English (B.A.)
Faculty
Dr. Elizabeth Child, Professor of English (program chair)
Dr. Pamela Barnett, Dean, College of Arts & Sciences; Distinguished Professor of English
Dr. Bill Beverly, Associate Professor of English
Ms. Wendy Bilen, Assistant Professor of English
Dr. Rewa Burnham, Assistant Professor of English
The English program is also supported by a dedicated team of Instructional Specialists.
Description
The English Program provides students with opportunities to study literature in English and to develop facility in original writing, including academic, professional, and creative writing. Our courses are contemporary and challenging: they embrace Trinity’s interdisciplinary curriculum and focus on gender, race, and ethnicity. Students study the traditional canon of literary works as well as ideas and texts that have challenged the canon’s centrality. Our courses are particularly attentive to literature by and about women, and to literature written in English by members of diverse cultures in the United States and internationally.
The core of courses required for the English major provide an understanding of literary genres, of themes and movements, and of major figures. Consistent with Trinity’s mission, the English Program stresses the development of the ability to analyze, criticize, and synthesize the structures and ideas encountered in texts; the viewing of literature as the reflection of diverse cultures; and the understanding of literature as a sociological and political event and as a commentary on human values, particularly values related to justice, gender, and race.
The skills and insights developed in English courses are highly prized in the professional and scholarly worlds. English students develop the ability to conceive, write, and present nuanced arguments and analyses; they research and think critically; their ability to think empathetically and interdisciplinary make them into conscientious, creative communicators and leaders.
Through research projects and seminar participation, students develop the ability to reason, write, and speak persuasively. Through creative writing electives and practicum experience, students combine studio art training with hands-on project administration. The Program’s faculty members, all practicing researchers and writers, encourage English majors to view and develop themselves as independent researchers.
The English Program supports both a major and a minor in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Major Requirements
To fulfill the requirements of the B.A. in English, students must complete 39 hours of required coursework in the following areas:
| General Education Literature Requirement |
3 credits |
| Major British or U.S. Authors Survey Requirement |
9 credits |
| Major Figures Requirement |
6 credits |
| Major Genres and Movements Study |
3 credits |
| Literary and Critical Theory |
3 credits |
| English Electives |
12 credits |
| Senior Colloquium |
3 credits |
General Education Literature Requirement (3 credits)
Choose any class that satisfies the English knowledge and inquiry requirement in the first year of the major. Any one of the following will fulfill this requirement:
ENGL 150 Writing about LiteratureThis course introduces students to the study of literature. Students will engage in critical reading, analysis and discussion, founding argument on close textual reading, and the development and writing of thesis-centered essays about literature. Literary criticism and theory, research methods, and documentation techniques will also be covered.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 220 African American LiteratureThis course introduces students to the study of African American literature, including the vernacular tradition, the New Negro Renaissance of the early twentieth century, periods of realism and modernism in the late 1940s and early 1960s, the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, and newer voices at the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century. Students will practice literary analysis and study the literary techniques and genres belonging to this literature, as well as the ways in which the texts attempt to reinvent, disrupt, or challenge traditional European/North American literary traditions and criticisms. Many of the texts will engage the meaning of race, the forced migration of Africans to the Americas, racism and black resistance to it, institutionalized enslavement and strategies for survival, economic oppression, the celebration of blackness, and the literary achievements of black authors. Biographical, historical, and political contexts will be examined as ways to enrich the reading of the texts.
3 credits
General Education Requirement: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 267 Multicultural United States LiteratureExamines largely contemporary writings by writers representing the diverse cultures in the US with a consideration of the ways in which difference or "the other" may be constructed. Formerly ENG 200 Multicultural US Literature.
