DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

SPRING 2003

The following material is a list of 200-level and higher course descriptions submitted by individual instructors to help students in making their selections. Students wishing further information regarding courses in the department should consult the assigned instructor or Department Chair.

200 Level Courses

61167 258 Major English Writers I TTh 9:30 to 11:00 Bourgeois
We will read and discuss interesting literature which was written so long ago, c. 800-1800. We will look at the themes and forms of such literature as Anglo-Saxon poetry, Middle English lyrics and Chaucerian tales, the rich literature of the Renaissance, the wit and satire of the Age of Enlightenment. Writing is required of course. Hard reading, but great discussion. Who do we have to thank for the dictionary? What is the difference between an Italian and English sonnet? Who was the Dark Lady of the sonnets? What is an alexandrine? What is iambic pentameter anyway? Why do we call Chaucer's language "Middle English" and not "old English"? Join us and discover the answers.

61511 258 Major English Authors I T 16:20 to 19:00 J. Kogan
This course is a reading-intensive, general survey of English literature from the Anglo-Saxon period (beginning around the sixth century) to the end of the Enlightenment (late eighteenth century). We will focus primarily on the major canonical figures of those periods, but we will also try to place those figures in historical, social, and literary contexts. While this is a literature class, we will be discussing those historical events which shaped the literature (and, indeed, the literature to some extent shaped those historical events), the social milieu in which the authors existed, and the literary history which informed these works. Grades will be based on three short essays, three unit exams, occasional reading responses, and active participation. (Available for General Education, Humanities.)

61147 275 Major American Writers TTh 14:00 to 15:15 Andrews
This is a survey of American literature from the colonial period to the present. Through poetry, prose, fiction, and drama, the course introduces students to the range of voices that have filled the continent -- American Indian, European, African, and Asian. Through our readings we will trace major themes in American culture through various time periods: nature, family, history, religion, race, class, gender. We will focus on articulating our personal responses to the things we read, and we also will try to understand the readings within their own historical and cultural contexts. Three exams and one 5-page paper.

61196 275 Major American Writers MWF 13:00 to 13:50 Solomon
A survey of American literature from the pre-Columbian and Colonial periods to the present, this course is designed to introduce you to the cultural and ideological underpinnings that make the United States such a fascinatingly complex and even contradictory place. Taking a generalized Cultural Studies approach, the class will focus on a representative selection of shorter literary works in order to illustrate some of the many strands of American consciousness and the ways in which America has come to be the kind of nation that it is today. There will be an essay midterm and two critical essays.

61202 275 Major American Writers MW 14:00 to 15:15 Uba
This course is a lower-division survey of American writers from pre-colonial to present times. It will emphasize the range and diversity of American literature rather than focus exclusively on a few canonized writers. Students will be introduced to elements of contemporary critical theory, as well as the history of ideas. Lecture and discussion. Final grade wil be based primarily on a series ofo essay assignments and a final exam, and secondarily on quizzes and class participation. Regular class attendance required.

300 Level Courses

61304 301 Language and Linguistics (PACE) W 20:00 to 22:00 J. Galasso
This course is a basic introduction to language and linguistics and is designed to introduce 'non-linguistic' majors to general concepts of linguistics. The course is organized in a 'bottom-up' fashion--starting from smallest to largest segments of language (in keeping with the spirit of the text) by starting with 'Sounds', working through 'Words' and ending with 'Sentence'. English as well as other language groups are discussed. (PACE Program).

61400 301 Language and Linguistics (PACE) W 18:00 to 20:00 J. Galasso
This course is a basic introduction to language and linguistics and is designed to introduce 'non-linguistic' majors to general concepts of linguistics. The course is organized in a 'bottom-up' fashion--starting from smallest to largest segments of language (in keeping with the spirit of the text) by starting with 'Sounds', working through 'Words' and ending with 'Sentence'. English as well as other language groups are discussed. (PACE Program).

