Department of English

Faculty

Distinguished Service Professor Emeritae/i

M.E. Grenander. Ph.D.
University of Chicago

Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritae/i

Eugene K. Garber, Ph.D.
University of Iowa

Distinguished Service Professor

Ronald A. Bosco, Ph.D.
University of Maryland

Professors Emeritae/i

Frances Colby Allee, Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University

Stanley K. Coffman Jr., Ph.D.
Ohio State University

Arthur N. Collins, Ph.D. (Collins Fellow)
University of Minnesota

Robert A. Donovan, Ph.D.
Washington University

William A. Dumbleton, Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania

John C. Gerber, Ph.D.
University of Chicago

Walter Knotts, Ph.D.
Harvard University

Edward S. Lecomte, Ph.D.
Columbia University

Eugene Mirabelli, Ph.D.
Harvard University

Daniel W. Odell, Ph.D.
Cornell University

Townsend Rich, Ph.D.
Yale University

Harry C. Staley, Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania

Professors

Judith E. Barlow, Ph.D. (Collins Fellow)
Johns Hopkins University

Jeffrey Berman, Ph.D.
Cornell University

Lilian Brannon, Ed.D.
East Texas State University

Donald J. Byrd, Ph.D.
University of Kansas

Sarah Blacher Cohen, Ph.D.
Northwestern University

Judith Fetterley, Ph.D. (Collins Fellow)
Indiana University

Warren S. Ginsberg, Ph.D.
Yale University

Judith E. Johnson, B.A.
Barnard College

William Kennedy, B.A.
Siena College

Cyril H. Knoblauch, Ph.D.
Brown University

Majorie Pryse, Ph.D.
University of California, Santa Cruz

Martha T. Rozett, Ph.D.
University of Michigan

Associate Professors Emeritae/i

Theodore Adams, Ph.D.
Ohio University

Edward M. Jennings, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin

Charles Koban, Ph.D.
University of Illinois

Thomson Littlefield, Ph.D.
Columbia University

Rudolph L. Nelson, Ph.D.
Brown University

David C. Redding, Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania

Barbara Rotundo, Ph.D.
Syracuse University

William Rowley, Ph.D.
Harvard University

Joan E. Schulz, Ph.D. (Collins Fellow)
University of Illinois

Frederick E. Silva, Ph.D.
Indiana University

Donald B. Stauffer, Ph.D.
Indiana Universit

Robert E. Thorstensen, M.A.
University of Chicago

Associate Professors

Lana Cable, Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University

Randall T. Craig, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin, Madison

Diva Daims, Ph.D.
The Union Institute

Deborah Dorfman, Ph.D.
Yale University

Teresa Ebert, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota

Helen Regueiro Elam, Ph.D.
Brown University

Donald Faulkner, M.Phil
Yale University

Jennifer Fleischner, Ph.D.
Columbia University

Richard M. Goldman, Ph.D.
Indiana University

Rosemary Hennessey, Ph.D.
Syracuse University

Pierre Joris, Ph.D.
University at Binghamton

Stephen North, D.A.
University at Albany

Carolyn Yalkut, Ph.D.
University of Denver

Assistant Professors Emeritae/i

Sheila Berger, Ph.D.
New York University

George S. Hastings, Ph.D.
University of Pennsylvania

Louise Roberts, Ph.D.
University of Chicago

Iliana Semmler, Ph.D.
University at Albany

Assistant Professors

Teresa Ebert, Ph.D.
University of Minnesota

Amy Lee, Ph.D.
University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Laura Marello, M.A.
University of Colorado

Robert Yagelski, Ph.D.
Ohio State University

Full-Time Lecturers

Mary Valentis, Ph.D.
University at Albany

Martha Fleming, Ph.D.
Boston University

Anne Sullivan, Ph.D.
University at Albany

Kate Winter, D.A.
University at Albany

Teaching Assistants (estimated): 28

Careers for English Majors

The major in English prepares students for any field of work that requires a broad liberal education with special strength in language, critical analysis and research. English graduates find careers in theatre and film, government, counseling, broadcasting, public policy and administration, banking, and retailing and manufacturing as well as writing, editing, publishing, teaching, advertising and public relations. The English major is also excellent preparation for advanced study in such professional graduate programs as law, medicine, librarianship, social welfare and theology.

Curriculum

The curriculum of the Department of English is designed to aid students to write effectively, to read critically, and to acquire a sense of the development of literature written in English and of its relation to society. Within the English major, students may choose to concentrate in the General Sequence or in the Writing Sequence. Through the university�s Department of Educational Theory and Practice, they may also enroll in the English Teacher Education Program. English majors also have the option of applying for admission to the Honors Program. Students planning to take the GRE for graduate study in English are strongly urged to include course work in pre-1800 generic surveys (e.g., 251, 252, 291, 292, 295, 296). Students may also count up to 6 credits toward their English electives of literature in translation when such courses have received approval by the English department

Degree Requirements for the Major in English

General and Teacher Education Programs

B.A. General Sequence: 36 credits in English, at least 18 of them in courses at the 300 level or above, including the following in recommended order of study:

3 credits from the following Reading Courses, preferably the Writing Intensive version (catalog number with �E� suffix):

    A Eng 121 Reading Literature
    A Eng 122 Reading Prose Fiction
    A Eng 123 Reading Drama
    A Eng 124 Reading Poetry

3 credits of:

    A Eng 210 Introduction to Literary Study

3 credits from the following Generic Survey Courses:

    A Eng 251 British Poetic Tradition I
    A Eng 252 British Poetic Tradition II
    A Eng 260 Forms of Poetry
    A Eng 261 American Poetic Tradition
    A Eng 291 English Literary Tradition I
    A Eng 292 English Literary Tradition II
    A Eng 295 Classics of Western Literature I: Ancient Epic to Modern Drama
    A Eng 296 Classics of Western Literature II; Ancient Epic to Modern Novel
    A Eng 320 British Novel I
    A Eng 321 British Novel II
    A Eng 322 British Drama
    A Eng 323 Nineteenth-Century American Novel
    A Eng 324 Twentieth-Century American Novel
    A Eng 325 American Drama

3 credits from the following Author Courses:

    A Eng 341 Chaucer
    A Eng 344 Early Works of Shakespeare
    A Eng 345 Later Works of Shakespeare
    A Eng 348 Milton
    A Eng 352 Study of a British Author
    A Eng 353 Study of an American Author
    A Eng 354 Comparative Study of Authors

3 credits from Writing Courses on the 300 level or above:

    A Eng 300Z Expository Writing
    A Eng 301Z Critical Writing
    A Eng 302Z Creative Writing
    A Eng 303Z Forms of Argumentative and Persuasive Writing (Rhetoric)
    A Eng 304Z Forms of Creative Writing (Poetics)
    A Eng 308Z Journalistic Writing
    A Eng 309Z Practical Writing
    A Eng 403Z Writing Prose Fiction
    A Eng 404Z Writing Drama
    A Eng 405Z Writing Poetry

3 credits from the following courses in Literature of a Subculture or Cultural Studies:

    A Eng 240 Growing Up in America
    A Eng 362 Critical Approaches to Women in Literature
    A Eng 365 Comparative Study of Minority Literatures
    A Eng 366 Minority Writers
    A Eng 367 Jewish-American Literature
    A Eng 368 Women Writers
    A Eng 371 Regional Studies in British Literature
    A Eng 374 Regional Studies in American Literature
    A Eng 385 Topics in Cultural Studies (subject to approval for major requirement)

6 credits from Period Courses taken in the following pairs: 421�422; 422�423; 423�425; 425�426; 426�427; 432�433; 433�434; 423� 432; 425�432; 426�433; 427�434; or 447 � another period course when approved. Please note: not all Period Courses can be paired to fulfill the Major requirement. Nonpairing courses include 428, 435, 439, and 442. Any exceptions must be approved by an English Department Adviser, who will then provide a waiver. Also, because 447 and 448 are variable- content courses, they cannot automatically be assumed to pair with each other or with another currently available period course. Therefore, to fulfill the Major requirement, 447 and 448 also require approval and a waiver from English Advisement.

    A Eng 421 Literature of the Middle Ages
    A Eng 422 Literature of the Earlier Renaissance
    A Eng 423 Literature of the Later Renaissance
    A Eng 425 Literature of the Restoration and the 18th-Century Enlightenment
    A Eng 426 The Romantic Period
    A Eng 427 The Victorian Period
    A Eng 428 Twentieth-Century British and Irish Literature
    A Eng 432 American Literature to 1815
    A Eng 433 American Literature 1815�1865
    A Eng 434 American Literature 1865�1920
    A Eng 435 American Literature 1920 to Present
    A Eng 439 Contemporary American Novel
    A Eng 442 Modern Drama
    A Eng 447 The Historical Imagination I
    A Eng 448 The Historical Imagination II

The remaining 12 credits required for the English Major may be selected either from courses not taken in the above list or from the following:

Electives

Introductory Literature: Reading     A Eng 144 Reading Shakespeare

Criticism and Theory

    A Eng 215L Methods of Literary Criticism
    A Eng 310 Studies in Contemporary Theory

Linguistics and Language

(3 credits from this group required for Teacher Ed):

    A Eng 216 Traditional Grammar and Usage
    A Eng 217M Introduction to Linguistics
    A Eng 311L History of the English Language

Literature Electives of General Interest

    A Eng 221 Old Testament Literature
    A Eng 222L Masterpieces of Literature
    A Eng 223L Short Story
    A Eng 224 Satire
    A Eng 226L Study of a Literary Theme, Form or Mode
    A Eng 227 Literature and Technology
    A Eng 232L Modern Novel
    A Eng 233L Modern Drama
    A Eng 234L Modern Poetry
    A Eng 241L Popular Literature
    A Eng 242L Science Fiction
    A Eng 243 Literature and Film
    A Eng 243Z Four American Directors
    A Eng 289 Topics in English
    A Eng 375 The Literature of New York State
    A Eng 378 Mythic Concepts in Literature
    A Eng 382 Literature and Other Disciplines
    A Eng 382U The Psychiatric Case Study in Literature
    A Eng 382Z Literature and Medicine
    A Eng 461 Forms of Modern Fiction
    A Eng 462 Study of a Literary Movement
    A Eng 487 Studies in Literature (special topics)
    A Eng 489 Advanced Topics in English
    A Eng 490 Internship in English
    A Eng 494 Seminar in English
    A Eng 497 Independent Study and Research in English

The Writing Sequence

Admission: the Writing Sequence is open to freshmen and sophomores: 50 students per year, on a first-come, first-served basis. A number of places in the sequence are also reserved for transfer students. Interested students should contact the Director of Writing, Dr. Amy Lee, Department of English, Humanities 333. Students must be enrolled in English 202Z before applying for formal admission to the Writing Sequence.

