Spring 2023
Expand your understanding of literature and language and develop your communication and critical thinking skills with these featured courses offered by the Department of English in Spring 2023. Please email Ms. Hadeel Rahal at [email protected] to be enrolled.
Spring 2023
ENG 185 Playing with Texts
Taught by Dr. Kristen Highland
Our lives are made of and shaped by texts. From social media posts to films, from graffiti art to fiction, written and visual texts attempt to make meaning of our experiences. This semester, we will read, view, discuss and analyze a variety of short texts focusing on diverse aspects of our lives, including social justice and global exchange. As part of our work, we will spend several weeks on a dynamic virtual exchange project with peers at a partner American university. Throughout the semester, you will explore your ideas and deepen your insights through analytical and creative projects on course texts.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed WRI 101.
For English majors, ENG 185 is a major requirement (for pre-2022 catalogs, ENG 185 is not a major course). For non-majors and ENG majors on pre-2022 catalogs, ENG 185 fulfills the Arts and Literature General Education Requirement or the Communication Requirement. It may also be taken as a free elective.
ENG 210 Introduction to Literature
Taught by Dr. Eric De Barros
"The Crime of Writing—The Ethical Limits of Literary Expression"
As students and teachers of English language and literature, our inclination is to believe, declare and/or attempt to demonstrate the power of literary expression. However, it has always struck me as ironic that Shakespeare—that go-to example in the Western literary tradition—seems less convinced than we have generally been educated to be. In fact, so many of his poems and plays pivot tragically or comically on those moments when the rhetorical and/or representational capacity of language falls short and specifically fails its speaker.
As an introduction—or perhaps a re-introduction—to literature, this course will test this Shakespearean skepticism against a range of texts—representing a range of genres—in an effort to establish in/for us a more complex appreciation of the potential power(lessness) of literary expression.
Prerequisites: Open to students who have completed WRI 102.
For English majors, ENG 210 is a major requirement. For non-majors, ENG 210 fulfills the Arts and Literature General Education Requirement or the Communication Requirement. It may also be taken as a free elective.
ENG 223 Introduction to Language Study
Taught by Dr. Adnan Ajsic
Language, as Steven Pinker has noted, is one of the wonders of the natural world. We all use it, we use it nearly all the time, and we can express almost anything, existing or imagined, in it. Perhaps most importantly, language is a uniquely human tool for understanding the world, and the production and transmission of knowledge between individuals and groups, as well as between generations. But where does this fascinating ability that distinguishes us from all other living things come from? How does it work? How and what do we use it for in our modern world and how does it intersect with technology? Join us in ENG 223: Introduction to Language Study as we explore the origins of language(s), language structure (sounds, words, sentences, meaning), language evolution and change, and the link(s) between language and our societies and cultures.
Prerequisites: Open to students who have completed WRI 102.
For English majors, ENG 223 is a major requirement. For non-majors, ENG 223 fulfills the Human Interaction and Behavior General Education Requirement or the Communication Requirement. It may also be taken as a free elective.
ENG 224 English Grammar
Taught by Dr. Ji Young Shim
Did you play with LEGO when you were a kid? Do you remember those little LEGO blocks in different sizes and colors and you build something out of them? What if I tell you that's what we'll do in this course? Yes, we will build different things with our imaginary LEGO blocks. But there are certain rules we have to follow to play LEGO in our imaginary world. So, if you're curious about it, come and join us.
Prerequisites: Open to students who have completed WRI 102.
For English majors, ENG 224 is a major requirement. For non-majors, ENG 224 fulfills the Communication Requirement or may be taken as a free elective.
ENG 250 World Literature
Taught by Dr. Nawar Golley
Are you ready for adventures with Gilgamesh, Enkidu, Ishtar, Ulysses, Penelope, Karna, Krishna, Aragorn and many other legendary characters?
You are. Then join me and be transported to times and places where human creativity and imagination is epic.
ENG 250 World Literature examines representative works of world literature from early writing to the modern era. The course emphasizes literary aspects of texts, including structure and technique, as well as the ways in which specific cultural and historical contexts shape the forms and purposes of storytelling.