61164 302 Introduction to Modern Grammar TTh 9:30 to 10:50 Clendenning
This course studies the structure of Modern American English. It emphasizes syntax (the arrangement of sentence elements into meaningful patterns) and morphology (the study of word formation), and gives additional attention to phonology (the study of units of meaningful sound), the history of the English language, contempory dialects, standards of usage, and applications of grammar to the teaching of language arts. The primary perspective is that of transformational grammar integrated with principles drawn from traditional and structural grammars. This is an introductory course. It is not designed for students who have previously studied linguistics. It satisfies requirements in the English Major (Credential Option) and the Liberal Studies Major. While the course will be especially useful to students preparing for a career in teaching, it is not a course in methodology, and may be of interest to anyone curious about the structure of the English language. Daily reading assignments will provide the basis for lecture/discussion. Students should read the material before class, should bring the textbook to each class meeting, and should review the material immediately afterwards. Regular attendance will be essential. Six fifteen-minute quizzes will be based on assigned readings and class meetings; the quizzes will count 30%. An open-book written midterm examination will count 30%. The final examination, in the same format as the midterm, will count 30%. Participation: 10%. The textook for the course is Martha Kolln and Robert Funk, Understanding English Grammar, 6th edition (Longman Publishers).

61091 302 Introduction to Modern Grammar TTh 11:00 to 12:15 Clendenning
This course studies the structure of Modern American English. It emphasizes syntax (the arrangement of sentence elements into meaningful patterns) and morphology (the study of word formation), and gives additional attention to phonology (the study of units of meaningful sound), the history of the English language, contempory dialects, standards of usage, and applications of grammar to the teaching of language arts. The primary perspective is that of transformational grammar integrated with principles drawn from traditional and structural grammars. This is an introductory course. It is not designed for students who have previously studied linguistics. It satisfies requirements in the English Major (Credential Option) and the Liberal Studies Major. While the course will be especially useful to students preparing for a career in teaching, it is not a course in methodology, and may be of interest to anyone curious about the structure of the English language. Daily reading assignments will provide the basis for lecture/discussion. Students should read the material before class, should bring the textbook to each class meeting, and should review the material immediately afterwards. Regular attendance will be essential. Six fifteen-minute quizzes will be based on assigned readings and class meetings; the quizzes will count 30%. An open-book written midterm examination will count 30%. The final examination, in the same format as the midterm, will count 30%. Participation: 10%. The textbook for the course is Martha Kolln and Robert Funk, Understanding English Grammar, 6th edition (Longman Publishers).

61302 302 Intro Mod Grammar (PACE) W 18:00 to 20:00 J. Galasso
This course is a basic introduction to English grammar based on traditional, structural and transformational theories. Some applications of linguistics to the teaching of English and the language arts are suggested. This introductory grammar course is primarily designed (i) to allow students to gain a sufficient amount of 'explicit' knowledge of English grammar and (ii) to provide students with the tools necessary for understanding language structure. The course is divided into three basic levels of language as a whole: Sound (phonology), Word (morphology) and Sentence (structure, syntax and transformations). The rationale for English 302 is to provide students with both theoretical and practical knowledge of English grammar to meet the needs of prospective teachers who plan to teach either English in secondary school programs--including ESL--or the language arts in elementary/high school programs. (PACE Program)

61520 302 Introduction to Modern Grammar Th 16:20 to 18:50 T. Mathis
The course aims to provide theoretical and practical knowledge of English grammar. The goal is to understand the grammatical structures of English and the meanings of such structures within particular contexts.

61523 302 Introduction to Modern Grammar T 16:20 to 18:50 T. Mathis
The course aims to provide theoretical and practical knowledge of English grammar. The goal is to understand the grammatical structures of English and the meanings of such structures within particular contexts.

61903 302 Intro to Modern Grammar M 13:00 to 17:00 D. Rankin
This class addresses: phonology; morphology; and the systematic nature of language. It also addresses common grammatical terms, kinds of sentences, clauses. Finally, the class includes a research assignment, notions about cohesion, coherence, and readings about literacy.

