2023-2024 Graduate Bulletin

English (ENGL)

 

ENGL 3000 Advanced Creative Writing-Poetry (4 Credits)

Technique, writing practice and criticism.

ENGL 3001 Advanced Creative Writing-Poetry (4 Credits)

Technique, writing practice and criticism.

ENGL 3002 Advanced Creative Writing-Poetry (4 Credits)

Technique, writing practice and criticism.

ENGL 3003 Advanced Creative Writing-Poetry (4 Credits)

Technique, writing practice and criticism.

ENGL 3010 Advanced Creative Writing-Fiction (4 Credits)

Technique, writing practice and criticism.

ENGL 3011 Advanced Creative Writing-Fiction (4 Credits)

Technique, writing practice and criticism.

ENGL 3012 Advanced Creative Writing-Fiction (4 Credits)

Technique, writing practice and criticism.

ENGL 3013 Adv Creative Writing-Fiction (4 Credits)

Technique, writing practice and criticism.

ENGL 3015 Advanced Creative Writing: Non-Fiction (4 Credits)

ENGL 3017 Travel Writing-Fiction & Fact (4 Credits)

A study of European, American and other narratives of travel. This course examines relevant postcolonial and literary theories of travel and nationhood.

ENGL 3040 Introduction to Publishing (4 Credits)

Cross listed with ENGL 2040, MFJS 3140.

ENGL 3121 Chaucer: Canterbury Tales (4 Credits)

Life, culture, language and literary trends of Chaucer's age as reflected in "The Canterbury Tales".

ENGL 3320 Oral Literature and Orality in Literature (4 Credits)

The term "oral literature" generally refers to narratives and poems (including songs) performed and disseminated orally from one generation to the other. Oral literature is, in some respects, the foundational 'text' of written literature. The questions that we explore in this course include: How did oral literature develop, and what are the characteristics? How has oral literature been shaped by time and place? How is it distinct from as well as related to written literature? To answer these questions, we explore different forms of oral literature and also study the use of orality in written literature. Our studies involve the examination of material and texts from different parts of the world.

ENGL 3402 Early Romantics (4 Credits)

ENGL 3405 Postmodern Visions of Israel (4 Credits)

This course investigates how representation of Israel as a modernist utopia have been replaced in contemporary literature with images of Israel as a dystopia. The class discusses the historical context that gave rise to visions of an idealized Israel, and the role the Hebrew language played in consolidating and connecting narration to nation. Next the class considers how belles-lettres from recent decades have reimagined Israel as a series of multilingual “multiverses.” A selection of fiction translated from Hebrew forms the core of class reading. Theoretical exploration of postmodernism help us conceptualize the poetics of postmodern literature. No knowledge of Israeli history or Jewish culture is necessary to succeed in this course. Cross listed with JUST 3405.

ENGL 3706 Writing the American West (4 Credits)

Explores historical and contemporary writing produced in and about the American West.

ENGL 3711 20th-Century American Fiction (4 Credits)

Fiction, poetry, drama, and non-fiction on selected themes by 20th and 21st century American writers. Topics for study may include issues related to regionalism, ethnicity and gender, as well as specific social and historical concerns.

ENGL 3730 Literature and Medicine: Addiction and Modernity (4 Credits)

This course introduces students to accounts of substance use and addiction from the nineteenth century through the present day. We will examine canonical and contemporary literary texts, medical writings, visual representations, smartphone applications, and films alongside topics such as liberalism, inequality, imperial expansion, consumerism, “digital drugs,” and the pathologization of addiction. We will consider our readings in light of the following questions: What role do substance use and addiction play in constructing the modern self and society? What can representations of addiction teach us about our relationship with the external world? How does addiction act as a metaphor, a narrative device, or even a political sign? How do gender, class, and race affect narratives of addiction? How do accounts of addiction interact with philosophical texts, medical treatises, and imperial and colonial discourses? In addition to writing critical essays, students will evaluate smartphone addiction treatment apps and devise a creative project on a topic relevant to this course.

ENGL 3731 Topics in English (1-4 Credits)

ENGL 3732 Topics in English (1-4 Credits)

ENGL 3733 Topics in English (1-4 Credits)

Topics vary reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the department and studies of the faculty.

ENGL 3742 Jesus in Jewish Literature (4 Credits)

This course surveys literary depictions of Jesus in Jewish literature. Readers are often surprised to learn that throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century, major Jewish writers have incorporated the figure of Jesus of Nazareth into their work. This class explores the historical, aesthetic, and spiritual reasons for the many Jewish literary representations of Jesus and of his literary foil, Judas. A selection of materials including short stories, poems, novels, scholarly essays and polemics in English and in translation from Hebrew and Yiddish demonstrate the depth of Jewish literary culture’s engagement with Jesus’ life and teachings. Among the many writers we will read are: S.Y. Agnon, Sholem Asch, Uri Zvi Greenberg, Haim Hazaz, Emma Lazarus, Amos Oz, Philip Roth, and L. Shapiro. Ultimately, this class will consider how literary representations of Jesus can destabilize perceived distinctions between Jews and Christians. While helpful, no knowledge of Jewish languages, religious tradition, or cultural practice is necessary to succeed in this course. This course is cross-listed as JUST 3742.

