Upcoming 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: Intro to Literature: Love Stories 

M/W 1:00-2:15 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 Sita Sings the Blues; substantial writing required; some gay/lesbian themes. 

ENGL 2343-01: Literature & Ideas: The Art of Modernism 

T/TH 1:00-2:15 PM - INSTRUCTOR: BONNIE ROOS 

This course will introduce students to 1900-1950s Modernist art, literature, and film, including writers from James Joyce to Nella Larsen. The final project will involve student creation of a professional art salon, using techniques developed and refined during the Modernist period.

ENGL 2343-70: Literature & Ideas: Science Fiction Literature 

ONLINE - INSTRUCTOR: PAT TYRER 

Review and discussion of science fiction literature from the beginnings to contemporary stories. Readings include those by Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, H.G. Wells, Robert Heinlein, Philip Dick, Frank Herbert, Ursula K. Le Guin, J.K. Rowling, Kameron Hurley, Nnedi Okorafor, Kelly Barnhill, and Octavia E. Butler. 

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 workshops in which we will explore imaginative uses of language with emphasis on the student’s own unique style and subject matter.

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, as well as the works of established authors, are read and analyzed.

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: SARAH SPROUSE 

The history of a language is the history of the people who speak it, those who read and write it, and those who come in contact with it. This is a course in which we will examine the origin and development of the English language, from its earliest beginnings in the misty past, through Old English, Middle English, Early Modern English, and Present Day English, and across the post-modern globe.

ENGL 3360-01: American Literature to 1865 

T/TH 1:00-2:15PM - INSTRUCTOR: ALEX HUNT 

A survey of U.S. literature from the age of exploration through the Civil War, including the Early National and Romanic periods. This course will emphasize important issues of colonization, race/ethnicity, and manifest destiny as they are expressed, defined, and critiqued through literary texts.

ENGL 3351-01: British Literature I 

M/W 11-12:15 PM - INSTRUCTOR: MATTHEW HARRISON 

In this course, we will be reading classics of English literature from roughly 800 C.E. through the end of the 17th century, encountering deadly monsters, beautiful ideals, and the occasional fart joke. With works as vast and powerful as these, our discussions may well range widely. A few guiding questions: How do these writers read, even rewrite, their predecessors? How do the forms, genres, and modes of writing become reinvigorated in this process? What new meanings do they take on? And why are these texts still worth reading? In order to better wrestle with these questions, we’ll cover the whole period twice, traveling back in time midway through the semester with our new sense of the shape of literary history.

ENGL 3380-01: Literary Analysis 

M/W 9:30-10:45 PM - INSTRUCTOR: RYAN BROOKS 

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; discuss 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. You will also learn how to write rhetorically effective interpretive arguments and how to contribute to ongoing critical conversations in literary studies.

ENGL 3383-01: World Literature 

M/W 1:00-2:15 PM - INSTRUCTOR: BONNIE ROOS 

Introduction to significant international literatures and their contexts. Works this semester will focus on Spanish American literature and film, from the Popul Vuh to Gabriel García Márquez to La Llorona.

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 4322-70: Victorian Poetry 

T 6:00-8:00 PM VIA ZOOM - 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 worries intensely personal; 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; and poems staggering in their psychological complexity and dazzling in their sophistication and humor.

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 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 2321-01 | British Literature: Arthuriana

T/TH 9:30-10:45 AM INSTRUCTOR: SARAH SPROUSE

What is it about King Arthur (and his knights!) that fascinates us? 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. 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 2341-70 | Intro to Literature: “Oh brave new world!”: Dystopian Literature 

ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: CASEY PLEMING

Are we living in a modern dystopia? This spring, beware of '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 2343-45 | Honors Literature & Ideas: Video Games and Lit.

T/TH 11:00-12:15 PM INSTRUCTOR: MATTHEW HARRISON

What do video games mean? How can we talk about what a game means or argues?

We’ll play a small handful of games 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.

ENGL 2350-70 | Intro to Creative Writing

ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: PATRICIA TYRER

This introductory course provides a comprehensive foundation in four key genres: poetry, prose, fiction, and screenwriting. Designed for students new to creative writing, the course will explore the fundamental elements of each genre, offering a broad overview while encouraging the development of individual voice and style. Throughout the semester, students will engage in various writing exercises, prompts, and assignments tailored to each genre.

ENGL 3306-70 | Creative Writing: Poetry

ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: PATRICIA TYRER

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the art and craft of poetry. Designed for students at all levels, the course will explore the fundamental principles of poetic form, language, and expression. Through a combination of theoretical study and practical application, students will develop their own poetic voice and refine their ability to write compelling and original poems. The course will cover a range of poetic forms and techniques, including free verse, sonnets, haiku, and narrative poetry.

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 3342-70 | Film Analysis: Western Films

ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: BONNEY MACDONALD

In this course, we will examine the cultural work of American Westerns,  from the 1940s to early 2000s. Richard White, established historian of the West, once reflected that, when Americans tell stories about themselves, they set them in the West. We are here to try and understand that observation. To examine Westerns is to track America’s self-image and its national self-reflections and cultural questions. In this class we will view classic Western films, read film reviews, and examine film and cultural critics as they examine the genre. Papers, exams, and Discussion Board posts will be required.  

ENGL 3352-01 | English Literature Since 1700

T/TH 9:30-10:45 AM INSTRUCTOR: MONICA HART

This course is a survey of British literature from the Neoclassical period to the present.

ENGL 3361-01 | American Literature Since 1865

T/TH 11:00-12:15 PM INSTRUCTOR: RYAN BROOKS

This course is a survey of American literature as it developed from 1865 to the present. We will begin with the realism of the Gilded Age and end with the period – now more than 40 years old – that historians have taken to calling the “New Gilded Age.” Along the way we will explore modernism and postmodernism, Cold War culture and postwar protest writing, and ethnic and multicultural literature. We will be particularly interested in how this writing has responded, thematically and formally, to the complex ebb and flow of social and economic inequality in the U.S..

ENGL 4305-70 | Advanced Technical Communications

ONLINE INSTRUCTOR: REBECCA NICHOLSON-WEIR

This class will examine trends, specializations, and processes within the field of technical communication. Students will develop professional portfolios while exploring career paths for technical communicators. We will also discuss contemporary topics and practices, including data visualization, A.I., content development and management, proposals, and project planning.

ENGL 4352-01 | Borderlands Shakespeare

T/TH 1:00-2:15 PM INSTRUCTOR: MATTHEW HARRISON

This course pairs three Shakespeare plays with adaptations by Chicanx and Indigenous playwrights, set in in the US/Mexico borderlands, from Santa Fe to Southern California. At issue will be not just what Shakespeare means, but what he might mean for us today.

ENGL 4368-01 | Race and Literature: Harlem Renaissance

M/W 9:30-10:45 AM INSTRUCTOR: BONNIE ROOS

In addition to exploring the arts and music of the period, we will read works by Langston Hughes, Nella Larsen, Jean Toomer, and Zora Neale Hurston.

ENGL 4390-01 | English Capstone

M/W 2:30-3:45 PM INSTRUCTOR: SARAH SPROUSE

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.

ENGL 4323-01 | Modern Literature: Transatlantic Modernist Arts and Literatures.

M/W 11:00-12:15 PM INSTRUCTOR: BONNIE ROOS

Transatlantic Modernist Arts and Literatures. Readings and discussions of works between 1900-1945 by Joseph Conrad, Post-Impressionist artists, Gertrude Stein, Cubist artists, T. S. Eliot, Dada artists, Virginia Woolf, Surrealist artists, and more.

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.

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.