Prerequisites: Open to students who have completed WRI 102.
For English majors, ENG 250 is a major requirement (for pre-2022 catalogs, ENG 250 is not a major course). For non-majors and ENG majors on pre-2022 catalogs, ENG 250 fulfills the Culture in a Critical Perspective General Education Requirement or the Communication Requirement. It may also be taken as a free elective.
ENG 300 Literary and Critical Theory
Taught by Dr. Maya Aghasi
You’ve probably heard of terms like structuralism, deconstruction, modernism, Marxism, postmodernism, postcolonialism, and feminism and performative theory, and so on, but weren’t quite sure what they meant. In this course, we will study texts foundational to major literary and cultural movements and periods, exploring in detail what they refer to, when and why they emerged, and their significance to literary and cultural study. Expect to read such thinkers as Freud, Lacan, Derrida, Foucault, Marx and Engels, Butler, Said, McClintock, Baudrillard, Crenshaw, Haraway and many more! In the class, we will use them to analyze literary and cultural texts (such as novels and films). By the end of the course, you should be able to use what you have learned to support your ability to critically analyze texts, films, series, culture and other social phenomena.
Prerequisites: Open to students who have completed ENG 210 and ENG 203 or 204.
For English majors, ENG 300 is a major requirement (for catalogs prior to 2022, it is a Literature concentration requirement or major elective). For non-majors, ENG 300 fulfills the Cultures in a Critical Perspective General Education Requirement or Communication Requirement. It may also be taken as a free elective.
ENG 314 20th Century American Literature
Taught by Dr. Una Tanovic
“I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath—
America will be!”
- “Let America Be America Again” (1936), Langston Hughes
In this survey course, we will examine 20th-century literary texts that represent multiple visions of American identity and experience. You will encounter a collection of richly diverse literary voices as we grapple with what it means to be or to become an American and explore the dreams, realities and nightmares that have inspired, shaped and haunted the United States in the 20th century. We will read texts that engage with issues of national significance—war, migration, social justice, the environment, race, gender, class—as well as individual concerns related to family, motherhood, work, education, literacy and memory. Our readings in prose, poetry and drama will be supplemented by discussions of photography, film, modern and contemporary art, and material culture.
Prerequisites: Open to students who have completed ENG 204 or ENG 203.
For English majors, ENG 314 is a major elective (for pre-2022 catalogs, ENG 314 is a Literature concentration course or a major elective). For non-majors, ENG 314 fulfills the Arts and Literature General Education Requirement or the Communication Requirement. It may also be taken as a free elective.
ENG 331 The Sound Patterns of Language
Taught by Dr. Özgür Parlak
Every day you use your nose, tongue, lips, teeth, palate and pharynx to shape the airstream that comes from your lungs into distinct speech sounds. You produce those speech sounds in a particular order to create meaningful utterances, and you do this at a phenomenal speed. When you think about it, the processes involved in speech production are highly complex, and at the same time, truly incredible. If you are willing to learn more about the fascinating world of phonetics and phonology, join us in ENG 331. Together, we will explore a wide-range of topics such as the production of phonemes; formation of syllable structures; the acoustic qualities of and rules governing word stress, rhythm and intonation; first language acquisition of speech; and finally, second language acquisition of speech. Although the sounds of English will be at the center of our exploration throughout the course, students will also have a chance to discuss and examine the phonological and phonetic features of their native language through stimulating class discussions as well as engaging assignments.
Prerequisites: Open to students who have completed ENG 223 and ENG 203 or ENG 204.
For English majors, ENG 331 is a major elective (for pre-2022 catalogs, ENG 331 is a Language concentration requirement or a major elective). For non-majors, ENG 331 fulfills the Communication Requirement. It may also be taken as a free elective.
ENG 385 Language and Gender
Taught by Dr. Tammy Gregerson
For those interested in exploring how language and gender interact in the modern world, this is a course that you cannot pass up! Through in-depth classroom discussions, group projects and action research among other activities, we will investigate the intersection of gender and language in the workplace, media, school, religion and relationships, including present day topics such as gaming, eco-feminism and social media. The course will raise your awareness of the role of gender in the language that surrounds us every day—and some of it will surprise you!
