Department of English Course Descriptions
Fall 2016
MWF 9am-9:50am, FH 227
Instructor: / Graeme Wend-Walker
Course Description: / Course introduces the critical theories underpinning rhetorical and literary analysis within various branches of English Studies and develops the skills of reading, writing, and research. Required for majors and open to minors; must be taken in the first semester of upper-division classes.
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English 3301.002: Critical Theory and Practice for English Majors (WI)
MW 11am-12:20pm, FH 228
English 3301.004: Critical Theory and Practice for English Majors (WI)
MW 2pm-3:20pm, FH 226
Instructor: / Suparno Banerjee
Course Description: / This course introduces students to the critical approaches, methods, and priorities that enable the effective reading of literature. We will consider some of the major critical approaches such as S0tructuralism, Post-structuralism, Psychoanalytical criticism, Marxism criticism etc. and the benefits and limitations of each kind.
Books: / Possible texts: Peter Barry’s Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Kafka’s The Trial and other shorter readings
Evaluation: / Student presentations, essays, exams, quizzes, attendance, and participation.
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English 3301.003: Critical Theory and Practice for English Majors (WI)
MW 12:30pm-1:50pm, FH 228
Instructor: / Allan Chavkin
Course Description: / Current approaches to literature with attention to reading strategies and artistic techniques and conventions.
Books: / Saul Bellow, Collected Stories; Henry James, The Turn of the Screw, A Case Study in Contemporary Criticism edited by Peter Beidler; Arthur Miller, The Portable Arthur Miller; Louise Erdrich, Shadow Tag, David Mikics, New Handbook of Literary Terms, Junichiro Tanizaki, The Key.
Films: Death of a Salesman; The Crucible; The Innocents
Evaluation: / Class participation and 4 exams
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English 3301.005: Critical Theory and Practice for English Majors (WI)
TR 12:30pm-1:50pm, FH 227
Instructor: / Eric Leake
Course Description: / Course introduces the critical theories underpinning rhetorical and literary analysis within various branches of English Studies and develops the skills of reading, writing, and research. Required for majors and open to minors; must be taken in the first semester of upper-division classes.
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English 3301.006: Critical Theory and Practice for English Majors (WI)
TR 2pm-3:20pm, FH 252
Instructor: / Elizabeth Skerpan-Wheeler
Course Description: / As English majors we all at some point need to justify what we do, whether to ourselves or to others. We like to read, but why should a person who likes to read undertake formal study of literature? Also, given that we have only so much time, how do we decide what to read? In this course we shall investigate some possible responses to those questions. We shall read two literary works of students' own choosing both to explore the many possibilities for studying them and to consider questions about the importance of these and works like them to a modern, culturally diverse American society.
Books: / Terry Eagleton, Literary Theory, 3rd ed.; Herman Rapaport, The Literary Theory Toolkit
Evaluation: / Three short (500-750 words) papers 30%; short project 15%; long project (35%); Final 20%. The final exam will be an essay exam.
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English 3302.001: Film and Video Theory and Production (WI)
MW 3:30pm-4:50pm, FH 120
Instructor: / Kathleen McClancy
Course Description: / This course will introduce students to the techniques and theories of film and digital video production by teaching students how movies are made. This is a hands-on class, and students should expect to spend significant time with a camera. We will discuss shot composition, location scouting, cinematography, and non-linear editing, among other topics. As we learn the elements of the medium of film, we will put our new knowledge into action, creating our own digital videos. Necessary equipment is provided.
Books: / TBD
Evaluation: / Individual and group film projects, weekly written, photographic, and video work, participation, quizzes.
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English 3303.010: Technical Writing (WI)
MW 11am-12:20pm, FH G14
English 3303.016: Technical Writing (WI)
MW 2pm-3:20pm, FH G14
Instructor: / Beverley Braud
Course Description: / The study and practice of expository writing in technical and scientific professions. Emphasis on planning, writing, revising, editing, and proofreading proposals, reports, and other forms of professional communication for a variety of audiences.
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English 3303.015: Technical Writing (WI)
MW 12:30pm-1:50pm, FH 120
English 3303.017: Technical Writing (WI)
MW 2pm-3:20pm, FH 120
Instructor: / Susie Tilka
Course Description: / This course teaches the skills needed for writing in scientific and technical fields. Students produce documents for various purposes and audiences, drawing on their own disciplines for subject matter. Writing applications include memos, letters, abstracts, resumes, and a longer documented project--all with consideration of document design.
