Department of Language and Literature
The literature curriculum

The Department offers classes designed to meet a wide array of interests and educational goals, along with more specialized courses for its majors and minors.

100-level classes serve as prerequisites for upper-level literature courses. 200-level classes provide introductions to important periods, genres, and topics in the discipline. 300-level classes offer advanced study of literary theory, critical issues, and major authors, as well as intensive instruction in writing and textual analysis.   ›› Courses marked core fulfill university core requirements. ›› Courses marked pre-1800, post-1800, and/or multi-cultural satisfy various requirements for the literature major and minor. Note: Depending on topic, some courses not marked pre-1800, post-1800, and/or multi-cultural may on occasion fulfill these requirements; consult Department faculty for more information.

Click on any of the course titles below for more information. (To read more detailed descriptions of the Department’s Fall 2007 courses, click here).

 

100-level classes

LITR 100: Introduction to Literary Analysis
(spring)
›› Introduction to literary study and criticism. Focus on genres, techniques and development of literature. Emphasis on critical reading and writing. Introductory course for Literature majors; prerequisite for 300-level Literature courses. [3.00 credits]

 

200-level classes

LITR 210: Literature and Film
(spring, odd years | core)
›› Selected literary texts and their representation on film; analysis of the relationship between the two genres, and differences between written texts and visual media. [3.00 credits]

LITR 255: American Literature I
(fall | pre-1800 | core)
›› Survey of American literature from its Colonial roots, particularly the influence of the Puritans, to its flowering in New England. Counts as pre-1800. [3.00 credits]

LITR 256: American Literature II
(spring | post-1800 | core)
›› Survey of American literature since the Civil War. Emphasis on development of Realism and Naturalism in the nineteenth century, and modernism in the twentieth. Counts as post-1800. [3.00 credits]

LITR 257: British Literature I
(fall | pre-1800 | core)
›› Historical survey of representative British literary texts from the Anglo-Saxon period to 1800, with attention to modes of critical reading and development of important genres. Counts as pre-1800. IAI H3 912. [3.00 credits]

LITR 258: British Literature II
(spring | post-1800 | core)
›› Historical survey of representative British and Anglophone literary texts from 1800 to the present, with attention to the larger cultural context and contemporary modes of literary analysis. Counts as post-1800. IAI H3 913. [3.00 credits]

LITR 259: World Literature
(fall, even years | core)
›› Comparative study of major works of the Ancient World, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Enlightenment, Romantic Age, periods of Realism and Naturalism, and Modern World. IAI H3 907. [3.00 credits]

LITR 263: Literature of the Early Modern Period
(spring, odd years | pre-1800 | core)
›› Selected literary and cultural texts drawn from the late sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. Places these texts in the context of emerging modernity. Counts as pre-1800. [3.00 credits]

LITR 264: Emerging Voices: Contemporary Global Literature
(spring, even years | multi-cultural | core)
›› Comparative study of culturally diverse literary works from regions such as Africa, Australia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Asia. Themes of cultural accommodations and confrontations. IAI H3 908N. [3.00 credits]

LITR 265: Shakespeare
(spring, even years | pre-1800 | core)
›› Critical reading of representative comedies, tragedies, and histories. Emphasis on such issues as Shakespeare’s dramatic art, critical response, and role in constructions of literary culture. Counts as pre-1800. IAI H3 905. [3.00 credits]

LITR 266: Studies in the Novel
(spring, odd years | core)
›› Critical study of selected novels, with emphasis on British and American writers and forms in English; theories of the novel as literary genre. Topics will vary. [3.00 credits]

LITR 267: Studies in Poetry
(spring, even years | core)
›› Critical study of selected poetry, with attention to both formal and interpretive issues; theories of poetry as literary genre. Topics will vary. IAI H3 903. [3.00 credits]

LITR 268: Studies in Drama
(fall, odd years | core)
›› Critical study of selected dramatic literature from a range of cultures and periods; theories of drama as literary genre. Topics will vary. [3.00 credits]

LITR 269: Introduction to Creative Writing
(fall, odd years | fine arts core)
›› Writing workshop for students; introduction to various forms of modern fiction and poetry. Students will have the opportunity to create original poetry and fiction. [3.00 credits]

