College of Letters & Sciences

Language & Literature

Contact Information

Jonathan Ivry
Associate Professor
Phone: 262-472-5061
Location: Laurentide Hall 3207
Elizabeth Lamb
Department Associate
Phone: 262-472-1036
Location: Laurentide Hall 3209

English Courses

  • INTENSIVE COLLEGE WRITING AND READING
    English 100, Credits: 4

    An intensive introduction to college writing and reading for students with appropriate placement scores. Emphasis on textual analysis of a variety of genres (both fiction and nonfiction), critical argumentation, the writing process, conventions of academic prose, and improvement of grammatical control and proofreading skills.

  • INTRODUCTION TO COLLEGE WRITING AND READING
    English 101, Credits: 3

    Critical reading and writing with emphasis on textual analysis of a variety of genres (both fiction and nonfiction), critical argumentation, the writing process, and conventions of academic prose.

  • INTRODUCTION TO COLLEGE WRITING, READING, AND RESEARCH
    English 102, Credits: 3

    Continuation of ENGLISH 100/ENGLISH 101 with additional emphasis on modes of inquiry, the research process, and the completion of a formally documented, argument-based research paper.

  • FRESHMAN ENGLISH HONORS
    English 105, Credits: 3

    An accelerated course in the reading and writing of college-level prose that satisfies the Proficiency writing requirement for students in the University Honors program. Study of the major literary genres, and composition of substantial papers and a library research paper. NOTE -- students will be able to receive AP or other test credit for English 101 and ENGLISH 102, but they may not enroll in English 101 or ENGLISH 102 for credit after completing this course.

  • POPULAR CULTURE AND LITERATURE
    English 110, Credits: 3

    This course introduces students to the textual study of popular culture in such forms as film, television, video games, or comics by pairing such texts with literary periods and/or movements that inform them. Students will question the boundaries between "high culture" and popular culture as reflected in the mass media.

  • ADVANCED ACADEMIC READING IN ESL
    English 161, Credits: 4

    Development of critical thinking skills in reading and ability to express complex, academic arguments for participation in university courses. Students must pass this course with a C- or better to exit the IEP. This course satisfies the English 101 University Proficiency Requirement.

  • COLLEGE WRITING IN ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
    English 162, Credits: 4

    Students learn the fundamentals of writing an academic research paper. Students conduct a brief literature review, design and conduct a group research project to address a research question, and write a paper. Students must pass this course with a C- or better to exit the IEP.

  • INTRODUCTION TO U.S. CULTURE FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
    English 163, Credits: 4

    Study of U.S. culture from interdisciplinary perspectives by examining cultural topics (such as the changing form of the family, educational opportunity, economic change) to come to a deeper understanding of U.S. and the students' home cultures. Students must pass this course with a C- or better to exit the IEP.

  • INTRODUCTION TO CHICANX LITERATURE
    English 200, Credits: 3

    Identifies and interprets Chicanx literature in a social and historical context giving students an introduction to literature written by and about Chicanxs.

  • INTRODUCTION TO U.S. LATINX LITERATURE
    English 202, Credits: 3

    The course will present students with the diverse U.S. Latinx experiences, by introducing them to texts that examine literary works by authors of Latino/Latina backgrounds, in their historical context and cultural context.

  • BRITISH LITERATURE SURVEY I
    English 206, Credits: 3

    A survey of British literature from the Old English period through the eighteenth century.

  • INTRODUCTION TO GREAT BOOKS
    English 211, Credits: 3

    This course introduces students to literary, philosophical, political, and religious works that have been instrumental to the evolution of the history of ideas and to the cultural development of civilizations across time and place. Its primary focus is on the aesthetic and intellectual achievements of foundational texts from antiquity to the present day.

  • BRITISH LITERATURE SURVEY II
    English 216, Credits: 3

    A survey of British literature from the Romantic period to the present.

  • AMERICAN LITERATURE SURVEY I
    English 226, Credits: 3

    A survey of American literature from the seventeenth century through the Civil War to acquaint the student with the foremost writers of our literary culture.

  • AMERICAN LITERATURE II
    English 236, Credits: 3

    A survey of American Literature from the Civil War to the present to acquaint the student with the foremost writers of our literary culture.

  • CLASSICAL MYTH AND LEGEND AS SOURCES FOR LITERATURE
    English 251, Credits: 3

    An examination of classical myths and legends and how they have been used in various periods and genres of English literature.

  • THE BIBLE AS LITERATURE
    English 252, Credits: 3

    This course will survey the Bible and some other related Near Eastern literature, focusing on the development of genres, motifs, and other literary forms that have influenced the form and content of Western literature, including the parable, the proverb, the loss of Eden, exile and return, origin stories, and hero stories.

  • AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTAL LITERATURE
    English 260, Credits: 3

    Explore American environmental literature (creative non-fiction/fiction/poetry) from its orgins, with special attention to key authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Emily Dickinson, John Muir, Teddy Roosevelt, Aldo Leopold, Leslie Silko, Rachel Carlson, Annie Dillard and Bill McKibben.

  • THE CONTEMPORARY NOVEL
    English 263, Credits: 3

    A study of significant British and American novels and novelists of the last decade.

  • MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE OF THE UNITED STATES
    English 265, Credits: 3

    Multicultural Literature of the U.S. offers a wide range of literary texts (dramas, essays, novels, poetry, and short stories) written by people of color. This class offers students the opportunity to study and appreciate the experiences and histories of diverse groups within the U.S., including African-American, Asian American, Native American, and Latinx cultures.

  • GENDER AND FILM
    English 266, Credits: 3

    Students will learn to critically view, consider, and describe films, with special attention to representations of sexuality and gender. The course will include instruction in gender theory and methods for deploying gender analysis in the context of film studies.

  • CRITICAL WRITING IN THE FIELD OF ENGLISH
    English 271, Credits: 3

    This course will help students become proficient in the skills of research, organization, writing, and revising that they will need in upper-division English courses. Students will learn both the general conventions of academic writing about literature (literary criticism) and the specific methods of some of the most important kinds of literary criticism.

  • CREATIVE WRITING
    English 274, Credits: 3

    Study, discussion and writing of description, narration, verse and the short story.

  • TOPICS IN THE LITERATURE OF RURAL AMERICA
    English 275, Credits: 3

    This course explores issues of poverty, violence, and disaffection in rural American communities as depicted though literary works spanning the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It also examines the placement of rural communities within current social, cultural, and literary contexts. Topics will change.

  • READING AS WRITERS
    English 276, Credits: 3

    Study of craft and aesthetic form in contemporary literary works.

  • INTRODUCTION TO LANGUAGE STUDY
    English 281, Credits: 3

    An introduction to the basic tools and concepts for the study of language through study of the sounds, grammar, vocabulary, history, and cultural context of English.

  • SPECIAL STUDIES
    English 296, Credits: 1-5

    Variable topics. Group activity. Not offered regularly in the curriculum but offered on topics selected on the basis of timeliness, need, and interest, and generally in the format of regularly scheduled Catalog offerings. Repeatable only with change of topic.

  • LITERATURE OF DISABILITY
    English 305, Credits: 3

    This course is designed to introduce the students to thinking about disability as a rhetorical and cultural phenomenon. The students will explore how disability has been imagined in western culture through an examination of literature, and they will also consider how disabled people have themselves sought to represent their own experience in defiance of established norms.

  • LITERATURE FOR ADOLESCENTS
    English 310, Credits: 3

    This course will explore the history and development of adolescent literature, with special emphasis on the period since 1960. Recent novels which have proven popular and influential with young people and teachers will be analyzed using literary and educational criteria. Participants will consider works within the context of intellectual freedom and potential censorship.

  • ASIAN LITERATURES
    English 323, Credits: 3

    This course is an introduction to the literary and cultural tradition of three Asian civilizations: China, India, and Japan. Students will read a selection of classical and modern works from various genres in the three national literatures. The literary texts will be discussed in their cultural and historical contexts.

  • LITERATURE FROM THE MIDDLE EAST
    English 325, Credits: 3

    Students will learn how to critically read, research, and write about contemporary Middle Eastern literature in English translation. Different genres will be covered by authors from different countries, including Iran, Egypt, Turkey, and Syria.

  • AFRICAN LITERATURE
    English 327, Credits: 3

    The course introduces students to a global consideration of literature through a close examination of the cultural and literary tradition of African literature, extending to the literature of the African Diaspora. It will also examine how writings from colonial margins resist stereotypes as African writers construct counter-narratives to colonial discourse.

  • EUROPEAN LITERATURE
    English 329, Credits: 3

    This course explores the rich and varied field of European literature from its beginnings in Greek and Roman literature to present-day continental European literature, through studies of theme, genre, theory, or cultural analysis; topics will vary by instructor.

  • JAPANESE LITERATURE
    English 333, Credits: 3

    This course surveys Japanese Literature, providing study of classical literature and how this past is reconsidered by modern writers. Group projects will include study of key issues in Japanese cultural history, such as folktales, garden, tea and verse aesthetics, court, samurai and merchant culture, and international contact and war.

