WINTER 2017
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
ENGLISH 101 - WRITING AND CRITICAL INQUIRY (5) ACOM $8.14 fee
Prereq: Placement into English 101 through the Admissions Office (The university grants an exemption to
students with appropriate scores on AP/IB tests, but these students may find the course beneficial for
expanding their range of writing and rhetorical competencies. Students who desire or who may benefit from
additional preparation and practice before taking English 101 are invited to enroll in English 100). English 101
must be completed with a "C-" grade; a grade of at least “C” usually required for transfer.
DESCRIPTION:
English 101 or Writing and Critical Inquiry is a ten week, computer-assisted, writing course, usually required
during students’ first year of university. We call English 101 Writing & Critical Inquiry because academic and
scholarly writing at its best expects us to do more than simply communicate information — we must transform
information by our own thinking. “Critical” means asking questions about our own and other people’s
assumptions and perspectives, questions that lead to taking a second and third look at a subject in order to
tease out implications that might not be obvious on the surface. This is part of the analytical process that asks
us to seek out the complex reasons behind how and why things work the way they do, and what the
implications are for ourselves and the community or communities of which we are a part. But because writing
also asks us to predict what happens in the minds of others when they encounter our words, this course also
focuses on developing rhetorical awareness—the ability to perceive the most appropriate way to communicate
in a given situation, both here at Western and beyond.
REQUIREMENTS: Reading of scholarly, visual, and non-fiction texts. Frequent critical and reflective practice
writing assignments and longer essays (5-7 pages) that require an extensive idea-generating, drafting,
revising, and editing process; mandatory attendance and regularly scheduled conferences with instructor.
Various Instructors & Times. May not be taken concurrently with Eng 100.
ENGLISH 110 – WRITING, DESIGNING, REMIXING WITH WESTERN READS (2)
Restricted to Freshmen only for Phase 1 of registration.
12393 MW 10:00-10:50 am (Mondays in HU 109, Wednesdays in HH 112)
In this computer-mediated writing course, students respond to the Western Reads text by constructing and
designing different kinds of print, visual, and oral texts. This course is recommended for freshmen.
ENGLISH 201 – WRITING IN THE HUMANITIES: ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING (5) CCOM $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 101 or 4/5 AP English Language Exam
11110 TR 10:00-11:50 am +1hr/wk arr (Tues in HH 112) (Thurs in MH 113) SHANNON KELLY
This course explores the ways writing and environments, particularly what we might call "green
spaces," interact and even create one another. We’ll explore, trace, and question environmental concerns, and
how our writing constructs the very environments we occupy. So it might be more accurate to call the course
Writing Environments, which might sound kind of strange. But here’s what I mean: environments can occupy a
seemingly mundane position in our lives, yet the ways we approach and describe them shapes and creates
those same environments. For example, a conservationist and an environmentalist differently approach and
describe the same forest, and it becomes a different forest, even though, again, it’s the same physical location.
In other words, their work to describe the forest composes new knowledge – rather than merely report what
seems readily apparent. So, for you, this means that rather than reporting on "the environment," plan on
spending time outside in order to write and, so, create your own environmental concerns.
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ENGLISH 202 - WRITING ABOUT LITERATURE (5) BCOM $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 101
10066 MWF 8:30-9:50 am CHRISTOPHER LOAR
WRITING ABOUT LITERATURE: FINE LINES: WRITING LOVE AND HATE
Among the most powerful and persistent themes of poetry, drama, and fiction has been love in its many forms:
love as passion; love as erotic desire; love as an unhealthy obsession; love for family and friends; love for the
self. Love's equally potent counterpart is hatred, and hate inspires its own share of extraordinary writing and
storytelling. And, of course, some forms of "forbidden" or transgressive love inspire hatred in others. And,
sometimes, love and hate are closely interwoven; as an old song lyric says, telling them apart can be like trying
to divide ice from snow.
In this course, we use the terms "love" and "hatred" very broadly as a way to consider a range of poems,
dramatic texts, and works of fiction. We will not learn what love is, nor will we try to define hatred with
precision. But we will learn a great deal about how writers have depicted these powerful and complex
emotions. What is at stake in a story of love? Why are we interested tales of hatred?
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Reading assignments; formal and informal writing assignments; active engagement in class discussions.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Baldwin, Giovanni's Room
McCarthy, The Road
Shakespeare, King Lear
(Plus a course reader including poems and short fiction)
10253 MWF 10:00-11:20 am LAURA LAFFRADO
WRITING ABOUT LITERATURE: US LITERATURES BETWEEN THE CIVIL WAR AND WWI
CONTENT: This course focuses on works written by American authors in the decades after the US Civil War
(finally) ended but before the beginning of WWI. We will draw on a wide range of genres to consider how works
written between two major wars may challenge our definition(s) of what "American" means and what “literature”
means. We will examine roles of female and male discourse, race, region, and class. We will explore the
various ways in which America and American identities are defined and attempt to arrive at a deeper
understanding of the influences that shaped US writings during this period.
ASSIGNMENTS: Much reading and thinking will be asked of you, along with writing, editing, revision, steady
attendance, participation, group work, and essays.
EVALUATION: Final grades will be based on the essays, class participation, and attendance.
TEXTS:
Lauter, Paul (ed.), The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Volume C
Laffrado, Laura (ed.), Selected Writings of Ella Higginson: Inventing Pacific Northwest Literature
10783 MWF 11:30-12:50 pm MICHAEL BELL
This section of English 202 involves critical inquiry into the literary “effect”: the power of narrative to construct
and inform our worldly experience, even our reality. To sometimes great extent, we model our identities on
stories, and form our expectations, assumptions, and judgments from them. By making connection to our
experiences and histories, stories illuminate the world, permitting us to see more texture and variety and
possibility in our lives. The stories we read in this course will range from historical fiction to graphic novels to
contemporary fantasy. Through intensive reading, discussion, activity, and writing we will further develop our
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ability to make meaning from literary texts, focusing our analyses through formal critical practices as well as
rigorous play and experimentation. You will emerge from the course a stronger analytic writer and reader with
greater appreciation of the power of literature to bring you to deeper self-knowledge and increased awareness
of a wider, richer, more complex world.
REQUIRED TEXTS: Armada, Ernest Cline; The Sheperd’s Crown, Terry Pratchett; Bellman & Black, Diane
Setterfield; The Resurrectionist; EB Hudspeth; 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; Jules Verne
ASSIGNMENTS: In addition to reading assignments and participation in class activities, requirements will
comprise one formal analytical paper (including multiple drafts), a variety informal writing assignments,
participation in online forums, and a final project.
11113 MWF 1:00-2:20 pm CATHY McDONALD
WRITING ABOUT LITERATURE: FROM FICTION TO FILM: STORIES OF THE EVERYDAY
In college classes, studying literature involves reading fictional representations that reflect and interrogate the
human condition. Works of literature create messages about the world. To interpret meaning, those who read
and write about literature use an analytic method (called “doing a close reading”) and an analytic genre (called
“literary analysis” or “criticism”) that we will study. English 202 is a composition course that offers instruction in
writing about figurative language, signs, and symbols.
To focus our study of this genre, this section of English 202 will explore essential questions about the function
of literary texts. Why are we drawn to fiction and film? What stories do they tell us (or leave out) of our daily
lives? Assuming that sites of everyday experience are worthy of intellectual analysis, we will look at fictional
portrayals—not of the high and heroic—but of the everyday workings of our lives. We will practice doing close
readings in order to write about pieces of fiction (a short story, a novel, and even a play) that have been made
into films. Along the way we will raise questions about the three course themes: stories of the everyday, our
addiction to fiction, and the differences between film and print narratives.
Learning Objectives—I hope you’ll take away an enriched understanding of 1) how fictional texts can increase
our understanding of everyday experiences, 2) the role and importance of narrative, 3) how to do close
reading, 4) how to write about figurative language and texts, and 5) to enjoy our intellectual journey along the
way.
11111 TR 10:00-11:50 am + 1hr/wk arr TONY PRICHARD
11112 TR 2:00-3:50 pm +1hr/wk arr TONY PRICHARD
WRITING ABOUT LITERATURE: SEEING THINGS
This course looks to that place where literature and madness overlap---texts that either address characters
hallucinating or texts that claim to produce madness. We will inquire into the differences between madness,
weirdness and that which is yet to be articulated and made habitual. We will examine at a variety of novels,
short stories and the films.
Chambers, Robert. The King in Yellow (available free on Gutenberg.org)
Shadows of Carcosa: Tales of Cosmic Horror by Lovecraft, Chambers, Machen, Poe, and Other Masters of the
Weird
Strugastsky, Arkaday & Boris. The Dead Mountaineer’s Hotel
Wyndham, John. Chocky
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13243 TR 12:00 - 1:50 pm +1hr/wk arr KATHRYN TRUEBLOOD
WRITING ABOUT LITERATURE: CLASSICS OF THE SIXTIES
So many movements emerged from the crucible of the 1960s—the Anti-War Movement, The Free Speech
Movement, New Journalism, Civil Rights, Feminism, Gay Rights, Environmentalism, and Postmodernism.
Students will have the opportunity to consider how this literature has shaped our national discourse as well as
our individual lives. The theoretical approach to the class will provide historical context and apply race-classand-gender analysis to the literary texts to enable students to understand the readings as the products of
particular moments and the role of art in revolutionary social movements. Students will learn how to find a
genuine stake in the readings and undertake the many stages a critical essay goes through on its way to
becoming a polished and persuasive interpretation.
TEXTS:
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
They Say/I Say: by Graff & Birkenstein
*Selected readings on CANVAS
ENGLISH 214 – SHAKESPEARE (5) HUM $1.85 fee
11053 MWF 10:00-11:20 am CHRISTOPHER PATTON
INTRODUCTION TO SHAKESPEARE: PAGE AND STAGE
To study Shakespeare is to study ourselves. Our language is full of his turns of phrase. His drama informs our
drama, our cinema, and our TV shows, from South Park to Game of Thrones to Westworld. We’re going to
explore just how current Shakespeare is by putting his plays into action—sometimes from the page (in ear and
mind), sometimes on the stage (for eye and ear). Which brings us to the fine print. And it’s important enough to
start with some big print. PLEASE TAKE NOTE. This is not your usual GUR. There will be no lectures. There
will be no midterm exam. There will be no final exam. There will be a whole lot of discussion; writing,
memorization, and recitation assignments; blocking projects; scansion quizzes; and a group performance
project worth a big fat chunk of your grade. You’ll be asked to memorize a part and to perform, in character, in
front of your peers, although acting ability is not a prerequisite. Do not sign up for this course if you’re not ready
to attend every class and to participate actively in all aspects of our work together. If you are so ready, we
should have a lot of fun. Our plays: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, Othello, The Tempest.
ENGLISH 216 – AMERICAN LITERATURE (5) HUM $1.85 fee
12394 MWF 11:30-12:50 pm PAM HARDMAN
CONTENT: In this course we will explore various works written by writers in the United States from the 1600spresent. We will look at each work in its cultural context, discussing how such issues as race, class, science,
gender and religion influence the written text. We will question assumptions about the literature itself and the
American society that produced it.
