Eastern Illinois University :: Spring 2009 English Course Descriptions

Other Semesters

Courses

2001: Creative Writing Nonfiction 2003: Creative Writing Poetry
2005: Creative Writing Drama
2007: Creative Writing Fiction
2009G: Literature and Human Values
2011G: Literature, the Self, and the World
2099G: Literature and Human Values, Honors
2205: Introduction to Literary Studies
2601: Backgrounds of Western Literature
2603: Greek and Roman Mythology
2760: Introduction to Professional Writing
2850: Post-Colonial Literatures in English
2901: Structure of English

English Course Descriptions

Spring 2010

In progress

English 2001 Section 001       CRN 31435
Markelis
Creative Writing: Nonfiction   1230-1345 TR

This course is designed to help students craft various short nonfiction pieces such as personal reminiscences, descriptive narratives, interviews, and “how-to” papers.
Several short in-class writing exercises will be required, though the major part of this course will be devoted to the workshop. In workshops students make copies of their essays for every class member; the class then discusses the works in a supportive atmosphere, offering suggestions for revision. Students will get the chance to workshop two creative nonfiction essays. Final grades will be based on a portfolio of essays and other writings, and on participation in classroom discussions. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 5)

English 2003 Section 001 CRN 31436
Martone
Creative Writing: Poetry 0900-0950 MWF

This workshop will introduce you to the writing of poetry. We’ll share your writing and read and discuss some important contributions (literary, artistic, musical) to the contemporary moment. Each week, I'll require five pages of writing and an informal commentary on a figure such as Rauschenberg or Cage. Always, though, we'll be looking for originality. The way(s) there can be difficult and exciting. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 5)

English 2005 Section 001 CRN 31438
Moffitt
Creative Writing: Drama 1400-1450 MWF

This course will provide an introduction to the reading and writing of dramatic scenes, with class time devoted to various principles common to all dramatic writing through writing exercises and workshop discussion. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 5)

English 2007 Section 001 CRN 31439
Carpenter
Creative Writing: Fiction 1230-1345 TR

An introduction to the reading and writing of fiction with class time devoted to various principles of the genre through writing exercises and workshop discussion. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 5)

English 2009G Section 001 CRN 31571
Beebe
Literature and Human: Labor, Class, Power 0800-0915 TR

In this course we will examine the human experience through the challenging and thought-provoking themes of labor, class, and power—ideas that not only encapsulate the human condition but have stimulated important and entertaining storytellers. We will survey a range of these writers in several forms, including fiction, non-fiction, film, and biography. Tentative readings may include such diverse texts as Pride and Prejudice, Atlas Shrugged, Dracula, and Secret Son. Requirements will include brief writings, two papers, and two exams. (General Education)

English 2009G Section 002 CRN 31572
Suksang
Literature and Human Values: Faith, Survival, Progress 0800-0850 MWF

In this class we will examine human experiences by addressing the issues of faith, survival and progress as represented in a variety of literary texts. We will read, discuss and write about fiction and nonfictional prose. Course requirements include reading responses, two formal papers, quizzes, a midterm exam and a final exam. Each student will lead class discussion, and there will also be group presentations. (General Education)

English 2009G Section 003 CRN 31573
Engles
Literature and Human Values: Race, Age, Gender 1100-1215 TR

We will examine works that foreground and complicate issues of race, age, and gender. Our goals will include understanding more fully how and why various artists respond to these issues as they do, and why various people respond to them as they do. We will study how literature, film, and drama function as both shaping and reflecting forces of individual and societal values. Many of the theoretical concepts we use will be difficult, but their utility in this course, and in life in general, will become clear as the semester progresses. Students will need to approach this course and its material with open minds and a willingness to seriously consider viewpoints expressed from different perspectives. Requirements: quizzes, two formal essays, two exams. (General Education)

English 2009G Section 004    CRN 31574
Ames
Literature and Human Values: Love, Hate, Obsession    1400-1450 MWF

This course will focus on literary adaptations in popular culture, specifically the outcome of when “classics” turn “teen”.   Canonical texts centered around the passionate trinity of love, hate, and obsession will be studied in order to see how they translate across mediated divides and are altered to target specific audiences. Print to film adaptation, print to print adaptation, film to film adaptation, and print to television adaptation will all be attended to. A few of the key textual pairings included will be: Emma & Clueless, Taming of the Shrew & 10 Things I Hate About You, Great Gatsby & Jake, Reinvented, Dangerous Liaisons & Cruel Intentions, and Superman & Smallville. Course work will include: response papers, literary analysis/research papers, and both individual and group presentations. (General Education)

English 2011G Section 001 CRN 31575
Moffitt
Literature, the Self and the World: Drama 0900-0950 MWF

Quick, name someone who wrote plays! Don’t feel unoriginal if you said “Shakespeare” given that it seems nearly impossible to learn about drama without considering his work. As such, this course will focus on five of Shakespeare’s plays—specifically, plays whose core story has been adapted to film in unusual ways (a sci-fi version of The Tempest; King Lear set in feudal Japan, etc.). These plays are several hundred years old, yet they still manage to connect to both “self” and “the world” in widely varying forms. Why? Given that drama is inherently about interpretation and adaptation, what happens when we take a play out of its original time and place and reinterpret it for ourselves, for our own time and place? A key objective of this course is to explore these questions in various ways (including classroom discussions, written assignments, a midterm and a final exam). A second key objective is for students to become very familiar with the themes of these plays as well as their language. We get something out of reading Shakespeare’s original words that we can’t get anywhere else in the world, and that’s worth examining. (General Education)

English 2011G Section 002 CRN 31576
Leddy
Literature, the Self and the World: Fiction 1200-1250 MWF

The novelist Vladimir Nabokov once asked his students why they had enrolled in a course on the novel that he was teaching. He was delighted with one student’s response: “Because I like stories.” This course too is for people who like stories. It’s also a course devoted to the practice of slow reading, reading not to get done but to make a genuine engagement with a text. We will read two great novels, Jane Austen’s Mansfield Park and Charles Dickens’ Bleak House. These novels will let us see fictional selves (characters) figuring out, challenging, and remaking the worlds in which they find themselves.

Requirements: The course will require dedicated daily work (reading and talking), quizzes (meant to be easy if you do the reading), several short pieces of writing, and midterm and final examinations. (General Education)

English 2011G Section 003 CRN 33545
McGregor
Literature, the Self and the World: Fiction 1300-1350 MWF

In this course, we’ll be exploring the rich world of fiction to ask how and why this art form might be relevant to our daily lives. Does it send us inward to encourage reflection on and understanding of ourselves, outward to a more nuanced understanding of worlds other than our own, both, neither? What do we ask of literature and what does it ask of us? To address these questions, we’ll be reading novels and short fiction (the latter of your own choosing) to consider how the texts situate us in relations to ourselves and to the world, and we’ll be developing a vocabulary with which to discuss the texts and our responses to them. (General Education)

English 2099G Section 099 CRN 34363
Buck
Literature and Human Values (Honors): Love, Hate, Obsession 0800-0850 MWF

Love, Hate, Obsession – fuzzy abstract concepts, difficult to define, yet some of the most powerful human experiences we can have. In this course, we will examine boundaries (i.e., when does a passion turn into an obsession?), relations (i.e., what do desire, control, and power have to do with love?), categories (how is love of one’s friends different from other types of love including love of oneself, one’s body, one’s work, one’s possessions, one’s art, one’s religion), and consequences (when do loving emotions turn into hatred, adulterous acts, jealousy, divorce, fanaticism).

We will read, discuss, and write about short stories, essays, and poems. Our focus will be on language (how we talk about these experiences) and on gender differences (how men and women talk about these experiences in different ways).