3 credits
General Education Requirement: Knowledge and Inquiry
Core Area II: Understanding the Self and Society
ENGL 271 Literature of the African DiasporaIntroduces students to the study of literature written by authors of African descent in Europe and the Americas and explores the development of an international and multicultural consciousness with Africa and the Diaspora as its referents. Formerly ENG 204 Literature of the African Diaspora.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
General Education Requirement: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 283 Stories and Their WritersIntroduces the study of prose fiction, both classic and contemporary, in its multicultural contexts, with attention to form, theme, major figures, and historical contexts and influences. Formerly ENG 205 Stories and Their Writers.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 284 Modern Lives: Memoir as LiteratureFocuses on memoirs published in the last hundred years. As a genre, memoir touches on topics such as childhood experiences, coming-of-age moments, social issues, identity, addiction, illness and mental illness, triumphs and loss. Students will explore key features of this genre through close reading and literary analysis. The fallibility of memory, the nature of truth, and debates surrounding memoir will be discussed, along with the validity of personal narrative as a way of capturing history.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
Prerequisites: ENGL 107
ENGL 285 Plays and PlaywrightsIntroduces students to the study of drama as a genre with its origins in Greek tragedy; students will read and analyze plays from classical Greece, the medieval period, the 19th and 20th centuries, and today's theater in order to understand the development of drama; plays currently in production in Washington, DC, will be reviewed. Formerly ENG 206 Plays and Playwrights.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 310 Tales of Terror: Gothic Fiction and FilmIntroduces students to major works in the Gothic genre from the 18th century to the present; emphasizes characteristics and evolution of horror as a topic for narrative. Formerly ENGL 287, Tales of Terror: Gothic Fiction.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107
General Education Requirement: Knowledge and Inquiry.
Major British and U.S. Authors Requirement (9 credits)
THREE of the following courses, which examine the work of writers whose ideas and achievements have shaped and are shaping literature in English.
ENGL 211 Major British Writers IStudies varied authors and movements from the early periods of English literature to the 18th century to provide students with the necessary tools for literary analysis and with a sense of the literary history of Britain and its colonies. Formerly ENG 215 Major Authors I.
3 credits
ENGL 212 Major British Writers IIStudies varied British and Anglophone authors, texts, and films from 1800 to the 20th century in order to promote students' skills in literary analysis and their knowledge of the history of literature in English, including such important literary movements as modernism and post-colonialism. Formerly ENG 216 Major Authors II.
3 credits
ENGL 214 Major United States Writers IStudies varied major works and authors from the earliest US writing through the late nineteenth century. Formerly ENG 251 American Literature I.
3 credits
ENGL 215 Major United States Writers IIStudies major US literary works in a variety of genres from the late 1800s to the present, including poetry, fiction, and drama. Formerly ENG 252 American Literature II.
3 credits
Major Figures Study (6 credits)
TWO courses at the 300-level or above specifically devoted to the work of one author or a limited set of authors. Please note that ENGL 389 is a pre-requisite for courses numbered at 305 and above. Sample courses include:
ENGL 325 Works of ShakespeareStudies selected plays of Shakespeare in all the major genres, including comedy, tragedy, history, and romance, as well as introduces students to Shakespearean poetry.
3 credits
ENGL 434 Jane Austen and Her InfluenceAnalyzes the novels of Jane Austen and adaptations of her works,to evaluate the ways in which Austen has contributed to and influenced the evolution of the novel as a literary genre. Formerly ENG 347 Novels of Jane Austen.
3 credits.
Prerequisites: ENGL 389
ENGL 435 The Bronte SistersAnalyzes the novels of Anne Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, and Emily Bronte; their links to biography; and their exploration of women's lives and roles, with consideration of intertextuality as evidenced in the works of film directors, poets, and novelists which turn on the Bronte sisters themselves and their works, such as Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea. Formerly ENG 447 The Brontë Sisters.
3 credits
ENGL 451 Writers of the American SouthInquires into the effect of Southern life, history, and culture on the development of American authorship, focusing on the work of two or three authors. Writers to be considered may include Kate Chopin, Zora Neale Hurston, Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner, and others.
3 credits
FLC Seminar II
ENGL 470 Wright, Ellison, and BaldwinExamines the novels, short stories, and essays of Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, and James Baldwin. Themes addressed may include racial and ethnic politics and literature, world conflict, Paul Gilroy's theory of "the Black Atlantic," jazz, queer theory and gender politics, and the development of the African American novel in the 20th century.
3 credits
ENGL 471 The Major Works of Octavia ButlerExplores selected novels and short stories of Octavia Butler while paying close attention to the political context of Butler’s work and the conventions of science fiction and fantasy literature.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107, ENGL 389
ENGL 476 Seminar on Toni MorrisonExamines the novels and selected shorter writings of Toni Morrison, with special interest in the literary commentary on race, gender, and oppression. Formerly ENG 303 Seminar on Toni Morrison.
3 credits
FLC Seminar II
Major Genres and Movements Study (3 credits)
ONE course that uses genre or literary period as a category of analysis. Please note that ENGL 389 is a pre-requisite for courses numbered 305 and above. Sample courses include:
ENGL 273 African American PoetryExplores traditional and experimental poetry by African American writers. Formerly ENG 203 African American Poetry.
