English Department
Goals
The English Department prepares students to use language-based critical thinking skills as a powerful tool in their public lives (career and world citizenship) as well as in personal enrichment (aesthetic, interpersonal, and spiritual concerns). Students develop and practice these skills by reading, analyzing, and critiquing, in both oral and written formats, a wide variety of texts:
- literature;
- literary criticism and theory; and
- other professional and creative works.
A student’s choice of career options will determine the proportion of emphasis in each area. However, the department concentrates on developing mastery of the following abilities in its general English majors, its general English minors, and its Writing Studies minors:
- To use literary terms, rhetorical terms, and discipline- based vocabulary.
- To understand and discuss the history and periodization of literature as well as major authors, works, and themes in the Western, American, and/or world literary heritage.
- To analyze and interpret literature in various genres from diverse historical periods.
- To communicate effectively in appropriate genres to solve rhetorical problems.
- To access and contribute to traditional and emerging forms of media.
- To identify, locate, evaluate, use, and attribute information using discipline-specific tools in the field of English studies.
Programs
The general English concentration offers both required courses and advised elective courses which can be combined by students in consultation with advisors as they decide on specific career-path development. These focal areas add to or reinforce competencies sought after by postgraduate degree programs in fields such as
- law, business, and education;
- by corporate and professional employers; and
- by graduate English and education programs.
English Skills on the Job Market
Students with a bachelor’s degree in literary study possess critical abilities germane to any field. They can complement their skills in literature with Writing Studies minor courses — like advocacy journalism, editing, grant writing, ethnographic writing, online writing, creative fiction and nonfiction writing. Internship and co-op work opportunities also enhance our graduates’ career options. Employers in fields such as law, business, and non-profit enterprises are keenly aware they need our graduates’ skills to hold a competitive edge in tight markets.
Literature
Students gain a broad overview of Western literature and develop the ability to read with understanding and critical precision. Courses offer interpretive study of a wide range of literary selections, enabling students to participate intellectually in the cultural development of our civilization, and to prepare for graduate study.
The Department of English offers students in other majors an advantageous set of competencies which can be particularly attractive to employers and graduate programs. For example, we have set up double majors with students in theatre, political science, and psychology. The Department of English also offers a B.A. in English and a program leading to New York state initial certification in English grades K-6 and 7-12 in cooperation with the College of Education. Students with a double major or with an education degree concentrating in English must work closely with advisors in both departments to assure careful selection of coursework tailored to the requirements of all degree components.
Educational Careers
In conjunction with the College of Education, students are provided with a sequence of courses that leads to certification in the state of New York for teaching English in grades K-6 and 7-12. These courses address the specific competencies in teaching methodology, literary, and composition knowledge necessary for the College of Education. Students may also elect to take a bachelor’s degree in English followed by a master’s in Education.
Other Courses (prefixes other than ENG)
Speech communications courses (with the prefix SPK) are now taught by the Department of Communications. American Sign Language courses (with the prefix ASL) are now taught by the Department of Modern and Classical Languages.
English majors who are taking a Writing Studies minor may take a maximum of three courses toward that major having an ENG prefix. Most qualifying ENG courses are cross-listed with a WRT prefix; students should consult their academic advisors.
Courses
ENG 110 — Literary Perspectives* (WI) (3 credits)
These special courses allow students to concentrate on a significant author, topic, genre, medium, period, or movement set against contextualizing backdrops of literary, cultural, political, and/or historical change. Students write extensively in this course, arguing for their own interpretations, and applying critical theoretical approaches used by literary scholars. Assigned literary works are diverse and multicultural. *Themes are posted in each semester's descriptions.
ENG 201 — Studies in American Literature (H) (3 credits)
Concentrates on authors, topics, media, periods or movements in American literature. Contextualizes literature against cultural, political or historical change, using materials from at least three literary periods. Students develop disciplinary knowledge,critical thinking, oral and written communication skills while generating new knowledge through ethical research.
