Graduate Courses in English

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Courses

Note: A complete copy of the English Department's Programs and Policies for Graduate Study can be downloaded in either Microsoft Word (.doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) formats.

AENG 500 - Textual Practices I (4)

Introduces students to a range of theoretical issues, interpretive strategies, and transdisciplinary interchanges that have transformed the study and teaching of English.

AENG 515 - Workshop in Poetry (4)

Intensive practice in writing poetry.  Emphasis on development of poetic technique and individual styles.  Students' work is discussed and criticized by all participants in the workshop.  Instructors may bring to bear on the criticism of student work a discussion of writings by pertinent authors.  May be repeated for credit.  Prerequisite:  consent of instructor.  S/U grading only.

AENG 516 - Workshop in Fiction (4)

Intensive practice in writing fiction.  Emphasis on development of fictional technique and individual styles.  Students' work is discussed and criticized by all participants in the workshop.  Instructors may bring to bear on the criticism of student work a discussion of writings by pertinent authors.  May be repeated for credit.  Prerequisite:  consent of instructor.  S/U grading only.

AENG 517 - Workshop in Non-fictional Prose (4)

Intensive practice in writing non-fiction prose.  The course accommodates a variety of genres, and emphasizes development of individual styles in accordance with students' needs.  Students' writing is discussed and criticized by all participants in the workshop.  Instructors may bring to bear on the criticism of student work a discussion of writings by pertinent authors.  May be repeated for credit.  Prerequisite:  consent of instructor.  S/U grading only.

AENG 521 - Composition Theory (4)

An introduction to composition theory, the field whose primary concern is writing:  what it is, how it is taught and learned, and how it has come to be an object of study.

AENG 522 - The History of Rhetoric (4)

A discussion of central figures and lines of thought within the Western rhetorical tradition from the GrecoRoman to the modern era.  Emphasis on relations between rhetorical theory and the teaching of reading and writing.

AENG 541 - History of Literary Theory (4)

A study of theories about the nature and function of literature, with some attention to the social-historical framework, from classical culture to the end of the nineteenth century.

AENG 542 - Literary Criticism and Theory Since 1950 (4)

This course explores in depth the debates and issues that have shaped the context for contemporary literary study, focusing in particular on the challenges to reading practices posed by poststructuralism, current concerns over culture and history, and the implications of criticism in the University.  May be repeated for credit when content varies.

AENG 551 - History and Structure of the English Language (4)

The origin, development, and structure of the English language, with detailed consideration of selected aspects of English philology.

AENG 552 - Approaches to English Grammar (4)

Traditional and modern methods of syntactic analysis developed and compared.  Philosophical, linguistic, and practical problems associated with linguistic description.  Texts will normally include a high school grammar and a current (e.g., transformational) treatment of English syntax.

AENG 555 - Old English (4)

Studies in the language of England before 1066 A.D.  Students will learn to pronounce and translate prose and verse selections that illustrate the origins of English language, literature, and society.

AENG 580 - Models of History in Literary Criticism (4)

This course explores the connections between the literary text and the social and political contexts within which the text is imagined and produced, with particular attention to the assumptions that govern the definition of both text and context.  What challenges have contemporary critical theories (for instance, Marxist, feminist, post-structuralist) posed to our understanding of history?  What does it mean to propose that a literary text has an historical effect?  May be repeated for credit when content varies.

AENG 581 - Studies in a Literary Period (4)

A study of a given period in terms of the texts it comprises and the contexts within which they have been traditionally understood.  May be repeated for credit when content varies.

AENG 582 - Studies in an Author (4)

Focus on a given author and his/her canon.  Approach may shift between conventional ways of understanding authorship and a critique of these conventions.  May be repeated for credit when content varies.

AENG 600 - Theories and Practice of Creativity (4)

What theories of creativity, exceptional or ordinary, have been held in the past?  How do they inform or contrast with modern educational theories and theories of poetry, music, and the like?  Are these discussions simply ideologically and historically significant, rather than teaching us truths?  While focusing on theories of creativity, this course additionally interrogates theory in light of the experience and practice of course participants.  May be repeated for credit when content varies.

AENG 601 - SEMINAR:  Writing and Revision:  Theory and Practice (4)

The course examines examples of revision by authors, critics, and translators, both of their own work and of the works of their predecessors, as well as the revisions that and class participants perform on their own writings.  We will attempt to understand what motivates the revisionary process and what we as writers we can learn from an examination of it.

AENG 611* - Advanced Workshop in Composition:  Summer Institute (5)

Conducted as a summer institute for area teachers of writing, elementary through college.  Offered under the auspices of the Capital District Writing Project, a member organization of the National Writing Project.  The theory, research, and pedagogy of composition.  Small group critiques of the writing of teacher/participants.  Prerequisites:  baccalaureate degree and permission of the instructor.

