Spring 2007 Course Descriptions: Undergraduate Programs in English, University of South Carolina

This course presents some significant literary pieces collected from different cultures, languages and time periods. The pieces have been chosen with the purpose of exploring the concept of selfhood in literature. The first half of the course deals with the self as part of a community. The texts in the second half look at the alienation of the self from the world. PAPERS: none. REPORTS: 10 minute presentation on a chosen topic. EXAMS: Two mid-terms. TEXTS: Mack, Maynard, ed. The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces. New York: Norton, 1997.

Fiction from several countries and historical periods, illustrating the nature of the genre. For more information, contact the instructor.

An introduction to the methods and materials of short fiction based on selected works of five southern masters: Porter, Welty, McCullers, O’Connor, Spencer. Two exams and one term essay of medium length (8-10 pp.)

(Restricted to SC Honors College Students)
Fiction from several countries and historical periods, illustrating the nature of the genre. For more information, contact the instructor.

Fiction from several countries and historical periods, illustrating the nature of the genre. For more information, contact the instructor.

A study of classic texts centrally concerned with relations between the sexes. Both literary works and films will be examined with regard to such issues as marriage and divorce, boredom and imagination, self-absorption and felt connection with others, isolation and transcendence. Writers such as William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Gustave Flaubert, Henry James, Henrik Ibsen, Kate Chopin, George Bernard Shaw, Walker Percy, and Nick Hornby will be studied along with films such as Shakespeare in Love, It Happened One Night, The Heiress, Stella Dallas, Gaslight, The Lady Eve,and Now, Voyager. Course requirements include three tests, two 4-5 pp. papers, and regular attendance of lectures on Mondays and Wednesdays, weekly discussion sections on Thursday or Friday. There will also be occasional film screenings on Monday nights. You are required to view the films by the date indicated on the syllabus either at the scheduled screenings, or at the Thomas Cooper Library (where they will be placed on reserve), or through whatever other means you can arrange.

ENGL 283-005 THEMES IN BRIT. WRIT. MW 12:20-1:10, F 9:05-9:55 RHU

Same as ENGL 283-001.

ENGL 283-006 THEMES IN BRIT. WRIT. MW 12:20-1:10, F 10:10-11:00 RHU

Same as ENGL 283-001.

(Designed for Non-majors)
In this sophomore-level literature course for non-English majors, we will be studying the range, role, and development of "the hero" in British literature. For more than a thousand years British literature has been producing a catalog of heroes seldom equaled in literary history. Beowulf, King Arthur, Milton's Satan, and Tolkien's Aragorn are just a few examples of the figures with heroic qualities we may examine. Our primary goal will be simply to experience these characters in their works: to thoroughly read and remember Beowulf, or Malory, or Spenser, or Milton. Beyond that, we will try to understand what the characteristics of and connections between these figures reveal about the development and change over time of the British cultural mindset. We will be reading several book-length works during the semester. There will be regular reading quizzes, approximately three tests (in addition to the final exam), and one four-to-six-page paper.

(Designed for Non-majors)
The class will explore cultural responses to political and social forms of oppression as reflected in selected British and postcolonial Anglophone texts. Students will gain get experience in reading and critically analyzing works of fiction as well as practice in written analysis and interpretation.

(Designed for Non-majors)
Reading a variety of British texts that exemplify persistent themes of British culture. For more information, please contact the instructor.

(Designed for Non-majors)
Our theme is mortality: how literary art has dealt with the fact of death--and the necessary art of living well. We'll examine literary genres such as tragedy, the elegy, the epitaph, the hymn, as well as the essay; also themes such as carpe diem and subjects like war. Lecture/discussion. REQUIREMENTS: Two essay tests & one paper. TEXTS: Shakespeare's King Lear and Johnson's Rasselas; and an anthology (probably Xeroxed).

A study of classic texts centrally concerned with relations between the sexes. Both literary works and films will be examined with regard to such issues as marriage and divorce, boredom and imagination, self-absorption and felt connection with others, isolation and transcendence. Writers such as William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Gustave Flaubert, Henry James, Henrik Ibsen, Kate Chopin, George Bernard Shaw, Walker Percy, and Nick Hornby will be studied along with films such as Shakespeare in Love, It Happened One Night, The Heiress, Stella Dallas, Gaslight, The Lady Eve,and Now, Voyager. There will also be occasional film screenings on Monday nights. You are required to view the films by the date indicated on the syllabus either at the scheduled screenings, or at the Thomas Cooper Library (where they will be placed on reserve), or through whatever other means you can arrange.

