THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE DESCRIPTIONS SPRING SEMESTER 2016 3010-001 CREATIVE WRITING, MW 11-12:15, FH 2430 GEIGER A workshop introducing the craft of poetry, short fiction and drama, with the emphasis on fiction. For the serious beginner who wants to write. In-class and outside exercises as well as some outside reading. In addition to these, students will complete and revise at least one original story (10-15 pages), 3 poems and one dramatic scene. All work will be discussed and critiqued by the group. 3010-002 CREATIVE WRITING, MW 12:30-1:45, FH 1270 GEIGER A workshop introducing the craft of poetry, short fiction and drama, with the emphasis on fiction. For the serious beginner who wants to write. In-class and outside exercises as well as some outside reading. In addition to these, students will complete and revise at least one original story (10-15 pages), 3 poems and one dramatic scene. All work will be discussed and critiqued by the group. 3010-003 CREATIVE WRITING, TR 2-3:15, FH 1110 MILLER The purpose of this class is to introduce students to the art and craft of creative writing through studying narrative and poetic conventions, reading exemplary poems and stories, and analyzing their own works in progress. Students are required to write at least fifteen pages of fiction and five poems, along with any in-class exercises, quizzes and critiques. The majority of the course is discussion/workshop: one half poetry, the other half fiction. Students must be prepared to contribute to discussions eloquently and often. At the end of the semester students will assemble a portfolio of their own best quality stories and poems to be turned in for a final grade. Also, be warned: this is not a class for congratulatory ego-fluffing, so students should come with thick skin, a rigorous work ethic and prepared to produce quality writing. 3010-004 CREATIVE WRITING, TR 3:30-4:45, FH 1030 MILLER The purpose of this class is to introduce students to the art and craft of creative writing through studying narrative and poetic conventions, reading exemplary poems and stories, and analyzing their own works in progress. Students are required to write at least fifteen pages of fiction and five poems, along with any in-class exercises, quizzes and critiques. The majority of the course is discussion/workshop: one half 1
poetry, the other half fiction. Students must be prepared to contribute to discussions eloquently and often. At the end of the semester students will assemble a portfolio of their own best quality stories and poems to be turned in for a final grade. Also, be warned: this is not a class for congratulatory ego-fluffing, so students should come with thick skin, a rigorous work ethic and prepared to produce quality writing. 3010-005 CREATIVE WRITING, TR 5:45-7:00, FH 1210 BRADLEY In this class students will develop writing skills by studying narrative and poetic conventions, reading exemplary poems and stories, and analyzing works in progress. Students are required to write fifteen pages of fiction and five poems. Students will also complete short writing exercises and are required to critique each other's work. However the class is not a competition; it is a supportive, nurturing environment for helping us all to become better readers and writers. 3050-001 PERSUASIVE WRITING, MW 11-12:15, FH 1350 STABILE This course is designed to aid students in their understanding of developing effectives and using reason and logic as means of persuasion. We will examine several historical documents, speeches, etc. in order to come to an understanding of how words and meanings serve as agents for social change and the construction of perception. 3050-002 PERSUASIVE WRITING, T 5:00-8:00 TCF ADAMS The Inside/Out Prison Exchange, Toledo Correctional Institution This writing course focuses upon analysis of and practice in the techniques of persuasive writing. Taking justice as our theme, we will explore a variety of texts on topics ranging from legal issues to issues of public controversy. The course is presented in a discussion-based seminar format, so students will be expected to come to class prepared to substantively contribute to class discussion. Also, since this is a writing class, students will also perform peer reviews of one another s papers as a key step in the writing process. Course readings will include theories of persuasion, persuasive primary texts, transcripts of famous persuasive speeches, and examples of visual persuasion. Writing assignments will be designed to examine persuasive strategies through application of persuasive methods and theories; instruction in good writing techniques will be incorporated as needed. 2
