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Fall
2007
English Majors: Please 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. Below you will find descriptions of the upper-division
courses being offered in Fall 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.
English 101: Introduction to English Studies
Professor Patricia Stephens
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 12:00- 1:15 pm
What does one need to know to be an English major or minor?
What do English majors and minors study and learn? What kinds
of careers and educational opportunities await those who graduate
with a degree in English? This course is designed to familiarize
students with the diversity and scope of English studies and
to introduce students to contemporary debates concerning such
issues as the connection between reading and writing, the
relationship among different interpretive/critical strategies,
and the nature and politics of the literary canon. In this
course, we will 1) learn about the rise of English as a discipline
and how the profession of English has changed over time; 2)
analyze the formation and politics of the literary canon;
3) engage in close readings of literary texts; and 4) examine
and experiment with numerous methods of literary criticism
and analysis. This course will be conducted as a seminar,
and students will be expected to participate in and take responsibility
for class discussions. We will read selections from David
Richter's Falling Into Theory: Conflicting Views on Literature
alongside numerous literary texts (poetry, fiction, and drama
selections TBA).
English 103: Workshop on the Essay
Professor Jonathan Haynes
Tuesdays and Thursdays 3:00-4:15
This workshop aims to deepen skills in writing nonfiction
prose. To that end we will study representative works by masters
of the essay, but the heart of the course will be writing,
editing one another's work, and individual meetings with the
instructor. Writing is a complex skill and we will pay attention
to all its facets, from tone and point of view to grammar
and organizing structures. Students will be encouraged to
develop their own personal styles and voices and will have
considerable freedom in choosing what to write about. Some
forms of the essay that we will study and practice are the
news story (as a model of efficiently conveying information),
the editorial (as an exercise in persuasion), the autobiographical
sketch, and the family history.
This course is cross-listed as Journalism 150. It should
be useful to students in any discipline who want to improve
their written communication skills.
English 104: Introduction To Creative Writing / Finding
Our Voices
Professor John High
Tuesdays & Thursdays 1:30-2:45 pm
This class is designed for anyone who has ever wanted to write
creatively yet who is not sure how to begin or how to move
beyond where they are presently in their own writing. Topics
include: getting started, establishing a passionate discipline,
making time, focusing on ideas and feelings and giving them
shape through the language of fiction, poetry and drama. The
course will also zero-in on backbone issues of style and technique,
ranging from those of characterization and plot, continuity
and vividness of imagery, clarity of diction and the use of
phrasing and structure in the writing of our worlds--the various
ways that elements of craft inherently dovetail with content.
There will be weekly creative writing exercises and group
discussions, as well as commentary on the writing process
and how to make it come alive for you. What do we mean when
we talk about issues of style, form and voice(s)? What is
a fiction, a poem--what is a metaphor, what is the magic of
language, the ghost of echoes, which reflect your own vision
of the world, your experience or past, your dreams or visions?
What do we mean when we talk about taking chances in writing?
We'll look at the work of Modern and contemporary writers
ranging from James Baldwin to Anna Akhmatova to Jorge Luis
Borges to that of younger writers publishing today. Critiques
will focus on motivating the student to tap the undefined
territory of his or her own imagination in order to more fully
cultivate and mature her or his own voice/s and styles. The
goal of the course includes completing a portfolio and/or
anthology of our work.
English 126: News Writing (cross-listed as Journalism
119)
Professor Rauche (Journalism
Department)
Section 1: Mondays 3-5:50 pm
Section 2: Wednesdays 6-8:50 pm
English 128: Early British Literatures / The Making of
the English.
Professor Srividhya Swaminathan
Mondays, 6:00- 8:30 pm
What does it mean to be English, and how does language contribute
to construction of identity? Why do we study early English
literature and what kinds of things are we to learn from the
texts? How did English literary traditions evolve over time
to create a cohesive identity and culture for its people?
This course will begin a chronological survey of the development
of English literary traditions beginning in the ninth century
and ending in the eighteenth. In covering texts as diverse
as Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, and The
Way of the World, students will gain an understanding
of the evolution of the English language from its earliest
forms to the more modern version of the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries. By examining the geographic and cultural boundaries
as they change over the centuries, students will gain a better
grasp of the fluidity of "English" or "British"
identity. Finally, students will learn how the form of literature-poetry,
prose, drama-changes over time and contributes to the evolving
culture.
English 158: Early Literature of the United States / Captivity
Narratives
Professor Carol Allen
Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:00-4:15 pm
This course explores early American writing before the Civil
War. Using the general rubric that most American literature
during this era is either an instantiation of economic, social,
and/or spiritual containment or a response to being trapped
in some manner, we will collectively delve into questions concerning
the nature of literary constructs and their permeability. So,
as we discover how writing shapes the world by limiting perception,
we will focus on its ability to subvert expectations and norms,
to infuse political and social spheres with revolutionary spirits,
and to redraw forms and terrain. Expect to read political documents,
slave narratives, religious texts, myths, poetry, essays, autobiography,
fictional narratives and applicable criticism. A partial list
of authors includes John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet, Benjamin
Franklin, James Fenimore Cooper, Harriet Jacobs, Frederick Douglass,
Harriet Beecher Stowe and Edgar Allan Poe.
English 165: Poetry Workshop
Professor Lewis Warsh
Mondays & Wednesdays 3-4:15 pm
THIS COURSE WAS CANCELED.