Drama from several countries and historical periods. For more information, please contact the instructor.

American culture has an enduring obsession with the quest for personal success. From the Puritan agonizing over salvation to the American Idol Contestant yearning for celebrity, images of aspiration and narratives of failed hopes dominate the culture's literature. How has success been envisioned? How does one get it? What is the cost (individual, social, environmental) of personal triumph? What is the recipe for failure? How glorious can success be, and how abject can failure be? What is the pathology of the quest? TEXTS: TBA.

ENGL 285-002 THEMES IN AMERICAN WRITING   MW 9:05-9:55, TH 2:00-3:15       SHIELDS

Same as ENGL 285-001.

ENGL 285-005 THEMES IN AMERICAN WRITING MW 9:05-9:55, TH 3:30-4:20 SHIELDS

Same as ENGL 285-001.

(Designed for Non-majors)
The specific topic for the course is American Dreams and American Nightmares. We will study this topic through the work of Horatio Alger, Ragged Dick and Struggling Upward; F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby; Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man; Richard Wright, Uncle Tom's Children; and Langston Hughes, Selected Poems. Films will be used to supplement the reading assignments.

(Designed for Non-majors)
The specific topic for the course is "American Dreams and American Nightmares." We will study this topic through the work of Horatio Alger, "Ragged Dick" and "Struggling Upward"; F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Great Gatsby"; Ralph Ellison, "Invisible Man"; Richard Wright, "Uncle Tom's Children"; and Langston Hughes, "Selected Poems." Films will be used to supplement the reading assignments.

(Designed for Non-majors)
This course explores the theme of American identity in American literature and culture. We will read literary texts and historical documents from the Puritans to the twentieth century in an effort to define a specific American identity. However, the problem of American identity lies within our attempt to define our culture. How does one define a culture in a country where a common culture does not exist? This question will guide our pursuit through our readings this semester.

(Designed for Non-majors)
In sociology, counterculture describes a cultural movement that opposes accepted patterns of behavior and living. This course will examine how counterculture relied on various artistic genres (specifically music and literature) to break through the consensus of 1950s America, to show Americans alternative methods for alleviating the stress of the post-World War II era, and to revise the American Dream. The following is a sample of the artists we will examine: Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, William S. Burroughs, Norman Mailer, Hunter S. Thompson, Tom Wolfe, Ken Kesey, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, the Clash, and the
Velvet Underground.

(Designed for Non-majors)
Reading a variety of American texts that exemplify persistent themes of American culture. For more information, please contact the instructor.

(Restricted to SC Honors College Students)
This course considers issues in American literature not through a systematic survey but through substantial reading in a few important works. A variety of themes will be explored as they are reflected in the chosen texts, including the American self, the potential relationship between literature and political action, the intersection of biography and creativity, and evolving creative techniques. Some of the authors who may be included are Julia Alvarez, Doris Betts, Michael Chitwood, Kwame Dawes, Rita Dove, Allen Ginsberg, Harriet Jacobs, Randall Kenan, Edgar Allan Poe, Sylvia Plath, Walt Whitman, and Richard Wright. Students write several short essays, one research paper, and reviews of two readings by American writers attended outside of class during the term. Expect to participate in and lead class discussions, and to make individual and group presentations to the class.

(Restricted to Opportunity Scholars Students)
This course will cover selections from major American writers from colonial times to the late 20th Century. The focus of the discussions will be on examining the definition of an American literature, its development and its diversity. PAPERS: Two, 3-5 pp. each (each must be revised). QUIZZES: Weekly quizzes covering reading assignments. EXAMS: 2 exams - short answer and essay. FINAL: Yes, short answer and essay. TEXTS: Perkins, et al., The American Tradition in Literature, 8th ed.

(Designed for Non-majors)
Reading a variety of American texts that exemplify persistent themes of American culture. For more information, please contact the instructor.

(Designed for Non-majors)
Reading a variety of American texts that exemplify persistent themes of American culture. For more information, please contact the instructor.

Poetry is first and foremost a craft, and it has made its presence felt in myriad cultures. It found its roots in the oral tradition, and it has been honed in such a way that virtually every emotion known to humankind has at one time or another been explored through this art form. This course is designed to immerse you in the rich waters of learning how to hear the music, hear the message, and grasp the techniques used by a wide variety of poets. Conventions associated with understanding form and the art of understanding the words of the poet will be explored. You will look at works by male and female poets; you will explore the works of poets from a wide variety of cultures; you will look at a number of issues being explored through the art of writing poems, and you will leave this course understanding the value, the need, and the power of poetry in today’s world.

