Specific, Selected Course Descriptions
Fall 2008
Winter 2009
What are "Specific, Selected Course Descriptions"?
Well, as most students are familiar with the course descriptions in the University's catalog, the focus of this message will be to explain what is unique about our publication that takes both digital and paper forms. The English Department's "Specific, Selected Course Descriptions" publications provide greater specificity for students while they are in the process of registering for classes.
As a service to students, the English faculty members write descriptions that show the "specific" ways in which they will focus their courses. For example, Category I in the General Education program offers literature courses that fall into several types, including Literary Genre (English 202), Historical Approaches to Literature (English 203), and Thematic Approaches to Literature (English 204). However, given the specializations of various faculty members, these courses vary. So, to continue the example, in the upcoming academic year, there are genre courses that focus on poetry and others on the novel. The faculty members clarify how they approach the general designations in the Saginaw Valley Course Catalog. Some faculty members also use these descriptions as a way of letting students know what to expect in terms of assignments and reading lists.
Now, onto why these descriptions are "selected": The English faculty members volunteer their descriptions for these publications, which is why every class that is offered is not represented in these pages. Some of us prepare new classes over the summer and are not ready to write descriptions for the upcoming year as early as February. Others are awaiting approval of sabbaticals, fellowships, and other activities that may change their schedules, so they do not want to establish expectations for a class that they may not teach.
So, there you have it, "Specific, Selected Course Descriptions." We look forward to meeting you in our upcoming classes during the new academic year and hope that you will share the information that you gather from this document with friends and classmates.
Fall 2008
English 202: The Novel as Genre
English 203.7: Fantasy: Tolkien, Lewis, Williams
English 212: Writing About Visual Culture
English 312: Literature of Great Britain and the U.S., 1660-1865
English 360: Grammar of Contemporary English
English 442: Gender and Modernism
English 499: Performance Theory and Literature
English 551: Special Topics: TESOL
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English 202: The Novel as Genre
TR 10-11:20, Fall
Marsha Millikin
Office: Science West 356; Phone: (989) 964-2191
Email: mmilliki(at)svsu.edu
One of the goals of the course is to expose students to novels written during different time periods by authors of diverse backgrounds. Novels for the course are chosen with a common theme. The theme for fall semester is isolation and the family and how that isolation impacts family relationships. We will read and critically examine how such isolation is played out not only within the immediate family, but how that isolation may impact the community, nation, and globe. Film versions also shown when appropriate. Novels under consideration are:
Oroonoko- Aphra Behn
Frankenstein- Mary Shelley
Wuthering Heights: Emily Bronté
Hard Times- Charles Dickens
Crime and Punishment- Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Last of the Mohicans- James Fenimore Cooper
Grapes of Wrath- John Steinbeck
Beloved- Toni Morrison
Indian Killer- Sherman Alexie
The Known World- Edward P. Jones
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English 203.7: Fantasy: Tolkien, Lewis, Williams
TR 2:30 - 3:50 pm, Fall
Dr. Basil Clark
Office: Science West 314; Phone: (989) 964-4312
Email: baclark(at)svsu.edu
In the years prior to World War II and during the war, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis and Charles Williams shared literary interests as associates in the Inklings club. Tolkien and Lewis were Oxford University faculty members; Williams was an editor for Oxford University Press. Out of this association came memorable works of fantasy, especially Christian fantasy in the case of Lewis and Williams. In this class, which satisfies the Category 1, Literature, requirement for General Education, we will read the following books:
Tolkien - The Hobbit; The Lord of the Rings
Lewis - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; That Hideous Strength
Williams - War in Heaven; All Hallows Eve
Included in course requirements will be two midterm exams, a final exam, two short papers, and an oral report (individual or group).
English 204: Oprah's Books
T 4-6:50, Fall
Dr. Janice M. Wolff
Office: Brown 226; Phone: (989) 964-7105
Email: jwolff(at)svsu.edu
This communication-intensive course studies works of literature chosen on the basis of themes or topics. Prereq: All reading and writing Basic Skills requirements must be completed before enrolling in this course.
