UPPER-LEVEL ENGLISH COURSE DESCRIPTIONS: SPRING 2018

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1 UPPER-LEVEL ENGLISH COURSE DESCRIPTIONS: SPRING 2018 NOTE TO STUDENTS: For dual-level courses offered at both 500-level and 700-level, the 500-level courses are appropriate for upper-division undergraduates and 700-level courses are appropriate for graduate students and undergraduate seniors. Consult your undergraduate advisor or the Graduate Director regarding the best level at which to enroll. ENGL 301: Technical/Professional Writing Dr. Greene or Dr. Hermansson or Dr. Jorgenson Borchert English 301 Technical/Professional Writing is designed for those students who will be writing in the professional, business, and technical professions. In addition to reading professional writing case studies in order to learn rhetorical strategies used in common business writing situations, you will also learn how to create correspondence, descriptions, instructions, reports, and electronic presentations; how to design documents; and how to incorporate graphics into your documents. ENGL 302: Advanced Composition Dr. Judd Advanced Composition has three main goals: to become conversant with Classical rhetoric, to develop skills for assessing quality of writing, and to hone individual writing skills by employing elements of rhetoric and style. During the semester, you will demonstrate your understanding of Classical rhetoric, your ability to assess quality of writing, and your ability to successfully employ aspects of rhetoric and style in your own writing through application in specific writing assignments. ENGL 308: English Linguistics Dr. Morgan This course is an introduction to the study of language and to the principles and methods of linguistics, the scientific study of language. We will spend some time early on discussing foundational questions about the nature of language and its relation to the mind and the world. The course develops and strengthens skills in logical reasoning and problem solving, which are invaluable in any field. This course is designed to be a first course in linguistics, and, thus, no prior knowledge of linguistics is assumed. The goals of the class are, first and foremost, to explain the basic linguistic components of language. Thus, we will examine how words in English are formed, determine what the sounds of the language are, and identify how they behave in everyday speech. Over the course of the semester, we will also discuss the major areas of the field, including, but not limited to, phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics and psycholinguistics. ENGL 315: Mythology Dr. Judd The objective of this course is to introduce students to Classical (Greek and Roman) and Norse mythology. Because mythic archetypes are commonly used in literature and film for thematic purposes and because the narrative structures of myths and folklore stories are common to many modern plot structures, mythology can be useful for understanding both

2 modern literature and film. Through the course of this study, students should be able to identify and explain the various myth elements, from characters and stories to archetypes and narrative structures. ENGL 320: Literature and Film Dr. Hermansson This course introduces students to literary analysis and the basics of film "grammar" used in storytelling in order to make sense of the complex processes of adapting a work of literature into film. Students study a range of literature from at least two genres (for example: a number of short stories and a section of a Shakespearean play studied across multiple film adaptations) and methods of analyzing their adaptations in an informed way. The issues with fidelity (how "faithful" or "true" a film adaptation is) are contextualized in order to understand the limits of fidelity as an evaluative tool and a more neutral, descriptive language for adaptation is implemented. The course studies early, historical examples of film adaptation as well as up to date examples and introduces students to the many reasons why film has turned to literature for material. Students learn also to implement many of these techniques themselves in other media by way of storyboards, short screenplays, film pitches including casting and locations work, and even short film. This course does not require previous knowledge of literature or film. It can be taken for General Education credit. It can be taken by English majors even after having taken ENGL 304. It has obvious benefits for BSE students as well, who will be teaching in English classrooms using film as a resource. ENGL 347: Craft of Fiction Dr. Dearinger A study of the elements of craft in fiction as they apply to contemporary fiction. Students will read and write about these elements in the context of both the short story and the novel. Prerequisite: ENGL 250. ENGL 352: Poetry Writing Dr. Anderson In a small class setting, students will write original poetry, give and receive feedback in a workshop context, and discuss the craft of writing seen in professional contemporary American poetry. This course prepares students for further work in creative writing, but also benefits those who may teach creative writing at the high school or college levels. Poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers will benefit from close work with diction, imagery, figurative language, editing, and revision. Poetry Writing meets concurrently with Advanced Poetry Writing (ENGL 452). ENGL 452: Advanced Poetry Writing Dr. Anderson See listing under ENGL 352. Students enrolling in 452 will give more attention to essays on the craft of poetry writing and will have enhanced leadership responsibilities in the course. Those enrolling in ENGL 452 should have already taken ENGL