ENGL E286-300 POETRY TTH 5:30-8:15 WRIGHT

Poetry from several countries and historical periods, illustrating the nature of the genre. For more information, please contact the instructor.

ENGL 287 is a survey of American Literature from the colonial period to the twentieth century. The goal of the course is to introduce you to the broad sweep of American literary history and to help you develop your skills as close readers. Readings will include poems, short stories, novels, and non-fictional prose, and the periods we will cover include Puritanism, the Enlightenment, Transcendentalism and Romanticism, Realism, and Modernism.

Designed for English majors, this survey course traces the development of American literature from as early as 1650 up to the present day. We will read representative works of poetry and prose and examine them in light of the cultures from which they emerged.

Survey of American literature from settlement through the twentieth century, emphasizing ties between representative works of fiction, poetry, and drama and the cultures from which they emerged. Evaluation will include frequent brief writing assignments and three exams. TEXTS: TBA.

ENGL E287-300 AMERICAN LITERATURE MW 5:30-6:45 LAMB

This course covers American literature from its 17th century origins to the present day, with an emphasis on how we as a nation got from there to here in our thinking, attitudes and values as reflected in our literature. Readings and discussions will consider the role of social, religious, and political influences, and will focus on how to interpret and analyze what one reads. Class participation and critical papers on three novels will be required.

British poetry, drama, and prose from Beowulf to the 18th century. For more information, contact the instructor.

ENGL 288 will familiarize you with a wide range of important English texts from Beowulf to (at least) Milton. Through reading these texts, we will consider affairs of the heart, the royal court, the community, and the church. Text: Norton Anthology of English Literature (8th ed., Vol A-C). Longish readings include Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, More's Utopia, Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, and Aphra Behn's Oroonoko. We'll also look at shorter poems by such luminaries as Philip & Mary Sidney, Spenser, Queen Elizabeth, King James VI/I, Donne, Milton, and Dryden. Requirements: regular attendance and participation, one 5-6 page critical essay, 3 non-cumulative exams, and faithful keeping of a commonplace book or blog in which you record your informed responses to the readings. More information will be posted at http://locuscommunis.net/288/.

ENGL 288 covers a wide range of important English texts from Beowulf to the early eighteenth century. We will undertake the critical reading of texts from the beginnings of literature in English to the later English Renaissance. Our intention will be to recognize the diversity of the English tradition while also recognizing important connections between works from very different times and cultures. Readings in the Norton Anthology of English Literature (volume one) to include: Beowulf, Canterbury Tales, Spenser=s The Faerie Queene, Milton=s Paradise Lost, poems by Wyatt, Surrey, Sidney, Donne, Milton and Shakespeare, as well as drama from the middle ages to the Renaissance.

(Restricted to SC Honors College Students)
We will survey English literature, beginning with the first works sung by bards around 900 A. D. (necessarily in translation), and we will move on to the English texts of the Middle Ages and Renaissance. By proceeding in chronological fashion, we will be able to see how each period revises and transforms the literary forms of those who have gone before them, encoding in the process their unique and innovative attitudes toward history, politics, gender and aesthetics. Warning: Most of this literature is written in poetry—though most of it does tell a story. Nevertheless, this means we will need to read very slowly and carefully.

This course is a survey of British Literature from the Romantic period to the modern period (approximately 1780 to 1950). We will read a broad cross-section of writers, from the familiar to the less famous, in an effort to understand better both the literature and the culture that produced it. The readings will include works by Blake, Wordsworth, Robinson, Keats, Coleridge, Hardy, Dickens, Carlyle, Sasson, Owen, and Eliot. PAPERS: Annotated bibliography, 4 pp.; essay, 5 pp. QUIZZES: daily EXAMS: Mid-term and final. TEXTS: 2nd volume of the Norton Anthology of English Literature, 8th ed. A novel – TBA.

ENGL 289-002 ENGLISH LITERATURE II MWF 10:10-11:00 GILBERT

This course is a survey of British Literature from the Romantic period to the modern period (approximately 1780 to 1950). We will read a broad cross-section of writers, from the familiar to the less famous, in an effort to understand better both the literature and the culture that produced it. The readings will include works by Blake, Wordsworth, Robinson, Keats, Coleridge, Hardy, Dickens, Carlyle, Sassoon, Owen, and Eliot. PAPERS: Annotated bibliography, 4 pp.; essay, 5 pp. QUIZZES: daily EXAMS: Mid-term and final. TEXTS: 2nd volume of the Norton Anthology of English Literature, 8th ed. A novel – TBA.

