English
(ENGL)
099—Pre-College English, 3 Cr.
Students who desire a semester of
pre-college writing instruction may elect to enroll in ENGL 099. Highly individualized
instruction helps 099 students to improve in all stages of the writing process.
As they work through a sequence of formal and informal writing assignments,
students will learn to more effectively invent, plan, draft, revise, and edit
to correct errors in usage, syntax, grammar, and punctuation. The research and
argumentation introduced in ENGL 099 prepare students for the more thorough
treatment of those subjects in ENGL 103 and 104. Students in 099 are challenged
to read and respond effectively to assigned texts and peer writings, building
from comprehension toward critical analysis. Offered fall semester. Credits not
applicable toward graduation. Credits included in term credit load for student
status. Grade points calculated in the grade point average.
103—Composition and the Elements of
Argument, 3 Cr.
In this introduction to college
writing, students travel a trajectory from expressive personal writing to
purposeful argumentation. Students learn to use personal experience to engage
readers and support limited claims, while also learning to read closely in
order to summarize, analyze, and respond to written texts. Students gain
instruction in research methods and strategies of argumentation, as well as
essentials of argumentative writing such as thesis, evidence, organization, and
sentence-level effectiveness. By the end of the semester students will be able
to write thesis-driven arguments that integrate their own experience with
sources that represent multiple perspectives on an issue. Students are
introduced to research, using the Internet and the Viterbo University library.
Grade of C required to pass the course. Prerequisite to all other English
courses.
104—Composition and Literature, 3
Cr.
ENGL 104, the second of two required
composition courses in Viterbo University’s general education curriculum, is a
topic-based writing course. Instructors determine a topical focus for their 104
sections—topics might include the environment, immigration, health care,
gender, or poverty. Within that topical framework, ENGL 104 introduces students
to the conventions of literary genres such as fiction, poetry, drama, and
literary non-fiction. Supplemental texts may be drawn from journalism, the
humanities, film, and the arts and sciences. By examining literature within a
wider social context, students see the relationship between art and culture,
while gaining an introduction to literary studies. ENGL 104 extends the focus
on argumentation, research, and the writing process established in ENGL 103. The
course culminates in a research project. Prerequisite: grade of C or higher in
103.
105—Accelerated Composition, 4 Cr.
This first-year writing class develops
students’ skills in college-level argument through practice, guidance, and
collaborative learning. In addition to reading texts critically, writing
frequently, and completing several major assignments, students work on their
writing in small group settings. Writing assignments include literary analysis
and researched arguments using literary and non-literary sources. Topics or
themes for the course vary. Grade of C required to pass. Prerequisite:
placement.
127—Symposium, 1 Cr.
Spring course that brings together
English majors and faculty to explore literary/cultural interests. Juniors in
the course present a paper written in ENGL 455. Additionally, seniors defend a
thesis written in ENGL 481.
195—Honors Writing Seminar, 4 Cr.
Designed specifically for students
enrolled in the Honors Program, this first-year writing seminar facilitates
students’ development into skilled practitioners of college-level argument
through practice, guidance, and collaborative learning. In addition to reading
complex texts critically, writing frequently, and completing several major
assignments of increasing complexity, students will work with a similar group
in a lab setting on the processes of writing. Writing assignments include
literary analysis and researched argument essays using sources as wide ranging
as literature, visual sources, film, and scholarly articles. Topics or themes
for the course vary from year to year. Restricted to students admitted to the Honors
Program.
201—News Reporting and Writing, 3
Cr.
Introduction to basic news writing with
training in methods of news gathering, reporting, and news writing. Experience
in writing for Lumen, the bi-weekly
university newspaper.
204—Environmental Literature, 3 Cr.
General overview of non-fiction,
fiction, and poetry that explores the relationships between humans and their
environments. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
208—The Short Story, 3 Cr.
The course will be flexible to allow
for a survey of English, European, North or South American writers, for the
history of the genre, or for a thematic or topical focus. Prerequisite: 104 or
C or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
210—Student Newspaper Experience, 1
Cr.
Supervised involvement in Lumen,
the biweekly student newspaper, including researching and writing news/feature
stories for publication. Weekly class meetings and discussions. Prerequisite:
201. May be repeated for credit to a maximum of four credits.
211—Introduction to Creative
Writing, 3 Cr.