Prerequisites: Open to students who have completed ENG 203 or ENG 204 or ENG 223 or ENG 234.
For English majors, ENG 385 is a major elective. For non-majors, ENG 385 fulfills the Human Interaction and Behavior General Education Requirement or the Communication Requirement. It may also be taken as a free elective.
ENG 39410 Environmental Humanities
Taught by Dr. Brian McAllister
In this course, we will explore ways that writers and artists understand and represent their environments, identifying strategies by which poets, filmmakers, visual artists, sound artists, and fiction and nonfiction writers have addressed environmental questions. We’ll pay particular attention to the ways that these texts address changing ecological dynamics resulting from human activity, especially issues of environmental ethics and justice that arise from the unequal global distribution of environmental crises. We will consider how these trends and issues influence our own engagements with and understandings of the more-than-human world. Classwork will culminate in a research paper and a student-designed creative project that explore issues of environment, culture and art that we will discuss throughout the semester.
Prerequisites: Open to students who have completed ENG 203 or ENG 204 or ENG 210 or ENG 250.
For English majors, ENG 394xx is a major elective. For non-majors, ENG 394xx fulfills the Arts and Literature General Education Requirement or the Communication Requirement. It may also be taken as a free elective.
ENG 401 Advanced English Grammar
Taught by Dr. Tharwat El-Sakran
All of you must have done English grammar courses or heard about them. The advanced English grammar course functionally discusses the way(s) in which linguistic units such as words and phrases are arranged to produce sentences in the English language. Furthermore, it covers how the meaning of sentences depends on the word arrangement and the context in which they are used. I am certain that you will find this course beneficial and great fun.
Prerequisites: Open to students who have completed ENG 223 or ENG 224.
For English majors, ENG 401 is a major elective (for pre-2022 catalogs, ENG 401 is a Language concentration requirement or a major elective). For non-majors, ENG 401 fulfills the Communication Requirement. It may also be taken as a free elective.
ENG 416 Modern Drama and Beyond
Taught by Dr. Paul Almonte
In Three Uses of the Knife: On the Nature and Purpose of Drama, David Mamet defines theatre as a “communal art,” a shared experience among playwright, performers and audience. According to August Wilson, “theatre asserts that all of human life is universal.” Matters of “Love, Honor, Duty, Betrayal,” he says, “belong and pertain to every culture or race.” Sometimes, though, this shared space—the “ground on which we all stand” Wilson calls it—can be a frightening place, “a vast silence and darkness” as the critic Ann Fallon describes it in reviewing a performance of a play by Samuel Beckett. The “only thing that holds this emptiness back,” she says, “is the light and the voice of the actor.”
In this course, we will explore how modern drama attempts to express life’s universal questions and feelings: its communal joys and alienating sorrows. We will follow its development from the age of modernism to the present by studying plays that have been influential in shaping theatre as it is known today. We will also apply various theoretical and critical approaches to dramatic texts and performances. Key modern genres—from social realism to Epic, experimental, and contemporary theatre—will be explored through the work of playwrights like Jean Anouilh, Samuel Beckett, Bertolt Brecht, Nawal El Saadawi, Lorraine Hansberry, Henrik Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Tom Stoppard and August Wilson.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed ENG 203 or ENG 204 and ENG 210 or ENG 250.
For English majors, ENG 416 is a major elective (for pre-2022 catalogs, ENG 416 is a Literature concentration course or a major elective). For non-majors, ENG 416 fulfills the Arts and Literature General Education Requirement or the Communication Requirement. It may also be taken as a free elective.
- Fall 2022
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ENG 495 Seminar In English, Code-Switching Worldwide
Taught by Professor Ji Young ShimWhile there are places where people speak only one language, most people in the world speak more than one language, which is certainly true here at AUS. And many of those “bilingual” or “multilingual” speakers also switch back and forth or even mix different languages in a conversation or in writing. We call this “code-switching”. What is surprising is that we don’t mix languages randomly, but seem to follow rules, which we’ve never learned. What are those rules? Do we need to learn those rules? Do different languages have different rules or share similar rules? How do we know there are rules of code-switching? Also why do we mix languages? In this seminar, we will try to find the answers to these questions and learn more about this amazing phenomenon.
