WCSU Undergraduate Catalog 2023-2024 : Macricostas School of Arts & Sciences

English

Writing Intensive Courses

A number of courses currently offered by the Department of Writing and Literature fulfill the General Education Tier-2 writing requirement. These courses are marked with a “W” and have as their minimum prerequisite “WRT 101 or equivalent or placement exam.” The following courses offered by the department carry the “W” label:

ENG l04 Introduction to Nonfiction (W sections only)
ENG l05 Introduction to Poetry (W sections only)
ENG l06 Introduction to Fiction (W sections only)
ENG l07 Introduction to Drama (W sections only)
ENG 108 Introduction to Literature (W sections only)
ENG 130W English Seminar
ENG 131 Contemporary Literature (W sections only)
ENG 307W Shakespeare I
ENG 308W Shakespeare II

ENG 104 Introduction to Nonfiction 3 SH
This course introduces students to the world of nonfiction, such as literary essays, diaries, autobiographies, biographies, magazine writing, travel writing, nature writing, science writing, histories, journalism, and the memoir. The course may focus on a sub-genre, a theme, or a mix/cluster of both at the instructor’s discretion. Every fall. Prerequisite: W sections only: WRT 101 or equivalent or placement exam. Non-W sections have no prerequisite. General Education: Humanities/LiteratureCompetency: Critical Thinking (CT).

ENG 105 Introduction to Poetry 3 SH
Study of varieties of poetry — pastoral, elegy, lyric, ballad, sonnet, epic — in order to introduce students to a cross-cultural literary form. The course opens poetry to novices and develops their ability to read highly concentrated language. Not for major credit. Every semester. Prerequisite: W sections only: WRT 101 or equivalent or placement exam. Non-W sections have no prerequisite. Competency: Critical Thinking (CT).

ENG 106 Introduction to Fiction 3 SH
Study of representative novels and short stories in order to develop students’ abilities to read prose fiction carefully. The course informs students’ understanding of how the literary form suits both an author’s and an age’s aesthetic. Not for major credit. Every semester. Prerequisite: W sections only: WRT 101 or equivalent or placement exam. Non-W sections have no prerequisite. Competency: Critical Thinking (CT).

ENG 107 Introduction to Drama 3 SH
Study of representative plays from various cultures and eras. Students will develop a basic understanding of tragedy and comedy and the human conflicts created and resolved through each. Not for major credit. Every semester. Prerequisite: W sections only: WRT 101 or equivalent or placement exam. Non-W sections have no prerequisite. Competency: Critical Thinking (CT).

ENG 108 Introduction to Literature 3 SH
This course provides an introduction to literature and its major genres: fiction, poetry, drama, and nonfiction. By examining the nature, structure, and key elements of literature and reading and analyzing a wide selection of literary texts from major literary genres, this course will enhance students’ abilities to appreciate, understand, and critique literature as embodied in its major modes of expression of the human condition. Not for major credit. Every semester. Prerequisite: WRT 101 or equivalent or placement exam. Competency: Critical Thinking (CT).

ENG 130W English Seminar 3 SH
This course is required of all English majors and minors as well as all English education majors. It is the gateway course to English studies, introducing students through close reading of a variety of texts to the basic elements of the genres of literary study (fiction, poetry, drama), the terminology used in the profession, how to conduct effective scholarly research, and how to write critical essays on a variety of genres using the stylistic format of the profession. Every semester. Prerequisite: WRT 101/101p or equivalent or permission of the instructor. Competency: Information Literacy (IL), Writing Intensive Tier 2 (W2).

ENG 131 Contemporary Literature 3 SH
This course introduces students to a select group of critically acclaimed contemporary authors (e.g., Joseph Heller, Edward Albee, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Sylvia Plath, Norman Mailer, Gabriel García Márquez, Toni Morrison, August Wilson, Salman Rushdie, Philip Roth, Orhan Pamuk) and explores some of the most important contemporary issues as represented in their works. Every spring. Prerequisite: W sections only: WRT 101 or equivalent or permission of the instructor. Non-W sections have no prerequisite. Competency: Critical Thinking (CT).

ENG 207 The Poem 3 SH
Students will read a variety of poems from different cultures, time periods and aesthetics and learn how to enter into the figurative and metaphoric language that poems employ. They will also have an opportunity to write and discuss their own poems with the aim of further understanding poetic language. Alternate spring. Prerequisite: WRT 101 or equivalent or permission of the instructor.