3 3 ENGL 478: Literature for Middle and Secondary Schools Dr. Franklin Criteria and methods for selection, evaluation, analysis, and presentation of adolescent literature. Themes and trends in children's literature; history, tradition, and current themes and trends in adolescent literature. ENGL 480: Internship Dr. Franklin, supervisor Experience for students planning to become teachers. Field experience in the secondary classroom to complement competencies addressed in departmental methods courses. Prerequisites: Concurrent enrollment in ENGL 478 Literature for Middle and Secondary Schools or ENGL 479 Techniques for Teaching English in Middle and Secondary Schools is required. Must be taken immediately prior to ENGL 579 Supervised Student Teaching and Follow-Up of Teachers. ENGL 526: Writing in Electronic Environments Dr. Jorgensen Borchert This course examines the emerging practices of writing in digital environments such as social media, web sites, blogs, and mobile apps. A rhetorical approach will be used to discuss digital writing practices and spaces. Major assignments include a collaborative remix, writing technologies autobiography, mini-challenges that encourage collaboration and critique of new media, and a final project that focuses on examining a kairotic moment in digital communication. ENGL 526 meets concurrently with ENGL 726. ENGL 528:Writing for Publication I Editing Dr. Patterson The principles of copyediting, proofreading, and comprehensive editing through both traditional copymarking and electronic editing; also includes document production and project management. ENGL 558: Topics in Film Korean Wave Dr. Zepernick Want a chance to talk about your favorite dramas, actors, idols, and variety shows? Put your expertise to work analyzing Korea s culture industry and cultural exports! Course topics Korea s culture industry and the role of fan culture in promoting and sustaining international consumption of Korean popular culture. Acting, cinematography, and the conventions of visual storytelling in Korean television, film, and music videos. Representations of Korean-ness, social class, gender, and the cultural logic of conflict and resolution. The role of Korean television and music in exporting Korean history, culture, social values, and commercial products. Foreign (particularly US) influences on Korean drama and kpop. The course will include regular assigned readings and viewings, short response papers, a class presentation, and a semester project. Required text: Hallyu 2.0: The Korean Wave in the Age of Social Media, by Sangjoon Lee and Abé Markus Nornes.

4 ENGL 560: British Genre Drama Dr. McCallum ENGL 560: British Drama will survey major and representative dramatic works in a variety of sub-genres from the late-medieval period through the late twentieth century. By semester s end, students will be able to recognize the tell-tale formal and performative conventions of the several sub-genres; be able to trace in the evolution of these select British dramatic works the larger historical, social, intellectual, and literary forces that shaped and responded to them and their authors; and be able to conduct academic research into critical questions raised by their reading and discussion. ENGL 566: American Theme American Environmental Literature Dr. Anderson This course examines how literary texts (nonfiction, fiction, and poetry) depict nature and the human-nonhuman relationship. We will consider, for example, contrasting images of the land as a natural resource vs. land as sacred space, and nature as threatening vs. nature as inspiring. We ll also think about how nature writing relates to broader historical events, from the clearing of frontier lands in the nineteenth century to current debates regarding environmental policy. Students will gain a better understanding of subtopics such as the environmental justice movement, deep ecology philosophy, ecofeminism, cultural animal studies, and ecocriticism as a form of literary theory. We ll also give some attention to visual media such as nineteenth-century landscape paintings and twentieth-century films depicting environmental apocalypse. Authors covered will include classic nature writers such as Henry David Thoreau and Aldo Leopold as well as contemporary authors such as Annie Dillard, Terry Tempest Williams, Wendell Berry, and Mary Oliver. Depending on interest, we may even venture outdoors for a stroll through the woods. (This course can be counted for credit in the following programs: Sustainability, Society, and Resource Management; and Women s and Gender Studies.) ENGL 751: Senior Fiction Writing Prof. Martin Senior Fiction Writing is a senior-level fiction workshop that meets concurrently with the graduate level workshop (ENGL 850). Since it is a workshop class, students will write 2 to 3 stories of around 12 to 15 pages each, and will submit these stories to the class for workshop discussion. Students will write short responses and marginal manuscript notes for each workshopped story. Additionally, students will read short fiction by professional writers and also fiction theory. Students will also review literary magazines, about which they ll give a short, informal presentation. Texts: The Art of the Short Story and The Best American Short Stories. ENGL 771: Major Authors Toni Morrison and William Faulkner Dr. Cox Toni Morrison and William Faulkner are both renowned for their ability to craft prose that offers profound insights about American identity. Both write about racial injustice, sexual violence, family ties, and the effects of secrets on communities and individuals. In spite of these points of comparison, the two writers are very different, both biographically and stylistically. Morrison s experience as an African American woman who is both selfsupporting and a single parent, undoubtedly shapes her subject position as an author. 4