ENGL 289-003 ENGLISH LITERATURE II TTH 8:00-9:15 YITAH

This course is a survey of British literature from 1800 to the present. We will gain some familiarity with the major writers and concerns of British Literature by exploring historical, generic, and thematic connections. We will also practice thinking and writing about literature in general, and British literature in particular.

ENGL 289-004 ENGLISH LITERATURE II TTH 11:00-12:15 YITAH

ENGL 289-501 ENGLISH LITERATURE II TTH 11:00-12:15 FELDMAN

(Restricted to SC Honors College Students)

British poetry, drama, and prose from the 18th century to the present. For more information, please contact the instructor.

All English courses 300 and above
require ENGL 101, 102, and one course between ENGL 270-292

ENGL 360-001 CREATIVE WRITING MWF 2:30-3:20 GREER

(Prereq: All English courses 300 and above require ENGL 101, 102, and one course between ENGL 270-292) This course will focus on the invention of characters within a short story, or even a novella. The class will be a workshop. Students will photocopy their work and read it aloud. There will be three to four stories or one novella due at semester=s end.

ENGL 360-002 CREATIVE WRITING MW 4:00-5:15 LURIA

(Prereq: All English courses 300 and above require ENGL 101, 102, and one course between ENGL 270-292) Workshop course on writing original fiction, poetry, drama, and creative nonfiction. For more information, please contact the instructor.

ENGL 360-003 CREATIVE WRITING TTH 12:30-1:45 RAY

(Prereq: All English courses 300 and above require ENGL 101, 102, and one course between ENGL 270-292) This course will examine writers such as Steinbeck, Meinquez, Strand, Simic, and others in an effort to learn the craft of fiction and poetry. This is a workshop-based course. Students will read but also produce short stories and poetry. Others authors we will look at include Marilynne Robinson, Bhanutu Mukhenge and Ron Rash. PAPERS: 2 stories, 10 pp.; 3 poems. REPORTS: One oral report on an author of student’s choice. Weekly critiques of students’ writing; a final portfolio. TEXTS: Strange Pilgrims by Marquez; Man and Camel, by Mark Strand; Voice at 4 a.m. by Charles Simic, Journal of a Novel by John Steinbeck (tentative).

ENGL 382-001 THE ENLIGHTENMENT TTH 9:30-10:45 JACKSON

ENGL 382 is an in-depth exploration of the Age of Enlightenment and its literary legacies from the 1680s through the 1810s. Punctuated by revolutions in England, America, France, and Haiti, the Enlightenment has been associated with innovation, individualism, and liberty, and at the same time with moderation, reason, and restraint. It was both. It has been seen as the basis of modern science and also as the harbinger of soulless consumerism. It was all of these and more. Priests and atheists, politicians and revolutionaries, scientists and poets, all claimed the Enlightenment as their own. They were all right. This course will trace the development of Enlightenment across three centuries and two continents, and look at the literary dimensions of the age in poetry, philosophy, political propaganda, and pornography as well as in travel narratives, abolitionist tracts, scientific polemic, and scandalous satire. Readings will range from brief extracts to complete novels and assignments will include several papers, presentations, in-class activities, a mid-term, and a final exam. This course counts as a pre-1800 in the major checklist.

ENGL 383-001 ROMANTICISM TTH 2:00-3:15 JARRELLS

This course will attend to “Romanticism” in two senses of the term: first, as a literary period in Britain--one that stretched from the 1780s to the 1830s and which was denominated many years after the fact; second, as a movement or ideology, one that stretches across national and period markers and which groups together texts and authors that share a set of ideas about nature and imagination, nation and self. Requirements include weekly responses, two papers, and an exam.

ENGL 384-001 REALISM TTH 2:00-3:15 STERN

This course will investigate the realist genre in fiction, non-fiction, art, and film. We will read across continents and centuries, including works from eighteenth-century Britain, nineteenth-century France, twentieth-century America, and twenty-first century Hollywood (a country all its own). Implicit in our readings of these texts will be an interrogation of the relationship between representation and reality, and the strategies various authors employ to make that relationship more (or less) seamless. Assignments include weekly responses, two papers, a creative project, a midterm and a final exam.

