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Division of Humanities
Mark Rasmussen (chair),
Wilma Brown, Helen Emmitt, Mark Lucas, Daniel Manheim, Milton Reigelman,
Tammy Thompson, John Ward, Maryanne Ward, Philip White, Lisa Williams;
students: Elizabeth M. Johnson, Elizabeth Morris (alt), Neil Parrish
The purpose of the major program in English is to produce citizens of sympathetic imagination who are able to draw upon a store of literary knowledge and capable of independent critical thinking and writing.
The program offers courses in British and American literature and in creative writing. In addition to introductory courses at the freshman-sophomore level, the program's offerings in literature include courses on such authors as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Melville, Dickinson, Faulkner, and Woolf, and on such topics as Southern literature, poetry by women, Irish literature, early English novels, African-American literature, the Gothic, modern poetry, Shakespeare and film, and U.S. literature of the Great Depression. Creative writing courses include introductions to the writing of poetry and fiction, as well as more advanced classes. Except for junior and senior seminars, all English courses are open to all students without special permission.
Requirements for the Major
ENG 210, 220, 230;
ENG 301 or 302;
One course each selected from ENG 310-339. 340-369, 370-399 (One of these courses must be a seminar taken during the junior year and numbered 330-339, 360-369, or 390-399);
One additional 300-level ENG course;
ENG 500.
Requirements for the Minor
Three courses chosen from among ENG 210, 220, 230, and either 301 or 302;
Two 300-level ENG courses numbered 303 or higher.
Note: ENG 500 is open to senior English majors only; courses numberd 330-39, 360-69, and 390-99 are open to English majors as well as to English minors with permission of the instructor. All other ENG courses are open to non-majors without special permission.
English Courses
ENG 140 Fundamentals
of Poetry Writing
A workshop class devoted to the writing of poetry and to relevant
readings designed to guide and inspire the beginning writer.
ENG 205 Children’s Literature
An introduction to children’s literature for elementary school
teachers stressing an examination of literary kinds and genres and the
critical analysis and evaluation of both text and illustrations.
ENG 210, 220 British Literature-I, II
Survey of major works of British literature from the medieval period
to the 20th century, with emphasis upon understanding and evaluating literary
works in their historical and cultural backgrounds. Together with ENG
230, provides a general introduction to prosody, the vocabulary of literary
analysis, and the varieties of literary criticism.
ENG 230 American Literature
Survey of major works of American literature from its beginnings to
the 20th century, with emphasis upon understanding and evaluating literary
works in their historical and cultural backgrounds. Together with ENG
210, 220, provides a general introduction to prosody, the vocabulary of
literary analysis, and the varieties of literary criticism.
ENG 240 Intermediate Poetry Writing
ENG 250 Poetic Forms: History and Practice
Discussion of poetic forms including the sonnet, sestina, villanelle,
prose poem, free verse, and syllabic poetry (among others), with creative
assignments. Designed to benefit writers wishing to enrich their knowledge
of the craft and their creative abilities, as well as students of literature
interested in poetry's history and technical aspects.
ENG 280 Creative Writing: Fiction
Practice in the writing of short fiction, under the guidance of a
visiting writer-in-residence. (Offered on a Pass/Unsatisfactory basis
only.)
ENG 301 Shakespeare-I
A study of the development of Shakespeare as dramatist, with emphasis
on the histories and romantic comedies. (Also listed as DRA 331.)
ENG 302 Shakespeare-II
A study of the mature Shakespeare, with emphasis on the later tragedies
and romances. (Also listed as DRA 332.)
ENG 305 History of Literary Criticism
Survey of literary criticism from Plato to the present, emphasizing
both theory and practical application.
ENG 306 History of the English Language
A history of the English language, from its roots in Indo-European
to the present day. Individual student projects focus on such topics as
Black English, Kentucky English, slang, gender bias in language, and the
history of dirty words.
ENG 310-339 Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature
Study of topics, authors, and genres within the medieval and Renaissance
periods. Courses numbered 330-39 are limited-enrollment seminars. The
2001-2002 topics are listed below.