3060-001 SCREENWRITING WAC, TR 7:20-8:35, FH 2040 BRADLEY This course involves practical analysis of screenplays, emphasizing story structure and characterization. Students plan, write and refine storylines before writing actual scripts. 3080-001 ART AND THE PROCESS OF THE BOOK, TR 5:45-7:00, FH 1310 GEIGER In this class students will learn about the history of the book, from scrolls, to the codex, to electronic publishing. We will examine the relationship between authors and publishers, in regards to the American small-press movement, in order to develop a deeper appreciation for the concept of the book. Students will learn the fundamentals of operating a small-press, and will have hands-on experience in the book arts, by producing (printing and binding) a limited edition letterpress chapbook of their own design. 3150/5-001 LINGUISTICS PRINCIPLES, MW 12:30-1:45, FH 1030 Course is crosslisted as LING 3150. An introduction to modern linguistic theories about the nature and structure of language with emphasis on English. 3190/5-001 L SOCIOLINGUISTICS WAC, MW 2-3:15, FH 1840 REICHELT This course covers factors influencing language variation, including region, language contact, gender, and ethnicity. Additionally, the course addresses language change and language planning. 3610-001 BRITISH LITERARY TRADITIONS, MW 4:10-5:25, FH 1270 MATTISON This course is an introduction to the concept, techniques, and major categories of British literary history. It provides an overview of the development of British literature from the Renaissance to the twentieth century, and places individual works within that larger context. The course gives students a sense of the relationship between writers and the traditions from which they learn their craft, as well as preparation for more advanced work. Authors studied will be major British poets and novelists, likely including Shakespeare, Milton, Johnson, Blake, Wordsworth, Keats, Brontë, Woolf, and Joyce. It is intended to be taken early in the English Major as a core course. 3670-001 POSTCOLONIAL, DIASPORIC, AND NONWHITE COMMUNITIES, TR 11-12:15, FH 2210 SARKAR It is unmistakable that the new millennium has ushered in some seismic shifts in international relations between the erstwhile First and Third Worlds. In order to understand the shifting global power 3
structures, it is not only important to understand the history of colonialism and its traumatic legacies, but also the growing sociopolitical impact of migrant/diasporic communities in the West. In the aftermath of decolonization in the middle of the twentieth century, the West witnessed an unprecedented level of immigration from the formerly colonized countries in Africa, Asia and the West Indies. Since then, there has been an explosion of literary and cultural production in these migrant/diasporic communities as immigrants try to negotiate their identity in their adopted lands. This course, loosely structured under the heading of shifting continents/colliding cultures, * will evaluate the literature produced in such communities in Europe and North America. In particular, we will try to answer some of the following questions. What are the economic consequences of migration? Does racial/sexual politics assume new dimensions with the rising tide of worldwide displacement? How do immigrants resolve tension between tradition and modernity? Authors might include Chimamanda Adichie, Teju Cole, Junot Diaz, Jamaica Kincaid, Celeste Ng, Elizabeth Nunez, Caryl Phillips, Gene Yang among others. 3710-972 LITERATURE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT WAC, DL TURLEY An historical and critical study of selected literature of the Old Testament, using tools of modern biblical scholarship and aspects of literary criticism. Themes include God s plan for man s redemption through a Messiah, the problem of evil, study of the poetic and wisdom literature and the messages of the prophets regarding God s plan for the redemption of mankind and the establishment of God s eternal kingdom. 3790-001 FOUNDATIONS OF LITERARY STUDY WAC, MW 11-12:15, FH 1220 FREE A study of the major approaches to the understanding of literary texts, this course will center on A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. The handbook contains a poem and short story, which will be used as models for the various approaches. Additional poems, and a novel will be used to broaden experience with the various approaches and to expand the vocabulary of critical terms. In addition to a mid-term and final exam, there will be three papers, 6 to 8 pages in length, in which students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to use the various approaches with respect to a poem and the novel. 4
3790-002 FOUNDATIONS OF LITERARY STUDY WAC, TR 4:10-5:25, FH 2430 FREE A study of the major approaches to the understanding of literary texts, this course will center on A Handbook of Critical Approaches to Literature. The handbook contains a poem and short story, which will be used as models for the various approaches. Additional poems, and a novel will be used to broaden experience with the various approaches and to expand the vocabulary of critical terms. In addition to a mid-term and final exam, there will be three papers, 6 to 8 pages in length, in which students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to use the various approaches with respect to a poem and the novel. 3980-001 DISABILITY IN AMERICAN LITERATURE, TR 11-12:15, FH 1220 DAY Disability In American Literature addresses a wide range of contemporary literary productions, including novels, graphic novels, plays, short stories, poetry, memoir, and personal essays, connecting these productions to an American literary genealogy and recognizing the deployment and resistance to ableism in American Literature. At the course s conclusion, students will be able to understand how literature interacts with cultural stereotypes, ultimately understanding how literature can be utilized for disability justice and social change. 4030-001 WRITING WORKSHOP NONFICTION PROSE, MW 4:10-5:25, FH 1100 MILLER This workshop-format class is for practicing nonfiction writers who want to improve their craft and work toward publication. Over the semester we ll focus on memoir, music, film and visual art criticism, travel writing and New Journalism. Students will work toward a final portfolio of three to four smaller (5-7 pages) nonfiction pieces and one longer (10-15 pages) piece, which they will submit for publication to journals or magazines chosen in conjunction with the instructor. Also, be warned: this is not a class for congratulatory ego-fluffing, so students should come with thick skin, a rigorous work ethic and prepared to produce quality, publishable writing. 4070-001 WRITING WORKSHOP POETRY, MW 5:45-7:00, FH 1220 MILLER This workshop-format class is for practicing poets who want to improve their craft and work toward publication. Over the semester 5