3 credits
ENGL 282 Reading FilmIntroduces the study of feature film, both classic and contemporary, in its multicultural contexts, with attention to form, genre, historical contexts and influences, and techniques of reading, analyzing, and discussing filmic narrative.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107
ENGL 283 Stories and Their WritersIntroduces the study of prose fiction, both classic and contemporary, in its multicultural contexts, with attention to form, theme, major figures, and historical contexts and influences. Formerly ENG 205 Stories and Their Writers.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 284 Modern Lives: Memoir as LiteratureFocuses on memoirs published in the last hundred years. As a genre, memoir touches on topics such as childhood experiences, coming-of-age moments, social issues, identity, addiction, illness and mental illness, triumphs and loss. Students will explore key features of this genre through close reading and literary analysis. The fallibility of memory, the nature of truth, and debates surrounding memoir will be discussed, along with the validity of personal narrative as a way of capturing history.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
Prerequisites: ENGL 107
ENGL 285 Plays and PlaywrightsIntroduces students to the study of drama as a genre with its origins in Greek tragedy; students will read and analyze plays from classical Greece, the medieval period, the 19th and 20th centuries, and today's theater in order to understand the development of drama; plays currently in production in Washington, DC, will be reviewed. Formerly ENG 206 Plays and Playwrights.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 310 Tales of Terror: Gothic Fiction and FilmIntroduces students to major works in the Gothic genre from the 18th century to the present; emphasizes characteristics and evolution of horror as a topic for narrative. Formerly ENGL 287, Tales of Terror: Gothic Fiction.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107
General Education Requirement: Knowledge and Inquiry.
ENGL 341 Modernism and the Harlem RenaissanceExamines literature produced by Americans in the period immediately following the First World War and emphasizes the literature of the New Negro Renaissance. Students will read literature by Eliot, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Hughes, Larsen, Hurston, McKay, Toomer, and others.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107; one ENGL course at the 200 level, which may be taken concurrently.
ENGL 363 American Short FictionAnalyzes selected short fiction by US writers and the history, traditions, and revisions of short fiction genres in texts ranging from the early 19th century through contemporary fiction. Formerly ENG 355 American Short Fiction.
3 credits
ENGL 365 Contemporary United States FictionConsiders the issues explored by contemporary US writers and the challenges they make to traditional fictional genres, including the novel. Formerly ENG 361 Contemporary American Fiction.
3 credits
Literary and Critical Theory (3 credits)
ENGL 389 Literary and Critical TheoryIntroduces traditional and contemporary models of literary criticism and theory through practical interpretation of literary texts. Formerly ENG 397 Literary and Critical Theory.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Two literature courses at the 200-level or higher
Gen Ed Area: Capstone Seminar
Students must take this course before progressing to courses numbered 305 and higher in English.
English Electives (12 credits)
FOUR additional English courses at the 200-level or higher, two of which must be at the 300-level or higher.
Senior Colloquium (3 credits)
ENGL 499 Senior ColloquiumEncourages the English majors to synthesize their studies in English and other fields; directs students in the writing of an original and scholarly research paper. Offered in the Fall semester. Formerly ENG 497 Senior Colloquium.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Senior status
In the Senior Colloquium, English majors write the senior comprehensive paper. Pre-requisite: ENGL 389 Literary and Critical TheoryIntroduces traditional and contemporary models of literary criticism and theory through practical interpretation of literary texts. Formerly ENG 397 Literary and Critical Theory.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Two literature courses at the 200-level or higher
Gen Ed Area: Capstone Seminar; senior status.
Minor Requirements
General Education Literature Requirement (3 credits)
Choose any class that satisfies the English knowledge and inquiry requirement in the first year of the major. Any one of the following will fulfill this requirement:
ENGL 150 Writing about LiteratureThis course introduces students to the study of literature. Students will engage in critical reading, analysis and discussion, founding argument on close textual reading, and the development and writing of thesis-centered essays about literature. Literary criticism and theory, research methods, and documentation techniques will also be covered.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 220 African American LiteratureThis course introduces students to the study of African American literature, including the vernacular tradition, the New Negro Renaissance of the early twentieth century, periods of realism and modernism in the late 1940s and early 1960s, the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, and newer voices at the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century. Students will practice literary analysis and study the literary techniques and genres belonging to this literature, as well as the ways in which the texts attempt to reinvent, disrupt, or challenge traditional European/North American literary traditions and criticisms. Many of the texts will engage the meaning of race, the forced migration of Africans to the Americas, racism and black resistance to it, institutionalized enslavement and strategies for survival, economic oppression, the celebration of blackness, and the literary achievements of black authors. Biographical, historical, and political contexts will be examined as ways to enrich the reading of the texts.
