Undergraduate English Courses
Graduate English Courses
Undergraduate Writing Courses
Graduate Writing Courses
Undergraduate English Courses
ENG 300 LITERARY FORM AND ANALYSIS
Instructor: Bill Knight
English 300 introduces students to the practices of the academic study of literature—to the work of the English major. It does this first by slowing down our galloping leap towards interpretation and judgments about literary works. Instead of quickly jumping to theoretical conclusions, in English 300 we are granted permission to think carefully and patiently about how literary form enables our interpretations. Provided this “luxury,” we can turn our attention to some of the unquestioned assumptions we have about reading and about the nature of literary works themselves. What do we do when we read “literarily”? Is there such a thing? And what kinds of knowledges are specific to acts of reading in this way? What skills and practices make up the study of expressive and narrative writing according to the university discipline of English? And in what ways might we put some of the institutional authority, norms, and requirements of the study of English to question? Our course will encourage self-discovery, mindfulness of the processes of reading and interpretation, and an informed critical engagement with the norms and rules of the discipline this course calls home. The readings we’ll consider in our course will range from many varieties of poetry to drama to graphic novels and, finally, the 1818 novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
Required Editions:
- Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home. Mariner Books, 2007. ISBN: 978-0618871711
- Mays, ed. The Norton Introduction to Literature (Portable Twelfth Edition). W.W. Norton, 2016. ISBN: 978-0393938937
- Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein: The 1818 Text. Penguin Classics, 2018. ISBN: 978-0143131847
ENG 301U Mr. William Shakespeare's Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies
Instructor: Jonathan Walker
In this course we will read and discuss four Shakespearean plays: A Midsummer Night's Dream, King Richard II, Titus Andronicus, and Pericles, Prince of Tyre. Titus Andronicus is perhaps Shakespeare's earliest tragedy, which was first printed in 1594 with no authorial attribution on its title page. Classified as a chronicle history play in the 1623 Folio-the first collection of Shakespeare's plays, from which this course takes its title-Richard II recounts historical events in England's recent past. Instead of being called a "history" play, however, the first printed edition was titled The Tragedie of King Richard the second (1597). Pericles didn't appear in a Shakespeare Folio until 1663/4, and is now usually called a "romance," which is a modern label for a group of only four Shakespearean plays. Finally, A Midsummer Night's Dream is one of Shakespeare's premier early comedies, featuring romance, magic, and mistaken identities.
Our guiding questions in this class will center on the generic or formal identities of these plays. In other words, we will discuss what it is that makes these plays either comical, historical, or tragical, while at the same time considering the possibility that such classifications are themselves forms of mistaken identity. We will examine how the literary forms of comedy, history, and tragedy predispose us as readers and playgoers to interpret dramatic action in certain ways, and, in turn, how the plays' disruption or frustration of our formal expectations transforms the possibilities of our interpretations. We will likewise give attention to questions of social class, race, nationality, and gender (among other issues) as they are posed by these four plays and by the larger English Renaissance culture from which they come.
Most of our in-class time will involve discussing such questions in these four texts, along with four short critical readings. There will be very few lectures. The course will therefore require you to have read the plays carefully and to be prepared to discuss and ask questions about them during class meetings. Because of the course's discussion-based format, its success will depend upon everyone's active participation as we seek to answer these various questions together.
ENG 305 TOPICS IN FILM: Africa in Western Film
Instructor: Sarah Lincoln
"The cinema is war pursued by other means." - Sylvère Lotringer
Since the earliest days of cinema, the "dark continent" has fascinated filmmakers and audiences, and provided a setting or subject for hundreds of Hollywood films, from big-budget epics to now-forgotten "B" movies. Recently, with films like Hotel Rwanda, Blood Diamond, The Constant Gardener, The Last King of Scotland and Tears of the Sun, Hollywood has once again turned its attention to Africa. Why Africa, why now?
In this fast-paced 4-week summer course, we will be studying representations of Africa and Africans in Western film and television during the twentieth century, looking at the ways that myths, stereotypes and assumptions about the continent have persisted, been reinforced, and evolved over time. Comparing films made during the British Empire with later works that tackle Africa's place in the "war on terror," we will consider the relationship between film and imperialism, and the changing role of the media in shaping popular ideas about war, wealth, individualism, intervention and ethics.
We will work ONLINE each week between June 25 and July 22. Each week's work will include viewings of films (available online and on reserve in the library), as well as discussion of the films and supporting perspectives from theoretical, historical and critical works. Course requirements include semiweekly keyword journal essays, active contributions to online discussion and quizzes, and a final exam.