ENGL 3743 Modern Jewish Literature (4 Credits)

Stories, novels and memoirs by 20th-century Jewish writers; consideration of issues of generation, gender and idea of Jewish literature as a genre. Cross listed with JUST 3743.

ENGL 3744 African American Literature (4 Credits)

This course examines fiction, poetry, autobiography, and drama by African American writers, with strong consideration on the socio-historical conditions that gave rise to and continue to inform this literary tradition.

ENGL 3800 Bibliography/Research Method (4 Credits)

ENGL 3803 Modernism/Postmodernism (4 Credits)

ENGL 3813 History and Structure of the English Language (4 Credits)

A composite course studying both the structure of modern English and the history of the English language.

ENGL 3815 Studies in Rhetoric (4 Credits)

This course will examine the history and principles of rhetoric and how they pertain to theory and practice in the field of composition and rhetoric.

ENGL 3817 History of Rhetoric (4 Credits)

ENGL 3818 Composition Theory (4 Credits)

ENGL 3819 Old English (4 Credits)

This class introduces students to Old English grammar, prose, and poetry. This course is a prerequisite for ENGL 3200.

ENGL 3821 Literary Criticism: 19th Century-Present (4 Credits)

ENGL 3822 Literary Criticism: 20th Century (4 Credits)

Critical methods and philosophies of 20th-century critics; their relationship to traditions.

ENGL 3823 Interpretation Theory (4 Credits)

ENGL 3825 Cultural Criticism (4 Credits)

Cross listed with ENGL 2835.

ENGL 3852 Topics in Poetics (4 Credits)

ENGL 3982 Writers in the Schools (2,4 Credits)

This course operates mostly "in the field." Following the models of California Poets in the Schools and Teachers & Writers Collaborative, students are in training with a poet-in-residence, observing him as he conducts a residency in a public school. In addition, we have our own meetings to discuss pedagogy, classroom practices and management, teacher-writer relations, and all other necessary logistical planning. Placement in public schools is facilitated by Denver SCORES, an education program dedicated to increasing literacy in Denver's at-risk school population. For those wishing to work with middle or high school students, or in other community settings (e.g., homeless or women's shelters), special arrangements can be made. This course is a collaborative effort between CO Humanities, Denver SCORES, and the University of Denver.

ENGL 3991 Independent Study (1-17 Credits)

ENGL 3995 Independent Research (1-10 Credits)

ENGL 4000 Colloquium (2 Credits)

ENGL 4001 Sem Creative Writing-Poetry (4 Credits)

ENGL 4009 Seminar -- Creative Nonfiction (4 Credits)

Advanced writing and study of creative nonfiction, including prose development and structure.

ENGL 4011 Sem Creative Writing-Fiction (4 Credits)

ENGL 4012 History/Theory of Genre-Poetry (4 Credits)

ENGL 4017 Travel Writing (4 Credits)

ENGL 4050 The Critical Imagination (2 Credits)

This graduate level course explores poetry, fiction, and criticism as different facets of the imagination. This is a large and a necessarily vaguely defined topic. But in the world of literary studies, creativity and criticism are clearly symbiotic. Reading and writing are connected activities. The poet or fiction writer is often a critic, and there are numerous treatments of interpretation in the critical canon suggesting that the act of reading and interpreting is itself an imaginative and creative act. The course explores genre signatures and possibilities, as well as provides an introduction to some of the analytics through which texts, literary and otherwise, are interpreted.

ENGL 4100 Graduate Tutorial (2-4 Credits)

ENGL 4120 Beowulf (4 Credits)

Reading and translation of the Old English Beowulf. Prerequisite: ENGL 4125.

ENGL 4125 Old English (4 Credits)

This class introduces students to Old English grammar, prose, and poetry. This course is a prerequisite for ENGL 4120.

ENGL 4150 Special Topics in Medieval Lit (4 Credits)

ENGL 4200 Special Topics-Early Mod Lit (4 Credits)

ENGL 4210 Holocaust Literature (4 Credits)

This seminar presents a multidisciplinary and transnational approach to literature of the Holocaust. Students consider memoir, fiction, and poetry drawn from a variety of national literatures and linguistic traditions. Works written by victims, survivors and 'witnesses through the imagination' are all considered. These readings are supplemented by secondary texts, including historical and philosophical materials, as well as relevant works from the social sciences.