3 credits
General Education Requirement: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 267 Multicultural United States LiteratureExamines largely contemporary writings by writers representing the diverse cultures in the US with a consideration of the ways in which difference or "the other" may be constructed. Formerly ENG 200 Multicultural US Literature.
3 credits
General Education Requirement: Knowledge and Inquiry
Core Area II: Understanding the Self and Society
ENGL 271 Literature of the African DiasporaIntroduces students to the study of literature written by authors of African descent in Europe and the Americas and explores the development of an international and multicultural consciousness with Africa and the Diaspora as its referents. Formerly ENG 204 Literature of the African Diaspora.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
General Education Requirement: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 283 Stories and Their WritersIntroduces the study of prose fiction, both classic and contemporary, in its multicultural contexts, with attention to form, theme, major figures, and historical contexts and influences. Formerly ENG 205 Stories and Their Writers.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 284 Modern Lives: Memoir as LiteratureFocuses on memoirs published in the last hundred years. As a genre, memoir touches on topics such as childhood experiences, coming-of-age moments, social issues, identity, addiction, illness and mental illness, triumphs and loss. Students will explore key features of this genre through close reading and literary analysis. The fallibility of memory, the nature of truth, and debates surrounding memoir will be discussed, along with the validity of personal narrative as a way of capturing history.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
Prerequisites: ENGL 107
ENGL 285 Plays and PlaywrightsIntroduces students to the study of drama as a genre with its origins in Greek tragedy; students will read and analyze plays from classical Greece, the medieval period, the 19th and 20th centuries, and today's theater in order to understand the development of drama; plays currently in production in Washington, DC, will be reviewed. Formerly ENG 206 Plays and Playwrights.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 310 Tales of Terror: Gothic Fiction and FilmIntroduces students to major works in the Gothic genre from the 18th century to the present; emphasizes characteristics and evolution of horror as a topic for narrative. Formerly ENGL 287, Tales of Terror: Gothic Fiction.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107
General Education Requirement: Knowledge and Inquiry.
Major British and U.S. Authors Requirement (9 credits)
THREE of the following courses, which examine the work of writers whose ideas and achievements have shaped and are shaping literature in English.
ENGL 211 Major British Writers IStudies varied authors and movements from the early periods of English literature to the 18th century to provide students with the necessary tools for literary analysis and with a sense of the literary history of Britain and its colonies. Formerly ENG 215 Major Authors I.
3 credits
ENGL 212 Major British Writers IIStudies varied British and Anglophone authors, texts, and films from 1800 to the 20th century in order to promote students' skills in literary analysis and their knowledge of the history of literature in English, including such important literary movements as modernism and post-colonialism. Formerly ENG 216 Major Authors II.
3 credits
ENGL 214 Major United States Writers IStudies varied major works and authors from the earliest US writing through the late nineteenth century. Formerly ENG 251 American Literature I.
3 credits
ENGL 215 Major United States Writers IIStudies major US literary works in a variety of genres from the late 1800s to the present, including poetry, fiction, and drama. Formerly ENG 252 American Literature II.
3 credits
Major Figures Requirement (3 credits)
ONE course at the 300-level or above specifically devoted to the work of one author or a limited set of authors (see above).
Electives (6 credits)
TWO additional courses in the English Program at the 200-level or above.
Program Policies
Advanced Placement:
Students in the College of Arts and Sciences who earn a score of a 4 or a 5 on the AP examination in English Language & Composition may waive out of ENGL 107. CAS students who earn a score or a 4 or a 5 on the AP examination in English Literature & Composition may waive the CAS Gen Ed requirement for literature.
CLEP Policy:
Students interested in receiving credit for CLEP examinations should contact the Program Chair.
Grades in Major and Minor Courses:
Students are required to earn a grade of “C” (2.0) or better in all courses counted to fulfill requirements for the major or minor in English.
Pass/No Pass:
The pass/no pass grading option is not accepted in courses to be applied for the major or minor in English.