we ll focus on work-shopping one poem from every student each, while also reading two to three books of contemporary poetry. Students will revise toward a final portfolio of their semester s work, from which they will choose two or more poems to submit for publication in journals or magazines chosen with the instructor. Also, be warned: this is not a class for congratulatory ego-fluffing, so students should come with thick skin, a rigorous work ethic and prepared to produce quality, publishable writing. 4080-001 WRITING WORKSHOP FICTION, TR 12:30-1:45, FH 1230 STROUD In this class you'll each workshop two stories. You'll also deepen your understanding of craft through readings and discussions. Be prepared to write, read, and talk. 4090/5-001 CURRENT WRITING THEORY WAC, TR 7:20-8:35, FH 1200 SCHNEIDER Theory, Literacy, Language, Assessment, and Writing Technologies: These are the keywords through which students access contemporary theories of writing and which organize the five topical units for this course. During the course, students read a variety of texts, some supplied by handouts, some furnished in the course pack, and some gathered from electronic and library resources. More importantly, students produce a variety of texts, including explorations, summaries, self-reflections, lesson plans, analyses, and researched essays. The purpose of the course is to become theorists of our own writing and teaching practices, creating new knowledge that can help solve old problems. 4100/5-001 THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH, MW 4:10-5:25, FH 2040 REICHELT Prerequisite: Eng./Ling. 3150/5/7. This course is a survey of the social, historical, political, and linguistic forces that have shaped the English language. This course examines the history of English from its origins in the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family, through its modern position as the most widely spoken language on the planet. We will be interested in both "internal" developments, such as changes in the sounds of the language and the ways sentences are structured, and "external" factors, such as the social and political forces that carried English around the world. Cross-listed with LING-4100/5/7. 6
4420/5-001 BRITISH LITERATURE: REINAISSANCE, MW 2-3:15, FH 1270 MATTISON During the reigns of Henry VIII and his three ruling children, including Elizabeth I, writers of England developed a wide variety of new literary styles, influenced by Italian and French poetry but quintessentially English. We will discuss the emergence of this literature in the context of the history of the period and the relationships that formed between writers of the time. The principal focus will be on the English sonnet, which was a new innovation, based on earlier Italian models. We will read the sonnets and other lyric poems of Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, members of Henry VIII s court, and the sonnet sequences of Philip Sidney and William Shakespeare. We will also discuss the role of poetry in politics, religion, and culture and vice versa and the distinctive cultural force of Elizabeth as a ruler, a writer and speaker, and a national symbol. 4560/5-001 LITERATURE OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE: 1850 TO THE PRESENT, TR 12:30-1:45, FH 2230 SARKAR This course offers an introduction to the literature produced in Britain and its former colonies from the late nineteenth century to the present age, focusing on the way writers deal with Britain s imperial legacies. The nineteenth century witnessed some major historical changes -- unprecedented industrial growth and production following the Industrial Revolution, Britain s growing imperial ambitions and the seeds of the feminist movement, the effects of which continued well into the twentieth century. And with widespread decolonization, the Nationality Act of 1948 and the arrival of the Empire Windrush, Britain s demographics were fundamentally altered in the twentieth century. In this course, we will approach some of these issues by analyzing the circulation and travel between the empire and the metropolis of British subjects and their formerly colonized counterparts. We will seek to answer, among others, the following broad questions: Were the major British writers proponents or opponents of imperialism? How did the British intelligentsia react to the rapid transformation of Britain from an agrarian to an industrial economy and how did the devastating effects of the world wars fundamentally change Britain? With the fading away of the empire, how did British writers envision a new Britain? How are contemporary British novelists like Salman Rushdie, Hanif Kureishi and Zadie Smith re-imagining what it means to be British, citizens of 7