5 Likewise, Faulkner, the grandson of a white Southern slave-owner, who was raised by African American domestic servants, has a radically different set of experiences that inform his perspectives as he writes. This course explores several novels by each writer in conversation, which highlights these divergent perspectives and the ways each informs the use of language, the construction of plot, the innovation of form, and the style of characterization in their fiction. This course fulfills requirements for American literature in all emphases for English majors, and counts as elective credit for students seeking certificates and minors in Women s and Gender Studies. ENGL 820: Creative Writing Theory Prof. Washburn Readings from classic and contemporary poets and fiction writers discussing theoretical approaches to creative writing, with particular attention to theories of craft and composition. Through discussion, writing, presentations, exams, and a mentoring project, students will gain a thorough understanding of creative writing theory and consider how the assigned texts might be applied to their own creative work. ENGL 845: Problems in Teaching Composition Dr. Judd This course is open only to Graduate Teaching Assistants in the Department of English and Modern Languages. A two-semester enrollment is required in the first year of the teaching assistantship. ENGL 845 provides new Graduate Teaching Assistants a basic understanding of key strategies and techniques for teaching writing and provides applied and practical guidance on such matters as planning instruction, responding to and evaluating writing, creating writing assignments, conferencing with students, creating and guiding an effective classroom teaching and learning environment, and attending to the "nuts and bolts" issues of classroom practice. Students will be responsible for leading class discussion on required readings in the textbook and ancillary materials, and they will write reading journals over that material. Content varies by semester. ENGL 850: Creative Writing Workshop Fiction Prof. Martin Creative Writing Workshop (Fiction) is a graduate-level fiction workshop that meets concurrently with the senior undergraduate workshop (ENGL 751). The course is open to all graduate students, presuming they have some fiction writing background, but grad students who are not in the Creative Writing fiction program should enroll at the 751 level. Since it is a workshop class, students will write 2 to 3 stories of around 12 to 15 pages each, and will submit these stories to the class for workshop discussion. Students will write short responses and marginal manuscript notes for each workshopped story. Additionally, students will read short fiction by professional writers and also fiction theory. Students will also review literary magazines, about which they ll give a short, informal presentation. Texts: The Art of the Short Story and The Best American Short Stories. ENGL 875: Seminar Gender and Sexuality in Literature Dr. Cox This graduate seminar asks students to consider and apply a range theoretical approaches from feminist and queer literary criticism to canonical literary texts and contemporary 5

6 works of fiction, comics and film. Students will cultivate close reading skills with the literary and popular texts as they also become more comfortable with the challenges of reading theoretical texts. The written work for this class will be practically oriented, and the writing instruction will work to highlight opportunities for extracurricular conference presentation and/or publication in appropriate journals and edited collections. This course counts as an elective for students in the Film and Media Studies minor and in Women s and Gender Studies minors and certificate programs; it also fulfills the seminar requirement of the Master s program in English. 6

Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes Gold 2000 Correlated to Nebraska Reading/Writing Standards, (Grade 9)

Prentice Hall Literature: Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes Gold 2000 Correlated to Nebraska Reading/Writing Standards, (Grade 9) Nebraska Reading/Writing Standards, (Grade 9) 12.1 Reading The standards for grade 1 presume that basic skills in reading have been taught before grade 4 and that students are independent readers. For