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 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.

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

T/TH 2:30-3:45 PM  | Instructor: Alex Hunt

Course Description: TBD

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 4307-70  | Technical Communication

Online | Instructor: Rebecca Weir 

These courses focus on the mechanics of writing for particular audiences and situations. We also offer courses in Advanced Editing and Publishing and Grant Writing.

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

T/TH 11:00-12:15 PM|  Instructor: Alex Hunt

 Course Description: TBD 

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.

Course: Gods and Monsters: ENGL 2321-70 - Intro to British Lit. | Online Only | Instructor: M. Hart
Description: 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.

Course: Global Science Fiction: ENGL 2331-70 - Intro to World Lit. | Online Only | Instructor: P. Tyrer
Description: This fully online course will expose students to classic and contemporary science fiction from diverse cultures and periods in the world community. Students will gain an understanding of the cultural and historical significance of Sci-Fi as a critique of culture, social conditions, and the limits of our own reality.

Course: Love Stories: ENGL 2343-01 - Literature and Ideas | T/Th 1:00 - 2:15 | Instructor: M. Harrison

Course: Heartland Rock: ENGL 2343-02 - Literature and Ideas | M/W 11:00 - 12:15 p.m. | Instructor: D. Klaehn

Course: Creative Writing, Fiction: ENGL 3301 | Online | Instructor: Tyrer
Description: Workshop in the art of writing poetry, focusing on the basic elements such as forms and structures of both classical and contemporary poetry. May be repeated once for a maximum of six credit hours.

Course: Language Structure: ENGL 3311-01 | Monday/Wednesday 1:00 - 2:15 p.m. | Instructor: Jacobsen
Description: 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.

Course: History of English Language: ENGL 3312-01 | Wednesday, 6:00-8:40 p.m. | Instructor: Jacobsen

Course: Bible as Literature | ONLINE ONLY | Instructor: Hart

Course: British Literature Until 1700: ENGL 3352-01 | T/Th 2:30 - 3:45 p.m. | Instructor: Harrison
Description: This course is a survey of British literature from the Old English period through the Restoration.

Course: Literary Analysis: ENGL 3380-01 | Monday/Wednesday, 11:00-12:15 p.m. | Instructor: Meljac
Description: Introduction to fundamentals of literary analysis, critical vocabulary and close reading of a wide range of literature across a variety of periods and genres.

Course: World Masterpieces: ENGL 3383-01 | Tuesday/Thursday, 1:00-2:45 p.m. | Instructor: Staff
Description: 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.

Course: American Literature Until 1865: ENGL 3360-01 | ONLINE | Instructor: Macdonald
Description: American literature from its beginnings through Whitman.

Course: Advanced Topics in Editing and Publishing: ENGL 4306-01 | Monday/Wednesday 1:00 - 2:15 | Instructor: Staff

Course: English Capstone for Instructors: ENGL 4389-01 | Monday/Wednesday 2:30 - 3:45 p.m. | Instructor: Roos
Description: 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.

Course: Llaneros, Forgotten Frontera :ENGL 4392-70/ENGL 5392-70 | Tuesday 6:00-8:40 (Online Synchronous) | Instructor: Hunt and Reynolds

English 2000-level courses 

Unless otherwise noted, these courses satisfy University Core 40 requirements. English Majors are also required to take an additional 2000-level English class as part of their degree.  

Course: Gods and Monsters: ENGL 2321-70 - Intro to British Lit. | Online Only | Instructor: M. Hart
Description: 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.

Course: Global Science Fiction: ENGL 2331-70 - Intro to World Lit. | Online Only | Instructor: P. Tyrer
Description: This fully online course will expose students to classic and contemporary science fiction from diverse cultures and periods in the world community. Students will gain an understanding of the cultural and historical significance of Sci-Fi as a critique of culture, social conditions, and the limits of our own reality.