ENG 305U Cinema of the U.S.–Mexico Border
Instructor: Anoop Mirpuri
“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” – Donald Trump
“We’re going to build a wall.” – Donald Trump
The last four decades have given rise to an apparent contradiction that structures American economy and politics: between a) persistent demands for increased border security, and b) complete and ongoing American dependence on low cost immigrant labor. What can we learn by studying cinematic representations of the U.S.-Mexico border in the context of contemporary U.S. nationalism, global capitalism, and transnational labor migration? How has border cinema shaped our understanding of the border itself, the political and economic dimensions of border enforcement, and the lives affected by it? In turn, what is the relationship between border cinema and the current social desire to “build the wall!”? Finally, what is the relationship between the U.S.-Mexico border wall and the variety of other walls and barriers that have mushroomed over the last thirty years, including prisons, detention centers, gated communities, security checkpoints, as well as border walls being built in other parts of the world?
This course will explore these and other questions through an investigation of the politics of cinema of the U.S.-Mexico border. We will explore how cinematic representations of the border can work to simultaneously express, constitute, and reinforce the anxieties that give rise to calls to “build the wall.” From where do such anxieties emerge? How do cinematic representations of the border facilitate, or critique, the widespread belief that undocumented border crossing is a kind of bodily violation akin to murder and rape? Is it possible to discern critical or resistant tendencies within border cinema that expose the role of walls and barriers in enforcing violent hierarchies of human value?
ENG 313U THE AMERICAN SHORT STORY
Instructor: Lorraine Mercer
A survey of the American short story, from its beginnings in the 19th century to the present.
ENG 458 ADV TOP: ROMANTICISM
Instructor: Tracy Dillon
Specialized studies in literature of the Romantic movement in Britain and continental Europe. Topics include individual writers and literary groups; poetry and poetic theory; gothic fiction; romanticism and the novel; autobiographical and confessional literature; aesthetic ideologies; women and romanticism; revolutionary and imperialist aspects of romanticism; the impact of romanticism on later literary movements (such as symbolism and modernism).
Expected preparation: Eng 342U and 4 additional upper division Literature credits.
Graduate English Classes
ENG 558 ADV TOP: ROMANTICISM
Instructor: Tracy Dillon
Specialized studies in literature of the Romantic movement in Britain and continental Europe. Topics include individual writers and literary groups; poetry and poetic theory; gothic fiction; romanticism and the novel; autobiographical and confessional literature; aesthetic ideologies; women and romanticism; revolutionary and imperialist aspects of romanticism; the impact of romanticism on later literary movements (such as symbolism and modernism).
Expected preparation: Eng 342U and 4 additional upper division Literature credits.
Undergraduate Writing Classes
WR 121 COLLEGE WRITING
Instructor: Kirsten Rian
This class will explore the writing process through readings, activities, and writing practice and all of these approaches will familiarize you with key elements of writing. By the end of the term, you will have developed individual writing processes for generating ideas, revising, editing, and proofreading your own work. By studying the writing of established writers through the readings you will learn to notice some of the elements of writing craft. By providing feedback on your peers' writing, you will learn about editing and revising and looking globally in your own writing. By completing writing exercises and essays you will have the chance to practice these techniques for yourself. The goal is to give you the tools and resources to tackle future writing assignments with confidence, thoughtfulness, integrity, and efficiency. This course emphasizes writing as process.
WR 212 INTRO FICTION WRITING
Instructor: Benjamin Kessler
Equal parts reading, writing, and discussion, this course aims to help us better understand the machine of storytelling. By examining the craft of established authors and the tools they use to create gripping, meaningful narratives, we will discover what makes effective fiction, and how we may use it to tell our own stories. Students will submit small writing exercises as well as their own original story for in-class workshop, allowing them to leave this course with a refined piece of fiction.
May be repeated for a total of 8 credits. Expected preparation: Freshman Inquiry.
WR 213 INTRO POETRY WRITING
Instructor: Consuelo Wise
Introduces the beginning writer of poetry to basic techniques for developing a sense of language, meter, sound, imagery, and structure. Includes discussion of professional examples and student work.
May be repeated for a total of 8 credits. Expected preparation: Freshman Inquiry.
WR 214 INTRO NONFICTION WRITING
Instructor: Naomi Marshall
What is your relationship to language; how do you tell a story, evoke an image, a feeling, or a far off sound? How do you communicate something emotionally difficult or abstract?
In this class we will discuss what makes a poem a poem. Together we will work through poetic devices such as metaphor, meter and rhyme, and we will develop a working language to talk about poetry. We will read contemporary poetry and ancient poetry, prose and fragment, and we will read each other's poems. This is a class for gathering tools and finding poetry that speaks to you. Special guests will include pertinent famous poets and artists. Stay tuned...!
May be repeated for a total of 8 credits. Expected preparation: Freshman Inquiry or equivalent.