B.A. Writing Sequence: 36 credits in English, including the following 21 credits in this recommended order of study:

3 credits selected from one of the following reading courses, preferably the Writing Intensive version (catalog number with �E� suffix):

    A Eng 121 Reading Literature
    A Eng 122 Reading Prose Fiction
    A Eng 123 Reading Drama
    A Eng 124 Reading Poetry

    A Eng 202Z Introduction to Writing:
    Creative and Persuasive (Poetics & Rhetoric)

    A Eng 210 Introduction to Literary Study
    May be taken concurrently with Eng 202Z.

    A Eng 303Z Forms of Argumentative and Persuasive Writing
    A Eng 304Z Forms of Creative Writing
    A Eng 350 Contemporary Writers at Work
    A Eng 450 Special Topics in Rhetoric and Poetics

The remaining 15 credits must be taken from English course work outside the writing sequence, including at least 6 credits at or above the 300- level. Sequence courses may be repeated for Eng credit with permission of Director.

Teacher Education Program

Students interested in a career in secondary school teaching must apply for and be admitted to the Teacher Education Program administered by the Department of Educational Theory and Practice before they can be officially enrolled in this major in the Teacher Education Program. Qualified students may apply after satisfactorily completing one year of undergraduate study and a minimum of 24 graduation credits. Admission requirements are described in this bulletin under the section headed �Department of Educational Theory and Practice.� Students admitted to the program must complete the teacher education professional requirements described in this bulletin under �Undergraduate Professional Requirements� within the section headed �Department of Educational Theory and Practice.� Students must also complete those courses within the English major which are listed in this section under the B.A. General Sequence, and they must apply 3 credits from their 12 credits in �Elective� courses to a Linguistics course, i.e., A Eng 216, 217M or 311L.

Honors Program

The honors program in English is designed to promote intellectual exchange and community among able English majors and to prepare them to do independent work. Successful completion of the Program earns an Honors Certificate in English and nomination for graduation with �Honors in English� from the University.

Admission to the honors program is through a competitive selection process. Application for the honors program is normally made in the sophomore, spring semester, to the honors program coordinator. Transfer students may apply upon acceptance to the University. For admission, students should have completed 12 credits in English, including A Eng 210 and one 300-level course. Students should have an overall average of at least 3.25, and 3.50 in English. The honors committee may waive the entry requirements where appropriate.

Students in the honors program are required to complete 38 credits as follows:

Fulfillment of the honors program waives the regular requirements of the English major. To remain in the honors program students are required to maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50 in English courses and a minimum 3.25 overall. Any student who leaves the honors program is held responsible for the English major requirements.

The Departmental Honors Committee reviews applications and admissions, monitors the progress of honors students, and evaluates the honors thesis. Upon students� completion of the requirements, the honors committee recommends candidates for the degree with honors in English.

Honors Seminars

A Eng 398 Honors Seminar I
A Eng 399 Honors Seminar II
A Eng 498 Honors Seminar III
A Eng 499 Honors Seminar IV

Combined B.A./M.A. Program

The combined B.A./M.A. program in English provides an opportunity for students of recognized academic ability and educational maturity to fulfill integrated requirements of undergraduate and master�s degree programs from the beginning of their junior year. A carefully designed program can permit a student to earn the B.A. and M.A. degrees within nine semesters.

The combined program requires a minimum of 141 credits, of which at least 30 must be graduate credits. In qualifying for the B.A., students must meet all University and college requirements, including the requirements of the undergraduate major described previously, the minor requirement, the minimum 90-credit liberal arts and sciences requirement, the general education requirements, and residency requirements. In qualifying for the M.A., students must meet all University and college requirements as outlined in the Graduate Bulletin, including completion of a minimum of 30 graduate credits and any other conditions such as a research seminar, thesis, comprehensive examination, professional experience, and residency requirements. Up to 9 graduate credits may be applied simultaneously to both the B.A. and M.A. programs.

Students are considered as undergraduates until completion of 120 graduation credits and satisfactory completion of all B.A. requirements. Upon meeting B.A. requirements, students are automatically considered graduate students.

Students may be admitted to the combined degree program at the beginning of their junior year, or after the successful completion of 56 credits, but no later than the accumulation of 100 credits. A cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or higher and three supportive letters of recommendation from faculty are required for consideration. Students will be admitted upon the recommendation of the Graduate Admissions Committee of the department.

English Course Descriptions

NOTE: Courses which can be used to fulfill the English major category requirements are indicated by an asterisk (*). Courses without an asterisk can be used to meet the remaining number of credits in English required for the major.

A Eng 102Z Introduction to Creative Writing (3)
Meets General Education: WI
Introductory course for students with little or no experience in creative writing. Practice in the writing of poetry, fiction, autobiography, and other literary or personal forms. Consideration of such elements of composition as rhythm, imagery, poetic conventions, narrative, tone, point of view, and atmosphere. May be taken only by freshmen and sophomores. S/U graded.

A Eng 121L *Reading Literature (3)
Meets General Education: HA
Development of the critical skills for interpreting and evaluating literature in the major genres� fiction, drama and poetry�with a focus on significant representative works from a variety of cultures and historical periods. A Eng 121E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 121L; only one may be taken for credit.

A Eng 121E *Reading Literature (3)
Meets General Education: HA & WI
A Eng 121E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 121L; only one may be taken for credit.

A Eng 122L *Reading Prose Fiction (3)
Meets General Education: HA
Introduction to methods of analyzing fiction: plot, character, theme, point of view, symbolism, setting, etc. Readings consist of short stories and novels from a variety of cultures and historical periods. A Eng 122E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 122L; only one may be taken for credit.

A Eng 122E *Reading Prose Fiction (3)
Meets General Education: HA & WI
A Eng 122E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 122L; only one may be taken for credit.