  • AMERICAN INDIAN LITERATURE
    English 334, Credits: 3

    This course explores contemporary writing and film by Native North American authors in relation to 1) ancient tribal traditions and languages; 2) the history of colonialism; 3) questions of cultural belonging and cultural appropriation; 4) the experiences of contemporary American Indians. Literary criticism and secondary sources introduce key issues in American Indian literary discourse and provide cultural and historical backgrounds.

  • ASIAN AMERICAN LITERATURE
    English 335, Credits: 3

    This course examines the rich and varied literatures produced by U.S. writers of Asian descent. It considers the complex ways in which 1) history, 2) socioeconomic structures, 3) group and individual experiences, 4) cultural values and traditions, and 5) collisions and collaborations with other cultural groups in the U.S. come together to (re)shape Asian American identity and literary contributions.

  • LATINX LITERATURE
    English 337, Credits: 3

    This course deepens students' knowledge of the literatures produced by U.S. citizens and/or U.S. residents of Latinx descent. It considers the complex ways in which 1) history, 2) group and individual experience, 3) cultural values and traditions, and 4) collisions and collaborations with other cultures in the US come together to shape Latinx identity, writing and overall literary expression.

  • EARLY BRITISH LITERATURE
    English 340, Credits: 3

    The course covers the cultural and literary periods from the beginning of writing in English to the late seventeenth century. Courses will rotate in theme or approach, and students will emerge with a firmer understanding of the literary and cultural heritage that informs subsequent literature.

  • LITERATURE OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE (1660-1820)
    English 343, Credits: 3

    This course will examine the various contexts; cultural, historical, and political; that comprise the long eighteenth century (1660-1820) as they are revealed by various modes of literary endeavor in Britain and its vast empire.

  • AMERICAN LITERATURE TO 1890
    English 344, Credits: 3

    An exploration of topics, periods, or genres in American literature from its origins through the Gilded Age. Themes will vary by term, but the course may consider Native American literature; colonial and early national literature; the American Renaissance; African American literature; women's writing; the Civil War; or regionalism, realism, and naturalism.

  • AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE, 1800 TO PRESENT
    English 345, Credits: 3

    A survey of essays, prose fiction, drama, and poetry written by African-Americans from the colonial period to the present.

  • SURVEY OF MODERN DRAMA
    English 346, Credits: 3

    Analysis of trends and developments in the modern theatre from Ibsen's realistic plays to off-off-Broadway drama with emphasis on literary history and staging problems. May be taught with Theatre faculty.

  • AMERICAN LITERATURE 1890 TO 1945
    English 348, Credits: 3

    A survey of the major developments in American Literature from 1890 to World War II, with an emphasis on the rise of Modernism.

  • NINETEENTH-CENTURY BRITISH LITERATURE
    English 350, Credits: 3

    An exploration of topics, periods, or genres in British literature from the Romantic through the Edwardian eras. Themes will vary and may include women's writing, colonial authors, children's literature, or periodicals; or address contemporary issues such as science, religion, socioeconomic class, gender, race, and empire; or focus on genre (poetry, drama, prose) or mode (sentimentalism, realism, sensationalism, fantasy, or aestheticism).

  • LITERATURE ON FILM
    English 352, Credits: 3

    This course examines the complex cultural work of adapting literature to film. Through critical analysis of narrative fiction - short stories, novels, plays, graphic novels - and the films they inspire, students will investigate the history, narrative, conventions, iconic elements, and cultural significance of literary adaptations to film. Repeatable with topic change.

  • STAGE PLAYS ON FILM
    English 354, Credits: 3

    In this course, students will study stage plays as well as the ways in which screenwriters and filmmakers adapt those plays for the big screen. Repeatable with change in topic.

  • TWENTIETH-CENTURY BRITISH LITERATURE
    English 360, Credits: 3

    This course examines the rapid evolution of British fiction, drama, and poetry during the twentieth century. Themes will vary from the experiments in modernism that open the century to the postmodern approaches to narrative and identity that close it, as students explore a literature often marked by anxiety over the peak and decline of the British empire.

  • AMERICAN LITERATURE IN THE POSTMODERN AGE (1945-PRESENT)
    English 363, Credits: 3

    This course is designed to acquaint students with the rich tradition of American fiction and poetry of the last fifty years. Focusing on such figures as Ellison, Plath, Morrison, Pynchon, Baraka, and Delillo, this course invites students to debate the role that literature plays in a postwar American society. In doing so, we will focus on how writers address such postwar developments as: dawn of the nuclear age, Vietnam, the rise of mass culture, and rapid technologizing of American society.

  • AMERICAN MINORITY WOMEN WRITERS
    English 368, Credits: 3

    A survey of poetry, fiction, drama, and essays written by African-American, Hispanic-American, Native American, and Asian-American women.

