Sample Courses
- Shakespeare on page and stage is an intermediate-level study of Shakespeare’s plays and poems. Traditional lectures and texts are supplemented with acting workshops, films, live theater viewings, and student performances.
- Dramatic screenwriting teaches students how to write dramatic screenplays for film and television.
- Introduction to African American literature guides students in the critical analysis of African American fiction, poetry, and drama from a historical perspective.
- Literature and the environment examines relationships between literature and the natural world. Students “read” nature from a literary perspective and literature from an ecological perspective.
- Introduction to Native American literature looks at the nature and function of oral literature as a background for the study of contemporary Native American
writing. - American popular literature and culture surveys cultural aesthetics reflected in historical romances, dime novels, detective fiction, westerns, and New
Journalism as expressions of the American experience. - Race and representation in film incorporates the screening, interpretation, and analysis of films from Latin America and other non-European cultures.
Hands On Learning
Majors in the department can par-ticipate in the writing associates program. Writing associates are available to help students develop the writing skills necessary to succeed in the major. Associates provide peer responses to student work and help edit and revise papers and projects. The associates work with the students of a faculty sponsor. They know how to identify the big concerns in writing, such as theme and organization. They help students with these bigger ideas before moving on to more detail-oriented changes such as grammar and syntax. If you have strong writing and comprehension skills, you can put them to use in this terrific teaching and learning experience.
Interdisciplinary Opportunities
The English department is closely connected to other departments
and programs on campus, including comparative literature, creative writing, ethnic studies, women’s studies, and medieval studies. The English department also provides cross-
curricular assistance to all students through the Center for Teaching
Writing.