A Eng 123L *Reading Drama (3)
Meets General Education: HA
Introduction to the study of dramatic literature from ancient Greece to the present. Primary focus on dramatic structure, plot, character, theme, setting, dialogue�but attention also given to the relationship between the plays and the cultures that produced them. A Eng 123E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 123L; only one may be taken for credit.

A Eng 123E *Reading Drama (3)
Meets General Education: HA & WI
A Eng 123E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 123L; only one may be taken for credit.

A Eng 124L *Reading Poetry (3)
Meets General Education: HA
Introduction to the analysis of poetry. The course considers a range of modes through readings from various periods of English and American poetry, examining such elements as voice, figures of speech, diction, tone and poetic form. A Eng 124E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 124L; only one may be taken for credit.

A Eng 124E *Reading Poetry (3)
Meets General Education: HA & WI
A Eng 124E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 124L; only one may be taken for credit.

A Eng 144L Reading Shakespeare (3)
Meets General Education: HA
Introduction to the variety of Shakespearean genres�comedy, history, tragedy, romance, tragicomedy and sonnets�in light of both their Renaissance context and their relevance to contemporary issues. (Intended for nonmajors.) A Eng 144E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 144L; only one may be taken for credit.

A Eng 144E Reading Shakespeare (3)
Meets General Education: HA & WI
A Eng 144E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 144L; only one may be taken for credit.

A Eng 202Z Introduction to Creative Writing: Creative & Persuasive (Poetics & Rhetoric) (3)
Meets General Education: WI
An introduction to writing as it is informed by rhetoric and poetics. Features extensive student writing. Emphasis on key concepts and basic terminology, analysis of both literary and student texts, and workshop pedagogy. May be taken only by freshmen and sophomores.

A Eng 210 *Introduction to Literary Study (3)
A study of relationships among writer, text and reader as they bear upon literary interpretation and theory. Primary focus will be on the basic issues and assumptions underlying literary study and on varying approaches to practical criticism. Readings: selected literary texts, essays in practical criticism and critical theory. Prerequisite(s): completion of or current enrollment in a 100-level English literature course.

A Eng 215L Methods of Literary Criticism (3)
Meets General Education: HA
This course involves investigation and application of a particular critical method such as Freudian, Marxist, historical, structural or mythic criticism. By focusing on only one critical method among many in the discipline, nonspecialist students gain experience with an important tool of literary analysis, using it to discover new dimensions in a variety of literary texts. May be repeated once for credit when content varies.

A Eng 216 (same as A Lin 216) Traditional Grammar and Usage (3)
Thorough coverage of traditional grammar and usage with an introduction to the principles of structural and transformational grammar. Brief exploration into recent advances in linguistic thought. Practice in stylistic analysis using such grammatical elements as syntax, voice, subordination and sentence structure.

A Eng 217M (same as A Ant 220M & A Lin 220M) Introduction to Linguistics (3)
Meets General Education: SS
The principles of modern structural, transformational, and historical linguistics, with English as the prime example in the examination of language and languages. Only one of A Eng 217M, A Ant 220M & A Lin 220M may be taken for credit.

A Eng 221 (same as A Jst 242 & A Rel 221) Old Testament Literature (3)
Meets General Education: CHP
Various literary genres of the Old Testament and the culture from which they emerged. Some attention to parallel developments in other literatures and to the influence of the Old Testament on Western life and letters. Only one of A Eng 221, A Jst 242 & A Rel 221 may be taken for credit.

A Eng 222L Masterpieces of Literature (3)
Meets General Education: HA
Major works of world literature in a variety of forms, including epic, dramatic and narrative as they provide a context of literary tradition and a foundation for literary study and intellectual history. A Eng 222E is the writing intensive version of 222L; may be repeated once for credit when content varies.

A Eng 222E Masterpieces of Literature (3)
Meets General Education: HA & WI
A Eng 222E is the writing intensive version of 222L; may be repeated once for credit when content varies.

A Eng 223L Short Story (3)
Meets General Education: HA
Analysis and interpretation of the short story as it occurs in one or more periods or places. A Eng 223E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 223L; only one may be taken for credit.

A Eng 223E Short Story (3)
Meets General Education: HA & WI
A Eng 223E is the writing intensive version of A Eng 223L; only one may be taken for credit.

A Eng 224 Satire (3)
Exploration of the mode of satire: the view of the human estate which informs it and the characteristic actions and images by which this view is realized in prose fiction, drama and poetry and in the visual arts. Studies Roman, medieval, 17th and 18th century, modern and contemporary works.

A Eng 226L Study of a Literary Theme, Form or Mode (3)
Meets General Education: HA
Exploration of a single common theme, form or mode using varied texts to promote fresh inquiry by unexpected juxtapositions of subject matter and ways of treating it. Sample themes might include Slavery, Radicalism, or the Old West. Sample forms might include the sonnet or lyric. May be repeated once for credit when content varies.

A Eng 227 Literature and Technology (3)
An examination of the relations between technology and literature. Topics to be addressed may include the presentation of science and technology in fiction, drama and poetry as well as the impact of technological innovation on literary production and consumption.

A Eng 232L Modern Novel (3)
Meets General Education: HA
Consideration of the forms, techniques and themes of the modern American, British and Continental novel.

A Eng 233L Modern Drama (3)
Meets General Education: HA
Survey of modern European and American drama from naturalistic theatre to post-modern theater. Dramatists include Ibsen, Chekhov, Shaw, O�Neill, Brecht, Ionesco, Williams, Pinter and others.

