Smith College Spring 2017 English Courses

Transcription

1 Smith College Spring 2017 English Courses ENG 199 Methods of Literary Study (old and new requirements: English 200 equivalent course) MWF 11:00-12:10 Instructor: Richard Millington MW 1:10-2:30 Instructor: Ambreen Hai MWF 9:00-9:50 Instructor: Michael Thurston This course teaches the skills that enable us to read literature with understanding and pleasure. By studying examples from a variety of periods and places, students learn how poetry, prose fiction and drama work, how to interpret them and how to make use of interpretations by others. English 199 seeks to produce perceptive readers well equipped to take on complex texts. This gateway course for prospective English majors is not recommended for students simply seeking a writing intensive course. Readings in different sections vary, but all involve active discussion and frequent writing. Enrollment limited to 20 per section. ENG 200 The English Literary Tradition (old and new requirements: English 201 equivalent course or 200+ English elective) MW 1:00-2:30 Instructor: Nancy Bradbury A study of the English literary tradition from the Middle Ages through the 18th century. Recommended for sophomores. Enrollment limited to 20 per section. ENG 201 The English Literary Tradition II (old and new requirements: English 202 equivalent course) TuTh 10:30-11:50 Instructor: Cornelia Pearsall A study of the English literary tradition from the 19th century to modern times. ENG 203 Western Classics: De Troyes Tolstoy (old and new requirements: 200+ English elective) TuTh 9:00-10:20 Instructor: Maria Banerjee Same as CLT 203. Chrétien de Troyes s Yvain; Antony and Cleopatra; Cervantes Don Quixote; Lafayette s The Princesse of Clèves; Goethe s Faust; Tolstoy s War and Peace. Lecture and discussion. ENG 204 Arthurian Legends (old and new requirements: Approved English 201 substitution or 200+ English elective) TuTh 10:30-11:50 Instructor: Nancy Bradbury Same as CLT 215. Medieval legends of Arthurian Britain as they developed in Wales, France and England, and more recent retellings. Readings include early Welsh tales, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Chrétien de Troyes, Marie de France, the Gawain-poet Malory, Tennyson, and Ishiguro s The Buried Giant. Enrollment limited to 40. Not open to first-years. Permission is required for interchange registration during the add/drop period only.

2 ENG 207 Technology of Reading/Writing (old and new requirements: 200+ English elective)(spow) MWF 9:00-9:50 Instruction: Douglas Patey Same as HSC 207. An introductory exploration of the physical forms that knowledge and communication have taken in the West, from ancient oral cultures to modern print-literate culture. Our main interest is in discovering how what is said and thought in a culture reflects its available kinds of literacy and media of communication. Topics to include poetry and memory in oral cultures; the invention of writing; the invention of prose; literature and science in a script culture; the coming of printing; changing concepts of publication, authorship and originality; movements toward standardization in language; the fundamentally transformative effects of electronic communication. ENG 216 Intermediate Poetry Writing (old and new requirements: English 355 equivalent course/300+ English elective) Weds 1:10-4:00 Instructor: Ellen Watson In this course we read as writers and write as readers, analyzing the poetic devices and strategies employed in a diverse range of contemporary poetry; gaining practical use of these elements to create a portfolio of original work; and developing the skills of critique and revision. In addition, students read and write on craft issues, and attend Poetry Center readings/q&a s. Writing sample and permission of the instructor are required. Writing Sample Required. Permission is required for interchange registration during all registration periods. ENG 217 Medieval Literature: Old Irish (Approved English 201 substitution or 200+ English) MWF 10:00-10:50 Instructor: Craig Davis Topics course.: An introduction to the language and literature of early Ireland in a series of grammar lessons and readings from the epic saga Táin Bó Cúailnge The Cattle Raid of Cooley. We supplement our study with readings in translation from Greek and Roman authors on the ancient Celts and from other works in Old Irish, in particular, those expressing conceptions of this and the Otherworld, the role of the Celtic gods and goddesses, the character of their legendary kings and queens, the tension between Christian and traditional values, and the celebration of warfare, sexuality and motherhood. Enrollment limited to 20. ENG 223 Contemporary American Goth Literature (Approved English 269 equivalent course or 200+ English elective) TuTh 3:00-4:20 Instructor: Andrea Stone This course traces the emergence of a 21st-century gothic tradition in American writing through texts including novels, films and television shows. We analyze the shifting definitions and cultural work of the Gothic in contemporary American literature in the context of political and cultural events and movements and their relation to such concerns as race, gender, class, sexuality and disability. From the New Mexican desert to the rural south, from New York City, San Francisco and the suburbs of Atlanta to cyberspace, these literary encounters explore an expanse of physical, psychological, intellectual and imagined territory. ENG 229 Turning Novels Into Films (old and new requirements: 200+ English elective) TuTh 1:00-2:50 Instructor: Ambreen Hai Not as good as the book, is a frequent response to film adaptations of novels. Adaptation studies, an interdisciplinary field that combines literary and film studies, rejects this notion of fidelity (how faithful a film is to its source) and instead reads literature and film as equal but different artistic and cultural forms,

