Fall 2024 English 2000-Level Courses
ENGL 2321-70 | British Literature: Gods and Monsters
ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: MONICA HART
In this course, we will investigate some of the most famous villains ever depicted - Grendel and his mother; Macbeth; Satan; Frankenstein's Creature; Mr. Hyde; Dracula— focusing on the intersections between creation and destruction, inspiration and desolation, divinity and monstrosity.
ENGL 2341-01 | Love Stories
M/W 11-12:15 PM INSTRUCTOR: MATTHEW HARRISON
Love is four or five feelings in an oversized trench coat: erotic desire, the tenderness of care, attachment, but also perhaps guilt or resentment, hatred or regret. This course studies the stories we tell about those complicated feelings, from ancient Greece to modern video games. What work do they do in a society? How do they relate to institutions like marriage, politics, or the law? Readings range from Sappho to Gone Home; substantial writing required; some gay/lesbian themes.
ENGL 2343-01 | Literature & Ideas: Greek Mythology Then and Now
T/TH 1:00-2:15 PM INSTRUCTOR: BONNIE ROOS
This course will analyze Greek and Roman classic mythology with an eye toward the complexities of the earlier texts and stories, alongside the ways we have (re)interpreted these stories through the ages.
ENGL 2343-70 | Literature & Ideas
ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: BONNEY MACDONALD
ENGL 2350-70 | Intro to Creative Writing
ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: PAT TYRER
An introduction to the four main genres of creative writing: poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and screenwriting. Emphasis will be placed on the learning process, revision, and editing with active participation in online workshop in which we will explore imaginative uses of language with emphasis on the student’s own unique style and subject matter.
Fall 2024 English 3000-4000 Level
ENGL 3301-70 | Creative Writing, Fiction
ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: PAT TYRER
Workshop on the art of writing fiction with focus on the short story. We will examine the fundamentals of fiction, including story structure, character, plot, dialogue, description, point of view, style, and voice. Your work and the publications of established authors are read and analyzed in class.
ENGL 3311-70 | Language Structure
ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: MARTIN JACOBSEN
Language is what makes us, us. To understand language structure is to understand the foundation of the human condition. From sounds (phonology) to words (morphology) to sentences (syntax) to speeches (discourse), linguistics illuminates the basic components of language and the fundamental behavior of humanity itself.
ENGL 3312-01 | History of the English Language
T/TH 11-12:15 PM INSTRUCTOR: MARTIN JACOBSEN
Growth and development of the English language from Old English to the present. Required of English and English Education Majors.
ENGL 3350-01 | Bible as Literature
T/TH 1-2:15 PM INSTRUCTOR: ERIC MELJAC
Along with the commonly-considered literary pieces in the Bible (Noah’s Ark, Job, Luke’s nativity, and the Passion), this class will consider The Book of Wisdom (Orthodox Church), the Visitation, and the tale of Herod and Salomé, focusing on women’s roles in the grand narrative of Western civilization.
ENGL 3351-01 | British Literature I
M/W 11-12:15 INSTRUCTOR: SARAH SPROUSE
This course will explore the many literary worlds of the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the Restoration up to 1800 in order to provide students with an overview of early British literature. We begin with the early Britons, progress to the vibrant world of Shakespeare, and finally reach the surprising satire of Jonathan Swift. Our survey of canonical and lesser-known works will include poetry, drama, and narrative prose. In this course, students will learn to interpret and write about literature, and the many works we investigate will provide students an exciting window into the past.
ENGL 3360-70 | American Literature to 1865
ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: BONNEY MACDONALD
American literature from the early 17th century through the Civil War.
ENGL 3380-01 | Literary Analysis
M/W 9:30-10:45 AM INSTRUCTOR: MATTHEW HARRISON
Introduction to fundamentals of literary analysis, critical vocabulary and close reading of a wide range of literature across a variety of periods and genres.
ENGL 3383-01 | World Literature
M/W 1-2:15 PM INSTRUCTOR: BONNIE ROOS
Introduction to significant international literatures and their contexts. Topics may include postcolonial literatures, world literatures in translation, surveys of non-Anglo national literatures, world literatures as resistance.
ENGL 4306-01 | Adv. Editing & Publishing
T/TH 9:30-10:45 AM INSTRUCTOR: REBECCA WEIR
A practicum centered approach where students develop professional editing skills, explore careers in editing and publishing, and connect with industry professionals. Students also get hands on experience in the entire academic publishing process by forming a collaborative editorial team that produces and promotes the yearly issue of WTAMU's undergraduate research journal, Tracks: Research in the Humanities.
ENGL 4389-01 | English Education Capstone
T/TH 2:30-3:45 PM INSTRUCTOR: DANIEL KLAEHN
In a presentation to an academic audience, English Language Arts students will discuss strategies on incorporating recent scholarly and creative responses into a secondary school English curriculum. Students prepare a portfolio of materials relevant to teaching English in grades 6-12 while exploring topics focused primarily on American literature.