ENG 209 American Literature to 1865 3 SH
A survey of American literature from its beginnings to the end of the Civil War designed to foster students’ ability to read literary texts critically and to provide them with the knowledge and skills for more focused study at advanced levels. Every fall. Prerequisite: WRT 101 or equivalent or permission of the instructor. Competency: Critical Thinking (CT).

ENG 210 American Literature from 1865 3 SH
A survey of American literature from 1865 to the present designed to foster students’ ability to read literary texts critically and to provide them with the knowledge and skills for more focused study at advanced levels. Every spring. Prerequisite: WRT 101 or equivalent or permission of the instructor. Successful completion of ENG 209 is recommended but not required before taking this course. Competency: Critical Thinking (CT).

ENG 211 English Literature to 1798 3 SH
A survey of English literature from the Old English Period to the 18th century designed to foster students’ ability to read literary texts critically and to provide them with the knowledge and skills for more focused study at advanced levels. Every fall. Prerequisite: WRT 101 or equivalent or permission of the instructor. Competency: Critical Thinking (CT).

ENG 212 English Literature from 1798 3 SH
A survey of English literature from the Romantics to the present designed to foster students’ ability to read literary texts critically and to provide them with the knowledge and skills for more focused study at advanced levels. Every spring. Prerequisite: WRT 101 or equivalent or permission of the instructor. Successful completion of ENG 211 is recommended but not required before taking this course. Competency: Critical Thinking (CT).

ENG 213 Classics of Western Literature 3 SH
A study of the classics of Western literature from ancient Greece to modern times to acquaint students with representative works which have influenced American and English literature. Every semester. Prerequisite: WRT 101 or equivalent or permission of the instructor. Competency: Critical Thinking (CT).

ENG 214 African American Literature 3 SH
This course is a survey of African American literature. Students will study a range of genres, including fiction, poetry, drama, autobiography, and non-fiction, by African American authors and be acquainted with their contributions to American literature in general. Students will explore significant historical periods in African American history, such as slavery, the Reconstruction, the Harlem Renaissance, and the Civil Rights movement. This course will situate literary works within their historic and cultural contexts, but will also emphasize close readings of the texts.  Prerequisites: Successful completion of WRT 101 or permission of the instructor. Competency: Critical Thinking (CT), Intercultural (IC).

ENG/AS 217 The American Dream: Visions & Revisions 3 SH
See AS/ENG 217.

ENG 227 Voices of Empowerment 3 SH
In this course, students will explore texts that depict diverse representations of racialized identity, place, class, gender, ability, and/or sexual orientation. By analyzing a variety of genres, forms, and time periods, students will develop a critical awareness of instances of linguistic marginalization and a deep understanding of historically minoritized and systematically underrepresented voices. This course may be repeated for credit, provided the subject matter is different.  Alternate spring. Prerequisite: Successful completion of WRT 101 or equivalent placement. Competency: Critical Thinking (CT), Intercultural (IC).

ENG 274 Studies in Drama 3 SH
This course will provide an overview and analysis of movements in drama as it exists in various forms. The course complements the general historical overview of drama provided by ENG 107 by delving more deeply into some specific concerns that led to new developments in the dramatic ideal. This course may be repeated for credit provided the subject matter is different. Alternate fall. Prerequisite: WRT 101 or equivalent or permission of the instructor. Competency: Critical Thinking (CT).

ENG 275 Classical Mythology 3 SH
This course is a survey of ancient Greek and Roman stories about heroes, gods, and the universe. It will also illustrate the influence of these myths on exemplary works of art, literature, and culture from Middle English literature through today. Alternate fall. Prerequisite: WRT 101 or equivalent or permission of the instructor.

ENG 276 English Language Skills 3 SH
Students will review and confirm their own knowledge and background of the taxonomy of language knowledge. Building on this prior knowledge (acquired over a period of years since elementary school), they will read widely in the academic and popular press about trends in the use and misuse of English. Every fall. Prerequisite: Education majors or permission of the instructor.

ENG 298 Faculty Developed Study 3 SH

ENG 299 Student Developed Study 3 SH

ENG 306 Chaucer & Medieval Literature 3 SH
This course acquaints students with Chaucer, major medieval authors and the literary landscape preceding and including Chaucer’s era. Alternate fall. Prerequisite: Successful completion of at least two 200–level literature courses or permission of the instructor.