A Eng 234L Modern Poetry (3)
Meets General Education: HA
The forms, techniques and themes of modern British and American poetry, with concentration on such major figures as Yeats, Eliot, Williams, Bishop and Stevens.

A Eng 240 *Growing Up in America (3)
Meets General Education: HD
A reading of novels, autobiographies and other literary works in which authors, both men and women, of various ethnic and racial backgrounds describe the experience of growing up in a multi- ethnic society. Discussions will be aimed at increasing an understanding of the problems and pleasures of diversity.

A Eng 241L Popular Literature (3)
Meets General Education: HA
Examines aspects of popular literary culture such as the best-seller, song lyrics, popular romances, detective and mystery fiction, or books that have been in vogue on the campus during the last 20 years. The course explores the power of cultural ephemera and gives insight into the nature of popular appeal. May be repeated once for credit when content varies.

A Eng 242L Science Fiction (3)
Meets General Education: HA
The development of science fiction and the issues raised by it. Authors include such writers as Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Huxley and LeGuin.

A Eng 243 Literature and Film (3)
Both films and literary works as outgrowths of their culture. From term to term the course focuses on different periods or themes. May be repeated once for credit when content varies.

A Eng 243Z Four American Directors (3)
Meets General Education: WI
Representative films of Orson Welles, John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder from several perspectives. Analyzed as examples of film art, expressions of an individual� s personal vision, products of a complex industrial organization (Hollywood,) and texts to help explain a society�s complex cultural condition.

A Eng 251 *British Poetic Tradition I (3)
A study of the British poetic tradition, focusing on representative works of a small number of authors. Readings will include works from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and 17th century (e.g., Chaucer, Spenser, Donne).

A Eng 252 *British Poetic Tradition II (3)
A continuation of British Poetic Tradition 1, which, however, may be taken independently. Readings will include works from the 17th to 20th centuries (e.g., Milton, Pope, a Romantic or Victorian poet, a poet of the 20th century).

A Eng 260L *Forms of Poetry (3)
Meets General Education: HA
A study of the forms of poetry, such as the ballad, sonnet and dramatic monologue, and poetic modes, such as meditative, lyrical and satiric. Students will examine why certain forms are popular at certain times, and how British and American poets adopt or change the forms they inherit.

A Eng 261L *American Poetic Tradition (3)
Meets General Education: HA
A study of American poetry from the 17th century through the modern period, stressing the richness of the early poetic tradition and the resulting varied spectrum of 20th century poetry. Emphasis on close reading of individual texts and theoretical issues that arise in the reading of poetry.

A Eng 289 Topics in English (1�6) Topics in literature with a university-wide appeal. May be repeated once for credit when content varies.

A Eng 291L *English Literary Tradition I: From the Anglo-Saxon Period through Milton (3)
Meets General Education: HA
Representative works by major authors from the Anglo-Saxon period through Milton, with some attention to necessary historical, biographical and intellectual background information. Provides a sense of continuity and change in the English tradition, offering broad overviews of extended chronological periods.

A Eng 292L *English Literary Tradition II: From the Restoration through the Modern Period (3)
Meets General Education: HA
Representative works by major authors from the Restoration through the Modern period, with some attention to necessary historical, biographical and intellectual background information. Provides a sense of continuity and change in the English literary tradition, offering broad overviews of extended chronological periods.

A Eng 295L *Classics of Western Literature I: Ancient Epic to Modern Drama (3)
Meets General Education: HA
Classics of Western Literature I and II offer a foundation for literary study by tracing the evolution of modern literary genres from Homeric epics. A Eng 295L/E examines the relationship of The Iliad to the Western dramatic tradition. Representative authors include Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Shakespeare, Moli�re, Racine, Goethe, Ibsen, Chekhov, Brecht. Critical writing is emphasized. A Eng 295E is the writing intensive version of 295L; only one may be taken for credit.

A Eng 295E *Classics of Western Literature I: Ancient Epic to Modern Drama (3)
Meets General Education: HA & WI
A Eng 295E is the writing intensive version of 295L; only one may be taken for credit.

A Eng 296L *Classics of Western Literature II: Ancient Epic to Modern Novel (3)
Meets General Education: HA
Classics of Western Literature I and II offer a foundation for literary study by tracing the evolution of modern literary genres from Homeric epics. A Eng 296L/E examines the emergence of the modern novel from the epic tradition. Representative authors include Homer, Virgil, Dante, Cervantes, Joyce. Critical writing is emphasized. Prior completion of A Eng 295L or 295E is recommended but not required. A Eng 296E is the writing intensive version of 296L; only one may be taken for credit.

A Eng 296E *Classics of Western Literature II: Ancient Epic to Modern Novel (3)
Meets General Education: HA, WI
A Eng 296E is the writing intensive version of 296L; only one may be taken for credit.

A Eng 300Z *Expository Writing (3)
Meets General Education: WI
For experienced writers who wish to work on such skills as style, organization, logic and tone. Practice in a variety of forms: editorials, letters, travel accounts, film reviews, position papers and autobiographical narrative. Classes devoted to discussions of the composing process and to critiques of student essays. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. S/U graded.

A Eng 301Z *Critical Writing (3)
Meets General Education: WI
Exercises in literary description and literary criticism; attention to various critical tasks and approaches to the major resources of literary bibliography. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. S/U graded.

A Eng 302Z *Creative Writing (3)
Meets General Education: WI
For the student who wishes to experiment with a variety of kinds of writing, but who has limited experience. Admission is by permission, and those seeking to enroll should submit a sample of their work to the instructor. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor. S/U graded.

