Academic Programs

Bachelor of Arts

Non-Degree

ONLINE CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

0990. BASIC ENGLISH. (3) Fall, Spring. Grammar and composition skills. Required for students who have no credit in college composition and who scored 18 or below on the ACT English examination (440 or below on the SAT critical reading examination). This course does not count as college credit, but is included in GPA calculations and counts toward athletic eligibility and financial aid eligibility.




1110. INTRODUCTION TO UNIVERSITY WRITING AND RESEARCH. (3) Fall, Spring, Summer. This course trains students in outlining, drafting, revising, and proofreading highly-polished writing that is engaged with diverse points of view and that meets the requirements of university-level work. Students will learn to use grammar, sentence structure, paragraphing, and organization to explain an idea clearly with depth and detail. They will investigate other perspectives on their ideas using library and online resources, and they will learn the mechanics of proper citation and formatting. Designed to be taken at the beginning of a student’s studies, this course lays the groundwork for success in other university courses. A grade of C or higher is required to be eligible for ENG 211. Prerequisite(s): Prerequisite: ENG 100 or 19 or above on the ACT English examination, or 450 or above on the SAT critical reading examination, or 80 or above on the ACT COMPASS Writing Skills exam.

1130. INTRODUCTION TO UNIVERSITY WRITING, RESEARCH, AND GRAMMAR. (3) Fall, Spring. This course, designed especially for students in the College of Education, trains them in outlining, drafting, revising, and proofreading highly-polished writing that is engaged with diverse points of view and that meets the requirements of university-level work. Students will learn to use grammar, sentence structure, paragraphing, and organization to explain an idea clearly with depth and detail. They will investigate other perspectives on their ideas using library and online resources, and they will learn the mechanics of proper citation and formatting. Designed to be taken at the beginning of a student’s studies, this course lays the groundwork for success in other university courses. This class also includes special units on the pedagogy of writing and on grammar skills and is recommended for education licensure majors. A grade of C or higher is required to be eligible for ENG 211. Prerequisite(s): Prerequisite: ENG 099 or 19 or above on the ACT English examination (450 or above on the SAT critical reading examination).

2010. WORLD LITERATURE I. (3) Fall, Spring. Writers from ancient times through the Renaissance whose ideas are representative of concepts, movements, or creative expressions that have had significant impact upon western culture.

2020. WORLD LITERATURE II. (3) Fall, Spring. Writers from the Neoclassic Age to the present whose ideas are representative of concepts, movements, or creative expressions that have had significant impact upon western culture.

2110. CRITICAL READING, THINKING, AND WRITING. (3) Fall, Spring, Summer. This course gives students further training in university-level composition, reading, research, and critical thinking needed to produce well-organized, well-researched, polished writing that can make worthwhile contributions to real-world discussions in any field of study or work. All sections explore key human questions; specific themes vary by section. Past themes include technology, literature and the arts, food politics, theology, economics, science, and anthropology. Designed to be taken early in a student’s studies, this course lays the groundwork for success in other university courses. A grade of C or higher is required for university graduation. Prerequisite(s): Prerequisite: Earning a grade of C or higher in ENG 111 or ENG 113.

2310. INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY STUDIES (3) Fall, Spring. An overview of literary studies, including history, genre, terminology, research methods, critical approaches, and film as literature. 

2500. ADVANCED COMPOSITION. (3) Fall, Spring. Focuses on principles and skills that guide the creation of expository and argumentative prose.  Students will analyze style and develop effective rhetorical strategies for writing essays that address spiritual, aesthetic, intellectual, and political contexts.  Prerequisite(s): ENG 2110

2610. SCRIPT WRITING FOR TELEVISION AND FILM. (3) Fall. The analysis and drafting of scripts for advertising, television, and narrative film, in a workshop format.

3060.  DOCUMENTARY FILM. (3) Fall of Odd Years.  Though the film world seems dominated by narrative films, the documentary is an important and viable genre that is often overlooked.  In this course, students will learn the theory and concepts of documentary filmmaking, screen and analyze representative short and feature length documentaries, and conceive, shoot, and edit a short documentary. 

3100. BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING. (3) Fall of even years. For students in all disciplines. Introduction to the theory and practices of composition in professional fields. Topics include correspondence, job search, electronic media, and report writing and presentations based on investigation of real-life problems in business and organizations.

3120. WRITING POETRY. (3) Spring of odd years. Emphasizes the production of poetry in a workshop format.

3130. WRITING FICTION. (3) Spring of even years. Emphasizes the production of prose fiction in a workshop format.

3160. FILM GENRES.  (3) Spring of even years.  An in-depth examination of film genres, wither by surveying various genres or examining a particular genre (e.g. western, horror, film noir).  Students will learn the formal characteristics of genre, analyze the historical development and the cultural implications of genre.

