
For a full listing, click [ Table of
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English, General Literature,
and Rhetoric
Faculty
*Year of initial appointment at Binghamton
Bartine, David, Associate Professor and Chair, PhD, 1976, University of
California at Berkeley: Rhetoric. (1984)*
Bidney, Martin P., Professor, PhD, 1971, Indiana University: 19th-century
English literature, Russian literature, Blake. (1969)
Burns, Norman T., Associate Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1967, University of
Michigan: Renaissance literature, Milton, social and intellectual history.
(1968)
Carpenter, Charles A., Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1963, Cornell University:
Modern drama. (1967)
Church, Joseph, Associate Professor and Graduate Director, PhD, 1986, University
of California at Irvine: 19th-century American literature. (1985)
Clements, Arthur L., Professor, PhD, 1964, Syracuse University: D. H. Lawrence,
17th- century literature, utopian and visionary literature. (1964)
Coiner, Constance P., Associate Professor, PhD, 1987, University of California
at Los Angeles: Women's studies, American literature since the Civil War.
(1988)
Conlon, Michael J., Associate Professor, PhD, 1969, University of Florida:
Restoration and 18th-century English literature. (1969)
Davies, Carole Boyce, Professor, PhD, 1977, University of Ibadan, Nigeria:
Afro-American, African, and Caribbean literature. (1981)
Davis, Lennard, Associate Professor, PhD, 1976, Columbia University: Modern
Literature, literary theory, feminist theory, novel. (1992)
Desmond, Marilynn, Associate Professor, PhD, 1985, University of California
at Berkeley: Medieval literature, classics and medieval narrative, Chaucer.
(1985)
Di Cesare, Mario, Distinguished Professor, PhD, 1960, Columbia University:
Renaissance literature (European and English), epic poetry, 17th-century
literature, Milton. (1959)
Einhorn, Lois J., Associate Professor, PhD, 1979, Indiana University: Rhetorical
theory and criticism, organizational communication. (1979)
Freimarck, Vincent, Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1950, Cornell University: American
literature, 18th-century literature. (1952)
Gabin, Rosalind, Associate Professor, PhD, 1961, University of California
at Berkeley: Romance literature, rhetoric. (1981)
Gay, Pamela, Associate Professor, PhD, 1983, New York University: Composition.
(1987)
Gordon, S. Stewart, Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1948, University of Chicago:
19th-century literature. (1955)
Gruber, Christian P., Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1954, Princeton University:
Theater history, modern drama, communications-composition. (1954)
Hagan, John H., Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1957, University of Chicago:
19th-century
novel (English, American, and Continental), some 20th- century novelists.
(1964)
Haupt, Mary Stillwell, Lecturer, MA, 1975, Ohio State University: Journalism.
(1987)
Henry, Nancy, Assistant Professor, PhD, 1994, University of Chicago: 19th
Century British and American Literature, feminist studies. (1994)
Hewitt, Elizabeth K., Associate Professor Emerita, PhD, 1969, State University
of New York at Buffalo: Stylistics, modern poetry, modern literature, language.
(1966)
Heywood, Leslie, Assistant Professor, PhD, 1993, University of California
at Irvine: 20th-century literature, feminist and critical theory. (1993)
Kessler, Milton, Professor Emeritus, MA, 1962, University of Washington:
American poetry, creative writing, editor of Choice. (1965)
Levy, Bernard, Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1961, University of California at
Berkeley: Chaucer, Middle English literature, medieval literature, editor
of Mediaevalia. (1961)
Mattheisen, Paul F., Associate Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1958, Rutgers
University:
Victorian literature. (1959)
McLain, Richard, Associate Professor, PhD, 1972, University of California
at Berkeley: English language, linguistics, literary criticism, modern
literature.
(1971)
Micklus, Robert, Associate Professor, PhD, 1980, University of Delaware:
Early American literature. (1981)
Newman, Francis X., Associate Professor, PhD, 1962, Princeton University:
Medieval literature. (1962)
Nicolaisen, Wilhelm F., Distinguished Professor Emeritus, DPhil, 1955,
University
of Tübingen: Language, folklore, names. (1969)
Pindell, Richard P., Associate Professor, PhD, 1971, Yale University: The
novel, creative writing, Southern literature. (1969)
Rogers, Philip, Associate Professor, PhD, 1967, University of Illinois:
19th-century English literature. (1967)
Rosenberg, Liz, Associate Professor, MA, 1978, Johns Hopkins University:
Creative writing. (1978)
Rosenthal, Bernard, Professor, PhD, 1968, University of Illinois: Colonial
and 19th-century American literature. (1968)
Schwartz, Elias, Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1954, Stanford University: Criticism,
Shakespeare, the English lyric. (1962)
Seiden, Melvin, Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1956, University of Minnesota:
Renaissance drama, criticism, the novel. (1959)
Spanos, William, Professor, PhD, 1964, University of Wisconsin: Modernism,
postmodernism. (1966)
Speyser, Patricia, Associate Professor Emerita, MA, 1959, State University
of New York at Buffalo: Education, modern British and American literature.
(1969)
Stone, Ruth, Professor, BA, Harvard University: Creative writing. (1990)
Strehle, Susan, Professor, PhD, 1975, University of California at Berkeley:
American literature, contemporary fiction. (1975)
Targan, Barry, Professor, PhD, 1962, Brandeis University: British and American
literature, creative writing. (1978)
Tricomi, Albert H., Professor, PhD, 1969, Northwestern University: Renaissance
drama, modern drama, Shakespeare. (1969)
Tucker, Elizabeth, Associate Professor, PhD, 1977, Indiana University: Folklore.
(1977)
Vasilew, Eugene, Associate Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1955, Ohio State University:
Rhetoric, communications, speech. (1960)
Vernon, John E., Professor, PhD, 1969, University of California at Davis:
Modern literature, creative writing. (1971)
Vos, Alvin P., Associate Professor and Undergraduate Director, PhD, 1971,
University of Chicago: Renaissance literature. (1970)
Walker, John D., Associate Professor Emeritus, PhD, 1967, University of
Florida: 18th-century English literature, Restoration literature. (1964)
Webster, Grant T., Professor, PhD, 1963, Ohio State University: 18th-century
English literature, criticism, bibliography. (1967)
Whittier, Gayle E., Associate Professor, PhD, 1969, Cornell University:
Creative writing, Shakespeare, selected aspects of modern literature. (1969)
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Undergraduate Programs
The Department of English, General Literature, and Rhetoric offers students
the opportunity to study literature and language in their many manifestations.
Although English and American literature and the practice of creative and
expository writing are primary, the department conceives of neither literature
nor writing in a narrow or parochial way. General literature courses deal
broadly with genres, themes, and masterpieces of world literature; creative
writing courses foster, in qualified students, the development of serious
creativity; rhetoric courses deal both with the theory and practice of
communication
as well as the history and masterpieces of oral and written argument.
