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English Course Descriptions
English Course Descriptions – Spring
2007
All three-credit literature courses may fulfill the College of Arts & Sciences literature requirement.
Courses recommended to fulfill the literature requirement for non-English majors are indicated by *.
Any writing course 200 or above fulfills the advanced writing requirement.
January 2007 Immersion Courses
CRN • Course • Sec • Crd • Course Title • Faculty • Days • Times • Room • Limit • Prereq
32616 • EN 160 • 01 • 1 • Reading Roundtable • Dwiggins • M • 3:00-3:50 • 15 • None
This roundtable will explore children’s picture books. Are they really for children? What are the myths that seem to be prevalent in these books that are manifested through both the child figures in the narratives and the adults who write these stories? We will look at some of your favorite such as Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are and The Berenstain Bears books as well as some not so well known.
30777 • EN 170 • 01 • 1 • Writing Roundtable • McKenna • M • 3:00-3:50 • 15 • None
In this course, students will have the opportunity to experiment with writing in multiple genres including poetry, parody, satire, fiction, creative non-fiction and memoir. The course offers the opportunities for students to write in a casual supportive environment. This is an ideal course for any writer who wants to experiment with a variety of forms.
33898 • EN 170 • 02 • 1 • Long-Vanderburg Writing Roundtable • Matthews • S • 6:00-7:00 • 15 • Long-Vanderburg Scholar •
This Writing Roundtable provides a forum for Long-Vanderburg scholars to share and publicize their perspectives as minority scholars at Millikin University. This semester, the students will organize the African American Read-In and participate in other multicultural events. For their main project, the students will write, edit, and publish a newsletter reflecting on their experiences and celebrating their achievements, which will be sent out to prospective Long-Vanderburg scholars.
32617 • EN 201 • 01 • 3 • Intro to Creative Writing • McKenna • MWF • 9:00-9:50 • 20 • IN 151 •
This introduction to creative writing allows students to explore a variety of writing styles and genres as we explore ideas about the craft of creative writing. Using various writers as models and reading about how other writers developed their writing and craft, students will gain a sense of the many paths that writers take to develop their art. Over the course of this study students will be producing their own body of work and have the opportunity to “test the waters” in a variety of forms. Students will also engage with one another’s writings and learn to give helpful feedback about the writings of their peers.
Fulfills the advanced writing requirement for English majors.
33899 • EN 210 • 01 • 3 • Business & Professional Writing • Zhao • TR • 3:30-4:45 • 20 • IN 151
The primary goal of Business and Professional Writing is to prepare you to be a successful writer in your professional and business organization communities. To be successful in any profession, you must understand the uses of writing in these communities. You will be engaged in real-world case studies to practice skills such as: listening, nonverbal communication, group and teamwork communication, cross-cultural and international communication, and workplace electronic communication. Based on a problem-solving approach, this course will prepare you to succeed at various writing tasks you will encounter including memos, fliers, brochures, newsletters, instructions, procedures, policies, document designs, business correspondence and messages, proposals, formal reports, resumes, and job application letters. Business and Professional writing will provide you with a theoretical understanding of writing in the workplace and a practical application of essential communicative skills and writing skills necessary for your future career.
Fulfills the advanced writing requirement for English majors.
31995 • EN 215 • 01 • 3 • Newswriting I • Williams • TR • 12:30-1:45 • 20 • IN 151/consent
Focused on print reporting, this course is an introduction to basic methods of news reporting and writing. The course is designed to develop skills associated with gathering and organizing information from a variety of sources and developing stories based on that information. Additionally, students develop a basic knowledge of writing techniques and story types, and learn to apply this knowledge in exercises and writing assignments. The course also examines the modern news industry and media ethics.
Fulfills the advanced writing requirement for English majors.
