English, Department of

College of Arts and Letters

DEPARTMENT OFFICE

Engineering and Technology A604

Phone:     (323) 343-4140

Chair:     Hema Chari

E-mail:     english@calstatela.edu

Website:     www.calstatela.edu/academic/english/index.htm

The English Department at Cal State L.A. offers programs leading to the Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees.  These programs encourage students to develop their minds, imaginations, and skills through the study of literature and other forms of written communication.  The department offers a broad spectrum of courses ranging from the traditional areas of British and American literature to such subjects as world literature in translation, ethnic literature of the U.S., women writers, folklore, children’s literature, creative writing, critical theory, history and structure of the English language, film, and many levels of composition.

Majoring in English offers students many advantages for both intellectual and personal development and provides a solid preparation for a number of careers.  Most directly, a bachelor’s degree in English, Single Subject Teaching option, with the required professional training in education, qualifies the individual to teach English in secondary schools.  But teaching is only one of the many professions that welcome the English major.  The discipline requires and helps develop solid reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.  Literary study provides the complex understanding of human experience that is essential for success in many fields.  Many graduates in English enter law school, medical school, business administration, and civil service at all levels of government.  There are opportunities in insurance, publishing, space industries, foundations, public utilities, personnel relations, banks, advertising, and the print media.

The Master of Arts degree in English provides opportunities for advanced study in literature, criticism, language, creative writing, and composition and rhetoric.  The program is offered with three options.  The Literature option is designed for students planning to teach in a community college or to enter a doctoral program.  The Creative Writing option is designed for students seeking to develop their skills as creative writers, to teach creative writing, or to pursue careers in the media or other areas where a combination of creative ability, communication skills, and critical faculties may be particularly valuable.  The Composition, Rhetoric, and Language option is designed for students planning to teach writing at the school, community college, or university level, to work as professional writing consultants, or to enter doctoral programs.

The department also participates in an Interdisciplinary Studies Minor in Multimedia that enables students to develop interactive, multimedia products.  For more information, please refer to University Programs.

The Faculty

Professors: Mary Bucci Bush, Michael A. Calabrese, Roberto Cantú, Hema Chari (Chair), Marilyn R. Elkins, Steven S. Jones, Maria Karafilis,
Jun Liu, Caroline H. McManus, Barry Munitz, Ruben D. Quintero, Lauri Ramey, Alison Taufer.

  Associate Professors: Mel Donalson, James Garrett, Michelle Hawley, Martin Huld.

Assistant Professors:  Andrew Knighton, Jennifer Ohlund, Aaron H. Sonnenschein.

Emeriti: Betty Bamberg, Sharon Bassett, Alfred Bendixen, Peter A. Brier, John L. Cleman, Saralyn R. Daly, Otto W. Fick, Norman Fruman, Rosemary L. Hake, David Laird, Herbert J. Landar, Jean Maloney, Marie Ohlsen, Elaine Osio, Thomas H. Peterson, Vilma Potter, John W. Rathbun, Sidney Richman, Alice M. Roy, Carl M. Selkin, Timothy Steele, Gaby Stuart, James T. Sullivan, John H. Weston, Paul M. Zall.

Undergraduate Programs

Bachelor of Arts Degree

Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts degree in English select one of three program options.  The General option is intended for those pursuing a liberal arts education with special emphasis on literature and composition; the creative writing option is intended for those students who wish to integrate the study of English language and literature with instruction in the art of writing in various styles and forms; and the Single Subject Teaching option is designed for students interested in a career in education.

Students majoring in English must obtain advisement prior to or during their initial quarter of major coursework. Those majoring in English are urged to acquire command of at least one foreign language as part of their program.

The total number of units required for the Bachelor of Arts degree in English is 180 units, of which 80-88 units are in the major depending on the option selected.  Consult with an advisor for the specific number of units required in all areas of the degree including GE and free electives.

Requirements for the Major  (80 or 88 units)

The General and Creative Writing options require a total of 80 units. The Single Subject Teaching option requires a total of 88 units.

General Option (80 units)

In addition to the 24 units in the common core, students must complete the following 56 units: 

I. Upper-Division Required Courses (44 units)

Select four 400-level courses in British Literature from the following, with at least two in pre-1800 literature:

Select three 300- or 400-level ENGL courses excluding GE theme courses.  With adviser approval, one 200-level course may be included.

Creative Writing Option (80 units)

In addition to the 24 units in the common core, students must complete the following 56 units:

Four units of ENGL 499 independent study may be included with advisor approval.

*General Education course

Single Subject Teaching Option  (90 units)

Refer to the Charter College of Education section in the Academic Programs: College-based and University-wide chapter of this catalog for regulations governing all teaching credential programs.

In addition to the 24 units in the common core, students must complete the following: (66 units).

I. Lower-division required course (4 units):

II. Upper-division required courses (42 units):

III. Extended Studies (20 units)

Select one of the following six areas for extended study. Any classes used to meet the Single Subject Teaching option requirements listed above may not be double counted in the extended study areas.

Four units of ENGL 499 independent study may be included with advisor approval.

