Summer 2024 Courses

Notes:

  1. If a course is designated as low-cost, the course materials will cost $40 or less.
  2. If a course is designated as no-cost, students do not need to purchase any course materials.
  3. Course descriptions are subject to change based on instructor submissions. If the instructor has not submitted a course description, please refer to the PSU Bulletin for more information.

Summer 2024: Undergraduate English Courses

ENG 104 001 INTRO TO FICTION

Instructor: W. Tracy Dillon
Instructional Method: Online - No Scheduled Meetings

“Writing fiction is the act of weaving a series of lies to arrive at a greater truth.”

–Khaled Hosseini

Greetings, fiction lovers. You are invited along on a voyage extraordinaire in this summer’s ENG 104: Introduction to Fiction. We will align our discussions with the canonical take on fiction offered by the editor of our primary text, The Norton Introduction to Fiction, 6th edition, Jerome Beaty. I’ve provided textbook information below in case you take this bait, sign up, and want to get started reading the rich array of some of the best of show.  And that’s a key point: reading. As are most anthologies, this one’s big. I want you to have plenty of time to read and enjoy the storytelling. For our immediate purposes, and to try to minimize costs, we’ll go with this well-regarded anthology covering cool topics like plot, point of view, characters, setting, symbols, and theme. We will even dabble with critical approaches to fiction, but our emphasis is on giving you spacetime to read the historical origins of fiction to the present day. Thus, if you don’t want to read John Updike’s “A&P” or Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” ONE MORE TIME after high school or other courses, we’ll do our best to shake the canonical box with fiction about Climate Change, Indigenous storytelling, BIPOC fiction, Science Fiction, and other developments in the genre.

Our journey happens all online. No required in personness. The course satisfies requirements for English major electives along with university-wide electives.

Ready to tell a bunch of lies in order to discover a greater truth? Then this is the course for you.

Questions? Just ask the Professor: dillont@pdx.edu.

ENG 205 001 SURVEY OF BRITISH LIT II

Instructor: Susan Reese
Instructional Method: Hybrid

ENG 300 001 LITERARY FORM AND ANALYSIS

Instructor: Bill Knight
Instructional Method: Online - No Scheduled Meetings

ENG 305U 001 TOP: MASTERPIECES OF CINEMA

Instructor: Michael Clark
Instructional Method: Online - No Scheduled Meetings

ENG 305U 002 TOP: THE CINEMATIC CITY

Instructor: Josh Epstein
Instructional Method: Online - No Scheduled Meetings

My breath is finally in sync with the city’s. I can hear sounds of music. A fire alarm, a police siren, a bus halting at its stop, a garbage truck backing up, and so on. At first they were so loud, almost unbearable, always alarming, but now they sound as pleasant as the radio or the TV or a house full of people. Maybe so many people in New York City live alone because its noises keep them company.

–Angie Cruz, Dominicana

In 1927, German film director Walter Ruttmann set to work on his film Berlin: The Symphony of a City. “Since I began in the cinema,” Ruttmann wrote, “I had the idea of…creating a symphonic film out of the millions of energies that create the life of a big city.” For Ruttmann, the young medium of cinema offered a perfect opportunity to capture the intense speed, rhythm, and noise of the modern city. In the century that has elapsed since Ruttmann’s film, generations of filmmakers have been drawn to the city as an object of artistic inspiration. The aesthetic vision that Ruttmann found so appealing—the idea that a city, like a musical composition, comprises a rhythmic choreography of human and metallic bodies—attaches to questions of class, labor, capitalism, race, gender, violence, sexuality, and civic infrastructure in ways both obvious and subtle. Cities can be represented as a space of play and leisure, sensory excitement and sociopolitical conflict, violence and tension, vulnerability and openness, surveillance and claustrophobia.

This online course examines cinematic treatments of the metropolis, from the late silent era to the present. We’ll analyze how characteristics of the modern city—hyperstimulus, technology, speed, transportation, infrastructure, noise—are treated in film, thinking about how directors give form to the chaotic shocks and collisions of urban life. We will see social questions collide with aesthetic ones: is the city beautiful or ugly? Does speed energize or exhaust us? Does technology dehumanize us or unleash creative potential and productivity? Do films emphasize the city’s fragmented alienation or its continuity and cohesion? Or all of the above (my favorite answer!)? We won’t do justice to all of these topics in eight weeks, but our films will open up a wide range of approaches to these questions—some that celebrate the city as a space of innovation and energy, some that show us perils and dangers.

Films to include some of the following (a couple may not make the cut). I will make the films available for free whenever possible, but you may need to rent a couple of them. No required textbooks.