Course: Nature, Culture, and Agriculture: ENGL 2343-01 - Literature and Ideas | M/W 11:00 - 12:15 p.m. | Instructor: A. Hunt
Description: This literature course is specifically designed for people with interests in Natural Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, and Environmental Science. Authors read in the course include Rachel Carson, Edward Abbey, Annie Proulx, E.O. Wilson, Wendell Berry, and Paolo Bacigalupi.

Course: Literature and Video Games: ENGL 2343-02 - Literature and Ideas | T/Th 1:30 - 2:45 | Instructor: M. Harrison
Description: 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 alongside ideas from literature, literary studies, game studies, and film studies. This course is reading, writing, and play intensive.

Course: Creative Writing, Women's Poetry: ENGL 3306-70 | Online Only | Instructor: Tyrer
Description: Workshop in the art of writing poetry, focusing on the basic elements such as forms and structures of both classical and contemporary poetry. May be repeated once for a maximum of six credit hours.

Course: Language Structure: ENGL 3311-01 | M/W 11:00 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. | Instructor: Jacobsen
Description: 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.

Course: Film Studies: ENGL 3342-01 | M 6:00 p.m. | Instructor: Brooks

This course will focus on two broad questions: how do movies make sense, and what sense have they made about the persistence of class conflict and economic inequality in contemporary life? To answer these questions, we will analyze aspects of cinematic form – narrative, visual design, cinematography, editing, and sound design – in a series of socially conscious films, from classics like The Grapes of Wrath to contemporary classics like Parasite.

Course: British Literature Since 1700: ENGL 3352-01 | T/Th 9:30 - 10:45 a.m. | Instructor: Hart
Description: This course is a survey of British literature from the Neoclassical period to the present.

Course: Advanced Topics in Technical Communication: ENGL 4305-01 | T/Th 1:30 - 2:45 | Instructor: McCormick
Description: Exploration of a number of advanced issues related to technical communication and scientific discourse, including topics such as management of the document development process, professional ethics and specialized document forms; the role that professional and technical communicators play in the workplace, and such issues as career development, professional societies and time-management resources. May be repeated once when topics vary for a maximum of six credit hours.

Course: Works of William Shakespeare: ENGL 4352-01 | T/Th 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Instructor: Harrison
Description: A course exploring the world and works of William Shakespeare, with an emphasis on drama.

Course: American Regionalism: ENGL 4360-01 | M/W 1:30 - 2:45 p.m. | Instructor: Hunt
Description: American literature from the late 19th through the mid-20th century in a variety of genres to include local color writing as well as the broader cultural and intellectual movements within regionalism as geographically defined.

Course: The African Diaspora in Art and Literature: ENGL 4366-01/ARTS 3392) | M/W 9:30 - 10:45 a.m. | Instructors: Meljac and Von Lintel
Description: This course examines the art and literatures of the African diaspora, including the spaces and places where African peoples have settled or been settled through force, by scrutinizing the social forces, politics, gender dynamics, and cultural aesthetics that have influenced people of African descent around the world.

Course: English Capstone: ENGL 4390-01 | T/Th 3:00 - 4:15 p.m. | Instructor: Roos
Description: 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.

Course: Desiring Statues: Love, Race, and Aesthetics in Pygmalion Stories :ENGL 4392-01/ENGL 5392-70 | T 6:00-8:40 (On-Campus & Online) | Instructor: Roos and Harrison

Ranging from Praxiteles’s monumental Aphrodite of Knidos to modern cyborgs and sex dolls, from Ovid’s Metamorphoses to Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions, this class explores the complex cultural history of Pygmalion stories: the sculptor infatuated with his art; the object that awakens from marble.  

Combining canonical texts (Shakespeare’s Winter’s Tale, Shaw’s Pygmalion) with understudied masterpieces, we’ll explore the relationships between life and art, education and colonialism, culture and gender and race. How does love shape artistic creation? And how are we shaped by others’ petrifying desires?  

This is a reading-intensive class, combining art history, literature, and some literary theory. We are happy to waive prerequisites for interdisciplinary students!

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