30788 • EN 220 • 01* • 3 • Lit of Childhood: (Mis)Represenations of Other • Dwiggins • TR • 2:00-3:15 • 15 • IN 151/consent
IN 250 • 03 • 3 • Lit of Childhood: (Mis)Represenations of Other • Dwiggins • TR • 2:00-3:15 • 10 • sophomore
In this course we will examine cultural (mis)representations of diversity inside America. We will look at the representations of gender, race, and class. We will explore the meaning of diversity while analyzing picture books, novels, and films marketed to children. Throughout our consideration of these matters, we will discuss, argue, and question. Texts we will examine include a sampling from genres such as folk tales, picture books, fantasy, science fiction, and concept books. We will approach the literature reading with different “eyes,” including an historical approach, a feminist approach, and a psychological approach. We will also view a couple of movies that were created based on these texts or influenced by them.
Fulfills the English core Literature in the 20th Century requirement and counts towards a Gender Studies minor.
30797 • EN 232 • 01* • 3 • American Lit of the 20th Century • O’Conner • MWF • 10:00-10:50 • 15 • IN 151
IN 250 • 05 • 3 • American Lit of the 20th Century • O’Conner • MWF • 10:00-10:50 • 10 • sophomore
This course surveys a wide range of modern American writers from around 1900 to the present. It examines these writers in the cultural, intellectual, and historical contexts of the 20th Century. Units include Regional and Social Realism, Early 20th century Poets, Modernist Portraits, the Southern Renaissance, the Literature of Liberation and the Search for Identity, among others. Along with close readings and examinations of the literature, we will look at a broad range of the cultural contexts that influence this literature including the fine arts, history, material culture, religion, politics, music, cultural geography, folklore and anthropology.
Fulfills the English core Literature in the 20th Century requirement or American Lit requirement for English Education majors.
33900 • EN 233 • 01* • 3 • Traditions in African American Literature • Matthews • MWF • 2:00-2:50 • 10 • IN 151
IN 250 • 3 • Traditions in African American Literature • Matthews • MWF • 2:00-2:50 • 15 • sophomore
Traditions in African American Literature: Literature by African American Women—From Phillis Wheatley to Edward P. Jones, from spirituals to folk tales, from slave narratives to postmodern novels, students study major African American authors, literary forms, and themes in their social, historical, and cultural contexts. This particular course will focus on writing by African American women, including Harriet Jacobs, Zora Neale Hurston, Nella Larsen, Gwendolyn Brooks, Lorraine Hansberry, Audre Lorde, Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, Rita Dove, among others. Students will write several interpretive essays, keep a weekly reflective journal, and prepare a final research presentation and paper.
Fulfills university culture track requirement or the English core Literature in the 20th Century requirement.
33901 • EN 234 • 01* • 3 • US Multicultural Literature • Mihm • TR • 2:00-3:15 • 10 • IN 151
IN 250 • 3 • US Multicultural Literature • Mihm • TR • 2:00-3:15 • 15 • sophomore
A wonderful, rich literature has emerged from the diverse ethnic cultures and traditions in America, and this course offers an introduction to some of that literature, some of those traditions. Through short stories, plays, poems, novels, and films we'll see how writers from diverse ethnic backgrounds write about human experiences common to us all (love, family, death, struggle for meaning, issues of self and identity). And we'll study the way literature presents important issues such as racism and sexism, as we place the readings in historical and cultural contexts. Major readings give special attention to African-American, Native-American, Asian-American, and Latino-American traditions, and include such works as Alice Walker's The Color Purple, Sherman Alexie's Revervation Blues, Maxine Hong Kingston's Woman Warrior, Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, and Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street.
Fulfills the MPSL culture track or the English Major core requirement in Literature in the 20th century.
31996 • EN 270 • 01 • 3 • Computer-Aided Publishing • George • TR • 9:30-10:45 • 20 • IN 151
This course is an introduction to layout and design and the computing environment in which designers work. The course revolves around Adobe InDesign CS2. In addition, you will work with image software like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. By the time you finish this course you will be able to:
- Use InDesign to design a variety of professional materials
- Know the key concepts of layout and deisgn
- Know more than you ever wanted to about type
- Know how to manipulate images for your publications
- Gain experience in producing designs and reports for a real audience
- Have fun doing all of the above
Class sessions are a combination of presentation and discussion, with some workshop time built into the course.
