[ English ]

Course Offerings

2009–2010

One unit of course credit equals four semester hours.

ENG 105, 106 Composition I, II
A two-part sequence of introductory courses, offering instruction and guidance designed to develop college-level writing and reading skills.

ENG 105 focuses on increasing students' written fluency—their ability to use the writing process as a means of discovering ideas; to see revision as a necessary and recursive part of the writing process; to see good writing as dependent on its context; and to create relationships between reading and writing. Fall Term, Spring Term.

ENG 106 focuses on increasing students’ academic literacy—their ability to use writing as a tool for learning and discovery;  to articulate ideas to a variety of audiences; to analyze and synthesize challenging ideas in an effectively written document;  and to construct from sources a logical and persuasive argument. Information literacy instruction will prepare  students to assess and use academic research library materials and facilities. Prerequisite: ENG 105 or transfer equivalent, an acceptable score on the Elmhurst College Writing Placement Test, or a composite score of 29 on the ACT. Fall Term,  Spring Term.

ENG 200 Introduction to Literature: Designated Genres
A general course designed to enrich students' delight in the language of the creative literary imagination. Specific objectives include increasing students' capacities to understand how language works, to recognize literature's connection with its historical, cultural, spiritual, and personal contexts, and to appreciate literary study's value as a process through which individuals and communities grow. Students read, interpret, and evaluate selected literary texts, which may include poetry, drama, fiction, and/or nonfiction. Prerequisite: A Writing and Reasoning course or equivalent. Fall Term, Spring Term. 

ENG 201 Composition III: Classical Rhetorics and Contemporary Discourse
A study of ancient rhetorical traditions and their applications. Students will learn classical approaches to the arts of persuasion and apply them in reading and writing contemporary discourse. Prerequisite: A Writing and Reasoning course or equivalent. Fall Term, Spring Term.

ENG 210 Great Works of Western Literature
Selected readings in Western literature emphasizing various literary forms and themes as they bear on and contribute to the development of Western culture. Recurring cultural archetypes will be both identified and critiqued. Annually.

ENG 220 Principles of Literary Study
An examination of various critical approaches to the study of poetry, fiction, and drama. Required for English majors and recommended for other students especially interested in language and literature. Prerequisite: A Writing and Reasoning course or equivalent. Fall Term, Spring Term.

ENG 221 The Search for Humane Values in Literature
An examination of literary works whose plots, characters, thought, and language represent the human struggle to understand good and evil, and of critical approaches that treat the reading and writing of literature as means toward defining personal and social values. Recommended for students especially interested in the ethical dimensions of literary study. Annually.

ENG 230 Readings in Race, Class, and Gender
A study of literary and other texts that respond to race, class, and gender. Examines how various social groups are impacted by the powers embedded in social, political, historical, and economic theories, events, and institutions. Annually.

ENG 303 Writing in Professional Fields
To assist students in developing skills for writing as professionals in the workplace, as distinct from academic settings. Students will develop an understanding of and skills necessary for writing in teams in organizational contexts. The course will introduce students to empirical research about writing in the workplace. Rhetorical aims will shape document preparation and design. Prerequisite: A Writing and Reasoning course or equivalent. Annually.

ENG 305 News Writing
Introduction to and practice in journalistic style and the techniques of writing for mass communication, including interview techniques, media law, ethics, and other components of the print media. Prerequisite: ENG 201 or consent of instructor. Fall Term.

ENG 306 Feature Writing
Advanced non-fiction writing, geared toward magazines and professional journal publications. Magazine features, editorials, and personal column writing will be emphasized, while aspects of "new journalism" and creative non-fiction will be introduced through readings and writing. Prerequisite: one of the following: ENG 305, ENG 312, ENG 313, or consent of instructor. Spring Term.

ENG 312 Writing Fiction
Writing fiction, with study of various creative processes and literary techniques. Extensive analysis of student work and selected models. Recommended for those interested in imaginative writing and reading. Prerequisite: A Writing and Reasoning course or equivalent. Fall Term.

