EN-250 Oprah's Books (4 credits)
Students become readers in Alverno's Oprah's Book Club, developing as a literary critic and examining the economic, cultural and political implications of Oprah's Book Club choices. They take the risks and accept the responsibilities for their critical judgment of each of the works represented in the course, and they will examine in some depth Oprah's contributions to literacy and to literary culture, including exploring the controversies and the challenges surrounding her book club. As students decide whether or not a work is worthy of Oprah's pick they will fine tune their own definitions of what makes a book good, even great, literature.
Prerequisite(s): FA-110 series, HUM-150 & CM-125 Preference given to students required to take this course if enrollment exceeds limit.
EN-251 Introduction to Creative Writing (4 credits)
An astonishing offshoot of the digital age is that everyone is a writer. This general education course offers students the opportunity to become more self-aware about their written expression. Students will learn the basics of a variety of literary genres as a means of giving form to their ideas and will experiment with writing poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and children's stories. As peer readers of each other's work, they will learn in a workshop setting and hone editing and revising skills. Because all good writers are readers of others' works, students will read and do critical analyses of a variety of short literary works. This course will assist students to exercise their creativity, develop sensitivity to language choices, and identify traits of their personal writing style and literary preferences.
Prerequisite(s): FA-110 Series, HUM-150 Series; CM-125 Preference given to students required to take this course if enrollment exceeds limit.
EN-252 Fiction Into Film (4 credits)
The student reads works of literature and views film adaptions of them, comparing the ways that authors and directors tell stories, make meaning, and elicit audience response. The student is introduced to film theory and develops an understanding of literary theory. The student analyzes the literary and film texts through a variety of critical frameworks. The student considers definitions of genre while viewing adaptations of a wide variety of genres: the short story, children's literature, drama, the novel, and intellectual autobiography. In addition, exploring two visions of the same story deepens the student's understanding of the relationship between genre and the expression of human experience.
Prerequisite(s): FA-110 Series, HUM-150 Series; CM-125 or GECM 235 Preference given to students required to take this course if enrollment exceeds limit.
EN-253 Stories of Illness & Recovery (4 credits)
This course provides an understanding of the new Health Humanities field in ways, especially, that apply to preparing for a career in Public Health care. Using a wide variety of genres, including graphic medicine (also called graphic novels or graphic memoirs), fiction, poetry, autobiographical essays, and different kinds of film, including animation, documentary film, and feature length film, students will explore the many dimensions (both private and social) of the theme of this class: stories of illness and recovery. Through its examination of intersectionality, (race, gender, class, and sexuality), this course positions students to reflect on and respond to the public or social dimensions of health and to set the stage for a commitment to public health advocacy.
Prerequisite(s): FA-110 Series, HUM-150 Series; CM-125 or GECM 235. Preference given to students req to take this course if enrollment exceeds limit.
EN-297 Independent Study (0 credits)
Under the approval and direction of a faculty member, independent study is available to students.
EN-330 Imagination & Identity in Literary Stds (4 credits)
Offered Spring Term only. This course is designed to engage the student in the complex processes of reading and interpreting literature, to heighten the ability to discover meaning from a variety of literary works and genres, and to deepen the commitment to literary studies as a chosen discipline. The course not only prepares students for participation in the discipline of literary studies, but it also equips them with the analytical frameworks and the intellectual habits of mind necessary to remain an engaged reader and passionate critic in personal and professional lives. The student examines the nature of being a reader of literature, explores the philosophical underpinnings of literary studies, and thinks deeply and communicates clearly about a variety of complex literary works and genres within their historical, cultural, and biographical contexts. For English & ELA Majors & Support Area only.
Prerequisite(s): EN-250 Series or EN 300 Series Course, CM-225, EN-330 that EN and ELA majors need to register for EN-330 and EN-399 concurrently.
EN-340 Eng Grammar: Understng Form & Function (3 credits)
This course introduces students to grammar as a language system; they will learn the core sentence parts and sentence structure. By the end of the course students will be able to analyze, or parse, any sentence variation they encounter. Students also will learn rules of usage, and basics of grammar instruction. Students will have opportunities to design lessons in grammar and composition and will learn some of the theories that inform ways to teach writing. Students also will work on their own development as writers, looking at the ways that understanding grammar can enhance their own structure and style. Through reading and research, students also will explore the role of grammar in broader contexts, such as language acquisition, regional dialects, and the history and future of grammar. Required for ELA Majors & Supports & ELL Supports.
