125. Introductory Composition. ECB writing assessment. (4). (Introductory Composition).
Introductory Composition prepares students for the various kinds of academic writing required of them as undergraduates at The University of Michigan. In addition to formal exercises or impromptu essays, students can expect to write six or more formal papers exemplifying the various modes of discourse which comprise our academic community.
Individual course descriptions will be available for reference
in 224 Angell Hall. For all English classes, registered students
must be present at each of the first two class meetings to claim their places. Any student who does not meet this requirement may
be dropped from the course
CSP section available. See Comprehensive Studies Program (CSP)
section in the guide.
Primarily for Freshmen and Sophomores
Courses numbered 200 and above may be elected only after the Introductory Composition requirement has been completed.
223. Creative Writing. English 125 or
167 or equivalent. (3). (Excl). May not be repeated for credit.
Section 101. The process of writing, and the writing of personal
narrative and fiction, will be examined through writing assignments
and discussion. The focus will be on the writing of the students, although we will also refer to published fiction. There will be
no exam, but there may be quizzes, and students will write a great
deal. [Cost:2] [WL:1] (Holinger)
Section 102. This section will concentrate on writing poetry, short fiction and short drama in traditional and experimental forms. Class discussion will mainly concern writings by class members, but some pieces by other writers will also be considered. Weekly writing projects and journal explorations will be expected. [Cost:1] [WL:1] (Wright)
225. Argumentative Writing. English 125
or 167 or equivalent. (4). (Excl).
Section 101. This section of Argumentative Writing will be
run in the Workshop mode – students meeting in small groups with the instructor (editor-in-chief) for purposes of reading, discussing
and editing the essays of their peers. Once a week there will
be the usual full class meetings to discuss work-in-progress and assigned professorial essays. The work load is a paper a week
(3-4 pages on average) and active participation in workshop and class. [Cost:1] [WL:1] (Schulze)
Section 102. The course will require writing on virtually every day of the term. Most of this writing will be entered (for all class members to read) on a computer course conference. DOING THIS WRITING WILL REQUIRE YOUR BEING AT A COMPUTER (IN ANY OF THE NUMEROUS WORK STATIONS ON THE NORTH AND MAIN UM CAMPUSES) SEVERAL TIMES WEEKLY THROUGHOUT THE TERM. In meetings of the class, there will be: 1) short interruptible lectures on such key concepts as argument, argumentative and other so-called modes of discourse, and the relevance of contexts to the meanings of all texts; 2) discussion of readings in a short course pack, whose contents will relate to the concepts named in (1) above; 3) discussion of classmates' written work. Besides the assigned writing and computer work, regular attendance, from day one, is an unwaivable requirement for a grade in the course. [Cost:1] [WL:1] (Van't Hul)
Section 103. This course will deal with the various techniques of persuasion, the rhetorical strategies for presenting arguments and the essentials of clear, effective writing. It will be light on theory, heavy on practice. No text will be used, but examples of persuasive writing from current every-day sources - newspapers, magazines, advertisements, etc. - will be analyzed. Four or five "formal" papers will be assigned, along with some shorter exercises; probably one oral presentation will also be required. Student papers will be analyzed and evaluated by the class as a whole and in smaller work groups. Since you will be the audience and critics for each other's writing, class attendance is mandatory; any absence must be made up with written work. Grades will be determined by the content and effectiveness of your writing and by participation in the class process. [Cost:1] (Beauchamp)
230. Introduction to Short Story and Novel. (3).
(HU).
Section 101. An introduction to techniques of analyzing and interpreting prose fiction through reading widely in masterworks
by European and American writers. "Interpretation" involves
narrative strategy, characterization, style, philosophical orientation, and cultural differentiation. To achieve a broad perspective for
building discussion, our primary focus will be on shorter fiction
and our method will be contrastive. Among the writers read will
be Hawthorne, Melville, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Kafka, O'Connor, Wright, Cather and a host of others – both traditional and more recent.