ENG 313 Writing Poetry
Writing poetry, with study of various creative processes and literary techniques. Extensive analysis of student work and selected models. Recommended for those interested in imaginative writing and reading. Prerequisite: A Writing and Reasoning course or equivalent. Alternate years, 2010-2011.

ENG 314 Children's Literature
A survey of the development of literature for children. Criteria will be established for selection of books for students from preschool through grade 6. Emphasis on extensive reading and evaluation of titles appropriate to each level. Annually.

ENG 315 Adolescent Literature
Half course
A survey of adolescent literature. This course emphasizes extensive reading and evaluation of literature appropriate for adolescents for grades 6 through 12 or ages 11-18, developing criteria for selecting and using literature with adolescents at various stages in their development, and analysis and discussion of issues in the field of adolescent literature. This course satisfies a teacher certification requirement for the secondary education English major. Annually.

ENG 321 British Literature I (to 1750)
Covers the development of British literature from its oldest recorded legends through the poetry and prose of the  enlightenment. Representative works and authors include Beowulf, Chaucer, Kempe, Shakespeare, Marlowe, Donne, Milton,  Behn, Pope, and Johnson. Course focuses primarily on drama, poetry, and nonfiction. Prerequisite: A Writing and Reasoning course or equivalent and sophomore or higher standing. Fall Term.

ENG 322 British Literature II (1750 to 1900)
Covers, within their various historical and political contexts, key literary movements in British literature from the mid-18th  through 19th centuries. May include early origins of the novel; shifts in traditional understandings of genre, form, and  content with the rise of individualism; and explorations of industrialization, colonialism, science, increasing secularization, and women’s roles. Such writers as William Blake, Mary Wollstonecraft, William Wordsworth, Jane Austen, Percy and Mary Shelley, Charles Dickens, George Eliot, and George Bernard Shaw may be studied. Prerequisite: AWriting and Reasoning course or equivalent and sophomore or higher standing. Spring Term.

ENG 330 Epics and Stories, Ancient and Modern
An examination of selected stories, ancient and modern, that have come to possess wide significance for their cultures. Attention will be given to the development of narrative style and technique as well as to the interaction between story and culture. Representative writers might include Homer, Virgil, Dante, Woolf, Fitzgerald, and Wilson. Prerequisite: A Writing and Reasoning course or equivalent and sophomore or higher standing. Alternate years, 2009-2010.

ENG 335 Women Writers
A study of works by women writers. The course will examine the potentially gendered nature of writing using texts written by women. Students will explore possible ways in which women authors may choose a subject, bring a particular perspective, or tell the story differently because of their gender. Possible authors for study include Toni Morrison, Amy Tan, Virginia Woolf, Alice Walker, Edith Wharton, Wendy Wasserstein, and Adrienne Rich. Prerequisite: A Writing and Reasoning course or equivalent and sophomore or higher standing. Alternate years, 2009-2010.

ENG 336 Contemporary Literature
Leading writers in literature since World War II, from such writers as Hemingway, Faulkner, and Thomas Wolfe to Chinua Achebe, Thomas Pynchon, and Toni Morrison. Each term's offering will focus on a specific group or genre of contemporary literature, such as African-American writings or the writings of Generation X. Prerequisite: A Writing and Reasoning course or equivalent and sophomore or higher standing.

ENG 342 Media Internship
An internship designed to allow students to gain professional work experience while receiving English department credit in writing. The internship can be with the campus newspaper, The Leader, or other publications and/or positions related to professional communication, either on campus or off. At The Leader, interns will serve in supervisory editorial roles as defined by the newspaper's organizational structure. For other publications or media-related positions, interns must meet the requirements of that position. All interns must participate in a term-evaluation project to be created by the intern and the instructor (with some participation by the supervisor of an off-campus position). Prerequisites: A 300-level writing course, preferably in journalism or professional writing, and instructor's permission. (If the internship is at The Leader, the student must have been on staff for at least two terms and be now—or in the immediate future—in an editing role.) May not be repeated for credit except by permission of the instructor and department chair.

ENG 345 Shakespeare
An intensive study of selected histories, comedies, tragedies, and romances. Prerequisite: A Writing and Reasoning course or equivalent and sophomore or higher standing. Annually.