Prerequisite(s): 1-4 ICM
EN-340C Eng Grammar: Understng Form & Function (3 credits)
This course introduces students to grammar as a language system; they will learn the core sentence parts and sentence structure. By the end of the course students will be able to analyze, or parse, any sentence variation they encounter. Students also will learn rules of usage, and basics of grammar instruction. Students will have opportunities to design lessons in grammar and composition and will learn some of the theories that inform ways to teach writing. Students also will work on their own development as writers, looking at the ways that understanding grammar can enhance their own structure and style. Through reading and research, students also will explore the role of grammar in broader contexts, such as language acquisition, regional dialects, and the history and future of grammar.
EN-343 Creative Writing II (3 credits)
This course deals with all forms of creative writing: fiction, poetry, humorous essays, and journals. The student is encouraged to experiment with a wide range of genres for a variety of audiences. In the process the student works to develop a unique voice and style as a writer.
Prerequisite(s): One Communication Level 4 ICM completed. NOTE: EN-251 recommended for CSW supports.
EN-344 Great Films (3 credits)
This course will address the topics of film genre and film history from a case study approach. Students will learn about film history, including technical innovation and critical reception, by studying certain key films that have been deemed "great." Explorations of these films will include analysis of film elements and a consideration of film history and criticism and Hollywood genre studies, including an examination of the Historical Epic, the Independent Film, film noir, the Western, and the Romance. Students will construct their own critical framework for "greatness" and analyze these films from a number of different theoretical or critical perspectives including, of course, their own evolving personal responses. The final individual and group project will involve a consideration of a recent "updated" version of a specific Hollywood genre with an understanding of genre conventions, revision, homage, parody, and experimentation. For example: analyzing Unforgiven (1992) or Django Unchained (2012) in light of the conventions of the Western. All films will be seen in class.
Prerequisite(s): One Communication Level 4 ICM completed.
EN-371 The 20s in American Literature (3 credits)
This course examines the literary achievement of the Harlem Renaissance and Americans abroad. While evidence of the angst and artistic experimentation associated with modernism can be found in both literary movements, African-American writers of the Harlem Renaissance differed from Americans in Europe in their desire to draw from their distinctive historical and cultural traditions as a means of affirmation and empowerment. The student uses critical frameworks to analyze, evaluate, and place in context the literary works of study. The student also analyzes how the ideas, aesthetic principles, and values of the literary works challenge or reinforce personal values and thinking about life and art.
Prerequisite(s): One Communication Level 4 ICM completed.
EN-375 African-American Literature (3 credits)
This course considers the historical roots and development of the African-American literary tradition - and its continuing impact on literature and society today. The student explores key concepts and metaphors that define African-American literature, using historical, ethnic, and feminist critical frameworks to analyze and respond to literature as an expression of and commentary on culture. The student reflect on how the values and aesthetic principles of the African-American literary tradition challenge or reinforce personal thinking about art and society through creative and critical writing.
Prerequisite(s): One Communication Level 4 ICM completed.
EN-381 Major Figures: Shakespeare & Cont Wrld (3 credits)
This series, which includes a course on Shakespeare, provides the student the opportunity to develop ways of making an author's works increasingly meaningful for herself. Students wrestle with questions to determine why an author such as Shakespeare stays alive as a recognized part of contemporary life, what we can learn about historical process from studying the data about an author, and how an author's work represents a multifaceted integration of literary techniques, artistic traditions, cultural values, and unique characteristics of a society.
Prerequisite(s): One Communication-Level 4 ICM or GECM 235 completed.
EN-391 The Gothic in Fiction & Film (3 credits)
In this course, students explore the evolution of the Gothic novel throughout the 19th century. They read a classic Gothic novella, an early spoof of Gothic novels, and Victorian Gothic fiction. Students also will examine ways that Gothic elements still appear in popular fiction, movies, and television. Organizing questions of the course include: what is it about the Gothic that has made it so seductive to readers past and present? and what can we learn about our culture and ourselves through reading Gothic literature and watching Gothic films?
Prerequisite(s): One Communication Level 4 ICM completed
EN-398 Film Around the World (3 credits)
In this introduction to formal film studies, the student analyzes the narrative structure and visual elements of film, studying films from India, Japan, Europe, Africa, and South America as well as from the United States. Students independently apply theories and frameworks from the humanities to organize and articulate an aesthetic response to those films, and articulate personal visions of the genre of film.
Prerequisite(s): One Communication-Level 4 ICM completed.