ASSIGNMENTS: Mid-term and final exams; weekly response questions; final group zine project
TEXTS: Norton Anthology of American Literature one-volume 8th edition
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ENGLISH 236 – ASIAN-AMERICAN LITERATURES (5) BCGM $1.85 fee
12399 TR 10:00-11:50 am +1hr/wk arr NING YU
ASIAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE THROUGH LITERATURE
Instructor: Prof. Ning Yu
Office: HU 313 Phone: x-2887
Class time: TTh: 10:00-11:50 Office Hours: TTh 12:00-13:30
Classroom: AH 04
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Some of the most significant and powerful writings in contemporary American literature are produced by
Asian Americans, people who, or whose parents or grand parents, came from China, Japan, Korea, India, the
Philippines and other Asian countries. This course will focus on two major events in Asian American history, the
construction of the transcontinental railroad and the internment camps during W.W.II. Using both written and
visual texts, students learn to see and criticize how ideology permeates texts, how contesting voices in the texts
either reinforce or challenge the established oppressive social structure, and how cultural ignorance and
misunderstanding may worsen ideological conflicts. Stereotypical presentations of Asian Americans as "Other" in
popular culture are juxtaposed with the self-portrayals by serious Asian American writers who search for individual
as well as group identities. We will start with Gary Okihiro's excellent theory on "margins and mainstreams," and
then we will study five written and four visual texts closely, looking for patterns of presentation. Eventually,
students may want to change the cliche of "the big melting pot" into a less violent metaphor, a huge salad bowl, for
example, and they will learn to appreciate the truly diverse nature, especially the bitter sweetness of an Asian
American flavor. 6 quizzes, 3 discussion questions written and submitted on three different texts, with two full
pages of written response to each question.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1. Careful reading. Read thoroughly and thoughtfully all assignments for each class meeting as
scheduled, attend class regularly, recommend discussion topics and participate actively in class discussions and
exercises. 13% of grade. I will run this large class as a discussion forum, and therefore student participation is
very important. If a student has more than three unexcused absences from class, his/her final grade will not be
higher than B- no matter how well he or she does in other areas of the class. Your thoughtful response to
questions written by your peers are especially important in this area.
2. Take a series of 6 quizzes on the reading assignments. 7% for each quiz, 42% of grade for all the
quizzes. The quizzes are mostly factual.
3. At three different times in the quarter, you are required to write a thought-provoking question on a
particular reading assignment (time and assignment decided in the first meeting of class). When it is your turn,
you will post your question on the blackboard by 9 the night before the class meets. In class, for about ten
minutes, you’ll lead the discussion of your questions. These questions must be insightful and thought-provoking
so as to generate lively discussions. To do this well, you are required to write two full pages of response to your
own question. You should NOT post the written response on the blackboard but will submit it to the instructor after
class. As the process will be repeated by each student three times, you will be submitting 3 two-page responses
through the whole quarter. Your question should be open-ended, inviting your peers to ask further questions and
in your attempt to answer those questions you lead the discussion into a higher, more sophisticated level. You are
expected to be the authoritative expert when you’re leading, so it’s a good idea to do some outside research. 10 %
of grade for each question/response; a total 30%.
4. We will view 6 films during the quarter, for the first five of which, you are required to identify two
concepts (for example, margin/main-stream, orientalism/hegemony, men/women, civilization/ wilderness,
reason/emotion, superior/inferior, us/them, yellow/ white, nature/construct, identity/role) that are particularly
relevant to the understanding of a part of the plot, of a character, or of motifs in the film. Be prepared to explain the
relevance in class to your peers and instructor. Write it down and submit it to the instructor at the end of our
planned discussion of the film. If you somehow missed a class meeting, you must view the film on your own and
submit your note in the instructor’s office to make sure that that part of grade is entered into the computer. 3%
each; totally 15%. The written notes will be checked, but not graded.
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ENGLISH 270 – LANGUAGE & SOCIETY: LANGUAGE AND SUSTAINABILITY (5) HUM $1.85 fee
11208 TR 10:00-11:50 am +1hr/wk arr KRISTIN DENHAM
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This Humanities GUR offers “a thematic approach to the study of language use in
society;” this year’s course will explore themes of language and dialect endangerment around the world, and
the internal and external factors that lead a community’s language or dialect to be replaced.
REQUIRED TEXT. Endangered Languages: An introduction. Sarah G. Thomason. Cambridge Univeristy
Press, 2015. Other readings provided as pdfs on Canvas.
ENGLISH 282 – GLOBAL LITERATURES (5) HUM $1.85 fee
13104 TR 2:00-3:50 pm +1hr/wk arr CHRISTOPHER WISE
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will explore literature in the West African setting from the pre-colonial era to the present, including
the manuscripts of Timbuktu, the griot epic, and novel. Students will write in-class responses to the reading, a
mid-term exam, and a final exam. Regular attendance and group work will be required.
TEXTS:
The Book of Genesis
Wise, The Timbuktu Chronicles: Al Hajj Mahmud Kati’s Tarikh al fattash
Hale & Malio, The Epic of Askia Mohammed
Wise, The Desert Shore: Literatures of the Sahel
Zongo, The Parachute Drop
Ngugi, The River Between
Ba, So Long A Letter
Sankara, Thomas Sankara Speaks
FILMS:
Sissoko, La genese
Sembene Ousmane, Xala
ENGLISH 301 – WRITING STUDIES: OPEN LETTERS LIVE! (5) $1.85 fee
WRITING PROFICIENCY (WP3)
Prereq: Eng 101; junior standing
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH MAJORS & WRITING STUDIES MINORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOV. 15.
10495 TR 12:00-1:50 pm +1hr/wk arr DONNA QUALLEY
Dear Prospective English 301 Colleagues or To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to provide you with information about the writing studies course I am offering winter quarter. “Open
Letters Live” is a studio writing course in non-fiction prose style that uses the genre of the open letter as a
primary vehicle. The aim of this studio is to expand your rhetorical awareness and increase your stylistic
flexibility. We’ll focus on those elements of writing that normally escape our attention: the individual words, the
shape and placement of our sentences, the different ways we can string these words and sentences together,
and the effects all these choices can have for our readers. To help us keep our readers in the forefront of our
minds, we’ll be working with a genre that has a dual audience. Open letters are always addressed to a specific
person, group, entity or even “thing,” but they are intended for circulation to wider audience. As you will
discover, individuals, groups, organizations, and companies write open letters to serve a number of purposes:
To share, to inform to explain, to critique, to incite. Some letters can get quite lengthy, but we will limit
ourselves to shorter missives (of approximately 300-700 words) so that we can focus on style.
As a genre, open letters have been around for centuries.** However, the number of people writing open letters
has catapulted since the advent of the internet, blogging and self-publishing. Interestingly, entire websites now
devote themselves to collecting and publishing open letters. In order to understand the reasons people turn to
the genre of the letter, we’ll also consider letters that were originally written to a private audience but have
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since moved into the public domain. We’ll read examples of different letters that I will make available on
Canvas and study style moves from our required text, Performing Prose by Chris Holcomb and Jimmie
Killingsworth.
Since we will meet in a computer lab, a good part of our class time will be spent in studio or “production” mode
where you will have the opportunity to try on, emulate, and experiment with an ever-accumulating repertoire of
rhetorical moves gained from our reading, I’ll be moving around the studio, peering over your shoulder or
sitting next to you, sometimes making an observation or offering a suggestion. What happens when you write it
this way? Or that way? What difference does it make? For whom might it make a difference? How can small
changes sometimes create big rhetorical effects? At the end of the course we will celebrate your good work
with a “Letters Live!” performance and a digital Style Gallery of selected letters and accompanying analyses.
Looking forward to meeting you!
Donna
*P.S. Just curious, how did you pronounce the word “live” in the title? With a long “i” or short “i”? What difference does your
pronunciation make to your understanding of this phrase (By the way, both pronunciations are correct in terms of what this class is
about). Of course, had I opted to rewrite the phrase as “Live Open Letters,” my guess is that there would have been no confusion in
pronunciation or meaning. Words and the ways we string them together make a difference.
**P.P.S. From Martin Luther’s “Open Letter on Translation” to Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” to this year’s
Western Reads book, Ta-Neishi Coates’ Between the World and Me, writers have opted to use the genre of the open letter to
express their views and tell their stories.
ENGLISH 302 – INTRODUCTION TO TECHNICAL & PROFESSIONAL WRITING (5) $8.14 fee
WRITING PROFICIENCY (WP3)
Prereq: Eng 101; junior standing
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH MAJORS & WRITING STUDIES MINORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOV. 15.
10097 TR 8:00-9:50 am +1hr/wk arr MICHAEL BELL
In this section of English 302 you’ll develop your skill in generating reader-centered documents that work:
documents that do things as well as say things, performing specific functions for specific kinds of readers.
Given that so much of our culture now communicates and conducts its business in the visual realm, your work
in the course will be focused as much on document design as written language. Through this work you will gain
an understanding of how all the elements of a document work together to communicate within specific
contexts, for specific audiences.
English 302 is not simply a skills-acquisition course however. It’s also a course about ideas. We will use
technical communication as a field in which to conduct analytic inquiry appropriate to study in the humanities.
The course is organized around a sequence of projects, each of them focusing on an aspect of professional
communication, but all of them will work within a guiding framework. This spring the analytic component of the
course will take us into a study of games and the culture surrounding them: from board games, to collectible
card games, to table-top role-playing games, to social-media games, to video games. As a student of the
course, you will be teaming with other students on a series of documents, presentations, and prototypes
leading to the development of an original tabletop game. The design of your game will be based in part on
contemporary game studies and critiques. Every stage of this inquiry will generate documents in accord with
the guidelines of effective technical and professional communication. (And yes, we will be playing games in
class!)
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You will emerge from the course with the ability to respond effectively to the requirements of technical
communication. You will also have a complex understanding of what is becoming a vital aspect of our
contemporary culture.
There are no required texts.
10466 TR 10:00-11:50 am +1hr/wk arr SIMON McGUIRE
10801 TR 2:00-3:50 pm +1hr/wk arr SIMON McGUIRE
This writing intensive course invites you to explore what is technical about technical writing. Course projects
allow you to analyze and create technical documents that relate to your academic, professional and social
interests. Projects emphasize rhetorical analysis, document design, user testing, and the practical and cultural
implications of your choices as a writer. Throughout the course, you’ll learn to re-imagine the page, to edit and
revise documents for visual impact, and to view readers as information users with specific needs. We will also
examine and utilize fundamental concepts in technical writing such as readability/usability, page layout and
visual rhetoric, and the importance of defining your audience before you write. A primary goal in the course is
to plan and complete a final portfolio of technically well-designed documents you can use in your professional
and personal lives beyond the classroom: resumes and cover letters, memos, brochures and newsletters,
interpretive material, instructional documents, grant proposals, online documents, and visual representations of
data.
10557 TR 10:00-11:50 am +1hr/wk arr ANDREW LUCCHESI
The work of professional and technical writing is often sustained by change. Professional and technical writers
adapt to change and invent ways to work. They are expected to analyze organizations and institutions in order
to both locate and solve problems. So in this course, we will be developing strategies for building solvable
problems and working to creatively communicate solutions.