ENGL 385-001 MODERNISM TTH 3:30-4:45 BUTTERWORTH

A study of selected texts of the Modernist period. Lecture/Discussion. Lectures will address historical and cultural issues that help explain modernism. Modernist examples of painting, music, and film will also be used as illustrations of modernism in other media. Papers: two 1500-2000 word papers which address modernist aspects of the texts we study. There will be a test after each text has been covered in class. Two-and-a-half-hour final examination. Texts to be studied: Conrad, Heart of Darkness; Joyce, Dubliners; Woolf, Mrs. Dalloway; Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises; Faulkner, The Wild Palms; Mann, Death in Venice; Camus, The Stranger; selected poems by Eliot and Williams; Jean Renoir=s film Rules of the Game.

ENGL 387-001 INTRO. TO RHETORIC TTH 11:00-12:15 FRIEND

“Introduction to Rhetoric” will introduce you to some important theories of and approaches to rhetorical studies and give you opportunities to put them into practice. If you’re like most people, you’ll begin this course with an uncertain notion of what rhetoric is. In public discourse and informal conversation, the word is often used dismissively, to refer to manipulative, dishonest, or flowery speech. Yet rhetoric—the study of how language operates in practical contexts, to persuade, influence, and shape human communities—is a complex discipline with a long, varied history. By the end of the semester, you will be able to decide for yourself the best definition of and uses for rhetoric, but until then, keep an open mind and be prepared to learn about things you might never have imagined had anything to do with “mere rhetoric.”

Taking as our starting point the rhetorical theories developed in ancient Greece and Rome, we’ll explore how various theorists have understood rhetoric and we’ll critically assess the rigor and usefulness of these perspectives. As we survey these perspectives, we’ll also consider the contexts within which these ideas have been put into practice. Depending upon the interests of the class, these discussions may explore intersections between areas such as rhetoric and education, rhetoric and ethics, rhetoric and politics, rhetoric and law, or rhetoric and popular culture.

ASSIGNMENTS: Frequent short summary/response papers on course readings (20%); Mid-term exam (25%); Term project (45%); Quizzes and other in-class exercises (10%) TEXTS: Course packet and one or two books, TBA

ENGL 388-001 HIST LIT. CRITICISM /THEORY TTH 2:00-3:15 MUCKLEBAUER

This course is designed to provide you with an introduction to some of the key concepts, problems, and issues in literary and social theory, with a particular emphasis on the last 30 years and the challenges of postmodern theory. In general, we might say that recent theory attempts to ask questions about some of the common-sense practices that we engage in all the time, though we rarely question how they work. In this sense, “theory” is something that always structures our actions, whether we happen to be aware of it or not. For instance, when we attempt to figure out the meaning of a literary work by asking about the author’s social context we are bringing a whole series of assumptions about how language, literature, meaning, authorship, and contexts work. In this class, we will survey some very different views about some of the more prominent assumption in literary studies, asking questions such as “What exactly do we do when we read and interpret?” and “What assumptions do we make about individuals, history, and writing when we try to come up with a meaning?” Through this survey you will gain some familiarity with an array of different responses to these and other “theoretical” questions and, in the process, you might also discover some new ways to read, as well as some new ways to think about writing. The course will include regular response papers as well as 2 exams and a final project.

ENGL 389-001/LING 301 THE ENGLISH LANG. MWF 10:10-11:00 MIKHAYLOVA

Introduction to the field of linguistics with an emphasis on English. Covers the English sound system, word structure, and grammar. Explores history of English, American dialects, social registers, and style. For more information, please contact the instructor.

ENGL 389-001/LING 301 THE ENGLISH LANG. TTH 9:30-10:45 DISTERHEFT

The structure of English and how it is used by its speakers. Topics covered include phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, social variation, and history.

ENGL 391-001/CPLT 302 GREAT BKS. WEST WORLD II TTH 9:30-10:45 HENRY

A discussion-based course consisting of a broad spectrum of readings from the Renaissance to the 20th century. Texts have been selected both for their literary standing and for their relationship to the following developments, among others: the rise of the nation state, the development of scientific thought, the formulation of the neo-classical ideal, the rise of romanticism, and the onset of modernism. The goals of the course involve the appreciation of these texts and their historical, cultural, political, sociological, and ethnological contexts. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: active discussion, quizzes, 1 paper, 1 oral report, 1 exam.

READINGS: Machiavelli, The Prince; Descartes, Discourse on Method; Racine, Phaedra; Goethe, The Sorrows of Young Werther; Shelley, Frankenstein; Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Grey; Claire de Duras, Ourika; Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin; Balzac, Eugenie Grandet; Chekhov, The Cherry Orchard; Faulkner, Go Down Moses (collection); Steinbeck, East of Eden.