3 where the film may translate, transmute, critique or re-interpret the novel. This course looks closely and analytically at some paired fiction and film adaptations that focus on issues of imperialism, race, class and gender. We begin with some classics (Austen s Mansfield Park, Forster s Passage to India), move to international postcolonial fiction and film (Tagore s Home and the World, Ondaatje s English Patient), and end with U.S. texts about nonwhite, hyphenated citizens (Lahiri s Namesake, Stockett s The Help). We also read some critical and theoretical essays to frame our key concepts and conversations ENG 233 American Literature from (old and new requirements: English 269 equivalent course or 200+ English elective) MWF 11:10-12:10 Instructor: Floyd Cheung A survey of American writing after the Civil War, with an emphasis on writers who criticize or stand apart from their rapidly changing society. Fiction by Twain, James, Howells, Dreiser, Crane, Chopin, Chesnutt, Jewett and Sui Sin Far, along with a selection of the poetry of the era. ENG 238 What Jane Austen Read: 18 th Century Novel (old and new requirements: Approved English 202 substitution or 200+ English elective) MWF 11:00-12:10 Instructor: Douglas Patey A study of novels written in England from Aphra Behn to Jane Austen and Walter Scott ( ). Emphasis on the novelists narrative models and choices; we conclude by reading several novels by Austen including one she wrote when 13 years old. ENG 257 Shakespeare (old and new requirements: English 221 equivalent survey or 200+ English elective) TuTh 10:30-11:50 Instructor: Gillian Kendall Romeo and Juliet, Richard II, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Troilus and Cressida, Othello, Antony and Cleopatra, The Winter s Tale. Not open to first-year students. Enrollment limited to 25. ENG 279 American Women Poets (old and new requirements: Approved English 269 substitution or 200+ English elective) MWF 11:00-12:10 Instructor: Michael Thurston A selection of poets from the last 70 years, including Sylvia Plath, Elizabeth Bishop, Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, Kimiko Hahn, Louise Glück, Susan Howe and Rita Dove. An exploration of each poet s chosen themes and distinctive voice, with attention to the intersection of gender and ethnicity in the poet s materials and in the creative process. Not open to first-year students. Prerequisite: at least one college course in literature. Not open to first-years. Permission is required for interchange registration during the add/drop period only. ENG 285 Intro to Contemporary Literary Theory (old and new requirements: English 200+ English elective) TuTh 1:00-2:20 Instructor: Andrea Stone What do we do when we read literature? Does the meaning of a text depend on the author s intention or on how readers read? What counts as a valid interpretation? Who decides? How do some texts get canonized and others forgotten? How does literature function in culture and society? How do changing understandings of language, the unconscious, class, gender, race, history, sexuality or disability affect how we read? Theory is thinking about thinking, questioning common sense, critically examining the