One fundamental question addressed in this class
is ‘What do professional and technical writers do?’ ‘What is their practice?’ Professional and technical writers
are not simply scribes. They are an integral part of the creation of new ideas and they often articulate some of
the most important parts of our culture. Through the course, we will read definitions of professional and
technical writing from academic and professional perspectives. We will also research in a way that allows us to
add our own understandings of ourselves as professional and technical writers. Who do we write and design
for? What capacities and competencies must we possess? What problems do we invent and work to solve?
Learning to ask such questions is crucial for your own development as a writer. So we will constantly question
what the professional and technical writer does in a variety of situations, which means writing will not be a
passive activity in this class. You will learn to actively question all the writing you do.
Much our work will focus on one large, ongoing project that requires you to engage with technical issues
related to being a college student now. The project is made up of several component parts, which will include
written design plans, progress reports, interview transcripts, web-text drafts, proposals, and several reflective
pieces. This project will give you a hands-on understanding of how theories of rhetoric, language, and
information technology coalesce.
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10626 TR 12:00-1:50 pm +1hr/wk arr GERI FORSBERG
11802 TR 2:00-3:50 pm +1hr/wk arr GERI FORSBERG
English 302 is the English department’s introductory 300-level course in technical writing. It is a 5 credit
workshop course which requires 15 hours of work per week. English 302 emphasizes the writer-reader
relationship in a variety of academic and non-academic writing situations. As a writing intensive course,
students learn to identify a target audience, develop objectives for their written documents, organize the
content of their documents and revise documents for readability. Students write a resume, letters, memos,
instructions, a brochure, and a proposal. Students also learn to work in small groups, collaborate on writing,
and make an oral presentation. The final project in this course is a professional portfolio which provides
examples of the writer’s strongest work.
Through course readings and discussion, we will address such questions as:
How is technical writing creative?
What is “technical” writing, and how is it different from academic writing?
Why is professional and technical writing on the rise?
How can I use my professional and technical writing to help myself and others?
What are the challenges and opportunities of collaborative writing?
Why is proofreading, revising, and editing so important?
What writing strategies improve reader usability?
What are my legal and ethical responsibilities as a writer?
10711 TR 12:00-1:50 pm +1hr/wk arr MARGARET (MARGI) FOX
TEXT: Reserved material and online sources
COURSE DESCRIPTION
 Have you found conflicting advice about writing résumés and cover letters?
 Are you trying to determine how the skills and knowledge you’ve gained in college apply in the “real
world?”
 Do you wonder what sounding professional means?
 Are you curious about how to bring creativity and humor into professional and technical writing?
In English 302, we’ll address these questions and more. We’ll begin with the main elements of technical and
professional writing, or writing in action. We’ll consider the needs and interests of readers and the purposes of
documents. Other course topics will include the importance of document design and strategies for sentence
clarity and brevity. We’ll also explore public writing and interpretation—with hiking field trips.
During this writing intensive course, we’ll create résumés and cover letters, information sheets, brochures, and
proposals. The class covers the elusive topics of imagination and empathy, examining the relationship
between these subjects and professional writing. Final portfolios of revised projects will showcase the
quarter’s work.
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ENGLISH 308 – SEMINAR IN LITERATURE & CULTURE: EARLY MODERN (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 202
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH LITERATURE MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
This course is not repeatable. Do not repeat historical periods (Medieval, Early Modern, Long 18th C,
Long 19th C, 20/21st C). If you take 308, do not take 318. If you take 318, do not take 308.
12386 MWF 8:30-9:50 am LAURA LAFFRADO
CONTENT: Using texts from the late fifteenth century through the early eighteenth century, this course focuses
on writings of exploration, conquest, and European imperialism in colonial contact zones. We will draw on a
wide range of genres including journals, poems, narratives, sermons, and diaries. We will consider how these
various genres challenge our definition(s) of "American" literature(s) and we will examine roles of female
discourse, race, religion, and class. We will explore the various ways in which America and American identities
are defined, wonder about the tensions between sociopolitical position and discourse, and attempt to arrive at
a deeper understanding of influences that shaped American writings during the encounter era.
ASSIGNMENTS: In this course you will write both extensively and intensively, producing multiple drafts of
papers, revisions, and finished essays. We will devote class time for instruction and practice in disciplinary
research methods and writing strategies. Students will write short responses to the reading, shorter essays,
and one twelve-page critical research paper that engages with current scholarship on an early modern text or
texts assigned for class. Much reading, writing, and thinking will be asked of you, along with steady attendance, a
participation grade, group work, and various out-of-class assignments
EVALUATION: 75% of your final grade in this course will be based on revised versions of writing assignments.
The remaining 25% will be based on class participation and attendance.
TEXTS: Lauter, Paul (ed.), The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Volume A, 7th edition.
ENGLISH 309 – SEMINAR IN LITERATURE & CULTURE: THE LONG 18TH CENTURY (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 202
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH LITERATURE MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
This course is not repeatable. Do not repeat historical periods (Medieval, Early Modern, Long 18th C,
Long 19th C, 20/21st C). If you take 309, do not take 319. If you take 319, do not take 309.
12387 TR 8:00-9:50 am +1hr/wk arr JULIE DUGGER
Source Texts for Hamilton
Students in this course will read and evaluate eighteenth-century source texts for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2015
work Hamilton: An American Musical. We will look at these texts as source material for Hamilton and as
historical documents and literary works in their own right in order to examine issues of art, adaptation, and
historical representation. Questions we will consider include the following:
 What's the difference between the ways literary critics and historians approach 18th-century sources?
How do they understand narrative, adaptation, evidence, or truth?
 What are the characteristics of eighteenth-century prose and poetic style, and how are these borrowed
and transformed by twenty-first century adaptation?
 How did eighteenth century texts adapt their own predecessors? How do eighteenth- and twenty-firstcentury attitudes toward adaptation compare?
 How do historical adaptors strike a balance between faithfulness to their sources and faithfulness to
their contemporary audiences?
The course will include sessions held jointly with a history class and team-taught by a historian, to better
compare different approaches to the course readings.
Requirements include close reading analyses of eighteenth-century texts, an oral presentation, and a final
paper examining eighteenth-century source texts for a Hamilton song and their use in that song.
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ENGLISH 310 – SEMINAR IN LITERATURE & CULTURE: THE LONG 19TH CENTURY (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 202
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH LITERATURE MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
This course is not repeatable. Do not repeat historical periods (Medieval, Early Modern, Long 18th C,
Long 19th C, 20/21st C). If you take 310, do not take 320. If you take 320, do not take 310.
12388 MWF 11:30-12:50 am ALLISON GIFFEN
“NINETEENTH-CENTURY WOMEN WRITERS”
In this seminar we will read the novels, narratives and poems of nineteenth-century American women writers.
Our approach will be largely cultural and historical as we explore women writers’ complicated and varied
relationship to cultural constructions of femininity, the doctrine of domesticity, political reform, and the notion of
separate spheres. We will also consider questions of literary value as we test the gendered and binary logic
that posits the “classic” male-authored texts in opposition to the popular sentimental or domestic work by
women. The reading will include work by Catherine Maria Sedgwick, Fanny Fern, Louisa May Alcott, Harriet
Jacobs, Emily Dickinson, Lydia Sigourney, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman.
ENGLISH 311 – SEMINAR IN LITERATURE & CULTURE: 20/21ST CENTURIES (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 202
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH LITERATURE MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
This course is not repeatable. Do not repeat historical periods (Medieval, Early Modern, Long 18th C,
Long 19th C, 20/21st C).If you take 311, do not take 321. If you take 321, do not take 311.
12389 TR 10:00-11:50 am +1hr/wk arr LYSA RIVERA
NOVEL ECOLOGIES: U.S. WOMEN OF COLOR, SPECULATIVE FICTION, AND THE ENVIRONMENT
This seminar explores how U.S. women writers of color have used their writing lives to militate against the
destruction of the natural environment in the age of global capitalism. Our focus privileges writers who have
turned to speculative genres -- including science fiction, future dystopias, and magical realism--to grapple with
the changing social, political, and ecological landscapes of the postmodern era and to imagine alternative
ecologies that emphasize community, equity, and humility instead of individualism, domination, and excess.
We will work together to appreciate how the de-colonial approaches found in these writings provide rich
examples of mutually respectful relations between humans and nature. Finally, we will read contemporary U.S.
women writers of color through the lens of the broader environmental justice movement (EJM) in the United
States, which thoroughly recognizes the interconnectedness of ecological health and social equality, as the
oppression of one is connected to, and supported by, the other.
REQUIRED READING:
● Octavia Butler, Parable of the Sower (1993)
● Ana Castillo, So Far From God (1993)
● Beatrice Pita and Rosaura Sanchez, Lunar Braceros (2009)
● Helena María Viramontes, Under the Feet of Jesus (1994)
● Karen Tei Yamashita, Through the Arc of the Rainforest (1990)
● Course reader with selected pieces from Ecocriticism: The New Critical Idiom (Garrard, 2011), The
Environmental Justice Reader (Adamson, 2002), and Brave New Words: How Literature Will Save the
Planet (Ammons, 2010)
REQUIREMENTS:
Instead of a midterm and final exam, students will post informal response papers to Canvas every other week
and write a research paper on one of the novels during the final three weeks of the quarter. Students will work
on their papers in multiple stages, including in-class writing workshops, peer reviews, and student/professor
conferences, ensuring enough time to revise and receive early and thorough feedback on their work well
before final papers are actually due (during Exams Week). My evaluation of your research papers focuses
significantly on the strength of your writing process and not exclusively on the final product.
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ENGLISH 313 – INTRODUCTION TO CRITICAL & CULTURAL THEORIES AND PRACTICES (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 202
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
10098 MWF 2:30-3:50 pm DAWN DIETRICH
REQUIRED TEXTS
The Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism
A Critical and Cultural Theory Reader (2nd edition), Antony Easthope and Kate McGowan
Writing Machines, N. Katherine Hayles
RECOMMENDED TEXTS
A Glossary of Contemporary Literary Theory, Jeremy Hawthorn
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This class will provide an overview of post-structuralist literary and critical theory, beginning with Saussure’s
insights about language as a sign system and concluding with N. Katherine Hayles’ analysis of digital culture.
We will engage readings in post-Marxism, new materialism/object-oriented ontology, feminism, gender and
sexuality studies, disability studies, psychoanalysis, post-colonialism, new historicism, and deconstruction
theory as a way to think about the embodied perspectives we assume in the material world and how these
perspectives shape our reading and writing practices. The digital context in which we find ourselves
necessitates our thinking about our relationship to “things” and “machines” as well as peoples and cultures. By
the time you’ve completed this course, you will be able to identify the ideological perspectives and inherent
biases that are embedded within texts, whether written, spoken, or visual. We will also challenge the notion
that literature and the “high” arts claim a special privilege, by observing how the opposition between the canon
and popular culture reveals as much about prevailing social, economic, technological, and political conditions
as it does about artistic quality and value. In this course, we will challenge value hierarchies by placing more
of an emphasis on relating cultural products or events than on rating them. We will have a chance to consider
popular media and visual texts in addition to literary texts belonging to “high culture.”
ASSIGNMENTS
Course work will include the assigned reading, participation in class discussions and small group work, and a
series of three analytical papers (5-6 pages). I will create an online forum for our class on Canvas to facilitate
class discussion as well as provide a space for student questions and observations, course documents, and
class announcements.
EVALUATION
Course evaluation will be determined by four essays (80%) and peer evaluations (20%).