For its majors, the department offers four specializations: English and
general literature; literature and creative writing; literature and rhetoric;
and literature and folklore. Departmental majors contemplating graduate
study are reminded that knowledge of a foreign language and its literature
is highly desirable and usually required in graduate programs.
Courses taken under the pass/fail grading option do not count toward the
major, except those for which P/F is the only grading option. The English
Department views the grade of D as passing but unsatisfactory. Courses passed
with a D do not fulfill requirements for the major.
Specialization in English and General Literature
The major with a specialization in literature does three things for students:
teaches them how to read literature; insures that they have a broad acquaintance
with the important literatures of the past and present; allows them to
concentrate
to some extent in areas of literature in which they become interested.
Beyond the background course, the program does not prescribe any other courses
outside the department. English and general literature majors should, however,
consult their advisors about their total programs; while many students take
other courses in literature as electives, all students should pursue a
reasonably
diverse course of study.
The 11 required courses are:
Background requirement*/1
ENG 160. Literary Interpretation/1
ENG 401. Chaucer/1
ENG 245. Shakespeare/1
Courses in two different periods before 1800: 230, 240, 250**/2
Courses in two different periods after 1800: 260, 270, 272, 280, 282**/2
Advanced elective courses (ENG 291, 330-479)/2
Senior Seminar (ENG 480)***/1
TOTAL 11
*Normally satisfied by ENG 223 or 224 (Bible I, Bible ll), or ENG 225
(Foundations
of English Literature), or History 241 (Biblical History), or literature
courses in the Classics Department (e.g. Mythology, Greek drama, Greek and
Roman literature), or PHIL 201 (Plato and Aristotle).
**Students may substitute ENG 330s for 230, 340s for 240, 350s for 250,
360s for 260, 370s for 270, 380s for 280.
***Student may substitute ENG 400, 450s, 460s, 470s for the Senior Seminar.
Specialization in Literature and Creative Writing
The program in literature and creative writing is designed to teach writers
of poetry, prose fiction, and imaginative nonfiction. Through workshops,
studies for writers, conferences, and readings, students discover the spirit
and craft of their art.
Required workshops are described anew each semester by each workshop teacher.
All activities within the program-workshops, readings, conferences-culminate
in the senior portfolio: a collection of poems or stories or essays which
represents the best writing the student has done here. Students must complete
all workshops before they can be admitted into CW 480, Senior Writing Projects.
This is a strict requirement.
Admission to Creative Writing Courses
CW 140 is open to all students with a serious interest in creative writing.
CW 240 and 340 are open to those students whose portfolios are of sufficient
quality in the judgment of the professor to warrant admission to the course.
Students who are unable to bring their work up to the standards of admission
to these courses will be advised to pursue a different major. Both
literature/creative
writing majors and non-majors are permitted to apply for admission to CW
240 and 340. CW 480, however, is open only to majors.
Students may take no more than one creative writing workshop a semester.
The 12 required courses are:
CW 140. Fundamentals of Creative Writing/1
CW 240. Intermediate Creative Writing/1
At the 300-level, one of two alternatives:
A. Two advanced workshops (CW 340) and one Studies for Writers class (CW
380)*
OR
B. One advanced workshop (CW 340) and two Studies for Writers classes (CW
380)** 3
CW 480. Senior Project in Creative Writing: completion of senior portfolio/1
From ENG 230 through 280, 272, 282, 291, 420s, 430s, 440s/2
From ENG 330s through 390s/1
ENG 400. Major Authors/1
Foreign language at college level/2
TOTAL 12
*Students may substitute, upon the recommendation of their advisors, with
the undergraduate director's permission, one advanced literature course
(ENG 330-480) for this CW 380 requirement.
**Students may substitute, upon the recommendation of their advisors, with
the undergraduate director's permission, either two advanced literature
courses (ENG 330-480) or one advanced literature course and one course in
another art (e.g. music, cinema, art) for the two required CW 380 courses.
Senior Portfolio
After creative writing majors have completed all the required workshops,
they take CW 480, Senior Project in Creative Writing, in which they are
guided in the preparation of their senior portfolio, a collection of fiction
or poetry or imaginative essays. A bound copy of the senior portfolio remains
with the Department of English.
Specialization in Literature and Rhetoric
The specialization in literature and rhetoric allows students to pursue
interests in journalism or other forms of nonfiction writing, rhetorical
and communication theory, rhetorical criticism, and the communication arts
generally. Curricula accommodating a wide range of interests may be planned
in consultation with the departmental advisor.
Majors in literature and rhetoric are urged to take courses in related fields
outside the department, complementing and rounding out the literature and
rhetoric courses in the major. Academic interests, career goals, professional
aspirations, and/or plans for graduate school should play a central role
in the selection of these courses.
The 12 required courses are:
ENG 160, 230-280, 272, 282 (or 330s-390s)/1
ENG 245 or 401/1
ENG 223, 224, 225, 291, 330-480, 498/2
RHET 240, 342, 344, 346, CW 240 /2
RHET 350 /1
RHET 450s/1
RHET 363, 380, 440s, 450s, 495, 499*/2
Foreign language at college level (both courses in the same language)/2
TOTAL 12
*Students may substitute, upon the recommendation of their advisors, with
the undergraduate director's permission, one upper-level literature class
for one of these upper-level rhetoric classes.
It is strongly recommended that students avoid taking all three upper-level
rhetoric courses in the same semester; these courses should be spread out
over at least two semesters. Students should declare this major as soon
as possible (by the middle of junior year) in order to complete required
courses in time for graduation.
Specialization in Literature and Folklore
Students may combine the study of literature with that of folklore, mainly,
but not exclusively, in the area of folk-narrative. Students are also encouraged
to pursue interests in such secondary areas as folksong, folk religion,
and material culture. Both the traditions of folk communities and the new
forms of folklore in the modern world are examined in depth. Each student
works closely with a faculty advisor to complete a well-integrated program
of studies, culminating in an independent seminar project (ENG 497) exploring
the connection between literature and folklore.
The 11 required courses are:
ENG 160. Literary Interpretation/1
ENG 401. Chaucer/1
ENG 245. Shakespeare/1
ENG 230 (or 330s), 240 (or 340s) 250 (or 350s)/1
ENG 260 (or 360s) 270 (or 272, or 370s) 280 (or 282, or 380s) /1
ENG 205. Folklore/1
ENG 470s. Special Topics in Folklore/2
Electives in folklore: CLAS 232, Classical Mythology; ANTH 256, Indians
of North America; ANTH 253, Cultures of Africa; ANTH 361, Comparative Religion
and Symbolic Systems; ANTH 366, Peasants; MUS 111 or 112, Music Cultures;
MUSP 167C, Greek Folk Music and Dance; MUS 416, Special Topics in Ethnomusicology/2
ENG 497. Independent Study project in folklore/1
TOTAL 11
Semester-in-London Program
Each spring semester the department offers an academic program in London
integrating courses in literature, theater, history, and art with tours,
trips, and theater attendance. Courses fulfill requirements for all
specializations
of the English major, though program participation is not limited to English
majors. Internships in which students gain career experience working in
a British enterprise are also available. Detailed information for each spring's
program can be obtained in the department office.