ENG 202 — Studies in British and Commonwealth Lit (H) (3 credits)
Concentrates on authors, topics, media, periods or movements in British and/or Commonwealth literature. Contextualizes literature against cultural, political or historical change, using materials from at least three literary periods. Students develop disciplinary knowledge, critical thinking, oral and written communication skills while generating new knowledge through ethical research.
ENG 221 — Creative Writing (H) (3 credits)
This course, taught in a workshop format, introduces the fundamental skills used by writers of poetry and fiction. The primary text of the course is the students' original poems and short stories; works by contemporary writers are also read and analyzed. Students develop individual portfolios of revised work in fulfillment of course requirements. (Advanced Composition; part of Writing Studies minor)
ENG 223 — Creative Nonfiction (H) (3 credits)
Prerequisite take wrt*100
Students will read and write creative nonfiction from a number of sub-genres, including nature writing, personal essay/memoir, profiles, and reportage, considering possibilities for publication. They will explore the literature of reality from the power of true stories, to the fascination of odd facts, to the revelation of insight.
ENG 231 — Business Communication (WI) (3 credits)
Emphasizes practical techniques of professional communication through the study of theories and practices of workplace communication. Students acquire and practice a variety of oral and written communication techniques through analysis research, synthesis, and creation of workplace-focused documents such as memos, emails, reports, visuals, and other types of documents. (Part of Writing Studies minor)
ENG 260 — Methods of Literary Study (WI) (3 credits)
Seminar introducing students to the study of literature, focusing on key debates and research methodologies. Students practice strategies for analysis of literary and cultural texts; they also learn to research, evaluate, and properly cite scholarship and to compose a critical essay that demonstrates knowledge of the readings and assumptions of major schools of literary criticism.
ENG 261 — Methods of Writing Studies (WI) (3 credits)
A seminar introducing students to key concepts, historical developments, and methodologies within Writing Studies as well as how to locate, evaluate, and properly cite field-specific scholarship. Students practice field-specific research strategies including rhetorical analysis and produce a variety of creative, academic, and professional texts reflecting the diversity of the discipline.
ENG 300 — Medieval Literature (H) (3 credits)
An introductory course on the literatures of medieval England. The course typically includes texts from both the Old English (700-1100) and the Middle English (1100-1500) periods, including selected works of Chaucer. Students will read and discuss literature in a variety of genres (lyric poetry, Arthurian romance, religious allegory, etc.), and explore the distinctive aspects of medieval culture and society; (Pre-1800 British).
ENG 303 — English Renaissance Literature (H) (3 credits)
This course is a study of major literary achievements in poetry, prose and drama from the close of the Middle Ages to 1603. Students will study such influential forms as the sonnet, romance epic and revenge tragedy, and read representative works by Elizabeth Cary, Queen Elizabeth I, Thomas Kyd, Christopher Marlowe, Philip Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Isabella Whitney, and Thomas Wyatt; (Pre-1800 British).
ENG 305 — English Romantic Poetry (H) (3 credits)
Examines the common assumptions shared by the chief romantic poets, and the contribution each made to English romanticism, including the visionary mysticism of Blake; the revolt in poetic diction championed by Wordsworth; Coleridge's concept of the imagination and fancy; the neoplatonic idealism of Shelley; Keatsean negative capability; and the classicism of Byron, whose popularity as a romantic poet was unrivaled among his contemporaries; (Post-1800 British elective).
ENG 306 — Victorian Poetry (H) (3 credits)
Virtually every Victorian poet experienced a tension between devotion to individual sensibility, and commitment to the social and moral needs of the age. This course explores major poets? attempts to reconcile conflicting claims of private and public responsibility. Principal authors studied include Tennyson, Browning, and Arnold, with some consideration of the contribution of Rossetti, Hopkins, Housman and Hardy, among others; (Post-1800 British elective).