10255 TR 8:00-9:50 am +1hr/wk arr DAVID GRAY
10536 TR 2:00-3:50 pm +1hr/wk arr DAVID GRAY
This course provides an introduction to critical and cultural theory, with an emphasis on works from the mid
20th Century and later. We will read a number of significant works of theory in the time we have together,
focusing on issues of signification, ideology, discourse, spectatorship, gender, race, cultural studies, trauma
and memory, space and place, social mobility, and cultures of taste. Each week we will be reading several
essays centered on the work of a particular theorist, or organized around a common concern, and students will
be encouraged to apply these readings to a variety of cultural texts.
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ENGLISH 318 – SURVEY IN LITERATURE & CULTURE: EARLY MODERN (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 202
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
This course is not repeatable. Do not repeat historical periods (Medieval, Early Modern, Long 18th C,
Long 19th C, 20/21st C).If you take 318, do not take 308. If you take 308, do not take 318.
12390 MWF 1:00-2:20 pm MARK LESTER
LOVE, DEATH, AND COMEDY
DESCRIPTION: This course will be a survey of 16th and 17th century poetry and drama focusing on the
contrast between carnal and spiritual love, the relation of love and death, and the manner in which these
themes are treated in late 17th century libertine humor and satire. In the first part of the course, we will
focus on the tradition of courtly love inherited by 16th century English writers and on how this was shaped
in relation to political considerations and religious disputations. In the latter portion of the course,
attention will be given to a group of writers examining (by taking to an extreme limit) new scientific and
humanistic conceptions of social relations and whose work can be said to mark the supersession of the
values embodied in the earlier literature. Though our examination will emphasize philosophical and
cultural issues, special attention will also be given to plot, theme and argument, character, and language.
Please note: a number of the texts we will examine later in the quarter are quite coarse and sexually
explicit. Some readers may find this material to be offensive.
TEXTS: Norton Anthology of English Literature: Volume B, 16th Century/Early 17th Century; Four
Restoration Libertine Plays, Deborah Payne Fisk (ed.). Additional materials will be distributed in class or
posted on Canvas.
ENGLISH 319 – SURVEY IN LITERATURE & CULTURE: THE LONG 18TH CENTURY (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 202
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
This course is not repeatable. Do not repeat historical periods (Medieval, Early Modern, Long 18th C,
Long 19th C, 20/21st C).If you take 319, do not take 309. If you take 309, do not take 319.
12391 MWF 10:00-11:20 am CHRISTOPHER LOAR
The eighteenth century was a time of enormous transformation in Great Britain and the Americas. This course
considers some of these social, ideological, economic, and political changes as they appear in literary texts
(fiction, nonfiction, drama, and verse) in this period. Though the course will introduce a broad range of works, it
will attend especially to texts that engage with questions about gender and sexuality, the relationship between
nature and culture, the origin and nature of government, and the rapid growth of the British Empire. Evaluation
will be based primarily on in-class work, short written responses, and exams.
ENGLISH 334 – TEXTS ACROSS N. AMERICA & EUROPE: VANCOUVER (5) BCGM $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 101 or equivalent
11819 MWF 8:30-9:50 am LEE GULYAS
Our continent first appeared on a map around 1500. Everything west of the Atlantic was imagined and
scrawled in, worthy of exploration only for either gold or the legendary Strait of Anian/Northwest Passage. In
1791, Captain George Vancouver’s four-and-a-half year expedition charted the northwestern Pacific coast and
changed the course of history for Europe, the Americas, and the indigenous nations. We will be doing our own
mapping by examining recent works that are fascinating by their literary merit and strategies in their own right,
but also raise important questions about exploration, colonialism, indigenous nations, science, gender,
ethnicity, place, work, justice, legacy, and regionalism.
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TEXTS
Burning Water by George Bowering
Discovery Passages by Garry Thomas Morse
Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson
All other readings provided by instructor
ENGLISH 336 – SCRIPTURAL LITERATURE: KING JAMES BIBLE (5) ACGM $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 101
12046 TR 10:00-11:50 am +1hr/wk arr KATHLEEN LUNDEEN
DESCRIPTION: In this course we will delve deeply into the King James Bible—a stunning collection of literary
works, twice mediated for English readers. In our study we’ll see how writers of these sacred texts mediated
visions that exceed ordinary sight and how a motley group of translators mediated the original Hebrew and
Greek texts for an English readership during a politically tumultuous era. As we examine the books of the Bible
in their historical context, we’ll consider how sacred texts are inflected by the culture in which they were written
and, in the case of a translation, the culture in which they were translated. Throughout the course we’ll observe
the profound influence the Bible has exerted on Western culture and find out why William Blake extolled it as
“the Great Code of Art.”
COURSE OBJECTIVES: Solid understanding of the literary character of the King James Bible; solid grasp of
how sacred texts are inflected by the cultures in which they were written and translated; adeptness in
intertextual analysis of biblically influenced literature and art
TEXTS: King James Bible; Nicolson, God’s Secretaries: The Making of the King James Bible
EVALUATION: Essays; exams; contributions to class discussion
ENGLISH 338 – WOMEN & LITERATURE IN NORTH AMERICA & EUROPE: (5) BCGM $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 101
10386 TR 12:00-1:50 pm +1hr/wk arr THERESA WARBURTON
WOMEN’S LITERATURES IN NORTH AMERICA AND EUROPE / TRANSNATIONAL LITERATURES
This course approaches the topic of Women’s Literatures in North America and Europe from a transnational
lens. By focusing on movement across and between national boundaries, we’ll explore the narratives that
women write in order to better understand some of the core issues surrounding questions of gender, sexuality,
race, and nationality in the US and Europe. In this way, students can expect to engage a range of texts
including novels, short stories, poetry, and film in order to come to a better understanding of the cultural,
political, and social histories of exchange that develop through the movement of bodies, ideas, and capital.
Focusing on 21st century texts, this course will encourage students to think critically about the role that
women’s literature plays in illuminating paths, routes, and currents that might otherwise appear obscured. This
will be a reading-intensive class incorporating both lecture-based and discussion-based classroom pedagogy
and students will be evaluated using a range of techniques including in-class quizzes, take-home writing, and
group work.
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ENGLISH 341 – STUDIES IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 202
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
11445 TR 10:00-11:50 am +1hr/wk arr NANCY JOHNSON
CONTENT: In this course we will examine the variety and diversity of literature written for children and middle
grade readers, exploring how literature serves as windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors for child readers.
We will consider how form and format (picture books, graphic texts, chapter books, poetry) serve to tell a story.
And, we will immerse ourselves in significant genres, topics and themes, and works by notable authors and
illustrators, becoming familiar with criteria used for notable awards as we explore what makes a children’s book
“good.” Come expecting to read voraciously to gain an appreciation of the world of literature (as well as the
world through literature). Students taking this class are expected to attend the WWU-sponsored Children‘s
Literature Conference on Saturday, February 25th as the 5th hour arranged.
TEXTS [Required]:
Charlotte‘s Web (E.B. White)
TEXTS [Required with Choice]:
Please wait to purchase these books until you come to class.
BIG DREAMS, SHIFTING HOPES: Better Nate than Ever (T. Federle) or The Crossover (K. Alexander) or Pax
(Sara Pennypacker) or Raymie Nightingale (K. DiCamillo)
HISTORICAL FICTION:
Gone Crazy in Alabama (R. Williams-Garcia) or The War that Saved My Life (K.
Bradley) or Inside Out and Back Again (T. Lai) or Bud, Not Buddy (C.P. Curtis)
AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR STUDY—MATT PHELAN: Around the World or Bluffton or Storm in the Barn
OH WOW! I DIDN’T KNOW THAT (creative nonfiction):
The President Has Been Shot (J. Swanson) or Team
Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon (C. Thimish) or We’ve Got a Job: The 1963
Birmingham Children’s March (C. Levinson)
REVISITING THE WONDER OF FANTASY: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (J.K. Rowling)
Plus selected illustrated/picture books
EXPECTATIONS/ASSIGNMENTS: Commitment to think, read, and respond with appreciation, creativity and
depth to literature written for children (and for the child in all of us). You'll read (and maybe re-read) both
assigned and choice texts, develop the ability to write literary reviews highlighting and evaluating genre, text,
and illustration, participate in response projects, and create a critical/creative project in lieu of a final exam.
ENGLISH 347 – STUDIES IN YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 202 or permission of instructor
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
11114 TR 2:00-3:50 pm +1hr/wk arr NANCY JOHNSON
With a focus on “Identity, Agency, Community” this course invites students to become familiar with diverse
genres and formats, from classic to contemporary texts written for teens/young adults (age 14-20). As you read
literature by diverse writers, you’ll develop an appreciative eye, an eye toward expanding your aesthetic
criteria, and an eye that examines critical judgments established by reviewers and award committees.
Throughout the course we will consider whose voices get heard in YA literature and how those voices offer
insight into teen lives and experiences. We also explore what makes a “good” book as well as what makes a
book “work.” Our work will introduce (or perhaps, re-introduce) you to texts by notable YA authors in many
genres, as well as their commentary about writing for young adult audiences. And, we will participate in a live
conversation with an author of one of our books. In lieu of a final, your culminating project will highlight
character/identity through a written, visual, creative project. Students taking this class are expected to attend
the WWU-sponsored Children‘s/YA Literature Conference on Saturday, February 25th as the 5th hour arranged.
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TEXTS [required]:
-- The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
-- Speak (L. Halse Anderson)
TOPICS and TEXTS [Required with choice] Tentative List:
Please wait to purchase these books until you come to class:
-- GRITTY, EDGY, TOUGH: How It Went Down (K. Magoon) or Monster (W. D. Myers) or All American Boys
(J. Reynolds & B. Kiely) or We Were Here (M. de la Pena)
-- TRUTH IS STRANGER (AND MORE AMAZING) THAN FICTION—Teens Making History: The Boys Who
Challenged Hitler (P. Hoose) or Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (P. Hoose) or Hitler Youth: Growing
Up in Hitler’s Shadow (S.C. Bartoletti) or Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom (L. B. Lowery)
-- HISTORY IN WORDS AND IMAGES: Boxers & Saints (G. Luen Yang)
-- IDENTITY, BELONGING, ACCEPTANCE, LOVE: Eleanor & Park (R. Rowell) or Aristotle and Dante
Discover the Secrets of the Universe (B.A. Saenz) or I’ll Give You the Sun (J. Nelson) or The Unlikely Hero of
Room 13B (T. Toten)
-- APPRECIATING LAURIE HALSE ANDERSON’S “RESILIENCE LITERATURE” – Chains or Fever 1973 or
The Impossible Knife of Memory or Wintergirls
-- VOICES, VOICES, VOICES: Challenger Deep (N. Shusterman)
-- YA AWARD WINNERS
EXPECTATIONS: Willingness to think, read, and respond with care, insight, and an
openness to issues, formats, and themes that may challenge what you know about
literature, your personal tastes as a reader, and what you remember about
adolescence. Active, engaged participation is expected.
ENGLISH 350 – INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 101
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
Note: This course does not count toward the Creative Writing major.
10578 TR 10:00-11:50 am +1hr/wk arr KAMI WESTHOFF
Examines the fundamentals of at least two genres, such as fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, or poetry. The
course will include both lectures, focused on model texts, and workshop-style discussions, focused on student
work.