ENGL 4213 Advanced Studies in Early Modern Literature (4 Credits)

ENGL 4220 Seminar-Studies in Shakespeare (4 Credits)

ENGL 4300 Advanced Studies in 18th Century Literature (4 Credits)

ENGL 4424 Topics in English: 19th Century Literature (4 Credits)

Special Topics courses will explore specific topics within historical periods, single authors, or theoretical/critical/ scholarly issues.

ENGL 4510 ISL Dharamsala: Tibet, Global Citizenship, & Community Literacies (4 Credits)

ISL Dharamsala presents DU students with the unique opportunity to study international community literacies as a practical component of global citizenship through service-learning placements and study in Dharamsala, India. Home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile, Dharamsala is a multi-generational community located in the northern Indian foothills of the Himalayas. During fall quarter, students will study community literacies in the practice of global citizenship and service while immersed in the geo-political, religious, and other contexts experienced by Tibetans in exile. During their time in Dharamsala, cultural immersion and a service-learning placement will give students insight into the complexities of social justice issues and cultural nuances they have been studying and provide opportunities to contribute to local and global society through informed and reflective practice.

ENGL 4600 Adv Studies -20th Cent Lit (4 Credits)

ENGL 4621 Adv Studies-20th C. Literature (2-4 Credits)

This course will offer (and be required of) graduate students an advanced foundation in 20th century literature; the primary texts and their cultural/historical/ theoretical contexts.

ENGL 4650 Special Topics: 20th Cent Lit (4 Credits)

ENGL 4660 The Black Imagination (4 Credits)

Focusing mainly on Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas (especially the USA and the Caribbean/Latin America), this course explores and connects aspects of the black imagination. These aspects include oral performances, thought systems, literature, art, cinema, and critical discourses in different eras and in various places. Studied together, these existential and intellectual signposts provide an expanded insight into black (African and African diasporic) aesthetics from an intercontinental and an interdisciplinary perspective.

ENGL 4675 Theories of Narrative: Formalism, Narratology, Cybertext (4 Credits)

This class traces developments in narrative theory from Russian Formalism through "classical" narratology and on to examine the border between traditional narrative texts and texts that require a higher degree of interactivity, sometimes called "cyber texts." The goal is to identify significant contributions to narrative theory and to suggest the possibilities for the future of the field. Seminal articles, key works, and critical introductions survey key advances in narrative theory to present an overview of the field from its inception to contemporary trends.

ENGL 4700 Antebellum American Literature (4 Credits)

ENGL 4701 Topics in English (2-5 Credits)

A topics class; topics may change.

ENGL 4702 Topics in English (2-5 Credits)

A topics class; topics may change.

ENGL 4730 American Romanticism (4 Credits)

ENGL 4732 Spc Tpc: Antebellum Amer Lit (4 Credits)

ENGL 4743 Black Feminist Criticism (4 Credits)

This course examines the discursive reach of black feminist criticism by journeying into the creative terrain of literature, visual art, music, and performance produced by black women in the United States and throughout the black diaspora, from the nineteenth century to the present.

ENGL 4830 Seminar: Teaching and Writing Literature (2-4 Credits)

ENGL 4840 Topics in Composition Studies (2-4 Credits)

Each offering of this course focuses on specific issues in theory, research, or pedagogy within the broad field of composition studies. Examples of topics include the development of writing abilities; genre theory and composing; multimodal texts and their intersections and disjunctions of rhetoric and composition; the history of composing theories and practices; realms of composing, including the academic, civic, vocational, aesthetic, and interpersonal; institutional formations and settings of composing; discourse theories; stylistics; race, gender, class and composing; and so on.

ENGL 4851 Publishing Institute (6 Credits)

ENGL 4852 Dissertation Colloquium (2 Credits)

This two-credit dissertation colloquium is offered in the winter and spring for third-year PhD students in English who are in the process of researching and writing their dissertations. In addition to having weekly presentations and discussions of work in progress, the group will peruse prefaces and introductions to former English Department dissertations, write and abstract for their own dissertation, and possibly revise and send out a piece from their dissertation. The class is open to both literary studies and creative writing students. Restricted to doctoral students in English.

ENGL 4991 Independent Study (1-17 Credits)

ENGL 4995 Independent Research (1-17 Credits)

ENGL 5991 Independent Study (1-17 Credits)

ENGL 5995 Independent Research (1-17 Credits)

ENGL 5999 American Literary Marketplace (0-2 Credits)

“American Literary Marketplace” bridges the culture of writing within the Department of English and Literary Arts with the culture of publishing in the United States. As an experiential learning course, it offers graduate students a formal, structured opportunity—as an internship, externship, or cooperative educational experience, depending on the student’s need—to deepen their writing practice and enact classroom learning outside and beyond the literary classroom.

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