English classes in our department range from general survey courses to classes that offer a more in-depth look at a literary genre, writer, literary time period, and theoretical approach. Below is the list of English courses offered in Spring 2026. Please see the University Catalog for a complete list of courses offered by our department.
ENGL 124
| Anne Fearman Section 01 Section 02 | Our class will explore the theme of the American Dream: from its historical and mythical narrative creation through its contemporary meaning; from accessibility to application; and from exclusion to expansion. |
| ENGL 124 American Fictions | Alison Pipitone Section 03 | This course explores the literature, music, and oral histories that told and re-told the story of the Great Depression (1929–1941). We will examine how artists responded to economic hardship, social upheaval, and shifting American ideals. Through close reading analysis of The Grapes of Wrath, The Four Winds, oral histories, poetry, and music, students will explore the ways in which creative voices responded to the struggles of everyday Americans, challenged dominant narratives, and helped shape cultural memory. |
| ENGL 127 Becoming Americans | Mary Weiser Section 01 | Students will delve into historical and recent American literature across multiple genres and in relation to multiple institutions and media that relates to the experience of "becoming Americans." |
| ENGL 132 Word and Sound | Dr. Natalie Gerber Section 01 | This class will focus on the craft of writing theatrical lyrics. Students will analyze songs (sound structures, verse structure); plot, write, revise, and present original songs. No prior experience needed! Non-theatrical songwriters welcomed |
| ENGL 132 Word and Sound | Alison Pipitone Section 02 | This is an online/asynchronous course, open to students with or without songwriting experience. Students will complete assignments on lyrics; music; production; close listening- and more! We will also explore the concept of Resilience in songs, using three eras in history as a starting point. |
| ENGL 144 Reading Humanity | Prof. Daniel Laurie Section 01 | This section of Reading Humanity looks at video games as a story telling medium. We will play a select group of games, supplemented by readings, and dig into some of the 'big questions' of being human, ethics, and other topics. |
| ENGL 144 Reading Humanity | Dr. Emily VanDette Section 02
| These sections of Reading Humanity focus on the theme "Representing Animals," and the course explores depictions of animals in literary works, philosophical discussions, and examples from art history. |
| ENGL 167 Border Crossings | Dr. David Kaplin Section 01 | The Romantic Movement developed in Western Europe, but it has influenced writers across the globe from the nineteenth century to the present day. This course explores Romantic influences in the literatures of Russia, India, and Japan with a focus on how writers incorporate Romantic themes and conventions into their own literary traditions. |
| ENGL 167 Border Crossings | Dr. Iclal Vanwesenbeeck Section 04 | This section of the course, “Border Crossings: Away from Home” will focus on the experience of refugees, exile, and migration in parts of the world affected by war, conflict, and political unrest. Students will study literary narratives (multi genre) about homelessness, displacement, memory, nostalgia, melancholia, in specific relation to war and armed conflict. |
ENGL 206
| Dr. Emily VanDette Section 01 | This class explores U.S literary history from the Puritan era through the post-Civil War era. The reading list includes diverse genres and perspectives, and we will consider authors and their texts in relevant historical contexts. |
| ENGL 227 Stage/Screen (Welcome to the Dark Side!) | Dr. Shannon McRae Section 01 | We like our cinema like we like our coffee: murky, dark, and dangerous. This course focuses on dark cinema: specifically film noir, horror, and films that explore the edges of human experience. Cheerful!. |
| ENGL 242 American Indian Literature and Culture | Stephine Hunt Section 01 | A study of a variety of works, including traditional tales, novels, poems, memoirs and other cultural texts or media, produced by Native Americans from historical beginnings to present, Cross-listed with ETHN 242. |
| ENGL 274 Social Justice and the Written Word | Dr. Christina Jarvis Section 02 | This course will explore key U.S. social justice movements and voices from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. In addition to examining central principles, strategies, and ideas from these movements, we will analyze the societal factors and individual and group identities that inspired people to create social change. |
| ENGL 274 Social Justice and the Written Word | Mara Beneway Section 04 | Personal narratives have a profound impact on our society, as “social justice has always depended upon the testimonies of the oppressed” (Febos). In this course we will discuss, contextualize, and write narrative-driven, nonfiction texts using some of the most celebrated American authors such as Toni Morrison and Joan Didion as models. |
| ENGL 275 Black Women Writers | Dr. Saundra Liggins Section 01 Section HR | We will read works by Black women in a variety of genres, spanning the 18th century through the present day, exploring how they interpreted their own worlds and how their voices still shape the way we see our world today. |
| ENGL 296 American Identities | Dr. Emily VanDette Section 01 Section 02 | ENGL 296 explores the cultural narratives that shape American identities, with a focus on historical examples. |
| ENGL 333 Environmental Literature | Dr. Christina Jarvis Section 01 | This course surveys American environmental literature by studying writers and activists who influenced environmental policies, legislation, and attitudes. The course will include field trips and opportunities to study and to engage our local environments. |
| ENGL 373 English Grammar for Everyone | Dr. Susan Spangler Section 01 | In this online course, you'll have the opportunity to 1) explore your own grammar foibles, 2) learn a variety of sentence structures, and 3) reduce your anxiety about language use. |
| ENGL 380 Film: Silence to Sound | Dr. Shannon McRae Section 01 R | Let's watch old movies! They're pretty, and really interesting. Also, this is a theory class, so taking it will make you smarter. |
| ENGL 400 Senior Seminar | Dr. Jeanette McVicker
| Senior Seminar this semester will focus on 'words in the world': how literature matters. Multi-genre, multi-ethnic and global lit. Students will also create projects that advance literature into the commons as part of the seminar's civic engagement component. |
| ENGL 408 Arthurian Literature | Dr. Shannon McRae Section 01 | Men Who Go on Pointless Quests and Hit Each Other Over the Head to Get Ladies, and the Witches who Mess With Them. |
| ENGL 465 English Internships | Dr KimMarie Cole Section 01 | |
| ENGL 510 Major Writers: Vonnegut | Dr. Christina Jarvis Section 01 | This seminar explores Kurt Vonnegut’s roles as a popular novelist, essayist, social critic, visual artist, and literary figure/public intellectual of the mid- to late-twentieth century. As a karass, we will investigate pedagogical issues related to teaching Vonnegut’s writings and celebrate his literary and artistic legacies through a shared public engagement project. |
| ENGL 520 Lit & Culture Teach African American Literature | Dr. Saundra Liggins Section 01 | In this class, we will read and discuss African American literature appropriate for the 7-12 ELA classroom and examine some of the historical and contemporary "controversies" associated with the literature. |