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Course Descriptions Spring 2016 English and Journalism
PLEASE NOTE: The day/time information listed in this brochure was accurate at the time of printing, but please double-check course times on MyWagner.
ENGLISH COURSES:
See course listings below for individual times and descriptions. Note that students declaring the English major or minor are governed by the requirements of the English major and may not count EN 101 or EN 110 toward the major or minor. Note, however, that non-majors who have taken EN 110 as part of a first-year LC may take EN 110(W) to fulfill their second writing-intensive (W) literature requirement.
EN 101 College EnglishDr. Florescu
MW 1-2:30
The primary objective of this course is to provide students with the information and practice they need to produce successful academic writing and to gain more confidence as writers in academic settings. The course is divided into several sections: Personal Writing; Expository Writing: Shaping Information; Argumentative Writing: Contending with Issues; and Connotative Writing.They will also learn to become more aware of how they speak and use English.The ultimate goal of the course is to improve the students’ analytical thinking and oral/public speaking.
EN 110(W) Introduction to Literature: Contemporary American Humor
Prof. Jimenez
MW 8-9:30
MW 9:40-11:10
The theme of this introductory literature course is humor. We will be honing your skills to analyze literature by exploring the work of several contemporary American fiction writers and examining how each author builds humor on the page through incongruity, mistaken identity, loss/lack of language, hyperbole,counterpoint and word play. This course will also introduce students to the basic elements of fiction: plot, arc, character, metaphor, point of view etc. Besides writing analytical essays, students will also have the opportunity to craft an original short story. Assigned reading will include the work of Junot Diaz, George Saunders, Lorrie Moore, Sherman Alexie, Sandra Cisneros, Sam Lipsyte, David Bezmozgis and Jonathan Franzen.
EN 110(W) Introduction to Literature: Driving Through Fiction: Build, Drive and Meaning in American Literature
Prof. Shore
TTH 11:20-12:50
TTH 1-2:30
This course is devoted to analyzing the elements that make up a fully formed piece of fiction. By examining the build, drive and meaning within short stories, novels and plays students will gain a higher understanding of why a piece of fiction is fulfilled. Students will develop their writing and analytic skills by exploring the language, style, characters and themes of each work.
FOUNDATION COURSES--OPEN TO EVERYONE, NO PREREQUISITES
All three foundation courses (EN 111, 211 and 212) are open to non-majors. Majors should take these courses by the end of sophomore year.
EN 111(W) World Literature (I): Women’s Voices Dr. Florescu
MW 9:40-11:10 (Honors)
MW 11:20-12:50
This course offers a unique exploration into the vastness of world literature as seen, lived, and transposed into words from women’s perspectives. By focusing on the exclusive feminine vantage point, students will sophisticate their understanding and reading of literature. Selection-wise, whether belonging to Africa, Central America, South America, Eastern Europe, or Asia, this course also teaches students how to identify themes which are universally voiced out from different geographical spaces. Consequently, students start thinking about literature as a valid form of international “language.”
EN 111(W) World Literature (I): Introduction to Culture for the World Traveler
Dr. Hurley
MW 1-2:30*
(*first-year students only in this section)
MW 2:40-4:10
This course is designed for the student who intends to wander the world, either informally through the desire for exploration or formally as a start to a career in business, government, education or international service. Literature, as an important cultural asset, can be an essential traveling companion. Accordingly, we will circumnavigate the globe through reading novels, poems, short stories and essays from the Middle East to the Far East, to Africa, South America, the Caribbean and just about everywhere except Antarctica (unless penguin lit is suddenly discovered). Expect to be engaged and challenged!
EN 111(W) World Literature (I):Mapping Literature
Prof. Dahlie
TTH 9:40-11:10
Human beings rely on maps to understand our place in the world. We often turn to literature for this same reason. And just as works of fiction or nonfiction can orient readers and offer descriptions of places near or far, maps can tell us stories of conflict and desire. From islands in the Pacific to rabbit holes in England, in this course we will consider how humans use works of cartography and works of literature to help chart, navigate and create real and imagined worlds.