61919 305 Intermediate Expository Writing T 9:00 to 12:00 D. Rankin
This class targets the written word-words, words in sentences; paragraphs, in essays. It emphasizes style, audience, and the writer's voice. Professional writings include nonfiction essays, a non-fiction book, a novel. It reviews the language of grammar and the writing process. And it emphasizes the group process.

61528 305CM Intermediate Expository Composition W 16:20 to 18:50 I. Rubenstein
A course in written composition, English 305 -- Intermediate Expository Writing -- extends the skills learned in freshman composition, a pre-requisite for English 305. Students will devleop a critical vocabulary and appropriate criteria for evaluating their writing with emphasis on developing a variety in sentence and paragraph structure, using the rhetorical modes to organize longer papers, and practicing library research methods. Students also will become familiar with the World Wide Web as a teaching and learning tool.This course satisfies the writing requirement for Liberal Studies candidates. Prerequisites: freshman composition or the equivalent.Recommended: English 302, Introduction to Modern Grammar.The Course Web page will provide links to the syllabus, Internet research resources, a community forum and course assignments.Students need not have extensive computer skills. They should, however, have a basic knowledge of word processing and the Internet, along with an enthusiasm toward toward learning how computers and the Internet can enhance teaching and learning. Because technical Internet problems often are unique to the system you use, I will be unable to answer technical questions. Students should contact their Independent Service Providers (ISPs) for technical help. For problems with CSUN accounts, call the Information Technology Resource (ITR) HelpDesk@ 818-677-1400. I recommend that you check our short list of Independent Service Providers (ISP). It's not a good idea to depend on CSUN.Also, check out the Learning Resource Student Computing Guides: http://www.vcsun.org/~ccheal/studentindex.html.

61529 305CMP Intermediate Composition W 19:00 to 22:00 J. Kogan
English 305 is an intermediate expository writing course which includes a study of the style of competent writers and extends the writing skills acquired by students in the Freshman Composition course. In this section we will engage in a study of the intersections of family, culture, and history. Students will explore their own family histories in terms of attitudes towards education, family members' engagement with 20th century events (immigration, war, Great Depression, etc.), and family photographs, and present analyses of their findings in thesis-based essays and a research paper. Emphasis is placed on developing writing that exhibits clarity, coherence, style, and a clear purpose. Grades will be based on essays, in-class writing, exercises, activities, participation and attendance. This course provides preparation for the Upper Division Writing Proficiency Exam (UDWPE) and satisfies the writing requirement in the Liberal Studies major.

61535 309 Verse Writing Th 16:20 to 18:50 Barresi
Prereq: English 208 or Instructor approval.Intensive practice in writing poetry, with an emphasis on revision strategies that create more sophisticated, language-driven poems. Analysis and criticism of students' work as well as critical study of published poetry.

61146 312 Film and Literature TTh 11:00 to 12:15 Andrews
A story is not just a story. The medium used for its telling greatly influences the kind of story that can be told. Differing narrative forms present differing opportunities and obstacles. In this course, we will examine the way ideas, themes, and images are embodied in poems, plays, fiction, and popular films. Among the printed text to be read are: Matthew Lewis's The Monk, Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire, Raymond Chandler's The Long Goodbye, Julio Cortazar's Hopscotch, and poems by Emily Dickinson and Sylvia Plath. Films to be watched are: The Rocky Horror Picture Show, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Long Goodbye, Memento, and Bound. Films will not be screened during class, so students will be responsible for renting the films or watching them at the library. The course grade will be based on several short papers.

61194 313 Popular Culture MW 14:00 to 15:50 Solomon
Studies in Popular Culture is a course that carries credit as an elective for English majors and Section E credit for General Education. Designed especially for students who may want to enter the fields of entertainment or advertising, or for future teachers who may want to use popular culture in their classrooms, this course will critique the products of American popular culture as signs of larger cultural forces and realities. Employing a semiotic methodology, students will interpret such popular cultural subjects as the movies, television, and advertising, as well as the galaxy of products Americans commonly consume. The textbook for the class will be Jack Solomon's and Sonia Maasik's "Signs of Life in the USA." Students will participate in a group presentation on a popular cultural topic and will satisfy the 2500 word General Education writing requirement through the writing of two critical essays and an essay exam.