Requirements will include reading responses, a few papers, and a few exams. (General Education)

English 2205 Section 001 CRN 31580
Smith
Introduction to Literary Studies 1400-1515 TR

This course is designed to introduce students of English to fundamental issues in the discipline. While we will begin with close readings of primary texts from the genres of poetry and fiction (including Bram Stoker’s Dracula), we will focus much of our attention on 1) critical responses to those texts and 2) the theories and methodologies informing those responses. Our forays into criticism will lead us to encounters with formalism, Marxism, psychoanalysis, and historicism, among other interpretive practices. Along the way, we will not only learn strategies for reading texts but also raise and answer questions about formulating a research topic, conducting research, and documenting sources. The course requires careful preparation of challenging readings; measured contributions to class discussions; and engaged critical thought. (old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 1)

English 2601 Section 001 CRN 31582
Leddy
Backgrounds of Western Literature 1000-1050 MWF

This course will take us to the ancient world, a world we're still living in. War is still the way that conflicts between states and peoples are too often settled. We still remember the dead by memorializing their names. We still experience the deep and complicated experience of returning home and becoming reconnected to people and a place. We still live in a world of imperial ambitions. We still debate whether the penalty of death is a form of justice. In our pursuit of desire we still make ourselves and others ridiculous.

We’ll travel Backwards in Western Lit to read Homer, Virgil, and Ovid (epic); Aeschylus and Aristophanes (drama); and Sappho and Catullus (lyric poetry). The point of reading these writers is not grimly practical; one doesn't read Homer or Ovid merely to be able recognize references and borrowings in later works of literature. The point, rather, is to begin to understand these writers in all their imaginative and emotional power and to think about why they have had such an enduring hold on the western literary imagination. Our reading will provide a springboard for talking about a myriad of topics: myth, storytelling, epic poetry, tragedy and comedy, love poetry, literary and cultural values, gender, patriarchy, crime and punishment, empire, war, orality and writing, authorship, translation, parody, literary influence.

English 2603 Section 001 CRN 34364
Shonk
Greek and Roman Mythology 1200-1250 MWF

In this course we will study the major Greek myths and their Roman Counterparts, and occasionally corresponding myths of other cultures. The myths continue to have an enormous influence on the arts and have been applied in the areas of psychology, sociology, history and religion. Accordingly, the emphasis in this course will fall on the purposes and meanings of the myths, as well as the significance of their contemporary applications. Students seeking general Humanities credit or those interested in increasing their knowledge for a greater appreciation of the arts will find this course both useful and compelling.

The texts for the course will be Homer's Odyssey (trans. Robert Fitzgerald); Ovid's Metamorphoses; and selections from other texts and major works in translation. Course grade will be based on contributions to class discussion, two hourly tests, frequent short reading quizzes, an optional course project, and a final exam. (Group 5)

English 2760 Section 001 CRN 31585
Fredrick
Introduction to Professional Writing 0800-0915 MWF

This course introduces concepts and practices of communication (written, oral, and visual) and communicators in professional settings. As part of the class, you will complete two types of projects: those that require you to research common communication issues in a field of your interest and those that require you to practice common professional communication skills. Other topics for the course include an introduction to editing, collaboration, and document design. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 1)

English 2850 Section 001 CRN 31587
Panjwani
Post-Colonial Literatures in English 0930-1045 TR

This course introduces students to postcolonial narratives from India, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Egypt and Sudan that have defined themselves with and against European cultures, in particular the British culture. By examining these literary works in their historical and socio-political contexts, the course will study them within a framework that may be called ‘the postcolonial mind.’ Issues pertaining to the processes of colonization, colonial and postcolonial struggles for decolonization, conflicts between indigenous traditions and westernization, and cross-cultural circulation of themes and responses will be discussed through the writings of R.K. Narayan, Mulk Raj Anand, Anita Desai, Girish Karnad, Arundhati Roy, Chinua Achebe, Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Okot p’Bitek, Naguib Mahfouz, and Tayeb Salih. Course requirements will include mid-term and final exams, one response paper, one class-presentation, and active preparation and class participation. (old curriculum Group 2; new curriculum Group 2)

English 2901 Section 001 CRN 31588
Buck
Structure of English 1100-1150 MWF

This course offers a description and analysis of the Standard American English grammatical system. We will describe the difference between the grammar of speech and the grammar of writing from a cognitive perspective, so the class will focus on how the study of grammar reveals much about the workings of the human mind. In our discussion, we will integrate the effect of language attitudes on our understanding of grammatical systems. The main purpose of the course is to provide you with analytical tools that will allow you to think critically and independently about language and linguistic structures, and to help dispel myths about language and the study of grammar.

Course format will be informal lecture and discussion. The final grade for the course will be based on in-class exams (around 5). Daily homework assignments will be required. (old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 1)

English 2901 Sections 002 CRN 31589
Suksang
Structure of English 1200-1250

This section of 2901 is designed to help students learn to analyze the basic components of the English language (i.e., words, phrases and sentences) and to understand the rules that govern their internal structure. We will also discuss the issue of language variation and learn to diagram phrases and sentences. Students are expected to participate in class discussion and take several tests. (old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 1)

English 2901 Section 003 CRN 31590
Shonk
Structure of English 1500-1615 MW

This course is a study of grammar quite different from what most students undertook in high school. Rather than merely memorizing some rules and circling the correct words on exams, students will be required to understand the system behind our grammar, the forms and patterns of our language. Students will not stop at merely identifying the appropriate forms on exams. Rather, they will explain the choices in rather exact and concrete language, define the key aspects of the forms in question, and apply the principles at hand in their own writing. This course is a rigorous and demanding study of grammar, but it is one that future teachers, writers, and editors will find invaluable. By the end of the semester, students will become quite familiar with those terms they have often heard but little understood, such as dangling participles, subjective mood, elliptical constructions, direct objects, and so on. And they will be able to employ appropriate forms and avoid the inappropriate in their own writing while being able to explain those forms to others. In short, students will come to understand English grammar. For the course grade, students will complete a number of brief quizzes (some in-class, some take-home) and take five exams. (old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 1)

English 3001 Sections 001 & 005 CRN 31592 & 31596
Park
Advanced Composition 0930-1045 TR & 1400-1515 TR

This course emphasizes practice in two things: the clear exposition of ideas and the grammatical and stylistic command of writing. You will exercise your skills in effectively communicating through writing. You will apply problem-solving skills, provide peer-review criticism, and determine the division of labor within groups to construct projects related to your academic and professional interests.

As in all writing classes, the written word rules here. We will examine how good writing looks (grammar), how it sounds (style), and where it goes (audience-oriented rhetoric). Over the course of the semester, you will produce essays through stages of brainstorming, drafting, and fleshing out theses. You will not do this alone, of course. This is a workshop course, which means that, much as in the world outside the university, you will be writing for an audience larger than your professor. You will receive and offer feedback on fellow students’ work. In these feedback loops, you will be encouraged to keep an eye on your own growth as a writer of clear, effective, persuasive, and citation-savvy arguments.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a writing-centered, writing-intensive course. You will do a lot of writing and responding. If you foresee difficulty in attending class or meeting within groups regularly this semester, you should reconsider taking this course. (old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 1)

English 3001 Section 002 CRN 31593
McGregor
Advanced Composition 1000-1050 MWF

Building on existing writing skills, this course will help you review essential elements of composition, write for a variety of audiences and purposes, and develop an effective, individual style. In addition to your in and out-of-class writing practice, you will turn in five polished compositions: four persuasive arguments, one lengthier research essay related to your major field. You will be expected to participate regularly in peer review of your colleagues' work. (old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 1)

English 3001 Section 003 CRN 31594
Fredrick
Advanced Composition 1100-1215 TR

This advanced course focuses on communication within specific professional fields. Students will explore both their personal writing styles and those approaches commonly associated with professional settings of their choice. Requirements include several 3-4 page papers, primary and secondary research, a 7-10 page research paper, and a learning portfolio. At the end of the semester, students should have improved their writing skills and gained understanding of communication expectations within their fields of study. (old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 1)