EN 111(W) World Literature (I): Short Stories and the Loneliness of Being in the World
Dr. Tommasi
TTH 2:40-4:10
Theworld is a lonely place,andperhaps no form of expression conveys a better sense of that thantheshortstory. For about a centuryanda half now, fiction writers, rather than only writing comprehensive novels of human livesandsocieties, have also developed a form that lends
itself to representing smaller fragments of experience. Thesestories often communicate a sadness, strangeness, incompleteness, or loneliness-- a sense that our place intheworld is very uncertain. We will read a selection ofshortstoriesfrom all overtheworld, taking into special consideration how expressions of uncertainty arise fromthegeopolitical situation of a work's nation of origin.
EN 211(W) British Literature SurveyDr. Schotter
MW 9:40-11:10
This course focuses on the changing nature of the "British" literary tradition over the thousand-year period in which England moved from being a small country on the edge of Europe to the world's dominant empire and the to a diminished post-imperial and multicultural country. We will examine such changes by reading authors such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Behn, Swift, Wordsworth, Wilde, Woolf, Joyce, and Orwell.
EN212(W) Introduction to Literary Analysis and Theory
Dr. Arant
MW 2:40-4:10
This course asks what literary theory is, how it helps us think about literature and culture, and how literature and culture help us think about it. Using texts like Hitchcock's Vertigo, Lorde's "Royals," and Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, the class will introduce you to a variety of theoretical approaches including psychoanalysis, Marxism, feminism, structuralism, deconstruction, African-American criticism, and lesbian, gay, and queer criticism. We will investigate how these various theoretical lenses focus on particular aspects of texts and we will consider the risks and benefits of such approaches. We will also practice locating and evaluating relevant scholarly sources, and we will write papers that draw on the interpretive, critical, and theoretical skills developed throughout the course.
CORE COURSES--OPEN TO EVERYONE, NO PREREQUISITES
PLEASE NOTE: ANY ADDITIONAL CORE COURSES NOT USED TO FULFILL THE PRE-1800, POST-1800 AND AMERICAN LITERATURE REQUIREMENTS OF THE MAJOR MAY COUNT AS ELECTIVES TOWARD THE MAJOR.
PRE-1800 COURSE (open to everyone—no prerequisites)
EN 304 (W) Early Modern LiteratureDr. Hurley
TTH 9:40-11:10
Sin, Guilt, Love, Damnation--and Politics. Ever wonder why those themes so engage our interest and seem so central to everything we read or view--from serious literature to sitcoms? Shakespeare wasn't alone in his preoccupation with romance and tragedy. Much of this material emerged out of the Early Modern Period (formerly known as "Renaissance and Reformation") with its discovery of the individual and the wonderful language that evolved to express the excitement of that discovery. Characters like Astrophil, the Red Cross Knight, Donne's lovers and Sir Thomas More's Utopian visions are our ancestors. Come and get acquainted with them over the coming semester and discover your own individuality through and with them.
POST-1800 COURSE (open to everyone—no prerequisites)
EN 311(W) Modern English and Irish LiteratureDr. Schotter
MW 1-2:30
In the first decades of the twentieth century, Britain experienced great changes in class and gender relations, hastened by the devastation of World War I. The British Empire began its long decline, and nineteenth-century norms eroded. Visual artists, composers, and writers alike experimented with new aesthetic forms to capture the uncertainties and freedoms of the new age. We will read writers such as Conrad, Woolf, and Forster, as well as Yeats and Joyce, who register the concerns of Britain’s first colony to declare independence in modern times—Ireland.
AMERICAN LITERATURE COURSE (open to everyone—no prerequisites)
EN 228(W) American Literature from 1865 to the Present
Dr. Tommasi
TTH 4:20-5:50
This course is a survey of major works, literary movements, and historical contexts for American literature beginning with the reconstruction of American society and culture after the end of slavery and continuing to the present day.
REQUIRED COURSES for Majors (Senior standing in the major)
EN 400 Senior Reflective TutorialDr. Thomas
TTH 11:20-12:50
This course, taken in conjunction with EN 425 as part of the Senior Learning Community, combines theory and practice. We will theorize and debate some of the key concepts for the study of literature and culture. We will also use those concepts to analyze the experiential component of the course, which for most students takes the form of an internship (unless the student has already begun an honors thesis.) Prerequisites: Senior standing in the English major and successful (C- or higher) performance in EN 212.
