UNH English Upper-level Courses for Fall 2013
Unless otherwise indicated, the only prerequisite is E 110 Composition and Literature
Categorized among the disciplines known as “the humanities,” literary study, we might expect, teaches us about what it means to be human. Therefore, in this course we will read early British texts (ca. 800 - 1800) with an eye to what they say about being human. This critical focus will take us beyond reading for the simple details of plot and create a specific point of engagement that will help to make old texts relevant to our current cultural and personal concerns. At the same time, we will use these texts to historicize and to question our own assumptions about the meaning of “the human.” (CC 1.2 or 6, English literature elective, or free elective)
ENGL 2267 (01): Creative Writing I—Dr. Randall Horton—W 6:30-9:10 p.m.
This course offers an introduction to the study and practice of creative writing. Students will study the craft of writing in multiple genres (fiction, nonfiction, drama, poetry) with an eye towards developing an ability to read like a writer. Students will also practice the craft themselves with an aim of producing an end-of-semester portfolio of creative work. (English writing elective or free elective)
ENGL 3393 (01): Mark Twain—Dr. David Sloane—online
Reading the greatest comic author in American literature makes you laugh—and think. Read about democracy, entrepreneurialism, and human sympathy and experience it along with Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain and the “boys” he traveled with. Enjoy Twain's sarcasm and come to class in your pajamas—the course is on line. Taught by Dr. David Sloane, award-winning author of multiple books on Twain and humor. (CC 1.2 or 6, English literature elective, or free elective)
ENGL 4481 (01H)/THEA 4450 (01H): Finishing the Hat: The Art of Stephen Sondheim—Professor Heather Reba and Dr. Meg Savilonis—TR 9:25-10:40 (restricted to students in the Honors Program) Hailed by The New York Times as the “greatest and perhaps best-known artist in American musical theater,” Stephen Sondheim’s body of work spans more than five decades. This course examines the work of Sondheim and his collaborators, investigating the connection between musical composition and lyric writing, the structure of thematic musical and literary writing, and the development of characters in musical theater. Additionally, students will consider the effects of the social, aesthetic, and historical milieux of both original productions and revivals on the texts and their reception, as well as the challenges these texts present for theater artists, audiences, and critics. Students will read, watch, and occasionally perform scenes and songs from works such as Company, Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George, and Sweeney Todd. (CC 1.2 or 6, English literature elective, Theater elective, or free elective)
ENGL 4481 (02): Caribbean Literature—Dr. Pamela Asmus—TR 12:15-1:30
Caribbean writers celebrate a culture that is a vibrant commingling of the islands’ indigenous, African, and European heritages. Inspired by a legacy of class, racial, and political conflicts, these writers create memorable characters who struggle to find and articulate their identities. And Caribbean writers frequently offer a unique response to familiar stories. For example, why did the “mad woman” in Jane Eyre leave Jamaica to become a virtual prisoner in Rochester’s home? And what happened to Tituba before and after the Salem Witchcraft Trials? These and many more questions will be discussed as we explore the literature produced in the first region in the New World to be colonized. (CC 1.2 or 6 English literature elective or free elective)
ENGL 4481 (03): Vampires in Literature—Dr. Christopher Dowd—TR 4:30-5:45 p.m.
This course engages students in a study of the vampire in literature with a particular focus on tracing the development of the vampire as an allegorical figure of social, cultural, national, political, religious, and domestic import. The vampire is one of the most enduringly popular and versatile literary figures, and this course will seek to uncover why this is so. Vampires appear in the earliest myths, sacred texts, and literature, and so the course will begin there before moving through the folklore of the 18th century, the gothic masterpieces of the 19th century, and contemporary texts of much acclaim. Readings will include works by Bram Stoker, J.S. LeFanu, Lord Byron, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Rudyard Kipling, Richard Matheson, Anne Rice, and Stephen King. We will also examine the vampire in other media, including films (The Lost Boys, Let the Right One In), television shows (Buffy, True Blood), and graphic novels (American Vampire, I…Vampire). (CC 1.2 or 6, English literature elective, or free elective)
ENGL 4481 (04): Native American Literature—Dr. Jeffrey Foster—TR 3:05-4:20
From the creation myths of the Apache, Penobscot, Navajo, and Cheyenne to the work of such modern writers and poets as N. Scott Momaday, Louise Erdrich, and Joseph Bruchac, learn about the Native Americans' unique relationship to nature, society, and the cosmos. (CC 1.2 or 6 English literature elective or free elective)
ENGL 4481 (05): Prison Through the Eyes of the Prisoner: The Unbalanced Scales of Justice —Dr. Randall Horton—MW 1:40-2:55
This course will focus on the formation of Prison Industrial Complex and how this social condition creates a certain literature from prisoners that often offers a damaging commentary on the American way of life. A sample of the books in this class includes George Jackson’s Soledad Brother, Assata Shakur’s Assata and Miguel Pinero’s play Short Eyes. We will also look at Angela Davis’ Are Prisons Obsolete? and Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow among other critical works to help frame the discussions around incarcerations. (CC 1.2 or 6, English literature elective, or free elective)
ENGL 4481 (06): Review Writing—Dr. Michelle Trim—TR 5:55-7:10
This course provides directed practice in professional writing for both print and electronic formats. Attendance of some evening performances is a required component of the course. Review subjects include live performances, eating establishments, written texts, and exhibits. (English writing elective or free elective)
ENGL 4481 (07): Forms in Poetry—Dr. Randall Horton—M 6:30-9:10
Prerequisite: E 267 or E268. Students will focus on the components of poetic form as it relates to modern and contemporary poetry. The class will study traditional as well as experimental forms of poetry. (English writing elective or free elective)
ENGL 4481 (08): Advocacy Writing—Dr. Michelle Trim—MW 10:50-12:05
This course surveys texts representing arguments from a broad range of issues, including gender, patient rights, race/ nationality, human rights, and peace movements. Synthesizing lessons in rhetoric with examples from studied writers, students will create a series of writing projects all geared towards effecting change on issues of importance to them. Covered writing genres include grant writing, proposal writing, and public writing. (English writing elective or free elective)
ENGL 4481 (09): Graphic Novel—Dr. Diane Russo—TR 1:40-2:55
Spend a semester in the comic world! Read about superheroes and masked adventurers confronting evil, a mouse recalling the Holocaust of his father's past, a young Iranian woman surviving the chaos of the Islamic Revolution, and ordinary people living on the societal fringe. This course studies nonfictional and fictional graphic novels by examining their visual and textual techniques as well as their roots in comic, cultural, and literary traditions. Through close reading and analysis, students will explore the inter-relatedness of text and image and determine various characteristics of this popular genre. (CC 1.2 or 6 English literature elective or free elective)
ENGL 4481 (10): Guilty Pleasures: International Crime Fiction—Prof. Richard Farrell—TR 1:40-2:55
Crime fiction is about much more than “whodunit.” The course pays special attention to the ways that crime novels reflect the societies that produce them. Readings include European and American examples, with emphasis on the type known as the “police procedural.” (CC 1.2 or 6 English literature elective or free elective)
