English 200, 250, 251, 260, 261, 270, 271

Fall 2012

Completion of the first-year composition sequence is a prerequisite for all 200-level English classes.

English 251 may be taken before English 250; English 261 may be taken before English 260; English 271 may be taken before English 270.

200-001                                   Introduction to Literary Style                  MWF 10-10:50          CRN:  40200
Charles Bradshaw
In this course we’ll cover the basics of literary analysis, focusing on the relationship between form and content, text and context, theory and analysis. In short, you’ll learn the basics and the “language” of English studies and how to speak this language in the classroom and write it in your papers. We’ll also get you to meet some of the instructors in the department, learn about options for the major, and read and respond to some great literature! English 200 should be taken as early as possible in the major so that it can benefit you in your future classes!  (This course is required for all English majors and recommended for English minors.)

250-001                                   British Literary Tradition I                        MWF 9-9:50               CRN:  40201
Chris Hill
This will be a fast-paced, reading-intensive introduction to the beginnings of English literature.  Starting with Beowulf, we will read multiple works involving knightly heroism, love and desire, and how people determine what makes for true goodness.  We will focus on social and material contexts of the works we read, but we will also spend a good amount of time discovering how writers respond to each other and to the demands of the forms they choose to write in:  epic, romance, lyric, drama, religious prose, and so on.  Major writers we are sure to cover include Shakespeare and Chaucer, Milton and Pope, Jonson and Johnson, Sidney and Donne.

250-002                                   British Literary Tradition I                        MWF 1-1:50               CRN:  40202
Daniel Pigg
Discover the adventures that shaped British culture and literary traditions as they emerged.  Where did they begin?  How do monsters, villains, heroes, tyrannical leaders, devils, philosophers, and chivalric “knights” help to create those traditions?  In English 250, students examine literature written in Britain from approximately the eighth century to 1798.  In this section of English 250, we will focus on issues of growing political and literary identity, personal introspection and examination, and conceptual otherness as social constructs.  Literature including Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, a couple of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, Dr. Faustus, Othello, Paradise Lost, Oroonoko, Gulliver’s Travels, and Rasselas present these issues in differing and intriguing ways.  Students will develop an understanding of the literary traditions in Britain in the context of historical, political, economic, religious, and philosophical developments. 

250-003                                   British Literary Tradition I                        TR 11-12:15               CRN:  40203
David Williams
English 250 explores a wide range of early British Literature, including the medieval romances of Chaucer, the plays of Shakespeare, and the poetry of Donne. Our focus will include not only the works themselves, but also the historical and cultural context underlying their creation.

250H-001                                Honors British Literary Tradition I          MWF 11-11:50           CRN:  40207
Jeff Longacre
We will survey English literature from its originsthrough the Neoclassic period (ending c.1770). As this general description indicates, this course will introduce students to a variety of authors, styles, genres, and literary-historical periods over the course of the semester, but it will also provide some opportunity for more in-depth attention to some of the major figures of British literature up to 1770, such as Geoffrey Chaucer, William Shakespeare, John Milton, Aphra Behn, and Alexander Pope.  Our primary goals for this course will be to introduce students to a variety of prominent British writers and to develop an understanding of and appreciation for a variety of literary genres from the middle-ages through the age of Enlightenment, and then ultimately to provide some socio-historical contextualization for these authors and their works. This will be a fast-paced, reading-intensive introduction to the origins of English literature, so students can expect a hefty amount of reading and writing throughout the course of the semester.

251-001                                   British Literary Tradition II                      MWF 9-9:50               CRN:  40204
251-002                                                                                                          MWF 1-1:50               CRN:  40205
John Glass
Students in these sections of English 251 will study a selection of works by major British authors from the late 18th through the mid-20th centuries. The study and discussion of assigned works will be guided by two goals: understanding the work in itself and understanding the work in its cultural and historical contexts. Special emphasis will be given to close reading skills and to discussions of the over-arching social and historical contexts of the Romantic, Victorian, and Modern periods.  

251-003                                   British Literary Tradition II                      TR 9:30-10:45            CRN:  40206
David Williams
This will be a fast-paced, reading-intensive introduction to great works of British literature from the late 18th century to the present. Beginning with the passionate and political Romantics, we will continue our study with the erudite writers of the Victorian era and conclude with the alienated modernists of the 20th century. Particular attention will be given to the influence of culture and history on literature. Notable authors will include William Wordsworth, John Keats, Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Oscar Wilde, Virginia Woolf, and T.S. Eliot.

260-001                                                                                                          MWF 11-11:50           CRN:  40208
American Tradition I: “Correspondent Colorings”: Early American Literature and Its Contexts
260-002
Charles Bradshaw                                                                                       MWF 2-2:50               CRN:  40209
While we will look at some of the seminal texts and authors that make up the American Literary Tradition, our task will be to read, discuss, and describe the complexity and richness of America’s literature before the Civil War. While we will discuss Franklin, Hawthorne, Poe, Melville and other well-known authors, we will also read significant selections from Native American trickster tales, slave narratives, and sentimental novels. We will move historically from European discovery and exploration, colonization, and the arrival of the Puritans through the Revolutionary War and up through Romanticism.

260-003                                   American Tradition I                                  W 6-8:50                     CRN:  40210
Leslie LaChance
The Making of Early American Literature: In this course we will read and write about poetry and prose by American authors from pre-colonial times until the mid 19th century.   We’ll cover a variety of texts and genres, including Native American trickster tales, captivity and slave narratives, sermons, fiction, essays and poetry. Through extensive reading and critical analysis of literary texts, we will seek insights regarding American history, art and culture and the role of the literary artist within that culture. We will also consider universal themes relevant for today’s reader.

261-001                                   American Literary Tradition II                  MWF 10-10:50           CRN:  40211
261-002                                                                                                           MWF 2-2:50               CRN:  40212
Melvin Hill
The primary objectives of this course include developing students’ understanding of the history and culture of America from the Beginnings to 1865 through perspectives and experiences of American authors. Students will become familiar with canonical authors and historical periods that engage the characteristics of American ideas. Students will also understand the significance of literary function and meaningful writing, which requires authors to select the most effective voice according to their purpose and audience. This class will mainly focus on American literature and its rich historical and cultural contexts.
                                                                                                                                   
270-001                                   World Literature                                          TR 11-12:15               CRN:  40214