*General Education course

Minor in Creative Writing

The minor in Creative Writing is designed for students majoring in other fields who are interested in the writing of imaginative literature, which may include such forms as poetry, fiction, and drama.  A total of 24 units is required, of which 8–12 units must be in lower division and 12–16 units in 400-level courses.

Requirements for the Minor  (24 units)

Select one or two from the following  (4 or 8 units):

ENGL 200ABC, 225

(Prerequisite to ENGL 207 for students in the creative writing minor is at least 4 units from the lower division requirement listed above.)

Required course (4 units)

ENGL 207 Beginning Creative Writing  (4)

ENGL 406 Writing Nonfiction  (4)

*ENGL 407 Writing Fiction  (4)

*ENGL 408 Writing Poetry  (4)

TA 476 Play Writing  (4)

TVF 465 Seminar: Advanced Scriptwriting (4-8)

*May be repeated once for credit in the minor.

Minor in English

The minor in English provides a varied and flexible literary program, individually planned, for majors in other fields.  Students who plan to write or edit or who are interested in business, the professions, or government service may find this minor significant in their career development.  The minor is also useful to students who wish to add a supplementary authorization to their Single Subject credential.  A total of 28 units is required.

Requirements for the Minor  (28 units)

Select at least two from the following:  ENGL 200ABC, 250, 258

Select  from  the following:

Composition: ENGL 308, 340, 406, 410

Language:  ENGL 401, 402, 405

Literature:  ENGL 416-447, 460-492

The Credential Program

Students who complete the Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Single Subject Teaching option, with a minimum 2.83 grade point average for course work in the option, will receive certification of subject area competency in English for the Single Subject credential.  Students should consult advisers in the department and in the Charter College of Education.

English as a Second Language Programs

Students in need of a course in English as a second language may wish to consult the Office of Extended Education or the American Culture and Language Program.

Graduate and Postbaccalaureate Programs

Master of Arts Degree

Admission to the Program      

Applicants who have a degree in English must have at least a 3.2 grade point average in their undergraduate major.

In addition to applying to the University, prospective students must submit a separate graduate program application to the Department of English. This includes a departmental application form, transcripts from all colleges/universities attended, and a writing sample. Applicants to the graduate program are admitted based on a comprehensive review of their application materials by the Department of English. For more information on the departmental application for admission, contact the Department of English.

Students whose major was not English should consult the principal graduate adviser about prerequisites or their equivalents.  They must complete a 36-unit program of upper division prerequisites  (which may include courses previously taken) prior to beginning their graduate work.

Requirements for the Degree  (45 units)

A minimum of 45 units is required, with at least 23 in 500-level courses. Students must have completed advanced course work in several major periods of British and American literature. Consult the Department of English for specific requirements and period descriptions.

Applicants for the Creative Writing option must submit a portfolio of writing for review by a creative writing adviser.

Students preparing for the M.A. degree in English must complete ENGL 501 or 502 prior to enrolling in ENGL 530, 541, 560, 570, 580, 590, and 598. ENGL 510 may be taken concurrently with ENGL 501 or 502. Both 501 and 502 must be completed in the first 16 units of the program.

Select 400- or 500-level courses with advisor approval. Students are to select 4 units in literature and the remaining electives from courses in composition-rhetoric, linguistics, creative writing, or literature with particular relevance to their professional goals and interests. A maximum of 5 units of ENGL 598 may also be included.

Students must successfully complete either the comprehensive examination or a master's degree thesis as the culmination of their program.

One section of the comprehensive examination will focus on key texts in the field of Composition, Rhetoric, and Language, and the other portion of the examination will assess the student's general critical skills and ability to elucidate and interpret a designated text.

The comprehensive examination (ENGL 596) may be taken no earlier than the quarter in which all course work for the degree is completed.  Students must notify the department one quarter before they intend to take the examination.

Advancement to candidacy and approval of the department's Graduate Studies Committee are required prior to taking the examination.

The thesis entails writing a master’s degree essay about a subject in the field of language, composition and rhetoric.  Theses may be of two kinds, a critical essay or an empirical study.  A critical essay might, for example, critique or reanalyze a particular body of research or the work of a single researcher, or present a rhetorical analysis of text.  A theory-based empirical approach might test new hypotheses or replicate earlier studies with a different population.

Students writing a thesis are subject to the following requirements: advancement to candidacy, formal approval of the thesis proposal by a thesis director and two thesis committee members, enrollment in 5 units of ENGL 599, and an oral defense of the thesis. (One unit of ENGL 599 is to be devoted to preparation of the thesis proposal. A student may not enroll in the remaining 4 units of ENGL 599 until the proposal has been approved.)

With adviser approval, select 12 additional units from creative writing courses, including at least 4 units of ENGL 507 or 508.  The remaining 8 units may derive from some combination of the following courses:  ENGL 406, 407, 408, 507, 508.  ENGL 507 or 508 may be taken concurrently with ENGL 500.

Select 400- or 500-level courses with adviser approval.  Students are to select courses in literature with particular relevance to the focus of their creative work.  A maximum of 4 units of ENGL 598 may also be included.

Students selecting the Creative Writing Option must write a creative thesis typically consisting of three or more short stories of 3,000-5,000 words or a novella or a substantial portion of a novel, or two one-act plays, or a full-length play, or between 12 and 20 short poems.  The thesis is to include a brief preface, stating the literary, ethical, or social concerns that have informed the student’s work.