English 3001 Section 004 CRN 31595
Smith
Advanced Composition 1230-1345 TR

This advanced course covers a range of academic and professional writing, and requires the development of skills in the following areas: analysis and critical thinking; review of scholarly literature in a discipline; collaboration and peer review; oral and visual communication; résumé and letter writing; and portfolio construction. Students will be expected to complete a variety of writing tasks; to give oral presentations; to read and discuss challenging academic texts, as well as take mid-term and final exams. (old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 1)

English 3001 Sections 006 CRN 31597
Murray
Advanced Composition 1530-1645 TR

Advanced composition immerses students in an advanced study and practice of writing in public, professional, and discipline-specific genres. Within this framework, students gain experience analyzing and applying writing and research skills used by professionals in their fields. To succeed in this course, students must be willing to work without constant teacher intervention, since they will work independently on individualized and group projects, self-assessing their work at different stages of the writing process. In this class, students will enhance skills necessary to give and receive constructive criticism to improve their writing; they will work independently and in groups to meet deadlines; and they will employ research and revision processes effectively. (old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 1)

English 3001 Section 007 CRN 31598
Worthington
Advanced Composition 1700-1815 TR

This course will examine different forms of writing for and about work. We will focus on employment history, do research about current states of professional opportunity and on the kinds of writing that would be expected in many workplaces. (old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 1)

English 3002 Section 001 CRN 31599
Beebe
Research Writing for Literary Studies 1100-1215 TR

This writing course is designed for English majors who want to learn more about writing in advanced literary studies. We will survey and practice a variety of forms, including review writing, scholarly editing, biography, and criticism. But we will also be reading a great deal as well, from selections across the literary spectrum of fiction, non-fiction, film, biography, and literary theory. The course requires careful preparation of challenging readings, several short research and writing assignments, and longer writing project. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 1)

English 3005 Section 001 CRN 31600
Binns
Technical Communication 1800-2030 W

(This course will introduce the essential elements of professional and technical communication. Students learn to analyze writing situations, including the purpose for writing, assumed audiences, and appropriate styles and tones. We examine various genres of technical writing throughout the semester. Students also practice drafting, evaluating, and revising professional documents. Through peer response, several writing assignments, and oral presentations, this course offers students the opportunity to improve their writing, editing, and speaking skills. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 1)

English 3009G Sections 001 & 003 CRN 31602 & CRN 31604
Wharram
Myth and Culture 1000-1050 MWF & 1200-1250 MWF

Through comparative analysis of myths from diverse cultural traditions, the course will examine relationships among mythical, historical, theological, socio-anthropological and scientific ways of understanding. (General Education Program and Group 2)

English 3009G Section 002 CRN 31603
Nonaka
Myth and Culture 1100-1150 MWF

This course will provide an in-depth look at selected motifs and themes in the cultural mythology of East Asia. Our readings will likely include but not limited to such authors as Saigyo, Shusaku Endo, Hermann Hesse, and Yukio Mishima. We will discuss the function of myth in both ancient and modern societies, the relation between state and religion, cultural identity, ritual and aesthetic practices. There will be frequent reading quizzes, group discussions, response papers, one long essay, a presentation, and mid-term and final examinations. (General Education Program; old curriculum Group 2; new curriculum Group 5)

English 3009G Section 004 CRN 31605
Searle
Myth and Culture 1400-1450 MWF

"Myth is a past with a future, exercising itself in the present," writes contemporary Mexican author Carlos Fuentes. A constant among all peoples, a shared legacy of ancestral memories, perhaps a part of our very fiber, myth is, in part, the thread that binds a society (and societies) together, that which informs national identities and codes of moral conduct. So crucial are they, in fact, that people, even today, are willing to die for their myths.

Of course, we won't go to that extent in our class. Our focus will be on the intersection between myth and culture as it is illustrated in some darn good reads. Anthropologists, psychologists, theologians, philosophers, literary theorists, etc. have all grappled with the term myth. So expect some treatment of theory and where appropriate (and accessible) application to Eastern, Mediterranean, and American mythologies. Our quest (just couldn't resist that word) should reveal the essential beliefs of other cultures and at times their similarities with our own.

Class procedure will consist of very informal lecture and discussion periods, group work, and, when relevant, video. Grades will be based on class participation, occasional quizzes, two short papers, a mid-term and final. (General Education Program; old curriculum Group 2; new curriculum Group 5)

English 3010G Section 001 CRN 31607
Campbell
Literary Masterworks 1700-1815 TR

This course is designed to provide an introduction to literary masterworks considered central to the development of western literature. Writers throughout the centuries have responded to and incorporated aspects of works by their predecessors and their contemporaries into their own “new” creations. In this course we will especially explore various lines of artistic and topical influence that stretch from classical origins through literary works of the Renaissance. In general, we will also explore such questions as what makes a text a literary masterwork? What gives such a piece its enduring qualities? Does our concept of what constitutes a masterwork change over time as facets of our culture shift and change? How should we, reading several of these texts in translation, think about the transitions they have gone through regarding the practices of translating and editing? Above all, by the end of the course, you should have a greater understanding of the literary periods and genres of the western literary canon, as well as a sense of the historical shaping of some of your own ideas and values. (General Education)

English 3099G Section 099 CRN 31608
Nonaka
Myth and Culture (Honors) 1400-1450 MWF

English/Philosophy 3110G Sections 001 & 002 CRN 31609 & CRN 31610
Loudon
Cultural Foundations II 1100-1215 TR & 1400-1515 TR

This course introduces students to the cultural foundations of India, China and the Middle East through literary, philosophical and sacred texts that have helped shape and define these civilizations. In the first segment on India, we shall read excerpts from the Vedic Hymns and the Upanishads to discuss Brahmanism and the development of Hinduism, then continue with readings from the Mahabharata, and the Bhagavad Gita. From classical Hinduism, we shall consider the basic doctrines of Buddhism. The second segment examines Chinese civilization through the study of Confucius and his ideals of self and humanity and of Taoism as reflected in the works of Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu and Li Po. The final segment focuses on the civilizations of the Middle East by first considering Arab culture and the dawn of Islam through substantial excerpts from The Qur’an. Next, we shall turn to Sufi spiritualism through short readings from Rumi, Sadi, Hafiz and Kabir. Finally, we shall consider Islamic culture in Africa by reading a novel by Naguigb Mahfouz.

Course Format: As instructors in a team-taught interdisciplinary course, we shall provide introductory contexts for our readings through lectures and responses that we hope will provoke your questions and comments so that discussion can become an integral aspect of our time in class. Exploring these traditions in reference to Western philosophical issues and literary themes whenever appropriate, we encourage you to relate your questions and perceptions to your own experiences and beliefs by focusing on differences and similarities. What are the implications for these systems of thought? Do these cultural ideas and traditions help illuminate current socio-political and cultural events?

Prerequisite: All students must have completed ENG 1002G, 1092 or the equivalent.