10166 TR 2:00-3:50 pm +1hr/wk arr NANCY PAGH
Students in this section of Introduction to Creative Writing will examine and practice the fundamentals of
craft: imagery and figurative language; sound; character and setting; voice and perspective; form and
structure. Our class meetings will focus on discussion and “close reading” of model poems, stories, and
nonfiction essays; brainstorming, drafting, and revision activities; and learning how to communicate about and
make practical use of feedback on drafts in at least two genres.
Evaluation will be based on attendance; completion of assigned readings and writing exercises; participation in
the workshop environment during and outside of class; possible quizzes on the textbook readings about craft
and genre; and a portfolio of revised creative writing developed from course assignments, with an
accompanying reflective memo about learning. Attendance is also required at two live literary events. 5
credits.
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REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
Write Moves: A Creative Writing Guide & Anthology
ENGLISH 351 – INTRODUCTION TO FICTION WRITING (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 101
RESTRICTED TO CREATIVE WRITING MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
10004 MWF 11:30-12:50 pm ELIZABETH COLEN
A dozen takes on the short story form. In this introductory fiction course, students will analyze all aspects of the
short story form, including plot, point of view, characterization, setting, and conflict, as well as the sonic
qualities of language; learn how these tools are combined to best effect in the service of storytelling; develop a
language for discussing the interplay of a writer’s craft and content; and engage with weekly writing exercises.
The final project will be a portfolio that includes 8-12 pages of one fully revised, well-crafted story.
13536 TR 10:00-11:50 am +1hr/wk arr KELLY MAGEE
This course is dedicated to the art of writing fiction: everything from a single sentence to about 10,000 words,
and stories that are driven by inquiry – questions about a character, a search for meaning – rather than
dictated by formula. You’ll be given daily writing assignments designed to keep you writing constantly and to
push you out of your comfort zones, away from mass-produced narratives and typical characters. You will write
a lot of words. The idea is to write so much that you discover stories that surprise both your readers and
yourself – not with tricks or plot twists, but with substance and beauty.
Beyond the act of writing, one of the best ways to develop your skills is to learn how to analyze narratives, so a
large part of the class will be held in workshops. You’ll be evaluated on two criteria: the original stories you
write for class (the art) and your ability to read and constructively comment on the work of others (the analysis).
We’ll discuss, among other things, point of entry and exit, the believable vs. the stock character, the rendering
of place, form’s relation to function, experimental and mainstream points of view, dialogue-driven stories, the
difference between scene and summary, editing, and the art of revision.
10730 TR 2:00-3:50 pm +1hr/wk arr KAMI WESTHOFF
This course is designed to introduce you to the craft and culture of writing fiction as well as the complex world
of critique and workshop. We will read established authors from various backgrounds and cultures and study
the ways in which they make their writing work through unique use of voice, description, language, dialogue,
character development, and experimentation. While reading and studying these authors, you will begin your
own journey into fiction writing with the help of various writing exercises and assignments, revision, and most
importantly, your imagination and individuality.
ENGLISH 353 – INTRODUCTION TO POETRY WRITING (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 101
RESTRICTED TO CREATIVE WRITING MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
10099 MWF 1:00-2:20 pm CHRISTOPHER PATTON
How does a blank page flower in words? How do I help such a flowering happen? Once it’s got going, how do I
help it keep going? In this introductory workshop you’ll take up questions like these through your own creative
explorations. Exercises offered in a spirit of play will get the creative process started, and raw material you
generate, you’ll learn to select from and bear toward a finished poem. Expect lots of exploratory writing, both in
class and at home; non-evaluative critique of your work in small groups and as a full class; revision of your
work, on the basis of what you’ve learned, toward finished poems for a final portfolio; study of essential
features of poetic form and practice, in particular the line and the image; and wide-ranging reading in
contemporary American poetry. Our texts: Mary Oliver, A Poetry Handbook. Li-Young Lee, Book of My Nights.
Srikanth Reddy, Voyager. Natalie Diaz, When My Brother Was an Aztec.
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ENGLISH 354 – INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 101
RESTRICTED TO CREATIVE WRITING MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
10554 MWF 11:30-12:50 am LEE GULYAS
REQUIRED TEXTS
Miller & Paola, Tell It Slant, Second Edition
Strunk & White, Elements of Style, Fourth Edition
Judith Kitchen, ed., Short Takes
COURSE DESCRIPTION This is a beginning level creative writing class that combines a creative component
and the study of literature. Students will submit drafts for workshops, critique the work of classmates, and lead
class discussions in critical analysis of readings. Coursework will include a midterm, in-class writing exercises,
lots of reading, reading responses, writing assignments, and extensive revision. Since this is a five-credit
course, the university expects fifteen hours of work per week: four hours in class and eleven hours on your
own.
My goals for this class are that you will:
1) read a variety of creative nonfiction, grasp basic concepts about what the term implies, the variety of forms it
can take, and the craft elements, reworking, and revision integral to its success.
2) begin thinking about the ethical implications involved when writing about your life and the lives of others.
3) read published nonfiction as models for your own work, and read your colleagues’ writing with authority,
compassion, and insight.
4) gain a better understanding of yourself as a writer and be able to critically analyze your own work.
10731 TR 8:00-9:50 am +1hr/wk arr KRISTIANA KAHAKAUWILA
This course serves as an introduction to the craft of writing creative nonfiction, with a special focus on the
location of the self in relation to the text. The course will be structured around a selection of forms and modes
special to the genre, and you will learn to distinguish and write within journalistic, memoir, lyric, hermit crab,
and mixed media conventions, among others. Be prepared for detailed analysis of published work, intensive
freewriting exercises, experimentation with form and content, and rigorous engagement with re-imagination
and revision.
REQUIRED TEXTS
* Miller, Brenda and Suzanne Paola, eds. Tell It Slant, 2nd ed.
* Writing Journal
ENGLISH 364 – INTRODUCTION TO FILM STUDIES (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 101
10467 TR 12:00-1:50 pm (HU 108) + Film Viewing T 4:00-6:50 pm (BH 109) GREG YOUMANS
The course introduces the foundations of film studies. We will explore core vocabulary, concepts, and skills
that will help us look and listen more closely to motion pictures. We will also develop practices of critical
thinking, argumentation, and analysis through various writing exercises: a movie review, a screening report,
and a sequence analysis. Our course screenings will include films from around the world and from the
historical beginnings of cinema to the present day. A video production assignment will further enrich
everyone’s understanding of how movies are put together.
TEXTS:
Required texts: David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson, Film Art: An Introduction, 10th ed.;
Edward Ross, Filmish: A Graphic Journey through Film
Recommended text: Timothy Corrigan, A Short Guide to Writing About Film, 9th ed.
(It is all right to use the second or third most recent edition of the Bordwell and Thompson text and the
Corrigan text.)
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ENGLISH 365 – TOPICS IN FILM HISTORY: LGBTQ CINEMA (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 364 or Eng 202
This course replaces ENG 312. May be repeated once with a different topic.
12403 TR 2:00-3:50 pm (HU 103) + Film Viewing M 4:00-6:50 pm (BH 109) GREG YOUMANS
This course is a critical survey of LGBTQ media representations, modes of spectatorship, and filmmaking
practices. Together we will explore such topics as the significance of the movies at various moments and
locations within LGBTQ history; camp, disidentification, and other modes of queer spectatorship; gender,
performativity, and identity, including the current outpouring of trans films and television shows; mediated
history and memory, particularly in relation to HIV/AIDS; and queer-of-color representation and critique.
ENGLISH 370 – INTRODUCTION TO LANGUAGE (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 101
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
10100 MWF 11:30-12:50 pm EMILY CURTIS
This is a class about how human language works, in all its facets, from the articulation of individual sounds to
unconscious social meanings. We will learn concepts and constructs that apply to all human languages, while
focusing on English as a means to discover these concepts (and test your learning).
This is not a class on “proper” English, composition, rhetoric, or literature. It is the science of language which
seeks descriptions and explanations as opposed to artistic expression or regulation. We will explore attitudes
about “proper” language in objective ways, however, and the knowledge of concepts gained in this class can
contribute to artistic and communicative skills and enrich your appreciation for language as well.
10387 TR 2:00-3:50 pm +1hr/wk arr ANNE LOBECK
[email protected]
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is intended to help you develop a broad understanding of human
language. It is not intended to teach you how to speak or write better, but the course should help you recognize
an uninformed statement about language when you hear one. You will be learning some definitions and
symbols to use during the course to help you understand some of the components of the system of language.
The purpose of learning these is to help you develop a sharper ear for language, a better understanding of its
nature, and a livelier interest in all its manifestations.
More immediately, the objectives of the course are:
 to lead you to examine your own linguistic beliefs and attitudes;
 to make you aware of the diversity of language systems and their fundamental similarities;
 to acquaint you with a few of the subfields of linguistics: phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics,
neurolinguistics, sociolinguistics, language acquisition, and language history;
 to equip you with some tools and techniques for linguistic analysis in order to help you discover the
organizing principles of English;
 to acquaint you with the basic concepts necessary to further pursue the study of the English language
(and/or other languages) if you wish to.
REQUIRED TEXT: Linguistics for Everyone, by Kristin Denham and Anne Lobeck. Cengage, 2013 Second
Edition (green)
GRADING AND EVALUATION: Grades will be based on participation, weekly homework assignments, 2
exams, short essays, both group and individual work.
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ENGLISH 381 – ACADEMIC WRITING (5)
International Transfer Students Only – Override required.
Prereq: Instructor permission.
12412 TR 12:00-1:50 pm +1hr/wk arr SIMON McGUIRE
ENG 381: Academic Writing is a course designed for non-native English students transferring to Western. The
course focuses on academic writing standards and conventions and helps students develop and revise essays
and research projects related to their major field of study. An emphasis on clarity and cohesion in expository
and analytical essays is combined with practice in research strategies and techniques for revision. Classes are
small and allow for a generous amount of one-on-one help and guidance from instructors. Junior standing and
enthusiasm are required.
ENGLISH 401 – SR SEM IN WRITING STUDIES & RHETORIC: MIXTAPE/REMIX RHETORICS (5) $1.85 fee
WRITING PROFICIENCY (WP3)
Prereq: ENG 301 or 302 or 370 or 371, or instructor approval; senior status.
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH MAJORS & WRITING STUDIES MINORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOV. 15.
12062 TR 8:00-9:50 am +1hr/wk arr DONNA QUALLEY
The mixtape is a form of American folk art: predigested cultural artifacts combined with
homespun technology and magic marker turn the mix tape into a message in a bottle. I am no
mere consumer of pop culture, it says, but also a producer of it. Mix tapes mark the moment of
consumer culture in which listeners attained control over what they heard, in what order and at
what cost. (Matias Viegener)
English 401 is a writing studies seminar on the theories and practices of rhetorical genres. In this section of
English 401 we’ll be repurposing the genre of the “mixtape” to explore the rhetoric of invention and
juxtaposition as reimix. According to Kirby Ferguson, “Everything is a Remix.” When we compose something,
we don’t “construct” or “invent” the parts from scratch; we draw on things that already exist and put them
together in new ways. Our task as writers and designers is to recognize which parts might be productively
combined with which other parts to solve a hard problem, illuminate a fresh perspective, provoke an
epistemological disruption, or simply engender pleasurable surprise. Selecting, clipping, borrowing, quoting,
appropriating, mixing, juxtaposing, assembling, and arranging into new combinations—these activities are at
the core of what I am calling mixtape or remix rhetorics.