ENG 307 — The Modern Age Through Contemporary (H) (3 credits)
A look at the complex 20th century through the eyes of selected modern English and American poets, novelists, and playwrights. Works by authors such as Yeats, Eliot, Dreiser, Faulkner, Woolf, Hurston, and Becket will be discussed with an eye toward defining a spirit of the modern age; (Post-1800 British Elective).
ENG 308 — Romanticism in American Literature (H) (3 credits)
Examines distinctive features of the romantic movement in America, with major weight on the writings and thoughts of Emerson, Thoreau, and the Transcendental group, and the romantic reaction embodied by Hawthorne and Melville. The art of Poe is also discussed.
ENG 310 — Studies in American Authors (H) (3 credits)
Single authors or combinations of authors studied in depth. For example, Hawthorne, Mark Twain, Willa Cather, Toni Morrison, and Faulkner. Also groups such as Native American writers; Early American writers and American poets. May be taken up to three times, with different authors or topics.
ENG 311 — Studies in American Authors (H) (3 credits)
Single authors or combinations of authors studied in depth. For example, Hawthorne, Mark Twain, Willa Cather, Toni Morrison, and Faulkner. Also groups such as Native American writers; Early American writers and American poets. May be taken up to three times, with different authors or topics; (Advanced American).
ENG 312 — Studies in American Authors (H) (3 credits)
Single authors or combinations of authors studied in depth. For example, Hawthorne, Mark Twain, Willa Cather, Toni Morrison, and Faulkner. Also groups such as Native American writers; Early American writers and American poets. May be taken up to three times, with different authors or topics; (Advanced American).
ENG 315 — Greek and Roman Literature (H) (3 credits)
This course explores the literature of ancient Greece and Rome, with special attention paid to classical epics, plays, and myths as both products of their times and foundational texts in the Western literary tradition. Authors studied may include Homer, Sophocles, Virgil and Ovid. (Comparative Studies Elective)
ENG 317 — Native American Literature (CD) (3 credits)
This course explores the complex relationship between Anglo-American images of Native Americans and the self-representations of American Indian writers. We examine the process through which the Native American identity has been constructed, how this identity serves the dominant culture, and most importantly, how American Indian writers have resisted, challenged, appropriated, and/or transformed this identity through autobiography, fiction, poetry, and essay.
ENG 319 — Studies in British Literature (ELP) (3 credits)
Themes in British Literature, such as the British Gothic Tradition; English Literature and the Environment; Illness and Disability in Romantic and Victorian Poetry; British Women Writers; Postcolonialism in the 20th Century; Eighteenth-Century British Drama, or a single author. May be taken up to three times, with different authors or topics. Pre-1800 or Post-1800 depending on topic.
ENG 320 — Studies in British Literature (EL) (3 credits)
Themes in British Literature, such as the British Gothic Tradition; English Literature and the Environment; Illness and Disability in Romantic and Victorian Poetry; British Women Writers; Postcolonialism in the 20th Century; Eighteenth-Century British Drama, or a single author. May be taken up to three times, with different authors or topics. Pre-1800 or Post-1800 depending on topic.
ENG 321 — Poetry Writing (H) (3 credits)
Prerequisite Take ENG*221
A course which focuses on the theory and practice of poetry. Students read and discuss their poetry and their peers' poetry, contemporary poetry, and essays by contemporary poets. Students write poems, essays, presentations, and responses to readings, and develop portfolios of revised work prepared during the semester.
ENG 325 — Bible as Literature (H) (3 credits)
This course introduces students to the literary study of the Bible, with a focus on various biblical genres, narrative and poetic techniques, stylistic and rhetorical characteristics, and historical and cultural contexts. Some attention paid to reception history and the influence of the Bible on literature in English. (Comparative Studies elective)
ENG 333 — Old English (AS) (3 credits)
An intensive introduction to Old English, the vernacular language of Anglo-Saxon England (ca. 500-1100 CE). Students learn the basics of Old English grammar, vocabulary, and syntax, and translate selections of Old English prose, and read works of Old English literature in translation; (Pre-1800). Instructor permission required.