  • MULTICULTURAL DRAMA OF THE UNITED STATES
    English 369, Credits: 3

    The course examines the theatrical forms and the dramatic literature of African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Latinos/as, and Native Americans, and places them in the context of American theatre and U.S. social/political history.

  • ADVANCED COMPOSITION
    English 370, Credits: 3

    A course in advanced exposition and argumentation.

  • POETRY WRITING
    English 373, Credits: 3

    An intensive course in the writing of poetry requiring a minimum of 250 lines of good verse (after revision). The course will consider examples from some of the best contemporary verse, as well as criticism by students and the instructor of student work.

  • FICTION WRITING
    English 375, Credits: 3

    Theory, techniques, and practice of the writing of fiction. Requires a minimum of 50 pages of student writing, after careful revisions.

  • SCREENWRITING
    English 376, Credits: 3

    Practical experience in writing scripts for cinema and/or television, with special emphasis on the creative, theoretical, and critical processes.

  • PROSE STYLISTICS
    English 378, Credits: 3

    Introduction to analysis of prose style through intensive study of a broad range of contemporary styles ranging from popular to business, technical and academic styles. Application of the principles of style in student writing.

  • CREATIVE NONFICTION
    English 380, Credits: 3

    This workshop introduces students to the history, theory, tradition and practice of creative nonfiction in its many forms, including the edited journal, personal essay and memoir, nature essay, literary journalism, and academic/cultural criticism. Through a mix of seminar-style discussions, graduated writing assignments, and intensive workshop response and revision, students work to develop a substantive portfolio (40-50 pages) of their own work by the end of the semester.

  • NATURE WRITING
    English 386, Credits: 3

    An intensive writing workshop that provides students with an introducion to the history, theory, techniques, and practice of American nature writing in its many forms.

  • SPECIAL TOPICS WRITING WORKSHOP
    English 387, Credits: 3

    Creative writing workshop, variable topics.

  • THE CURRENT WRITING SCENE
    English 388, Credits: 3

    An intensive study of the range of current writing, with practice in written composition which may qualify students for professional employment.

  • SHAKESPEARE
    English 404, Credits: 3

    A study of the works of Shakespeare which will include representative genres and which will not duplicate works studied in English 405.

  • SHAKESPEARE
    English 405, Credits: 3

    A study of the works of Shakespeare which will include representative genres and which will not duplicate works studied in English 404.

  • CURRENT THEORIES OF COMPOSITION FOR TEACHERS
    English 471, Credits: 3

    A course in theories and methods of teaching composition, including practice in the evaluating of student writing. Recommended for Juniors and Seniors only.

  • SEMINAR IN LITERATURE BEFORE 1800
    English 480, Credits: 3

    As the capstone course for English Literature and English Education majors, this senior seminar will offer the student an intensive study of a topic in literature before 1800, including a semester-long research project and an oral presentation. Topics will vary.

  • SEMINAR IN LITERATURE AFTER 1800
    English 482, Credits: 3

    As the capstone course for English Literature and English Education majors, this senior seminar will offer the student an intensive study of a topic in literature after 1800, including a semester-long research project and an oral presentation. Topics will vary.

  • ADVANCED WRITERS' STUDIO
    English 488, Credits: 3

    A closely guided program of instruction in writing, determined in consultation with the instructor, ranging from creative writing to scholarly analysis. Repeatable two times for a maximum of 6 credits in major.

  • WORKSHOP
    English 49, Credits: 1-3

    Variable credit course offering with a defined topic. Repeatable with a change of topic.

  • WORKSHOP
    English 490, Credits: 1-3

    Variable topics published prior to registration.

  • TRAVEL STUDY
    English 491, Credits: 1-3

    Variable topics. Faculty-led courses abroad.

  • APPLIED STUDY: INTERNSHIP IN WRITING
    English 493, Credits: 1-6

    Offered on a satisfactory/no credit basis only. Internships, as available, in business or government for suitably prepared students wishing to make careers as writers. Repeatable for a maximum of six credits in degree.

  • SPECIAL STUDIES
    English 496, Credits: 2-4

    Variable topics. Group activity. Not offered regularly in the curriculum but offered on topics selected on the basis of timeliness, need, and interest, and generally in the format of regularly scheduled Catalog offerings. Repeatable only with change of topic.

  • EXCHANGE STUDY
    English 497, Credits: 1-12

    Variable topics.

  • INDEPENDENT STUDY
    English 498, Credits: 1-3

    Study of a selected topic or topics under the direction of a faculty member. Repeatable.

  • INDEPENDENT STUDY - UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
    English 498R, Credits: 1-3

    Study of a selected topic or topics under the direction of a faculty member. Repeatable.

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