ENGL 4392-70 | Special Topics/Lit: Critical Theory
ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: RYAN BROOKS
In this class, we will read examples of some of the most exciting approaches in contemporary critical theory, from queer theory to ecocriticism to works that analyze “Too Late Capitalism.” You will learn how to use theory to deepen your engagement with contemporary culture – everything from realist fiction to 21st century horror cinema – and we will ask reflective questions about what it means to study literature under increasingly difficult material and institutional conditions.
Spring 2024 2000-Level Courses
ENGL 2321-70 | British Literature: Gods and Monsters
Online | Instructor: Monica Hart
In this course, we will investigate some of the most famous villains ever created—Grendel and his mother; Macbeth; Satan; Frankenstein’s Creature; Mr. Hyde; Dracula—focusing on the intersections between creation and destruction, inspiration and desolation, divinity and monstrosity. To answer these questions, we will read masterpieces from the multiple genres and subgenres: epic poetry, the novel, lyric verse, tragedy, drama, Gothic, science fiction, humor.
ENGL 2321-01 | British Literature | Arthur: The Briton, Breton, and British King
M/W, 11:00-12:15 PM | Instructor: Sarah Sprouse
While popular interest in poetry has declined in the last hundred years, King Arthur continues to be a mainstay in our culture. What is it about King Arthur (and his knights!) that fascinates us? Why is he the most enduring and memorable character from the medieval period? What role did he play in the development of poetic form and the clash of cultures in medieval Europe? We will explore possible answers to these questions as we chart Arthur’s rise from medieval Welsh triads to twentieth-century English poetry. This vast chronological landscape will give us room to consider the changing cultural expectations of entertainment in its poetic form. In order to conceptualize medieval engagement with poetry as “entertainment,” we will engage in a multi-modal approach to our study by looking at manuscript images, listening to recordings of performances, and even performing poetry in class.
ENGL 2331-70 | World Literatures
Online | Instructor: Eric Meljac
This course in world literature focuses on horror stories as they developed worldwide over millennia. We will begin with African trickster stories, then examine Japanese and Indian horror, before finally working to Edgar Allan Poe's a "Tell Tale Heart" in America and Bram Stoker's Dracula in Ireland.
ENGL 2341-72 | Intro to Literature: "Oh brave new world!" - Dystopian Lit
Online | Instructor: Casey Pleming
Are we living in a dystopia? This spring, beware ‘Big Brother,’ take an extra gram of soma, and gather your handmaids and droogs while we explore this question – and more – through an examination of works from Orwell, Huxley, Atwood, and Burgess.
ENGL 2350-01 | Introduction to Creative Writing
Online | Instructor: Pat Tyrer
Introduction to the four main genres of creative writing: poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and screenwriting. Emphasis will be placed on the learning process, revision, and editing with active participation in online workshop in which we will explore imaginative uses of language with emphasis on the student’s own unique style and subject matter.
ENGL 2000-45 | Honors Lit: Video Games and Literature
T/TH 9:30-10:45 AM | Instructor: Matthew Harrison
What do video games mean? We’re accustomed to talking about a game’s narrative or art design, the pleasure or challenge of playing it. But how can we talk about what a game means or argues? About how to interpret them?
We’ll play a small handful of games (generally short ones) alongside ideas from literature, philosophy, literary studies, game studies, and film studies. We’ll read texts ranging from ancient philosophy to experimental poetry. This course is reading, writing, and play intensive.
Spring 2024 3000-4000 level Courses
ENGL 3301-01 | Creative Writing: Short Stories
M/W 11:00-12:15 PM | Instructor: Eric Meljac
The Craft of the Short Story. Learning to craft a short story is more than just formulaic instructions in a textbook. In this course, we will read short stories by some of the greatest ever to write them (Edgar Allen Poe, Flannery O'Conner, etc.), and in modeling their styles, we will learn to develop our own. By the end of the course, we will be able to write a compelling piece of short fiction in a style that best fits each of us. The rule in fiction is that there are no rules.
ENGL 3302-70 | Creative Writing: Poetry
Online | Instructor: Pat Tyrer
Workshop in the art of writing poetry. The goal of English 3306 is to improve a student’s writing skills and techniques in producing polished poetry. The course re-introduces the basic poetic elements (forms, structures, critical stance) and prepares the committed writer for further study. Active participation in online workshops is required.
ENGL 3311-70 | Language Structure
Online | Instructor: Martin Jacobsen
Language is what makes us, us. To understand language structure is to understand the foundation of the human condition. From sounds (phonology) to words (morphology) to sentences (syntax) to speeches (discourse), linguistics illuminates the basic components of language and the fundamental behavior of humanity itself.