Fulfills the English Department publishing requirement. Does not fulfill the Arts & Sciences literature requirement.
31997 • EN 280 • 01 • 1 • Journalism Workshop • Meddaugh • TBA • 15 • IN 151/consent •
Staff members of the Decaturian, Millikin's campus newspaper, receive credit for writing and other staff responsibilities. This course can be repeated each semester for up to eight credits.
30824 • EN 300 • 01 • 3 • Poetry Chapbook Collection • Braniger • W • 5:00-7:30 • 20 • EN 201/consent •
This workshop will focus on collecting, revising, polishing and preparing your poems for publication. There are two major projects for the course. The first involves researching current poetry publications and choosing appropriate places for submitting your work. The second is to organize and prepare a poetry chapbook collection. Along the way you will write and workshop poems, write cover letters for submission and write a reflective introduction to your poetry collection. This course is for advanced writers who are experienced in the craft of poetry, and who are serious about continuing to write and publish poems. You should already have knowledge of and experience with the craft of poetry, and should be prepared to write poems throughout the workshop.
Fulfills the advanced writing requirement for English majors.
31991 • EN 301 • 01 • 3 • Web Publishing • O’Conner • TR • 11:00-12:15 • 20 • IN 151
Web Publishing is a workshop-style course on designing, creating, and publishing web sites. Are you ready to expand your mind into cyberspace? Can computer presentations influence message credibility? Can you create and project your cyber-self into the virtual world of the web? This course examines web publishing and takes you from reflective interaction to critical creation of new hypertexts. You will learn how to critique web site designs and how to create web pages for campus and off-campus clients. This is an advanced writing course, with extended individual projects ranging from creative writing, to Photoshop designing, to reviews to service projects.
Fulfills advanced writing requirement for English majors or the publishing course requirement.
30828 • EN 310 • 01 • 3 • Applying Writing Theory • Zhao • TR • 2:00-3:15 • 25 • IN 151
Applying Writing Theory introduces you to classical as well contemporary rhetorical theories. This course walks you through major theories on composing processes and provides an overview of important elements of the writing process—invention, arrangement, argument, audience, style, and grammar. Through reading responses, class discussions, and research projects, this course asks you to apply theories into your own writing processes and to reflect and critique your own writing processes and artifacts. It also invites you to synthesize various rhetorical, composing, pedagogical theories to develop your own writing theory or writing pedagogy.
Fulfills the Applying Writing Theory course requirement for writing majors and English Education majors.
30831 • EN 322 • 01 • 3 • Major English Authors II • Banerjee • MW • 3:00-4:15 • 25 • IN 151 & 1 lit course
This course is both a historical and thematic survey of British literary texts from just before 1800 to the present. During this period one of the major influences upon British identity formation was the historical, cultural, and material reality of the empire. Personal and national experiences of empire were, however, constantly mediated by cultural notions of race, gender, and class. This course follows the thematic thread of British identity formed through the expansion, transformation, and degeneration of the Empire. However, the course is also organized in chronological order with three major periods: the Romantics, the Victorians, and the 20th century (Modernism and Postcolonialism). Discussion in the class would range from inquiring into the intersections of race, class, and gender with the effects of empire as well as learning the hallmarks of each of these periods. Gender Studies Component: Besides reading widely in the literature of the Romantic, Victorian, and Modernist period, this course will provide students with grounding in critical interpretive methods. My preference, as always, is cultural materialism, which asks us to see written texts as actively engaged in shaping social attitudes in addition to offering us partial and mediated images of their historical moment. Such a method requires us to learn as much as we can about the period, about its social histories as well as larger economic and political developments. In 1840 Thomas Carlyle proclaimed that although in previous ages the priest, prophet, or king constituted the source of the community’s values, in his own time the “Man-of-Letters Hero must be regarded as our most important modern person. . . . What he teaches, the world will do and make.” But what happens when the Man-of-Letters is not a man at all but a woman, or when the Man-of-Letters takes woman for his subject? In this course, students will examine a variety of constructions of gender in the different literary eras. Students taking this course for gender studies minor credits will then work on literary questions centered on how to read and integrate feminist and queer theory, which has provided some of the most vibrant analyses of these three literary periods in recent years.