61107 314 American Indian Literature TTh 9:30 to 10:50 Andrews
This course introduces students to a wide range of themes and genres within American Indian literature: the oral tradition and tribal stories of creation, tricksters, and heroes; biographies of witnesses to the conflicts between Euro-Americans and American Indians; and poetry and fiction by Indians living in the 20th century. Among the modern authors covered will be Leslie Marmon Silko, Louise Erdrich, and Sherman Alexie. American Indian literature is often times challenging because it presents a perspective "on nature, on human relations, on American history, on a sense of the sacred" radically different from mainstream America's. As we seek to understand what we read in class, we will explore our own perspectives and beliefs. Two exams and two papers (7-10 pages each).

61206 355 Writing About Literature TTH 12:30 to 13:45 I. Clark
English 355 is a required course for the English major that focuses on reading, analyzing, and writing about literature. Students will read selections from the three genres, poetry, fiction, and drama, and write essays that demonstrate their analytical skill and the ability to utilize an appropriate writing style. The course will utilize a process approach to writing and will include a culminating research project.

61541 364OL The Short Story Th 16:20 to 19:00 J. Kogan
This class is a study of the short story, beginning with an exploration of some classics in the genre, and an overview of the development of the short story since its modern inception in the early 19th century to the present. We will view this development in the context of the literary movements of the times. We will look at thematic and subgenre issues as they arise, examine commentary readings and critical essays to gain an understanding of how some of these works have been viewed historically, examine various theoretical stances, and gain insight into how writers write. We will work in a variety of online modes: HyperNews (a bulletin board type of asynchronous posting), Internet Relay Chat, Quizmaker, and email. Students must be available for online discussion during the scheduled class time.The class is not allowed for credit in the English major or minor. Prerequisites for English 364 include the completion of the lower division writing requirement and upper division standing. The course is available for General Education, Humanities. Per the GE Upper-Division Writing Policy, this is a writing-intensive course and includes writing assignments totaling a minimum of 2500 words. Grades will be based on participation in online discussions, quizzes, HyperNews postings, a critical analysis, and an original short story and commentary.

400 Level Courses

61185 400 History of the English Language MWF 13:00 to 13:50 Kleinman
In this course we will trace the history of English pronunciation, grammar, and writing, as well as the ways in which the English language has interacted with social and literary history. We will focus on both the theoretical concepts of English historical linguistics and the practical analysis of English literary texts to explore the ways in which dialectal distinctions and notions of correctness have affected people's perceptions of themselves and of others, and continue to do so today. In studying the ways in which English and attitudes towards language have changed over time, we will learn to read older and more recent literature in a more informed way, enhancing our understanding and appreciation of English as a medium of communication and a vehicle for literary expression.

61184 414 Chaucer MWF 11:00 to 11:50 Kleinman
In this course we will explore Geoffrey Chaucer's most important themes and literary strategies by reading most of The Canterbury Tales and some of Chaucer's other works in his original Middle English. The scope of the course also embraces the study of Chaucer's sources and literary analogues and will reflect on his influence on later writers.

61917 428 Children's Literature W 9:00 to 12:00 D. ReidRankin
This class discusses the meanings of children's literature-its history, changed in form and content. It gives the prospective teacher/parent a theoretical grounding for discussing literature with children of various ages. The class also helps students refine writing skills and finally, to participate in collaborative learning.

61122 428 Children's Literature TTh 11:00 to 12:15 Stallcup
Overall, in this course, we will be developing criteria and resources for selecting and critiquing children's texts, exploring methods for engaging children with literature, and developing an understanding of the socio-political implications and controversies embedded in texts written for (or adopted by) children. The course grade will be based on critical journals, a midterm, a term paper and a final project.

61198 428 Children's Literature TTh 13:00 to 16:15 Stallcup
Overall, in this course, we will be developing criteria and resources for selecting and critiquing children's texts, exploring methods for engaging children with literature, and developing an understanding of the socio-political implications and controversies embedded in texts written for (or adopted by) children. The course grade will be based on critical journals, a midterm, a term paper and a final project.