EN 425 Senior SeminarDr. Arant
MW 11:20-12:50
This course is a culminating experience for the senior English major. The advanced level will permit intensive study of the subject, and the seminar format will permit active student participation. Topics may include an author, genre, or the relationship between the study of literature and another discipline.
ELECTIVES--OPEN TO EVERYONE, NO PREREQUISITES
(any exceptions are noted below)
EN/SP213(W) (H) Hispanic Literature in Translation (I)
Dr. Kiss
M. 6-9 pm
This is a course in English designed to introduce several masterworks of the Spanish and Latin American literary traditions to students who may or may not be ready to read the texts in the original language. Readings include selections from early peninsular works, such as El Cid and the Quixote, pre-Columbian texts such as the PopolVuh, poetry from colonial Mexico’s Sor Juana and, finally, contemporary works from both Latin America (Borges, Cortázar, Allende) and Spain (Matute, García Lorca, Arrabal).
EN 280(W) Writing Intensive TutoringDr. Napolitano
TBA
This course prepares Writing Intensive Tutors (WITs) to work in the College's Writing Center. The class will review the theories, philosophies and pedagogies on the teaching of writing. Students will then apply what they have learned in a tutoring practicum in the Writing Center. This course is restricted to selected students. Students who complete this course will be eligible for, but are not guaranteed, employment in the Writing Center. To promote flexibility, this course's meeting day/time will not be established until the roster has been formed; class meetings will take place on days/times when all of the enrolled students are available. This course can be taken for 1 or 0 units.Students must be recommended in order to register for this course.
EN 291(W)Advanced Creative WritingProf. Shore
TTH 2:40-4:10
A course for students who have demonstrated previous ability in creative writing. They will develop their skills in genres such as longer fiction, playwriting, and memoir- writing, with an eye to publishing their work. Attention will be given to the challenges of and opportunitiesfor publicationin a digital age.
EN 291 Screenplay WritingProf. Dahlie
TTH 1-2:30
This course will introduce students to film and television screenplay structure. Students will analyze the work of accomplished screenwriters in different genres (comedy, drama, horror, adaptation etc) and will learn to apply this analysis to their own screenplay writing. They will learn about character construction, narrative arch, story telling strategies, and proper screenwriting form. Students will be evaluated on their participation, creative writing (screenplays) and analytical writing.
EN 291(W) -ILC Topics in World Cultures and Cinema: Sankofa (must also take HI 242)
Dr. Thomas
TTH 2:40-4:10
The word “Sankofa” in the Akan language of Ghana means “reach back and get it.” Symbolized by a bird with its head turned around to take an egg off its back, the heart-shaped image suggests a metaphor for the importance of having an honest historical consciousness in order to fly forward. Sometimes it is translated as, “it is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.” The symbol has been adopted by New York City’s African Burial Ground National Monument and by Washington D.C.’s Museum of African American History and Culture. It is also the title of one of the most controversial dramatic movies about the memory of slave revolt by the Ethiopian-American director HaileGerima.
This class will feature films from around the world that aim to think about the relationship between past, present, and future. We will watch films from Italy, England, the Netherlands, Curacao, Cuba, Nigeria, Senegal, and other countries in the world, as well as the United States of America, that investigate the history of Africa’s connection to Europe, North America, and the Caribbean. We will watch films about several topics, including recent movies about the transatlantic slave trade, about anti-colonialist struggle in the 1960s and 70s, and the about the recent media arts movement called “Afro-Futurism.”