To begin work on the thesis the student must have been advanced to candidacy and must have formal approval of the thesis proposal by a thesis director and two additional thesis committee members.  A student must complete 5 units of ENGL 599.  (One unit of ENGL 599 is to be devoted to preparation of the thesis proposal.  A student may not enroll in the remaining 4 units of ENGL 599 until the proposal has been approved.)  The student will be required to defend the thesis before a committee of three, one member being the student’s thesis director and one member being a member of the faculty from outside the creative writing area.  The third member may be either from the creative writing area or from a different area.

Select from 400- or 500-level ENGL courses with adviser approval;  8 units may be in a related field.  A maximum of 5 units in ENGL 598 is applicable toward the degree.

ENGL 596 Comprehensive Examination  (0) or

ENGL 599 Thesis  (5)

Students must successfully complete either the comprehensive examination or a master’s degree thesis as the culmination of their program. Students are expected to have selected an area of specialization as reflected in course work in preparation for either the examination or the thesis.

One section of the comprehensive examination will focus specifically on the student’s chosen area of specialization and the other portion of the examination will assess the student’s general critical skills and ability to elucidate and interpret a designated text. 

The comprehensive examination  (ENGL 596) may be taken no earlier than the quarter in which all course work for the degree is completed.  Students must notify the department one quarter before they intend to take the examination. 

Advancement to candidacy and approval of the department’s Graduate Studies committee are required prior to taking the examination. 

The thesis option entails writing a master’s degree essay about a subject in the student’s area of specialization.  Students who choose to do a thesis are subject to the following requirements:  advancement to candidacy, formal approval of the thesis proposal by a thesis director and two additional thesis committee members, enrollment in 5 units of ENGL 599, and an oral defense of the thesis.  (One unit of ENGL 599 is to be devoted to preparation of the thesis proposal.  A student may not enroll in the remaining 4 units of ENGL 599 until the proposal has been approved.)

The Certificate in Teaching Writing provides advanced study in composition and rhetoric for current teachers at secondary and post-secondary levels of education. The program of study provides in-depth study to supplement the more limited coursework in the teaching of writing that students have had in undergraduate and credential programs. In keeping with the State's emphasis on literacy across the curriculum in schooling at all levels, the certificate addresses writing instruction across the curriculum as well as in traditional English/Language Arts. It enables teachers who are required to teach writing in all disciplinary areas but who often have had little or no training in writing instruction to incorporate writing instruction in their classes.

To enter the program, students must possess an undergraduate degree in any field and meet the admission requirements of the University for postbaccalaureate study.  The certificate consists of six required courses (24 units): Two 400-level courses which provide a foundation in language and composition, and four 500-level courses which provide advanced, in-depth, and specialized study.

Students must achieve a 3.0 GPA in the certificate program. Students may apply 12 units of the certificate program (not including ENGL 401) towards the MA in the Composition, Rhetoric, and Language option. Students must satisfy the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) within the first two quarters.

Undergraduate Level Courses 

Courses in English  (ENGL)

Eligibility for ENGL 095, 096, and 101 will be determined by results of the English Placement Test  (EPT), which students must take before they may register for any of these courses.

Subcollegiate Courses

ENGL 095 Basic Writing I  (4)

Prerequisite:  English Placement Test (placement determined by student's score).  Instruction in basic writing and reading. Focus on writing processes such as invention, revision, and editing. Use of personal experience and/or observation in narrative and expository essays.  Graded CR/NC.  Not open to students with credit for this course, an equivalent, or a higher level English composition course.  Students with two NC grades may not enroll again.  No credit toward baccalaureate.

ENGL 096 Basic Writing II  (4)

Prerequisite:  English Placement Test  (placement determined by student’s score) or passing grade in ENGL 095.  Frequent essays based on reading and responding to expository prose;  instruction in expository writing conventions and critical reading strategies.  Graded CR/NC.  Not open to students with credit for this course, an equivalent, or a higher level English composition course.  Students with two NC grades may not enroll again.  No credit toward baccalaureate.

Lower Division Courses

ENGL 100 Supplemental Writing Practice (1)

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor, concurrent enrollment in English 101 or 102 or other designated course.  Supplemental  practice in revising and editing essays.  Regular meetings with Writing Center tutor.  May be repeated to maximum of 4 units. Graded CR/NC.

ENGL 101 Composition I (4)

Composition I:  Reflective and Expository Writing

Prerequisite:  English Placement Test or completion of ENGL 096.  Reading and writing to develop and communicate ideas.  Instruction in basic strategies for planning, composing, and revising college writing.  Use of authorities, examples, arguments and facts.  Graded A,B,C/NC.      GE A1

*ENGL 102 Composition II (4)

Composition II:  Analytic and Persuasive Writing

Prerequisite:  ENGL 101 or equivalent. Continuing to practice the rhetorical skills introduced in ENGL 101, students will develop analytical, interpretive, and information literacy skills necessary for constructing a well-supported, researched, academic argument. Graded A,B,C/NC.