3220. FOUNDATIONS OF ENGLISH GRAMMAR. (3) Fall. Designed particularly for students who plan to teach English. Principles of traditional English grammar, comparative grammars, and dialect awareness. 

3251. BRITISH LITERATURE I. (3, 3) Fall, Spring. Developments and significance of British literature, with its historical, social, and philosophical backgrounds from the beginning through the 18th century.

3252. BRITISH LITERATURE II. (3, 3) Fall, Spring. Developments and significance of British literature, with its historical, social, and philosophical backgrounds from the from the 19th century to the present.

3271.  AMERICAN LITERATURE I. (3, 3) Fall. Developments and significance of American literature, with its historical, social, and philosophical backgrounds from the beginning to the Civil War.

3272.  AMERICAN LITERATURE II. (3, 3) Spring. Developments and significance of American literature, with its historical, social, and philosophical backgrounds from the mid-19th century to the present.

3285. TECHNIQUES OF RESEARCH. (3) Summer. Students will learn the purpose of research and its value to various discipline; will learn and practice finding appropriate sources of research for a given research question; and will learn research models to include identifying a research topic, narrowing the research question, conducting and writing a review of the literature on the topic/question selected, formulating hypotheses, developing the research design, collecting data, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions. Students will also learn to write in appropriate reporting formats. This course serves as the basis for the research internship. Course may be repeated for up to 6 hours credit. Prerequisite: Junior standing, 2.75 minimum GPA. Student must be enrolled as a McNair Scholar.

3510. INTRODUCTION TO PUBLISHING. (3) Fall of even years.  An overview of book publishing with an emphasis on the developments in digital production. Intended to provide broad professional knowledge in manuscript evaluation, editing, design, marketing, and management as well as financial and legal issues related to the industry. Prerequisite: ENG 2110 with a C or higher.

3300. STUDIES IN ENGLISH AND THE MEDICAL HUMANITIES.  (3) Spring.  This course examines the connection between literature, writing, and the healing arts with the more specific purpose of analyzing the role of stories in the healing process.  This curriculum is particularly geared to those in the various medical professions.

3550. ADVANCED SCREENWRITING FOR FILM. (3) Spring. This course teaches students how to develop the fundamental elements of a feature-film screenplay. Students will produce a short-film screenplay based on the ideas presented within the feature-length screenplay. Prerequisite: ENG 314.

3600. AMERICAN POETRY. (3) Fall of Odd Years. Poets studied in detail vary from year to year. May be repeated with the consent of the department chair.

3700. OLD AND MIDDLE ENGLISH LITERATURE. (3) Fall of even years. British literature with emphasis on Chaucer.

3710. SHAKESPEARE. (3) Spring. Spring of odd years. Shakespeare's development as a dramatic artist with close study of the texts of the comedies, tragedies, histories, and sonnets, along with discussion of the classic and recent film adaptations of the plays.

3850. EARLY MODERN STUDIES; RENAISSANCE TO THE ENLIGHTENMENT (3) Fall of odd years. Excluding Shakespeare, study of major British writers of the period, including sonneteers, dramatists, Spenser, Donne, and Milton.

3900. FILM AS LITERATURE. (3) Fall. Film as a collaborative art form. Elements that combine to make film a unique entity drawing from the worlds of literature, drama, photography and art to define its medium.

3910. WRITING NONFICTION. (3) Fall of odd years. Emphasizes the production of nonfiction prose pieces for publication, using a workshop format. Prerequisite: ENG 281 or permission of department chair.

4030. STUDY IN LITERATURE OR COMPOSITION. (3) Offered with sufficient demand. Specialized study of the literature of a particular author or field, or advanced study in composition. May be repeated with the consent of the department chair. Prerequisite: Consent of the department chair Fee(s): May be charged for special costs, such as travel expenses.

4050. VICTORIAN STUDIES. (3) Spring of Odd Years. Offered with sufficient demand. In-depth study of the work of selected major Victorian poets, novelists, and nonfiction writers and how their texts reflect or comment of Victorian art and culture. Content may vary offering to offering.

4060. REDEMPTIVE CINEMA. (3) Fall of Even Years.  This course is designed to assist students in recognizing the portrayal of religion, particularly Christianity, in comtemporty, secular films.  Students will gain awareness of the influence religion in film has upon the modern filmgoer's understanding of religious concepts.  

4070. BRITISH ROMANTIC LITERATURE.  (3) Spring of Even Years.  Explores the literature of Romanticism.  Students will analyze and interpret literary texts written from 1798 to 1837, addressing spiritual, aesthetic, historical, and intellectual, and political contexts.

4080. STUDIES IN SHORT FICTION. (3) Spring of even years.  Reading and analysis of short fiction from a variety of cultures in the context of historical developments in the genre. Content varies from year to year and may be repeated with consent of the department chair.

4100. STUDIES IN C. S. LEWIS. (3) Fall of odd years. A survey of the major fiction and nonfiction works of the twentieth century’s greatest Christian apologist.