Prerequisite: Open to students Junior I and above.
For English majors, ENG 495 is a major requirement. For non-majors, ENG 495 may be taken as a free elective (meets Communication requirement).ENG 416 Modern Drama and Beyond
Taught by Professor Hania NashefIn this course, we will follow the development of drama from the age of modernism to the present by studying plays that have been influential in shaping theater as we know it today. We will explore several genres, starting with realism up to experimental and contemporary theater. We will also discuss how certain historical events were instrumental in bringing about this groundbreaking transformation in theater. We will analyze major works (through text and performance) by Samuel Beckett, Bertolt Brecht, Anton Chekov, Eugene Ionesco, Harold Pinter, Luigi Pirandello, Wole Soyinka and Tennessee Williams.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed ENG 203 or ENG 204 AND ENG 210. For English majors, ENG 416 fulfills a Literature Concentration requirement or may be taken as a major elective. For non-majors, ENG 416 may be taken as an Arts and Literature General Education course or as a free elective (meets Communication requirement).
ENG 410 American Novel
Taught by Professor Kristen HighlandMystery, adventure, murder, love, moral outrage—these things fuel America's most popular novels from the rise of the literary form in the 18th century to today's bestsellers. But more than simply being great reads, "bestselling" novels offer significant insights into American life and culture. In this discussion-based course, we will read bestsellers across time, pairing the 18th-century didactic novel with 21st-century noir and the 19th-century sentimental novel with 20th-century science fiction, in order to elucidate the historical and social conditions of American bestsellers and bestsellerism as a cultural and commercial category. We will explore how these novels address questions of power, gender, identity and social value, and examine how "popular" literature functions as literary text, cultural artifact and commercial object.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed ENG 210, ENG 214, ENG 215 or ENG 315.
For English majors, ENG 410 fulfills a Literature Concentration requirement or may be taken as a major elective. For non-majors, ENG 410 may be taken as an Arts and Literature General Education course or as a free elective (meets Communication requirement).ENG 401 Advanced English Grammar
Taught by Professor Tharwat SakranThis course provides an intensive investigation into contemporary English sentence structure, function and meaning. It analyzes how structure types and sentence relationships are realized in various texts and genres. It discusses issues relative to descriptive/prescriptive approaches to language.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed ENG 223 or ENG 224.
For English majors, ENG 401 is a Language Concentration requirement or may be taken as a major elective. For non-majors, ENG 401 may be taken as a free elective (meets Communication requirement).ENG 382 Language Variation in Media
Taught by Professor Adnan Ajšić
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed ENG 223 or ENG 224.
For English majors, ENG 382 fulfills a Language Concentration requirement or may be taken as a major elective. For non-majors, ENG 382 may be taken as a free elective (meets Communication requirement).ENG 378 Literature as Film
Taught by Professor Brian McAllisterThis course explores relationships between literature and movies by investigating how filmmakers present literary forms such as short stories, plays, novels and comics. We will take an expanded approach to questions about adaptation, seeing film as not simply based on literary antecedents but as an art form which draws on other forms of art. We will consider the complex relations between copy and original, moving beyond the basic concerns of fidelity (“good” or “bad” adaptations). Our texts will be diverse, considering a variety of genres—from drama to science fiction, from experimental to blockbuster—and moving across historical periods, cultural contexts and geographical spaces. In the end, our goal will be to think about creative and critical possibilities that arise in these intertextual situations.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed ENG 203 or ENG 204 or ENG 210.
For English majors, ENG 378 is a major elective. For non-majors, ENG 378 may be taken as an Arts and Literature General Education course or as a free elective (meets Communication requirement).ENG 321 Language and Culture
Taught by Professor Aisha Mohamed-SayidinaThis course examines the ways in which language and culture influence human interaction in a variety of cultural and interpersonal contexts. It covers a broad range of topics, including identity, verbal and nonverbal styles of communication, and cross-cultural communication.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed ENG 203 or ENG 204 or ENG 223 or ENG 234.