*ENGL 102 or its equivalent is prerequisite to all English courses with higher numbers.
Students subject to catalogs prior to 1993-95 satisfy the prerequisite with ENGL 101 or 190.

ENGL 200A The Classical and Medieval Tradition  (4)

Prerequisite:  ENGL 102*. Survey of classical and medieval literature in the European tradition.  Frequent compositions on various literary topics.

ENGL 200B British Literature Survey I  (4)

Prerequisite:  ENGL 102*.  A survey of representative literary texts from the Medieval Period through the Restoration.  Frequent compositions on literary topics.

ENGL 200C British Literature Survey II (4)

Prerequisite:  ENGL 102*.  A survey of representative literary texts from the eighteenth century through the present. Frequent compositions on literary topics.

ENGL 207 Beginning Creative Writing  (4)

A beginning creative writing workshop that introduces students to techniques of imaginative writing in fiction, poetry, and drama in a constructive workshop setting that includes analysis of published literary works. GE C1

ENGL 210 Conceptions of the Self in Philosophy and Literature  (4) (also listed as PHIL 210)

Examination of various conceptions of the self as they arise in philosophical and literary texts;  examination of methods and goals of the philosophical and literary arts.      GE C5

ENGL 225 Interpreting World Cinema (4) (also listed as TVF 225)

Critical survey of world cinema as art and cultural artifact.  Provides critical methodology and practical tools for analyzing and interpreting international film movements, genres and themes.       GE C2

ENGL 228 Elements of English Grammar  (4)

Survey of traditional grammar including sentence parts, phrases, clauses, and parts of speech, as well as grammatical categories such as tense, number, and agreement.

ENGL 230 Language and Society  (4) (also listed as ANTH 230)

An introduction to linguistics as a social science.  Exploration of the relationship of language to a variety of social issues including race, class, and gender.       GE D

ENGL 240 Film, Novel, Theater  (4) (also listed as TVF and TA 240)

Prerequisite:  Completion of ENGL 102.

An exploration of film, theater, and fiction through the process of adaptation.  Analysis of the roles of audience, modes of delivery, concepts of form and structure, and cultural impact.

     GE C5

*Students subject to catalogs prior to 1993-95 satisfy the prerequisite with ENGL 101 or 190.

ENGL 245 Introduction to Folk Literature  (4) (also listed as ANTH 245)

An introduction to the genres of folk literature; their composition, structure, style, performance, cultural contexts, and their contribution to written literature.       GE C1

ENGL 250 Understanding Literature  (4)

Forms and techniques of fiction and/or drama, and poetry; analysis of representative works of various periods and cultures;  critical compositions and reports.  Not open to English majors.       GE C1

ENGL 258 Mythology in Literature  (4)

Analysis and interpretation of dominant myths in representative works of world fiction, drama, and poetry;  critical compositions.       GE C1

ENGL 260 Women and Literature  (4)

Multicultural approach to studying the ways women's diverse experiences are represented in literature.         GE C1

ENGL 270 Contemporary American Literature  (4)

An introduction to post-WWII American literature. Students will analyze texts from a variety of perspectives, including race, class, gender, and sexual orientation.       GE C1

ENGL 276 Introduction to Play Writing  (4)  (also listed as TA 276)

Prerequisite:  ENGL 200A or 200B or 200C or TA 101.  Collaborative approach to writing for the stage;  emphasis on  writing theory and techniques;  introduction to dramaturgy, directing, literary management, and staged reading.

ENGL 280 Contemporary World Literature  (4)

Recent fiction, poetry, and drama written by authors outside the U.S.;  close analysis of representative works;  critical compositions.       GE C1

Upper Division Courses

Upper division standing is prerequisite to enrollment in 400-level courses.  ENGL 102 or its equivalent is prerequisite to all upper division English courses.  Prerequisite for all literature courses:  ENGL 250, or 200A, 200B or 200C unless otherwise stated.

ENGL 300 Composition for ESL Students (2)

Prerequisite: ENGL 102 or equivalent.  Strategies to facilitate increased acquisition of English and mastery of college-level writing for students for whom English is a second language. May be repeated to a maximum of 4 units. Graded CR/NC

ENGL 301 Introduction to Language  (4)

Introduction to the structures and history of the English language; traditional and alternative grammars; theories of language as they relate to language acquisition and sociolinguistics. Some sections may include a service learning option.

ENGL 305 English Grammar and Usage (4)

Analysis of English grammar; understanding the function of parts of speech as sentence and phrase components; identifying standard and non-standard usage in written expression.

ENGL 306 Technical Writing  (4)

Prerequisite:  Passing WPE score.  Fundamentals of technical writing;  development and writing of mechanism descriptions, proposals, feasibility studies, progress reports, and long technical reports.

ENGL 308 Expository Writing  (4)

Prerequisite:  Passing WPE score.  Methods of and practice in writing analytical essays that present persuasive arguments;  emphasis on coherent organization, clear style, rigorous argumentation.

ENGL 310 Genres of Writing  (4)

Prerequisite: Field experience and concurrent enrollment in 1 unit ENGL 398. Required for students seeking certification of subject area competency through the Single Subject Teaching option. Methods of and practice in genres of writing taught in middle and secondary schools including creative writing, journalism, and expository writing.