61585 428 Children's Literature M 16:20 to 18:50 Stallcup
Overall, in this course, we will be developing criteria and resources for selecting and critiquing children's texts, exploring methods for engaging children with literature, and developing an understanding of the socio-political implications and controversies embedded in texts written for (or adopted by) children. The course grade will be based on critical journals, a midterm, a term paper and a final project.

61131 429 Adolescent Literature TTh 11:00 to 12:15 Bourgeois
The class will read and analyze literature for adolescents and develop a critical vocabulary for evaluating such literature. Included are ten YA novels or short story collections, as well as poetry, and a textbook that addresses issues important to future teachers of YA literature in our secondary schools. Some novels included are TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, CATCHER IN THE RYE, SPEAK, MONSTER, THE GIVER, AN ISLAND LIKE YOU, and LETTERS FROM THE INSIDE. The literature represents a variety of cultural and ethnic perspectives.

61173 431 Images of Women in Literature TTh 11:00 to 12:15 Gross
No description submitted.

61158 436 Major Critical Theories TTh 14:00 to 15:15 Chatterjee
In analyzing the complex interactions among readers, writers, and texts, various theories of literature engage in debates about literature's status and value, and the nature of reading and interpretation. These critical theories wrestle with such questions as: What is the role and function of the poet/author/writer? What is the relationship between reading and interpretation? How do the desires of the reader affect the reading process? In this course, we will explore these and other questions about the function of the poet, the activity of interpretation, the role of aesthetics, and the status of the reader through a study of the major texts of literary criticism from Plato to the present. Unlike your other English literature courses, you will spend the majority of this course reading theory. Course requirements include a few short assignments, a take-home midterm,and a comprehensive final exam.

61910 436 Major Critical Theories M 19:00 to 22:00 Chianese
A survey of classic and contemporary literary theory, with some emphasis on appying theories to the interpretation of texts. Quizzes, papers, and exams as means of evaluation.Kaplan and Anderson. eds., Criticism: Major Statements. Fourth Edition. St. Martin's.
Steven Lynn. Texts and Contexts: Writing About Literature with Critical Theory. Longman
Sophocles, The Oedipus Cycle.
CHANNEL ISLANDS CAMPUS only.

61195 436 Major Critical Theories MWF 11:00 to 11:50 Solomon
A broad survey of the genealogy and descent of literary theory. Beginning in Greece, where literary and political theory were two branches of the same tree, and ending in contemporary America, where, once again, literature and politics have been wed, our course will take us through a long parade of classical, neoclassical, romantic, formalistic, structural, poststructural, historicist, and feminist discourses. There will be a midterm, a final, and a critical essay.

61551 436 Major Critical Theories W 16:20 to 18:50 Solomon
A broad survey of the genealogy and descent of literary theory. Beginning in Greece, where literary and political theory were two branches of the same tree, and ending in contemporary America, where, once again, literature and politics have been wed, our course will take us through a long parade of classical, neoclassical, romantic, formalistic, structural, poststructural, historicist, and feminist discourses. There will be a midterm, a final, and a critical essay.

61174 456 Age of Enlightenment TTh 9:30 to 10:15 Gross
No description submitted.

61560 458 The Romantic Age Th 16:20 to 18:50 Chatterjee
The period from the last two decades of the 18th century and the first three decades of the 19th century (1780-1830)is known as the British Romantic era and is generally regarded as the age of poetry, predominantly that of the "big six" (Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Keats, and Byron). However, the British Romantic period is currently undergoing a reexamination in light of the increasing awareness of the other work produced in that time. There is a recognition that both men and women from the lower-class, middle-class, and aristocracy wrote in a variety of genres about subjects ranging from aesthetic and literary concerns to political issues, especially the French Revolution, the democratic rights of men, the necessity for women's rights, British imperialistic activities abroad, and the slave trade. In this course we will study the various political writers, poets, and novelists associated with the British Romantic Era (1790-1830). Through our focus on the "big six" poets we will reconsider the thematic and aesthetic boundaries and concerns of this period. We will study these writers in their literary and historical contexts, as well as from the perspective of current critical scholarship. Course requirements include 1 short paper, a midterm, 1 longer research paper, and a comprehensive final exam.