WR 222 WRITING RESEARCH PAPERS
Instructor: Chris Dryer and Karyn-Lynn Fisette
An elective course. The techniques for compiling and writing research papers. Attention to available reference materials, use of library, taking notes, critical evaluation of evidence, and conventions for documenting academic papers. Practice in organizing and writing a long expository essay based on use of library resources.
Recommended: Wr 121 or Freshman Inquiry. May not be used to fulfill English major requirements.
WR 227 INTRO TECHNICAL WRTG
Instructor: Garret Romaine
WR227 introduces you to the world of technical communication, which is a different style and voice from other writing. You will progress through a wide variety of typical technical writing projects, such as formal and informal reports, memos, letters, proposals, and procedures. The goal is to keep building up to a formal report that you can include in your portfolio. By the end of the term, you will develop the ability to summarize key points and provide the reader with important information up front. You will learn some tips and tricks built into your word processor to make technical information easier to understand, and you will gain insight into the organization of information. You should come out of this class with some good samples and templates that you can use later in your career.
Recommended: Wr 121 or Freshman Inquiry.
WR 301 CRITICAL WRITING IN ENGLISH
Instructor: Michael Clark
This writing-intensive course extends the skills developed in Eng 300 by studying some selected theoretical and disciplinary approaches to literary and other texts (including literary and rhetorical theory), and by introducing students to research methods as a way of entering scholarly conversations.
WR 323–002 WRITING AS CRITICAL INQUIRY (Online)
Instructor: Hildy Miller
Many of you taking this upper division writing course will soon be making the transition to whatever comes after your undergraduate work. So our focus will be to help you develop a more sophisticated understanding of your own writing processes, to learn strategies for compromising and resolving conflicts--an ability greatly needed on any job--and to prepare a job portfolio that you can use in an upcoming job or internship search, or, if applying for further education in a graduate or professional school. Includes formal and informal writing, responding to a variety of readings, sharing writing with other students, and reflecting on writing. Our class will run as a workshop in which you'll be collaborating with other students throughout phases of both your and their writing processes.
Most readings will be available online in the electronic journals of the PSU library; others will be handouts that I'll provide, and on the writing web site. Questions? Contact Hildy Miller at milleh@pdx.edu.
Recommended: satisfactory completion of Wr 121 or Freshman Inquiry.
WR 323 WRITING AS CRITICAL INQUIRY
Instructor: Travis Willmore
Writing as Critical Inquiry is a course that encourages you to be self-conscious about your writing process as you work in a variety of genres. We’ll focus on revision and workshopping. There will be as much informal discussion as formal writing. We will experiment with a variety of genres, rather than attempting perfection in any one genre. This is an accelerated four-week version of what is normally a ten-week, four-credit class...so even though the class is shorter, it is still worth four credits, and thus has the same workload as a standard ten-week class.
Recommended: satisfactory completion of Wr 121 or Freshman Inquiry.
WR 323 WRITING AS CRITICAL INQUIRY
Instructor: Susan Reese, Loretta Rosenberg, and Alex Dannemiller
A writing course for upper-division students, which offers sophisticated approaches to writing and reading. Students enhance critical thinking abilities by reading and writing challenging material, refine their rhetorical strategies, practice writing processes with special attention to revision and style, and write and read in a variety of genres. Includes formal and informal writing, sharing writing with other students, and preparing a final portfolio of work.
Recommended: satisfactory completion of Wr 121 or Freshman Inquiry.
WR 327 TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING
Instructor: Jack Bedell, Jeff Gunderson, and Maralee Sautter
Strategies for presenting technical information from the technician, management, and lay person's perspectives; rhetorical theory and techniques for adapting technical prose to nontechnical audiences; and techniques for emphasizing and de-emphasizing information.
Recommended: Wr 323.
WR 474 PUBLISHING STUDIO
Instructor: Abbey Gaterud
Perform the work of a real publishing house, from acquiring manuscripts to selling books. Gain publishing experience by participating in the various departments of a student-staffed publishing house, Ooligan Press.
May be taken multiple times for credit.
WR 475 PUBLISHING LAB
Instructor: Abbey Gaterud
Perform the work of a real publishing house, from acquiring manuscripts to selling books. Gain publishing experience by participating in the various departments of a student-staffed publishing house, Ooligan Press.
May be taken multiple times for credit.
Graduate Writing Courses
WR 574 PUBLISHING STUDIO
Instructor: Abbey Gaterud
Perform the work of a real publishing house, from acquiring manuscripts to selling books. Gain publishing experience by participating in the various departments of a student-staffed publishing house, Ooligan Press.
May be taken multiple times for credit.
WR 575 PUBLISHING LAB
Instructor: Abbey Gaterud
Perform the work of a real publishing house, from acquiring manuscripts to selling books. Gain publishing experience by participating in the various departments of a student-staffed publishing house, Ooligan Press.
May be taken multiple times for credit.