Our ideas about poetry are often instilled in us at a very young
age, and often those ideas are based on a narrow concept, as
if poetry was just one thing written in one way. Our goal is
to expand the definition of poetry, to see what's possible,
both as writers and readers. We'll do this by exploring the
traditions of poetry and see various forms of poetry (among
them the sonnet, the sestina, the villanelle) and by paying
close attention to the way that poetry changes through time
and how much great poetry is a reflection of the age in which
it was written. We'll also discuss the act of writing poetry
as one of risk-taking and investigation, and how nothing ever
changes unless you experiment or try something new. Is all the
great writing, for instance, experimental writing? In what way
is writing poetry similar to scientific discovery or invention?
We'll discuss, at length, what "experiment" means
in relation to poetry. Among the poets we'll look at closely
are William Carlos Williams, Charles Reznikoff, Ted Berrigan,
Elizabeth Bishop, Gertrude Stein, Robert Creely, Bernadette
Mayer, Amiri Baraka, Jack Spicer, Andre Breton, Frank O'Hara,
and Allen Ginsberg. A final portfolio, consisting of all your
written work, is due at the end of the semester.
English 173: Writing in the Community / Recording Women's
Lives through Oral History
Professor Harriet Malinowitz
Mondays 6-8:30 pm
THIS COURSE WAS CANCELED.
“Subjective,” personal, non-“official”
accounts of what happened in particular times, places, and
circumstances offer unique ways of understanding the world
and its history. In this course students will collect and
disseminate the voices of women whose stories would ordinarily
not be accessible to wider publics. We will read about the
theories, uses, and methods of oral history, and we will also
read a variety of oral histories of women. By the end of the
term, and after completing a series of smaller assignments,
each student will produce a substantial oral history based
on an extended interview with one woman. The women who are
the subjects of the oral histories will be carefully chosen
according to the interests expressed by the students. The
emphasis will be on older (aged 70+) women who may illuminate
the realities of earlier social and historical periods, but
exceptions may be made in consultation with the instructor.
Students are welcome to pursue particular community, family,
social, or disciplinary projects of interest to them. The
course may be particularly useful for students interested
in writing and/or women’s studies, as well as for students
majoring in history, sociology, anthropology, or journalism.
It will also be of use to anyone seeking a humanities elective
that will help in preserving the stories of one or more older
women in one’s life.
English 175: Writing for the Professions
Professor John Killoran
Tuesdays & Thursdays 4:30-5:45 pm
When you are given your first writing project on the job,
will you know what to do? Writing for the Professions is an
elective for students across the disciplines as well as in
English who are looking ahead to prepare themselves to write
for their careers in business, law, the health professions,
science, technology, education, and the arts.
Students will learn to orient their writing toward different
audiences, such as managers, customers, clients, and professional
colleagues. Students will also learn to write in ways that
result in action. By the end of the semester, students will
have written their resume and other career-related documents,
and will be more confident in their abilities to write effectively.
English 180: Reading and Writing Autobiography
Professor Patrick Horrigan
Mondays & Wednesdays 4:30-5:45 pm
THIS COURSE WAS CANCELED.
This is a course in a popular form of life writing known as
"autobiography," the writing of one's own life story.
By studying a diverse selection of autobiographical works
ranging from early Christian "confessions" to nineteenth-century
slave narratives to contemporary video diaries, we will see
how various writiers and visual artists throughout history
and in diverse cultures have tried to create images of themselves.
Works will include Saint Augustine's Confessions, Dante's
The New Life, Frederick Douglass's narrative of his
life as a slave, Walt Whitman's poem "Song of Myself,"
Edmund Gosse's Father and Son, Virginia Woolf's "A
Sketch of the Past," Anne Frank's diary, Richard Wright's
Black Boy, Jonathan Couette's video diary Tarnation,
and Marjane Starapi's graphic memoir about growing up during
the Iran-Iraq war, Persepolis. In addition to reading
and writing about the works of published autobiographers,
students will have the opportunity to create their own autobiographies.
A field trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at
self-portrait paintings will also be arranged.
Study Abroad & Earn Credit That Can
Be Applied Toward Your Major
Friends World Program of Long Island University
invites English majors to study abroad for a semester or a
year at our centers in Costa Rica, Japan, China, or India.
Not only will you have the opportunity to study and travel
in a foreign country while earning credit towards your major,
you will also become immersed in another culture, develop
your global awareness and cross-cultural communication skills,
and be provided with a variety of internship and service learning
opportunities. At all centers students are encouraged to engage
in independent study projects relevant to their academic interests.
The Japan Program in Kyoto exposes students
to the ancient capital of Japan through workshops in haiku,
papermaking, tea ceremony, calligraphy, sumie, Taiko drumming,
as well as subjects such as literature, creative writing,
cinema, interactive web publishing, photography, and teaching
English as a Second Language.
The Costa Rica Program in Heredia offers
home stays with Costa Rican families, internships throughout
the region, and courses in writing, Latin American studies,
cross-cultural research methods, Latin American literature,
Spanish language, global health and traditional healing, peace
and reconciliation studies, environmental studies, and an
introduction to experiential education.
The India Program in Bangalore enables
students to explore the country's religious and cultural diversity,
the caste system, travel writing, environmental issues, the
situation of Tibetan refugees, and the status of women. Students
also have the opportunity to study India's art forms, dance,
and music.
The China Program in Hangzhou allows
students to study a wide range of topics including the history
of China, religious life in China, traditional Chinese medicine,
poetry, women's issues, calligraphy, taiji, Mandarin Chinese
language and modernization and economic development.
The Comparative Religion and Culture Program
teaches students about global citizenship through the lens
of world religions as they travel during the semester. The
Fall 2006 theme is Islam & Culture, and students travel
to Turkey, India, and New York City. The Spring 2007 theme
is Buddhism & Culture. Students will study in India, Thailand,
and Taiwan.
Long Island University Financial Aid can be
applied to all Friends World overseas programs. For more information
call 718 488 3409 or e-mail fw@liu.edu.
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