ENG 341 — Editing and Collaboration (H) (3 credits)
Prerequisite Must have taken ENG*231;
This course develops skills students need to write successfully in college, in the workplace, and in their everyday lives. It prepares students for the various types of writing they would do as professional editors or writers, including synthesizing information from various sources, providing feedback to other writers to guide their revision, managing multi-authored documents, and co-authoring. (Part of Writing Studies minor)
ENG 342 — Special Topics in Web Writing (H) (3 credits)
Prerequisite Must have taken CMS*222;
A course which focuses on specific trends, genres, or aspects of Web writing. Topics include: Web writing in social, workplace or academic contexts; unique genres of Web writing (blogs, wikis, forums); challenges to traditional media and publishing made by Web writing. (Part of Writing Studies minor)
ENG 343 — Studies in Rhetorical Theory (H) (3 credits)
Prerequisite TAKE WRT*100
Offers in-depth study of rhetorical theory. The course may focus on one or more periods (e.g., Classical rhetoric, Enlightenment rhetoric), theorists (e.g., Aristotle, Burke), or concepts (e.g., invention, metaphor). May be taken up to three times with different course material.
ENG 345 — Science Writing (H) (3 credits)
Prerequisite take wrt*100
Examines the forms of communication undergirding science. Students analyze and write in a variety of scientific genres as they learn the rhetorical dynamics of research. Emphasis is also placed on the public understanding of science, including representations of science in fine art and film.
ENG 346 — Visual Rhetoric (H) (3 credits)
Prerequisite take wrt*100
Students analyze and synthesize the rhetorical principles by which visuals are produced and used to inform, educate, advocate, and persuade. Students also consider the cultural contents for visual communication, how visuals work with other forms of communication, and the ethical implications of how visuals are used for rhetorical purposes.
ENG 348 — Ethnography and Travel Writing (H) (3 credits)
Prerequisite take wrt*100
This course focuses on nonfiction writing about culture. Students use participant-observation and interviewing as tools for developing vivid characters, scenes, dialog, and story elements, while reading Latin American and Hispanic ethnography for exemplars. Emphasis is placed on writing that promotes cultural awareness and understanding of the changing American demographic. Travel not required. (Comparative Studies Elective)
ENG 350 — Style (WI) (3 credits)
An examination of style from its Western origins in classical rhetoric to its modern inception as a pillar of information design. Emphasis is placed on theories, practices, and pedagogies of style that enable students to gain more conscious control over their writing.
ENG 351 — Grant Writing (H) (3 credits)
Prerequisite Take ENG*231
This course introduces students to the process of applying for grants in their area of specialization using research and documentation skills. Students gain practice analyzing the mission, values, and priorities of philanthropic and other funding institutions, and apply that knowledge to their organizational and/or individual ethos. This course culminates in a grant proposal, requiring extensive persuasive and analytic writing. (Part of Writing Studies minor)
ENG 354 — Literature for Children and Adolescents (H) (3 credits)
A central question undergirds this course: What constitutes 'good' literature for children and adolescents? Students examine critical debates, methodologies, and resources relevant to evaluating texts and illustrations as they read and discuss a variety of works written for children and adolescents. Implications for teaching literature K-12 are also considered.
ENG 355 — Teaching Composition (WI) (3 credits)
Designed for prospective elementary and high school English teachers, this course examines current research and theory in composition studies and the implications for teaching writing. (Part of Writing Studies minor)
ENG 356 — English Grammar: Theory and Practice (H) (3 credits)
A survey of English grammar and syntax. Students receive instruction and practice in exercising grammatical options to enhance writing style. They also consider research in linguistics and its implications for teaching and for social justice. (Part of Writing Studies minor)
ENG 360 — Literary Criticism (H) (3 credits)
Introduction to theoretical approaches to literary analysis, typically emphasizing post-1960s developments in theory and criticism. The course may be conducted as a survey of important theoretical movements or a focused investigation of a major theoretical school or theorist, in either case exploring the applicability of theory to selected literary works.