ENG 310 Shakespeare & Film
This course investigates the poetic
and dramatic values of Shakespeare's plays and examines the way filmmakers
have translated (or entirely replaced) these values as they produce works
for the screen. After a brief survey of the history of Shakespearean films,
the focus of the course will be on cinematic treatments of King Lear,
such as Brook's (1971) and Godard's (1987) films of the same name, Kozintsev's
Korol Lir (1969) and Kurosawa's Ran (1985).
ENG 311 Renaissance Women Writers
Readings of a variety of writings (poetry, prose, drama) by early modern
women such as Elizabeth I, Mary Sidney, Mary Wroth, Elizabeth Cary, Amelia
Lanier, Anne Bradstreet, Rachel Speght, and Anne Finch. After a brief
survey of the traditions in or against which early female authors worked,
the course explores some of the following cultural issues addressed by
them: women's education, attacks on and defenses of womankind, love, religion,
and duty. As time permits, we will also examine images of women in early
modern art and public discourse and the role of the internet in the study
of Renaissance women writer's works. Careful analysis of literary forms
and techniques and of the relationship between gender and cultural history
are twin foci of this course.
ENG 312 Montaigne and Shakespeare
A study, in alternation, of four mature essays by Michel de Montaigne
and four mature plays by William Shakespeare; comparison between the private
and digressive world of Montaigne and the public and dramatic world of
Shakespeare; discussion of the problematic question of Montaigne's influence
on Shakespeare. Offered in London.
ENG 330 Shakespeare and the
Comedy of Love
This course explores the relationships between various kinds of love in
Shakespeare's comedy. For background on contemporary views of love, students
read excerpts from poetical, psychological, and philosophical works from
the period. Through reading and viewing Shakespeare's comedies, the course
attempts to sort out the ways Shakespeare adopts, critiques, blends, and
transforms the love traditions of his day. Nine plays are studied, including
lesser-known early comedies and later problem comedies. Prerequisite:
Junior English majors; English minors with permission of the instructor.
ENG 340-369 Studies in
Eighteenth and Nineteenth-Century Literature
Study of topics, authors, and genres within the eighteenth and nineteenth
centuries. Courses numbered 360-69 are limited-enrollment seminars. The
2001-2002 topics are listed below.
ENG 340 Early English Novels
A study of selected British novels from the 18th century including
works by Defoe, Richardson, Fielding, Busney, and Austen.
ENG 360 Victorian Literature:
Age of Reform
Political, religious, and educational reforms from 1832-1900 treated both
in prose and poetry of the era. Authors include: Dickens, Trollope, Eliot,
Tennyson, Arnold and Carlyle. Prerequisite: Junior English majors; English
minors with permission of the instructor.
ENG 361 Hawthorne and James
A seminar study of the short fiction, novellas, and novels of Nathaniel
Hawthorne and Henry James. Emphasis is on different critical approaches
to the cultural context of the works. Prerequisite: ENG 210 and/or 220.
ENG 370-99 Studies in
Twentieth-Century Literature
Study of topics, authors, and genres within the twentieth century.
Courses numbered 390-99 are limited-enrollment seminars. The 2001-2002
topics are listed below.
ENG 370 Changes to the Female Form
An exploration of select 19th century and 20th century women poets with
an eye on shifts in self-presentation and poetic form. Questions considered:
How do we see women's narrative voice and use of poetic form changing?
To what degree might the "form" of the poem have particular
meaning for women poets. Poets discussed include Helen Hunt Jackson, Emily
Dickinson, Sylvia Plath, Elizabeth Bishop, and May Swenson.
ENG 371 Modern British Fiction
A study of selected British novelists such as Conrad, Woolf, Forster,
and Murdoch with emphasis on the art of fiction and the British social
context.
ENG 372 U.S. Literature of the Great Depression
This course will address a variety of literary responses to the suddenly
altered social reality brought on by economic collapse: How does social
change affect literary subject matter and literary form? What happens
to literary work when authors feel suddenly that political impact is of
paramount importance? What happens to literary values? What authors or
subjects rise? What forms fall out of favor? And perhaps most important,
can literature be a form of social action?
ENG 500 Senior Seminar
The senior seminar topics for 2001-2002 were Virginia Woolf, Emily
Dickinson, and William Faulkner.