GRADES: Oral participation/quizzes-20%; Exam-30%; l oral report-15%; Paper-25%; Notebook-10%. ATTENDANCE: Since this is a discussion-based course, absences beyond three become extremely detrimental to one’s final grade. Attendance during presentations is most important.

ENGL 392-001/CPLT 303 GREAT BKS. EASTERN WORLD MWF 11:15-12:05 YE

After a survey of literary classics in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, and Japan, we will start close readings of Chinese poetry in the Tang and Song dynasties, Dream of the Red Chamber (Cao Xueqin, China) and The Tale of Genji (Murasaki Shikibu, Japan). To place the literary works within their cultural and historical contexts, such basic religious and philosophic tenents as Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Islamism will also be studied. For this background research, you need to read a great deal beyond the textbooks. With my assistance, you should conduct your own research after class. In the 2nd week, you have to choose research topics for your 10-minute classroom presentations and essays. The topics for your presentations should discuss the context and the essays, the literary work. Before each presentation, you need to prepare handouts, which include the outline, the reference material, and questions. In both presentations and essays, I am looking for three things: originality, organization, and research. By the end of this course you should have required preliminary knowledge of the best literature in the East as well as the people who created it. Please be aware of USC's policy of class attendance, which is also important in the grading. PAPERS: Midterm, 5-7 pp.; Final, 7-10 pp. Textbooks: East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History; Literatures of Asia; Dream of the Red Chamber; The Tale of Genji.

ENGL 405-001 SHAKESPEARE'S TRAGEDIES MW 12:20-1:35 RICHEY

We will read many of Shakespeare’s tragedies, beginning with his early attempts at the genre: Titus Andronicus, Romeo and Juliet, and Julius Caesar. We will then take up his late, very great work--Macbeth, Lear, Hamlet, Othello, and Antony and Cleopatra. We will focus on issues that shaped Shakespeare’s cultural moment and continue to shape our own, reading these texts for their historical, political, psychological, religious, and theatrical/artistic dimensions. REQUIREMENTS: Daily discussion questions, mid-term, final, and two essays.

ENGL 405-002 SHAKESPEARE=S TRAGEDIES TTH 11:00-12:15 LEVINE

In this course we will study Shakespeare=s tragedies in relation to his time and to our own. Looking closely at eight tragedies (Titus Andronicus, Romeo and Juliet, Julius Caesar, Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, and Coriolanus), we will examine the interplay between these popular plays and the Elizabethan‑Jacobean culture in which they were produced, taking up such issues as politics, social order, gender, and race. We will also consider the surge in Shakespeare=s popularity in late 20th‑century culture, looking at several recent film versions of the tragedies (Titus, Romeo + Juliet, Hamlet). (We will view these films outside of class time).REQUIREMENTS include class participation, a mid‑term and final, two short response papers, and two 6 page critical papers. TEXT: The Norton Shakespeare, or another comparable edition.

ENGL 406-001 SHAKESPEARE'S COMEDIES/HIST. MW 4:00-5:15 KAY

Studying six to eight comedies and histories by Shakespeare in depth in class, we will focus on learning to read poetic drama from another age. The emphasis will be on the plays as popular theatre, with special attention given to staging, structure, dialogue, and character revelation. We will discuss Shakespeare=s development as a playwright and as a reflection of the Renaissance. Plays to be covered will include Richard II, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Much Ado About Nothing, one of the late romances. PAPERS: Four papers, 3-5 pages. REPORTS: Oral - Occasional reading and analysis of the text in class. No written reports. QUIZZES: Frequent 5-point quizzes on the day=s assignment. (Two lowest quiz grades are dropped from final grade point average.) EXAMS: Midterm: includes essay questions. Final: comprehensive and includes essay questions.

ENGL E406-300 SHAKESPEARE'S COMEDIES/HIST. TTH 5:30-6:45 ASHLEY
Course materials are seven selected comedies (Midsummer Nights Dream, As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, All’s Well, Winter’s Tale, The Tempest) of William Shakespeare and two history plays (Richard II, 1 Henry IV). Two exams and one term essay of medium length (8-10 pp.)

ENGL 419I-001 LEGENDS OF KING ARTHUR TTH 9:30-10:45 GWARA

Survey and study of the Arthur legend from medieval times to the present. We will read ancient poems and romances alongside modern adaptations. Discussion of the young Arthur, the Grail romance, marriage and adultery, incest and the political landscape.

Engl. 422 focuses on American literature from the Civil War to the early modern era (1860-1910). Beginning with writings inspired by the war itself, we will explore themes including the rise of the city, nostalgia for the country, the closing of the frontier, religious revivals and scientific skepticism, as well as issues of gender, race, and ethnicity at the century’s turn. Students should expect regular quizzes and short writing assignments in addition to two longer papers and a comprehensive final exam.