Course Requirements and Grading: Three essay examination, including the final; two 5-6 page essays. Each examination and essay will count 20% in the final course grade. (General Education; old curriculum Group 2; new curriculum Group 5)

English 3401 Section 001 CRN 31611
Binns
Methods of Teaching Composition in the Secondary School 1500-1615 MW

This course explores approaches to the teaching and evaluating of written composition in secondary schools. Course readings focus on theory and application of composition and rhetoric studies at the secondary level. Writing activities allow course participants to explore topics of interest in the teaching of composition and rhetoric. Technology-assisted research will be part of the course. Major assignments include an independent research project and a group panel presentation at the English Studies Conference. Each class member will also develop a unit plan and a professional portfolio. The School of Education requires Live-Text submissions in conjunction with this course. (old curriculum Group1; new curriculum Group 1)

English 3402 Section 001 CRN 31612
Ames
Methods of Teaching Literature in the Secondary School 1100-1150 MWF

This course explores various approaches to the study of literature, as well as best practices in teaching literature at the secondary level. Course work will consist primarily of reading and responding to pedagogical texts, applying the findings in such to classic and contemporary literature, and crafting/modeling instructional tools both independently and cooperatively in ways that mirror professional learning communities. The required work for this course includes crafting lesson plans, thematic units, a course design, and various reflective essays. (old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 1)

English 3405 Section 001 CRN 31613
Kory
Children’s Literature 0930-1045 TR

As grown-ups, we bring adult concerns and adult literacy to our reading of children’s literature. But we also bring our memories of listening to nursery rhymes and fairy tales, chanting playground rhymes, gazing at picture books, devouring series fiction, and escaping into novels. Both of these perspectives—that of the former child and that of the adult critic—will enrich our discussion of the cultural significance, literary quality, rhetorical situatedness, and ideological content of texts that include children in their intended audience. This course covers a lot of ground—historically, culturally, generically, critically—and is intended to provide you with a context for understanding and critically evaluating historical and contemporary children’s literature. To that end, we will read and discuss exemplary works as a class, and then work in groups or individually to evaluate self-selected works in various genre. You will receive scores for participation (which includes contributions to group work and class discussion as well as attendance), analytic WebCT posts, more formal written commentaries and reviews, individual and group presentations, and a final exam. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 5)

English 3405 Section 002 CRN 31614
Moore
Children’s Literature 1230-1345 TR

The editors of Classics of Children's Literature, John Griffith and Charles Frey, note that "The great children's stories and poems. . . . Perhaps more than any other writers . . . constitute our real mythology." In this course we will be looking closely at this "mythology," a mythology that embodies many of our culture's ambiguous attitudes about children and childhood. The course will consider the love and hatred of childhood, the manipulation, the idealization, the mystification of childhood, as reflected in a literature which is, finally, created mainly by adults. Students will examine this literature in terms of its history and the history of childhood itself. We will explore the rich complexity and archetypal significance that makes children's literature an important cultural inheritance and links it to the literature that we customarily reserve for adults.

Finally, this survey course stresses the development of more astute evaluation of the literature. Students will be encouraged to think more cogently and purposefully about what goes into a serious judgment of literature for children and to think carefully about the validity of various critical methods of analysis and evaluation.

Two major papers, an oral presentation, brief written responses, midterm and final exam. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 5)

English 3405 Section 003 CRN 31615
Kilgore
Children's Literature 1400-1515 TR

An introductory tour of children’s literature, with an emphasis on older classics. Our main focus will not be teaching methods but more general questions of interpretation, cultural resonance, and literary significance. For a much fuller view of the course, visit the online syllabus for the current course:

http://www.ux1.eiu.edu/~jdkilgore/Litclas/3405/Current/Sylall0908.htm

No doubt I will tinker with this plan somewhat for the spring, but the course will not be fundamentally different. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 5)

English 3406 Section 001 CRN 34365
Kory
Literature for Pre-Adolescents 1530-1645 TR

Donelson and Nilsen (2006) note that “in the late 1980s and early 1990s . . . publishers began focusing their attention on junior high and middle school readers.” Award-winning works such as Holes (Sachar), Ella Enchanted (Levine), The Watsons Go to Birmingham~1963 (Curtis); books in the phenomenally popular Harry Potter series; and increasingly sophisticated hybrid works (novels in verse, graphic novels) belong to this growing body of literature. In this course we will focus our critical eye on those works that fall between “children’s literature” (nursery rhymes, fairy tales, picture books) and “young adult literature.” Literature for Pre-Adolescent readers (approximately ages 8-12, grades 4-8) encompasses poetry and non-fiction as well as a rich variety of classic and popular novels in diverse genre: from contemporary realism to historical fiction, from dystopia to epic fantasy and fractured fairy tale. Our exploration of these works will take into account their historical and social contexts, and we will work to develop criteria for evaluating them that are responsive to literary quality and attentive to issues of ideology, cultural authority, rhetoric and pedagogy, and to the strategies and techniques used by adult authors of youth literature to accommodate their intended audience. Assignments will reflect the genre in which scholars and professionals working with youth literature conventionally communicate their ideas (e.g. academic essay, review, book talk) and will give you a chance to work with the print and electronic resources that enable them to engage in the lively contemporary discussion of this literature. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 5)

English 3504 Section 001 CRN 31617
Murray
Film and Literature: Crossing Borders in African American Literature and Film 1830-2100 R

African American literature and film have been defined as either syncretist (holding that great African American artists follow Eurocentric forms and belong to a larger mainstream group) and separatist (holding that true African American artists create with a distinctive identity of their own). This class will explore how crossing borders between syncretist and separatist visions of the African American aesthetic is reflected in film and literature by and about African Americans. It will also examine the multiple borders crossed in African American film and literature, in relation to both cultural and aesthetic experiences. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 5)

English 3600 Section 001 CRN 31618
Searle
The Bible as Literature 1100-1150 MWF

A best seller since the invention of the printing press, and, for at least a thousand years before that, a crucial text in the West, the Bible, as comprehensive as it is rich, still compels our attention today for its diversity, literary craft, and influence upon later writers. To those familiar with is content, there is virtually no area of human experience that is unexplored, no literary style that does not appear, and no archetype that does not come alive within its pages.

Antedating both Chaucer and Dante, and, in large part, Virgil, by many centuries, and, in some portions, perhaps Homer as well, the Bible has cast its imaginative spell upon such English speaking writers as gifted and distinct as Shakespeare, Milton, Blake, and T.S. Eliot. Closer to home, and more recently, Flannery O’Connor, John Updike, Larry Woiwode, and Rita Dove are either aware of or echo its many chords. Can any student receive a truly liberal education without knowing the literary dimension of this most significant work? Hardly.

Class procedure will consist of very informal lecture and discussion periods, group work, and when relevant, video. Grades will be based on class participation, occasional reading check quizzes, two short papers, two hourly exams, and a final. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 5)

English 3604 Section 001 CRN 31620
Kilgore
Special Topics in Literature: Laughter and Comedy 1100-1215 TR

We will start by forcing everyone in the room to tell three or four good jokes, probably inviting innocent bystanders in to listen and watch. With this de facto comedy slam completed, probably at the end of week 2, we will turn to theoretical questions: Why do we laugh? What is the nature and function of this behavior that Homo sapiens appears to share with chimps and dogs? What do linguists and sociobiologists make of laughter? And by the way, have you heard the one about the horse who walks into the bar? (The bartender says, “Say buddy, why the long face?”) CONSUMER ADVISORY: Some of the jokes told, read, and discussed at this stage may cause even the instructor to blush.

With our theoretical and practical consideration of laughter as some kind of framework, we will then turn to the study of literary comedy, a genre characterized by happy endings, ridiculous plots, low and disreputable characters, love requited, and a hopeful view of the human condition. We’ll read several of Shakespeare’s plays, Voltaire’s Candide, and kindred works by some of the following: Moliere, Swift, Sheridan, Twain, Lewis Carroll, Oscar Wilde, Samuel Beckett, Douglas Adams, and Woody Allen (“Eternal Nothingness isn’t too bad if you happen to be dressed for it.”). Requirements will include two take-home essay exams, a research paper, a final, and that brief comedy shpiel. Hey, it isn’t cancer. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 5 or, this semester, Group 3A)

A syllabus for the course should be posted at my home page (http://.ux1.eiu.edu/~jdkilgore) around Christmas.

English 3701 Section 001 CRN 31621
Boswell
American Literature: 1800 to Mid-19th Century 1230-1345 TR

Between 1830 and 1865, literary works generated in the united States reflected a wide variety of needs, fears, and hopes among the people who lived in a culture on the brink of civil war. We will read many of these texts, including novels, short stories, poetry, non-fiction, and drama, and we will try to make sense of the many literary voices who all talked at the same time during these years. Some authors we will study: Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Edgar Allen Poe, Margaret Fuller, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Beecher Stowe, John Greenleaf Whittier, Fanny Fern, Mariano Vallejo, Sojourner Truth, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson.