ENGL 327 Ethnicity and Emotions in U.S. Film (4) (also listed as CHS 327 and PAS 327)

Prerequisites: Completion of Basic Subjects (Block A) and one course from Block C.  The critical analysis of the representations of ethnicity and emotions in U.S. film.

ENGL 340 Writing in the Major  (4)

Prerequisites: ENGL 102. Introduction to methods or reading, writing, and research in the discipline or English studies: emphasis on close reading, critical response, and intensive writing practice.

ENGL 354 Selected Topics in Literature  (4)

Representative works in literature of various thematic or stylistic types.  Specific topics announced in Schedule of Classes.  May be repeated to a maximum of 8 units for credit.

ENGL 360 Adjunct Writing  (2 or 4)

Corequisite:  Upper division course in student’s major department may be required.  Supervised practice in advanced composition, emphasis on styles germane to student’s major field.  May be taken in two 2-unit segments as required by student’s major department.

ENGL 377 Literary Explorations of Justice and Racism (4)  (also listed as PAS 377)

Prerequisites: Completion of Basic Subjects (Block A) and one course from Block C.  Analysis of the literary depiction of racism and justice, with emphasis on the treatment of civil rights issues in fiction, drama, and poetry.       GE Theme H

ENGL 379 Gender and Sexuality in Popular Culture (4) (also listed as TVF 379)

Prerequisites: Completion of Basic Subjects (Block A) and one course from Block C.  Survey and critical analysis of narrative and visual representations of gender and sexuality in the modes of popular culture, such as television, film, advertising, popular fiction, and the tabloid press.     GE Theme C

ENGL 381 Legacy of Greek and Roman Literature (4) 

Prerequisites: Completion of Basic Subjects (Block A) and one course from Block C.  Legacy of ancient literature through focus on three themes: the self consciousness, society, and nature. May include a service learning option.       GE Theme I

ENGL 382 Violence and Literature  (4)

Prerequisites: Completion of Basic Subjects (Block A) and one course from Block C.  Thematic and critical examination of representations of violence in literature.  Will consider violence across cultural, racial, sexual and generational boundaries.

     GE Theme B

ENGL 383 Narratives of Maturity and Aging  (4)

Prerequisites: Completion of Basic Subjects (Block A) and one course from Block C.  Critical examination of the representations of human maturity and aging in literary works from a range of periods, forms and genres.  Examines the part that aging plays in human experience.     GE Theme F

ENGL 385 Sex and Gender in Language and Literature  (4)  (also listed as COMM 385)

Prerequisites:  Completion of Basic Subjects (Block A) and one course from Block C.  Analysis of  concepts of sex, gender as experienced in language and literature.  Comparative language behavior of women and men as revealed in research on communication and in representative literary works, both classical and modern.     GE Theme C

ENGL 386 Literature and the Third World (4) (also listed as PAS 386)

Prerequisites: Completion of Basic Subjects (Block A) and one course from Block C.  Critical survey of cultural representations, themes, and techniques of Third World literature and their Western diaspora writers.   

ENGL 387 The American Landscape in Literature  (4)

Prerequisites:  ENGL 200A and 200B or 200C, or 250.  The literary response to the American landscape from the time of the early explorers to the present.     

ENGL 388 Environment  and Literature (4)

Prerequisites:  Completion of Basic Subjects (Block A) and one course from Block C.  The literary response to the natural environment.  Focus on themes of transformation of natural environment, concepts of place and space, relations between human progress and environmental limits in literature.

ENGL 389 Human Emotions in Literary Expression  (4) (also listed as ML 389)

Prerequisites:  Completion of Basic Subjects (Block A) and one course from Block C.  Emotions such as love, anger, laughter, fear, joy, sorrow, guilt, pain or oppression, as represented in prose and poetic forms of various cultures.     GE Theme E

ENGL 392 Statement and Literary Magazine Editing  (1–4)

Prerequisite:  Consent of faculty member advising the course.  Techniques of editing and producing literary magazines.  May be repeated to maximum of 6 units.  Graded CR/NC.

ENGL 398 Cooperative Education (1-8) (see UNIV 398)

ENGL 400 Introduction to Linguistics (4) (also listed as ANTH 471)

Descriptive and historical study of language;  problems of data collection and techniques of analysis, linguistic structure, language classification, language families of the world, language in its sociocultural setting.

ENGL 401 English Language in America  (4)

Introduction to linguistic theory;  elementary structural analysis of phonology, morphology, and syntax;  discussion of levels and functional varieties of usage.

ENGL 402 History of the English Language  (4)

External history;  structural history;  history of vocabulary;  principles of historical linguistics.

ENGL 403 Language and Culture  (4) (also listed as ANTH 470)

Prerequisite:  ANTH 250.  Nature, origin, and evolution of language.  Survey of approaches and studies illustrating variations in the relation of habitual thought and behavior to language.

ENGL 405 Modern English Grammar  (4)

Prerequisite:  ENGL 401.  Transformational generative analysis of contemporary morphology and syntax;  its relationship to alternate grammars of English.

ENGL 406 Writing Nonfiction  (4)

Prerequisite:  Passing WPE score.  Methods of and practice in writing documentary, biographical, and other nonfiction prose;  emphasis on style, detail, effective development.

