English Studies

Course Offerings

2012–2013

ENG 511 Topics in Rhetoric
Recognizing that rhetoric is the oldest discipline in the academic tradition, this course examines the principles and practices of rhetoric as the theoretical framework for all communication and, thus, the production and analysis of all forms of discourse: oral, written and electronic. Students will explore aspects of the 3,000-year history of rhetoric, as well as investigate applications to multiple forms of contemporary communication. Primary and significant secondary texts will be investigated. Discussion, motivated by considerable written responses, will guide the inquiry. The course will culminate in an independent research project.

ENG 512 Studies in Literature: Foundations and Traditions
The literature studied in this course reflects the foundations and values central to the Western cultural and literary tradition. Readings may draw from a range of time periods, areas and genres. Students respond to these texts through essays, class presentations, computer-based assignments and group work.

ENG 521 Current Issues in Writing
Writing in various contexts is examined, from idea invention to final product, with an emphasis on the processes writers use in specific types of academic and professional writing such as creative, journalistic, literary response, writing across the curriculum and the personal essay. Students will explore the theoretical underpinnings, pedagogical approaches and stylistic features regarding a variety of written genres.

ENG 522 Studies in the Literature of Diversity
This course examines the literature of diversity and cultural perspective. Making use of authors writing from all parts of the globe,students will explore how literature negotiates relationships between a dominant culture and subcultures existing within and alongside it. Applying the tools of literary and cultural analysis to investigate the role of power, the process of establishing community, and the potential for a subculture to find voice in literary texts, this course will expose students to the wide-ranging values, beliefs and practices that increasingly influence the diverse classroom and workplace. Through written, computer-based and oral assignments, students will recognize and articulate how various cultural experiences and value systems shape, and are shaped by, each other.

ENG 531 Seminar in Literacy
This course examines theories and practices of “literacy,” a concept highly dependent upon context and enmeshed in economic, social, cultural and political issues. The seminar will focus on a particular topic, such as literacy narratives and the role of storytelling in learning; diverse perspectives on literacy, including technological, cultural and workplace literacy; or shifting historical and social perspectives on the notion of literacy. As students apply literacy theories to their own journeys as readers and writers and to their professional organizational contexts, they will analyze how these individual connections and observations reflect wider institutional practices. Classroom activities include response papers and discussions, as well as both collaborative work and an individual final project.

ENG 532 Studies in Literary Theory
This course investigates methods by which literature has been read, interpreted, analyzed and understood in the Western critical tradition. Students analyze and apply literary theories that challenge how one reads and thinks about notions of reader, text, writer, context, language, culture, genre and history. Through writing, oral presentations and projects, students will become familiar with and be able to use both enduring and contemporary theoretical approaches and questions that have shaped texts, external influences on texts, and the reading process itself.

ENG 541 and ENG 542 Research Capstone Series
The Research Capstone series gives students the opportunity to apply what they have learned in their coursework to a problem, issue or topic of their own choosing. The range of possible projects is wide, from the development of new curricular material to publishable work in literary criticism or composition studies. ENG 541 is taught in Fall Term, ENG 542 in Spring Term; students must take both courses sequentially. ENG 541 entails class meetings with course work on research methods in composition, literature and classroom practices, and leads to the development of a project proposal. ENG 542 primarily involves individual regular conferences with two faculty supervisors, leading to the final project. The capstone project should be completed by the end of Spring Term. Prerequisites: completion of four courses; or completion of three courses, including at least one from literature and one from writing, with a fourth course taken concurrently with ENG 541. Exceptions to this policy are at the discretion of the program director.