61554 460 Victorian Age TTh 14:00 to 15:15 Chianese
A study of major writers of the period, including Tennyson, Browning, Arnold, Dante and Christina Rosetti, Charlotte Bronte, and Dickens. We will do close readings of texts, with short quizzes, papers, and exams as means of evaluation. Emphasis on literary and intellectual history, with attention to the influences of Darwin and Freud. Norton Anthology, plus Jane Eyre, Hard Times, and Civilization and Its Discontents.

61911 460 Channel Islands Victorian Age W 13:00 to 16:00 Chianese
A study of major writers of the period, including Tennyson, Browning, Arnold, Dante and Christina Rosetti, Charlotte Bronte, and Dickens. We will do close readings of texts, with short quizzes, papers, and exams as means of evaluation. Emphasis on literary and intellectual history, with attention to the influences of Darwin and Freud. Norton Anthology, plus Jane Eyre, Hard Times,and Civilization and Its Discontents. CHANNEL ISLANDS CAMPUS only.

61162 463A Modern Poetry MWF 10:00 to 10:50 Clendenning
This is a critical study, analysis, and appreciation of poems in English by major American, Irish, and British authors in the first half of the twentieth century. Special emphasis will be given to the poetry of W. B. Yeats, Robert Frost, T. S. Eliot, Walace Stevens, W. H. Auden, and Dylan Thomas, but we will also try to include all poets whose verse merits recurring attention. All these are writers that one hopes to know and enjoy throughout life. This is also a study of "high modernism," and we will devote some time to understanding what that means and why it is important.The format of the course is lecture-discussion. I will present a contextual frame for each poet, but I will expect that students will participate actively in the discussion of individual poets. My job consists in "scaffolding" my goal is to help you become more competent and independent in your reading of poetry. Because modern poetry can be rather daunting, you should, before each meeting, read the poems slated for that day--reading each one several times, aloud if possible. There will be two critical essays (30% each), and a take home final examination (30%). Participation: 10% Our textbooks will be (1) Richard Ellmann and Robert O'Clair, The Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry, 2nd edition (Norton) and (2) Stephen J. Adams, An Introduction to Meters, Verse Forms, and Figures of Speech (Broadview Press).

61201 473 American Literature, 1607-1860 MWF 9:00 to 9:50 Uba
A lecture/discussion survey course focusing on American writers and American traditions in literature from the pre-Colonial period to the period just prior to the Civil War. As well as examining figures such as Franklin, Poe, Emerson, Hawthorne, Melville, and Whitman, the course will concentrate on important contributions of marginalized minority writers, incuding African Americans and American Indians, and on contributions of women writers such as Anne Bradstreet and Harriet Beecher Stowe. The course will emphasize a variety of contemporary critical theories, along with the history of ideas. Final grade based on midterm essays, term paper, final exam, multiple quizzes, and class participation.

61552 474 American Literature, 1860-1912 M 16:20 to 18:50 Andrews
This course will introduce students to some of the themes and issues of American literature and culture in the United States from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of the 20th century. We will read poetry, essays, and fiction dealing with issues of Realism and Naturalism, race relations, gender relations, the advent of corporate capitalism, and the increasing role of machine technology in everyday life. In addition to an anthology of works from the era, we will read the following novels: Kate Chopin's The Awakening, Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Charles Chesnutt's The Marrow of Tradition, and Frank Norris's McTeague. The course grade will be based on exams and short essays.

61163 477 Major American Novelists I MW 11:00 to 11:50 Clendenning
Our study will be limited to three novels of the pre-modernist period: Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, Henry James's The Golden Bowl, and Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy. These works are unusually long and highly complex. By devoting five weeks to each work, we will have an opportunity to examine them with close and careful scrutiny.The format of the course will be lecture-discussion.There will be three one-hour written examinations; each exam will count 30%. The quality of your class participation will count 10%.