  • Berlin: The Symphony of a City (1927; dir. Walter Ruttmann)
  • Metropolis (1927; dir. Fritz Lang)
  • Modern Times (1936; dir. Charlie Chaplin)
  • Rome, Open City (1946; dir. Roberto Rossellini)
  • Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962; dir. Agnes Varda)
  • Playtime (1967; dir. Jacques Tati)
  • Do the Right Thing (1989; dir. Spike Lee)
  • La Haine (1995; dir. Mathieu Kassovitz) 
  • Medicine for Melancholy (2008; dir. Barry Jenkins)
  • Shorts: Manhatta (1921; dir. Sheeler and Strand); Autumn Fire: A Film Poem (1931; dir. Herman Weinberg); A Bronx Morning (1931; dir. Jay Leyda); Listen to Britain (1941; dir. Humphrey Jennings); The Wonder Ring (1955; dir. Stan Brakhage); Bridges-Go-Round (1958; dir. Shirley Clark)

ENG 306U 001 TOP: LATINX COMICS

Instructor: Marcel Brousseau
Instructional Method: Online - No Scheduled Meetings

ENG 326 001 LIT COMM DIFF

Instructor: Anoop Mirpuri
Instructional Method: Online - No Scheduled Meetings

ENG 335U 001 TOP: DIGITAL CULTURES

Instructor: Matthew Ellis
Instructional Method: Online - No Scheduled Meetings

ENG 464 001 ADV TOP: 20TH C AMER MODERNISM

Instructor: Tom Fisher
Instructional Method: Online - No Scheduled Meetings

In this class we'll read a range of key texts—poetry, novels, short stories—of American Modernism, which we'll date roughly from the first decades of the 20th century to the end of WWII.

Texts we'll read will include: 

  • Djuna Barnes, Nightwood
  • Gertrude Stein, Tender Buttons
  • Ernest Hemingway, In Our Time
  • Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God
  • Jean Toomer, Cane
  • Ezra Pound, A Draft of XXX Cantos
  • Richard Wright, Native Son

Work will consist of short weekly responses and a final essay.

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Summer 2024: Graduate English Courses

ENG 564 001 ADV TOP: 20TH C AMER MODERNISM

Instructor: Tom Fisher
Instructional Method: Online - No Scheduled Meetings

In this class we'll read a range of key texts—poetry, novels, short stories—of American Modernism, which we'll date roughly from the first decades of the 20th century to the end of WWII.

Texts we'll read will include: 

  • Djuna Barnes, Nightwood
  • Gertrude Stein, Tender Buttons
  • Ernest Hemingway, In Our Time
  • Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God
  • Jean Toomer, Cane
  • Ezra Pound, A Draft of XXX Cantos
  • Richard Wright, Native Son

Work will consist of short weekly responses and a final essay.

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Summer 2024: Undergraduate Writing Courses

WR 121Z 001 COMPOSITION I

Instructor: STAFF
Instructional Method: Hybrid

WR 212 001 INTRO FICTION WRITING

Instructor: STAFF
Instructional Method: In-Person Meeting

WR 227Z 001 TECHNICAL WRITING

Instructor: Sidouane Patcha
Instructional Method: Online - No Scheduled Meetings

WR 227Z 002 TECHNICAL WRITING

Instructor: STAFF
Instructional Method: Online - No Scheduled Meetings

WR 301 001 CRITICAL WRTING ENGLISH

Instructor: Sarah Lincoln
Instructional Method: Online - No Scheduled Meetings

WR 323 001 WRITING AS CRITICAL INQUIRY

Instructor: Susan Reese
Instructional Method: Hybrid

WR 323 002 WRITING AS CRITICAL INQUIRY

Instructor: STAFF
Instructional Method: Online - No Scheduled Meetings

WR 323 003 WRITING AS CRITICAL INQUIRY

Instructor: Keri Behre
Instructional Method: Online - No Scheduled Meetings

WR 323 004 WRITING AS CRITICAL INQUIRY

Instructor: STAFF
Instructional Method: Online - No Scheduled Meetings

WR 327 001 TECHNICAL REPORT WRITING

Instructor: STAFF
Instructional Method: Online - No Scheduled Meetings

WR 331 001 BOOK PUBLISHING FOR WRITERS

Instructor: Robyn Crummer
Instructional Method: Hybrid

Course Description & Objectives:

Provides writers who aspire to one day publish a book or those who are curious about the book publishing industry with an overview of the business and process, organized around the division of labor typically found in publishing houses. In addition to learning how to find an agent or publisher, students learn about editorial, design, production, marketing, distribution, and sales.

By the end of this class, you should be able to

  • Understand book publishing terminology and processes
  • Effectively target literary agents and publishers for publication
  • Organize developmental editing feedback
  • Copyedit
  • Identify a book’s audience
  • Write book marketing copy

WR 474 001 PUBLISHING STUDIO

Instructor: Robyn Crummer
Instructional Method: Online - Scheduled Meetings

Publishing Studio & Lab are crosslisted and split listed courses, which means they run concurrently and enrollment depends on whether you need a one-credit or four-credit course as an undergraduate or graduate student for your individual degree requirements. There are no prerequsites.

Publishing Studio & Lab are the courses for hands-on learning at Ooligan Press. Designed to give students the freedom and responsibility of running a real-world trade publishing house, students are assigned to projects where they will work on a variety of publishing tasks. Project teams will work collaboratively to assess, plan, and execute editorial, design, digital content, marketing, and sales tasks throughout the term.