a postcolonial and multicultural Britain faced with social and political instability and the growth of Islamic fundamentalism? We will also explore the expatriate s perception of a newly decolonized nation and delve deeper into issues of postcolonial identity. We will study mostly novels, essays and film, but will also try to focus on how the assigned texts both engage and reflect the social and cultural anxieties of the times. 4660/5-001 BLACKNESS IN THE 20 TH & 21 ST CENTURY AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERTUARE, MW 5:45-7:00, FH 2040 MACK This class examines articulations of blackness in 20 th - and 21 st - century African American literature and culture. Beginning with the Harlem Renaissance, and ending in our current post-soul moment, we will examine key primary and secondary works that raise questions about what counts as legitimate black cultural expression, as well as its goals artistic, political, or otherwise. Through weekly reading assignments, lectures, and discussions, this course will culminate in final papers about the expression of blackness in one of our required readings. Possible required primary texts will include Passing by Nella Larsen, Black No More by George Schuyler, Native Son by Richard Wright, Dutchman and selected poems by LeRoi Jones/Amiri Baraka, Oreo by Fran Ross, Caucasia by Danzy Senna, and The White Boy Shuffle by Paul Beatty. We will also read excerpts and short secondary works by various African American artists and scholars, including Zora Neale Hurston, James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, W.E.B. Du Bois, Langston Hughes, Larry Neal, Trey Ellis, and Mark Anthony Neal. 4680-001 AMERICAN LITERATURE SINCE WW II, TR 9:30-10:45, FH 2270 STROUD An undergraduate survey of American Literature written after 1950. We will read poetry and fiction by a good number of authors, which may include John Ashbery, Gwendolyn Brooks, Raymond Carver, Joy Williams, Don DeLillo, Allen Ginsberg, Toni Morrison, Joyce Carol Oates, Frank O Hara, Adrienne Rich, John Updike, George Saunders, Philip Roth, David Foster Wallace, Junot Diaz, Jennifer Egan, Rachel Kushner, Charles Johnson, and others. We ll examine the several literary movements of this period (the beats, postmodernism, dirty realism and more) and consider the connections between what we read and its larger cultural context. Students will write essays and take exams, among other activities. 8
4690-001 NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE AND CULTURE, TR 2-3:15, FH 1200 ERBEN Native American Literature and Culture interrogates a selection of texts by and about Native Americans, including the oral traditions of storytelling and mythology and selections by contemporary writers. The genres examined will be film, autobiography, poetry, short fiction, novels, history, and manifestos. We will read and discuss texts by Vine Deloria, Sherman Alexie, Louise Erdrich, Leslie Marmon Silko, and others. Cultural and historical context will be integrated into discussion by means of lectures and study questions. derben@utoledo.edu 4860/5-001 WALLACE STEVENS, MW 9:30-10:45, FH 1030 LUNDQUIST In this course Wallace Stevens will be considered as a distinctly American modernist. We'll read two or three of Steven's longer works as well as most of his lyrics. We will also consider Steven's biography, the curve of his career, his prose works, the influence on his poetry of the visual arts, his position among other modernists, his significance for later 20th century American poets. The central text will be The Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens. All students will write 2 critical papers, and take a final exam. Graduate students will be expected to do supplementary reading, write longer papers, and to give a short in-class presentation 5780-001 CONTEMPORARY LITERARY THEORIES & CRITICISM, M 7:20-9:50, FH 1220 MACK This course will explore contemporary theoretical and critical approaches to engaging literary works. We will utilize an introductory literary theory and criticism text, along with other selected important theoretical and critical essays. Some of the fundamental questions we will ask in this class include: What is literature? Who decides what counts as literature? And why should we care about literature at all? We will also explore some ways in which we read literature (close reading, interdisciplinary approaches, etc.), and engage some of the most salient contemporary literary theories, including poststructuralism, new historicism and cultural studies, minority discourse (with an emphasis on African American literary theory), feminist theory, postcolonial theory, and gender/queer theory. 9
6520-001 SEMINAR: VICTORIAN GENRES, W 7:20-9:50, FH 1220 GREGORY This course will read a selection of important work by Victorian women writers with an eye toward considering the role of feminist theory in English studies. We will divide our time between novels and poetry, the latter of which offers an excellent opportunity to witness the pros and cons of feminist recovery work still in action. Authors may include novelists such as the Brontë sisters, George Eliot, Elizabeth Gaskell, and Mary Elizabeth Braddon as well as poets such as Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Christina Rossetti, Augusta Webster, Amy Levy, and others. 10