EN 310 (W)* (I)(H)--ILC Cities and Perversities: Art and Literature in Turn-of-the-Century Paris, Vienna, Berlin, and Barcelona (team-taught and crosslisted with FR 310 and AH 326)
Drs. Urbanc and Morowitz
TTH 11:20-12:50
This team-taught ILC focuses on the art and literature in the fin-de-siècle in three major European centers: Paris, Vienna and Berlin. The works of the period studied in relation to issues of national identity, as a response to the shock of metropolitan life, sexuality, the impact of psychoanalysis, escapism, and withdrawal to the interior. We will undertake a detailed reading of some of the major literary works of the period by authors such as Arthur Rimbaud, Paul Verlaine, Marcel Proust, Stefan Zweig, Lou Andreas-Salomé, Robert Walser, and Thomas Mann. Artistic movements studied include Symbolism, Expressionism, Art Nouveau, and Jugendstil. The course attempts to understand the shared visual and literary language of turn-of-the-century Europe, while illuminating the special contributions of each city. The course includes museum visits, films, special lectures, and shared readings and assignments. *W is pending committee approval.
JOURNALISM COURSES (no prerequisites except as noted)
JR011WagnerianTBA
Prof. Regan
Students work on the Wagnerian as reporter, photographer, editor or designer and earn a half-unit for their work. The weekly staff meeting takes the place of class time. JR011 can be repeated each semester.
JR 261(W)--ILCReporting in the New Age of Journalism (must also take SO 270)
Prof. Regan
MW 7:31-9
As the journalism industry undergoes a digital transformation, journalists need broader skills to sort and report a relentless flow of information. his course explores the shifting journalistic landscape and best practices for journalists to navigate through the changes. Students will build a foundation of skills necessary to be a successful journalist in any medium. These include defining news, conducting an interview, writing a lead, reporting stories in real-time and following Associated Press Style.
JR 366 (W) Magazine Writing and PublishingProf. Regan
TH 6-9
Whether printed on glossy paper or presented online, magazines continue to offer the best in narrative writing. Students will strengthen the traditional skills required to produce great journalism while learning how to develop strong feature stories, pitch them to editors, analyze a target audience, and design and market their work. The course includes opportunities to meet editors and writers who work at magazines published in New York City.
JR 397 (1 unit) & 497 (2units)
Internship in Journalism
Journalism internships are part-time on-the-job experience at a New York area newspaper, magazine, television network, or public relations outlet. May be taken for one or two units.
Prerequisites: JR 261, minimum 2.5 GPA in the major, and approval of the advisor to the Journalism minor.
Requirements for the English Major and Minor (Major12 Units/Minor 5 units):
All courses in BOLD are offered Spring 2016
Requirements for the English Minor(5 units)
2 Foundation Courses (choose from EN 111, 211, 212)
1 Core Course
2 Electives
Requirements for the English Major (12 units)
Foundation Courses (3 units)
(should be completed by the end of the sophomore year)
S16111 (W) (I) World Literature
S16211 (W) British Literature Survey
S16212 (W) Introduction to Literary Analysis and Theory
Core Courses, one from each of the following groups (3 units total)
PLEASE NOTE THAT ADDITIONAL CORE COURSES NOT USED TO FULFILL THE CORE REQUIREMENT MAY COUNT AS ELECTIVES FOR THE MAJOR OR MINOR
(should be completed by the middle of the junior year)
Pre-1800 British or European Literature (1 unit):
TBA 205 (W) Crime and Violence in 18th Century Literature
S17302 (W) Medieval Literature
TBA 303 (W) Chaucer
S16304 (W) Early Modern Literature
TBA 327 (W)Advanced Drama: Renaissance and Modern
F17355 (W) (I) (GS) Sex and Gender in Medieval French Literature
Post-1800 British Literature (1 unit):
F18206 (W) (GS) Romantic Poetry, Revolution, the Slave Trade andWomen's Rights
TBA 224 (W) Orphans, Poverty and Scandal in 19th-Century BritishLiterature
S16311 (W) Modern English and Irish Literature
TBA 313 (W) Contemporary Irish Literature
TBA314 (W) (I) Postcolonial Literature
F16225 (W) (GS) Ghosts, Vampires and Civilization in English Gothic Fiction
American Literature (1 unit):
TBA226 (W) (D) American Cultures and Literatures
S17227 (W) American Literature from its Origins to 1865
S16228 (W) American Literature from 1865 to the Present
F17315 (W) (D) African American Literature
F16332(W) (D)Pirates, Puritans and the Revolutionary Atlantic World