Introduction to English Studies

English 101:001
Professor Sealy Gilles
Spring 2007
Thursdays 6:00-8:30 pm

This course introduces students to the field of English studies both theoretically and practically. It takes for its focus the craft of the rhetorician and the literary artist. We will therefore explore the overlapping territories of the literary scholar, the essayist, the story-teller, the poet, the dramatist, and the professional writer.

Three units of genre study - on lyric, prose and tragedy - are accompanied by excursions into the profession, as the course introduces students to issues in the critical tradition, the history of the discipline, and contemporary opportunities for English majors. Students will have opportunities to create texts, even as they acquire the tools to critique them. They will also receive intensive training in the research essay and the use of library resources.

English Majors: Please contact your English Department faculty advisor to register as early as possible for the upper-division English classes you need. Doing so will help ensure that courses are not canceled and that you don't have to scramble to find replacement courses at the last minute. You may also contact Wayne Berninger at 718 780 4328 or via e-mail at wayne.berninger@liu.edu.  Below you will find descriptions of the upper-division courses being offered in Spring 2007. Be sure to check the requirements for your particular concentration (i.e., Creative Writing, Literature, or Writing & Rhetoric).

Non-English Majors: The writing and analytical skills that students gain in English classes are very useful in a variety of professional careers. So even if you are not an English major, you can take upper-division English courses-as long as you have already completed English 16, Core Seminar, and two core literature classes (from English 61-64). If you really want to build up your transcript, consider a minor in English, which consists of any four courses numbered 100 or above. If you'd like more information about minoring in English—or if you think you might like to major in English—contact Wayne Berninger at 718 780 4328 or via e-mail at wayne.berninger@liu.edu.