Through course readings, writing
exercises, and creative compositions, this course helps students engage the
conventions of three literary genres - fiction, poetry, and creative
non-fiction - from the standpoint of writers. Students begin learning to
channel artistic expression in order to communicate intended effects to
audiences. Reflective essay assignments help students to articulate the nature
of their own learning in the course. Students learn to participate effectively
in a workshop setting by responding orally and in writing to the work of their
peers. At the end of the course, students will have completed successful works
in all three genres. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105 or C or higher in
195.
220—Survey of American Literature I,
3 Cr.
General overview of American literature
from Native American myths and legends to Emily Dickinson. The survey includes
such works as Anne Bradstreet’s poetry, Jonathan Edwards’s sermons, Washington
Irving’s short stories, works by Hawthorne, Melville, Thoreau, and Whitman, and
Margaret Fuller’s essays. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105 or C or
higher in 195.
221—Survey of American Literature
II, 3 Cr.
General overview of American fiction
and poetry from the post-Civil War to the post-World War II era, including
works by such canonical authors as Twain, James, Hemingway, Frost, Eliot,
Stevens, Faulkner. Attention will also be given to influential
African-American, Native American, and women writers such as Hughes, Baldwin,
Hurston, Cather, Erdrich, Plath. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105 or C
or higher in 195.
227—Symposium, 1 Cr.
Spring course that brings together
English majors and faculty to explore literary/cultural interests. Juniors in
the course present a paper written in ENGL 455. Additionally, seniors defend a
thesis written in ENGL 481.
231—Survey of British Literature I,
3 Cr.
Overview of Early, Medieval,
Renaissance, Restoration, and Eighteenth-Century texts, such as Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, Everyman,
Utopia, Doctor Faustus, and a Shakespeare play. Prerequisite:
104 or C or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
232—Survey of British Literature II,
3 Cr.
Overview of important British Romantic,
Victorian, Modern, and Post-modern writers. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in
105 or C or higher in 195.
233—British Literature Survey III, 3
Cr.
Overview of important British fiction, poetry,
and drama of the modern and contemporary periods (early 20th century
to the present). Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
243—Literature and the Healing Arts,
3 Cr.
Literature and the Healing Arts
examines the universal concerns of health, sickness, death, and healing through
the lens of literature. Analyzing selected poems, short fiction, novels, and
essays, students will examine the themes of suffering, sickness, healing,
medical practices, death and dying, and grief. Students will also explore how
literature can play an important role in healing or care giving, especially in
aiding medical personnel to understand the needs of patients as unique
individuals, to communicate with people who have limited medical knowledge, and
to express compassion and empathy in the face of tragedy and grief. While the
course benefits anyone interested in literature and the healing arts, it will
be especially useful for students planning careers in the medical field. Prerequisite:
104 or C or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
253—Introduction to Fiction, Poetry,
and Drama, 3 Cr.
Required
for all English majors, ENGL 253 studies poetry, fiction, and drama through the
lens of genre. Students learn the conventions of genre in literature and apply
them to research and write literary-critical arguments.
255—Introduction to Literary Studies,
3 Cr.
English majors survey literary genres,
build research skills specific to English, practice close reading, and apply
two to three theoretical approaches to interpreting texts. Students analyze
literary criticism and integrate MLA style with other conventions of literary
analysis. Students also discuss English-related careers and plan their remaining
curriculum within the major. A student who fails ENGL-255 twice
will be dismissed from the English major. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105
or C or higher in 195.
257—Literature of Work, 3 Cr.
Course traces the cultural and
historical concepts of work and working people beginning in Colonial America
and Victorian England and ending with contemporary American film. Authors
include Terkel, Melville, Lewis, Miller, and Marx. Prerequisite: 103 or 105 or
195.
303—The Modern British Novel, 3 Cr.
Intensive study of major British novels
since 1900, by such authors as Conrad, Forster, Joyce, Lawrence, Ford, Woolf,
Huxley, Waugh, and Greene. The course may survey a number of novelists or focus
on works by one or two writers. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105 or C or
higher in 195.
307—Argumentative Writing, 3 Cr.
Taking up where English 103 leaves off,
this course examines the formal elements of argument: claims, warrants,
support, induction, deduction, logical fallacies, and classical argumentative
structures. Students analyze arguments and create their own in original essays.
Recommended for Pre-law program. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105 or C
or higher in 195.
309—Non-Western Literature, 3 Cr.