For English majors, ENG 321 is a major elective. For non-majors, ENG 321 may be taken as a Human Interaction and Behavior General Education course or as a free elective (meets Communication requirement).ENG 308 British Literature Until 1600
Taught by Professor Eric De BarrosThis course surveys English and related literatures from the Anglo-Saxon period through Shakespeare. It studies texts in the context of their social, political and historical influences.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed ENG 203 or ENG 204.
For English majors, ENG 308 fulfills a major requirement or may be taken as a major elective. For non-majors, ENG 308 may be taken as an Arts and Literature General Education course or as a free elective (meets Communication requirement).ENG 226 Development of the English Language
Taught by Professor Khawlah AhmadYou speak the English language, but do you know how that language came about and what are its origins? What languages (and even cultures) played a role in its development? Interesting information about the English language is presented in ENG 226, a fun course that traces the fascinating development of the English language from its Indo-European roots to the present day.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed ENG 203 or ENG 204.
For English majors, ENG 226 is a major requirement. For non-majors, ENG 226 may be taken as a Human Interaction and Behavior General Education course or as a free elective (meets Communication requirement).ENG 223 Introduction to Language Study
Taught by Professor Özgür ParlakLanguage is a unique human ability which allows us to talk about things that are distant in time and space, express complex thoughts, and construct novel utterances that have never been spoken or written before. Understanding how language works is understanding how the human mind works; and ENG 223 will help you exactly with that. It will take you on a journey through which you will learn how speech sounds are produced, how words and phrases are constructed, and how meaning is formed. What makes all of this even more exciting is that you will explore the intricacies of language through examples from Arabic, English, Hindi, Turkish and any other language spoken by students in your class. If you want to know more, please join us in ENG 223. We look forward to having you and your language in class!
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed ENG 203 or ENG 204.
For English majors, ENG 223 is a major requirement. For non-majors, ENG 223 may be taken as a Human Interaction and Behavior General Education course or as a free elective (meets Communication requirement).ENG 215 Contemporary World Literature
Taught by Professor Nawar Al-Hassan GolleyOur world is truly a remarkable place inhabited by extraordinary people. ENG 215 is designed to discover, interpret and appreciate human experiences from various cultures. Let’s expand our horizons, enjoy visiting the world and seeing it through the eyes of writers from different countries, and enrich our minds with their viewpoints. In ENG 215, the world will come alive in the various perspectives of writers as they see the world. You will be introduced to contemporary literary movements such as modernism, magic realism, feminism, and regionalism and postmodernism. We will examine the works of international writers and discover the joy that we can gain from translation. Please join me, enjoy being transported to different locales and celebrate our different viewpoints while at the same time recognizing our common bonds.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed ENG 203 or ENG 204.
For ENG majors, ENG 215 is a major requirement. For non-majors, the course may be taken as an Arts and Literature General Education course or a free elective (meets Communication requirement).ENG 210 Introduction to Literature
Taught by Professor Maya AghasiWhat is literature? Why is it important to read? Why even study literature? In this course, we will read several works of fiction, poetry, and drama to explore literature’s fundamental role in our lives. We will look at how it helps shape our identities and how it can help us better understand our relationship with the world. Through a series of short stories, poems, plays, and novels, we will learn how to read closely, studying words, images, and rhymes to look into questions of identity, family, gender, migration, social justice, power and the environment. By the end of the course, you will gain an appreciation of reading and be able to better say why literature is so important to our lives.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed ENG 203 or ENG 204.
For ENG majors, ENG 210 is a major requirement. For non-majors, the course may be taken as an Arts and Literature General Education course or as a free elective (meets Communication requirement) - Summer 2022
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WST 250 Women’s Voices Across Cultures
Taught by Professor Nawar GolleyWST 250 is designed to familiarize you with women’s written experiences from around the world. It will make you a different person who realizes the value of people’s lives near and afar. The world, as you know it, will change; your thinking will broaden. The rich human and cultural diversity you will enjoy reading about will enhance your own lives. Please join me in a course that will make you more compassionate world citizens.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have taken WRI 102.