Daily attendance is expected as evidence of commitment. Class
participation is always a bonus. Requirements include the usual
gamut of papers and tests. (Eby)
Section 102. The main work of this course will be to read short stories, then novels, and to write SHORT (one- and two-page) responses to features of the assigned works. All but one of the novels will exemplify the serious genre called "comic fiction." Almost all written work will be entered (for all class members to read) on a computer course conference. DOING THIS WORK WILL REQUIRE YOUR BEING AT A COMPUTER (IN ANY OF THE NUMEROUS WORK STATIONS ON NORTH AND MAIN UM CAMPUSES) SEVERAL TIMES WEEKLY THROUGHOUT THE TERM. We will spend much class meeting time in discussion of both 1)the assigned fiction, and 2) classmates' written responses to assignments focused on the assigned fiction. There will be a handful of interruptible lectures on such key concepts as (a) point of view, (b) plot and characterization, and (c) genres of fiction. Besides the assigned reading and writing, regular attendance in class meetings is, from day one, an unwaivable requirement for a grade in the course. [Cost:2] [WL:1] (Van't Hul)
240. Introduction to Poetry. Prerequisite
for concentrators in the Regular Program and in Honors. (3). (HU).
Section 101. This course is a reading workshop, in which
we will practice the kinds of analysis and appreciation that poetry
invites. We will read a range of poems from different periods
and consider the different aspects of the poet's craft: the uses
of meter to highlight rhythm in speech; rhyme and alliteration;
imagery; metaphor and other forms of figurative language. We will
also explore ways in which poets create individual voices for
individual poems, as well as ways in which they control tone.
Discussion format. Requirements include: regular attendance and participation, three papers, and a terminology quiz. Texts will
be ordered through Shaman Drum Bookshop, 313 S. State. (Garner)
Section 102. This is an introduction to the shifting qualities of poetry in English. The course will alternate between attention to poetry of the 1980s, especially by women, and exposure to the poetic genres of earlier periods. In class, we will work on honing our ability to perceive, discuss, and write about the structures of poetry, especially in contemporary free verse. Texts include the NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF POETRY, a course pack, and one or two paperback books of poetry by contemporary poets. A very good dictionary, a grammatical reference, and a handbook of literary terms are also recommended. Requirements: attendance and participation, homework, in-class writing and exercises, two papers, two hour exams. (Ellison)
Section 103. The aim of this course is to introduce you to the art of poetry so that you can read and discuss any poem with understanding and delight. Our basic strategy in the course will be to explore poetic expression in as many ways as possible: through silent reading and reading aloud, through close analysis and more impressionistic response, through class discussion and individual study, and through various forms of writing (both spontaneously exploratory and more carefully argued). During the term, we will move from a general survey of poetic techniques and forms to a more detailed study of the work of a selection of authors from the Renaissance to the present. For the former, we will use WESTERN WIND by John Frederic Nims. For the latter, we use the NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF POETRY. To record your day-to-day interactions with texts, I will ask you to keep a poetic journal. More formal writing will include four (ungraded) exercises in poetic analysis and four (graded) papers (3-5 pages) on individual authors and poems. [Cost:2] [WL:1] (Cureton)
270. Introduction to American Literature. (3). (HU).
This particular section of the series called "Introduction to American Literature" is usually devoted to examining "Social Themes in Literature of the United States." That is, rather than proceed chronologically, we will examine the relation of diverse works of literature to broad social issues such as immigration, war, racism, poverty, labor, political repression, cultural difference, the rights of women, etc., mainly in the twentieth century. Since Spring Term is rather short, we can only study a small selection of distinguished texts that are responsive to these issues. They will be chosen primarily in order to demonstrate a variety of techniques and perspectives, so as to familiarize the student with at least part of the extraordinary range of possibility for literary creativity in the U.S. We will probably explore fiction, poetry, short stories, drama and autobiography. Class sessions will alternate among short lectures, large and small group discussions, and depending on our size, some form of oral group presentations by members of the class. Requirements will include a short (3-5 pp.) diagnostic paper, a longer (10-15 pp.) final paper, and a midterm and a final examination. Some of the books to be considered may include: Robert Hayden's SELECTED POEMS, Kate Chopin's THE AWAKENING, Samuel Ornitz's HAUNCH, PAUNCH AND JOWL: THE MAKING OF A PROFESSIONAL JEW, Josephine Johnson's NOW IN NOVEMBER, Ernest Hemingway's FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS, Langston Hughes' THE WAYS OF WHITE FOLKS, Pietro DiDonato's CHRIST IN CONCRETE, Gary Soto's THE ELEMENTS OF SAN JOAQUIN, John Sanford's THE WATERS OF DARKNESS, Joseph Vogel's MAN'S COURAGE, Ralph Ellison's INVISIBLE MAN. [Cost:2-3] [WL:1] (Wald)