61200 478 Major American Novels II TTh 11:00 to 12:15 Stanley
In this course, we will examine the modern and postmodern American Novel. In the twentieth century, many writers have encountered a "broken world" where religious beliefs, social norms, and even material reality are held suspect. In examining this period-a period of including the chaos of two world wars, the Great Depression, the threat of nuclear annihilation-we will explore some of the following questions: How have traditional notions of ontology, human nature, human relationships, time, and language itself been transformed in these novels? What does the author's perception of the world tell us about the culture in which we live? What general hypotheses can we make about the direction the twentieth-century American novel is taking-has the contemporary novel reached a point of exhaustion or a point of renewal? We will examine such works as Hemingway's In Our Time, Olsen's Yonnondio, Wright's Native Son, and Auster's City of Glass. Students will write one short analytic paper (appr.5 pages) and take a midterm and a final exam.

61556 491 Senior Seminar Verse Writing W 16:20 to 18:50 Barresi
Prereq: Seinor Standing.Intensive practice in writing poetry, culminating in the preparation of a collection of poetry. Students will revise and organize their work to produce a finished manuscript of 12-20 poems. Critical study and analysis of student work as well as of published poetry.

61561 493 Senior Honors Tutorial--Literary Influences/Literary Intimacies: The Godwin/Shelley Circle M 16:20 to 18:50 Chatterjee
Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley: as her name testifies, Mary was the daughter of William Godwin and Mary Wollstonecraft and the wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley. Most of us will be familiar with her 1818 novel Frankenstein and her literary intimacies with the so-called second generation of British Romantic poets, namely Percy Shelley and Lord Byron. However, Mary's writings, Godwin's prose and fiction, and Percy's novels and poetry also engage in various "textual dialogues" over Godwinian political justice and Wollstonecraftian liberal feminism. This dialogue is further complicated by each writer's perspective on the absent prematurely dead mother's (Wollstonecraft's) writings.As literary critics, how do we read the works written by a family of writers? Should we be imprisoned by our knowledge of biographical and historical details about the writers? In other words, given our rich knowledge gleaned from letters and diaries of the Godwin-Shelley literary family, how do we incorporate these extra-textual materials into our critical reading of the texts written by the family members?Harold Bloom, a Romantic critic and theorist of deconstruction, famously describes the connections between poets of different eras or generations in terms of a father-son relationship that is marked by an "anxiety of influence." The younger poet and, therefore, son-like figure feels an overwhelming anxiety in the face of the established older poet whose father-like figure dominates the poetic landscape. Sigmund Freud, the preeminent psychoanalyst of family dynamics, describes those works that dramatize such situations as exemplary of the "family romance," fantasies or stories children invent to explain the family situation they find themselves in. Using an eclectic mix of deconstruction, Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis, feminist and queer theories, and cultural studies, we will untangle the web of literary influences across the various writings of the Godwin-Shelley family. Course requirements include 1 short paper, a midterm exam, one 20 minute oral presentation on material not covered in class but related to the class topic, and 1 long research paper. There will also be various short assignments based on our discussions.

61207 495 IBS Isaac Bashevis Singer TTh 14:00 to 15:15 Gross
The life and works of Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904-91), from Eastern European backgrounds to America. Topics include: shtetl life, Jewish mysticism, Yiddish folklore and mythology, the dynastic novel, refugees and survivors of the Second World War. Seminar reports and papers required.

61183 495 TK The Lord of the Rings MW 14:00 to 15:15 Kleinman
This seminar will examine J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings in conjunction with biographical and autobiographical materials about Tolkien, his sources and influences, and published criticism about the book. We will cover such issues as the critical reception of The Lord of the Rings, the genre of fantasy, the nature of evil, language in The Lord of the Rings, and the heroic quest.