Books: / Technical Communication by Markel – 11th edition
Evaluation: / Written documents only
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English 3303.024: Technical Writing (WI)
TR 8am-9:20am, FH G14
English 3303.025: Technical Writing (WI)
TR 9:30am-10:50am, FH G14
Instructor: / Pinfan Zhu
Course Description: / The study and practice of expository writing in technical and scientific professions. Emphasis on planning, writing, revising, editing, and proofreading proposals, reports, and other forms of professional communication for a variety of audiences.
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English 3303.027: Technical Writing (WI)
TR 11am-12:20pm, FH G14
Hybrid; meets TUE in class, THU online
Instructor: / Aimee Roundtree
Course Description: / This course prepares students for technical and workplace writing. Specific genres include instructions, proposals, memos, reports, job letters and résumés, Web design, use of graphics, and document design. Students also learn how to analyze audiences and use rhetorical strategies to target them. Students will also learn best practices for the writing process, from invention to editing and research skills. The course is writing intensive but also teaches students oral presentation skills and some application software skills. Students will participate in group discussion, web board response, online research, and in-class exercises.
Books: / Practical Strategies for Technical Communication
Markel, Mike
1319003362 or 13: 978-1319003364
Bedford/St. Martin's
2016
Evaluation: / Job Materials
Progress Report
Proposal
Recommendation Report
Presentation
Participation Activities
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English 3303.043: Technical Writing (WI)
W 6:30pm-9:20pm, FH 114
Instructor: / Libby Allison, Ph.D.
Course Description: / This course introduces students to various kinds of technical documents that professionals in businesses, agencies, organizations, and industries write, edit, design, and distribute to different audiences. Students will learn key principles of communicating and writing that can be applied to any technical and professional writing activity including ones in students’ majors and careers.
Books: / Technical Communication Today, 5th ed. by Richard Johnson-Sheehan. New York: Pearson Longman, 2015. Students must bring their books to class.
Evaluation: / Class participation, in-class activities, and homework= about 30% of overall grade
Larger writing projects= about 40% of overall grade
Quizzes and exams=about 30% of overall grade
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English 3303.045: Technical Writing (WI)
W 6:30pm-9:20pm, AVRY ARR
Online course; meets 09/07 and 10/19, RRHEC; email for more information.
English 3303.046: Technical Writing (WI)
THU 6:30pm-9:20pm, AVRY ARR
Online course; meets 09/08 and 10/20, RRHEC; email for more information.
Instructor: / Dan Price
Course Description: / This course prepares students for writing in the workplace. Specific genres include letters, memos, job application materials, manuals, reports, and presentations. Specific skills developed include document design, web page design, use of graphics, collaborative writing, audience analysis, and project management. The course is writing and computer intensive and requires active participation.
Books: / Markel, Mike. Technical Communication, 11th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2015.
Evaluation: / Five major writing assignments and a final.
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English 3304.003: Professional Writing (WI)
TR 8am-9:30am, FH 114
English 3304.004: Technical Writing (WI)
TR 9:30am-10:50am, FH 114
Instructor: / Susan Hanson
Course Description: / English 3304 adapts the principles of expository writing for use in the workplace. The course teaches students in non-technical fields to write documents commonly used in professional settings. Computer technology is included. (You will be expected to learn the basics of Photoshop and InDesign in order to complete several projects.)
Books: / A Pocket Style Manual,Hacker and Sommers, Eds., Bedford/St. Martin's, 2014.
Evaluation: / 90% writing projects, 10% quizzes & attendance
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English 3306.001: Writing for Film (WI)
T 2pm-4:50pm, FH 113
Instructor: / Jon Marc Smith
Course Description: / This course is an introduction to screenwriting that combines the study of published film texts with workshop practice in writing for film.
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English 3307.002: Introduction to the Study of Film (WI)
TR 12:30pm-1:50, FH 224
Instructor: / Victoria Smith
Course Description: / This course introduces students to the vocabulary of film, contextualizes film historically and culturally, and situates each film within a generic framework—for example, German expressionism, film noir, the western, Italian neo-realism, the melodrama, and recent social problem films.
Books: / Corrigan and White. The Film Experience (4th. ed.—though any edition is acceptable), various readings on TRACS
Tentative list of films: M, Maltese Falcon, Brokeback Mountain, Pan’s Labyrinth, Dr. Strangelove, Chinatown, Imitation of Life, The Hurt Locker, Thelma and Louise, Breathless, Dr. Strangelove, Do the Right Thing, American Hustle, Dallas Buyers Club.