ENGL 407 Writing Fiction  (4)

Prerequisite:  Instructor consent.  Instruction in the technique and art of writing fiction.  May be repeated to maximum of 16 units.

ENGL 408 Writing Poetry  (4)

Prerequisite:  Instructor consent.  Instruction in the technique and art of writing poetry.  May be repeated to maximum of 16 units.

ENGL 410 Writing in the Schools  (4)

Prerequisites:  One upper division ENGL linguistics course; satisfactory completion of the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).  Discussion of composing and theories of discourse;  review of research in written expression;  practice in applying and evaluating theories.

ENGL 411 Practicum in Tutoring English (2) 

Prerequisite: Satisfactory completion of the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).  Discussion of composition theory, linguistic theory, and connections between reading and writing.  Practice in effective tutoring methods in various educational situations.  Lecture 2 hours, lab 4 hours.  Graded CR/NC.

ENGL 416 Chaucer  (4)

Troilus and Criseyde, Canterbury Tales, and selected minor poems as works of art and as reflections of culture and literary conventions of the time.

ENGL 417 Shakespeare I  (4)

Shakespearean drama.  Intensive study of five or six plays chosen from the following:  Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Twelfth Night, The Merchant of Venice, Henry IV–Part One, Richard III, and Hamlet; elements of Shakespearean drama.

ENGL 418 Shakespeare II  (4)

Intensive study of four or five plays  (and poems) not included in 417;  range and diversity of Shakespeare’s art in his time and ours.

ENGL 419 Milton  (4)

Selected works of John Milton.

ENGL 424 Greek and Roman Drama in Translation  (4)

Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Seneca, Plautus, and Terence;  characterization, style, focus, and problems of translation.

ENGL 425 Epic and Legend  (4)

Stylistic, thematic, generic, and cultural analysis of representative epics and legends from world literature.

ENGL 426 African Literature  (4) (also listed as PAS 426)

Prerequisite:  ENGL 250.  African literature and its cultural background;  intensive study of writers in English and others in translation;  critical compositions and reports.

ENGL 427 Modern Drama:  Continental, English, and American  (4)

Representative plays by such dramatists as Ibsen, Strindberg, Chekhov, Shaw, Pirandello, O’Casey, O’Neill;  major theatrical movements;  naturalism, symbolism, and expressionism.

ENGL 428 Contemporary Drama:  Continental, English, and American  (4)

Prerequisite:  ENGL 427 recommended.  Representative plays by such dramatists as Brecht, Lorca, Beckett, Sartre, Genet, Pinter, Miller, Williams.  Modern poetic drama;  epic, existential, and absurdist theatre;  theatre of cruelty.

ENGL 430 Children’s Literature  (4)

Prerequisite: Passing WPE score.  Analysis and evaluation of literature for children;  role of literature in children’s education. Some sections may include a service learning option.

ENGL 432 Literature for Adolescents  (4)

Prerequisite:  Passing WPE score.  Analysis and evaluation of literature appropriate for adolescents;  examination of adolescent concerns in literary works.

ENGL 441 Major Critics  (4)

Major critical approaches to literature;  systems of Aristotle, Dryden or Johnson, Wordsworth, Coleridge;  a modern critic or a contemporary critical problem.

ENGL 442 Contemporary Critical Theory (4)

A survey of literary theories since New Criticism such as Structuralism, Post-Structuralism, Feminism, Psychoanalytical criticism, Marxism, Reader-Response, New Historicism, Post-colonialism, Post-modernism, Deconstruction.

ENGL 446A The British Novel: The Eighteenth Century (4)

The development of the novel in Britain from late 17th century prose romance through 18th century comic and gothic to early 19th century realistic fiction studied through representative writers.

ENGL 446B The British Novel: The Nineteenth Century (4)

The novel in Britain from the late gothic and early realism up to the beginning of modernism studied through representative writers such as Shelley, Dickens, the Brontës, Thackeray, Gaskell, Eliot, Trollope, and Hardy.

ENGL 446C The British Novel: The Twentieth Century (4)

The novel in Britain from modernism to the present studied through representative writers such as Conrad, Joyce, Woolf, Forster, and Lawrence.

ENGL 450 Analyzing Children’s Film  (4)

Children’s films as art form and communication medium;  cinematic explication;  visual and verbal communication techniques;  children’s films adapted from folklore, fable, and children’s books.

ENGL 451 Film and Literature  (4)

Critical study of films adapted from literary sources along with analysis of original literature for purpose of contrasting the media.  May be repeated to a maximum of 8 units as subject matter changes.

ENGL 452 Reading Cultures: Cultural Studies and English Literature (4)

Survey of the history of cultural studies; introduction to the basic concepts of cultural studies, including mass, popular, and subcultures; cultural analysis of literary texts. Some sections may include a service learning option.

ENGL 453 Modern Women Writers  (4)

Representative works by such women writers of the modern world as Kate Chopin, Gertrude Stein, Willa Cather, Isak Dinesen, Colette, Virginia Woolf, Doris Lessing, and Gabriela Mistral.