Requirements: thorough reading, class participation, 2-3 papers, final exam. (old curriculum Group 5; new curriculum 3B)

English 3701 Section 002 CRN 31622
Swords
American Literature: 1800 to Mid-19th Century 1530-1645 TR

In this class, we will focus on the work of the following writers: Edgar Allen Poe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson, and Walt Whitman. These represent the first generation of a genuine American literature, coming to life in the middle decades of the nineteenth century, roughly 1830-1865, a time when the United States was still a young nation, still forging itself out of the complexities of it origin, still trying to work out the kinks, mistakes, false starts, still trying to become itself somehow. The writers at hand all knew what was going on, and all in their own way, had something to say about the sort of place America was and what it might become. Most of all, they had much to say about what it might mean for actual people to try to live in America – what it meant to be an individual in a world of social rules, what it meant to be free in a place where 10 million were not free, what it meant to aim for the creative life in a society that didn’t value creativity all that much. The questions these writers asked through the stories they told, the poems they wrote, and the essays they used to explore the world around them are still pretty good questions, and by looking at their work taken altogether, there may be much to learn about the people we are and the place we live today.

This will be a reading intensive course, with a large mid-term and take home final exam. (old curriculum Group 5; new curriculum 3B)

English 3703 Section 001 CRN 31623
Worthington
American Literature: 1900 to 1950 1100-1215 TR

This course will examine works from 1900-1950 by major American authors. Included will be works by Wharton, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Cather, Eliot, Stein, Hurston, Frost, Hughes, H.D. and many others.

Required will be several small and two longer essays, a midterm and final exam. (old curriculum Group 5; new curriculum Group 3C)

English 3703 Section 002 CRN 31624
Carpenter
Modern American Literature: 1900 to 1950 1700-1815 TR

Emphasis on such topics as modernism, the Harlem Renaissance, the Great Depression, and World War II. Writers may include Cather, Eliot, Wharton, Hemingway, Hurston, W. C. Williams, Moore, Faulkner, Stevens, Wright, O’Neill. (new curriculum Group 5; new curriculum 3C)

English 3705 Section 001 CRN 31625
Ludlow
American Multicultural Literatures 0930-1045 TR

This course will focus on the idea of “being/becoming American.” Each of the texts addresses what it means to be considered simultaneously “American” and “outsider.” Fundamental questions guiding our study include: what does it mean to be an outsider in America? how do authors represent the negotiation of outsider status in their writing? and how does this literature help readers better understand the concepts “outsider” and “American”? Readings will include novels and poetry; requirements include three exams, two papers, and regular responses to readings. (old curriculum Group 2; new curriculum Group 2)

English 3801 Section 001 CRN 31626
McGregor
Chaucer 1500-1615 MW

Hailed by John Dryden in 1700 as the “Father of English Poetry,” Chaucer is still celebrated as the greatest of the medieval English poets. In fact, some critics find his work so self-aware, so perceptive, so invested in his characters’ humanity that they prefer to consider him a Renaissance, rather than a medieval, writer and thinker. One project of this course will be to consider Chaucer’s relation to his literary and social (to his medieval) contexts in order to ask how he responds to them; in what ways is he commenting on, manipulating, revising, and reflecting his world? As we ask these questions, examining Chaucer as the agent of his ideas, we will also be thinking about the poems as their own agents. Do these poems speak in ways that move beyond authorial intent? What do they say and how do they say it? All critical approaches are welcome as we explore the rich and complex world of Chaucer’s imagination. (old curriculum Group 3; new curriculum Group 3D)

English 3802 Section 001 CRN 31627
Searle
Shakespeare 0900-0950 MWF

This course will be an introduction to Shakespearean comedy, history, tragedy, and romance. We'll try for an in-depth treatment of selected plays to determine what in each is significant, Shakespearean, and typical of Renaissance drama. When appropriate, critical problems evoked by the plays and critical solutions will be presented. More important, of course, students will be encouraged to analyze the plays and formulate their own responses to numerous issues and to express their views first in class and later in an analytical paper. Frequent use of scenes on video should help make the plays come alive.

For our purposes, representative comedies (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It), histories (Richard II; Henry IV, Part I; Richard III), tragedies (Macbeth, Othello, King Lear), and romances (The Winter's Tale and The Tempest) will reveal the concerns of Renaissance man, particularly his dramatic conventions, as well as introduce the craft of William Shakespeare.

Class procedure will be informal lecture and discussion periods. Grades will be based on two one-hour exams, quizzes, a final, and one medium-length paper (6 to 8 typewritten pages) due during the second to last week of class. (old curriculum Group 3; new curriculum Group 3D)

English 3802 Section 002 CRN 31628
Raybin
Shakespeare 1800-2030 W

“All the world,” says serious Jaques in As You Like It, “‘s a stage.” Shakespeare’s stages were many: the Theatre, the Curtain, the Globe, the Blackfriars, Gray’s Inn, the royal court. Upon their boards English men and boys dressed in the imagined garb of Greece, Rome, Egypt, Italy, Ionia, Illyria, Troy, Denmark, France, Bohemia, Austria, Cyprus, Antioch and Tyre, Navarre, Scotland, Wales, a desert island somewhere in the Mediterranean, and, yes, England. They played the parts of kings and queens, knights and gentlemen, merchants and craftsmen, clergymen and clerks, philosophers and teachers, sheriffs and aldermen, apothecaries and nurses, soldiers and sailors, servants and laborers, mothers and daughters, wives and mistresses, barkeeps, lovers, eunuchs, witches, fairies, grave diggers, actors, wrestlers, musicians, clowns, and perhaps, once, a bear. In this course, we will step softly into this world of Shakespeare’s creation, often laughing, occasionally weeping, and always pondering as we witness the edge of his poetry and the magic of his imagination. Expect to read eight or nine plays.

Requirements include two or three exams, a short paper, a substantial researched paper, avid reading, and a willingness, nay eagerness to discuss. (old curriculum Group 3; new curriculum Group 3D)

English 3803 Section 001 CRN 31629
Caldwell
Renaissance and Seventeenth-Century British Literature 1000-1050 MWF

“The New Philosophy Calls All in Doubt”:
The Search for Order in Seventeenth-Century British Literature

When John Donne famously declared that “the new philosophy calls all in doubt” in his 1611 poem The Anatomy of the World, he was lamenting the loss of a universe of comparative certainty, a world in which man knew his place in the world order. Confronted with the primacy of the individual conscience as a moral authority in competition with the church. with increasingly radical political sects that began to demand personal liberties, with the eruption of civil war and the beheading of an English king, with the eclipse of the geocentric universe and the possibility of atomic matter, the seventeenth century was a world overwhelmed by significant shifts in religious liberty, political dissent, and scientific knowledge. As Donne’s poem indicates, with the growth of knowledge and freedom also came great uncertainty. In this class we will study how writers sought to come to terms with their own excitement and anxieties about this new world of liberty and its accompanying threat of disorder. Writers covered will likely include Donne, Jonson, Bacon, Herbert, Vaughan, Marvell, Browne, Milton, Hobbes, and Cavendish. Assignments will include a history presentation, a short paper, a longer paper, a midterm and final. Expect significant engagement with the intellectual, religious, and political history of the period. (old curriculum Group 3; new curriculum 3A)

English 3807 Section 001 CRN 31630
Beebe
Victorian Literature 1400-1515 TR

The course covers British literature and culture during Queen Victoria's long reign, 1837-1901. We will read a wide variety of texts from such writers as Dickens, the Brontës, Tennyson, Charles Darwin, George Eliot, Robert Browning, Bram Stoker, and others. We will discuss how these works help shape and are shaped by a rapidly changing 19th-century Britain. Requirements include brief writings, two longer essays, and two exams. (old curriculum Group 4; new curriculum 3B)

English 3892 Section 099 CRN 31633
Moore
Shakespeare (Honors) 0800-0915 TR

We will read nine representative plays: three comedies, three histories, two tragedies, and one romance. We will approach these plays as literature and as spectacle, as studied texts and as staged action. Class sessions will involve primarily informal lecture and discussion in the course of which we will consider such matters as genre, theme, imagery, structure, characterization, dramatic conventions, and sources. Frequent use of scenes from various productions on video will draw our attention to production as interpretation, reinterpretation, and revision.