4 categories we use to approach literature or any discursive text. This course introduces some of the most influential questions that have shaped contemporary literary studies. We start with New Criticism but focus on interdisciplinary approaches such as structuralism, poststructuralism, Marxism, psychoanalysis, New Historicism, postcolonialism, feminism, queer, cultural, race and disability studies with some attention to film and film theory. ENG 288 Native American Women & Non-Binary Writers (old and new requirements: Anglophone/ethnic American literature or 200+ English elective) MW 1:10-2:30 Instructor: Laura Fugikawa This course examines how Native American women and non-binary writers represent their communities to each other and broader publics. How do they recall the past and imagine new possibilities for the future? How do these works fit into, expand and transform the contemporary field of literature and Native American writing? We begin with a discussion of the significance of indigenous women authors and their work. Throughout the semester we will employ close reading and ask how these writers use literary and oral history elements to tell stories, and to what effect. (E) ENG 291 Lakes Writing Workshop (old and new requirements: 200+ English elective)(creative writing specialization) Thurs 3:00-4:50 Instructor: Lanelle Moise An intermediate-level workshop in which writers develop their skills through intensive reading, writing, revising, and critique. Emphasis on narrative writing, broadly defined to include a variety of genres, depending on the interests of the current holder of the Lakes writing residency. Topic changes annually.: In this course, students interpret, generate, revise, and embody solo and ensemble performance texts. Rooted in a BeBop, Black Arts, Hip-Hop, Spoken Word or Black Postmodern aesthetic, weekly writing assignments help participants fine-tune self-awareness, artistic voice, stage presence, collaborative agility and interdisciplinary resourcefulness. Students consider works by Whoopi Goldberg, Patricia Smith, Staceyann Chin, Pamela Sneed, Sapphire, Sarah Jones and more. The class culminates in a public presentation of original short performances. Writing sample and permission of the instructor are required. A Creative Lab for the Performing Writer. Writing Sample Required. Permission is required for interchange registration during all ENG 293 Art & History of the Book (old and new requirements: 200+ English elective)(spow) TuTh 3:00-4:50 Instructor: Joseph Black Will books as material objects disappear in your lifetime? Or will the book, a remarkably long-lived piece of communication technology, continue to flourish and develop alongside its electronic counterparts? This course surveys the history of books from the ancient world through medieval manuscripts, hand press books, and machine press books to the digital media of today. We discover how books were made, read, circulated and used in different eras, and explore the role they have played over time in social, political, scientific and cultural change. The course involves extensive hands-on work with books and manuscripts from across the centuries and sustained engagement with current debates about book, print and media culture. Admission limited to 20 by permission of the instructor. Group A, Group B. Permission is required for interchange registration during all ENG 295 Advanced Poetry Writing (old and new requirements: English 300+ elective)(creative writing specialization/english 356 equivalent course) Tues 1:00-4:00 Instructor: Marilyn Chin Taught by the Grace Hazard Conkling Poet in Residence, this advanced poetry workshop is for students who have developed a passionate relationship with poetry and who have substantial experience in writing