Senior Assessment:
All majors are required to take ENGL 499 for which students write an independent supervised comprehensive and scholarly research paper.
Study Abroad:
Students are encouraged to plan their studies to allow for the possibility of study abroad.
TELL Policy:
Students with substantial experiential learning are encouraged to apply for TELL credit in English.
Transfer Credits:
Students may apply transfer credit in English toward the major and minor in English if the transferred courses parallel courses required for the major or minor. Transfer students who elect an English major must complete a minimum of 12 credits in English major courses at Trinity, of which three must be in ENGL 499. Similarly, transfer students who elect an English minor must complete a minimum of 6 credits in English courses at Trinity.
Course Descriptions
ENGL 107 College CompositionEnglish 107 develops students’ effective writing of evidence-based, thesis- centered academic essays. The course emphasizes development of the research and documentation skills necessary for successful academic writing. Students will primarily write argumentative essays, building to a substantive research paper. Students in the School of Professional Studies may not take this course pass/fail. Formerly ENG 107 College Composition.
3 credits
Prerequisites for College of Arts and Sciences: Passing CRS 101 with a grade of "C" or better.
Prerequisites for School of Professional Studies: ENGL 105 with a grade of C or better OR score of 9 or higher on Writing portion of Accuplacer test.
General Education: Foundational Skills Area
FLC Area I Core Area I: Skills for Work and Life
ENGL 150 Writing about LiteratureThis course introduces students to the study of literature. Students will engage in critical reading, analysis and discussion, founding argument on close textual reading, and the development and writing of thesis-centered essays about literature. Literary criticism and theory, research methods, and documentation techniques will also be covered.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 170 The Actor's WorkshopThe Actor's Workshop invites students to study techniques and the theory of performance for the stage by engaging students in improvisation, dramatic readings, and scene and character analysis and prepares students in the tools used in acting: the voice, non-verbal communication, stage directions, and the interplay of the actor, the text, and the audience. The Workshop may culminate in a public staging of a scene or a short play.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
ENGL 198 Independent Study in WritingThis independent study will run concurrently with ENGL 105S.
4 credits
ENGL 200 Introduction to Creative WritingThis course provides an introduction to reading, analyzing, and writing in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, offering students guided creative writing instruction in these genres by focusing on literary elements such as image and pattern. This course also prepares students for ENGL 301, ENGL 302, and ENGL 304.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107 (may be taken concurrently)
ENGL 201 Instruction in Writing and Peer TutoringIntroduces students to contemporary Writing Center theory. The course allows students to evaluate that theory critically and determine which aspects will shape their developing methods as they tutor students in the college's Writing Center. Fulfills the Major Requirement for an internship or practicum. Formerly ENG 201 Instruction in Peer Tutoring.
3 credits
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor
ENGL 208 Writing the Literary AnalysisDeepens critical reading and argumentative writing skills. The course will engage students in writing thesis-centered essays about literature, supported by evidence gained from close reading of texts. The course will introduce students to literary criticism and theory. Research and documentation techniques will also be covered.
3 credits
ENGL 209 Business WritingFamiliarizes students with basic types of standard business writing, including memos, letters, resumes, reports, and manuals, and with techniques appropriate to such writing. Formerly ENG 384 Business Writing.
3 credits
Prerequisite: ENGL 107
Core Area I: Skills for Work and Life
ENGL 211 Major British Writers IStudies varied authors and movements from the early periods of English literature to the 18th century to provide students with the necessary tools for literary analysis and with a sense of the literary history of Britain and its colonies. Formerly ENG 215 Major Authors I.
3 credits
ENGL 212 Major British Writers IIStudies varied British and Anglophone authors, texts, and films from 1800 to the 20th century in order to promote students' skills in literary analysis and their knowledge of the history of literature in English, including such important literary movements as modernism and post-colonialism. Formerly ENG 216 Major Authors II.
3 credits
ENGL 214 Major United States Writers IStudies varied major works and authors from the earliest US writing through the late nineteenth century. Formerly ENG 251 American Literature I.
3 credits
ENGL 215 Major United States Writers IIStudies major US literary works in a variety of genres from the late 1800s to the present, including poetry, fiction, and drama. Formerly ENG 252 American Literature II.