For Women’s Studies minors, this course is a minor requirement. For English majors, it counts as a major elective. For non-majors, the course may be taken as an Arts and Literature General Education course or as a free elective. - Spring 2022
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ENG 185 Playing With Texts
Taught by Professor Kristen HighlandOur lives are made of and shaped by texts. From social media posts to the poetry of social justice, from graffiti art to pandemic fiction, written, spoken, and visual texts attempt to express and make meaning of our experiences. This course explores foundational linguistic, literary, and rhetorical concepts at the heart of the study of English. We will read, view, and analyze short texts, including songs, newspaper articles, social media posts, films, short stories, and graphic works. Students will have the opportunity to engage in their own analytical and creative projects on these diverse texts.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed WRI 101.
ENG 185 is an Arts and Literature General Education course or can be taken as a free elective.ENG 210 Introduction to Literature
Taught by Professor Maya AghasiWhat is literature? Why is it important to read? Why even study literature? In this course, we will read several works of fiction, poetry, and drama to explore literature’s fundamental role in our lives. We will look at how it helps shape our identities and how it can help us better understand our relationship with the world. Through a series of short stories, poems, plays, and novels, we will learn how to read closely, studying words, images, and rhymes to look into questions of identity, family, gender, migration, social justice, power, and the environment. By the end of the course, you will gain an appreciation of reading and be able to better say why literature is so important to our lives.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed either ENG 203 or ENG 204.
For ENG majors, ENG 210 is a major requirement. For non-majors, the course is an Arts and Literature General Education course or a free elective (meets Communication requirement).
ENG 214 17t -19th C. American Literature
Taught by Professor Jana FedtkeIn this whirlwind survey class, we will cover American literature over three centuries in poetry, short stories, novels, and films. Join us as we travel from Plymouth Plantation through Colonial America, visit Sleepy Hollow and the Catskill Mountains, and solve “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.” We’ll find out who Starbuck really was, which letter was scarlet, and what the last of the Mohicans did. In this discussion-based class, you’ll learn about American history, literature, and culture, including Native American heritage, colonial settlers, slave narratives, abolitionists, “scribbling women,” and white whales. Student work includes discussion posts, reading responses, and a creative class project.
“Because I could not stop for class –
It kindly stopped for me –“ (adapted from Emily Dickinson’s poetry)Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed either ENG 204 or ENG 203.
For ENG majors, ENG 214 fulfills a Literature Concentration requirement or may be taken as a major elective. For non-majors, the course is an Arts and Literature General Education course or a free elective (meets Communication requirement).ENG 234 Language in Society
Taught by Professor Ahmad Al-IssaThis course is an introduction to the study of language in relation to society. Through class discussion, presentations, video analysis, collecting and analyzing authentic language data, and observations of human interactions, we will answer questions such as: How does language function in a society? Why do we speak differently in different contexts? How do individual, societal, cultural, economic, and technological factors impact human interactions across time and space? What does it mean to speak a dialect of a language? How do we show our identity(s) in language? What is the purpose of code switching, code mixing, and speech accommodation (convergence and divergence)? Join us in Spring 2022 to find out more about this fascinating topic.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed WRI 102.
For English majors, ENG 234 fulfills a Language Concentration requirement or may be taken as a major elective. For non-majors, ENG 234 may be taken as a Human Interaction and Behavior General Education course or as a free elective (meets Communication requirement).ENG 334 Meaning in Language
Taught By Professor Ji Young ShimIf you and I speak the same language, we are supposed to understand what each other says, and we do—most of the time! Sometimes, however, we don't and may say, "That's not what I meant!" Why does this happen? You and I speak the same language and understand the exact meaning of each word, so why does our communication sometimes break down? Do we mean the same thing with a set of words? What does it mean to mean? In this course, we will examine the meaning of language from two different perspectives, (i) the meaning of words and sentences that are shared by speakers, and (ii) how speakers may use these words and sentences differently in context. By the end of the course, you will understand how meaning in language is composed by following certain rules.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed either ENG 223, ENG 224, or ENG 234.