This course is designed as an exploration of the tradition referred to as African American Literature, from its beginnings through the 20th century. Students will address various questions about and issues relevant to that tradition. What makes the writing that is part of this tradition cohere as a body? What are the recurring themes and preoccupations? What are the points of critical debate? What is the sociocultural and historical context in which the literature is produced and which it reflects and interprets? The course is reading-intensive and discussion-based.

This course features visiting lectures by half a dozen contemporary novelists from North and South Carolina, including Pam Durban, Randall Kenan, and Ron Rash, among others. A variety of topics are explored, including the relationship between literature and regional identity, the intersection of biography and creative product, and the writing process. Students will write one essay, participate in class discussion, and demonstrate mastery through quizzes, a midterm, and a cumulative final exam. Students also review at least two readings, plays, or films by southern writers attended during the term.

This course is a broad introduction to the world of contemporary American children’s literature. Students will examine texts which are in some way related to central ideas of and about America and Americans of various ethnicities and backgrounds. Discussion topics will include the meaning of “excellence” in children’s book-writing and illustration, the cultural politics of the children’s book publishing world, and current issues and controversies in the field.

The topic of this course is contemporary young adult literature and how young adults develop an understanding of adult literature through reading this genre. We will examine several issues during the semester: What is the difference between adult literature and young adult literature? What is the history of the genre? What are the classics of the genre? How does the genre illuminate adolescent psychological development? We will read and respond in writing logs to a wide range of diverse YA literature, including several recent Newbery Medal winners as well as multi-ethnic novels and a biography. Assessment will be based on students’ portfolios, which will consist of diverse reading logs, a personal essay connected to one of the selections, a critical essay exploring one writer’s work, and a project.

To gain an understanding of the diversity of women=s literature in English, we will read early (medieval and renaissance), middle (enlightenment and nineteenth-century), and late (twentieth-century) texts from a variety of genres and cultures about such themes as authorship, education, spirituality, sexuality, and myths of womanhood. REQUIREMENTS: class participation, frequent brief writing assignments, oral report, mid-term and final exams. TEXTS: TBA.

(Cross-listed with Anth 555, Ling 541 and Wost 555)
This course provides an introduction to the use of language by men and women, with a focus on how socialized ideas about gender affect language use and perception. Topics to be addressed include the acquisition of gender-differentiated language, gender and conversational interaction, sexism in language, and the relationship between language, gender, and society. Readings include Gender Voices by Joan Swann and David Graddol (1989) and a course packet. Evaluation will be based on journal entries, 3 exams, a project proposal, presentation, and final research project. A prior linguistics background is helpful but not required. Fulfills the English Department’s linguistic requirement.

(Cross-listed with Ling 405A and Psych 589)
This course is an introduction to the field of first (L1) and second (L2) language acquisition. It will explore how the study of language development relates to the field of linguistics in general and to what extent acquiring a native language differs form/is similar to the acquisition of a second language. The course will look at the various research questions that are addressed in both L1 and L2 research as well as the methods used by researchers to answer these. After giving a short overview of the general linguistic development, the course will focus on comparing the syntactic development of first and second language learners. We will cover a variety of syntactic phenomena that have been documented in first and second language development and will investigate what these observable facts tell us about the nature of the underlying linguistic system that L1 and L2 learners employ.

The aim of the course is to familiarize students with what we currently know about the syntactic development in L1 and L2 acquisition and to enable students to evaluate empirical research on language acquisition in a critical way. The course will also provide students with the opportunity to gather first hand experience on carrying out empirical research in a guided fashion and to develop research interests of their own.

The course will be a combination of assigned readings, lectures, class discussions and projects. Prior knowledge of basic linguistic concepts in particular in syntactic theory is helpful, but we will review all relevant linguistic concepts in class. Fulfills the English Department’s linguistic requirement.

This course will examine the evolving representations and understanding of gay and lesbian lives through a study of significant literary and historical texts. The Oscar Wilde trial and the publication of Havelock Ellis's Sexual Inversion at the end of the 19th century were pivotal historical moments, shaping public understandings of sexuality and sexual identity. We will trace the developing literary, medical, and historical representations of sexual identity, with a particular focus on British and Irish literary representations of the 19th and 20th centuries. Authors to be studied will include: Oscar Wilde, Havelock Ellis, T. S. Eliot, Thom Gunn, Carol Ann Duffy, Jeanette Winterson, and Radclyffe Hall. Course materials will include a range of historical texts and literary genres, including film. Course requirements will include 2 short essays, a research paper, class presentations, and a final exam.