For twenty years or more, Oprah Winfrey has been the darling of media attention: how much has she lost? How much has she given away? How can I get on her show? How much is she worth? These are questions her audience has asked time and time again. Oprah has been featured on the covers of weekly news-magazines, as well as being her own cover girl on Oprah, The Magazine. Newsweek calls our era the "Age of Oprah." Her Bookclub has encouraged people to read, it has been cancelled and reactivated, and some say that Oprah is our real teacher. With all the lore and history associated with Oprah and her industry, we will read several of the books on Oprah's list, we will read theories of race, class and gender, and we will screen films made from the novels. For instance, novels selected for the course may include: Danticat's Breath, Eyes, Memory, Marquez's Love in the Time of Cholera, Mistry's A Fine Balance, a selection from Toni Morrison, and possibly Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth, among others. Reading books from Oprah's selections will help us investigate the relationship between culture and literature, language and gender, and will provide a bridge to more diversity in reading.
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English 212: Writing About Visual Culture
TR 1-2:20, Fall
G. Thompson
Office: SW 313; Phone: (989) 964-4308
E-mail: glt(at)svsu.edu
The specific topic for this semester, Writing About Visual Culture, satisfies requirements for category 10 of SVSU's general education pertaining to written communication. We will be using visual texts and analyses of such texts to develop our capacities to understand, interpret, and respond critically and appropriately to discourse, making use of oral and visual as well as written modes of response. The primary goal is to understand and apply principles of good rhetoric, and to understand where and how these go wrong in contemporary communication, using visual rhetoric as analogous to verbal rhetoric. Special emphasis this semester will be given to the moving image (cinema, television, video, possibly web animation).
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English 312: Literature of Great Britain and the U.S., 1660-1865
W 4-7, Fall
Dr. Eric Gardner
Office: Brown 330; Phone: (989) 964-4037
E-mail: gardner(at)svsu.edu
Per the published course description, this course surveys selected significant authors, genres, historical trends, and cultural influences in British, British Colonial, and U.S. literature after the Restoration up to the end of the U.S. Civil War. We'll pay special attention to intertextuality, the emergence of American literature, and transatlantic issues including colonialism, race, slavery, gender, publication circumstances, etc. Most readings will be drawn from the standard ENGL 311/312/313 anthologies-the lettered volumes of the Norton Anthology of English Literature and the Heath Anthology of American Literature. We'll also read Charlotte Temple, Jane Eyre, and the Narrative of the Life of Henry Box Brown. In addition to careful reading and active participation in class discussion, students will be expected to complete two papers and a series of exams. Feel free to contact the instructor with questions or for more specific information on the course texts, etc.
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English 360: Grammar of Contemporary English
Tues. 7-9:50 PM, Fall
Dr. Kerry Segel
Office: SW 318; Phone: (989) 964-7011
E-mail: ksegel(at)svsu.edu
English 360 is designed to develop your understanding of formal English written grammar and its application to written English. This course is primarily for those preparing for careers in writing and education. It is a required course for those pursuing the SVSU TESOL certificate and ESL Endorsement, secondary level, programs. Although we start with the basics, the course moves rapidly. The emphasis of the course is on practice and application, so be willing to spend several hours outside of class on study and assignments. Your efforts will pay off!
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English 365: TESOL I: Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language
W 4-6:50 PM, Fall
Kerry Segel
Office: 318 Science West; Phone: (989) 964-7011
E-mail: ksegel(at)svsu.edu
In the United States and elsewhere, there are increasing numbers of students who want to learn English, yet there are insufficient numbers of qualified teachers to meet the demand. This course provides a broad-based introduction to theoretical foundations, standards and instructional practices of teaching English to students who are learning English as an additional language. The emphasis is on practical application, so you will be working with English language learners as part of this course. It is a required course for the ESL Endorsement or TESOL Certificate. Regardless of your major, if you would like to consider teaching English to English language learners, this course is a must!