The mixtape is a compositional genre, that, as the main character in Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity, says, “is hard
to do . . . there are a lot of rules.” Drawing on some of these home-grown rules of the mixtape, we’ll look at
how meaning is created through other kinds of deliberate compilations from Harper’s Index, Maria Popova’s
Brainpickings site, and Weird Al Yankovic’s musical parodies to classical rhetoric and literary mashups. We’ll
experiment with different kinds of media and materials, working with various clips and cuts and quotes, and
other sundry bits and pieces, arranging and rearranging them for different purposes. Finally, we’ll ask some
hard questions about the ethics and politics of ownership and intellectual property in the age of the remix. Lots
of small, “fast” mix assignments and a larger “slow” remix project.
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ENGLISH 402 – ADVANCED TECHNICAL & PROFESSIONAL WRITING (5) $8.14 fee
WRITING PROFICIENCY (WP3)
Prereq: ENG 302.
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH MAJORS & WRITING STUDIES MINORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOV. 15.
10899 TR 4:00-5:50 pm +1hr/wk arr MARGARET (MARGI) FOX
Email:
[email protected]
Office:
HU 275
In English 402, we’ll be doing technical writing projects for clients on campus and in the community. The
service-learning approach will build on professional writing skills gained in English 302 and other writing
studies courses.
Students will select and apply for one of five or six different professional writing projects. The teams will work
directly with community partners. A significant portion of class time will consist of group work and conferences,
and the remainder will focus on professional writing topics and career opportunities.
The projects, groups, and clients will make demands beyond those encountered in most other classes. At the
same time, students will gain valuable experience and connections.
ENGLISH 406 – TOPICS IN CRITICAL & CULTURAL THEORY: HABIT, MEMORY, REPETITION (5) $1.85
fee
WRITING PROFICIENCY (WP3)
Prereq: Eng 313 plus 2 courses from: 304-347, 364, 370, 371.
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
12414 MWF 11:30-12:50 pm MARK LESTER
IMAGINATION AND ORIGINALITY IN MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE
DESCRIPTION:
During the later part of the twentieth century, in particular, it became necessary to differentiate between
possibility and potentiality—between the possible and the real, on one hand, and the virtual and the actual, on
the other. These distinctions are important in so far as they affect the manner in which we conceive of history,
memory and tradition, and what it is that we understand by the term originality. In this class, we will survey a
number of literary, scientific, and philosophical works concerned with the formation of both historical (collective)
and personal memory, as well as with the troublesome notions of forgetfulness and recognition or recollection.
Our survey will include readings from Vico, Leibniz, Nietzsche, Freud, Spengler, Foucault, and Deleuze, as
well as works of poetry and fiction by Yeats, Pound, Stein, Beckett, Borges, and Klossowski.
TEXTS:
Jorge Luis Borges, Collected Fictions; Gilles Deleuze, Difference and Repetition; Pierre Klossowski, The
Baphomet; Ezra Pound, The Cantos; Oswald Spengler, Decline of the West; Gertrud Stein, Selections; W.B.
Yeats, Selected
Poems. Additional material will be distributed in class or made available on Canvas.
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ENGLISH 418 – SENIOR SEMINAR (5) $1.85 fee
WRITING PROFICIENCY (WP3)
Prereq: Sr Status (135 cr); Eng 313 and one from: ENG 307, 308, 309, 310, or 311
RESTRICTED TO LITERATURE MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
IMPORTANT NOTE: ENG 418 is not repeatable and cannot be used as an elective in the literature
major.
SENIOR SEMINAR: POST-MILLENNIAL FILM & THEORIES OF NEW MATERIALISM
10629 MWF 1:00-2:20 pm DAWN DIETRICH
Professor Dawn Dietrich
Phone: 360.650.3225
Office: HU 323
Course Room: TBA
Email: [email protected]
Course Days: MWF 1:00-2:20
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course explores a range of post-millennial films (2000 and after), characterized by a response to
technology’s ability to shape and redefine human subjectivity and identity. Harkening back to early cinema’s
fascination with cinematic form, these recent films are distinct, in terms of the ways they utilize film technique
and industry conventions to create a highly mediated cinematic experience, moving beyond conventional
narrative construction to create an interface between the film text and our daily interactions with intelligent
machines. The selected films, from varying levels of commercial cinema, utilize the filmic medium to create
affective responses in a variety of contexts—with the goal of breaking down preconceived notions about how
human subjectivity and identity are shifting in our current age of ubiquitous computing.
Specifically, the movies experiment with film form and conventions to develop material metaphors that
demonstrate a form of visual argumentation, mediated relationships between human and non-human actors,
and the extension of the human sensorium into virtual strata. Moving beyond the optical sensation of film,
many of these movies highlight the affective experience of watching film, including the haptic responses that
come from an embodied perspective. We will look at reception spaces in an expanded sense—from physical
spaces dependent upon projectors and screens to “virtual spaces” that come from fluid immersion in TV,
laptop, or handheld devices. Highly attuned to the embodied experience of viewers, these films privilege the
body, senses, perceptive modalities, tactile, affective, and sensory motor perceptions in deeply creative ways.
COURSE EXPECTATIONS
You will engage in media-specific analysis of film and digital video within the post-millennial context, preparing
two analytical essays and a longer research paper as well as a group presentation for evaluation. We will be
focusing on the research process, including peer review, and preparing you to write a publishable essay by the
end of the course. We will also be reading contemporary film theory that attempts to situate our current
cultural moment in the larger stream of cinema history; and you will be working with the films closely to provide
readings of their content and form.
SELECTED FILMS:
Her, Spike Jonze (2013)
Locke, Stephen Knight (2013)
Tim’s Vermeer, Raymond Teller (2013)
Under the Skin, Jonathan Glazer (2013)
It Follows, David Mitchell (2015)
Ex Machina, Alex Garland (2015)
Only Lovers Left Alive, Jim Jarmusch (2013)
Nightcrawler, Dan Gilroy (2014)
Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller (2015)
Enemy, Denis Villeneuve (2013)
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REQUIRED TEXTS
Film Theory: An Introduction Through the Senses, Thomas Elsaesser and Malte Hagener
Carnal Thoughts: Embodiment and Moving Image Culture, Vivian Sobchack
Touch: Sensuous Theory and Multi-Sensory Media, Laura Marks
SENIOR SEMINAR: ENGLISH EPICS: THE LITERARY MARATHON
10630 TR 2:00-3:50 pm +1hr/wk arr KATHLEEN LUNDEEN
DESCRIPTION
In this seminar we will travel through three English epics: Milton’s Paradise Lost, Blake’s Milton, and
Wordsworth’s Prelude. Together we’ll explore the internal brilliance of these long distance poems, their
philosophical arguments, and the historical contingencies that impelled them. Throughout our journeys we’ll
eye the poems from a range of critical perspectives so we can comprehend their breathtaking scope.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Deep familiarity with the English epic through close reading and wide ranging theoretical analysis of three epic
poems; increased sophistication as a writer of literary criticism; increased agility as a participant in an ongoing
literary conversation
EVALUATION
Three 6-8 page critical essays; vibrant class participation
TEXTS
Milton, Complete Poetry (Random House); Blake, Milton (Princeton); Wordsworth, Selected Poems and
Prefaces (Houghton Mifflin); MLA Handbook
ENGLISH 423 - STUDIES IN MAJOR AUTHORS (5) $1.85 fee
WRITING PROFICIENCY (WP3)
Prereq: Eng 202 and three courses from 304-347, 364, 370, 371; possible additional prerequisite relevant to
topic.
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
Repeatable once as an elective with different authors.
MAJOR AUTHORS: EMILY DICKINSON
10468 MWF 2:30-3:50 pm ALLISON GIFFEN
This course offers an intensive study of the work of Emily Dickinson. While the poems will always be our
central focus, we will read them in the context of Dickinson's biography as well as her cultural, historical and
literary moment. In addition, we will be attending to Dickinson’s idiosyncratic methods of literary production
and distribution. We will look to her use of variants, her decision to bind her poems into handmade chapbooks
called “fascicles,” and her inclusion of hundreds of poems into her letters. We will also consider the editorial
decisions that went into the many and varied editions of Dickinson’s poetry as we read the poems in
manuscript as well as print.
MAJOR AUTHORS: SHERMAN ALEXIE AND LESLIE MARMON SILKO
11059 TR 10:00-11:50 am +1hr/wk arr PAM HARDMAN
CONTENT: “You don’t have anything if you don’t have the stories” (Leslie Marmon Silko, Ceremony).This
course will explore the powerful and complex writings of these two Native American writers. In addition to
discussing the texts themselves, we’ll ask questions about cultural influences on the production and content of
the “stories”: how do race, gender, sexuality, colonialism, religion, technology, the landscape influence the
texts and our readings? Understanding such contexts will require research and theoretical considerations in
addition to thoughtful engagement with the writing and our own experiences. I expect attentive reading, incisive
writing, and spirited discussion.
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ASSIGNMENTS: One group presentation; several responses papers; one final research paper (including
multiple drafts)
TEXTS: Sherman Alexie: The Business of Fancydancing, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, The
Toughest Indian in the World, Flight; Leslie Marmon Silko: Ceremony, Storyteller, Gardens in the Dunes
ENGLISH 436 – THE STRUCTURE OF ENGLISH (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 370 or permission of instructor
RESTRICTED TO ENGLISH MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
10653 TR 12:00-1:50 pm +1hr/wk arr ANNE LOBECK
This course provides you with the basic tools to analyze sentence structure, in order to better understand how
structure affects meaning in oral and written language. We take as a starting point our own internalized system
of linguistic rules, which allow us to produce and understand language. Through the study of our own linguistic
system we will discover the organizing principles of grammar: how words are organized into categories (or
“parts of speech”); how words form syntactic units, or phrases; how these phrases function together in larger
units or clauses. Along the way, you will acquire a precise and useful vocabulary to talk about sentence
structure, as well as a useful set of tools you can use to analyze language in its many forms.
Who should take this course? Anyone with an interest in learning more about how language works! The course
is particularly useful for education majors and practicing teachers, providing them not only with tools of
sentence analysis but ways to practically apply this knowledge in the writing classroom.
In addition to learning about sentence structure we will also explore the study of grammar in a larger context.
Topics may include:
 How should grammar be taught in school (should it?)
 How do social attitudes about grammar influence policy decisions?
 How does grammatical structure influence writing style?
 Where did the notion of “standard” English come from, and what is it?
 Where did the notions of “correct” and “incorrect” grammar come from?
 How has the structure of English changed over time?
 How does the structure of English vary (in different dialects)?
 How is knowledge of grammar tested and assessed (in the SAT, AP language and literature
assessments, etc.)?
 Do new technologies affect grammar? If so, how (in texts, tweets and on Facebook)?
REQUIRED TEXT: Navigating English Grammar: a guide to analyzing real language
Anne Lobeck and Kristin Denham. Wiley-Blackwell (available as pdfs on Blackboard)
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS: Teaching Grammar Through Inquiry: a teacher’s guide
lesson plans and activities developed with Sehome High School English/Journalism teacher (and WWU
graduate) Dana Smith.