285. Introduction to Twentieth-Century Literature. (3). (HU).
The subject of this course is the international literature of our century, with an emphasis on fiction. We will read stories and novels by such authors as Kate Chopin, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Nadine Gordimer, Ernest Hemingway, Alice Munro, Tim O'Brien, Alexander Solzhenitzyn and others; I would like students to pick at least one author. We will take a primarily thematic approach to the literature, but we won't disregard matters of form and method. Students need have no particular background or qualifications beyond a love of stories and language, and a desire to talk about the narratives they read. Classes will be a combination of discussion and lecture, with the scale tipped decisively toward discussion. Two rather short papers will be assigned, and there will probably be a final. [Cost:2] [WL:1] (Holinger)
Primarily for Juniors and Seniors
305. Introduction to Modern English. Recommended for students preparing to teach English. (3). (HU).
This course surveys the forms and functions of contemporary English. We will consider some of the major dimensions of English structure (orthography, phonetics, intonation, word formation, syntax, etc.) and how these structures characterize both English speakers and their linguistic purposes. During the term, we will explore the social and geographical dialects of Modern English (e.g., British vs. American English and Black English vernacular), its professional jargons (e.g., the language of advertising, religion, law, and politics), and its situational varieties (e.g., the language of conversation, oral narrative, and literature) and will consider how our relation to these speech varieties can affect our actions and attitudes (e.g., our notions of 'good' English vs. 'bad'). Requirements for the course will include a language journal, a midterm, a final exam, and a project investigating some aspect of Modern English structure or use. [Cost:4] (Cureton)
314. Topics in Literature Before 1800. (3). (HU). May be repeated for a total of 6 credits with department permission.
The romance was a French invention of the twelfth century. It fused stories of adventure and of that kind of love we now call romantic, representing and analyzing a new kind of ideal life. The greatest English examples of the type were written some two hundred years later and are, variously ironic, variations on romance themes. Three of these English romances will be the main concern of this course: Chaucer's TROILUS AND CRISEYDE, SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT, and Malory's MORTE DARTHUR. This will be a discussion course. There will be in-class exercises, hour exams and/or papers, and a final exam. [Cost:2] [WL:4] (Leneghan)
317. Literature and Culture. (3). (HU). May be repeated for credit with department permission.
BIGOTRY, DAMNATION, AND MATURITY IN THE LITERATURE OF TWO CULTURES. The purpose of this course is to invite its members to examine some assumptions of their own culture by comparing them to related assumptions in another, distant culture. Its method will be to compare the English Renaissance as it reveals itself in three of Shakespeare's plays with the post-World War II cultures of Europe and America reflected in six plays and novels by Sartre, Kogawa, Ellison, Jones, Morrison, and Kennedy. Each class except the first and last will begin with fifteen minutes of writing in response to a question intended as preparation for class discussion. In addition to these numerous in-class papers, 2 two-page papers will be required as preliminary versions of 2 five-page papers that are the chief written work of the course. No midterm or final examination given. This course fulfills the Junior/Senior writing requirement for non-English concentrators. [Cost:3] [WL:1] (Fader)
319. Literature and Social Change. (3). (HU). May be repeated for credit with department permission.
The course title "U.S. Literary Radicalism" refers to efforts by writers to produce literature and literary criticism that inspire, foster and support movements for fundamental social change. Among the questions that will concern us are: What happens when writers take sides in regard to important political conflicts such as war, racism, economic exploitation, and class and sexual oppression? What effects do strong commitments have the quality of artistic work? How do "class," "gender" and "race" function as categories of cultural analysis under such conditions? These and similar issues will be our focus as we examine a diverse range of writings during and after the 1930s. Among our readings will probably be some memoirs and cultural histories such as Malcolm Cowley's THE DREAM OF THE GOLDEN MOUNTAINS and Cedric Belfrage's THE AMERICAN INQUISITION; works that explore the nature of "cultural difference" and the experience of racism in the U.S. by Langston Hughes, Margaret Walker, Sterling Brown, Corky Gonzales, Arna Bontempts, and Jesus Colon; fiction that explores feminist issues by Meridel LeSeueur, Meredith Tax, Dorothy Myra Page and Josephine Herbst. This course is designed to meet the English Department's "New Traditions" requirement. Class sessions will alternate among short lectures, large and small group discussions, and, depending on our size, some form of oral group presentations by members of the class. Requirements will include a short (3-5pp.) diagnostic paper; a longer (10-15 pp.) final paper, and a midterm and final examination. [Cost:2-3] (Wald)