61197 495FF Feminism and Fairy Tales TTh 9:30 to 10:50 Stallcup
In this course, we will be examining traditional folk and fairy tales such as Cinderella, Rumpelstiltskin, and Little Red Riding Hood, juxtaposing them with cross-cultural and modern variants. Class discussion will focus around such questions as: What constitutes a "feminist" fairy tale? What gender roles are offered to both female and male characters in these tales? How are traditional gender representations reified? Deconstructed? What new representations are offered? And how are all of these issues played out in the often lavishly illustrated children's books now available? What gender roles-new and old-are these books displaying/creating/disseminating for the child reader? We will examine graphic design elements as well as literary concerns. Course grade based on presentation, critical response journals, term paper, midterm, final exam.

61600 495FM Faulkner and Morrison M 16:20 to 18:50 Stanley
In this discussion-based class, we will be examining the works of two Nobel Laureates: William Faulkner and Toni Morrison. In their acceptance speeches for the Nobel Prize for literature, both writers expressed their thoughts about the ethical impact that literature has had upon society; an in their works, both writers have unrelentingly explored society's spoken and unspoken mores concerning race, class, and gender. Although Morrison, preferring to be linked with an African American literary tradition, often resists being identified with Faulkner, she, nevertheless, did write her masters thesis on Faulkner's works, and a number of critics have noted Faulkner's influence upon her writings. Using the theories of intertextuality, we will explore the ways that Morrison has "signified" upon Faulkner's novels and the ways that both Faulkner and Morrison have signified on the African American tradition. Focusing upon contemporary criticism concerning race, class and gender, we will examine such works as Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury, Absalom, and Go Down, Moses, and Morrison's Beloved, Jazz and Paradise. During the semester, you will write two short analytic papers (app. 5 pages each) and one final critical paper (app. 12-15 pages), and you will present an oral report and take a final exam.

Graduate

600A Restricted College Composition: Theory and Pedagogy T 13:00 to 16:00 Bourgeois
This course is restricted to Teaching Associates. Students will study theoretical and pedagogical issues concerning the teaching of writing at the college level, particularly freshman composition. Students are required to observe composition classes througout the semester. Frequent writing required.

61555 609 Seminar in Poetry Writing Th 19:00 to 22:00 Barresi
Prereq: Qualified standing in the graduate Creative Writing Option, or permission of the instructor.Intensive practice in the advanced writing of poetry. Analysis and criticism of student work, and critical study of published poetry.

61559 622 Seminar on Aspects of Poetry: Wordsworth, Shelley and the Construction of Romanticism T 19:00 to 22:00 Chatterjee
Through an intensive study of the poetry and the crucial prose of William Wordsworth and Percy Bysshe Shelley, this course will reconsider the construction of these two poets, especially by the Yale Critics, as the representatives of the Romantic Age. In particular, we will examine how Wordsworth and Shelley became the preeminent spokesmen of the Romantic canon through the deconstructive readings of Paul de Man, Harold Bloom, Geoffrey Hartman, and J.Hillis Miller. We will then consider what has happened to the Romantic canon in the last twenty years since the heady days of deconstruction.How does our understanding of the significance of Wordsworth's and Percy Shelley's poetry change when we reread their works in the context of the Romantic Age's own discussions of gender, slavery, class, history, and empire? How do our ideologies affect our interpretation of Romantic poetry? This is a question that Jerome McGann investigated in his book on Romantic ideologies that we will also read. In this course we will always read the poetry with an awareness of how our readings shape and form the Romantic canon. Course requirements will include class discussion, 1 short paper, 1 in-class oral presentation with an annotated bibliography, and 1 long research paper. The oral presentation will be on a work not covered in class but related to the topics under consideration.

61573 630 ML Medieval Literature W 16:20 to 18:50 Kleinman
The texts in this syllabus are not meant as a comprehensive survey of medieval literature; to take them as such would be like reading a few science fiction novels and concluding that all contemporary literature is like science fiction. Nevertheless, the texts selected here represent an important feature of the English literary world from the mid thirteenth century to the end of the fourteenth: the convergence of aesthetics and politics in the aristocratic court. We will look at the development of English courtly culture and its impact on the literature of the period.

Last Update: 24 June, 2003