EVALUATION: regular homework exercises (graded S/U) 15%, 2 exams 60%, and a project (education option:
in class practicum) 25%.
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ENGLISH 443 – TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS I (5) $1.85 fee
WRITING PROFICIENCY (WP3)
Prereq: Eng 301 or 302; Eng 347; Eng 350; Eng 370; and two from 307, 308, 309, 310, 311.
RESTRICTED TO SECONDARY ED INTEREST MAJORS ONLY
10105 MWF 10:00-11:20 am BRUCE GOEBEL
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is the first of a two-quarter sequence that is designed to help you become a thoughtful,
knowledgeable, and effective teacher of English language arts at the secondary level. In this first quarter, we
emphasize the teaching of writing, though oral performance, literature, and media will be integrally linked.
Through the frames of pedagogical theories, we will connect what we know about the diverse student
population that secondary teachers face with what we know about ourselves as language arts learners and
teachers in order to create useable teaching materials. This is a writing and reading intensive course. This
methods course requires the same kind of individual initiative, dedication, and professionalism that you will
apply to your future work as a teacher.
ASSIGNMENTS FOR 443:
Misc. Writing Responses
Professional Book Review
Written Mini-Lesson and Performance
Exam
Sequenced Writing Activities Project
ENGLISH 444 – TEACHING ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS IN THE SECONDARY SCHOOLS II (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 443
11060 MWF 8:30-9:50 am PAM HARDMAN
CONTENT: This course focuses on the teaching of skills related to reading, interpretation, and critical analysis
of literature and other media in secondary school classrooms. The course will also address the specifics of
lesson and unit planning.
ASSIGNMENTS: Assigned reading; lesson plans; discussion plan and performance; unit plan
TEXTS: Gallagher, Deeper Reading; Smagorinsky, Teaching English by Design; Alexie, Absolutely True Diary
of a Part-Time Indian; Course documents on Canvas
ENGLISH 451 - CREATIVE WRITING SEMINAR: FICTION (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 351
RESTRICTED TO CREATIVE WRITING MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
One from 451, 453, or 454 may be repeated once with a different instructor for the creative writing major.
10167 MWF 1:00-2:20 pm ELIZABETH COLEN
In this advanced workshop in fiction writing, students will closely read and analyze books of short stories
published in the past year, engage in weekly writing exercises and imitations, and hone their storytelling skills
through the production of several fully revised stories. The final project will be a portfolio that includes 10-15
pages of fully revised, well-crafted work.
10900 TR 4:00-5:50 pm +1hr/wk arr KATHRYN TRUEBLOOD
PROFESSOR: Kathryn Trueblood. For more info, go to kathryntrueblood.com.
TEXTS:
The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Short Fiction, edited by Williford & Martone
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Brown
*Select Reading on CANVAS
25
COURSE DESCRIPTION: How do writers use research—conventional and unconventional—without sounding
like PBS narrators? How does a writer employ research while also sustaining a deep connection to his or her
story? This is the central question of our workshop. We will be experimenting with writing based on newspaper
articles or other clippings and considering the many ways that writers incorporate research into their fiction
without losing tension on the narrative-line. Our inquiry into methods will include interviews, cultural artifacts,
and found objects. In this class, we will have the chance to read some terrific, contemporary short stories and
discuss them in the spirit of shared inquiry. For every story, you will be asked everyday to consider how it
offered you inspiration or modeled a technical skill.
WRITTEN & ORAL ASSIGNMENTS:
—A formal oral report: 1 student per story.
—2 exercise portfolios incorporating research (4-5 pages each).
—A 12-15 page short story plus one revision of that story to be counted as your Final.
—A portfolio of the endnotes you will write for your peers during the large workshop.
ENGLISH 453 – CREATIVE WRITING SEMINAR: POETRY (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 353
RESTRICTED TO CREATIVE WRITING MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
One from 451, 453, or 454 may be repeated once with a different instructor for the creative writing major.
10544 TR 2:00-3:50 pm +1hr/wk arr BRUCE BEASLEY
This course will be an intensive seminar in poetry writing. Students will write and extensively revise at least
five poems. We’ll write in reaction to the poetics of a wide variety of poets, both traditional and radically
experimental. We’ll examine student poems in full class discussions, small group workshops, written
meditations and critiques, and in conference discussions of multiple revisions. Requirements include five
drafts, five extensive revisions, active class participation, a series of written meditations on poetics, several
exams on the required readings, and a final essay.
ENGLISH 454 - CREATIVE WRITING SEMINAR: CREATIVE NONFICTION (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 354
RESTRICTED TO CREATIVE WRITING MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
One from 451, 453, or 454 may be repeated once with a different instructor for the creative writing major.
10503 MWF 10:00-11:20 am JEANNE YEASTING
CONTENT: This creative writing seminar will focus on creating and revising original creative nonfiction in a
variety of forms. We will read and study the craft of contemporary authors as writing models. Class will be a
mixture of discussion of assigned texts, writing exercises, and workshopping. Students may be required to
complete a collaborative project, conduct research related to writing their essays and/or attend outside literary
events.
EVALUATION: Based largely on active and attentive class participation and fulfillment of assignments,
including a Final Project.
TEXTS:
The Next American Essay, edited by John D’Agata
Bluets, Maggie Nelson
Hyperbole and a Half, Allie Brosh
One other text (TBA)
Selected texts on Canvas
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ENGLISH 457 – SPECIAL TOPICS IN POETRY WRITING: PROSE POETRY (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 353
RESTRICTED TO CREATIVE WRITING MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
May be repeated once with a different instructor.
10740 MWF 2:30-3:50 pm JEANNE YEASTING
This course will focus primarily on writing and revising original prose poetry. To get a sense of this form’s
potential, we will read the work of early practitioners, as well as contemporary authors. We’ll investigate the
line between “regular” poetry with line breaks, prose poetry, and other forms of short prose. Enthusiasm for
reading, writing, and revising poetry is essential; also, a willingness to experiment, to luxuriate in reading
writing aloud, and to move beyond your habitual writing patterns and style. Class will be a mixture of
discussion of assigned texts, writing exercises, and workshopping. Students may be required to complete a
collaborative project and/or conduct research related to their writing.
EVALUATION: Based largely on active and attentive class participation, and fulfillment of assignments,
including a Final Project.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
No Boundaries: Prose Poems by 24 Americans, edited by Ray Gonzalez
Twenty Prose Poems, Charles Baudelaire, translated by Michael Hamburger
Models of the Universe, edited by Stuart Friebert and David Young
Transfer of Qualities, Martha Ronk
Selected texts on Canvas
ENGLISH 458 – TOPICS IN CREATIVE NONFICTION WRTG: AUTOBIOGRAPHY & PHOTOGRAPHY (5)
$1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 354
RESTRICTED TO CREATIVE WRITING MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
May be repeated once with a different instructor.
13599 TR 12:00-1:50 pm +1hr/wk arr BRENDA MILLER
Autobiography and photography are naturally allied; both a claim a stance in the “real world” while using
figurative techniques to represent that reality. In this course, we will inquire into the nature of that alliance,
examining how time, memory, the use of the frame, narrative perspective, and unexpected details function in
both genres. We will study the conversation between text and image, between narrators and image, and
between narrators and their own memories. We will look at how autobiographers have used photographs
within their texts, and we will study how photographers create autobiographies (or biographies) through visual
images. We will also inquire in to the nature of “looking” itself.
TEXTS
Camera Lucida, Roland Barthes
Two or Three Things I Know For Sure, Dorothy Allison
Still Life with Oysters and Lemon, Mark Doty
The Names, N. Scott Momaday
Half in Shade, Judith Kitchen
Assorted Short essays and handouts posted on Canvas
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ENGLISH 459 – EDITING AND PUBLISHING (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: one from Eng 351, 353, or 354
RESTRICTED TO CREATIVE WRITING MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
ENG 459 Is Not Repeatable
11115 TR 10:00-11:50 am +1hr/wk arr KRISTIANA KAHAKAUWILA
EDITING & PUBLISHING: MAGAZINES
This course, like the object it studies, engages writing, editing, and publishing on multiple levels. You
will practice classic journalistic conventions, creative nonfiction, technical writing and the development of
marketing documents. You will learn to edit and revise as a features editor (focused on idea development), a
fact-checker (concerned with research and accuracy), a copy-editor (studied in grammar and mechanics), and
a proofreader (versed in layout). You will establish, as a publisher must, vision, consistency, market fit, and a
promotional platform.
Although we will most closely consider the glossies, those slick news-stand favorites, we will also
discuss literary journals, online and audio publications, and other periodicals. Moreover, we will study current
trends and concerns in order to understand the trajectory of the magazine industry, its marketing and publicity,
and the ever-present space for innovation.
The course begins with this premise: The work of any great writer, editor or publisher is learning how to
balance a publisher’s vision with the writer’s unique voice. Thus, be prepared to practice writing and editing
within others’ visions, as well as your own.
TEXTS
Required
* Navasky, Victor S. and Evan Cornog, Eds. The Art of Making Magazines: On Being an Editor and Other
Views from the Industry. New York: Columbia UP, 2012.
* O’Conner, Patricia. Woe is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English, 3rd ed. New
York: Riverhead, 2010.
Suggested for Purchase
*
The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2010.
ENGLISH 460 – CREATIVE WRITING - MULTI-GENRE (5) $1.85 fee
Prereq: Eng 351, 353, or 354
RESTRICTED TO CREATIVE WRITING MAJORS ONLY UNTIL 9:00 AM ON NOVEMBER 16.
May be repeated once with a different instructor.
MULTI-GENRE WRITING: HUMOR WRITING
10594 MWF 8:30-9:50 am BRUCE GOEBEL
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will give you the opportunity to explore a variety of humor strategies, genres, and forms. We’ll
begin with few weeks dedicated to some of the “building-blocks” of humor in the form of language play,
figurative, language, and jokes, which will culminate in a group written, short stand-up narrative routine. From
there, we’ll shift to the writing of humorous essays, with particular attention to column-length topical work. A
short exploration of light verse will follow. And we’ll end with a bit of parodic experimentation. Class time will
be divided between analysis of relevant humor pieces, group and individual writing exercises, and small-group
workshopping developed pieces.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Humor Journal
Writing Exercises
Writing Portfolio
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MULTI-GENRE WRITING: THE POET’S MEMOIR
13130 MWF 2:30-3:50 pm NANCY PAGH
This multi-genre advanced writing workshop combines the study and practice of both poetry and memoir. We
will focus on analyzing and emulating some of the gestures made by memoirists who first established
themselves as poets, asking questions such as: How are these two genres distinct? Why would a poet
choose to write a memoir—what challenge does it offer, not present for the poet? Do poet memoirists use
language differently than other memoirists—how do poets challenge or alter the conventions of memoir? How
is a life shaped and presented through the “I” of a poem’s speaker compared to the self of a memoir? What
expectations for Truth do we bring to poetry and memoir? Can poetry and memoir combine?
Evaluation is based on preparation and attendance for class and conferences; participation in writing
exercises, peer-group workshop activities, and class discussion; successful completion of portfolios of revised
original poetry and memoir; a final exam/critical essay that situates your own writing in the larger contexts of
these genres and your literary influences.