REQUIREMENTS: Attendance, consistent contribution to discussion, two major papers (eight-ten pages), mid-term exam, final exam, assorted response statements, oral introductions to class discussion. (old curriculum Group 3; new curriculum Group 3D)

English 3901 Section 001 CRN 31634
Buck
Language and Linguistics 1300-1350 MWF

What in our mind is going on that allows us to know that the sentence Eleanor took Theodore’s coat off is ambiguous? How are the following sentences, although they look grammatically identical, structurally very different: (a) Henry is eager to please; (b) Henry is easy to please? Why can we use a contraction in Mary is convinced that Abbie’s having too much fun but absolutely cannot in *Mary is laughing harder than Jane’s? If you are intrigued by these language problems and want to find out more about how the grammar of your mind works, then this class is for you.

This class offers a survey of the social, historical, and psychological aspects of language. We will be studying grammar from a cognitive perspective, so our aim will be to examine how the study of grammar reveals much about the workings of the human mind.

This class is recommended for English, journalism, and foreign language majors, and anyone else who would like to develop analytical reasoning skills as they apply to an understanding of English grammar and other language awareness issues.

Class format will be informal lecture and class discussion. Evaluation will be based on several tests and one documented paper project. (old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 1)

English 3903 Section 001 CRN 31635
Panjwani
Women, Literature, and Language: Non-Western Women's Life Writing: Asian and the Middle-Eastern 1530-1645 TR

Life Writing in the past encompassed the genre of autobiography, memoir, and biography; however, in recent years the term has acquired a much wider scope. In this course we will study the various forms of Life Writing, including autobiography (and autobiographical), biography, memoir, diary, personal stories within travelogues, scholarly and newspaper articles, and testimonies, by Asian and Middle Eastern women writers. Through these narratives, the questions that we will address are: What prompts women writers to compose and disseminate their or other women’s life stories? What kinds of challenges or opportunities do women encounter in the process? What kinds of issues (feminist, religious, cultural, philosophical et cetera) are raised in such writings? How do non-western women define what the process of life writing means to them? In what ways is the narration of women’s experiences cathartic to them? How do they help them to understand or discover their ‘self’? How does the unspeakable become speakable and empowering at that same time? And finally, are women’s experiences or the act of re-membering them responsible for creating feminist subjects? The writers included in this course are Ismat Chughtai, Chhaya Datar, Altaf Fatima, Attia Hossain,, Zhang Jie, Sei Shonagon, Nawal El Saadawi, Hanan Al-Shaykh, and Popati Hiranandani. Course requirements will include mid-term exam and response paper, final research paper, one class-presentation, and active preparation and class participation (old curriculum Group 2; new curriculum Group 5 or, this semester, Group 3C)

English 3907 Section 001 CRN 33547
Martone
Asian Literature 1300-1430 MWF

From its beginnings, Japanese literature has held personal forms of writing such as the diary in high esteem. Embodying a host of questions about the nature of representation, social masks and alienated selves, and the yugen of daily life, the “I” novel is often seen as the culmination of this tradition. Beginning with early works such as Sei Shonagon’s Pillow Book and Kamo No Chomei’s Account of My Hut, we will explore the Japanese first person singular, with particular attention to such modern writers as Soseki, Akutagawa, Kawabata, Mishima, Abe, and Oe.

English 4275 Section 001 CRN 31636
Fredrick
Internship in Professional Writing ARR**

**Students must have permission of Director before registering for the Internship.

A community-based experience featuring practical application of skills developed in the English curriculum, the Internship is open only to upper-division students. To the extent possible, placement is matched to career goals with the expectation that students might approach graduation and the job search with writing/editing portfolios to show potential employers. Recent English interns have written for newspapers, edited magazines, designed documents, prepared publicity materials for Eastern, Lake Land, the Charleston Chamber of Commerce, the Tarble Arts Center, the Coles County Association for the Retarded, Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center, etc.

English 4275 is a four-hour course offered on a credit/no credit basis. The Director and site-supervisors cooperate in evaluation.

PERMISSION OF THE DIRECTOR MUST BE SECURED PRIOR TO ENROLLMENT so that placement arrangements can be made. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 5)

English 4300 Section 001 CRN 31637
Worthington
Senior Seminar: Spirits, Ghosts and Demons 0800-0915 TR

This course will explore images of spirits, ghosts and demons in literature from a variety of periods and genres in English and American literature. We will try to figure out what purpose ghostly images can serve, how those images have changed, and how those images illuminate larger literary themes. (old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 4)

English 4300 Section 002 CRN 31638
Park
Senior Seminar: Disclosure Is the New Secrecy: Literatures of Concealment 1100-1215 TR

This course will use a minimum of five different major texts to examine the ethics and practical implementation of concealment. How does the secret operate in widely differing texts? What work does it do in the British Romantic novel (Secresy and Mansfield Park) and how does this differ from and perhaps overlap with secrecy’s role in, say, a twentieth-century Asian-American novel (Native Speaker)? Are “open secrets” liberating, damaging, or simply indicative of an alternative mode of continuation? What are the politics and ethics of secrecy as they play out in colonial and postcolonial contexts? Our authors will include Eliza Fenwick, Jane Austen, William Wordsworth, Chang-Rae Lee, J.M. Coetzee, and others. (old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 4)

English 4300 Section 003 CRN 31639
Coleman
Senior Seminar: American Dreams 1400-1515 TR

This senior seminar is an opportunity to bring together all that you have learned as an English major in our collaborative investigation into how, why, and with what results Americans (and others) have turned to literature to celebrate, challenge and redefine the American Dream. Or, more accurately, our American Dreams. We’ll look into the many ways in which this pervasive cultural concept plays out across differences of time, space, class, race, religion, nationality, sexuality, and gender. After setting an historical context with a few 18th and 19th century readings, we’ll focus our attention on 20th century fiction. The class will follow the seminar format, so active reading and lively, responsible participation will be important to your individual and our collective success. Likely writing assignments include short response papers, a research project, and an essay exam final. (old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 4)

English 4390 Section 097 CRN 31642
Coleman
Senior Seminar (Honors): American Dreams 1400-1515 TR

English 4390 Section 098 CRN 31641
Park
Senior Seminar (Honors): Disclosure Is the New Secrecy: Literatures of Concealment 1100-1215 TR

English 4390 Section 099 CRN 31640
Worthington
Senior Seminar (Honors): Spirits, Ghosts and Demons 0800-0915 TR

EIU 4192G Section 099 CRN 33552
Boswell
Film and Contemporary Society [Honors Senior Seminar] 1530-1850 R

Film represents the most popular—and probably the most powerful—art form of our own time. We will watch, study, and discuss a variety of movies throughout the semester as we explore the history, aesthetics, and critical theory which inform the movies. Prerequisites: Admission to the University Honors Program and permission of the Director of Honors Program.

Requirements: class participation, several short papers, one substantial research paper.

Note: This University Senior Seminar does not fulfill the English Honors Senior Seminar requirement, English 4300/4390. (General Education)

CLASSES NUMBERED 4750 THROUGH 4999. THESE CLASSES ARE OPEN TO JUNIORS, SENIORS, AND GRADUATE STUDENTS. GRADUATE STUDENTS ARE LIMITED TO NINE HOURS OF COURSEWORK IN THIS CATEGORY.

