B.S./B.A. in English/Writing: Curriculum

Study of selected comedies, tragedies and historical plays. Prerequisite: WR 121. Any 100-level English course highly recommended.

Preparation for the Capstone. Prerequisites: Completion of upper- division coursework required to prepare for a Capstone in literature, rhetoric or writing.

Presentation, publication and/or community service projects, including capstone project. Repeatable for credit with different projects. May not duplicate practicum work. Prerequisites: Upper-division standing.

Introduction to writing in civic contexts, with an emphasis on local issues, organizations and campaigns. Includes service learning component. Themes vary. Prerequisite: WR 121 with C- or better.

Study and practice in one-to-one conferencing skills in seminar discussions, small groups and Writing Center practicum. Tutoring across the curriculum, approaches to tutoring diverse students, professional development and increasing computer literacy are emphasized. Prerequisites: WR 121.

Introductory course in writing fiction. Emphasis on drafting techniques, revising, peer criticism and the study of basic fictive techniques in the belletristic tradition. Must have at least sophomore standing.

An introductory course in writing poetry with an emphasis on drafting techniques, revising, peer criticism and the study of basic poetic techniques in the belletristic tradition. Must have at least sophomore standing.

Introduces students to the process of conceiving, pitching, developing and writing stories (screenplays) appropriate for marketing in the contemporary Hollywood film environment. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor. Student must have at least sophomore standing to register for this course.

An introductory course in writing creative non-fiction with an emphasis on drafting techniques, revising, peer criticism and the study of basic non-fiction techniques such as natural history, memoir, the personal essay, literary journalism and multi-works. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing.

A study of writers of the British Isles before 1800 with particular attention to the “cultural work” performed by literature in response to an increasingly scientific, democratic, capitalist and literate culture. Prerequisites: WR 121 and one 100-level ENGL course.

This course will: survey major trends and writers in American literature from the end of the Civil War to the present; examine the shift in the late 19th century to Romanticism to Realism and Naturalism and the 20th century experiments of Modernism and Post-Modernism; and explore how the alternative voices of Native Americans, African Americans, immigrants and others intersect with these movements and offer other views of the definitions and uses of “American literature.” Prerequisites: WR 121 and one 100-level ENGL course.

Emphasis on professional writing including documents such as reports, proposals, instructions, correspondence and web pages. Includes a community service learning project. Prerequisite: WR 121 or equivalent. Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course or consent of instructor.

Intensive study of fictive theories and techniques in the belletristic tradition, with emphasis on the writing and criticism of student stories, and the study of ancient, modern, contemporary and international writers. Prerequisites: WR 241, 242, 243, or 248 and junior standing. EOY Odd.

Intensive study of prosody, with emphasis on writing and critiquing student poems, studying ancient through contemporary poets in English and in translation, and poetic theories and techniques of the belletristic tradition. Prerequisites: WR 241, 242, 243 or 248 and junior standing. EOY Even.

Intensive practice in writing in non-fiction literary genres that will vary year to year, but with an emphasis on developing a strong personal voice in literary works ideally suitable for publication. Prerequisites: WR 248, upper-division standing or consent of instructor.

Explores relationships between literacy and power in the United States, examining how literacies are differently defined, practiced and distributed in different social and institutional contexts. Particular attention is given to public literacy debates and campaigns, and to discourses of race, nation, gender, region and class that intersect them. Student must have at least sophomore standing to register for this course.

Intensive study of one or more of the following: women, minority or regional writers; popular or folk texts; literature in translation; film. Repeatable with different topics. Prerequisite: WR 121, one 100-level ENGL course and junior standing or consent of instructor.

Intensive study of gender theories in relation to the production and interpretation of literary texts and/or film. Repeatable with different topics. Prerequisite: WR 121, one 100-level ENGL course and junior standing or consent of instructor.

In-depth study of a major theme in one or more genres, historical periods or authors. Repeatable with different topics. Prerequisite: WR 121, one 100-level ENGL course and junior standing or consent of instructor.

Advanced, integrated studies focused on rotating themes and the application of theories of rhetoric, literacy, writing and/or culture. Course may be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: WR 222 and junior standing or consent of instructor.

Selected students gain practical, supervised experience in working on the newspapers, literary magazines or assisting students with course-work in the areas of ENGL/WR. Prerequisite: Student must have at least junior standing to register for this course.

This course introduces the concepts, history, theories, legal/ethical issues and routine practices of advertising as a medium of information in modern society. Students learn how advertising meshes with the ethos of our national culture, how advertising works in the market economy, how advertising appeals to consumers and how to create selling ad copy.