Multi-cultural study of works by Asian,
Middle Eastern, African, Central and South American, and Mexican writers,
including such authors as Achebe, Soyinka, Head, Gordimer, Tan, Endo, Mishima,
Mahfouz, Allende, Amado, Borges, Garcia Marquez. Prerequisite: 104 or C or
higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
310—Creative Non-Fiction, 3 Cr.
Designed for writers with experience in
argumentative writing, this course introduces the larger tradition of the
essay. Course readings highlight the history of the genre and focus on
contemporary work in memoir, the personal essay, the collage essay, the
portrait, the essay of place, and other varieties of creative non-fiction. The
course emphasizes style and intention in relationship to genre conventions and
audience expectations and focuses on writing as a multi-faceted process,
including invention, planning, primary and secondary research, drafting, and
revision. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
311—Creative Writing: Fiction, 3 Cr.
Designed
for writers with experience in expository writing and interest in pursuing
creative work in fiction. Students read with an emphasis on craft, intention,
and effect. Students practice artistic observation, description, exposition,
and narrative as they build toward finished fiction pieces in various styles.
Prerequisite: 211.
312—Creative Writing: Poetry, 3 Cr.
Designed for writers with experience in
expository writing and interest in pursuing creative work in poetry. Students
read a wide variety of poetic works with an emphasis on craft, intention,
effect, and varieties of meaning in poetry. Students practice artistic
observation, description, figurative language, and the craft of poetic
structure as they build toward finished poems in various forms. Prerequisite:
211.
313—Travel Writing, 3 Cr.
Designed around an international or
domestic travel experience, “Travel Writing” is split into an academic session
(two hours per week during the spring semester) and a travel session (two weeks
in May/June). During the academic session, students will receive instruction
and practice in the art of travel writing, while readings exhibit the ways that
professional writers weave travel into their works. During the travel session,
students gather details of history and place, while observing their own
psychological and physical adaptations to traveling. Students write significant
passages each day, to be read aloud and discussed during six workshop meetings
held at various sites during the trip. Two weeks after our return, the
completed travel writing project, incorporating material written during the
travel session, is due.
English 313 allows students to take on
position of the attentive observer in a new environment. Students will learn
valuable new approaches to the art of writing: how to anticipate and plan
writing experiences, and how to adopt the perspective of a traveler, even in
native locations. Prerequisite: 103 or 105 or 195.
319—Feature Writing, 3 Cr.
Planning and writing of feature
articles suitable for newspaper and/or magazine publication, including human
interest, color, seasonal, how-to-do-it stories, profiles, narratives,
essay-reviews. Emphasis on interviewing, research, information gathering
techniques, story structure, style, tone, reading, and analysis of published
feature articles by professional authors. Prerequisite: 201.
320—American Renaissance, 3 Cr.
Intensive examination of major poets,
novelists and essayists of the Golden Age of American literature, including
such authors as Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, Fuller, Melville, Dickinson,
Hawthorne, Poe, Stowe. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105 or C or higher
in 195.
321—American Masterpieces, 3 Cr.
Representative works from major American
writers; relationship to historical and cultural background. Prerequisite: 104
or C or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
322—American Fiction since 1945, 3
Cr.
Contemporary American fiction: its
writers, themes, trends, and interrelations, in the context of important
historical and cultural developments since World War II. Study of such authors
as Updike, Pynchon, Oates, Moore, Carver, and DeLillo. Prerequisite:
104 or C or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
324—The American Novel to 1900, 3
Cr.
Intensive study of major American
novelists of the 18th and 19th centuries - such as Rowlandson, Brown, Cooper,
Hawthorne, Melville, Stowe, Twain, Howells, James, Crane - and of important
literary movements such as romanticism, psychological and social realism,
regionalism, and naturalism. The course may survey a number of novelists or
focus on the work of one or two. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105 or C
or higher in 195.
325—The American Novel to 1945, 3
Cr.
Intensive
study of major American novels by such authors as Hawthorne, Melville, James,
Dreiser, Faulkner, Cather, Hurston. The course may survey a number of novels
from one or more periods and traditions, or focus on works by one or two
writers. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
326—The English Novel to 1900, 3 Cr.
Detailed
examination of representative 18th and/or 19th-century British novels with a
focus on understanding the assigned works within their historical and cultural
contexts. This course may center on a special topic for example, the Gothic in
18th and 19th-century British fiction. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105
or C or higher in 195.
327—Symposium, 1 Cr.