Fulfills the English major requirement for British Traditions II.
33089 • EN 325 • 01 • 3 • Studies in Shakespeare • Klotz • MWF • 11:00-11:50 • 25 • IN 151 & 1 lit course
This course emphasizes the study of Shakespearean drama in its historical context, examining the ways in which this playwright negotiates the conflicting religious, philosophical, political, and scientific ideas of his day. We will also aim to develop strategies for close readings that pay attention to generic expectation and language. Methods: Lecture and discussion. Requirements: Midterm exam, final exam, 2 essays of approximately 6-8 pages each.
Fulfills the Shakespeare requirement for English majors as well as the dramatic literature requirement for Theater majors.
30838 • EN 340 • 01* • 3 • American Confessional Poetry • Braniger • MWF • 12:00-12:50 • 25 • IN 151
Well before the American confessional poets or the public confessionalism of talk shows, Michel Foucault wrote that the medieval institution of confession had pervaded modern culture: “one confesses one's crimes, one's sins, one's thoughts and desires, one's illnesses and troubles; one goes about telling, with the greatest precision, what is most difficult to tell. One confesses in public and in private, to one's parents, one's educators, one's doctor, to those one loves; one admits to oneself, in pleasure and in pain, things it would be impossible to tell to anyone else, the things people write books about." If Foucault is right, confessionalism belongs to the mainstream of modern literature. This course will examine the second and third generations of poets whose publishing careers began in the twentieth century—those who immediately followed the modernists—in order to interrogate and challenge the establishment of the American confessional school poetry out of which Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton and John Berryman worked in the 50s and 60s. Making Elizabeth Bishop the centerpiece for the course, we will use her response to Lowell's confessionalism as we interrogate the notion of the confessional, asking along the way how she contributes to this movement in American poetry. To frame our exploration of the American confessional in poetry, we will take a brief look at early confessional writers such as St. Augustine and Rousseau, and will read T. S. Eliot's “Tradition and the Individual Talent.” As we close the course, we will examine James Merrill as an autobiographical poet. Students will enhance their expertise as scholars of American literature by analyzing primary and secondary sources and by responding to the issues of the course in both oral and written discussion.
Fulfills the English core Literature in the 20th Century requirement or Studies in Poetry requirement for literature majors.
33902 • EN 340 • 02* • 3 • Studies in Poetry: Global Haiku Traditions • Brooks • MWF • 11:00-11:50 • 10 • IN 151
IN 350 • 3 • Studies in Poetry: Global Haiku Traditions • Brooks • MWF • 11:00-11:50 • 15 • junior
Global Haiku Tradition examines the origins and spread of Japanese poetics from Japan around the world, with a special focus on the adaptation of haiku into other cultures and languages. We will study the history of haikai arts and related poetics in Japan, and then examine the contemporary haikai poetry traditions in various international cultures. A special feature of the course is that students will interview leading contemporary international poets, editors and scholars of haiku.
Fulfills the Studies in Poetry requirement for literature majors.
33903 • EN 350 • 01* • 3 • Introduction to Drama • Klotz • MWF • 9:00-9:50 • 20 • IN 151 & 1 lit course
This course offers a historical survey of drama focusing on the classical Greek, English Renaissance, and modern periods. We will also aim to develop strategies for close readings that pay attention to generic expectation and language. Methods: Lecture and discussion. Requirements: Midterm exam, final exam, 2 essays of approximately 6-8 pages each.
Fulfills the Studies in Drama requirement for literature majors.