A Eng 303Z *Forms of Argumentative and Persuasive Writing (Rhetoric) (3)
Meets General Education: WI
Concentrated study of writing with an emphasis on rhetoric as a disciplinary context. Features extensive practice in one or more of a variety of forms (argument, narration, exposition). Focuses on detailed analysis of both literary and student texts, with special attention to generic conventions, rhetorical context, textual logics, and style. Prerequisite(s): A Eng 202Z. May be repeated once for credit with permission of the Director of Writing.

A Eng 304Z *Forms of Creative Writing (Poetics) (3)
Concentrated study on writing with an emphasis on poetics as a disciplinary context. Features extensive practice in one or more of a variety of forms (e.g., drama, fiction, poetry). Focuses on detailed analysis of both literary and student texts, with special attention to generic conventions, authorial voice, textual logics, and style. Prerequisite(s): A Eng 202Z. May be repeated once for credit with permission of the Director of Writing.

A Eng 308Z (same as A Jrl 308Z) *Journalistic Writing (3)
Meets General Education: WI
Expository writing that might be done for newspaper, magazine, radio or television journalism. Designed for students in the journalism second field but open to others. Admission is limited, and those seeking to enroll should submit a sample of their work to the instructor. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Only one of A Eng 308Z and A Jrl 308Z can be taken for credit. S/U graded. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor.

A Eng 309Z *Practical Writing (3)
Meets General Education: WI
Practice in the kinds of writing particularly useful to students in business and in the natural and social sciences. Emphasis on clear, accurate, informative writing about complex subjects. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. S/U graded.

A Eng 310 Studies in Contemporary Theory (3)
Intensive study of a particular issue or nucleus of issues in critical/cultural theory. Individual semesters may concentrate on feminist theory, gay and lesbian theory, theories of the imagination, or other topics. The course may be repeated once for credit when the content varies.

A Eng 311L History of the English Language (3)
Meets General Education: HA
A broad tracing of the history, development and structure of the language from the beginnings to modern English, including foreign influences on English, basic tendencies of the language, grammatical constructs, and regional usages, especially American. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors.

A Eng 320 *British Novel I (3)
Origins and development of the British novel from its beginnings to 1850. Representative novelists may include Defoe, Richardson, Fielding, Austen, the Brontes and Dickens.

A Eng 321 *British Novel II (3)
Development of the British novel from 1850 through the modern period. Representative novelists may include George Eliot, Hardy, Conrad, Lawrence, Joyce and Woolf.

A Eng 322 *British Drama (3)
A chronological study of representative plays of major dramatists, periods and movements from the Middle Ages through the 20th century.

A Eng 323 *Nineteenth-Century American Novel (3)
A study of the American novel in the 19th century, emphasizing its development in form and theme, its intersections with American history and culture, and/or the context of literary movements such as Romanticism, Realism and Naturalism.

A Eng 324 *Twentieth-Century American Novel (3)
A study of the 20th century American novel, emphasizing the shifts and developments in form and theme in this century.

A Eng 325L *American Drama (3)
Meets General Education: HA
A survey of the American drama. The primary focus will be on representative works by 20th century playwrights as well as on major theatrical movements in this country.

A Eng 341 *Chaucer (3)
The medieval background and the ideas and narrative art in the poet�s major works. No previous knowledge of Middle English is required. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 344 *Early Works of Shakespeare (3)
The development of Shakespeare�s dramatic art, with emphasis on character, language, theme, form and structure in comedies, histories and tragedies of the 16th century. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 345 *Later Works of Shakespeare (3)
The development of Shakespeare�s dramatic art, focusing on works from the 17th century�the mature tragedies (including Hamlet,) the �dark� comedies, and the dramatic romances�with emphasis on character, language, theme, form and structure, as well as dramatic history. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 348 *Milton (3)
Milton�s poetry and selected prose in the intellectual context of his time. Major emphasis on Paradise Lost, with appropriately detailed study of Comus, Lycidas, Samson Agonistes and significant minor poems. In prose, emphasis on Of Education and Areopagitica. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 350 *Contemporary Writers at Work (3)
Rhetoric and poetics as practiced by contemporary writers across a range of genres and media. Particular attention to social, intellectual, and aesthetic contexts out of which such work emerges. Prerequisite(s): junior or senior class standing.

A Eng 352 *Study of a British Author (3)
The major British author to be studied in depth varies from section to section and from term to term. May be repeated once for credit when content varies. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor. This course is cross-listed with A Wss 352 when the topic is Virginia Woolf.

A Eng 353 *Study of an American Author (3)
The major American author to be studied in depth varies from section to section and from term to term. May be repeated once for credit when content varies. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 354 *Comparative Study of Authors (3)
Study of two authors whose works illuminate each other in terms of style, theme and their relationship to particular historical eras. May be repeated more than once for credit when content varies. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor. This course is cross-listed with A Wss 354 when the topic is Woolf and Lessing.

A Eng 362L (same as A Wss 362L) *Critical Approaches to Women in Literature (3)
Meets General Education: HA
An examination of the relations among gender, text and literary study. The course analyzes different images of women in texts, the relationship of these images to the form and content of the works studied, and the connections between individual works and cultural or critical history. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor. Only one of A Eng 362L & A Wss 362L may be taken for credit.

A Eng 365 *Comparative Study of Minority Literatures (3)
A comparative study of works from the literature of different minorities. The course focuses on the relationships of writers and works to cultural and critical history, on the conditions under which these groups write, and the effect of these conditions on the moods, themes, language and shape of reality in literature. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 366 (same as A Wss 366) *Minority Writers (3)
A study of the literature of a given subculture and the ways in which such factors as sex, age, class and race are presented in literature. The course focuses also on the relationship of minority works to cultural and critical history, on the effects of writing outside the cultural mainstream, and on the questions of technique, voice and tradition for minority writers. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. May be repeated once for credit when content varies. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor. Only one of A Eng 366L & A Wss 366L may be taken for credit.