Honors Program
The honors program in English consists of two courses taken in the student's
senior year: ENG 498, Honors Seminar; and ENG (RHET) 499, Honors Thesis
(CW 499, Honors Portfolio). "Honors in English" is awarded to
students who receive at least a B+ grade in the Honors Seminar and at least
an A- in the Honors Thesis or Portfolio.
ENG 498 and ENG 499 take the place of one advanced literature course and
the senior seminar or portfolio or project required in the specializations
in English and general literature, literature and creative writing, and
literature and folklore. In the specialization in literature and rhetoric,
ENG 498 and RHET 499 take the place of an advanced literature and an advanced
rhetoric course, respectively.
Honors in English is reserved for the best students within the program.
Students who wish to enroll in the honors program must have at least a 3.50
average. The program director solicits a sample of the student's written
work in an English course and two letters of recommendation from appropriate
faculty.
Prerequisites, Course Sequence, and Curriculum
Structure
Courses in literature, rhetoric, and creative writing numbered 100-149 are
entry-level, intended mainly for freshmen; courses numbered 150-299 are
open to second-semester freshmen or above; courses numbered 300-499 are
open only to juniors, seniors, or those who have previously taken three
courses in literature.
Courses numbered 100-125, 200-225 and 300-325 are designed for nonmajors
and do not fulfill requirements of the major. Exceptions: ENG 205 fulfills
requirements within the specialization in literature and folklore; ENG 223,
224, and 225 fulfill requirements in the specialization in literature and
rhetoric, as well as the background requirement within the specialization
in English and general literature.
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Course Offerings/
Undergraduate
Note: Unless otherwise noted, all undergraduate courses carry 4 credits
and are offered every year.
ENG 110. FRESHMAN SEMINAR
Studies in the literary imagination. Explores the forms fictions take-novels,
short stories, poems, plays, myths, and tales. Topics vary among sections
and might include: history and story; literature and myth; fictions of place;
character in literature; literature and society. Limited enrollments permit
and encourage maximum student participation and frequent exercises in
writing.
ENG 112. STUDIES IN LITERARY BACKGROUNDS AND THEMES
Texts reflecting broad and significant movements, themes, and subjects in
the history of literature. Literary questions provide occasion for students
to develop reading and writing skills and to explore how literature and
composition interact. Emphasis on language of inquiry and interpretation.
Selection and arrangement of texts vary among sections.
ENG 114. STUDIES IN LITERARY GENRE
Texts illustrating nature, problems, and possibilities of one literary genre:
fiction, poetry, drama, satire, etc. Literary questions provide occasion
for students to develop reading and writing skills and to explore how literature
and composition interact. Emphasis on language of inquiry and interpretation.
Selection and arrangement of texts vary among sections.
ENG 160. LITERARY INTERPRETATION
An introduction to the analysis of literary texts with an emphasis on various
critical approaches.
ENG 200. SPECIAL TOPICS IN LITERATURE
Topics ordinarily not included in period and genre courses, such as science
fiction, fantasy literature. Designed for lower division nonmajors. May
be repeated for credit if topic varies.
ENG 202. MODERN SATIRE
Introduction to the art of modern satire: origins in magic, ritual, and
classical literature; subjects and rhetorical strategies; principal limitations
and strengths. Works by such authors as Brecht, Huxley, Ionesco, Heller.
ENG 205. FOLKLORE
An introduction to folklore and folk culture.
ENG 223. THE BIBLE: I
The five books of Moses, followed by the history of Israel and Judah (down
to the destruction by the Jersusalem), and the books of prophecy. Texts
read in translation. Open to majors and nonmajors.
ENG 224. THE BIBLE: II
The third section of the Hebrew canon (the "Writings"), also
selections
from the Apocrypha, and the entire New Testament. Texts read in translation.
Open to majors and nonmajors. No course prerequisites, but those familiar
with the earlier books of the Bible will have to read Genesis, Exodus, Samuel,
and Isaiah or Jeremiah.
ENG 225. FOUNDATIONS OF ENGLISH LITERATURE
Ways in which selected works from Homer to Dante have been resources in
development of English literature. Focuses on relationships between English
and ancient texts. Fulfills background requirement for students majoring
in English and general literature.
Each of the following six courses deals with major representative works
and authors, studied in the context of literary, intellectual, and social
history.
ENG 230. MEDIEVAL LITERATURE
ENG 240. RENAISSANCE LITERATURE
ENG 250. RESTORATION AND 18TH-CENTURY LITERATURE
ENG 260. 19TH-CENTURY BRITISH LITERATURE
ENG 270. AMERICAN LITERATURE TO 1900
ENG 280. MODERN ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE
ENG 245. SHAKESPEARE
Study of several representative plays.
ENG 272. AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE TO THE 1920s
The development of African-American literature from the 1700s to the 1920s.
Deals with such literary forms as slave narratives, essays, poetry, song,
short story, drama, and novel.
ENG 282. AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE 1920 TO PRESENT
Introduces African-American literature of the period through poetry, the
novel, short story, and drama in the context of social, political, and literary
developments. Topics include the Harlem Renaissance, Richard Wright and
the Naturalists, the Black Arts Movement, Black women writers.
ENG 291 (also LING 236). STRUCTURE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
English language descriptive and generative phonology, morphology, syntax,
and semantics. May be used to fulfill requirement for advanced elective
in English and general literature.
Advanced Courses in English and General Literature
Prerequisites for advanced courses are either junior (or senior) standing,
or three courses in literature. There are special prerequisites for the
senior seminar. Particular topics under the general course headings (i.e.,
those courses with numbers ending in zero) are illustrative of the kinds
of courses offered and are not intended to exclude other appropriate course
offerings. More than one course with the same number may be taken, provided
the specific topics are different.
ENG 300. SPECIAL TOPICS IN LITERATURE
Topics ordinarily not included in period and genre courses, such as psychology
and literature, myth and literature, etc. Designed for upper-division
non-majors.
May be repeated for credit if topic varies.
ENG 330. TOPICS IN MEDIEVAL LITERATURE
Medieval romance, medieval allegory, love in the Middle Ages. May be repeated
for credit if topic varies.
ENG 331. OLD ENGLISH
An introduction to Old English grammar, and study of selected Old English
poetry.
