assignments while also composing and revising your Major Formal Assignments and Final Portfolio.

This course is designed to familiarize students with the concept of the creative writing workshop, a forum that provides collective and constructive criticism of students’ creative works. This course introduces the concept of the creative writing workshop to students and provides a space to develop an understanding of the basic techniques and terminology of writing poetry and prose.

This is a course for freshmen of superior ability and accomplishment. It focuses on the close reading of novels and emphasizes critical and creative writing in relation to them. This course is an alternative to ENGL 102. Usually offered Fall semester. Enrollment is by invitation only.

This course is an introduction to the study of poetry, drama, and fiction and an exploration of the diversity of literary expression. Students study the elements of each of the primary genres and examine their interrelationships and functioning in particular works. In the course a wide range of writings are studied, including those by women and men, those representative of diverse literary traditions (including British, American, European, and non-Western), and those reflecting a variety of American ethnic and racial backgrounds.

This course centers around the impact that comics and graphic novels and memoirs have had upon American culture and the literary canon, from Civil War cartoonist Thomas Nast’s work and its role in the election of President Ulysses S. Grant, to the golden age of newspaper comic strips, and into the 21st century with the emerging importance of the graphic memoir by writers like Alison Bechdel and Art Spiegelman. Students in this course examine the academic value of comic books and graphic novels through the study of their history, similarity to other forms of literature, their own specialized literary and artistic techniques, and development as compelling narratives.

This course is a study of literary works representing a cross-section of the world’s cultural traditions. Readings range from the ancient (such as the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh) to the contemporary (such as the novels of the Nigerian Chinua Achebe), from the East (such as the Japanese Noh and Kabuki plays) to the West (such as the magical realism of the Columbian Gabriel Garcia Marquez), and from the traditional (such as the Japanese haikus of Matsuo Basho) to the westernized (such as the modem Chinese poetry of Wen I-to); however, emphasis is on writing from more recent eras. The relationship of particular literary works to other aspects of the cultures in which they were produced (especially music and the visual arts) is examined. 

Playwriting is a workshop course in which students will explore writing for theatre through practical writing, discussion, and analysis of live theatre. Students will study the major components of playwriting including action, dialogue, and character development. Understanding of these components will be deepened through workshopping of written assignments, providing and receiving feedback, reading dramatic works, and attending productions. By the end of this course, students will have written and revised two ten-minute plays.

This course is a seminar designed to aid students in the proposal of, research for, and work toward completion of a senior project

Advanced playwriting is a workshop course in which students will continue their exploration of writing for theatre through practical writing, discussion, and analysis of love theatre. Students will continue to study the major components of playwriting including action, dialogue, and character development. Understanding of these components will be deepened through workshopping of written assignments, providing and receiving feedback, reading dramatic works, and attending productions. By the end of this course, students will have written and revised two one-act plays