Spring course that brings together
English majors and faculty to explore literary/cultural interests. Juniors in
the course present a paper written in ENGL 455. Additionally, seniors defend a
thesis written in ENGL 481.
328—Chaucer and His Age, 3 Cr.
Readings in Middle English of The Canterbury Tales, other works by
Chaucer; consideration of other important Medieval authors such as Malory and
the Gawain poet. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
336—Shakespeare, 3 Cr.
Major comedies, histories, and
tragedies studied as poetry and as drama; selections from the sonnets. Prerequisite:
104 or C or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
338—Renaissance and 17th
Century British Literature, 3 Cr.
Study of major non-Shakespearean
British writers of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods and of the English
Civil War (roughly 1580–1660), including poetry, prose, and drama by authors
such as Marlowe, Sidney, Spenser, Jonson, Milton, Elizabeth I, Wroth, Lanyer,
and more. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
341—Greek and Roman Literature, 3
Cr.
Greek and Roman epic, drama,
philosophical dialogues, and lyrics; background of classical mythology. Prerequisite:
104 or C or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
345—The European Novel, 3 Cr.
Representative works of major
continental novelists such as Cervantes, Flaubert, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Mann,
Kafka, Camus, Robbe-Grillet. Studied in English. Prerequisite: 104 or C or
higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
346—Women Writers to 1700, 3 Cr.
This course focuses on a selection of
16th and 17th-century British women writers working with poetry, letters,
political speeches, prose, fiction, and drama. Authors may include Elizabeth I,
Wroth, Phillips, Cavendish, and Behn. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105
or C or higher in 195.
347—Women Writers after 1700, 3 Cr.
Study
of prose and/or poetry written by women after 1700. Attention to issues of
gender, ethnicity, and social class with brief consideration of feminist
literacy criticism. This course may also center on a special topic in women’s
literature for example, the Female Bildungsroman.
Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
354—Western Masterpieces, 3 Cr.
Study of major European writers from
the Middle Ages to the 20th Century, including masterpieces of
fiction, poetry, and drama by such authors as Dante, Moliere, Voltaire, Goethe,
Baudelaire, Flaubert, Dostoyevsky, Ibsen, Mann, Camus, Beckett. Prerequisite:
104 or C or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
360—Latin American Fiction Around the Boom, 3 Cr.
This course
concentrates on the Latin American boom of the 1960s. In the fiction of Julio
Cortázar, Carlos Fuentes, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, students will discover
the same fragmentation, recursiveness, self-reflexivity, and formal
transgression that characterize the decade’s postmodernist technique outside of
Latin America. But the course will also consider the economic, political, and
cultural conditions responsible for the boom, the legacies of J. L. Borges and
Alejo Carpentier, and the distinctive features of magical realism. The course
will also sample representative writers from the aftermath of the Boom,
including women like Isabelle Allende, Cristina Peri Rossi, Luisa Valenzuela,
Rosario Ferré, and Angelica Gorodischer. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105
or C or higher in 195.
364—Formal British Poetry, 3 Cr.
Formal British Poetry will cover formal
poetry from the Renaissance through the early modern period; poets studies will
include such major figures as Wyatt, Spenser, Donne, Dryden, Milton.
365—Themes in Late British Poetry, 3
Cr.
Themes in Late British Poetry will
cover the modern contemporary periods – both formal and open form poetry. Poets
studies will include such major figures as Wordsworth, Tennyson, Yeats, Auden,
Larkin.
370—18th Century British Literature,
3 Cr.
Study of prose and/or poetry of the
Neo-classical period in English literature. Focus on understanding the works
within their historical and cultural contexts. This course may also center on a
special topic in 18th-century literature. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in
105 or C or higher in 195.
375—English Romantic Literature, 3
Cr.
Detailed examination of the literature
written in England during the first third of the 19th century with a focus on
understanding the assigned works within their historical and cultural contexts.
Includes analysis of non-canonical writers as well as emphasis on the major
poets of the era. The course will examine at least two novels from the period
and may center on a special topic in English Romanticism. Prerequisite: 104 or C
or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
380—Victorian Literature, 3 Cr.
In-depth analysis of English poetry and
prose written during the middle and late 19th century. Emphasis on
understanding the assigned works within their historical and cultural contexts.
Includes such writers as Dickens, Gaskell, Tennyson, Browning, Arnold, the
Pre-Raphaelites, Hopkins, Wilde, and Hardy. Examines at least two novels from
the period and may center on a special topic in Victorian literature. Prerequisite:
104 or C or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
385—Modern and Contemporary Poets, 3
Cr.