A Eng 367 *Jewish-American Literature (3)
Literature written by American Jews of the 20th century. Among the topics offered are Jewish fiction writers, Jewish-American Drama, Jewish- American Women Writers, Jewish Humor, and Jewish-American Literature and Film. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. May be repeated once for credit. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 368L (same as A Wss 368L) *Women Writers (3)
Meets General Education: HA
Selected works of English and/or American women writers in the context of the literary and cultural conditions confronting them. The course focuses on the development of a female tradition in literature and on the narrative, poetic, and/or dramatic styles of expression, voice and values of women writers. May be repeated for credit with change in topic. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor. Only one of A Eng 368L & A Wss 368L may be taken for credit.

A Eng 371 *Regional Studies in British Literature (3)
The regional literature of Great Britain and the literature written in English in the Commonwealth and former British possessions. Topics to be discussed may include how the literature reflects the political and cultural experiences of inhabitants of a region and to what extent these regional writers have developed distinctive voices, literary languages, forms and/or themes. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. May be repeated once for credit when content varies. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 374 *Regional Studies in American Literature (3)
The literature of various regions of the United States. Topics to be discussed include how the literature reflects the political and cultural experiences of inhabitants of a region and to what extent these regional writers have developed distinctive voices, literary languages, forms and/or themes. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. May be repeated once for credit when content varies. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 375 The Literature of New York State (3)
Readings from authors, whether native New Yorkers or not, who deal with New York settings, themes and subjects. Writers may include Irving, Cooper, Melville, Whitman, James, Wharton, Dos Passos and more recent authors. Attention will be given to the cultural and social backgrounds of the literature. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 378 Mythic Concepts in Literature (3)
Individual sections concentrate on a particular mythic concept which recurs in literature such as the hero, the monster, the ideal society, the fantastic voyage. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. May be repeated once for credit when content varies. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor. A Eng 382 Literature and Other Disciplines (3�6) Carefully focused study of literature in relation to one or more of the other subject-matter fields (e.g., the literature and history of a period, literature and art, literature and philosophy, literature and psychology or psychoanalysis, or even literature as part of the total culture of a period). Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. May be repeated once for credit when content varies. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 382U The Psychiatric Case Study in Literature (3)
A psychoanalytic approach to literature, which emphasizes the author�s own experience with mental illness and the reflection of that experience in art. Discussion topics include the link between the creative and therapeutic process as well as literary representations of psychological breakdown and the patient-therapist relationship. Authors studied are Freud, Fitzgerald, Eliot, Plath, Lessing, Nabokov and Roth. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 382Z Literature and Medicine (3)
Meets General Education: WI
Explore the area where the field of medicine and the field of literature intersect. the course begins by examining the works of literature written by doctors; works in which medical issues of illness and health play a larger role; and works which treat illness and healing in other cultures. In the latter stages of the course an examination of narrative relationships that exist between the case study and fiction, sampling various works from a continuum that exists between these two endpoints. Finally, a study of plague literature, focusing on the current A.I.D.S. epidemic and the way it has shaped the dramatic discourse of the 1980�s and 1990�s. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 385 *Topics in Cultural Studies (3)
This course will deal with a particular subject or issue in the study of culture. Individual courses may deal with post-coloniality, the impact of social institutions on the production of subjectivities, and similar topics. This course may be used to fulfill the English major subculture requirement only if so approved by the English Academic Adviser.

A Eng 398Z Honors Seminar I (4)
Meets General Education: WI
First course in the English Honors sequence of four seminars offered over a two-year period. Topics vary with each sequence. The seminars explore special topics in literary history, literary theory and critical methodology. May be repeated for credit when topic varies. Prerequisite(s): admission to Honors Program.

A Eng 399 Honors Seminar II (4)
Second course in the English Honors sequence of four seminars offered over a two-year period. Topics vary with each sequence. The seminars explore special topics in literary history, literary theory and critical methodology. May be repeated for credit when topic varies. Prerequisite(s): A Eng 398Z.

A Eng 403Z *Writing Prose Fiction (3)
Meets General Education: WI
Advanced workshop in writing fiction. Admission is limited, and those seeking to enroll should submit a sample of their work to the instructor. May be repeated once for credit. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor. S/U graded.

A Eng 404Z (same as A Thr 406Z) *Writing Drama (3)
Meets General Education: WI
Advanced workshop in writing for the stage. Admission is limited, and those seeking to enroll should submit a sample of their work to the instructor. May be repeated once for credit. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Only one of A Eng 404Z & A Thr 406Z may be taken for credit. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor. S/U graded.

A Eng 405Z *Writing Poetry (3)
Meets General Education: WI
Advanced workshop in writing poetry. Admission is limited, and those seeking to enroll should submit a sample of their work to the instructor. May be repeated once for credit. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): permission of instructor. S/U graded.