ENG 365 — Comics and Graphic Novels (H) (3 credits)
This course introduces students to the study of comics as medium and narrative art form. Students explore important examples of comics storytelling, fundamentals of comics theory, and significant comics scholarship. The course may be focused on a particular creator, genre, or topic (e.g., the relationship between comics and other media). (Comarative Studies Elective)
ENG 366 — Literature and Film (H) (3 credits)
Students explore interrelationships of literary and film texts, with emphasis on the distinctive characteristics of and interpretive approaches to each, and the practical and theoretical problems related to adaptation. Focus may be on several literary texts and their film adaptations, and/or how literature and film respectively treat a particular genre. (Comparative Studies Elective)
ENG 367 — Global Shakespeare on Film (WI) (3 credits)
This course will explore Shakespeare's global impact using film adaptations of some of his best-known works. Plays will be studied in their historical contexts, and then as modern multicultural cinematic expressions. Students will learn about literary adaptation, film criticism, and the Shakespeare Industry as a diverse cultural phenomenon. (Comparative Studies Elective)
ENG 370 — Contemporary Anglophone Literature (H) (3 credits)
This course examines contemporary Anglophone and British literatures in aesthetic, cultural, and political contexts, particularly as these relate to developments in literary theory and criticism. Attention is given to issues of canon formation and the meaning of English literature. The course may focus on a major theoretical issue or geographic locale. (Post-1800 British elective & Comparative Studies Elective)
ENG 400 — Shakespeare (H) (3 credits)
This course examines in depth representative plays of Shakespeare in each of the genres; tragedy, comedy, history and romance, as well as the sonnets; (Pre-1800 British elective)
ENG 401 — Dante (H) (3 credits)
This course is an intensive introduction to selected works of the medieval poet Dante Alighieri, with particular attention paid to his Divine Comedy. Analysis and discussion focus primarily on Dante as narrative poet, lyricist, philosopher, and critic. The course also explores the cultural and historical contexts for Dante's work and, time permitting, his influence on later writers; (Pre-1800).
ENG 406 — Modern British Poetry (H) (3 credits)
This course traces attempts by 20th-century British poets to fashion a modernistic aesthetic. The influence of French symbolist poets, and of impressionist, expressionist, and surrealist theories help explain complexity of form and content typical of poets like Yeats, Eliot, Auden and Dylan Thomas, and provide a context for comparison with more recent verse of Philip Larkin and Seamus Heaney; (Post-1800 British elective)
ENG 407 — Modern American Novel (H) (3 credits)
A study of the modern American novel concentrating on Post-1950 novelists. Some attention is paid to earlier novelists (Faulkner, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Steinbeck) to set the stage for discussion of contemporary novelists such as Bellow, Doctorow, Irving, and Walker. Discussion will focus on contemporary narrative theory and technique, and on varieties of setting, character, and themes in the modern American novel.
ENG 409 — Topics in American Literature (AL) (3 credits)
Themes in American literature, such as Captivity Narratives through the 19th Century; Imagining Native Americans; The American Dream and Immigrant Writers; Poverty in the 20th Century American Literature; Freedom and Determinism in American Literature. May be taken up to three times, with different authors or topics.
ENG 410 — Topics in American Literature (AL) (3 credits)
Themes in American literature, such as Captivity Narratives through the 19th Century; Imagining Native Americans; The American Dream and Immigrant Writers; Poverty in the 20th Century American Literature; Freedom and Determinism in American Literature. May be taken up to three times, with different authors or topics. Instructor permission required.
ENG 411 — Topics in American Literature (3 credits)
Themes in American literature, such as Captivity Narratives through the 19th Century; Imagining Native Americans; The American Dream and Immigrant Writers; Poverty in the 20th Century American Literature; Freedom and Determinism in American Literature. May be taken up to three times, with different authors or topics; (Advanced American).