English 4750 Section 001 CRN 31643
Engles
Studies in African-American Literature: African American Whiteness 1830-2100 T

America’s literary canon has expanded to include a number of African Americans. Like authors who write from other identifiable or self-proclaimed minority positions, African American writers tend to be read in search of insight into their own supposed group experience. Thus, it may surprise you to learn that a great deal of African American intellectual energy has been devoted to understanding the complexities of white experience, and of white power. In part because those Americans who have been labeled “black” have had much to fear from those who have been labeled “white,” many significant African American writers have provided penetrating insight into the thoughts, values, and behavior of America’s racial majority, insights from which even whites themselves can learn. As we will see, such stories, essays, and novels can also illuminate the broader significance for all Americans of centuries of white hegemony. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 2)

English 4752 Section 001 CRN 34366
Wixson
Studies in Drama: Classical Shakespeare: Romans and Romance 1230-1345 TR

This advanced course in the work of William Shakespeare focuses on his achievement in plays based upon history and legends from ancient Greece and Rome. The Roman tragedies written between 1599 and 1608 present bleak visions of human existence as they anxiously confront political and social tendencies pervasive in their time as well as in our own. The later romances seek ways of reconciling human weakness and depravity, not always successfully. The course offers an opportunity to explore some less canonical plays both on their own and counterpoised with more familiar ones, problematizing our assumptions about what is (and is not) "Shakespearean".

The plays we will consider are: Titus Andronicus, Julius Caesar, Troilus and Cressida, Timon of Athens, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, The Winter's Tale, Pericles, and Cymbeline. We will be reading these tragedies and romances slowly, carefully, and critically, supplementing them with other literary, historical, scholarly, theoretical, and cinematic secondary sources. A solid grounding in the usual suspects among Shakespeare's works (such as English 3802 or 3892) will be a necessary foundation to our work together. The seminar will be run as an ongoing conversation in which energetic participation is required. Other requirements will include a short essay, a long research paper, formal and informal presentations, bibliographical work, discussion leading, and a final exam. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 5)

English 4760 Section 001 CRN 31646
Taylor
Studies in Professional Writing: Traditions of Argumentation and Proposal Writing 1000-1050 MWF

In this course we will study classical rhetoric, its beginnings in ancient Greece and its continuation in the Roman Republic, and how the precepts and principles from Isocrates, Aristotle, Cicero, and Quintilian are crucial for anyone who attempts to persuade and argue in academia, courts, the workplace, and the civic realm. In addition, we will examine alternate ways of looking at argumentation by learning from the work of Stephen Toulmin, Carl Rogers, Kenneth Burke, and contemporary scholars in composition and rhetoric. With a strong grounding in rhetoric and argumentation, the course will practice important rhetorical concepts through writing arguments, especially proposals. The course will explore argument-based documents that are commonplace in business and professional settings, such as recommendation reports, practical proposals, policy proposals, and grant proposals. Students will produce a rhetorical evaluation paper that examines the effectiveness of an argument early in the semester, but the bulk of the course will revolve around writers composing their own arguments and proposals. In addition, students will lead discussion of readings throughout the semester, and participants will provide informal presentations from time to time. Graduate students taking the course will be expected to compose a conference length paper or a publishable article with a clear audience in mind. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 5)

English 4762 Section 001 CRN 31647
Abella
Poetry Writing 1000-1050 MWF

As an advanced writing class, this class assumes your interest in and seriousness about being a writer. As writers, then, you will workshop your poems to develop your poetic voices and editing skills by listening to the feedback you receive. You will further learn to do this by reading contemporary poets and studying their use of language, imagery and form. You will keep a journal of your study of these poets’ works so you can develop a stronger sense of what kinds of poems appeal to you and why, and in the process learn how your work fits into the kinds of poetry being written today. At the end you will be graded on a portfolio of revised poems, the journal and class participation. (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 5)

English 4763 Section 001 CRN 31648
Moffitt
Fiction Writing 1200-1250 MWF

This class assumes that students already have a solid understanding of and practice in basic fiction writing, and that they are serious and active writers of prose fiction. As such, each student’s main objective is to produce a significant amount of original creative fiction, either short stories or chapters of a novel. In working toward this objective, students will examine subject matter, theme, technique, structure, and style in their own writing, their peers’ writing, and in the writing of established contemporary fiction writers, and will develop and display a thorough and sophisticated understanding of how the elements of craft work in these texts. (Please note that if you do not have experience in basic fiction writing, you might want to reconsider your presence in this class. If you have taken English 2007 at EIU, or any other creative writing course focused on fiction, and/or if you are or have been an active fiction writer, this is the course for you; if not, you may find yourself struggling to meet the objectives.)(old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 5)

English 4775 Section 001 CRN 31645
Wharram
Studies in Literary and Cultural Criticism and Theory: TBA 1500-1615 MW

BorderLines. Topics include problems of the border between self and other, between cultures and nations, between reader and text, the "human" and the "natural". (old curriculum Group 6; new curriculum Group 4)

English 4801 Section 001 CRN 31649
Ames
Integrating the English Language Arts 0900-0950 MWF

This course centers on connecting pedagogical theory and its practical applications for integrating the English language arts, including literature, composition, speech, drama, and media. Future teachers will have the opportunity to learn how to integrate a variety of methods grounded in theories in the teaching of English language arts, as well as strategies for teaching non-traditional texts from popular culture. Adapting written and oral communication to audience and situation; recognizing components of effective oral and written communication; and integrating technology and media into the language arts classroom will be key elements of this course. Course work will include: response papers, pedagogical research, lesson plans, unit design, authentic assessments, and various presentations.(old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 1)

English 4950 Section 001 CRN 31652
Swords
Literary History 0930-1045 TR

As a capstone course for English majors, this class is intended to get you thinking about the overall meaning and value of literary study – how texts relate to other texts, how writers respond to the world around them and to other writers, how in one’s own reading certain patterns begin to emerge, why one might read and write, and so forth. The reading for the course will cluster around Barbara Kingslover’s The Poisonwood Bible, a novel set in the Congo in Africa. Along with this we will read some history, several African novels, Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, as well as watch several movies in order to explore literary history in the making. You will also work on a semester long project exploring your own history as a reader and student of literature. (old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 4)

English 4950 Section 002 33548
Raybin
Literary History 0800-0915 TR

The course treats the broad sweep of British and American literature from the beginnings through the current day. We read representative works from each literary period, examine characteristics of various literary genres, consider the origin and tenets of major literary movements, and explore briefly the social and cultural background of the different periods. Our goals are to come to terms with British and American literary history as a coherent tradition, to get a sense of the values and problems associated with the establishment of a literary canon, and to enjoy some very good poetry, drama, and prose fiction.

Requirements include three analytic papers, a series of quizzes, a comprehensive final examination, and active classroom participation. (old curriculum Group 1; new curriculum Group 4)

Graduate Seminars

English 5000 Section 001 CRN 31653
Moore
Introduction to Methods & Issues in English Studies 1900-2130 T

This course aims to initiate graduate students into the mysteries of scholarship in English – a baptism by immersion into the academic culture of literary and composition studies. Your work in the class will provide you with useful equipment for pursuing success in the M.A. program and in whatever pursuits may follow. You will be introduced to the world of interpretive approaches, critical theories, the evolution of literary studies and critical debates. You will engage in projects in bibliography, textual studies and researched critical writing. In addition to exploring critical strategies ranging from formalism to post-colonialism, we will examine issues in current composition studies and pedagogy. Much of your work will involve bringing these scholarly tools and issues to bear upon the genre of late Victorian gothic/sensation fiction, represented by a little-known novel, The Beetle (1897), by Richard Marsh (Richard Bernard Heldmann).

Requirements: Avid participation in discussion; Paper presentation; annotated bibliography; weekly written exercises; research essay; final exam; reading, reading, reading.