GRADUATE (500 LEVEL) COURSES: GRADUATE STATUS, COMPETENCY, PERMISSION
ENGLISH 506 – SEMINAR IN CREATIVE WRITING: MULTIGENRE: RECYCLED WRITING (5) $1.85 fee
13133 TR 12:00-1:50 pm +1hr/wk arr KELLY MAGEE
This multigenre workshop will examine two ways of using existing material to generate new writing: recycled
form and recycled content. Recycled forms include things like scaffoldings and imitations, cross-genre work
like prose poetry, updates, and erasures, to name a few. Recycled content might include conspicuous
appropriation, creative editing, found poetry, retellings, and collage writing. The class will consist of weekly
writing experiments across genres, discussion of the challenges and pleasures of recycled writing, and
progress toward the production of a final collection or long work. Students are welcome and encouraged to
bring in work from existing projects, and to use work produced in class toward longer projects/collections.
ENGLISH 510 – SEMINAR: TOPICS IN RHETORIC: RHETORICS OF REMEMBERING (5) $1.85 fee
10416 TR 2:00-3:50 pm +1hr/wk arr ANDREW LUCCHESI
This course explores the ways writing can be used to explore, understand, and share important memories. We
often think about memory as a private commodity. But when we write creative non-fiction, memoir,
testimonials, teaching narratives, and other kinds of life writing, we are using the tools of writing to turn our
memories into a sharable form. Memory is often also a communal commodity. In the second half of the course,
we will look at texts that archive and build on important shared cultural memories. Our primary examples will
be a set of texts documenting and responding to the HIV/AIDS crisis in the United States in the late 20th and
early 21st century. Ranging in genre and medium from comics to essays to documentary film, these texts all
attest to the ways individual memory can collectively represent a cultural experience.
Across the quarter, students in this course will engage in a wide range of writing, talking, and teaching
practices. All students will keep daily journals, which will serve as the basis for larger scale creative and/or
analytical projects: a midterm project of approximately 5 pages and a larger final project based on an
individually designed course of study. In small groups, students will also practice being co-teachers--first by
studying in depth one of three writing handbooks that focuses on auto-biographical or expressivist writing
pedagogy, then by staging in-class demonstrations of these pedagogical techniques.
Please note that this course will examine potentially traumatic topics, including homophobia, violence, family
abuse, and social oppression. When signing up for this class, you should consider what it would be like to talk
and write about these topics in a classroom environment. If you are considering signing up for this course, but
unsure if it’s right for you, email [email protected]
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Part 1- Composing Personal Memory
Writing Guides (recommended for purchase, but also available in library course reserve):
Peter Elbow, Writing With Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process
Sondra Perl and Mimi Schwartz, Writing True: The Art and Craft of Creative Nonfiction
Louise Desalvo, Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives
Expert Models:
Alison Bechdel, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (2006)
Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, Fun Home the Musical (2013)
Audre Lorde, The Cancer Journals (1980)
Nancy Mairs, Waist High in the World: A Life Among the Nondisabled (1996)
Susan Sontag, Illness as Metaphor/ AIDS and is Metaphors
G. Thomas Couser, Signifying Bodies: Illness, Disability, and Life Writing (2009)
Unit 2 - Rhetorics of Cultural Re/Collection
Guides: based on individual advisement
Models:
Ana Devere Smith, Twighlight: 1992 (1994 documentary play)
The Laromie Project (2000 play)
Paris is Burning (1991 documentary film)
bell hooks "Is Paris Burning? (1992 Essay)
How to Survive a Plague (2012 documentary film)
Leo Bersani, "Is the Rectum a Grave?" (1987 Essay)
William Finn, Falsettoland (1990 Broadway Cast Recording)
Eve K Sedgwick "White Glasses" (1994 essay)
Dagmar Schultz (Dir), Audre Lorde--The Berlin Years, 1984 - 1992 (2012 documentary film)
ENGLISH 515 – STUDIES IN LITERARY & CRITICAL THEORY: POSTCOLONIAL THEORY (5) $1.85 fee
13135 TR 12:00-1:50 pm +1hr/wk arr CHRISTOPHER WISE
This graduate seminar will focus on “Postcolonial Theory” with special reference to the Northwest African
Islamic setting. We will explore the historical and political interdependence of Arab, French, and U.S. forms of
imperialism and neo-imperialism in Northwest Africa from 19th Century to the fall of Gaddafi and the recent
jihad in Northern Mali. We will also study pre-colonial, postcolonial and neo-colonial literature; encomiastic,
response, and testimonial literature; Marxism, deconstruction, and feminism in postcolonial theory; realpolitik,
foreign policy analysis, and postcolonial studies; essentialist and non-essentialist forms of racism and slavery
in Northwest Africa; the Abrahamic, Sufism, Quranic Hermeneutics, and Islamic Studies; colonialism,
ethnography, anthropology, and cine-verité; chirography, amulet writing, and other forms of pre-colonial writing
in the Sahel, including in Arabic and ajami; circumcision, excision, tribal scarification, tattooing, and other
varieties of totemic cutting; nyama, baraka, and the nyamakala; the griot epic, the qasida, musicology, and
non-Platonic orientations to orality-aurality; Egyptology, occult sorcery, conjuration, oath-swearing, the archive;
jihad and the “global war on terror.” While the larger theme of this course will be postcolonial theory, our
inquiry will be grounded with reference to a particular setting, the Sahel.
FILMS:
Cheik Oumar Sissoko, La genèse
Ousmane Sembene, Moolaade
Abderrahmane Sissako, Timbuktu
TEXTS:
Freud, Totem and Taboo & Moses and Monotheism
Derrida, Archive Fever & Specters of Marx
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Said, Freud and the Non-European
Tall, “Key Concepts and African Society”
Wise, Jihad of the Umarian Tijaniyya
Ouologuem, The Yambo Ouologuem Reader
McKinney, The Illegal War on Libya
Kennan, The Dying Sahara
Gugelberger, “Decolonizing the Canon: Considerations of Third World Literature”
Sankara, Thomas Sankara Speaks
REPORT TOPICS
Césaire, Discourse on Colonialism
Gugelberger, Marxism and African Literature
Mernissi, The Veil and The Male Elite
Spivak, “Can the Subaltern Speak?” & The Postcolonial Critic
Ngugi, Decolonizing the Mind
Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth
Roberts, A Saint In The City: Sufi Arts of Urban Senegal
Ngom, Muslims Beyond The Arab World
ENGLISH 520 – STUDIES IN POETRY: POETRY AND UNKNOWING (5) $1.85 fee
13598 TR 10:00-11:50 am +1hr/wk arr BRUCE BEASLEY
What is the relationship between the kinds of knowing that lyric poems pursue and other forms of knowledge?
In this seminar we'll explore the paradox, associative logics, obliquities, word- and soundplay, of lyric poems as
forms of unknowing, or knowing differently, through associative and imagistic ways of making and unmaking
sense. The seminar will also serve as a crash course in recent American poetry and poetics. We'll read
several influential and acclaimed recent collections to take stock of what is happening, and how, and why, in
American poetry. This seminar is designed equally for M.F.A. and M.A. students, with possibilities for creative,
critical, and hybrid creative-critical projects and investigations in relation to fundamental questions of lyric forms
and procedures we'll be considering.
ENGLISH 540 – STUDIES IN GLOBAL LITERATURES (5) $1.85 fee
13137 TR 8:00-9:50 am +1hr/wk arr NING YU
BOOKS
In Response to the Howling Monkeys along the Yangtze
The Essential Haiku
The Natural History of Selborne
Walden
Silent Spring
Dwelling
Early Warming
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Literature’s primary purpose, according to William Shakespeare, is to “hold a mirror to nature.” But for literary
critics the word “nature” has been confined to a narrower sense of human nature as it is developed, twisted or
alienated in a human subject’s struggle in society. In the past three decades or so, literary scholars have been
constantly redrawing the boundaries of their field to “remap” its rapidly changing contours. Race, class,
gender, sexual orientation, all sorts of power relation and cultural constructs, especially language, are hot
topics in contemporary criticism. If you attempt to understand the “nature” of our world through the numerous
“mirrors” of critical schools, you would never suspect that our physical environment, the planet earth, the only
life-giving and life-supporting system to our knowledge in the whole universe, is under a lot of stress.
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However, more and more scholars feel frustrated by our literature curriculum that doesn’t prepare us to
participate effectively in the conversation or action about such pressing issues in the larger world as oil spill,
acid rain, greenhouse gas, toxic waste contamination, global warming, nuclear waste dumps, deforestation and
loss of topsoil although our literary geniuses have been writing about similar concerns since decades even
centuries ago. “Literature,” in Kurt Vonnegut’s strong words, “should not disappear in its own ass-hole.”
Indeed, sensitive writers and poets feel the pressure of environmental crises more acutely than most people. In
this course, within the limit of my knowledge and expertise, I’d like to trace the genre that is conventionally
called “nature writing” from the Chinese, Janpanese, British, Anglo-American and Native American traditions
and offer a historical review that reveals a pattern of increasing anxiety about the pressure on the non-human
environment.
ENGLISH 560 – STUDIES IN BRITISH LITS: SEXUALITIES: VICTORIAN/EDWARDIAN/MODERN
(5) $1.85 fee
12428 TR 4:00-5:50 pm +1hr/wk arr KRISTIN MAHONEY
The course will interrogate the connection between sexual politics and the politics of modernity more generally
considered, focusing in particular on turn-of-the-century ideologies of race and empire, World War I, and the
rise of socialism. What role did writers and artists with investments in same-sex affiliation play in the
contestation of imperialism, capitalism, and jingoism? How did the theorizing of same-sex friendship and love
allow these figures to thoughtfully reconsider their relationship to nation, wealth, and violence? We will focus
primarily on the representation of sexuality and gender identity in the works of late nineteenth- and early
twentieth-century British authors, but we will also be thinking about these works as part of a transnational
conversation concerning sexual and gender dissidence at the turn of the century. We will consider, for
example, how Whitman influenced the British writer Edward Carpenter’s vision of eroticized democratic
brotherhood and discuss what Wilde meant to the Harlem Renaissance writer Richard Bruce Nugent.
Readings may include works by Oscar Wilde, Michael Field (Katharine Bradley and Edith Cooper), Henry
James, Edward Carpenter, E.M. Forster, Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, Radclyffe Hall, Walt Whitman,
Gertrude Stein, and Richard Bruce Nugent.
ENGLISH 580 – FILM: THIRD CINEMA (5) $1.85 fee
10716 TR 6:00-7:50 pm (HU 304) +FILM VIEWING W 5:00-7:50 (BH 105) DAVID GRAY
This course will introduce students to the films and theoretical works that defined Third Cinema, a tricontinental movement that accompanied anti-colonial and post-colonial struggles in the Global South.
Filmmakers conceived of third cinema as a cinema that broke with both Hollywood and European art cinemas,
not only in content, but in form, and that aimed to decolonize the apparatus and aesthetics of film. We will look
at films by filmmakers like Ousmene Sembene, Fernando Solanas, Sara Gómez, and Kidlat Tahimik, among
many others. We will also consider the legacy of Third Cinema, and students will be welcome to pursue
research projects on films that allow them to interrogate and examine that legacy.
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