Courses
"no Tennysonianness of speech"
—Ezra Pound
Composition Courses
ENG 1310: Composition & Rhetoric
in the catalog: Required for all degree programs, this course provides an intensive study and practice of the fundamental principles of exposition leading to the habit of effective writing. Classes, limited in size, are workshops with individual instruction.
- syllabus
- honors syllabus
- see a video about this course
- or read the script
ENG 1320: Composition & Research
in the catalog: Required for all degree programs, this course continues the study and practice of expository writing begun in English 1310, and will focus intensively on academic writing and conducting scholarly inquiry. Classes, limited in size, are workshops with individual instruction.
As of Spring 2009, this course is part of a pilot program the English Department is testing in order to revise its first-year composition offerings. This course number is listed in the catalog and will show up on your transcript and degree audit as “ENG 1320: Composition and Literature.” If you have any questions about this, please let me know as soon as possible.
- syllabus
- see a video about this course
- or read the script
Theory Courses
ENG 3383: Theories of Composition
in the catalog: Education majors with English teaching fields should take this course, if at all possible, in the fall semester of their junior years. This course provides an examination of classical and contemporary theories of composition and their application to understanding the various modes of academic and expressive writing.
- syllabus
- see a video about this course
- or read the script
overview: The purpose of this course is to introduce you to classical and contemporary theories of rhetoric and composition and their application to at least four distinct areas:
- Teaching composition in English Language Arts (4-8; 8-12),
- Tutoring writing (in the Academic Enrichment Center and beyond),
- Teaching and/or tutoring in later graduate-level work,
- Your own writing, whether academic, professional, or expressive.
Primarily geared toward the education minor, this course is not strictly a practicum, although we will discuss “how to teach” as it relates to theory. That is, we will do a variety of activities designed to show how good classroom practice rests on sound composition theory. (The makeup of students in the course during a given semester will determine relative focus on other areas.)
Literature Courses
ENG 2320: Masterpieces in American Literature
in the catalog: This course surveys significant works of American literature from pre-colonial times to the present. Individual instructors may vary the choice and treatment of texts to explore developments of theme or genre.
syllabus
ENG 3373: Studies in Modern Literature
sample syllabi: modern american poetry; modern american novel
ENG 4340: Studies in a Major Author
sample syllabi: steinbeck