ENG 333. WOMEN AND SOCIETY IN MEDIEVAL LITERATURE
The various roles assigned to women in a broad range of "courtly,"
religious, and realistic texts, including those written by women (such as
Marie de France, Christine de Pisan, Julian of Norwich, Margery of Kempe),
as well as those written by the "standard" authors of the period
(such as Dante, Chretien, Chaucer, the Gawain-Poet).
ENG 340. TOPICS IN RENAISSANCE LITERATURE
Tudor-Stuart lyric, earlier 17th-century literature, Renaissance prose.
May be repeated for credit if topic varies.
ENG 350. TOPICS IN RESTORATION & 18TH-CENTURY LITERATURE
Augustan poetry, 18th-century novel, later 18th-century literature. May
be repeated for credit if topic varies.
ENG 351. AGE OF REVOLUTION
Selected works of Pope, Swift, Johnson and others which mark the revolution
from medieval and Renaissance culture to the modern world. Focuses on the
values of 18th-century culture as they shape current institutions and
consciousness.
ENG 352. RESTORATION DRAMA
The comedies of Etherege, Wycherley, Dryden, Congreve and others. May include
poems of John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, which are closely related in theme
to the drama.
ENG 360. TOPICS IN 19TH-CENTURY LITERATURE
Romantic literature, Victorian literature, 19th-century prose. May be repeated
for credit if topic varies.
ENG 361. 19TH-CENTURY FICTION
An introduction to major novelists of the period: Bronte, Dickens, Hardy,
etc.
ENG 370. TOPICS IN AMERICAN LITERATURE TO WORLD WAR I Colonial and early
19th-century American literature, American romanticism, rise of realism
and naturalism, American novel, development of American short story. May
be repeated for credit if topic varies.
ENG 372. 19TH-CENTURY AMERICAN NOVEL
An introduction to some of the major American novels of the 19th-century:
The Scarlet Letter, Moby Dick, etc.
ENG 380. TOPICS IN MODERN LITERATURE
Contemporary American literature, Southern renaissance in America, Irish
renaissance. May be repeated for credit if topic varies.
ENG 381. MODERN FICTION
Novels and short stories by such major modern writers of fiction, British
and American, as Conrad, Joyce, Woolf, Lawrence, James, Fitzgerald, Hemingway,
Faulkner, and others.
ENG 383. MODERN WOMEN WRITERS
Selected works by 20th-century women writers, including such authors as
Simone de Beauvoir, Virginia Woolf, Doris Lessing, Anaïs Nin, Colette,
Maxine Hong Kingston, Alice Walker, Sylvia Plath, Adrienne Rich, and others.
Fiction, poetry, and some theoretical discussion.
ENG 384. MODERN POETRY
Such poets as Frost, Yeats, Lawrence, Eliot, Cummings, Roethke, Thomas,
Lowell, Wilbur, Kinnell, Levertov, Ammons, Rich, Snyder, Plath, etc.
ENG 390. TOPICS IN BLACK LITERATURE
Specialized and advanced topics in the literature of black peoples: Harlem
renaissance, African women writers, black novelists, etc. May be repeated
for credit if topic varies.
ENG 391. MODERN AFRICAN LITERATURE
A study of the prose and poetry of contemporary Africa. An introduction
to African oral literature; writers who combine both the oral and written
forms in their works; contemporary authors, and current experiments in film.
Emphasis on representative authors of the major regions: West Africa, East
Africa, and Southern Africa.
ENG 394. BLACK WOMEN WRITERS
A thematic and structural examination of prose and poetry written by Black
American women. A comparative assessment of selected works by African and
Caribbean women writers.
ENG 400. MAJOR AUTHORS
Intensive study of works of one or more authors. In recent years Faulkner,
Whitman, the Brontes, Blake, Hawthorne have been among those offered. May
be repeated for credit if topic varies.
ENG 401. CHAUCER
Chaucer's contribution to western thought and letters. His poetry considered
in relation to medieval literature, but also in relation to modern reader.
ENG 410. TOPICS IN LITERARY CRITICISM
Problems in literary theory; critical method and practice; documents in
the history of criticism. May be repeated for credit if topic varies.
ENG 420. TOPICS IN DRAMA
Tragedy; comedy; poetic drama; realism in drama; theater of the absurd.
May be repeated for credit if topic varies.
ENG 421. MODERN DRAMA
Prominent forms of drama from the late 1800s to World War II: such dramatists
as Ibsen, Strindberg, O'Neill, Chekhov, Shaw, Sartre.
ENG 430. TOPICS IN FICTION
Form of the novel; hero in fiction; psychological novel; comic novel. May
be repeated for credit if topic varies.
ENG 431. SHORT STORY
Study of the short story; some attention paid to theory.
ENG 440. TOPICS IN POETRY
Styles of English verse; problems in English prosody; myth and symbols in
poetry; fundamentals of metaphor; long poem. May be repeated for credit
if topic varies.
ENG 450. SPECIAL STUDIES IN LITERATURE
Topics not ordinarily included in standard period or genre courses. Literature
of transition; allegory; myth in literature; Platonism; existentialism;
fool in literature. May be repeated for credit if topic varies.
ENG 452. PATHWAYS HOME
The journey as a metaphor for the discovery of self in Odyssey, Aeneid,
and Paradise Lost.
ENG 454. AMERICAN HUMOR
Development of the tall tale from colonial times through works of Twain
and writers of the Old Southwest.
ENG 456. LITERATURE AND MEDICINE
Works by and about healers in modern literature. The cultural vocabularies
and roles for patient, nurse, doctor, and hospital witness, in works by
such authors as Hemingway, William Carlos Williams, Richard Selzer, Susan
Sontag. Open to sophomores and second-semester freshmen by permission of
instructor.
ENG 457. SPIRIT OF PLACE
An exploration of the relationship between place and consciousness in selected
fiction: works by such authors as Faulkner, Fowles, Hardy, Flannery O'Connor.
Place as memory bank, as Muse, confidant, and healer of wounds of time,
etc. Open to sophomores and second-semester freshmen by permission of
instructor.
ENG 460. SPECIAL TOPICS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Onomastics; early modern English; Old English philology; generative semantics
and English; English phonetics and phonology; periodization of English.
Prerequisite: determined by instructor. May be repeated for credit if topic
varies.
ENG 461 (also LING 325). ENGLISH SYNTAX
Recent models of English grammar: syntactically based grammars, functional
grammars, discourse grammars. Prerequisite: some introduction to linguistic
theory, such as ENG 291 or LING 236, or their equivalent.
ENG 470. SPECIAL TOPICS IN FOLKLORE
Study of special topics in folklore and its relationship to literature.
May be repeated for credit if topic varies.