325. Intermediate Exposition. (4). (Excl).
The subject of this class is the prose style of its participants. Its first purpose is to help experienced readers and writers understand why prose works and why it doesn't. Such understanding supports the second purpose of this seminar, which is to enable its participants to be writers who please themselves by becoming editors who meet their own needs. [Cost:1] [WL:1] (Fader)
355. Core I (Great English Books). (4).
(Excl).
Section 101. In this course we will read some of THE CANTERBURY
TALES, from the beginning, and PARADISE LOST, from the end of
our time span. In between we will read a concentrated selection
of short poems and two or three non-Shakespearean plays of the
Renaissance. The class work will be largely devoted to discussion
of some of the assigned readings. There will be short written
exercises, three papers and two special exams, and a final. The
course text will be the first volume of THE NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF
ENGLISH LITERATURE, 5th edition, ed. Abrams et al. [Cost:2] [WL:4]
(Lenaghan)
Section 102. This will be a course in English masters of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. We shall read from medieval literature selections from Chaucer's CANTERBURY TALES (in Middle English), the romance, SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT, and the play EVERYMAN. We'll begin our reading in the Renaissance with sonnets by Sidney, Book III of Spenser's FAERIE QUEENE, and Marlowe's tragedy DOCTOR FAUSTUS. We'll continue with lyric poetry by Shakespeare, Jonson, and especially Donne and conclude the term with Milton's epic PARADISE LOST. Discussion with short lectures on background. Two bluebooks, two short essays, and a take-home, two essay final. Text: THE NORTON ANTHOLOGY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE, 5th ed., Vol. I. [Cost:2] [WL:1] (Creeth)
356. Core II (Great English and American Books). (4).
(Excl).
Section 101. A course covering selected literary movements, figures, and works in England and America between 1660 and 1850.
We will focus on poetry and fiction, and will explore a range
of topics: satire in a world of social and literary change; views
of the imagination; literary appropriations of the natural world;
traditionalism and innovation in literary form; differences in
literary sensibility between England and America; gender, race, and canonicity. Authors will be selected from the following list:
Etherege, Pope, Swift, Fielding, Wheatley, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, Percy Bysshe and Mary Shelley, Hawthorne, Thoreau, Douglass, Whitman, and Dickinson. Lecture/discussion format. Requirements
include: regular attendance and participation, two papers (5-7
pp.), final examination. Texts will be ordered through Shaman
Drum Bookshop, 313 S. State. [WL:1] (Garner)
Section 102. We will read masterpieces in verse by Dryden, Pope, Blake, Wordsworth and Shelley, and in prose by Swift, Fielding, Austen, and Melville (MOBY DICK). Attention will be paid to historical contexts and to the comparison of Neo-Classic and Romantic orientations to the world and to literature. There will be two 5-6 page papers, a midterm and a final. [Cost:2] [WL:1] (Schulze)
357. Core III (Great English and American Books). (4).
(Excl).
Section 101. Third in the core sequence for English concentrators, this course treats British and American literature from the mid-nineteenth
to the mid-twentieth centuries. Poets to be studied are Tennyson, Dickinson, Eliot and Frost. Fiction will include Eliot's MIDDLEMARCH, Twain's HUCKLEBERRY FINN, Chopin's THE AWAKENING, Conrad's HEART
OF DARKNESS, Joyce's PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST, Lawrence's LADY CHATTERLEY'S
LOVER and Faulkner's THE BEAR. There will be a midterm and final
exam and two 5 page or one 10 page papers. [Cost:2] [WL:1] (Beauchamp)
Section 102. This course, designed for English concentrators, will examine representative English and American literature of the post-Darwinist epoch. Works to be read and discussed will reflect the larger themes of anomie, entropy, and isolation. The reading list will include the following probables: Conrad, HEART OF DARKNESS with Greene, THE QUIET AMERICAN; Wharton, CUSTOM OF THE COUNTRY with Lawrence, LADY CHATTERLEY'S LOVER; Joyce, THE DUBLINERS, Hemingway, AFRICAN STORIES, with Faulkner, THE BEAR; Orwell, KEEP THE ASPIDISTRA FLYING with Updike, RABBIT IS RICH. Students will participate in discussion groups. The usual round of papers and exams will be required. (Eby)
367. Shakespeare's Principal Plays. (3).
(HU).