Evaluation: / Oral presentation, various short in-class written assignments, 2 papers, a midterm, and a final
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English 3307.002: Introduction to the Study of Film (WI)
MW 12:30pm-1:50p, FH 341
Instructor: / Kathleen McClancy
Course Description: / In this class, we will examine the many aspects of the medium of film, from the script to the shot to the sound. We will consider films as constructs and cultural artifacts, as texts and as art. We will unravel the history of the medium, to discover how film has transformed since its origin. And we will ask ourselves whether, in this era of digital production, we can still call this medium “film” at all. In our plan of study we will alternate between an examination of film techniques and an exploration of the history of film productions. As a result, we will consider film as a medium in transition, dynamic rather than static.
Books: / Textbook TBD. Films may include: Bamboozled (2000); Blade Runner: the Final Cut (2007); Breathless (1960); Brick (2005); Citizen Kane (1941); Chinatown (1974); Double Indemnity (1944); Drive (2011); The Maltese Falcon (1941); Metropolis (1927); Psycho (1960); The Searchers (1956), Sherlock Jr. (1924).
Evaluation: / Exams, writing assignments, quizzes, final essay.
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English 3308.001: Advanced Topics in Film
TR 2pm-3:20pm, FH 227
Instructor: / Rebecca Bell-Metereau
Course Description: / Course offers a focused examination of film as text, with an emphasis on critical, theoretical, cultural, historical, and stylistic aspects. Topics may include history of classical Hollywood cinema, silent film; world, European, or national cinemas; or the documentary. Repeatable once when topic varies.
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English 3311.001: Scientific Writing (WI)
TR 9:30am-10:50am, FH 120
Instructor: / Dr. Mogull
Course Description: / In this course, students will learn to:
· Write and edit of scientific articles,
· Use databases to effectively find scientific articles,
· Create publication-quality manuscripts, tables, and graphs, and design scientific posters for conferences.
Books: / Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.) by APA and additional readings available through TRACS
Evaluation: / Anticipated course assignments (and approximate value) included:
· Database search for scientific/medical journal articles on a specific topic (10%)
· Writing/editing a scientific article by section and preparing a manuscript for journal submission (50%)
· Conference poster & presentation (20%)
· Quizzes (20%)
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English 3311.003: Writing for the Computer Industry (WI)
TR 2pm-3:20pm, FH G14
Instructor: / Beverley Braud
Course Description: / Study and practice of advanced expository writing, with focus on achieving clarity and readability. Recent emphases have included The Essay, Nature Writing, Argument, Writing for the Government, Online Communication. May be repeated once for credit when emphasis varies.
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English 3312.001: Internship in English Studies
M 6:30pm-9:20pm, FH 252
Hybrid: meets in class 08/29, 09/12, 09/26, 10/10, 10/24, 11/07, 11/21, 12/05: all other Mondays online; email for more information.
Instructor: / Dan Price
Course Description: / This course is paired with an internship during which students apply knowledge of writing, editing, design, copy editing, and production in the professional workplace. Students will have worked with professors in their concentrations and the Internship Director to establish goals and learning objectives specific to their internships.
Books: / Smith, Herb and Kim Haimes-Korn. Portfolios for Technical and Professional Communications. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson-Prentice Hall, 2007.
Evaluation: / Journal, timesheets, employer evaluations, presentation and portfolio.
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English 3315.001: Introduction to Creative Writing (WI)
MW 3:30pm-4:50pm, FH 226
Instructor: / Jason Coates
Course Description: / A critical seminar for writers of fiction, poetry, and articles. Creativity, criticism, and revision are emphasized.
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English 3315.002: Introduction to Creative Writing (WI)
TR 9:30am-10:50am, FH 252
Instructor: / Cecily Parks
Course Description: / Our studious approach to creative writing will focus on two genres: poetry and fiction. Be prepared to read as much as you write, as our readings will provide launching pads for technical and imaginative exploration. You will be expected to do in-class improvisational writing as well as structured writing assignments, and share your work with the class. Workshop will give you the opportunity to critique your peers’ work and receive feedback on your own.
Books: / Janet Burroway, Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft, 4th ed.
Evaluation: / Poems & stories submitted for critique (30%); written critiques of peer work (15%); final portfolio of polished work (35%); class participation (20%).
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English 3315.003: Introduction to Creative Writing (WI)
MW 3:30pm-4:50pm, FH 226
English 3315.005: Introduction to Creative Writing (WI)
ARR ARR ARR: Course taught online
Instructor: / Roger Jones
Course Description: / A critical seminar for writers of fiction, poetry, and articles. Creativity, criticism, and revision are emphasized.
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