3 credits
ENGL 220 African American LiteratureThis course introduces students to the study of African American literature, including the vernacular tradition, the New Negro Renaissance of the early twentieth century, periods of realism and modernism in the late 1940s and early 1960s, the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, and newer voices at the end of the twentieth century and the beginning of the twenty-first century. Students will practice literary analysis and study the literary techniques and genres belonging to this literature, as well as the ways in which the texts attempt to reinvent, disrupt, or challenge traditional European/North American literary traditions and criticisms. Many of the texts will engage the meaning of race, the forced migration of Africans to the Americas, racism and black resistance to it, institutionalized enslavement and strategies for survival, economic oppression, the celebration of blackness, and the literary achievements of black authors. Biographical, historical, and political contexts will be examined as ways to enrich the reading of the texts.
3 credits
General Education Requirement: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 267 Multicultural United States LiteratureExamines largely contemporary writings by writers representing the diverse cultures in the US with a consideration of the ways in which difference or "the other" may be constructed. Formerly ENG 200 Multicultural US Literature.
3 credits
General Education Requirement: Knowledge and Inquiry
Core Area II: Understanding the Self and Society
ENGL 270 The Actor's Workshop II: Scene StudyExplores the tools an actor applies to her craft. Students will build characters via scene study and performance, examining motivations, tactics, speech patterns, and other methods for bringing vibrant, truthful performance to the stage. ENGL/FNAR 170 is recommended.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
ENGL 271 Literature of the African DiasporaIntroduces students to the study of literature written by authors of African descent in Europe and the Americas and explores the development of an international and multicultural consciousness with Africa and the Diaspora as its referents. Formerly ENG 204 Literature of the African Diaspora.
3 credits
Prerequisites: None
General Education Requirement: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 273 African American PoetryExplores traditional and experimental poetry by African American writers. Formerly ENG 203 African American Poetry.
3 credits
ENGL 275 21st Century TextsExamines texts that have emerged as part of the electronic revolution and the combination of art forms. The course will consider blogs, independent films, "fan fiction," comics, songs, and more.
3 credits
General Education Curriculum: Knowledge and Inquiry Area
ENGL 277 Women Warriors in Film and FictionExamines representations of the figure of the female warrior, from the Amazons to G.I. Jane, in fiction, film, drama, and television. Formerly ENG 218 Women Warriors in Film and Fiction.
3 credits
ENGL 282 Reading FilmIntroduces the study of feature film, both classic and contemporary, in its multicultural contexts, with attention to form, genre, historical contexts and influences, and techniques of reading, analyzing, and discussing filmic narrative.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107
ENGL 283 Stories and Their WritersIntroduces the study of prose fiction, both classic and contemporary, in its multicultural contexts, with attention to form, theme, major figures, and historical contexts and influences. Formerly ENG 205 Stories and Their Writers.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 284 Modern Lives: Memoir as LiteratureFocuses on memoirs published in the last hundred years. As a genre, memoir touches on topics such as childhood experiences, coming-of-age moments, social issues, identity, addiction, illness and mental illness, triumphs and loss. Students will explore key features of this genre through close reading and literary analysis. The fallibility of memory, the nature of truth, and debates surrounding memoir will be discussed, along with the validity of personal narrative as a way of capturing history.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
Prerequisites: ENGL 107
ENGL 285 Plays and PlaywrightsIntroduces students to the study of drama as a genre with its origins in Greek tragedy; students will read and analyze plays from classical Greece, the medieval period, the 19th and 20th centuries, and today's theater in order to understand the development of drama; plays currently in production in Washington, DC, will be reviewed. Formerly ENG 206 Plays and Playwrights.
3 credits
General Education: Knowledge and Inquiry
ENGL 299 First-Year Honors SeminarOffers students the opportunity to explore in depth specialized topics in British, US, and global literature. Recent topics have included the concept of "voice" in contemporary US culture, the history of women's authorship in Europe and the US, and the evolution of the heroine as a figure in fiction, drama, and film. By invitation only. Formerly ENG 199 Freshman Honors Seminar.
3 credits
FLC Area II (Literature Cluster)
ENGL 301 Creative Writing: PoetryConcentrates on the critical analysis of student writing in poetry, with readings in contemporary US poetry. Formerly ENG 373 Creative Writing: Poetry.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107
ENGL 302 Creative Writing: FictionConcentrates on the critical analysis of student writing in fiction, with readings of US short stories. Formerly ENG 372 Creative Writing Fiction.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107
ENGL 304 Creative Writing: Creative NonfictionThis course explores the study and practice of writing within the creative nonfiction genre, with particular emphasis on the personal essay and memoir. Students will read a variety of short works and experiment with their own creative writing, incorporating techniques explored in class. Credits: 3
Prerequisites: ENGL 107. Recommended: ENGL 200
ENGL 310 Tales of Terror: Gothic Fiction and FilmIntroduces students to major works in the Gothic genre from the 18th century to the present; emphasizes characteristics and evolution of horror as a topic for narrative. Formerly ENGL 287, Tales of Terror: Gothic Fiction.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107
General Education Requirement: Knowledge and Inquiry.