Section 101. This course will focus on reading Shakespeare
with an eye toward performance. Students will become acquainted
with techniques of playwriting and conventions of tragedy and comedy as they apply to Shakespeare's work. Plays to be studied
include: HAMLET, OTHELLO, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, MACBETH, KING LEAR, MEASURE FOR MEASURE, and THE WINTER'S TALE. This is
a lecture course, but class sessions will also rely on several
video productions for illustrative material. Student evaluation
will be based on written assignments as well as examination. [Cost:2]
[WL:1] (Brater)
412/Film-Video 412. Major
Directors. (3). (HU). May be repeated for credit
with department permission.
Section 101. Alfred Hitchcock's career spanned a half-century
of film making, from the silents to cinemascope. He created a
distinctive body of work and succeeded, in his own words, in bringing
"murder back into the home – where it belongs." His thrillers, with their ingenious plots, virtuosic cinematic devices, and probing analyses of human relations, have been frequently
imitated, but rarely equaled. We will view a selection of his
most important films, from THE LODGER to PSYCHO. There will be
supplementary readings and an opportunity to view each film twice.
Students will turn in viewing notes and take a midterm and a final
exam. [Cost:2] [WL:1] (McDougal)
417. Senior Seminar. Senior concentrator in English. May not be repeated for credit. (3). (Excl).
This class will focus on a series of novels and tales in which gothic elements combine with the politics of gender, the family, class, and colonization. These works range from novels written during the 1790s, in the force field of the French Revolution, to those composed during the rage for the historical novel in 19th century America. The syllabus will include most of the following: Radcliffe, THE MYSTERIES OF UDOLPHO; Godwin, CALEB WILLIAMS; Bage, HERMSPRONG; Wollstonecraft, THE WRONGS OF WOMAN; Brockden Brown, EDGAR HUNTLY; Shelley, FRANKENSTEIN; Sedgwick, HOPE LESLIE; Hawthorne, HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES. We will read very closely, focusing on the complexities of genre (gothic and sentimental structures, landscape and architectural description, characterization, idioms of class interaction). Additional readings will deal with the historical and literary contexts of the fictional material. Frequent in-class writing, two papers, two one-hour exams. Heavy reading load, but fun. Attendance required. Discussion. (Ellison)
434. The Contemporary Novel. (3). (Excl).
The class will examine the following group of significant American works of fiction: Nathaniel Hawthorne's THE SCARLET LETTER, Herman Melville's BENITO CERENO, Mark Twain's HUCKLEBERRY FINN, Kate Chopin's THE AWAKENING, Hemingway's THE SUN ALSO RISES, William Faulkner's ABSALOM, ABSALOM! and Toni Morrison's SULA. The class will establish the distinct literary achievements of these works from a number of cultural perspectives, but through these books the class will also seek to understand larger cultural movements in this country and explore the unique and variable characteristics of the American novel. Students will write a term paper and final examination. [Cost:2] [WL:1] (Konigsberg)
448. Contemporary Drama. (3). (Excl).
This course will range widely in the field of contemporary drama as it has developed in England, Europe, and America since the Second World War. Although English 447 (Modern Drama) is not an official prerequisite, students with a background in the theater language of Ibsen, Chekhov, Strindberg, Shaw, Brecht, and Pirandello will have a distinct advantage, as will students with a firm grounding in Shakespeare. Playwrights whose work will be studied include Samuel Beckett, Eugene Ionesco, Harold Pinter, David Hare, Caryl Churchill, Tom Stoppard, Arthur Miller, Lillian Hellman, Sam Shepard, David Mamet, Hanif Kureishi, and Ntozage Shange. [Cost:4] [WL:1] (Brater)
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