ENG 350 Special Topics in Literature
In-depth exploration of a topic in literary studies selected by the instructor. Does not duplicate subject matter in any regularly offered course. May be repeated for credit with approval of instructor. Prerequisite: ENG 220 or equivalent. As offered.

ENG 351 American Literature I
A survey of American literature beginning with European exploration of the continent in the 15th century and ending with the Civil War. The course explores the historical and cultural forces that shaped such writings as Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation, Franklin's Autobiography, Thoreau's Walden, Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, and the poetry of Whitman and Dickinson. Prerequisite: ENG 220 or equivalent. Fall Term.

ENG 352 American Literature II
A survey of American literature from the end of the Civil War to the contemporary period. The course will use American history and culture to examine such writings as Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, James' Daisy Miller, Wharton's The Age of Innocence, poetry by Langston Hughes and Sylvia Plath, and short stories by Louise Erdrich and Toni Cade Bambara. Prerequisite: ENG 220 or equivalent. Spring Term.

ENG 365 Journalism Practicum
Quarter course
Applied journalism, emphasizing skills in reporting, editing, and photojournalism. Students in this course are responsible for the content of The Leader, the student newspaper. Students may elect to concentrate in news, features, sports writing, photography, or advertising. A minimum of five hours of activity per week is required. Repeat for credit. Up to four quarter-course practica may be counted toward the major. Prerequisite: ENG 305 or consent of instructor. Fall Term, Spring Term.

ENG 370 Portfolio Synthesis Seminar
Half course
This course is designed to assist and assess students in completing the exit portfolio now required of all students seeking teacher certification. Students will work on completing the portfolio that meets Illinois State Board of Education standards in teaching, subject area, and technology. Course meetings will help students compile required materials, complete a reflection essay on links between courses in content area and their own teaching, and understand the standards and method of evaluation of the portfolio. Course sessions will also prepare students for seeking employment in teaching by focusing on such activities as designing a résumé, creating a cover letter, setting up a file at the Center for Professional Excellence, and obtaining letters of recommendation. Finally, this course will help students prepare a teaching portfolio for use in job interviews. Students will participate in individual conferences as needed as they compile their portfolios. Each student will also take part in two conferences established as checkpoints for evaluation–one meeting before beginning student teaching and an exit interview after student teaching upon completion of the portfolio. Required of all students seeking secondary teaching certification. P/NP only. Spring Term.

ENG 371 Modernism/Postmodernism
A study of the development, themes, and characteristics of modernism and postmodernism in British, American, and world literature. The course will explore the ways in which these two movements exist in relationship to and are defined by each other. Students will read selected modernist and postmodernist authors in an effort to determine the usefulness of the terms and the potential value of the literary movements. Works by such writers as Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot, Thomas Pynchon, Milan Kundera, Jeanette Winterson, Helen Parente Cunha, Graham Swift, and Angela Carter. Prerequisite: ENG 220 or equivalent. Alternate years, 2010-2011.

ENG 372 Multicultural/Postcolonial Literature
A study of how literature written by writers from a range of racial and ethnic backgrounds explores and responds to contemporary ideas, political developments, and various quests for social justice. Writers with such diverse aesthetic and political interests as Toni Morrison, Amy Tan, August Wilson, Kurt Vonnegut, Leslie Marmon Silko, Chinua Achebe, Laura Esquivel, Yusef Komunyakaa, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Bharati Mukherjee could be explored. Prerequisite: ENG 220 or equivalent. Annually.

ENG 401 Composition IV: Theory and Research
A writing course that introduces students to the scholarly field of composition studies. Students will read and respond to texts that define contemporary theories of, and report recent research in, composition and rhetoric. The course will include practical experience in tutoring students in 100-level writing courses. Recommended for students with junior or senior standing and for students seeking teacher certification. Prerequisite: ENG 201 or equivalent. Annually.

ENG 410 Advanced Writing Seminar
A course primarily for English majors that counts for an elective in the writing emphasis. A writing-intensive course, topics  vary and may include rhetoric and composition, journalism, professional writing, or literacy theory. Consult members of the  English department or the current course schedule for the specific topic each year. May be repeated for credit.  Prerequisites: Any advanced writing class and consent of the instructor. Fall Term.