32621 • EN 360 • 01* • 3 • International Fiction/Culture • Mihm • MW • 2:00-3:15 • 10 • IN 151 & 1 lit course
IN 350 • 3 • International Fiction/Culture • Mihm • MW • 2:00-3:15 • 15 • junior
Contemporary stories and novels by writers from a variety of world cultures--Europe, South America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. We'll discuss short stories in terms of their universal human themes (compassion, identity, alienation, freedom) and their particular historical and cultural contexts (customs and beliefs, race and gender issues, political and social change). Included are such novels as Rushdie's Midnight's Children, Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, and El-Saadawi's Woman at Point Zero.
Fulfills the Literature major requirement Studies in Fiction or the English core Literature in the 20th Century requirement .
30844 • EN 366 • 01 • 3 • Studies/Lit History: Arthurian Trad • George • TR • 11:00-12:15 • 10 • IN 151 & 1 lit course
30855 • EN 420 • 01 • 3 • Studies/Lit History: Arthurian Trad • George • TR • 11:00-12:15 • 10 • IN 151/consent
Who is King Arthur? Why do we still talk about medieval warlord from Wales? Can swallows really cooperate to carry coconuts? These are the questions that you will explore in this course on the Arthurian tradition. One of the most enduring images of the Middle Ages is the chivalric knight, a wandering warrior of noble blood saving damsels in distress and performing acts of heroism for his lady. When we think of chivalry, knights in shining armor, and the heroic ideal, we often think of King Arthur and his knights of the Round Table. The Arthurian tradition has a long history, going at least as far back as Geoffrey of Monmouth’s twelfth-century Historia Regum Brittaniae (History of the Kings of England), and Arthurian legend continues to be reworked and retold. In this course, you will examine the Arthurian tradition from a diachronic perspective—tracing the tradition through time. As the term progresses, we will explore how writers adapted the Arthurian tradition to fit contemporary literary tastes. Major themes for the course will include the changing role of women in the tradition, nationalism, homo-social bonding, and the “historical” Arthur, all of which will be informed by feminist, postcolonial, post-structuralist, and Marxist literary theory. Although you get a firm grounding in medieval Arthurian literature, this course is not a medieval literature course. It is a course about a literary tradition, so you will read medieval, Renaissance, Victorian, and contemporary literature. You will learn a great deal about the medieval world, but you will also have a lot of fun with Arthur, Lancelot, Gawain, Guinevere, the Holy Grail, and the Knights who say “Ni!”
Fulfills the English Department English Traditions to 1700 requirement.
33457 • EN 380 • 01 • 3 • Studies in Journalism: Infotainment • Meddaugh • TR • 12:30-1:45 • 20 • EN 215
“Infotainment:” The Fading Line in Contemporary Journalism.” Infotainment, the blending of information and entertainment, is a fairly recent phenomenon in news programming. Excellent examples are The Daily Show with John Stewart and the Colbert Report, shows that blend current events and political commentary with humor and other entertainment values. While the popularity of these and other shows continues to grow, journalism critics grow increasingly concerned about the blurring line between information and entertainment. Critics suggest infotainment as the news media’s reaction to the public’s apathy in news and public based affairs. Though increasing profits for the news industry, infotainment has actually accelerated the decline in news audiences, and subsequently impairs the public's interest in and knowledge of public affairs.
Fulfills the advanced writing requirement for English majors.
33458 • EN 382 • 01 • 1-3 • Art of Publishing • Brooks • MWF • 1:00-1:50 • 15 • IN 151/consent
Art of Publishing (cross-listed with AR380) provides an active learning experience based on active participation as an editor, designer or manager for the Bronze Man Books student publishing company at Millikin. This course focuses on strategies and issues of running a small publishing company, with a practical production experience of developing and publishing books. This course will be co-taught in the Media Arts Center by professors Randy Brooks and Ed Walker. All students are interviewed for Bronze Man Books staff position by the current Bronze Man Book Board. See Dr. Brooks or Ed Walker for enrollment by consent only following company interviews.
Fulfills a publishing requirement for English majors, but does not fulfill advanced writing requirement.