LITR 279: Voices of the American Experience
(fall, even years | multi-cultural | core)
›› Comparative study of literature reflecting the diversity of American culture. Examples may include Asian-American, Hispanic, Irish-American, Jewish-American, and Native-American literature (poetry, fiction, drama, autobiography). IAI H3 910D. [3.00 credits]

LITR 280: African-American Literature
(spring, even years | multi-cultural | core)
›› Historical and critical exploration of African-American writers’ contributions to American fiction, poetry, drama, and non-fiction, from the oral tradition to the present. May include an Afrocentric approach. [3.00 credits]

LITR 281: Gender and Literature
(fall, even years | core)
›› Introduction to gender studies as a mode of literary analysis, and to the role of literary texts in shaping gender constructions. IAI H3 911D. [3.00 credits]

LITR 291: Topics in Literature
(periodically | may serve as core and/or multi-cultural depending on topic)
›› Intermediate-level study of authors, themes, movements, and genres; attention to historical context. Sample topics: American Renaissance, Nineteenth-Century Bristish Women Writers, Gothic, Science Fiction, Lyric. [3.00 credits]

 

300-level classes

LITR 305: Critical Theory
(fall, odd years)
›› Survey and application of contemporary theories of literature and language. Covers the intersection of modern literary theory with philosophy, linguistics, psychology, anthropology, & other humanistic fields. [3.00 credits]
Prerequisite: LITR 100.

LITR 307: Modern English
(fall, even years)
›› Study of traditional, structuralist, and transformational theories of grammar and language, with attention to practical applications for language instruction. Includes introduction to contemporary linguistic theory. [3.00 credits]
Prerequisite: LITR 100.

LITR 357: Romanticism
(spring, odd years | post-1800)
›› Close reading of major English Romantic authors. Includes study of cultural context through other arts. Focus on nineteenth-century attitudes toward nature, self, society, and art. Counts as post-1800. [3.00 credits]
Prerequisite: LITR 100.

LITR 360: Modern Poetry
(fall, odd years | post-1800)
›› Examines the evolution of poetic forms since the late nineteenth century. Emphasis on major Bristish and/or American poets; may also include translated works from other cultures. Counts as post-1800. [3.00 credits]
Prerequisite: LITR 100.

LITR 362: Modern Fiction
(spring, even years | post-1800)
›› Examines the evolution of narrative forms since the late nineteenth century. Emphasis on major British and/or American writers; may also include translated works from other cultures. Counts as post-1800. [3.00 credits]
Prerequisite: LITR 100.

LITR 369: Creative Writing: Fiction
(fall, even years)
›› Advanced writing workshop with focus on writing and revision of fiction: includes group discussions and individual conferences. Students will produce a professional portfolio of fiction. [3.00 credits]
Prerequisite: LITR 269.

LITR 370: Creative Writing: Poetry
(spring, even years)
›› Advanced writing workshop with focus on writing and revision of poetry: includes group discussions and individual conferences. Students will produce a professional portfolio of poetry. [3.00 credits]
Prerequisite: LITR 269.

LITR 381: Theories of Gender in Literary Analysis
(spring, odd years)
›› Advanced readings in literature and in selected gender-based modes of textual analysis, as well as theories of the relationship between gender and language. [3.00 credits]
Prerequisite: LITR 100.

LITR 391: Advanced Topics in Literature
(periodically | may serve as core and/or multi-cultural depending on topic)
›› Advanced study of authors, themes, movements, and genres; attention to historical context. Sample topics: Literature and the Environment, Women Writers of Color, Satire, focused study of major author. [3.00 credits]

LITR 395: Independent Study
›› Students with interest in independent study of topics not offered in the curriculum may propose a plan of study in conjunction with a faculty member. Approval based on academic appropriateness and availability of resources. [3.00 credits]
Prerequisites: LITR 100 and junior or senior standing.

LITR 399: Senior Seminar
(fall)
›› Group workshop and individual instruction in literary research and critical writing, leading up to the completion of a major paper in a literary field of the student's choice. [3.00 credits]
Prerequisites: LITR 100 and senior standing.