Course will be flexible to allow focus
on a survey of women poets, on regional writers, on North and South American
poets, or on a single theme or topic. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105
or C or higher in 195.
390—Point of View and Narrative, 3
Cr.
This course examines short fictions of
varying points of view. The readings will cover essays in narrative theory and
point of view, but the main focus of the course will be hands-on discussion of
fiction in terms of point of view. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105 or C
or higher in 195.
394—Literature for Young Adults, 3
Cr.
An analysis of selected prose and
poetry especially suitable for students of middle and high school age. Prerequisite:
104 or C or higher in 105 or C or higher in 195.
395—English Grammars, 3 Cr.
Different methods of describing the
grammar of the English language: its phonology, morphology, syntax, and
semantics, including traditional and structural grammars.
396—History of the English Language,
3 Cr.
A study of the origins and development
of the English language from its origin in the sixth Century to its continuing
evolution today, including European and non-European influences on American
English.
401—Tutoring of Writing Seminar, 1
Cr.
Provides practical training for upper
division students who tutor ENGL 103 students in the Viterbo University Learning
Center. Peer tutors are trained to work in an inquiry-based, collaborative mode:
1) the student writer maintains control of his/her work at all times, and 2)
peer tutors guide student writers toward critical realizations by means of
question asking. Peer tutors hone skills of inquiry through a number of
mock-tutoring exercises. Peer tutors also spend time reviewing upcoming ENGL
103 assignments, responding to representative samples of work by ENGL 103
students, and reviewing the overall goals of the ENGL 103 curriculum. The
course provides excellent practical training for students going on to work in
any kind of publishing, marketing, teaching, or other work involving the
collaborative production of texts. In particular, the course offers excellent
preparation for students hoping to attain assistantships or fellowships to
support future graduate study.
426—Thesis Proposal, 1 Cr.
Students research, draft, revise, and
submit their senior thesis project proposal, using the senior thesis criteria
in the appropriate area of emphasis. Students will identify and meet monthly
with their secondary reader to develop the thesis proposal. Students practice
presentations in preparation for the senior defense in the spring. Students
also prepare a draft of their graduation portfolio. Restricted to English
majors and students with junior standing or higher.
427—Symposium, 1 Cr.
Spring course that brings together
English majors and faculty to explore literary/cultural interests. Juniors in
the course present a paper written in ENGL 455. Additionally, seniors defend a
thesis written in ENGL 481.
440—Early American Literature Seminar,
3 Cr.
Historically-based, intensive study of
major American writers of poetry, journals, letters, autobiography, fiction,
non-fiction prose; research in literary criticism and theory. Designed for
junior-senior English majors and minors. Prerequisite: 220 or 221.
442—Late American Literature Seminar,
3 Cr.
Historically-based, intensive study of
major American writers of poetry, fiction, drama, non-fiction prose; research
in literary criticism and theory. Designed for junior-senior English majors and
minors. Prerequisite: 220 or 221.
444—Early British Literature Seminar,
3 Cr.
Historically-based, intensive study of
major British writers of poetry, fiction, drama, non-fiction prose; research in
literary criticism and theory. Designed for junior-senior English majors and
minors. Prerequisite: 231 or 232 or 233 or THTR 291.
446—Late British Literature Seminar,
3 Cr.
Historically-based, intensive study of
major British writers of poetry, fiction, drama, non-fiction prose; research in
literary criticism and theory. Designed for junior-senior English majors and
minors. Prerequisite: 231 or 232 or 233 or THTR 291.
455—Literature and Applied Theory, 3
Cr.
Intensive, in-depth study of a selected
literary topic or major author. Prerequisites: 255; a 200 or 300-level
literature course; approval of the sophomore portfolio. May be repeated for
credit.
480—Literary Criticism and Theory, 3
Cr.
Intensive study of influential literary
theories of the past 50 years, including structuralism, post-structuralism,
deconstruction, psychoanalysis, reader response, feminism, Marxism, New
Historicism, and cultural studies. Prerequisite: 104 or C or higher in 105
or C or higher in 195.
481—Senior Thesis II, 1 Cr.
Preparation and public defense in ENGL
427 of a senior thesis appropriate to the student’s concentration in writing,
literature, or pedagogy. Weekly seminar meetings and workshops. Prerequisites:
426, 455.