Publishing Studio: Graduate students in Publishing Studio should expect assignments to take approximately 12 hours per week; undergraduate students in Publishing Studio should expect 9 hours per week.

Publishing Lab: Graduate students in Publishing Lab should expect assignments to take approximately 4 hours per week; undergraduate students in Publishing Lab should expect 3 hours per week.

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • explain and understand the book production cycle;
  • competently use industry-standard terminology;
  • analyze disruptions to their project as they arise and actively problem-solve to address issues;
  • track, maintain, and update project management software, in the form of Trello;
  • communicate efficiently through email and face-to-face meetings;
  • complete assigned tasks efficiently as an individual and within a group; and
  • perform various tasks at a professional level, as assigned by a team manager.

WR 475 001 PUBLISHING LAB

Instructor: Robyn Crummer
Instructional Method: Online - Scheduled Meetings

Publishing Studio & Lab are crosslisted and split listed courses, which means they run concurrently and enrollment depends on whether you need a one-credit or four-credit course as an undergraduate or graduate student for your individual degree requirements. There are no prerequsites.

Publishing Studio & Lab are the courses for hands-on learning at Ooligan Press. Designed to give students the freedom and responsibility of running a real-world trade publishing house, students are assigned to projects where they will work on a variety of publishing tasks. Project teams will work collaboratively to assess, plan, and execute editorial, design, digital content, marketing, and sales tasks throughout the term.

Publishing Studio: Graduate students in Publishing Studio should expect assignments to take approximately 12 hours per week; undergraduate students in Publishing Studio should expect 9 hours per week.

Publishing Lab: Graduate students in Publishing Lab should expect assignments to take approximately 4 hours per week; undergraduate students in Publishing Lab should expect 3 hours per week.

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • explain and understand the book production cycle;
  • competently use industry-standard terminology;
  • analyze disruptions to their project as they arise and actively problem-solve to address issues;
  • track, maintain, and update project management software, in the form of Trello;
  • communicate efficiently through email and face-to-face meetings;
  • complete assigned tasks efficiently as an individual and within a group; and
  • perform various tasks at a professional level, as assigned by a team manager.

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Summer 2024: Graduate Writing Courses

WR 574 001 PUBLISHING STUDIO

Instructor: Robyn Crummer
Instructional Method: Online - Scheduled Meetings

Publishing Studio & Lab are crosslisted and split listed courses, which means they run concurrently and enrollment depends on whether you need a one-credit or four-credit course as an undergraduate or graduate student for your individual degree requirements. There are no prerequsites.

Publishing Studio & Lab are the courses for hands-on learning at Ooligan Press. Designed to give students the freedom and responsibility of running a real-world trade publishing house, students are assigned to projects where they will work on a variety of publishing tasks. Project teams will work collaboratively to assess, plan, and execute editorial, design, digital content, marketing, and sales tasks throughout the term.

Publishing Studio: Graduate students in Publishing Studio should expect assignments to take approximately 12 hours per week; undergraduate students in Publishing Studio should expect 9 hours per week.

Publishing Lab: Graduate students in Publishing Lab should expect assignments to take approximately 4 hours per week; undergraduate students in Publishing Lab should expect 3 hours per week.

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • explain and understand the book production cycle;
  • competently use industry-standard terminology;
  • analyze disruptions to their project as they arise and actively problem-solve to address issues;
  • track, maintain, and update project management software, in the form of Trello;
  • communicate efficiently through email and face-to-face meetings;
  • complete assigned tasks efficiently as an individual and within a group; and
  • perform various tasks at a professional level, as assigned by a team manager.

WR 575 001 PUBLISHING LAB

Instructor: Robyn Crummer
Instructional Method: Online - Scheduled Meetings

Publishing Studio & Lab are crosslisted and split listed courses, which means they run concurrently and enrollment depends on whether you need a one-credit or four-credit course as an undergraduate or graduate student for your individual degree requirements. There are no prerequsites.

Publishing Studio & Lab are the courses for hands-on learning at Ooligan Press. Designed to give students the freedom and responsibility of running a real-world trade publishing house, students are assigned to projects where they will work on a variety of publishing tasks. Project teams will work collaboratively to assess, plan, and execute editorial, design, digital content, marketing, and sales tasks throughout the term.

Publishing Studio: Graduate students in Publishing Studio should expect assignments to take approximately 12 hours per week; undergraduate students in Publishing Studio should expect 9 hours per week.

Publishing Lab: Graduate students in Publishing Lab should expect assignments to take approximately 4 hours per week; undergraduate students in Publishing Lab should expect 3 hours per week.

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • explain and understand the book production cycle;
  • competently use industry-standard terminology;
  • analyze disruptions to their project as they arise and actively problem-solve to address issues;
  • track, maintain, and update project management software, in the form of Trello;
  • communicate efficiently through email and face-to-face meetings;
  • complete assigned tasks efficiently as an individual and within a group; and
  • perform various tasks at a professional level, as assigned by a team manager.

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