ENG 472. MEDIEVAL FOLKLORE
Medieval narratives, customs, and beliefs, with primary emphasis on literary
texts: the folk tale, the local legend, the saint's legend, and the epic.
Medieval witchcraft, both as belief system and as generator of narratives.
Medieval folklore in contemporary literature.
ENG 473. FOLKLORE AND FANTASY
Major works of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis with special attention to their
roots in folklore and fantasy literature. Topics such as otherworld creation,
the quest hero, fate vs. free will, religious symbolism, the meaning of
victory.
ENG 480. SENIOR SEMINAR IN ENGLISH
Special studies in genre, period, or major author. Open only to senior
specializing
in English or to non-departmental senior with consent of instructor.
Prerequisites:
senior standing, and one related advanced genre of period course. May be
repeated for credit if topic varies.
ENG 491. PRACTICUM IN COLLEGE TEACHING /every semester 2 credits
Independent study by assisting in a lower-division course. Limited to seniors
who meet specific department qualifications.
ENG 497. INDEPENDENT STUDY/variable credit
Independent project in selected area of departmental program. Project, in
written form, must be proposed by student, approved by departmental director
of undergraduate studies. Open only to juniors and seniors.
ENG 498. HONORS SEMINAR
Seminar on broad topic that permits students to focus their study of literature,
rhetoric, or language, sharpen their research skills, and lay groundwork
for honors project normally completed in final semester under ENG (RHET,
CW) 499. Emphasis on independent study and research, strategies for limiting
and analyzing a topic, bibliography, formal reports on work in progress.
Requires at least one substantial essay related to student's research.
Prerequisites:
senior standing and admission to the honors program.
ENG 499 (also RHET 499). HONORS THESIS
Independent study with member of regular faculty in English, leading to
completion of honors project. Prerequisites: senior standing and ENG 498.
Creative Writing
CW 140. FUNDAMENTALS OF CREATIVE WRITING
New but serious creative writers begin to explore the art.
CW 240. INTERMEDIATE CREATIVE WRITING
Students pursue development as writers. Prerequisites: CW 140 and consent
of instructor, based on portfolio.
CW 340. ADVANCED WORKSHOP IN CREATIVE WRITING
Students continue development by solving problems in craft of writing on
more sophisticated level. Prerequisites: CW 140, 240, junior standing, and
consent of instructor, based on portfolio. May be repeated for credit.
CW 360. WRITERS AND OTHER ARTISTS/2 credits
Through formal lecture and informal discussion, guest writers will focus
on their work and on a selected number of student writings. Pass/fail only.
CW 380. STUDIES FOR WRITERS
Ethnopoetics, poetry and the body, geography and narrative, phenomenology,
etc. Prerequisites: CW 140 and 240, junior standing. May be repeated for
credit if topic varies.
CW 480. SENIOR PROJECTS IN CREATIVE WRITING
Majors complete senior portfolio. Work should be important, fresh, publishable.
Prerequisites: CW 140, 240, 340, senior standing, and consent of instructor,
based on portfolio.
CW 497. INDEPENDENT STUDY IN CREATIVE WRITING/variable credit
Project, in written form, must be approved by departmental director of
undergraduate
studies. Open only to juniors and seniors.
CW 499. HONORS PORTFOLIO
See ENG 499 above.
Rhetoric, Expository Writing, and Journalism
RHET 100. BASIC WRITING I
A writing workshop designed for students who need intensive practice in
writing and editing before enrolling in courses across the disciplines that
emphasize writing. Students who are not confident or experienced writers
and whose writing has considerable grammatical and mechanical interference
will be recommended for this course by instructors in the summer Educational
Opportunity Program (EOP) or English as a Second Language (ESL) program.
RHET 100 students are expected to continue with RHET 101 before taking RHET
102 or courses across the curriculum that emphasize writing. Does not satisfy
all-college distribution requirement.
RHET 101. BASIC WRITING II
This writing workshop is a continuation of Basic Writing I. Students who
are relatively fluent writers and have some familiarity with the conventions
of academic writing but who need more writing and editing practice will
be recommended for this course by instructors in the summer Educational
Opportunity Program (EOP) or English as a Second Language (ESL) program.
Students may be recommended for RHET 101 without having taken RHET 100.
Does not satisfy all-college distribution requirement.
RHET 102. WRITING WORKSHOP
A writing workshop to help students build confidence and skill in the kind
of writing expected in college. Stresses reading-writing connections, critical
thinking, and analytical skills. Writing projects will be based on critical
reading. Students will read different perspectives on current social
issues by writers of culturally diverse backgrounds. Emphasis on revision
(multiple drafts) and systematic editing for grammatical and mechanical
problems. First-year students whose practice in academic writing is limited
and who have considerable difficulty both in reading their own writing
critically
and in editing for grammatical/mechanical problems should contact the English
Department to obtain an application for admission to this course.
RHET 240. INTRODUCTION TO JOURNALISM
Skills required in modern journalism. Reporting techniques. Extensive practice
in elementary news, feature writing. Interviewing techniques, interview
writing. Organization of modern newspaper. Law and journalism; libel,
confidentiality,
ethics.
RHET 342. WRITING AND DISCOURSE
Workshop in expository writing for students interested in rhetoric and already
competent in the conventions of written standard English. Emphasis on problems
of invention, arrangement, style, and basic theories of discourse. Not open
to first-semester freshmen. Designed for majors in literature and rhetoric,
but open to students in any field.
RHET 344. WRITING AND SPEAKING
Advanced instruction in expository writing and speaking to integrate language
arts. Rhetorical principles underlying writing and speaking processes, unique
characteristics of each mode of communication. Selecting and narrowing subjects,
analyzing audiences, gathering information, organizing and developing ideas,
evaluating others' communication.
RHET 346. ORAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Development of effective oral communication in interviews, small group
discussions,
formal meetings, public speeches. Theoretical principles of rhetoric and
research findings; practical strategies and techniques.
RHET 350. RHETORICAL FOUNDATIONS
Nature and function of rhetoric; its theoretical bases; its historical
development
from classical times into the 20th century.
RHET 363. ARGUMENTATION AND PERSUASION
Structural analysis of arguments in typical forensic, political, academic,
scientific, and other contexts. Bases of belief examined; logical and pathetic
arguments differentiated.
RHET 380. FORMS OF NONFICTION WRITING
For advanced writing student. Focus varies: personal, biographical, critical,
technical, and journalistic essay. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite:
CW 240 or RHET 342, or consent of instructor.
RHET 440. TOPICS IN JOURNALISM
Extensive directed practice in news gathering and news writing: interviews,
coverage of public events, speeches on campus and in community. News and
feature writing. Opinion writing: editorials, reviews, personal commentary.