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English 442: Gender and Modernism
T 7-10, Fall
Dr. Elizabeth Rich
Office: 164 Science East; Phone: (989) 964-4317
E-mail: rich@svsu.edu; url: www.svsu.edu/~rich/
In 1990 Bonnie Kime Scott published The Gender of Modernism, an anthology that included many newly recovered modern texts, along with introductions by feminist scholars who spoke to the construction of high modernism, based largely on the work of T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, W.B. Yeats, Wallace Stevens, Virginia Woolf, and other, mostly white, male writers. Scott's volume offered a new view of modernism that was far more dynamic than established configurations and that showed a sustained dialogue among many different writers, including white and African American women writers, who were excluded from the mid-20th century literary criticism. This course will use Scott's new anthology, Gender in Modernism: New Geographies and Complex Intersections, which explores recent developments in modernist studies after the initial major recovery work of the 1980s. This new thematic volume not only looks to literature of England, the U.S., and Europe but beyond to Africa and examines the modernist project in the broader context of artistic experimentation and expression, which includes the visual arts, live performance, and film. This course will also consider cultural context and a variety of identifications, including location, nationality, sexual orientation, race, and class, as well as self-defined avant-gardist groups.
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English 499: Performance Theory and Literature
T 4-6:50, Fall
Dr. Gary Thompson
Office: 313; Phone: (989) 964-4308
E-mail: glt(at)svsu.edu
For this senior seminar in literary studies, we will be considering the concept of performance and identifying ways in which it can contribute to the study of literature and other areas of English studies.
Possible texts include Richard Schechtner, Performance Theory, J. L. Styan, Shakespeare's Stagecraft, something by Kenneth Burke, rhetorical theory dealing with kairos, some works by David Antin, at least one Shakespeare play. If the logistics can be worked out, we'll attend a Shakespeare play at Stratford (Ont.).
Students are to spend the first 2/3 of the class reading and investigating and researching and applying connections between performance theory and their own areas of literary study. The last third will involve group criticism, discussion of performance in the area of literary study and presentation (including visual and oral performance), and public presentations of work accomplished during the seminar.
Issues to be discussed include performance in culture, performance in rhetoric, dramatic performance, the Author as Performer, and the Reader as Performer.
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English 551: Special Topics: TESOL
W 4-6:50 pm, Fall
Dr. Kerry Segel
Office: SW 318; Phone: (989) 964-7011
E-mail: ksegel(at)svsu.edu
Theoretical foundations and instructional practices for teaching English as an additional language. Emphasis on standards-based curriculum. Includes research project and field-based interaction (10 hours) with English language learners. Prerequisite: Graduate status or in-service teacher with 4-year degree. Substitutes for English 365.
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Winter 2009
English 307: American Indian Literature
English 334: Transatlantic Romantic Poetry
English 360: Grammar of Contemporary English
English 372: History of Literary Criticism
English 470: Second Language and Culture Acquisition
English 480: Studies in Rhetoric
English 570: Research in Second Language and Culture
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English 307: American Indian Literature
TR 1-2:20, Winter
Dr. Elizabeth Rich
Office: Science East 164; Phone: (989) 964-4317
Email: rich(at)svsu.edu
This course will provide a historical survey of texts representative of the experience of American Indian people, and the vast majority of texts will be written by people affiliated with tribes, including the Osage, Annishinaabe, Lakota, Coeur d'Alene, Crow, Creek, Dakota, Laguna Pueblo, Kiowa, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Koyukon Athabaskan, Acoma Pueblo, and Oneida. The course will specifically be interested in looking at differences among various tribal groups' world views more so than contrasting a pan-tribal view against a European one. Because the study of American Indian literature strangely groups a great diversity of identities together under one category, this course will be sensitive to the ways in which colonial voices historically held sway over representations of American Indian people, will use recent critical tools that help readers to understand how the legacy of problematical stereotyping endangers understanding, and will look to representative voices from American Indian communities to formulate more accurate ideas about American Indian people and their literature. The course's anthology will be John Purdy and James Ruppert's Nothing but the Truth.