ENG 307W Shakespeare I 3 SH
Close reading and analysis of I Henry IV, II Henry IV, Hamlet, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, The Taming of the Shrew, The Merchant of Venice, The Tempest, and representative non-dramatic poems. Every fall. Prerequisite: Successful completion of at least two 200–level literature courses or permission of the instructor. Competency: Writing Intensive Tier 2 (W2).

ENG 308W Shakespeare II 3 SH
Close reading and analysis of Richard II, Henry V, King Lear, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Measure for Measure, The Winter’s Tale, and representative non-dramatic poems. Every spring. Prerequisite: Successful completion of at least two 200–level literature courses. Competency: Writing Intensive Tier 2 (W2).

ENG 313 English Renaissance Literature 3 SH
This course introduces students to single and mixed genre literary works of the 16th and 17th centuries. Beginning with Wyatt and Surrey’s adaptations and transformation of Petrarchan sonnets, this course will include exemplary prose, drama and poetry of the period and relate it to the culture’s rediscovery of the art and literature of ancient Rome, the Reformation of the English church, and the rise of literacy. Alternate spring. Prerequisite: Successful completion of at least two 200-level literature courses or permission of the instructor.

ENG 314 Teaching English Grammar 3 SH
Teaching English Grammar will introduce students to the structure and grammar of English and their conventions of usage, including mechanics. Students will learn how language works and how it contributes to successful communication. They will also learn the standard linguistic analyses useful for teaching both spoken and written English, and learn skills to present them in a class. Prerequisite: ENG 276.

ENG 315 Critical Theory 3 SH
This course will introduce students to a variety of contemporary analytical theories and their application to texts in the realm of literary studies. Every fall. Prerequisite: Successful completion of at least two 200-level literature courses or permission of the instructor.

ENG 318 Restoration and Eighteenth-Century English Literature 3 SH
An in-depth study of the major authors and ideas of Restoration and eighteenth-century England. Topics to be covered are Restoration drama, the rise of the novel, the seeds of Romanticism, and the development of the essay. Alternate spring. Prerequisite: successful completion of at least two 200-level literature courses or permission of the instructor.

ENG 319 Romantic and Victorian Literature 3 SH
An in-depth study of five to six major writers of Romantic and Victorian literature (e.g., Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, Keats, Tennyson, Dickens, Thackeray, Charlotte and Emily Brontë, George Eliot, and Hardy) to prepare students for senior and graduate level courses in the program. Alternate spring. Prerequisite: Successful completion of at least two 200-level literature courses or permission of the instructor. General Education: Humanities/Literature.

ENG 320 Twentieth-Century Literature 3 SH
This course will focus on several varied authors and texts whose work developed and reflected significant cultural and social ideas throughout the twentieth century, beginning with the rise of modernism. Significant similarities and differences among authors, genres and works will be emphasized in order to provide students a better understanding of recent changes in literary form, function and idea. Alternate fall semesters. Prerequisite: Successful completion of at least two 200-level literature classes or permission of the instructor.

ENG/WS 334 Women Writers 3 SH
The intention is to conduct a thorough literary analysis of a variety of works of literature in all genres written by women. Prerequisite: Successful completion of at least two 200–level literature courses or permission of the instructor. Alternate spring.

ENG 348 Early American Literature 3 SH
Through close reading and critical study of a variety of texts from the pre-Colonial period to the early 1800s, students will develop a deep understanding of the complex spectrum of American identities. Coursework may include sections from Native American oral traditions and literature and authentic historical accounts and/or stories of exploration, freedom, colonization, slavery and/or genocide told from diverse perspectives. Prerequisite: C or better in WRT 101 or equivalent placement.

ENG 349 American Literature of Identity 1820-1920 3 SH
This course will cover the literary study of American Romanticism, Sentimentalism, Realism, Regional Realism and Naturalism. It will clarify the literary strategies engaged by various authors (in keeping with, but not limited to, those topics mentioned in the Rationale). It will include, variously, the authors generally considered as the major writers of the period, i.e. Cooper, Emerson, Hawthorne, Melville, Whitman, Dickinson, Poe, Stowe, Howells, James, Chesnutt, Crane, Jewett, Freeman and Wharton. Alternate spring. Prerequisite: Successful completion of at least two 200-level literature courses or permission of the instructor.