Copy-editing methods and practice. Headline writing. Prerequisite: RHET
240. May be repeated for credit if topic varies.
RHET 441. NEWSPAPER EDITING
Newspaper editing, layout, and production; copy editing; role of the editor
in a daily newspaper. Prerequisite: RHET 240.
RHET 443. FREELANCE MAGAZINE WRITING
Analysis of the magazine market; writing query letters; techniques for writing
for various kinds of magazines. Prerequisite: RHET 240.
RHET 444. SPORTS WRITING
Introduction to sports writing, from viewpoints of sports writer and sports-page
reader; forms of sports writing, work requirements of newspapers of various
sizes. Prerequisite: RHET 240.
RHET 450. TOPICS IN RHETORIC
Rhetorical theory and practice presented by periods, movements, authors,
or fields. Subject and title chosen by instructor; typical are mass
communications
in America; modern rhetorical theory; communication, ethics, and politics;
theories of persuasion; rhetoric of literature; rhetorical criticism; rhetoric,
communication, and culture. Prerequisite: RHET 350 or junior standing. May
be repeated for credit if topic varies.
RHET 454. POLITICAL DISCOURSE
Theoretical and practical examination of selected forms of political discourse.
Survey of pre-20th century masterpieces of political oratory; 20th century
American and British political discourse in times of crisis; modern American
political campaign discourse. Emphasis on close analysis of documents. Exploration
of adaptation of classical models to modern needs. Prerequisite: RHET 350.
RHET 455. GHOSTWRITING
History of ghostwriting; ethical issues; implications of ghostwriting for
the rhetorical critic. Effective writing through application of principles
of rhetoric. Prerequisite: RHET 350.
RHET 491. PRACTICUM IN COLLEGE TEACHING/every semester, 2 credits
Independent study by assisting in a lower-division course. Limited to seniors
who meet specific department qualifications.
RHET 495. SENIOR INTERNSHIP
Internships offered, as available, to qualified students upon application.
Typically, students interested in news reporting and allied forms of
journalistic
writing seek internships at newspapers, radio stations, etc. Public relations
internships also available. P/F only.
RHET 497. INDEPENDENT STUDY IN RHETORIC/variable credit
Independent project in selected area of rhetoric. Project, in written form,
must be submitted by student and approved by departmental director of
undergraduate
studies. Open only to juniors and seniors.
RHET 499. HONORS THESIS
See ENG 499.
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Graduate Programs
The graduate program offers the MA and the PhD degrees. The MA stresses
breadth; the PhD program encourages students to pursue their special interests
whether broadly or narrowly defined. MA candidates do not specialize, but
develop a broad knowledge of English literature and language, American
literature,
and literary criticism. Such breadth of knowledge is a prerequisite for
PhD candidates, who concentrate on specific fields of scholarly interest
before writing a dissertation.
Master of Arts Program
Qualified students holding a bachelor's degree are eligible for admission
to the program. An undergraduate major in English is desirable, but not
essential for admission. All applicants should submit a sample of their
critical writing, as well as GRE aptitude and advanced scores. Those wishing
to enter the MA program with a specialization in creative writing should
so indicate on the front page of the application and should submit together
with a sample of their critical writing a portfolio of their creative work
(not more than 50 pages of fiction or 300 lines of verse).
The deadline for application to the MA, whether or not the student wishes
to be considered for financial aid, is February 1.
The master of arts in English is granted on satisfactory completion of the
following requirements.
COURSES
In consultation with the director of graduate programs, the student plans
a program of at least 10 graded courses (40 credit hours).
1. Two literature courses before 1800.
2. Two literature courses after 1800.
3. One course in literary criticism.
4. One course in teaching of college composition and literature (ENG 589).
5. Four electives from among advanced courses (as approved by the director
of graduate programs).
Students who wish to apply for doctoral programs are advised to plan a
curriculum
that emphasizes the development of a broad knowledge of English and American
literature, although some specialization in a single field may be appropriate.
Other students may wish to plan a curriculum that allows for some intensive
study in a single field.
The student must maintain at least a 3.0 average to remain in the program:
more than one C grade normally requires dismissal. A student not in residence
must register each semester to remain in good standing.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
All MA candidates must demonstrate a reading knowledge of at least one foreign
language. Such competence may be demonstrated in any one of the following
ways:
1. Passing the ETS (Princeton) examination with a satisfactory grade.
2. Presenting transcript evidence of at least three years of college-level
study of a foreign language with a grade average of B or better, completed
no more than five years before admission to the MA program.
3. Successful completion of a graduate course in a foreign language.
4. Successful completion of one graduate course in comparative literature
where a significant portion of the work is done in a foreign language.
5. Successful completion of a course in the Translation Workshop.
6. Passing an examination set by the guidance committee and consisting of
a translation and critical commentary on a set text in a foreign language.
THESIS
Students who wish to write a master's thesis must submit to the graduate
policies committee a plan that shows adequate preparation for their proposed
thesis, a brief prospectus of the proposed investigation, and a signed approval
from the faculty member with whom the student wishes to work. The thesis
is a substantial (50-75 pages) piece of original research or criticism.
Only students whose thesis plan has been approved may register for ENG 599,
Master's Thesis; ENG 599 may be taken twice for credit, and it may be used
for as many as two of the four advanced electives required for the degree.
When the thesis has been approved by the faculty advisor, the director of
graduate programs will appoint a qualified second reader to review it. Theses
must conform to the graduate school requirements, as outlined in the Faculty
and Student Graduate Degree Handbook.
Students may plan a course of study that does not include the writing of
a thesis. Except for those electing ENG 599, the plan of study should not
include more than two courses taken with the same instructor, nor more than
two independent study courses.
MA EXAMINATION
On completion of the course requirements (or earlier by petition), the student
takes a written set-text examination, prepared and graded by the graduate
examinations committee of the English Department. The set texts for the
examination will be designated in advance. A student who does not write
an acceptable examination should petition the graduate examinations committee
to retake the exam within the next academic semester in residence.
MA IN ENGLISH WITH CONCENTRATION IN TEACHING COMPOSITION*
In consultation with the director of graduate programs, the student must
complete at least 10 graded courses (40 credit hours).
1. Two literature courses before 1800.
2. Two literature courses after 1800.
3. One course in literary criticism.
4. One course in the English language.
5. One course in teaching college composition literature (ENG 589).
6. One course in contemporary composition theory and practice.
7. One course in teaching English as second language or second language
acquisition.
8. One elective from among advanced courses (as approved by the director
of graduate programs).
The student must also teach, under the supervision of the English Department
faculty, at least one complete course in composition or in English as a
second language. Students in this program must also write an acceptable
MA set text examination.
* This program is currently under review and will probably be eliminated.