English 5002 Section 001 CRN 34367
Campbell
Studies in Renaissance Literature: Shaping the English Renaissance 1900-2130 W

How English is the English Renaissance, anyway? Why do so many Shakespearean characters speak their pithy Elizabethan English lines in Italian settings while pretending to be Italian? In this course, we will explore how English Renaissance literature is actually in large part a product of Continental courtly and popular cultures adapted to suit English tastes, as well as English political and religious concerns. We will read key texts of the English Renaissance by such writers as Wyatt, Surrey, Spenser, Sidney, Shakespeare, Jonson, and Wroth, alongside a selection of powerfully iconic Continental texts whose influence helped to shape these English works. We will begin, for example, with poems by Petrarch, then look at a selection of poetry by Sidney, Shakespeare, Wroth, and others to explore English Petrarchism. We will discuss Machiavelli’s Prince and Castiglione’s Courtier alongside speeches and other communications by Queen Elizabeth, as well as Shakespeare’s Henry V. We will look at excerpts from Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso and descriptions of the Ballet comique de la Royne in tandem with excerpts from Sidney’s and Wroth’s romances, as well as some of Jonson’s court masques. Finally, we will explore Renaissance comedy as we discuss aspects of Italian commedia and performance practices that influenced such plays as Much Ado about Nothing and The Merchant of Venice. While on that subject, we will also see what English critics such as Thomas Nashe and John Lyly had to say about Continental influences upon the English stage, as well as upon courtly manners and mores. While one goal of the course is to broaden your understanding of what is and isn’t English about English Renaissance literature, another is to explore the ways in which aspects of Renaissance literature still inform our contemporary tastes.

English 5009 Section 001 CRN 34368
Allison
19th-Century American Literature: Violence, Identity, & Community 1530-1800 T

Given the nation’s origins in conquest and revolution, it is no wonder that so many works of 19th-century American literature are steeped in violence. Even without such violent origins (which really aren’t unique to the Americas), we would expect violence to be a theme in literature since nearly all, if not all, societies enforce conformity through the threat and application of violence. Focusing on works by a wide range of American writers of the 19th century, we will examine ways that the works represent violence and its relationships to concepts of identity and community. Our discussion will necessarily lead us to consider such subjects as gender, race, nonconformity, scapegoating, and authority. Requirements include a midterm essay, a final examination, and a critical essay of about twelve pages.

English 5011 Section 001 CRN 31658
Markelis
Studies in Composition and Rhetoric: Orality, Literacy, and Culture 1900-2130 R

We tend to think of writing as an intrinsic and inevitable form of language when, in reality, writing is an invention, and a fairly recent one in the grand scheme of things. At the same time, there is a tendency to view oral cultures as somehow “lacking”; we forget, for example, that the epics of Homer were composed and transmitted orally, and ignore the artistic merit in oral genres of performance such as joke and story-telling. This course will examine what Jack Goody has termed “the interface between the written and the oral.” Topics and themes we’ll explore include the development of writing in specific societies, the role of memory in primarily oral cultures, and the effects of spoken communication on students facing academic writing for the first time. (When it comes to teaching writing, for example, it’s important for instructors to stress the difference between the spoken word and the written word; many students believe that writing is just “speaking on paper.”) Texts will include the edited volume Book History Reader; Walter Ong’s seminal Orality and Literacy; and Marcia Farr’s Rancheros in Chicagoacán: Language and Identity in a Transnational Community. The course will be in seminar format, arranged around student-directed discussions of assigned readings.

English 5020 Section 001 CRN 33551
Nonaka
Graduate Workshop in Creative Writing – Poetry 1900-2130 M

This workshop is designed for experienced poets who are ready to experiment with different aesthetic strategies and broaden their literary knowledge of classical and contemporary masters. In addition to generating new poems for each weekly workshop discussion, this course requires extensive reading (both poetry and poetics of selected authors) and preliminary attempts by each student to locate his or her work within the ongoing dialogue of tradition and innovation.

English 5061 Section 001 CRN 31659
Vietto
Teaching College Literature: History, Theory, Practice 1530-1800 R

This seminar will explore the history of post-secondary teaching of literature, the theoretical debates that influence the current state of the field, and the practical implications that flow from this history and theory. Readings will include Graff's Professing Literature; Showalter's Teaching Literature; hooks's Teaching to Transgress; articles from the journals Pedagogy, College Literature, and Profession; and selections from the recently proliferating genre of college teaching memoirs. We will also read a group of literary works to be determined in part by the membership of the seminar. Writing assignments will include a conference-length paper reporting on primary research in institutional history, a bibliographic essay on a relevant theoretical issue, a book review of a volume in the MLA Approaches to Teaching World Literature series, contributions to a collectively constructed annotated bibliography on practical teaching matters, and the preparation of a variety of sample teaching documents.

Please note: This seminar focuses on teaching at the college level and is intended for those considering careers in higher education. The seminar will not treat the special restrictions and concerns that apply solely to high school teaching, since these issues are already treated extensively in courses offered at the 3000 and 4000 levels.

English 5502 Section 001 CRN 31660
Wixson
Mentored Composition Teaching 1530-1800 W

This course seeks to provide a foundation for the effective teaching of freshman composition. Building upon the coursework in pedagogical theory covered in English 5007, we will immerse ourselves in the practices of teaching writing at the college level, and each student should be prepared to engage vigorously in discussion, analysis, reflection, and performance.

Notes

1. English 1002 is a prerequisite for 2000-level courses and above.

2. All courses designated with a G (e.g., 2009G) fulfill requirements in the old Integrated Core Curriculum.

3. Except for English 3009G and 3099G, English courses in the General Education Program (“G” courses) do not fulfill requirements in the English major or minors.

4. A new curriculum has been approved for the English major and for the English Language Arts option for Teacher Certification, effective with the 2007-2008 catalog. Students who began prior to fall 2007 may elect to follow their original catalog or the 2007 catalog. Courses are grouped for course selection in the old and new catalogs as follows:

2006 and Earlier Catalogs

Group 1—Required Courses: 2205§, 2601, 2901* or 3901 or 4901, 3001, 3401*, 3402*, 4300, 4390‡, 4644‡, 4801*, 4950
Group 2—Literary/Cultural Studies: 2602, 2692, 2705, 2850, 3009G, 3099G, 3705, 3903
Group 3—Periods: English Literature before 1660: 3800, 3801, 3802, 3803, 3804, 3892
Group 4—Periods: English Literature after 1660: 3805, 3806, 3807, 3808
Group 5—Periods: American Literature: 3700, 3701, 3702, 3703, 3704
Group 6—Special Areas, Topics and Studies: 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2603, 2760, 3005, 3405, 3504, 3600, 3601, 3604, 3606, 3706, 3970, 4275, 4750, 4752, 4760, 4761, 4762, 4763, 4764, 4775, 4850, 4903, 4905, 4906

2007 Catalog

Group 1—Foundation Courses: 2205§, 2601, 2901* or 3901 or 4901, 2760 or 3001 or 3002 or 3005 or 4761** or 4762** or 4763** or 4764**, 3401*, 3402*, 4801*, 4903*
Group 2—Focused Study in Multicultural Literatures: 2705, 2850, 3705*, 4750, 4850
Group 3—Breadth in Historical Literary Studies
3A. Literature before 1800: 3800, 3803, 3805, 3700 and courses in Group 5 when so designated in this course description booklet
3B. Nineteenth Century: 3806, 3807, 3701, 3702 and courses in Group 5 when so designated in this course description booklet
3C. Twentieth Century and After: 3808, 3809, 3703, 3704 and courses in Group 5 when so designated in this course description booklet
3D. Major Author Study: 3801, 3802/3892, 3804, 3601 and courses in Group 5 when so designated in this course description booklet
Group 4—Capstone Courses: 4300 or 4390, 4775 or 4950
Group 5—English Electives: 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2602, 2603, 2692, 2760, 3005, 3009G, 3099G, 3405, 3504, 3600, 3604, 3606, 3706, 3903, 3970, 4275, 4752, 4760, 4761, 4762, 4763, 4764, 4903, 4905, 4906

*Required for Teacher Certification only
‡Required of Honors students only
§Concurrent or prior registration in English 2205 is strongly recommended for majors in all courses at the 2000-level and above
**Prerequisites

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