English Department Courses


IWC 100 – Inquiry: Written Communication, 4 credits. E. The Written Communication course establishes the college writing expectations by emphasizing generative and polished writing as modes of inquiry. Students will also develop transferable skills such as argument development, analysis and response, personal style and writing from sources. This course is designed to reinforce the critical thinking and information literacy skills introduced in the Inquiry Seminars. IWC 100 does not count toward an English major or minor. See core requirements and options on Page 24.
ENG 150 R – Literature, Self, and Society, 4 credits. E. Literature mainly from American and European cultures. Selections chosen from fiction, drama, poetry and nonfiction addressing important issues in our lives. Classroom emphasis on ways to read and respond to literature.
ENG 160 R, G – Global Literature and Human Experience, 4 credits. E. Literature from diverse cultures throughout the world. Selections chosen from fiction, drama, poetry and nonfiction addressing important issues in our lives. Classroom emphasis on ways to read and respond to literature.
ENG 165 R, G – Global Literature and Environmental Justice, 4 credits. E1. Literature from diverse cultures throughout the world. Selections chosen from fiction, drama, poetry, and nonfiction addressing environmental issues such as sustainable development, responsible management of resources, animal rights, anthropocentrism, environmental racism, food sovereignty, and food culture. Classroom emphasis on ways to read and respond to literature and environmental concerns.
ENG 220 – Human Values in British and American Literature, 4 credits. E1. A broad overview of the historical and cultural contexts and concepts of periods of British and American literature. Readings range from the medieval period to the contemporary era.
ENG 227 R – Foundations in Creative Writing, 4 credits. E. An introduction to the foundational skills common to the genres of nonfiction, fiction and poetry. Students will read and analyze examples to use as models for their own writing assignments. (Prerequisite for the nonfiction, fiction and poetry writing workshops.)
ENG 230 – Introduction to Literary Scholarship, 4 credits. E2. An introduction to the theoretical approaches to interpreting literary texts. Students will develop a repertoire of methods of critical analysis as well as literary research skills. They will complete several formal writing projects.
ENG 250 – Pre-May Seminar, 2 credits. D.
ENG 300 – May Seminar, 4 credits. MS.
ENG 315 H – English Language, Historical and Analytical, 4 credits. E1. A study of the history of the English language and of modern methods of phonological, morphological and syntactic analysis.
ENG 316 – Business Writing, 4 credits. E1. An introduction to workplace communication including memos, business letters, brochures, job search materials, grants, reports, and oral presentations. No prerequisites. This course is open to all majors.
ENG 317 – Telling the Story: News Writing, 4 credits. E. A study and practice of reporting and writing news stories. This course explores traditional reporting and contemporary multimedia approaches to storytelling. Students will gain proficiency in writing news stories, understanding the basic concepts of multimedia, using proper grammar, syntax, and Associated Press style, and conducting research and interviews. The course also introduces students to journalism law and ethics, copy editing, and the roles and functions of journalism in a free society.
ENG 318 – Telling the Story: Feature Writing, 4 credits. E2. A study and practice of reporting and writing feature stories for a variety of media. Students will hone the interviewing and research skills introduced in ENG 317 – Telling the Story: News Writing and will investigate how multimedia elements can be used to enhance feature stories. The course focuses on applying such narrative techniques as scenes, characterization and dialogue to journalistic writing. Students evaluate and edit peer stories in small-group workshops. Although ENG 317 is not a prerequisite, the course is excellent preparation for ENG 318.
ENG 324 – Technical Writing, 4 credits. E2. Practice in writing a variety of technical documents that might include: business reports, users manuals, scientific reports, grant proposals, and website text. No prerequisites. This course is open to all majors.
ENG 326 – British Literature: Medieval to Renaissance, 4 credits. E3 (Fall 2012). Offered every third semester in rotation with ENG 336 and ENG 346. A study of texts, themes, and literary developments in British literature from its Anglo-Saxon origins through the British Renaissance. Emphasis on such texts and authors as Beowulf, Chaucer, Spenser and Milton.
ENG 336 – British Literature: The Restoration to Romanticism, 4 credits. E3 (Spring 2013). Offered every third semester in rotation with ENG 326 and ENG 346. A study of the texts, themes, and literary developments in British literature from the Restoration in 1660 through the flourishing of Romanticism around 1830. Emphasis on such authors as Pope, Swift, Wordsworth and Keats.
ENG 346 – British Literature: Empire to Independence, 4 credits. E3 (Fall 2013). Offered every third semester in rotation with ENG 326 and ENG 336. A study of the texts, themes, and literary developments in British literature from the Victorian period of empire building to the present day. Emphasis on such authors as Tennyson, Yeats, Woolf and Joyce.
ENG 353 – American Literature: Beginnings to Realism, 4 credits. E1. A study of the texts, themes and literary developments in American literature from the early 17th century to 1900.
ENG 355 – American Literature: Realism to Present, 4 credits. E2. A study of the texts, themes and literary developments in 20th and 21st-century American literature.
ENG 358 U, Z – Native American Literatures, 4 credits. A2 (Spring 2014). Comparative study of storytelling, ceremonies, and written texts of selected Native American peoples. Emphases on traditional cultural patterns, the effects of European contact, and contemporary voices.
ENG 365 U – Writing of Women, 4 credits. A2 (Spring 2013). A critical exploration of the role of literature, language and culture in establishing and maintaining gender differences.