For ENG majors, ENG 334 is a Language Concentration requirement or may be taken as a major elective. For non-majors, the course is a Human Interaction and Behavior General Education course or a free elective (meets Communication requirement).ENG 39409 Poetry and Poetics
Taught by Professor Brian McAllisterIn this course, we will study poetry from a wide range of formal, historical, and cultural contexts—from love poems to rap lyrics; from the Renaissance to the present; from Abu Dhabi to Oakland. By the end of the semester, you will gain a broad knowledge of and appreciation for poetry and its cultural and intellectual significance. We will start the semester with poetry’s basic building blocks and progressively integrate more complicated concepts and systems into our discussions and analyses, developing tools and practices that help to reveal the impact of poetic form. From these focused reading practices on what the poet Marianne Moore calls "the raw material of poetry in all its rawness," we will move outward to understand and better situate poetry’s place in our world—the way that it offers "a place for the genuine."
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed ENG 204 or ENG 203 or ENG 210.
For ENG majors, ENG 39409 is a major elective. For non-majors, the course is an Arts and Literature General Education course or a free elective (meets Communication requirement).ENG 401 Advanced English Grammar
Taught by Professor Özgür ParlakWould you like to know why there is no future tense in English, or why non-standard English is grammatical, or how the grammar of spoken English differs from the grammar of written English? Would you like to learn about the grammar of fiction, the grammar of news writing, and the grammar of academic writing? Would you be interested in gaining the highly unique and valuable skill of seeing beyond surface grammatical structures and the ability to analyze word, phrase, and clause formation? If the answer is yes, ENG 401 is the right course for you. The course will help you develop a totally new understanding of grammar; and equally important, it will equip you with analytical skills that will aid you to become a better language user and communicator.
Prerequisite: Open to students who have completed either ENG 223 or ENG 224.
For ENG majors, ENG 401 is a Language Concentration requirement or may be taken as a major elective. For non-majors, ENG 401 may be taken as an elective (meets Communication requirement).ENG 405 Discourse Analysis
Taught by Professor Adnan AjšićHow are language and power related? What is discourse? How can we analyze it? How does it affect our everyday lives? What role(s) does language play in politics, the economy, the law, and (social) media? Can it be used by others to gain power over us? Can we use it to regain control over our lives? Does it influence what we consider to be the “truth”? Join us in ENG 405 Discourse Analysis (Language and Power) in Spring 2022 as we look at everyday conversations, tweets, memes, ads, and jokes to find out.
Prerequisites: Open to students who have completed ENG 204 or ENG 203 and ENG 223 or ENG 224.
For ENG majors, ENG 405 fulfills a Language Concentration requirement or may be taken as a major elective. For non-majors, the course is a Human Interaction and Behavior General Education course or a free elective (meets Communication requirement).WRI 221 Peer-Tutoring in Writing
Taught by Professor Maria EleftheriouThe goal of the WRI 221 course is to prepare talented writers for roles as Writing Center Tutors or Writing Fellows. The class focuses on issues and theories of writing and peer-collaboration as they relate to peer tutoring in writing. It involves readings and class discussion that encourage critical thinking about writing and the teaching and tutoring of writing. In the first half of the semester, class members explore the views of different writers towards their craft, writers as individuals, issues of writing in a second language, and the role of “talking” in writing. The latter half of the course is more “hands-on” in nature; students observe and then conduct writing center sessions, conduct workshops, comment on sample papers, and contribute to each other’s learning in group work and class discussion.
Prerequisites: WRI 102. If you have not taken ENG 203/204 yet, please note that ENG 203/204 stands as either a prerequisite or a co-requisite, so you can take ENG 203/204 and WRI 221 during the same semester. WRI 221 is a three-credit course, which satisfies the Communication General Education requirement.
- Fall 2021
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ENG 226 Development of the English Language
Taught by Professor Khawlah AhmedYou speak the English language, but do you know how that language came about and what are its origins? What languages (and even cultures) played a role in its development? Interesting information about the English language is presented in ENG 226, a fun course that traces the fascinating development of the English language from its Indo-European roots to the present day.
For non-majors, ENG 226 may be taken as Human Interaction and Behavior General Education course or as a free elective (meets Communication requirement).
Prerequisites: Open to students who have taken ENG 203 or ENG 204.