ENGL 321 Arthurian LiteratureStudies Arthurian history, legend, and literature from its earliest sources to contemporary writings and film. Formerly ENG 315 Arthurian Literature.
3 credits
ENGL 322 Early Modern English DramaFocuses on the plays of selected canonical writers and recently rediscovered playwrights in early modern England. Formerly ENG 343 Early Modern English Drama.
3 credit
ENGL 325 Works of ShakespeareStudies selected plays of Shakespeare in all the major genres, including comedy, tragedy, history, and romance, as well as introduces students to Shakespearean poetry.
3 credits
ENGL 332 RomanticismStudies Romanticism as expressed in several genres, especially poetry, and its attention to intellectual, artistic, and political concerns in texts of late 18th and early 19th century British literature. Formerly ENG 321 Romanticism.
3 credits
ENGL 341 Modernism and the Harlem RenaissanceExamines literature produced by Americans in the period immediately following the First World War and emphasizes the literature of the New Negro Renaissance. Students will read literature by Eliot, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Hughes, Larsen, Hurston, McKay, Toomer, and others.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107; one ENGL course at the 200 level, which may be taken concurrently.
ENGL 348 ModernismsExplores modernism as a global literary movement in the early 20th century.
3 credits
ENGL 363 American Short FictionAnalyzes selected short fiction by US writers and the history, traditions, and revisions of short fiction genres in texts ranging from the early 19th century through contemporary fiction. Formerly ENG 355 American Short Fiction.
3 credits
ENGL 364 The American Literary RenaissanceFocuses on Ralph Waldo Emerson’s influence on American literature produced in the thirty year period preceding the civil war. Students will read literature by Douglass, Thoreau, Whitman, Dickinson, Poe, Hawthorne, Melville and others.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107; one ENGL course at the 200 level, which may be taken concurrently.
ENGL 365 Contemporary United States FictionConsiders the issues explored by contemporary US writers and the challenges they make to traditional fictional genres, including the novel. Formerly ENG 361 Contemporary American Fiction.
3 credits
ENGL 366 Framing Culture in Contemporary FilmTreats films as cultural texts to examine the relationships between visual culture, textual culture, and major social and political issues. Approaches the viewing and discussion of film as a language for presenting the social institution of cinema and its varied influences on culture. Focuses on film's storytelling as well as on the formal and technical elements of filmmaking. Major themes include race, class, gender, economics, war, and tourism as presented by films or as they affect filmmaking. Students will read critical essays relevant to the course.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107
ENGL 368 American Family on FilmConsiders film as text and "composed realism" and provides a sociological overview of the American family as portrayed in films such as Ordinary People, Crooklyn, My Family (Mi Familia), Moonstruck, Juno, and others. Formerly ENGL 268 American Family on Film.
Prerequisites: None
Credits: 3
ENGL 371 Women in FictionStudies the representation of women in fiction by women writers of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Formerly ENG 362 Women in Fiction.
3 credits
ENGL 372 19th Century African-American NarrativeExamines African American literary tradition in the 19th century, which was inextricably bound with the history of slavery and freedom, Reconstruction and its failure, and the establishment of Black national identity. Readings include slave narratives, speeches, essays, and the emergence of African American fiction.
3 credits
ENGL 373 African American Women WritersExamines the history and images of African Americans, especially women, in selected works by African American women writers ranging from Zora Neale Hurston to Toni Morrison. Formerly ENG 363 African American Women Writers.
3 credits
ENGL 374 The Films of Spike LeeExamines the major films of African American director Spike Lee, concentrating on the political and social issues raised in his work and the tecniques he uses, including music, camera angles, and episodic storytelling, to support his narrative structures. This course fulfills the major figure requirement for English majors.
3 credits
ENGL 377 Women in Contemporary American FilmExamines the stereotypical images of women in contemporary American film, including images of the Madonna, the temptress, the witch, and the virgin. Formerly ENG 365 Women in Contemporary American Film.