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English 334: Transatlantic Romantic Poetry
W 4:00-6:50, Winter
Dr. Eric Gardner
Office: B 330; Phone: (989) 964-4037
E-mail: gardner(at)svsu.edu
This course will focus on a wide range of poetry that falls within a group of loosely-connected eighteenth and nineteenth-century movements referred to "Romanticism." From close consideration of English Romanticism, American Romanticism, and New England-centered Transcendentalism in various forms, we'll move to consider both trans-national issues (through studying key French Romantic poets read in translation) and trans-racial, cross-regional questions (seen in the work of several early African American poets). We'll close the course by adding all of these pieces together in an examination of nineteenth-century Black Creole poets writing in Louisiana (in French-again, read in translation) who were "talking back" to conceptions of Romantic poetry in rich ways. Building from extensive close reading and lecture/discussion, we'll actively consider questions of form, content, and context. In addition to careful reading and active participation in class discussion, students will be expected to complete two extended papers, a final exam, and a variety of other activities (including VSpace-based and research-centered activities) Feel free to contact the instructor with questions or for more specific information on the course texts, etc.
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English 360: Grammar of Contemporary English
W 4-6:50 PM, Winter
Dr. Kerry Segel
Office: Science West 318; Phone: (989) 964-7011
E-mail: ksegel(at)svsu.edu
English 360 is designed to develop your understanding of formal English written grammar and its application to written English. This course is primarily for those preparing for careers in writing and education. It is a required course for those pursuing the SVSU TESOL certificate and ESL Endorsement, secondary level, programs. Although we start with the basics, the course moves rapidly. The emphasis of the course is on practice and application, so be willing to spend several hours outside of class on study and assignments. Your efforts will pay off!
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English 372: History of Literary Criticism
W 7-10, Winter
Dr. Paul Munn
Office: Science West 317; Phone: (989) 964-7083
E-mail: ptmunn(at)svsu.edu
A selective study of principal ideas in literary criticism from classical to contemporary times.
This class fulfills the requirement in the literature program for Literary Theory.
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English 470: Second Language and Culture Acquisition
R 7-9:50 pm, Winter
Dr. Kerry Segel
Office: Science West 318; Phone: (989) 964-7011
E-mail address: ksegel(at)svsu.edu
This course is designed for anyone wishing to pursue teaching English to speakers of other languages, English language study or linguistics. Topics include second language acquisition theories and research; the nature and role of culture in language development and academic achievement; comparisons between American English and mainstream culture and other languages and cultures. It is a required course for the ESL endorsement or TESOL Certificate. Prerequisite: One of the following: ENGL 244, ENGL 350, ENGL 355, or ENGL370.
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English 480: Studies in Rhetoric
T 4-6:50, Winter
Dr. Janice M. Wolff
Office: Brown 226; Phone: (989) 964-7105
E-mail: jwolff(at)svsu.edu
Exploration of historical and contemporary theories of rhetoric as they apply to written, verbal, and visual communication. Prereq: Engl 300, 301, or 304.
Words of wisdom from Socrates: "In the art of rhetoric, credit is won not by gifts of fortune, but by efforts of study. For those who have been gifted with eloquence by nature and by fortune are governed by what they say by chance, and not by any standard of what is best, whereas those who have gained this power by study and by the exercise of language never speak without weighing their words, and so are less often in error as to a course of action."
It might be said that we are a culture awash in rhetoric, where persuasive texts call out to us to "read me," and "buy me," or "elect me." A major objective in this course is to look through a rhetorical lens at texts, both literary and media, both ancient and contemporary, and to begin to read rhetorically, to understand how rhetoric impacts our words and our world. Not only will we examine rhetorical strategies and principles, but we will employ them in our own writing. Major writing assignments include a rhetorical issues paper, a rhetorical dialogue, and rhetorical research. We will use VSpace for online discussion of rhetorical concepts, terms, and principles, and students will archive materials in a Commonplace Book.
Required texts include two books by Sharon Crowley: Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students, Toward a Civil Discourse, and Hackforth's Plato's Phaedrus. Our reading selections will help us to historicize and contextualize classical rhetorical theory and to see application of these ancient forms to contemporary issues and debates.
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English 570: Research in Second Language and Culture
R 7-10, Winter
Dr. Kerry Segel
Office: Science West 318; Phone: (989) 964-7011
E-mail: ksegel(at)svsu.edu
SLA and cultural acquisition theory and research as applied to English language learners in instructional settings. Special attention given to cross-cultural and linguistic comparisons with American English and U.S. mainstream culture. Required research project based on student's own teaching environment. Prerequisite: Graduate status and completion of one of the following courses: ENGL 244, 350, 355, 360 or 370. Substitutes for ENGL 470.
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