EN 480 • 01 • 1-3 • Intern: Professional Writing • Brooks • TBA
Writing Internship, is a chance for you to gain experience using your writing skills in the workplace. Work as a writer a few hours a week for local organizations writing and designing brochures, web sites, books, newsletters, grant proposals, and other documents. Establish a network of contacts for future job referrals and build up a portfolio of successful documents. You must complete a learning contract including (1) site supervisor contact information, (2) task description, (3) learning goals, and (4) professional expectations. See Dr. Brooks for further details and help getting placed.
for course descriptions see
http://www.millikin.edu/immersion/courses.asp
IN 250 / EN 220 • South Park and Contemporary America • Michael
W. George
Class Date(s): Jan. 3-12 • Meeting Days: W,
TH, F, M, T, W, TH, F • Meeting Times: 9-2
Parody and
satire offer us intense looks at their objects. In this course
students will look at American society through the lens of South
Park, the Comedy Central animated situation comedy. Trey Parker
and Matt Stone explore American society through the experiences
of their child protagonists—Cartman, Kyle,
Stan, and Kenny. This course will introduce students to a number
of cultural theories—feminism, Marxism, postcolonialism—and
using these theories, analyze the social commentary offered by
Southpark. Contemporary American issues may include race relations,
the media, the war in Iraq, film and entertainment, sexual orientation,
law enforcement, parenting, and politics. Readings will relate
to the topics covered in the course.
IN 250 / EN 340 • The Whitman Tradition: Sexuality
and the Text
• Dr.
Stephen Frech
Class Date(s): January 8-13 • Meeting Days: M,T,W
,Th, 9am-5pm • Meeting Times: F, Sa 9am-3pm
Not too
long ago, a reading of Whitman that considered his sexuality
of critical importance to his work would have seemed intellectually
suspect and disrespectful. Gender studies introduced a
new and important way of understanding text and artistic creation. Sexuality,
however, particularly male homosexuality, has not received the
same critical attention. "[H]omosexuality has remained,
until quite recently, a relatively unexamined subject within
the discourse of American letters," Yingling recognizes
in his study Hart Crane and the Homosexual Text. This course
will encourage students to think about text as an artifact of
the encounter between self and circumstance, a vital component
of which is sexuality. Students will follow a tradition
of American poems penned by homosexual writers whose sexuality
significantly influenced their work, beginning with Whitman;
we will examine the way in which the texts are coded, veiled,
informed by a sense of self that is other and the sexual other
who is the self. Students will read Whitman, Hart Crane,
Bishop, Merrill, and Phillips among Americans and a sampling
of Wilde and Woolf.
EN382-01 • Advanced Web Graphics • Randy
Brooks
Class Date(s): January 3-9, 2007 • Meeting Days: W,Th,F,Sa,Su,M,T • Meeting Times: 9am-3:30pm
This course is an intensive technical writing workshop on advanced web graphics with an emphasis on mastery of graphic development using Photoshop and ImageReady. Each student completes a web-based tutorial on advanced web graphics techniques. Students in this workshop should already have some experience with basic web design. In this course we will consider four key roles of graphics in web sites—orientation graphics to help create identity and atmosphere, navigation graphics to prompt and guide the user through the web site, framing graphics to establish featured spaces for web content and graphics as content. We will develop user knowledge of graphics software including Photoshop, ImageReady and Dreamweaver.
EN382-02 • Advanced Web Animation • Randy Brooks
Class Date(s): January 3-9, 2007 • Meeting Days: W,Th,F,Sa,Su,M,T • Meeting Times: 9am-3:30pm
This course is an intensive week’s immersion workshop on advanced web publishing with an emphasis on analysis and practice of web animation possibilities using Flash Professional 8. Students in this workshop should have some experience with basic web design. In this course we will consider three key roles of animation in web sites—(1) splash opening home pages, (2) animated navigation graphics, and (3) interactive animations developed as the primary content of web sites. We will develop user knowledge of animation software including Macromedia Flash and a web editor.
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