EN-399 Formal Introduction to Advanced Work (0 credits)
The Advanced-Level Event marks a significant accomplishment as each student proceeds into the work of the major department. When a department determines that a student is ready for advanced work within a discipline, the student is invited to participate in a ceremony that is both a celebration and an explanation of future requirements of the major and support areas. Students register for this experience at a point determined by the major department: for most majors the registration is connected to the taking of a particular course. Students and faculty gather for an afternoon during Mid-semester Assessment Days. Following a general program, students meet in departmental sessions with their faculty to discuss advanced outcomes, department courses, advising procedures, and so on.
Prerequisite(s): English & ELA Majors must register concurrently for EN-330. Meets once during mid-semester assessment days.
EN-430 External Assessment for Majors (1 credit)
This external assessment allows the student to evaluate and synthesize learning in intermediate and advanced English courses and continue work on electronic individualized reading lists. The student develops an English portfolio that highlights development as a writer, reader, and scholar of literature. Students also prepare a formal presentation of a portfolio for the English Department. This assessment also includes a roundtable discussion of a contemporary novel, during which the student independently applies the critical frameworks learned in the academic program. Take in second to last semester of program. Scehduled during final assessement week.
Prerequisite(s): For EN & ELA Majors only. One Communication- Level 4 ICM completed.
EN-453 From Printout to Publication (4 credits)
This course is the capstone for the Creative Studies in Writing support. The course is organized around the writing, layout and production of Alverno College's literary magazine (currently Inside/Out). Students will conceptualize the magazine's focus, write, critique and edit content in order to publish a digital literary magazine. Students will practice the concepts and skills they have developed across their program of study, including the close-reading and reviewing of professional texts and adapting a creative piece from their own portfolio for submission to the magazine. As part of this course, students will also explore the changing nature of publishing as a profession as well as a goal for their work. Students from other disciplines in the college may take the course with permission from the instructor, and may produce work for the magazine that is not text-based (e.g. art, video, podcasts).
Prerequisite(s): EN-251 & EN-343 or consent of instructor. One Communication Level 4 ICM completed.
EN-461 19th Century British Novel (4 credits)
This series, which includes a course on the 19th-century novel, allows the student to explore a genre by focusing on its origins, both cultural and literacy. Students examine the historical and cultural influences that contributed to the development of a genre, such as the religious climate, economics, education, and other contexts. Consideration of literacy influences on genre encourages the student to explore definitions and functions of genre. Students also analyze ways that literacy forms convey philosophical stances on what it means to be human and examine the relationship between literacy form and personal aesthetic preferences.
Prerequisite(s): One Communication Level 4 ICM completed
EN-463 Romantic Poetry (4 credits)
This series, which includes a course on the 19th-century novel, allows the student to explore a genre by focusing on its origins, both cultural and literacy. The student examines the historical and cultural influences that contributed to the development of a genre, such as the religious climate, economics, education, and other contexts. Consideration of literacy influences on genre encourages the student to explore definitions and functions of genre. Students also analyze ways that literacy forms convey philosophical stances on what it means to be human and examine the relationship between literacy form and personal aesthetic preferences.
Prerequisite(s): One Communication Level 4 ICM completed.
EN-471 Issues in Criticism: Modernism (4 credits)
Courses in this series, which includes British modernism, explore why we value certain literary authors and their works. The courses raise questions about who establishes critical standards and under what circumstances they are challenged or changed. Featured in this series are literary periods, such as modernism, in which questions about the nature and function of literature are central and during which creative writers also play a critical role. The student hones her own critical skills, including raising and evaluating her own and others' critical questions, reading literary criticism, and writing critical responses. Questions about the value of "difficult" writers, changing historical reputations of writers, the lasting impact of historical writers on contemporary literature and literary criticism, and the relationship of literature and other arts shape some of the subject matter of the course.
Prerequisite(s): One Communication Level 4 ICM completed.
EN-482 World Literature (4 credits)
Topics change from semester to semester, but all courses in this series deal with some aspect of international literature. Through reading literature from different cultures, the student experiences a global sense of literature that puts her education in American and English literature into a wider context. While certain courses may focus on a canonical survey approach (by investigating literature from the ancient, medieval, and contemporary worlds), others may focus on the contemporary novel in Africa, Japan, China, India, and South America. Regardless of the particular approach, such an eclectic exploration allows the student to expand her investigation of how culture influences genre, meaning, and literary technique. It also allows her to strengthen her advanced-level abilities in communication, analysis, aesthetic engagement, and valuing in a global arena.
Prerequisite(s): One Communication Level 4 ICM completed.
EN-497 Independent Study (2 credits)
Under the approval and direction of a faculty member, independent study is available to students.