5 poems. Texts are based on the poets who are reading at Smith during the semester, and students gain expertise in reading, writing and critiquing poems. Writing sample and permission of the instructor are required. Writing Sample Required. Permission is required for interchange registration during all registration periods. ENG 296 Advanced Fiction Writing (old and new requirements: English 300+ elective)(creative writing specialization/english 355 equivalent course) Tues 1:00-4:00 Instructor: Ruth Ozeki In this workshop, more advanced fiction-writing students pursue two chief aims: to become stronger, more sophisticated writers in ways that feel natural to them, and to broaden their horizons by pursuing experimentation in new styles and subjects. At the same time, students continue to work on honing their observational and revision skills through attention to their own work and work of their peers. Coursework includes emphasis on becoming a skillful and sophisticated critic, readings from diverse contemporary writers and occasional ad hoc exercises. Writing sample and permission of the instructor are required. Writing Sample Required. Permission is required for interchange registration during all registration periods. ENG 333 Nabakov (old and new requirements: English 300+ elective) Tues 3:00-4:50 Instructor: Dean FlowerFocusing primarily on Nabokov s writing in English and the development of his work since coming to America in 1940, the seminar investigates the fiction (novels and stories) along with some of the poetry, criticism, translation and autobiography of this unique Russian writer who studied at Cambridge in England, lived in Berlin for 15 years, escaped to Paris in 1938 (where he started writing in French), then metamorphosed into an American college professor (Stanford, Wellesley, Cornell) and began writing entirely in English. How his European eyes saw America ( Mais j aime l Amerique, c est mon pays ) and how the loss of his Russian landscape and language affected the new worlds he came to invent in English will be major themes of the course. By permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 12. Not open to first-years, sophomores. Permission is required for interchange registration during all ENG Hawthorne (old and new requirements: Approved English 268 substitution or English 300+ English elective) Thurs 7:30-9:30 Instructor: Richard Millington Intensive study of the writing of Nathaniel Hawthorne cultural analyst, explorer of the psyche and narrative strategist. Attention, too, to recent debates in American literary study, in which Hawthorne s texts have featured significantly. By permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 12. Not open to first-years, sophomores. Permission is required for interchange registration during all ENG 361 Poetry of War (old and new requirements: English 300+ elective) Thurs 1:00-2:50 Instructor: Cornelia Pearsall This course studies a range of poetic representations of war. After reviewing some of the writings of Homer, Virgil and Shakespeare that were most influential for British poets of the 19th and 20th centuries, the course moves from Tennyson, Hardy and Kipling to the poets of the first and second world wars (Rupert Brooke, Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon and others). We situate the poetry with relevant historical and theoretical materials, as well as prose responses to war by authors such as Vera Brittain and Virginia Woolf. We end by reading poets who did not see combat (W.B. Yeats, W. H. Auden, Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath) but whose work is nevertheless profoundly concerned with the complex relation of the martial to the lyrical, the destructive to the creative. By permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 12.

6 Not open to first-years, sophomores. Permission is required for interchange registration during all Eng 365 Studies in 19 th Century Literature (old and new requirements: English 300+ elective) Thurs 1:00-2:50 Instructor: Lily Gurton-Wachter Poets, wrote Percy Shelley, are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. Writing in the tumultuous years following the French Revolution, early nineteenth-century authors asked how literature might contribute to or complicate political change, how it might represent history differently, and help us imagine alternative futures. This seminar will explore the literature of protest, resistance, and revolution at the turn of the nineteenth century and investigate literary responses to oppression, state violence, radical political change, terror, war, slavery and the abolition debate, and new conversations about liberty, rights, and equality. Authors read will include Jane Austen, Anna Barbauld, William Blake, Edmund Burke, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Cowper, Olaudah Equiano, William Godwin, Immanuel Kant, John Keats, Mary Prince, Percy Shelley, Charlotte Smith, William Wordsworth. Not open to first-years, sophomores. Permission is required for interchange registration during all Eng 384 Writing US Society: Audio (old and new requirements: English 300+ elective)(creative writing specialization) Thurs 1:00-2:50 Instructor: Andrew Leland This course focuses on audio as a narrative technology. How are stories told in sound? How does writing for the ear differ from writing for the eye? What can the history of narrative audio, from Golden Age radio drama to European features tell us about the work being produced amid the current explosion of interest surrounding podcasting? This course features extensive listening and readings in these and other aspects of audio; students also produce workshop pieces of their own, exploring sonic forms including short documentary, essay, fiction and sound installation. (No previous technical knowledge is required.) Writing sample and permission of the instructor are required. Writing Sample Required. Not open to first-years, sophomores. Permission is required for interchange registration during all registration periods