3 credits
ENGL 378 African American Women in FilmConsiders the images of African Americans presented in film and especially in the work of African American actors, directors, screenwriters, and producers. Formerly ENG 369 African American Women in Film.
3 credits
ENGL 379 Images of Men in Contemporary FilmViews and analyzes contemporary films featuring stereotypical images of men in Western culture and the revisions of those images in certain films. Formerly ENG 350 Images of Men in Contemporary Film.
3 credits
ENGL 380 History of the NovelStudies the evolution of the novel in European, South American, and US literatures. Formerly ENG 345 Development of the Novel.
3 credits
ENGL 385 Modern DramaExamines modernist and postmodernist dramatic genres and the concerns these dramas show for social issues, philosophical theories, and intellectual trends. Formerly ENG 348 Modern Drama.
3 credits
ENGL 389 Literary and Critical TheoryIntroduces traditional and contemporary models of literary criticism and theory through practical interpretation of literary texts. Formerly ENG 397 Literary and Critical Theory.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Two literature courses at the 200-level or higher
Gen Ed Area: Capstone Seminar
ENGL 399 Honors Seminar: Trading Spaces: Migration, Narrative & EconExamines migration, humanity's ceaseless ebb and flow across all the spaces of the globe, through the twin lenses of literature and economics. In literature, we explore narratives of men and women driven to "trade spaces" through various intersections of necessity and desire. Through economics, we examine the socioeconomic patterns that underlie wide-scale relocations of peoples, from the industrialization of early modern Western economies to the global trade in women of the post-modern era.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Honors Program or permission of Instructor
FLC Seminar II
Cross-listed with ECON 399
ENGL 434 Jane Austen and Her InfluenceAnalyzes the novels of Jane Austen and adaptations of her works,to evaluate the ways in which Austen has contributed to and influenced the evolution of the novel as a literary genre. Formerly ENG 347 Novels of Jane Austen.
3 credits.
Prerequisites: ENGL 389
ENGL 435 The Bronte SistersAnalyzes the novels of Anne Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, and Emily Bronte; their links to biography; and their exploration of women's lives and roles, with consideration of intertextuality as evidenced in the works of film directors, poets, and novelists which turn on the Bronte sisters themselves and their works, such as Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea. Formerly ENG 447 The Brontë Sisters.
3 credits
ENGL 451 Writers of the American SouthInquires into the effect of Southern life, history, and culture on the development of American authorship, focusing on the work of two or three authors. Writers to be considered may include Kate Chopin, Zora Neale Hurston, Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner, and others.
3 credits
FLC Seminar II
ENGL 470 Wright, Ellison, and BaldwinExamines the novels, short stories, and essays of Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, and James Baldwin. Themes addressed may include racial and ethnic politics and literature, world conflict, Paul Gilroy's theory of "the Black Atlantic," jazz, queer theory and gender politics, and the development of the African American novel in the 20th century.
3 credits
ENGL 471 The Major Works of Octavia ButlerExplores selected novels and short stories of Octavia Butler while paying close attention to the political context of Butler’s work and the conventions of science fiction and fantasy literature.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107, ENGL 389
ENGL 475 Seminar on Adichie, Danticat, and DiazExplores the intersection between citizenship and identity in the work of Edwidge Danticat, Junot Diaz, and Chimamanda Adichie. Prerequisites: Formerly ENGL 475, Seminar on Edwidge Danticat.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107, ENGL 287, and ENGL 389
ENGL 476 Seminar on Toni MorrisonExamines the novels and selected shorter writings of Toni Morrison, with special interest in the literary commentary on race, gender, and oppression. Formerly ENG 303 Seminar on Toni Morrison.
3 credits
FLC Seminar II
ENGL 491 InternshipOffers experiences in fields related to the English major, primarily in research, teaching, and writing or publishing in professional contexts. Formerly ENG 380 Internship.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor
ENGL 492 Independent StudyOffers guidance to students who seek to study a selected topic in literature independently.
1 credit
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor
ENGL 498 Independent StudyOffers guidance to students who seek to study a selected topic in literature independently. Formerly ENG 493 Independent Study.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor
ENGL 499 Senior ColloquiumEncourages the English majors to synthesize their studies in English and other fields; directs students in the writing of an original and scholarly research paper. Offered in the Fall semester. Formerly ENG 497 Senior Colloquium.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Senior status