ENGL 454 Selected Topics in Literature  (4)

Advanced study of representative works in literature of various thematic or stylistic types.  Specific topics announced in Schedule of Classes.  Open to English majors.  May be repeated to a maximum of 8 units for credit.

ENGL 460 Medieval English Literature  (4)

Lyric poetry, epic and romantic narratives, and dramatic works, from Anglo-Saxon beginnings through fifteenth century, exclusive of Chaucer.  Readings in Middle English and in translation.

ENGL 461 Dramatic Literature of the English Renaissance  (4)

Representative plays by Elizabethan and Jacobean dramatists exclusive of Shakespeare, e.g., Marlowe, Dekker, Webster, Jonson, Beaumont, and Fletcher.

ENGL 463 The English Renaissance  (4)

Nondramatic literature from Wyatt to Bacon;  British and continental cultural, literary, and philosophical backgrounds.

ENGL 464 Seventeenth-Century Literature  (4)

Prose and poetry from Donne to Dryden, excluding Milton;  literary, social and political backgrounds.

ENGL 465 The Augustan Age  (4)

Literature from Swift and Pope through Johnson;  social and philosophical backgrounds.

ENGL 467 The Romantic Age  (4)

Prose and poetry from Blake to Keats;  cultural and philosophical backgrounds.

ENGL 468 The Victorian Age  (4)

Prose and poetry of major Victorian writers;  social and philosophical backgrounds.

ENGL 469A Modern British Literature (4)

Representative works of British literature of the early 20th century (1900-1950) will be examined in their cultural and aesthetic contexts.

ENGL 469B Contemporary British Literature (4)

A survey of contemporary British Literature and analysis of genres, themes, ideologies, aesthetic innovations and contributions made by post-World War II British writers.

ENGL 470 American Women Writers  (4)

Critical study of the literary achievements of American women, such as Stowe, Dickinson, Chopin, Wharton, Cather, Hurston, Porter, Morrison, and Kingston.

ENGL 471 American Literature:  Beginnings to 1860  (4)

Puritanism to transcendentalism.  Emphasis on such writers as Edwards, Emerson, Hawthorne, Melville, Poe, and Thoreau.

ENGL 472 American Literature:  1860–1914  (4)

The movement toward realism and naturalism.  Emphasis on such writers as Whitman, Dickinson, Twain, Howells, James, and Crane.

ENGL 473 American Literature:  1914 to Present  (4)

Representative writers of American modernism and postmodernism.

ENGL 475ABC The American Novel Since 1920  (4, 4, 4)

Development of American novel from 19th century to present.  Representative works by major American novelists.  (Courses need not be taken in sequence.) Supervised practice in writing.

     ENGL 475A 19th Century

          (e.g., Cooper, Hawthorne, Melville,   Twain, James, Crane)

     ENGL 475B 1900–1945 

          (e.g., Dreiser, Wharton, Cather, Anderson, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Faulkner,
          Steinbeck)

     ENGL 475C  1945–Present

          (e.g., Wright, Bellow, Ellison,  O’Connor, Updike, Pynchon)

ENGL 476 Ethnic Literature in the U.S.  (4)

Literature by modern ethnic writers in the U.S.  May include, among others, Asian-American, African American, Euro-American, Latino/a, and Native American literature.  May involve an optional service learning component.

ENGL 477 Black American Literature  (4)

Representative works of 19th and 20th century black American writers such as Forten, Chesnutt, Dunbar, Hughes, Hurston, Wright, Baldwin, Walker, Brooks.

ENGL 478 Modern Poetry  (4)

Backgrounds of modern poetry;  representative works by major British and American poets to 1930s, such as Yeats, Eliot, Pound, Frost, Williams, Stevens, and Lawrence.

ENGL 479 Contemporary Poetry  (4)

Representative works by British and American poets from 1930s to present, such as Auden, Roethke, Thomas, Lowell, Plath, Hughes, Berryman, Creeley, Baraka, Merwin.

ENGL 482 The Bible as Literature:  Old and New Testaments  (4)

Types and styles of Biblical literature;  geographical, historical, cultural, and archaeological backgrounds of both Testaments.

ENGL 483 Folklore and Literature  (4)

Forms of folklore and their relationship to literature;  identification and analysis of the heritage of folklore in literature.

ENGL 484 Major Continental Fiction:  Cervantes to Balzac  (4)

Representative works by European authors, e.g., Cervantes, Rousseau, Goethe, and Balzac.

ENGL 485 Major Continental Fiction:  Stendhal to Tolstoy  (4)

Representative works by European authors, e.g., Stendhal, Flaubert, Chekhov, Dostoyevsky, and Tolstoy.

ENGL 486 Twentieth Century Continental Fiction  (4)

Representative works by European authors, e.g., Proust, Mann, Kafka, Sartre, and Camus.

ENGL 487 Latin American Literature in Translation (4) (also listed as ML 487)

Critical examination of Latin American literature, with emphasis on post-independence and modern periods.

ENGL 489 Colonial to Modern Mexican American Literature (4) (also listed as CHS 402)

Study of literary works by Hispanic, Mexican, and Mexican American authors from the colonial era to modern times.