ENG 302 Stylistics
Taught by Professor Roger NunnHow are song lyrics written and how do they create meaning? Are there patterns in how detective novels are written? What are the characteristics of social media posts that go viral? Explore these questions and others this Fall in ENG 302 Stylistics, which focuses on how language is used to create texts. We'll examine diverse forms of texts, including music and song lyrics, film, poetry, narrative and advertising text. Students will choose the assignment topics based on the style of text that reflects their own interests. This course is appropriate for all majors, and will improve your writing skills, while deepening your understanding of how language works in the texts that you encounter every day.
For non-majors, ENG 302 may be taken as a Human Interaction and Behavior General Education requirement or as a free elective (meets Communication requirement).
Prerequisites: Open to students who have taken ENG 204.
ENG 315 Colonial/Postcolonial Encounters
Taught by Professor Maya AghasiIn this course, we delve into the history of colonialism and explore its cultural, social, and ecological implications through the study of literary texts. What consequences did peoples suffer for the natural resources their countries possess? What role did religion play in “civilizing” colonial missions? What were the impacts of institutionalizing education in the colonizer’s language? And how does all this continue to affect us today? Reading a range of texts from India, Africa, the Middle East and North America, we will investigate these questions to learn about oppression, enslavement, nationalism, resistance, diaspora and migration. We will also learn about such things as assimilation, Orientalism, neocolonialism and settler-colonialism and question whether colonialism is indeed “post”. Join us in ENG 315 to explore this tumultuous past.
For non-majors, ENG 315 may be taken as a Culture in a Critical Perspective General Education course or as a free elective (meets Communication requirement).
Prerequisites: Open to students who have taken ENG 203 or ENG 204.
ENG 372 English and Globalization
Taught by Professor Adnan AjsicWhy is English spoken globally today? Is this a good thing? How did this happen and why is it English and not another language like Arabic, Chinese, or French? What is globalization and how does it affect our everyday lives? Are English and globalization somehow connected? Is it better to speak American or British English, or Indian, Jamaican, or Australian English? What does this mean for the people who grow up speaking English and what does it mean for everyone else? Will the world have a new global language in the future? Join us in ENG 372 English and Globalization in Fall 2021 to find out.
For non-majors, ENG 372 may be taken as a Culture in a Critical Perspective General Education course or as a free elective (meets Communication requirement).
Prerequisites: Open to students who have taken either ENG 203, ENG 204, ENG 223, or ENG 234.
ENG 421 Early English Novel
Taught by Professor Marija ReiffLong before the Marvel universe, reality television or MMOs, another type of entertainment took the world by storm: the reading of novels. When English-language novels were first invented approximately 300 years ago, they were denounced by critics as addictive, idle pleasures that had the potential to destroy the moral fabric of society—yet they caught on like wildfire! Soon, whole swaths of society were staying up late and secretly reading the latest novel by candlelight. This class will study the invention of the novel, as well as some of its major genres, including the Gothic novel, science fiction, seduction novels, and the rise of realism. Come with us as we weave our way through Otranto's castle, marvel at Victor Frankenstein's hideous progeny, and face the executioner's axe in Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities. Take this class to discover what made novels the original guilty pleasure.
For non-majors, ENG 421 may be taken as an Arts and Literature General Education course or as a free elective (meets Communication requirement).
Prerequisites: Open to students who have completed either ENG 210, ENG 215, ENG 308 or ENG 309.
ENG 495 Environment and Literature
Taught by Professor Brian McAllisterIn this course, we will explore ways that writers and artists have understood and represented their environments, and we will consider how those trends influence our feelings towards and understandings of the more-than-human world. We will investigate the extent that literary, artistic, and cultural forms shape ways that people make sense of and relate to nature and the environment. We will identify strategies by which poets, filmmakers, visual artists, sound artists, and fiction and nonfiction writers have addressed environmental questions, especially changing ecological dynamics resulting from human activity. Classwork will culminate in a student designed project that explores issues of environment, culture, and art that we will explore throughout the semester.
For non-majors, ENG 495 may be taken as a free elective (meets Communication requirement).
Prerequisites: Open to Junior I and above students.