An intensive survey of English grammar: sentence structure, the verbal system, discourse, and transformations. Also discussed are semantics, social restrictions on grammar and usage, histories of various constructions, etc. Please read Chapter 1 of the textbook before the first class meeting. REQUIREMENTS: one midterm, one final. TEXT: Dorothy Disterheft, Advanced Grammar: a manual for students. Prentice-Hall.

The idea of genre is one that undergoes surprisingly little interrogation in the broader culture – this is to say that terms such as “fiction,” “non-fiction,” “biography,” and “philosophy” (among others) are assumed by most individuals to denote discreet categories into which inherently different types of texts can be neatly dropped. This course will encourage students to challenge traditional conceptions of a variety of genres by considering the ways in which singular texts exhibit signs that indicate a cohabitation of modes that may typically be thought to operate separately in different genres. Our readings will be diverse – among them will be texts commonly subsumed under terms such as “philosophical essays,” “short stories,” “novels,” “biographies,” and “journalism”. Writing assignments will ask students to compose texts that incorporate a multiplicity of disparate modes, styles and techniques.

Extensive practice in different types of nonfiction writing. For more information, please contact the instructor.

This is an advanced class in nonfiction writing, with particular emphasis on creative, or literary, nonfiction, a hybrid genre that borrows techniques and approaches from journalism, fiction and even poetry to create innovative new ways of narrating the stories of our lives and interpreting the world around us. Because it does incorporate elements of so many other genres and because it gives writers a lot of room to experiment with their own voices and approaches, creative nonfiction affords students a lot of flexibility to focus on whatever specific writing goals they may have. The class will be run with that diversity of potential student interests in mind: assignments will be open-ended enough to allow each student to tailor them to his or her interests/objectives. TEXTS: William Zinsser, On Writing Well, and Joyce Carol Oates, ed., The Best American Essays of the Century. REQUIREMENTS: Students will read and write a review of an acclaimed book-length work of nonfiction and write and revise 4 essays: a personal narrative, an interview/profile, a researched piece of journalistic reportage, and a final piece that fuses both memoir and reportage. The total amount of writing required for the class will be in the neighborhood of 20-25 pages.

English 460 is an advanced nonfiction writing class which gives students much practice both in close reading of essay text models and in composing their own. TEXTS: Thomas Cooley, The Norton Sampler 6th ed., and Patricia Hampl, I Could Tell You Stories: Sojourns in the Land of Memory. REQUIREMENTS: Students will write and revise 4 essays in different modes, Narration/Description,Comparison-Contrast or Analogy/Metaphor, Satire/Persuasion/Argumentation, and Exemplification; present one essay to the whole class for group peer evaluation, as well as do small group evaluations on every essay; participate in numerous conferences with the instructor; read and analyze model essays in The Norton Sampler and I Could Tell You Stories, and keep a reading/writing journal. EVALUATION: Grades in the course will be based upon successful completion of all the assignments. Emphasis will be placed on giving the students constructive suggestions for revision. Each essay (except the last) will be submitted, discussed in conference, and revised before a grade is recorded. If the grades are erratic, they will be averaged; however, if the student is making steady progress, the final grade will reflect this improvement. Essays will count 20% apiece; the journal, reading quizzes and test on I Could Tell You Stories and class participation will count about 20%.

ENGL 461-001 TEACHING OF WRITING MW 12:20-1:35 WILLIAMS

This course explores the theory and practice of the teaching of writing in middle and secondary school. During the semester, students will focus on themselves as teachers, but they will inevitably develop their own writing skills as a result of their participation in writing response groups. Assessment will be based on students’ portfolios, which will consist of reading logs, a personal reflective essay, a bibliographical essay, and a report on a project connected to the teaching of writing in public schools.

ENGL 462-001 TECHNICAL WRITING MW 4:00-5:15 HOLCOMBE

English 462 is designed to help you develop writing skills that will enhance your performance in your chosen career. Specific objectives for this course include: developing a clear, concise, functional writing style; familiarizing you with conventional forms of professional writing, such as memoranda, letters, proposals, descriptions, etc.; gaining experience in collaborating with others to produce a professional document; increasing your awareness of the ethical issues involved in professional writing; and helping you develop a sense of professionalism about writing that you will continue to develop throughout your career.

ENGL 463-001 BUSINESS WRITING MWF 9:05-9:55 MCMANUS