ENG 414 — Honors Thesis I (3 credits)
Individual research of a substantive nature pursued in the student's major field of study. The research will conclude in a written thesis or an original project, and an oral defense. Students enrolled in the university's honors program write a thesis during their senior year. Students who are not enrolled in the honors program may obtain departmental honors by completing this sequence of courses. Student and instructor must agree on specific topic for research.
ENG 415 — Honors Thesis II (3 credits)
Individual research of a substantive nature pursued in the student's major field of study. The research will conclude in a written thesis or an original project, and an oral defense. Students enrolled in the university's honors program write a thesis during their senior year. Students who are not enrolled in the honors program may obtain departmental honors by completing this sequence of courses. Student and instructor must agree on specific topic for research.
ENG 420 — History of the English Novel I (H) (3 credits)
Intensive genre study of representative novels spanning several literary periods, beginning in the early 18th century and culminating in an extensive examination of the contemporary English novel. Explores thematic, philosophical, and aesthetic considerations in the evolution of types of English novels. Students will become familiar with major British novelists, and may perform independent research into specific areas of English fiction. (Pre-1800 British)
ENG 421 — History of the English Novel II (H) (3 credits)
Intensive genre study of representative novels spanning several literary periods, beginning in the early 18th century and culminating, in an extensive examination of the contemporary English novel. Explores thematic, philosophical, and aesthetic considerations in the evolution of types of English novels. Students will become familiar with major British novelists, and may perform independent research into specific areas of English fiction. (Pre-1800 British)
ENG 430 — 19th Century American Fictions (H) (3 credits)
A study of American fiction in the romantic, naturalist, and realist modes, covering such authors as Brown, Irving, Hawthorne, Melville, Twain, Cable, Howells, James, Crane, and Norris, in light of the intellectual, philosophical and political forces that shaped their work.
ENG 440 — Independent Study (3 credits)
Provides an opportunity for intensive work in an area of particular interest to the student and a faculty member. Departmental approval necessary.
ENG 490 — Senior Seminar (WI) (3 credits)
A series of seminars on a variety of topics in English and American literature proposed on a regular basis and rotated annually among the professors of the department. Each seminar requires that students demonstrate research skills commensurate with advanced study in English. Students must successfully complete this capstone course prior to graduation. Senior class standing and instructor permission required.
ENG 493 — English Internship/Co-op (6.00 credits)
A junior or senior work-study program providing relevant employment experience. The program integrates classroom theory and practical work experience. (Transfer students must complete a minimum of 15 semester hours in the major at Niagara University before enrollment. Registration is to be arranged through the chairperson.)
ENG 494 — English Internship/Co-op (6.00 credits)
A junior or senior work-study program providing relevant employment experience. The program integrates classroom theory and practical work experience. (Transfer students must complete a minimum of 15 semester hours in the major at Niagara University before enrollment. Registration is to be arranged through the chairperson.)
ENG 495 — English Internship/Co-op (6.00 credits)
A junior or senior work-study program providing relevant employment experience. The program integrates classroom theory and practical work experience. (Transfer students must complete a minimum of 15 semester hours in the major at Niagara University before enrollment. Registration is to be arranged through the chairperson.)
ENG 496 — English Internship/Co-op (6.00 credits)
A junior or senior work-study program providing relevant employment experience. The program integrates classroom theory and practical work experience. (Transfer students must complete a minimum of 15 semester hours in the major at Niagara University before enrollment. Registration is to be arranged through the chairperson.)
WRT 100 — Writing and Rhetoric (WI) (3 credits)
Writing 100 introduces students to the reading and writing practices that characterize intellectual work in the university. Students are challenged to explore issues of interest and consequence, considering the perspectives of readers as well as their own. The course adopts a process approach to writing in a variety of academic genres, emphasizing pre-writing, researching, composing, revising, and editing as it prepares students for success at Niagara and beyond.