MA IN ENGLISH WITH CERTIFICATE IN CREATIVE WRITING
In addition to meeting the requirements for admission for Harpur College
of Arts and Sciences graduate programs, students wishing to enroll in this
program must also submit a substantial portfolio of their work in fiction
or poetry. On completion of the following requirements, students in this
program receive the MA in English and a certificate attesting to their
achievements
as creative writers.
1. Two literature courses before 1800.
2. Two literature courses after 1800.
3. Two workshops or tutorials in the writing of fiction or poetry.
4. ENG 589, a four-credit course in the teaching of college English and
creative writing.
5. ENG 599, Thesis, for four credits.
6. Two electives, one of which is normally taken outside the department
and emphasizes a related art.
Students may petition to substitute a course outside the department for
one of the period courses. Students in this certificate program are not
required to take the MA examination.
Students must maintain at least a B average to remain in the program; more
than one C grade normally requires dismissal. A student not in residence
must register each semester to remain in good standing.
Students must satisfy the MA requirement for proficiency in a foreign
language.
Creative Thesis
At the conclusion of their course work, students must submit to the director
of creative writing a collection of poems, a collection of stories, or a
novel. The director of creative writing constitutes a panel of at least
two professors who evaluate this thesis. The thesis is the most important
requirement for the MA in English with certificate in creative writing;
it must be of substantial length and publishable quality, and it must conform
to the Graduate School requirements for a thesis, as outlined in the Faculty
and Student Graduate Degree Handbook.
Master of Arts in Teaching and
Master of Science in Teaching
The English Department cooperates with the program in education, which offers
the MAT (master of arts in teaching) as well as the MST (master of science
in teaching) degree.
The MAT degree program is for those with no preservice teacher preparation
at the undergraduate level. The MST degree program is for those already
certified (temporarily) to teach in New York State. Requirements for these
degrees are listed in this booklet under the program in education.
Inquiries about these programs should be directed to the English advisor,
Program in Education, Binghamton University, P.O. Box 6000, Binghamton,
New York 13902-6000.
Doctor of Philosophy Program
ADMISSION
Students entering the PhD program in English usually are expected to have
a formal background in literature(s) in English. This does not preclude
the admission of students whose education has been in other fields. In these
exceptional cases, candidates, in consultation with the graduate director
and their advisor, may be asked to undertake additional study. Candidates
subsequently specialize in three fields of scholarly interest preparatory
to field examinations and in a specific area of expertise leading to the
dissertation.
The English Graduate Admissions Committee admits qualified students to the
PhD program on the basis of their total records, including transcripts,
GRE aptitude and advanced scores, recommendations, and a sample of their
critical writing (10 to 20 pages). Applicants who wish to choose the creative
writing option for the dissertation should so indicate on the front page
of the application and should submit a portfolio of their creative work
(not more than 50 pages of fiction or 25 pages of verse) in addition to
the critical writing sample.
The deadline for application to the PhD program, whether or not the student
wishes to be considered for financial aid, is February 1.
PROGRAM OF STUDY
The graduate director, with the assistance of the Graduate Admissions Committee,
selects a member of the faculty appropriate to the student's interests to
serve as the new PhD student's initial advisor. (Students may, in consultation
with the graduate director, choose a new advisor if they so desire.) In
consultation with the advisor the student initiates a program of at least
six courses and begins to determine three areas of special interest (see
below under "Field Exams"). As part of their six-course minimum,
students normally take no more than two creative writing workshops, no more
than two appropriate courses in other departments, and no more than two
graded courses from the same faculty member. Typically students take no
more than two independent studies. More than two requires approval. Beyond
the six-course minimum, these limitations do not apply.
Students must maintain at least a B+ average to remain in the program; more
than one C grade normally requires dismissal. Students not in residence
must register each semester to remain in good standing.
PhD FIELD EXAMS
Following the completion of coursework (normally during the fourth semester),
doctoral students are examined in three distinct fields of study. While
areas acceptable as fields of study are not predefined, they must be approved
by the graduate director. A field of study may be defined in various ways:
e.g., by nationality and chronology, by genre, by topic, or by critical
theory. Students may coordinate their fields of study so that the time spent
preparing for their examinations will provide a foundation for subsequent
work on their dissertations, as well as preparation for their professional
identity.
In the third semester of coursework each student, in consultation with the
graduate director, establishes an examinations committee composed of a director
for each of the three area exams and one additional faculty member (a fifth
member can be added if required by the configuration of fields selected).
Students meet with the director of each exam to draw up reading lists. Each
list must be approved by all members of the student's examinations committee,
and submitted to the graduate director for review according to department
guidelines.
When the student is prepared to take exams, the committee meets to set
examination
questions. All three exams are normally administered during one semester
before the end of the second year of study. A single exam normally requires
four to six hours of writing and does not exceed 10 double-spaced typewritten
pages. Each exam must normally be completed and returned within 24 hours
of the time the student receives it. The grading process normally takes
no more than two weeks. Exams are read by all members of the committee.
Students are graded "pass" or "fail" for each field.
In the case of a failed exam, the examinations committee may request a new
written exam. In no case may a student be examined in the same area more
than twice. After a second failure in the same area, the student must make
a proposal to the Graduate Admissions Committee to continue in the program.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE
All PhD candidates must demonstrate a reading knowledge of at least one
foreign language at a level of competence sufficient for the understanding
of scholarly and critical materials. Such competence may be demonstrated
in any one of the following ways:
1. Passing the ETS (Princeton) examination with a satisfactory grade.
2. Presenting transcript evidence of at least three years of college-level
study of a foreign language with a grade average of B or better, completed
no more than five years before admission to the PhD program.
3. Successful completion of a graduate course in a foreign language.
4. Successful completion of one graduate course in comparative literature
where a significant portion of the work is done in a foreign language.
5. Successful completion of a course in the Translation Workshop.
6. Passing an examination set by the guidance committee and consisting of
a
translation and critical commentary on a set text in a foreign language.
DISSERTATION
In the course of doctoral study, the student establishes a dissertation
committee consisting of a director and two readers. The dissertation is
a substantial study of some significant topic in the area of the student's
professional interest, or a creative writing dissertation. Students who
plan to submit a creative dissertation must take at least two creative writing
workshops.
The student's dissertation committee must formally approve a written prospectus
of the dissertation or, for those submitting a creative dissertation, a
sample of work in progress by the end of the semester following completion
of the field exams. Students are encouraged to make a public presentation,
under the auspices of the English graduate program, choosing from a range
of possibilities such as a dissertation prospectus, a reading of creative
work, a conference paper, or something that has been submitted for publication.
On completion of all other requirements, the student submits a finished
dissertation for approval and defends the dissertation in an oral
examination.
After successful completion, defense, and submission of the dissertation,
the student is awarded the PhD in English.