ENG/COM 372 Film and Literature 3 SH
This course examines how literature and film interact and mutually influence each other. May be repeated for credit. Every fall. Prerequisite: Successful completion of one writing intensive course and either one film or one 200-level literature course.

ENG 376 World Literature: Topic 3 SH
This course studies literatures of Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and/or postcolonial literature. The course may focus on a single region, nation, or culture, or it may use a comparative approach. This course may be repeated for credit provided that the subject matter is different. Prerequisite: C or better in WRT 101 or equivalent placement.

ENG/ED 385 Methods of Teaching in the Secondary Schools  3 SH
See ED/ENG 385.

ENG/ED 386 Secondary Education Professional Development School Experience 1 SH
See ED/ENG 386.

ENG 402 Teaching Literature in the Schools 3 SH
This course provides an introduction to materials written for and about children and young adults, emphasizing pedagogical, literary as well as socio-cultural approaches to texts. Students will participate in a community of learners and readers while exploring the multiple genres of children’s and adolescent literature, examine the role that this literature plays in elementary, middle and high school classrooms, and evaluate the effectiveness of instructional methods using children’s and young adult literature. Students will apply appropriate criteria to evaluate the focus literature for those in collection development–professional as well as personal. This course does not meet the 400-level literature requirement for English majors. Every Spring. Prerequisite: Junior standing in the program or permission of the instructor.

ENG 413 Genre Study 3 SH
A focused and in-depth study of a genre-related topic, e.g., tragedy, historical fiction, the rise of the novel, 19th-century English novel, romantic poetry, modern English drama, genre and gender. This course may be repeated for credit, provided the subject matter is different. Every spring. Prerequisite: Junior standing in the program or permission of the instructor.

ENG 414 Road Scholar 3 SH
This course will focus on the writings of several classic authors whose homesteads are located within a few hours travel of the university. It will provide students with the unique opportunity to study great works of literature in the milieu in which they were created and to appreciate the personal, social, and historical synergistic forces that shaped the production of these texts. Students will be responsible for all fees and expenses associated with their travel. Summers. Prerequisite: Junior standing in the program or permission of the instructor.

ENG 416 Internship in English 3 SH
With permission of a full-time faculty member, students will arrange to work in the outside community under the mentorship of a professional in the field. The student will meet with the professional to ascertain the professional’s willingness to supervise the student and to solidify the internship contract before beginning the course. At the end of the internship, the supervising professional will be asked to evaluate the student’s fulfillment of established requirements and to assess the quality of the student’s job performance. Internships could include such things as working in the Connecticut Literacy Program, on the staff of a literary publication, or on the planning of a literary conference. Prerequisite: Junior standing in the program or permission of the instructor.

ENG 417 Practicum in English 3 SH
Under the supervision of a full-time faculty member, students will become familiar with the process of teaching literature from preparation to presentation. Students will also learn about different methods for evaluating a student’s class performance. This faculty-student mentorship will give students a chance to partake in each phase of the process and receive feedback from their faculty mentor. Students will not teach any classes without the presence of the supervising faculty member. Prerequisite: Junior standing in the program and permission of the instructor.

ENG/ED 447 Teaching English in Secondary Schools 3 SH
See ED/ENG 447.

ENG 450 Studies in Major Authors 3 SH
An intense study of 1-3 major authors who have contributed significantly to the canon. The course will study the major works of the major authors in their literary as well as socio historical contexts and examine them closely from varied critical perspectives. This course may be repeated for credit, provided the subject matter is different. Every fall. Prerequisite: Junior standing in the program or permission of the instructor.

ENG 453 Special Topics in Literature 3 SH
This course is advanced study in a topic specified in the focus of the title. The course may be repeated for credit, provided the subject matter is different. Every spring. Prerequisite: Junior standing in the program or permission of the instructor.

ENG 470 Senior Seminar 3 SH
This course will allow students to revisit the texts they studied in the foundational courses. Students will select one or more texts, develop a thesis, conduct research, and write at least one major critical research essay about their subject utilizing the skills they should have acquired during the course of their studies: critical reading, critical analysis, incorporation of secondary research, and clear, forceful writing. Every spring. Prerequisite: Senior standing in the program; Junior standing for education majors. Competency: Culminating Experience (CE), Writing Intensive Tier 3 (W3).