WRT 221 — Creative Writing (H) (3 credits)
This course, taught in a workshop format, introduces the fundamental skills used by writers of poetry and fiction. The primary text of the course is the students' original poems and short stories; works by contemporary writers are also read and analyzed. Students develop individual portfolios of revised work in fulfillment of course requirements. (Advanced Composition; part of Writing Studies minor)
WRT 231 — Business Communication (WI) (3 credits)
Emphasizes practical techniques of professional communication through the study of theories and practices of workplace communication. Students acquire and practice a variety of oral and written communication techniques through analysis, research, synthesis, and creation of workplace-focused documents such as memos, emails, reports, visuals, and other types of documents. (Advanced Composition; part of Writing Studies minor)
WRT 261 — Methods of Writing Studies (WI) (3 credits)
A seminar introducing students to key concepts, historical developments, and methodologies within Writing Studies as well as how to locate, evaluate, and properly cite field-specific scholarship. Students practice field-specific research strategies including rhetorical analysis and produce a variety of creative, academic, and professional texts reflecting the diversity of the discipline.
WRT 321 — Poetry Writing (H) (3 credits)
Theory and practice of poetry. Workshop format, building on skills from ENG 221 (WRT 221). Assignments include poems, essays, presentations, and responses to readings. Texts include student writing, contemporary poetry, and essays by contemporary poets. Students develop portfolios of revised work prepared during the semester. (Advanced Composition; part of Writing Studies minor)
WRT 342 — Special Topics in Web Writing (H) (3 credits)
A course which focuses on specific trends, genres, or aspects of Web writing. Topics include: Web writing in social, workplace or academic contexts; unique genres of Web writing (blogs, wikis, forums); challenges to traditional media and publishing made by Web writing. (Advanced Composition; part of Writing Studies minor)
WRT 343 — Studies in Rhetoric (H) (3 credits)
Offers in-depth study of rhetorical theory. The course may focus on one or more periods (e.g., Classical rhetoric, Enlightenment rhetoric), theorists (e.g., Aristotle, Burke), or concepts (e.g., invention, metaphor). May be taken up to three times with different course material. (Advanced Composition; part of Writing Studies minor)
WRT 345 — Science Writing (H) (3 credits)
Examines the forms of communication undergirding science. Students analyze and write in a variety of scientific genres as they learn the rhetorical dynamics of research. Emphasis is also placed on the public understanding of science, including representations of science in fine art and film. (Advanced Composition; part of Writing Studies minor)
WRT 346 — Visual Rhetoric (H) (3 credits)
Students analyze and synthesize the rhetorical principles by which visuals are produced and used to inform, educate, advocate, and persuade. Students also consider the cultural contents for visual communication, how visuals work with other forms of communication, and the ethical implications of how visuals are used for rhetorical purposes. (Advanced Composition; part of Writing Studies minor)
WRT 348 — Ethnog/Travel Writing (CD) (3 credits)
This course focuses on nonfiction writing about culture. Students use participant-observation and interviewing as tools for developing vivid characters, scenes, dialog, and story elements, while reading Latin American and Hispanic ethnography for exemplars. Emphasis is placed on writing that promotes cultural awareness and understanding of the changing American demographic. Travel not required. (Advanced Composition; part of Writing Studies minor) (Comparative Studies Elective)
WRT 350 — Style (WI) (3 credits)
An examination of style from its Western origins in classical rhetoric to its modern inception as a pillar of information design. Emphasis is placed on theories, practices, and pedagogies of style that enable students to gain more conscious control over their writing.
WRT 351 — Grant Writing (H) (3 credits)
This course introduces students to the process of applying for grants in their area of specialization using research and documentation skills. Students gain practice analyzing the mission, values, and priorities of philanthropic and other funding institutions, and apply that knowledge to their organizational and/or individual ethos. This course culminates in a grant proposal, requiring extensive persuasive and analytic writing. (Advanced Composition; part of Writing Studies minor)