4110. AMERICAN NOVEL. (3) Spring of odd years. Development of the American novel from its early instances to the present. Varies from year to year and may be repeated with the consent of the department chair.

4150. MYTHOLOGY AND FOLK TALES. (3) Summer with sufficient enrollment. Focuses on major myths and folktales from different cultures and seeks to equip students with critical tools to interpret the products and understand the process of myth making.

4180. BRITISH NOVEL. (3) Fall of even years. Development of the British novel from its early instances to the present time. Content varies from year to year and may be repeated with the consent of the department chair.

4200. TEACHING YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE (3) Fall. Individual titles and characteristics of young adult literature. Includes an overview of the history of young adult literature, a survey of important works, an analysis of individual titles, and methods for developing materials for use in grades 6-12.

4220. NATURE AND HISTORY OF LANGUAGE. (3) Spring. Principles of linguistic analysis, history of language study, development of English, functions and varieties of language in society, and establishment of standards.

4250. LITERARY THEORY. (3) Fall of even years. Major critics and theory from Plato to post-structuralism, with emphasis on 20th-century developments and beyond.

4260. WRITING ABOUT FILM. (3) Fall of odd years.  This course provides instruction in both film criticism and film scholarship by exploring prevalent critical writing approaches to film. Students will develop the range of skills necessary for the analytical and critical study of film by learning to structure written arguments about a film’s value. Students will become familiar with some of the major critical approaches in the field including formal analysis, narrative theory, feminism, auteurism, etc. Students will also learn to write popular film reviews and maintain a film blog. Students will also learn the role of research in constructing historical scholarship about topics in film.

4300. AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE.  (3) Spring of even years.  This course explores key themes of African-American literature, such as the legacy of slavery, the challenges of identity, and the richness of the vernacular tradition. Students will interpret and analyze African-American texts of the 18th - 21st centuries. The course covers a wide range of genres, including fiction, poetry, drama, autobiography, and nonfiction, from the earliest work by African Americans to the present day so that students can develop an understanding of racial identity and how it is constructed and reconstructed throughout American history. Also, so that students can see the various conceptions of African-American art, we will study works in different forms and media, including music, film, and material culture. 

4310. POST COLONIAL LITERATURE.  (3) Fall of odd years.  This course begins with a brief history of Postcolonial theory–description and context. Students will read multiple full-length works of fiction that challenge readers to see a story from the perspective of the marginalized Other. While most Postcolonial literature is written by formerly colonized peoples, it may also include a broader concept of the term that allows for the theoretical colonization of people who have not been under geopolitical occupation. The readings are made up of many international works including an emphasis on Arab and Arab-American literature. 

4330. STUDIES IN WOMEN'S LITERATURE.  (3) Spring of odd years.  This course explores the contributions of women authors to literature and will be approached both chronologically and thematically. Students will read and analyze works written by women from diverse eras and cultures. Further, they will trace the development and characteristics of feminist literary theory and explore feminist literary criticism. Students will become knowledgeable of concerns, conventions, recurrent themes, and issues of women’s literature, and will question notions of literary value based on timeless universals and/or historical specifics. Students will think critically about the variety of literary responses by women who occupy differing subject positions (culture, ethnicity, class, sexuality, and religion). Additionally, they will examine how these positions shape women’s writing.

4500. INDEPENDENT STUDY. (1-3) Offered on demand. A project for senior students majoring in English. Prerequisite: Consent of the instructor and the department chair.

4510. SENIOR PROJECT I. (0) Fall, Spring. Oral presentation, in symposium format, of a paper prepared previously or concurrently for an upper-level English course of the student's choice. Must be taken 2 semesters, but credit is earned only in the final semester. Enrolled students will be required to research and present a paper on an approved literature topic.

4520.  SENIOR PROJECT II.  (1) Fall, Spring. This course is designed to test the ability of graduating seniors to research, write, and present a scholarly paper that validates their undergraduate credentials and predicts success at the graduate level or in the workplace. The project culminates with an oral presentation, in symposium format, of a paper developed under the supervision of a faculty mentor. The topic for the paper, which must be approved by the course director, may be on a new topic, or a significant revision of a paper prepared previously or concurrently for an upper-level English course. The course must be taken for two semesters, but credit will only be earned in the final semester. During the first semester students will work under the direction of the course facilitator to conduct research and develop an approved project proposal. In addition, students will review MLA formatting and Documentation, and learn about the processes for graduate school application and the job search. In the first semester, students work under the guidance of the project supervisor (the teacher of record). In the final semester students work under the guidance of a faculty mentor to complete the project.  Prerequisites(s):  ENG 4510  Fee(s):  $25 to administer the English Major Field Test in order to compare graduates to graduating English Majors across the country and assess the effectiveness of our curriculum to familiarize students with major authors and literary works and periods.

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