ENG 371 – Editing and Grammar for Professionals, 4 credits. E2. Practice editing to achieve concise, precise, and varied writing. Review conventional rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation. Valuable for those entering professional programs or fields such as education, publishing, business, and more. No prerequisite. Open to students from any major and with any level of writing experience.
ENG 377 – Nonfiction Writing Seminar, 4 credits. E2. A workshop in reading and writing contemporary nonfiction. Prerequisite: ENG 227 or consent of instructor
ENG 378 – Poetry Writing Seminar, 4 credits. E1. A workshop in reading and writing contemporary poetry. Prerequisite: ENG 227 or consent of instructor
ENG 379 – Fiction Writing Seminar, 4 credits. E1. A workshop in reading and writing contemporary fiction. Prerequisite: ENG 227 or consent of instructor
ENG 380 – Special Topics, 2 to 4 credits. D. Courses covering various topics of interest in this particular discipline are offered regularly. Contact department or program chair for more information.
ENG 390 – Cooperative Education, 1 to 8 credits. E.
ENG 395 – Cooperative Education at the Concordia Language Villages, 2 to 4 credits. D. This course is intended to provide students of modern languages with opportunities to teach and study the language of their choice at the Concordia Language Villages. Prerequisite for acceptance: at least two years of coursework or the equivalent in the language. The final decision on acceptance into this course is based on mutual agreement of both Concordia language program faculty and Concordia Language Villages faculty concerning both the student and the project. A total maximum equivalent of two full courses from 390 and 395 may be counted toward graduation.
ENG 401 H – Shakespeare and the English Renaissance, 4 credits. E1. A study of Shakespeare’s major plays and the historical and intellectual conditions that produced the dramatist and his work. Emphasis on films, videos, and live performances.
ENG 403 – Investigating and Narrating the News, 4 credits. E2. This course builds on the reporting and writing skills introduced in ENG 317 and ENG 318. Students will gain proficiency in reporting by delving beneath the surface of issues and events to write investigative and interpretive reports. Students will go beyond basic news structures, using the hybrid news feature and narrative storytelling forms to capture and convey human experience as well as complex subjects. This course probes the how and why of subjects. Students study online reporting techniques and journalistic ethics. Students evaluate and edit peer stories in small-group workshops. Prerequisite: ENG 317 – Telling the Story: News Writing
ENG 410 – Individual Author, 4 credits. E2. Intensive study of works by one author, applying a variety of critical approaches. Variable topics.
ENG 421 – Traditions in Literary Genre, 4 credits. A1 (Fall 2013). Genre varies. Texts may be organized by development of a genre, by theme, and/or by nation or culture of origin. Variable topic.
ENG 422, COM 422 – Mass Communications Law and Ethics, 4 credits. A2 (Spring 2013). A study of legal and ethical issues vital to print and broadcast journalists and other communication professionals. Topics include prior restraint, defamation, privacy, copyright and broadcast regulation, as well as the role of journalism in society, relevant ethical theories, and the ethical decision-making process. Emphasis is on legal and ethical cases.
ENG 439 Z – Film and Literature, 4 credits. A2 (Spring 2013). A study of the intersection between literature and film. Explores such topics as adapting myth, fiction, drama, and nonfiction works to film.
ENG 441 – Theory and Practice of Criticism, 4 credits. A1 (Fall 2012). Historical examination of the development of theories of art and interpretation from ancient times to the present, including relationships between literature and other art forms.
ENG 451 G – Postcolonial Literatures, 4 credits. A2 (Spring 2014). An examination of literatures and theories grounded in the perspectives of writers from formerly (or currently) colonized areas, emphasizing issues of identity, language, nationalism, globalization, and the ethics of development.
ENG 477 – Advanced Nonfiction Writing Seminar, 4 credits. E2. An advanced workshop in reading and writing contemporary nonfiction. Prerequisite: ENG 377 and ENG 227 or consent of instructor
ENG 478 – Advanced Poetry Writing Seminar, 4 credits. E1. An advanced workshop in reading and writing contemporary poetry. Prerequisite: ENG 378 and ENG 227 or consent of instructor
ENG 479 – Advanced Fiction Writing Seminar, 4 credits. E1. An advanced workshop in reading and writing contemporary fiction. Prerequisite: ENG 379 and ENG 227 or consent of instructor
ENG 480 – Independent Study, 1 to 4 credits. D. An opportunity for individual students to conduct in-depth research of a particular topic under the direct supervision of a faculty member. Contact the department or program chair for more information.
ENG 488 – Senior Capstone in Literature, 4 credits. E2. A seminar in which senior English majors integrate their learning and skills through a series of common readings and significant individual research and writing. Prerequisite: senior standing
ENG 489 – Senior Capstone in Writing, 4 credits. E2. A seminar that integrates academic and creative writing. Students will author a substantial scholarly project that analyzes literary texts and use this analysis to inform subsequent creative work: fiction, nonfiction or poetry. Prerequisite: senior standing
ENG 491 – Methods of Teaching Reading and Writing for the Secondary School, 2 credits. E1. An examination of reading and writing in the secondary school with emphases on the characteristics, needs and tasks of adolescent readers and writers; the nature and scope of reading and writing in the curriculum; current theory and practice; and methods and materials of instruction. For prospective secondary and elementary teachers in their junior or senior year.