ENGL 3350-01 | Film Analysis: The Coen Brothers & American Noir
T/TH 2:30-3:45 PM | Instructor: Alex Hunt
In this course we will view and analyze a series of Coen brothers films including Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Fargo, O Brother, Where Art Thou, The Big Lebowski, and No Country for Old Men. We will will consider themes of criminality, detection, and justice as we consider genres including mock epic, film noir, comedy, western, and drama.
ENGL 3351-01 | English Lit Since 1700
M/W 8:00-9:15 AM | Instructor: Eric Meljac
This survey course will cover canonical literature from the Augustine Age to the contemporary period. A series of Dover Thrift novels and plays will guide our journey over the centuries, learning first the wit and satire of the early 1700s and ending with dreamlike English neocolonial literature of today.
ENGL 3380-01 | Literary Analysis
M/W 9:30-10:45 AM | Instructor: Sarah Sprouse
In this course, you will learn the fundamentals of close reading and literary analysis. We will focus on defining what it means to join the “discourse community” of literary scholars; learn strategies for close reading and for going beyond the text; and dig deeper into literary theory, exploring a range of critical approaches to interpreting literary and cultural texts. We will also learn how to turn these strategies for reading into strategies for writing rhetorically effective interpretive arguments. Primary readings will include Sir Gawain and the Green Knight and “The Waste Land.”
ENGL 4305-70 | Technical Communication
Online | Instructor: Rebecca Weir
This class will examine trends, specializations, and processes within the field of technical communication. Students will develop professional portfolios while exploring multiple career paths for technical communicators. We will also discuss contemporary topics and practices, including data visualization, Artificial Intelligence, content development and management, proposals, and project planning.
ENGL 4322-01 | Victorian Poetry
M/W 1:00-2:15 | Instructor: Monica Hart
We will read some of the extraordinary poems written during the Victorian era: the dramatic monologue, a decisive move away from Romanticism’s autobiographical impulses; poems expressing anxieties about social progress alongside verses depicting intensely personal worries; the sonnet sequence, which enjoys a popularity unseen in English poetry since the Early Modern period; the verse novel, a poetic enterprise uniquely Victorian; amatory verse that has shaped our contemporary idea(l)s of romantic love; poems staggering in their psychological complexity and dazzling in their sophistication and humor.
ENGL 4360-01 | American Regionalism: Climates of Literary History
T/TH 11:00-12:15 PM| Instructor: Alex Hunt
In this course, we will study the importance of regionalism in US literature as we read novels related to weather, climate, and global warming. Our reading will include canonical literature such as John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrathand the reading list will run from weather as atmosphere and foreshadowing in 19th century to contemporary dystopian cli-fi.
ENGL 4352-01 | Shakespeare: Borderlands
T/TH 1:00-2:15 PM| Instructor: Matthew Harrison
This course pairs Shakespeare plays with adaptations by Mexican and indigenous playwrights, set in in the US/Mexico borderlands. Our texts are likely to include Romeo and Juliet, Kino and Teresa, ¡O Romeo!, Hamlet, Ofélio, The Tempest, and Rough Magic (Andrew Siañez-De La O). At issue will be not just what Shakespeare means, but what he might mean for us today.
ENGL 4363-01 | Postcolonial Literature
T/TH 9:30-10:45 AM | Instructor: Bonnie Roos
Postcolonial Literatures of Central and South America. Authors include Sor Juana, El Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, Jorge Luis Borjes, Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, Mario Vargas Llosa among others.
ENGL 4390-01 | English Capstone
M/W 2:30-3:45 | Instructor: Rebecca Weir
Prerequisite: Must be of senior standing. Focuses on research, documentation methods, and academic prose style. Enables students to develop, expand, and finalize their capstone projects for online publication and formal presentation.
English Course Rotation
Course Rotation Notes: While it is subject to change, we tend to offer some courses on a regularly scheduled basis. So, while you are planning out finishing your English BA or English Language Arts and Education BA, you should be aware of a few consistent offerings we make in regards to courses that are required for our degrees. Be sure to check your degree checklist and your degree plan to determine which of these courses you'll need to take.
English BA degree checklist OR English Language Arts and Education degree checklist
NOTE for English Language Arts and Education Majors: Schedule of Teacher Qualification Classes
Every Fall and Spring Semesters:
- ENGL 3380: Literary Analysis. We prefer for you to take this course early in the program.
- ENGL 3311: Language Structure.
Every Fall Semester:
- ENGL 3312: History of the English Language
- ENGL 3351: British Literature to 1700
- ENGL 3360: American Literature to 1865
- ENGL 3383: World Masterpieces
- ENGL 4301: Advanced Composition
Every Spring Semester:
- ENGL 3352: British Literature after 1700
- ENGL 3361: American Literature after 1865
- ENGL 4305: Advanced Technical Communication
- ENGL 4310: Advanced Grammar
- ENGL 4352: Shakespeare
- ENGL 4390: Capstone