ENG 412 Advanced Fiction Writing
This course will concentrate on advanced work in fiction writing and practices with a strong emphasis on class workshops  and intensive study of published fiction and student work. Students should expect their first short story to be due by the  second week of class. Scheduled conferences with the instructor will focus on individual student development. Prerequisite:  grade of B or better in ENG 312 or its equivalent, or permission of instructor upon submission of a sample writing portfolio.  Spring Term.

ENG 415 Literary Theory
An examination of literary critical history, or what is said and assumed about texts, writers, and readers in selected historical moments. Traces western classical tradition to contemporary critical approaches, which are in turn applied to selected literary texts. Recommended for students with junior or senior standing. Prerequisite: ENG 220 or equivalent. Alternate years, 2007-2008.

ENG 416 History and Structure of English
A study of the origins and development of English with attention to both internal and external aspects of that development. Studies are directed toward an understanding of English grammar, usage, spelling, and pronunciation. Recommended for students with junior or senior standing. Required for teacher certification. Prerequisite: A Writing and Reasoning course or equivalent. Annually.

ENG 420 Renaissance Non-Dramatic Literature
A study of selected texts in poetry and prose from the Elizabethan period to the time of Dryden. Examines the development of lyric and narrative poetic form as well as the development of English prose. Works by writers such as Sidney, Spenser, Mary Herbert, Bacon, Donne, Milton, and Dryden. Prerequisite: ENG 220 or equivalent; one Literature course from C  strongly recommended. Alternate years, 2010-2011.

ENG 421 Eighteenth-Century Fiction
Examines the development of the novel from Defoe through Austen in the light of historical, social, and intellectual changes going on at the time. Genres include realism, experimentalism, comedy of manners, satire, and the Gothic. Prerequisite:
ENG 220 or equivalent; one literature course from C or D strongly recommended. Alternate years, 2009-2010.

ENG 422 Studies in Romanticism/Victorianism
In-depth exploration of a literary topic selected by the instructor, with focus on the British Romantic Period (roughly 1789 through 1832), the British Victorian Period (1837 through 1901), or both. Prerequisite: ENG 220 or equivalent; one Literature course from D strongly recommended. Alternate years, 2009-2010.

ENG 423 American Fiction
A study of the development of prose fiction in America from colonial to modern times. Examines the effect of British models on the development of American fiction. May include works by writers such as Hawthorne, Cather, Hemingway, Faulkner, and Welty. Recommended for students with junior or senior standing. Prerequisite: ENG 220 or equivalent; one Literature course from D strongly recommended. Alternate years, 2010-2011.

ENG 440 Teaching of English
A consideration of methodology, materials, and modes of evaluation as applied to the teaching of English in secondary schools. Pre- or corequisite: EDU 410 and the consent of the English department chair. Fall Term.

ENG 451 Advanced Literary Study
An intensive, guided investigation of a literary problem, age, genre, or writer through which students will be introduced to the purposes and techniques of literary research and scholarship in class discussions, lectures, and independent study. Focus of the course will vary from term to term. Required for English majors and recommended for other students with senior standing. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: ENG 220 or equivalent; one Literature course from C or D. Fall Term.

ENG 455 Professional Portfolio Development for Writers: Theory and Application
In this capstone course, students will reflect on their long-term goals as writers and develop a portfolio of writings suitable for publication or professional purposes, in part generated from a mandatory field experience. Senior standing is
highly recommended. Prerequisite: two upper-division writing courses. Spring Term.

ENG 492 Independent Study
A course designed for English majors who wish to pursue an intensive program of reading on an individual basis. Consent of the department chair is required.

ENG 495 Honors Independent Research
Half course
This course affords Honors Program students the opportunity to design and implement a significant research project in the field of English culminating in an appropriate public dissemination of the research methods and findings. This research must build upon previous course work taken within the major or minor, facilitating faculty supervision and guidance. Repeatable for credit. Permission of the faculty supervisor and the Director of the Honors Program required prior to registration.