AENG 612* - Advanced Workshop in Composition (2)

A short version of English 611.  Offered in cooperation with district offices or college administrations at designated school sites in the Capital District.  Not open for credit to students who have completed 611.  Prerequisites:  baccalaureate degree and permission of the instructor.

AENG 613* - Advanced Workshop in Composition:  Special Topics (1-5)

An umbrella course designed to cover special events or series of sessions during which instruction in composition takes place--extended workshops, symposia, colloquia, research consortia, etc.  Prerequisites:  baccalaureate degree and permission of instructor.

*No more than a total of 4 credits from English 611, 612, and 613 may be applied toward doctoral requirements.

AENG 615 - Poetics and Literary Practice (4)

An introduction to the forms, genres and conventions of poetry and prose, intended to develop an awareness among practicing writers and critics of the traditions of their craft.  The course will include extensive reading in appropriate literary texts.  May be repeated for credit when content varies.

AENG 616 - Revisionary Poetics and Literary Practice (4)

A study of the ways in which our notions of extuality, both within and beyond western cultures, have been challenged and refigured by, for instance, aleatory and performative practices, post-narrative conventions, and the ethnographic study of oral traditions.  The course will include extensive reading in appropriate literary texts.

AENG 641 - SEMINAR:  Critical Methods:  Testing the Limits (4)

This course tests the potential and limits of various critical methods (for instance, historical, formal, feminist, psychoanalytic) in the context of texts from different periods and genres, focusing on the issue of the kind of evidence required to apply a particular methodology.  The course will include extensive reading in appropriate literary texts.

AENG 642 - SEMINAR:  Current Trends in Critical Theory (4)

This course investigates a particular contemporary initiative in literary theory, attempting both to understand it in its own terms and to contextualize it.  May be repeated for credit when content varies.

AENG 651 - Theories of Language (4)

Theories of language addressed within an historical context or with a close focus on the 20th century traditions that inform current debates in linguistics, philosophy and literary theory.  What has language been thought to be?  What relations have obtained between language theory, metaphysics, and social-historical conditions?  The course will include extensive reading in appropriate literary texts.

AENG 652 - The Evolution of Literary English, 1000-1600 (4)

This course examines the various elements that went into the evolution of early modern English (Anglo-Saxon, Norman French, early middle English) as evidenced in literature, and interrogates this evolution in the light of such questions as, who, at any given historical moment, could read or write, and how were "works" composed, performed, or distributed.

AENG 680 - SEMINAR:  Problems of Periodization and Canonicity (4)

This course puts into question the concepts of literary periods and canons, and investigates the assumptions governing the identification of literary periods and the selection of texts to represent periods and constitute canons.  Why, for example, is 1789-1820 more familiar as a "period" than 1810-1840?  What assumptions produce the distinction between major and minor authors?  Particular attention will be given to questions arising from the study of women and minority writers.  May be repeated for credit when content varies.

AENG 681 - SEMINAR:  Texts/Authors and Their Critics (4)

A study of texts, authors, or groups of authors in their historical contexts, and in relation to the critical traditions that have been built around, upon, or in ignorance of them.  Why have certain writings, or aspects of writings, been regarded as more important than others (for instance, Shakespeare in general, Hamlet in particular, certain readings of the play over others)?  May be repeated for credit when content varies.

AENG 685 - Special Topics (4)

Topics, which may be treated in seminars, include but are not limited to the study of genre, movement, region, and specific intersections between the "literary" and the "historical."  May be repeated for credit when content varies.

AENG 693 - General Reading in English (1-12 L.E.U.)

Individual work in preparation for the qualifying examination for the M.A. in English.  Students registering for AENG 693 indicate the portion of their total semester load devoted to it by listing an appropriate number of 'load equivalent units' instead of credit.  May be repeated.  Prerequisite:  consent of the Director of Graduate Studies in English.

AENG 694 - Directed Readings in English (2-4)

A course of reading designed primarily by the student under the direct supervision of a member of the faculty to explore a significant problem of interest.  Prerequisite:  open only to students in the M.A. program with consent of the Director of Graduate Studies in English.  No more than a total of 4 credits of Directed Readings may be applied toward the M.A. requirements.  S/U Grading Only.

AENG 698 - Master’s Research Tutorial (4)

Independent study in a topic developed by the student in conjunction with a faculty committee consisting of a minimum of two members.  The tutorial culminates in an examination based upon a reading list approved by the committee.