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Course Offerings/
Graduate
The English Language
ENG 500. INTRODUCTION TO THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Modern English as understood by contemporary linguists; historical development
of the language.
ENG 501. STRUCTURE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Prerequisite and course content designated by instructor.
ENG 502. HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Prerequisite and course content designated by instructor.
ENG 503. LINGUISTICS AND ENGLISH LITERATURE
Prerequisite, topic, and course content designated by instructor.
Periods and Genres
ENG 510. OLD ENGLISH LITERATURE
Prose and poetry.
ENG 511. MIDDLE ENGLISH LITERATURE
Prose and poetry.
ENG 512. 16TH-CENTURY LITERATURE
ENG 513. 17TH-CENTURY LITERATURE
ENG 514. RESTORATION AND NEOCLASSICAL LITERATURE
ENG 515. ROMANTIC LITERATURE
ENG 516. VICTORIAN LITERATURE
ENG 517. MODERN ENGLISH LITERATURE
ENG 518. AMERICAN LITERATURE I
From early period to Civil War.
ENG 519. AMERICAN LITERATURE II
From Civil War to present.
ENG 560 A-D. DRAMA
A. Medieval and Early Tudor; B. Elizabethan and Jacobean; C. Restoration
and 18th Century; D. Modern English and American.
ENG 561 A-D. PROSE FICTION
A. Backgrounds and 18th-Century English; B. 19th-Century English; C.
19th-Century
American; D. 20th-Century English and/or American.
ENG 562 A-D. POETRY
A. Medieval and Renaissance; B. 18th-Century
English; C. 19th-Century English and/or American; D. 20th-Century English
and/or American.
ENG 564. STUDIES IN LITERARY GENRES
Various genres such as pastoral poetry, epic,
autobiography.
ENG 565. STUDIES IN LITERARY PERIODS
Studies of limited scope in one period of English or American literature.
Course content and prerequisites determined by instructor.
ENG 566. LITERARY MOVEMENTS
Literary movements that transcend period limitations.
ENG 567. FOLKLORE
Various aspects of folklore: folk narrative, folk custom, calendar festivals.
Criticism and Theory of Literature
ENG 570. INTRODUCTION TO PRACTICAL CRITICISM
Basic critical concepts and methods; application in criticism of particular
works. Recommended for graduate students with little previous experience
in practical criticism.
ENG 571. PERIOD STUDIES IN CRITICISM
Issues and problems related to literary theory.
ENG 572. STUDIES IN CRITICISM
Critics, critical approaches, or problems which transcend period limitations.
Course content and prerequisites determined by instructor.
ENG 673. SEMINAR IN CRITICISM
Single critic or critical school; or important theoretical issue embodied
in work of such critic or school.
ENG 674. SPECIAL ISSUES IN CRITICAL THEORY AND METHOD
Prerequisite, topic, and course content designated by instructor.
Authors and Works
ENG 535. CHAUCER
ENG 545. SHAKESPEARE
ENG. 550. SIGNIFICANT FIGURES IN ENGLISH OR AMERICAN LITERATURE
One or two writers, selected by instructor, determine course content.
ENG 551. MILTON
ENG 555. SIGNIFICANT WORKS OF ENGLISH OR AMERICAN LITERATURE
Significant works, selected by instructor, determine course content.
ENG 645. SHAKESPEARE AND CONTEMPORARIES
Shakespeare in context of Elizabethan Jacobean dramatists.
ENG 650. SPECIAL STUDIES IN SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
Prerequisites, title, course description designated by instructor.
ENG 655. SPECIAL STUDIES IN SIGNIFICANT LITERARY WORKS
Prerequisites and course content designated by instructor.
Special Courses and Independent Studies
ENG 589. TEACHING OF COLLEGE ENGLISH
Theory and practice of teaching composition and literature on college level.
ENG 591. TEACHING PRACTICUM/1-4 credits
ENG 592. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESEARCH/variable credit
Major tools of literary research. Lectures, practice in location of printed
and manuscript materials; preparation of bibliographies on subjects of interest
to graduate students.
ENG 593. SPECIAL TOPICS
Paleography, advanced bibliographic studies, textual criticism, principles
of editing, literary iconography.
ENG 597. INDEPENDENT STUDY/1-4 credits
Graded or ungraded study for course credit.
ENG 599. THESIS/1-4 credits
Preparation of MA research thesis or MA creative writing thesis.
ENG 640. POETRY WORKSHOP
Techniques of poetry writing. Critical work on student's poetry. May be
repeated for credit.
ENG 641. FICTION WORKSHOP
Techniques of fiction writing. Critical work on student's fiction. May be
repeated for credit.
ENG 642. NOVEL WORKSHOP
Techniques of novel writing. Critical work on student's novel.
ENG 643. ESSAY WORKSHOP
Techniques of essay writing. Critical work on student's essays. May be repeated
for credit.
ENG 698. PREDISSERTATION RESEARCH/1-9 credits/semester
Independent reading and/or research in preparation for comprehensive
examinations
for admission to PhD candidacy, and/or preparation of dissertation prospectus.
Graded on S/U basis only.
ENG 699. DISSERTATION/1-12 credits/semester
Research for and preparation of the dissertation.
ENG 700. CONTINUOUS REGISTRATION/1 credit/semester
Required for maintenance of matriculated status in graduate program. No
credit toward graduate degree requirements.
ENG 707. RESEARCH SKILLS/1-4 credits
Development of research skills required within graduate programs. May not
be applied toward course credits for any graduate degree. Prerequisite:
approval of relevant program directors or department chairs.
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English As A Second
Language (ESL) Program
FACULTY
Elizabeth Tricomi, Director
This program is designed both for international students and for students
who have graduated from American high schools. Its goal is to help students
improve their ability to use English in an academic context so that they
may achieve their academic potential. Students register for an ESL course
after taking a placement test given during International Student Orientation
or by special arrangement with the director of the program. Undergraduate
students receive credit for ESL courses. Graduate students receive hours
which count toward the number of hours they need to be full-time students,
but no course credit. Although the ESL classes are primarily for full-time,
matriculated students, there are limited spaces available for spouses of
students and community members.
COURSE OFFERINGS
NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, all undergraduate courses carry 4 credits
and are usually offered every year
ESL 110/710. INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
Provides instruction and practice in all language skills: speaking, listening,
reading, writing, and grammar. Emphasis placed on developing greater fluency
in spoken English.
ESL 205/715. ADVANCED SPEAKING AND LISTENING COMPREHENSION
Instruction and practice in understanding both informal conversation and
classroom lectures and discussions. Work also in improving pronunciation
and the ability to express complex ideas in classroom discussion and formal
oral presentations.
ESL 210/720. ADVANCED ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
Emphasizes writing, but also provides opportunities for practice in reading,
speaking, and listening.
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