A Eng 421 *Literature of the Middle Ages (3)
Students will examine a number of representative works of the Middle Ages, read in translation. Additional readings in, for example, the classics and religious literature will help to situate each work in time and place. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 422 *Literature of the Earlier Renaissance (3)
The various forms that developed and flourished in England during the 16th century: prose, narrative and lyric poetry, and drama (exclusive of Shakespeare.) Attention to classical and continental influences, the historical background, the legitimation of English, and the power of individual texts. Major figures may include More, Wyatt and Surrey, Sidney, Marlowe, Spenser and Jonson. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 423 *Literature of the Later Renaissance (3)
The poetry, prose and drama of England from 1600 to 1660 (exclusive of Milton). Major figures may include Bacon, Donne, Hobbes, Herbert, Marvell and Webster. Attention to political issues intellectual issues and religion as they bear upon the poetry of wit, the prose of conviction, and the drama of power and intrigue. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 425 *Literature of the Restoration and the 18th-Century Enlightenment (3)
In poetry, the range and variety achieved within the ordered, urbane, civil style of Dryden and Pope and the later development of the innovative, exploratory style of Gray, Collins and Cowper. In prose, the achievement of Swift, Addison and Steele, and its extension in Johnson, Goldsmith, Gibbon and Burke. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor

A Eng 426 *The Romantic Period (3)
Literature of the early 19th century in England, especially the poetry of Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley and Keats, studied particularly as it reflects the developing concepts of romantic imagination and romantic individualism, concepts basic to modern literature. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 427 *The Victorian Period (3)
Prose and poetry of Tennyson, Carlyle, Browning, Ruskin, Arnold and others, studied in relation to the broad social, intellectual and artistic movements of the latter part of the 19th century in England. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100- level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 428 Twentieth-Century British and Irish Literature (3)
Major works in prose, poetry, and drama, and major literary movements in British and Irish literature in the modern period. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 432 *American Literature to 1815 (3)
Major poetry and prose of the colonial and federal periods, with some attention to the theological and political backgrounds. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 433 *American Literature 1815�1865 (3)
The works of the major writers of the romantic period. Particular attention to the transcendental writers and to the development of the American novel. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 434 *American Literature 1865�1920 (3)
The major writings of the great period of American realism. Special attention to the development of critical theory, the local color writers, the psychological novel. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 435 American Literature 1920 to Present (3)
Selections from American literature from the modern and contemporary periods, emphasizing the novel. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 439 Contemporary American Novel (3)
The major formal and thematic developments in the American novel of the past 25 years, with particular attention to contemporary fictional experiments and aesthetic preoccupations. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 442 Modern Drama (3)
The growth of naturalism, realism and expressionism. Selected European and American playwrights from Ibsen to O�Neill. Intended for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 446 Modern American Poetry (3)
Selected poets from Robinson to the present with emphasis on analysis. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of the instructor.

A Eng 447 *The Historical Imagination I (3)
An investigation of the relationship between history and literature and the meaning of the concept of �literary history.� Work from two or more eras will be discussed and compared with attention to such questions as the connection between history and literary production, what constitutes a literary period, the influence of its literature on that of subsequent eras, and the decline and reemergence of particular literary forms, themes or approaches. May be repeated once for credit when content varies. This course may be used to fulfill the English major period requirement only when it is linked with another �period course� (448 or other course) that has been approved for such pairing, and a waiver has been provided, by the English academic adviser. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of the instructor.

A Eng 448 *The Historical Imagination II (3)
When linked with another �period course� (subject to approval by the English academic adviser), this course will fulfill the English major period course requirement. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 450* Special Topics in Rhetoric and Poetics (3)
Carefully focused study in the history, theory, or practice of rhetoric and/or poetics (e.g., narrative theory; poetic movements; twentieth century rhetorical theory). May be repeated once for credit with permission of the Director of Writing.

A Eng 461 Forms of Modern Fiction (3)
A study of the major narrative modes in modern British, American, and Continental fiction. Special attention to the problem of how experimentation in fictional forms relates to the social realities and philosophical attitudes of the contemporary world. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 462 Study of a Literary Movement (3)
Study of an international literary movement or movements, their aesthetic philosophy, representative works, and their passages from one culture to another. May be repeated once for credit when content varies. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 487 Studies in Literature (1�6)
Special topics in literature. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. May be repeated once for credit when content varies. Prerequisite(s): a 100- level English literature course or permission of instructor.

A Eng 489 Advanced Topics in English (1�2)
A short course devoted to the intensive study of limited materials�a particular work or works, a particular author or authors, a limited theme or topic, a minor genre. Directed to the special interests of upper-division students. May be repeated for credit when content varies. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course.

A Eng 490 Internship in English (3)
Supervised practical apprenticeship of 10�15 hours of work per week in a position requiring the use of skills pertaining to the discipline of English, such as reading and critical analysis, writing, research, tutoring, etc., with an academic component consisting of the internship colloquium. Written work and report required. Selection is competitive and based on early application, recommendations, interviews and placement with an appropriate internship sponsor. Open only to junior or senior English majors with a minimum overall grade point average of 2.50 and a minimum 3.00 average in English. S/U graded.

A Eng 494 Seminar in English (3)
A seminar for qualified upper-division students; the topic for each term varies and is announced in advance. Prerequisite(s): a 100-level English literature course or permission of instructor. May be repeated once for credit when content varies.

A Eng 497 Independent Study and Research in English (1�4)
May be taken for a maximum of 8 credits. Intended primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisite(s): permission of a faculty member in the department and of the appropriate departmental committee.

A Eng 498 Honors Seminar III (3)
Independent honors thesis individually formulated and written under the direction of the coordinator. Students writing theses will meet occasionally in colloquia to become acquainted with each others� work in progress. Prerequisite(s): A Eng 399. S/U graded.

A Eng 499 Honors Seminar IV (3)
Continuation and completion of thesis begun in A Eng 498. The thesis will be reviewed and evaluated by an honors committee. Prerequisite(s): A Eng 498.


Undergraduate Bulletin — Table of Contents
University at Albany
State University of New York