AENG 699 - Master’s Thesis (4)

Research and writing the Master’s thesis in conjunction with a faculty committee consisting of a minimum of two members. S/U Grading Only.

AENG 700 - The History of English Studies, 1880 to the Present (4)

This course explores the history of English as a subject of study in universities and colleges, its relation to other disciplines, its evolution in the 20th century, and its place in the current relationship between the humanities and sciences.  Particular attention is given to the connections between graduate school education and public school policies and practices, to the history of writing instruction within the discipline, and to the role played by social and political issues in the evolution of the discipline.

AENG 701 - Gender, Race and Class in English Studies (4)

This course examines how issues of gender, race and class affect the current study of English in its various manifestations:  pedagogy, creative writing, critical theory, composition theory; and how they affect the relation of English departments to debates in the public sphere.  Particular attention will be given to the representation of these issues in the Albany program and to their relation to the concerns students have as writers, critics and teachers.  May be repeated for credit when content varies.

AENG 705 - Special Topics (4)

Topics include but are not limited to courses in "Theory and Practice of Literary Translation," "Sociology of Literary Genres," and "Inscribing Domesticity.  May be repeated for credit when content varies.

AENG 710 - Textual Studies I: Survey (4)

This course provides a broad survey of the critical, theoretical, and rhetorical perspectives that can be used in the study of literature and culture. It includes a representative historical overview of critical methodologies that have emerged in the past several decades of the profession, as well as the study of current modes of critical discourse and interpretation.

AENG 720 - Textual Studies II (4)

This course provides an advanced, intensive study of a set of theoretical or critical issues related to the study of literature and culture, narrowing the broader, introductory focus provided in ENG 710. Course topics may be particular subjects addressed by a range of various critical perspectives; or they can be a set of related issues contained within a particular tradition of critical theory or poetics. Particular attention will be paid to putting concepts or methodologies to work in considering specific literary or cultural examples. May be repeated for credit when content varies.

AENG 715 - Special Topics (4)

Topics include but are not limited to courses in "Playwriting," "Feminist Narrative Strategies."  May be repeated for credit when content varies.

AENG 721 - Research in Composition (4)

Advanced exploration of the theories of writing and current research and research methodology, including teacher inquiry and scholarly and empirical research.

AENG 725 - Special Topics (4)

Topics include but are not limited to courses in "Computers and Composition" and "Writing as Technology."  May be repeated for credit when content varies.

AENG 745 - Special Topics (4)

AENG 755 - Special Topics (4)

Topics include but are not limited to courses in "Language Theory and Victorian Fiction."  May be repeated for credit when content varies.

AENG 770 - Teaching Writing and Literature (4)

This course examines the theory and practice of pedagogy in the context of the first time that doctoral students teach their own courses.  The theoretical topics may include current issues in the teaching of writing and literature, with attention to how teachers select texts, how teachers think students learn, and how institutional contexts shape teaching and learning.  Students will consider the implications of these issues for the practical needs of designing syllabi, paper assignments, and course projects

AENG 771 - Practicum in Teaching Writing and Literature (4)

This course serves as a pedagogical venue for learning about the practical dynamics of teaching, in which students work as a group and one-on-one with a faculty member in planning and administering a particular undergraduate course.  Prerequisite: ENG 770.        

AENG 772 - Pedagogy and Alternative Pedagogy (4)

This course examines past models of teaching theory and practice, explores which models are currently in use in a given institutional context, and considers alternatives to these models in a pedagogically experimental context.  Particular attention will be given to the social and political frameworks informing various teaching models.

AENG 775 - Special Topics (4)

Topics include but are not limited to "Critical Pedagogy" and "Teaching Myth.”  May be repeated for credit when content varies.

AENG 810 - English Internship (4)

Designed for projects in appropriate professional contexts, including team-teaching with faculty, teaching English in nontraditional settings, serving in administrative capacities, or working with publications housed in the department.  S/U Grading Only.

AENG 893 - General Readings in English (1-12 L.E.U.)

Individual work in preparation for the qualifying examinations for the doctorate in English.  Students registering for AENG 893 indicate the portion of their total semester load devoted to it by listing an appropriate number of 'load equivalent units' instead of credits.  May be repeated.  Prerequisite:  consent of the Director of Graduate Studies in English.

AENG 894 - Directed Readings in English (2-4)

A course of reading designed primarily by the student under the direct supervision of a member of the faculty to explore a significant problem of interest.  Prerequisite:  open only to doctoral students in English with the consent of the Director of Graduate Studies in English.  No more than a total of 4 credits of Directed Readings at the 800-level may be applied toward doctoral requirements.  S/U Grading Only.

AENG 899 - Doctoral Dissertation (3-12 L.E.U.)