ENGL 492 Seminar in Literature and Language (4)

English 492 satisfies the upper division writing requirement for English majors

Prerequisites: Satisfactory completion of the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR); ENGL 340; English major with senior standing.  Variable content course in which each seminar studies in depth a selected topic in literature or language.  May be repeated for credit as content changes. Students may enroll in multiple sections in the same term.

ENGL 493 Approaches to Teaching Shakespeare's Plays (4)

Extensive analysis of Shakespeare's language and implementation of performance pedagogy, using Shakespeare's sources, textual variants, performance history, cinematic adaptations, and online materials in the secondary classroom.

ENGL 494 Literary Study and the Teaching Profession: A Capstone Course for Prospective English Teachers (4)

Prerequisite: English major with senior standing; field experience and concurrent enrollment in 1 unit ENGL 398 required for students seeking certification of subject area competency through the Single Subject Teaching option. Instructional strategies for teaching forms of literature to middle and high school students. Development of teaching portfolio and assessment of interpretive and critical skills.

ENGL 495 Seminar:  British Literature  (4)

Prerequisite:  English major with senior standing. Variable content course in which each seminar studies in depth a selected topic in British literature.  May be repeated to a maximum of 8 units for credit as content changes.

ENGL 496 Seminar:  American Literature  (4)

Prerequisite:  English major with senior standing.  Variable content course in which each seminar studies in depth a selected topic in American literature.  May be repeated to a maximum of 8 units for credit as content changes.

ENGL 497 Special Studies in World Writers in Translation  (4)

Prerequisite:  English major with senior standing.  Variable content course in which each seminar studies in depth a selected topic in world literature.  May be repeated to a maximum of 8 units  for credit as content changes.

ENGL 499 Undergraduate Directed Study  (4)

Prerequisites:  Consent of an instructor to act as sponsor.  Project selected in conference with sponsor.  Maximum of 4 units accepted toward English major or minor.  May be repeated to a maximum of 20 units for credit as content changes. Graded CR/NC

Graduate Level Courses

Classified graduate standing is required for admission to all 500 level courses

Courses in English (ENGL)

ENGL 500 Methodology of Graduate Research in English  (4)

Prerequisite or corequisite:  ENGL 441.  Introduction to bibliography, research techniques, professional essay style, and basic critical approaches. 

ENGL 501 Theoretical Foundations of Literary Studies (4)

Prerequisite or corequisite: ENGL 441. Introduction to the basic concepts and methods of contemporary trends in literary and critical theories.

ENGL 502 Research Methods in Literary Studies (4)

Prerequisite  or corequisite: ENGL 441. Advanced research methods, literary analysis, and essay writing; emphasis on practical strategies for interpreting literary texts.

ENGL 504 Seminar:  Theories of Composition and Rhetoric  (4)

Prerequisite or corequisite:  ENGL 401.  Theory and research in composition and rhetoric.

ENGL 505 Seminar:  Language and Literacy  (4)

Prerequisite:  ENGL 401.  Theories of language structure as they apply to contemporary usage. 

ENGL 506 Seminar:  The Writing Process  (4)

Writing and editing instructional, administrative, and professional materials.  Emphasis on developing English skills needed to teach writing at secondary school or community college level or to perform as staff writer or editor. 

ENGL 507 Seminar: Writing Fiction (4)

Prerequisites:  ENGL 407 or instructor consent.  Advanced workshop in writing fiction.  In-class critiques by students and instructor.  May be repeated for a maximum of 12 units.

ENGL 508 Seminar: Writing Poetry (4)

Prerequisites: ENGL 408 or instructor consent. Advanced workshop in writing poetry. In-class critiques by students and instructor. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 units.

ENGL 510 Proseminar in Literature (4)

Prerequisite or corequisite:  ENGL 501 or 502. Variable topic, discussion-based, reading course focusing on selected works from a literary period or genre.  May be repeated as subject matter changes.

ENGL 530 Seminar:  Children’s Literature and Folk Literature  (4)

Prerequisite:  ENGL 501 or 502. Selected topics in children’s literature and folk literature, as announced in Schedule of Classes.  May be repeated as subject matter changes. 

ENGL 541 Seminar:  Contemporary Critical Approaches  (4)

Prerequisite:  ENGL 501 or 502.   Variable topic seminar focusing on selected contemporary critical approaches to study of English language and literature.  May be repeated as subject matter changes.

ENGL 550 Seminar:  Topics in Composition, Rhetoric, and Language  (4)

Prerequisite:  ENGL 504 or 505.  Variable topic seminar focusing on selected issues in composition, rhetoric, and language, as announced in Schedule of Classes.  May be repeated as subject matter changes.

ENGL 555 Principles and Strategies in Teaching Writing (4)

Advanced study of theoretical models and pedagogical strategies for teaching writing to diverse groups of students, culminating in a reflective portfolio.

ENGL 560 Seminar:  British Literature  (4)

Prerequisite:  ENGL 501 or 502. Study of one or more major writers or of selected significant works in British literature, as announced in Schedule of Classes.  May be repeated as subject matter changes. 

ENGL 570 Seminar:  American Literature  (4)

Prerequisite:  ENGL 501 or 502.  Study of one or more major writers or of selected significant works in American literature, as announced in Schedule of Classes.  May be repeated as subject matter changes.

ENGL 580 Seminar:  World Literature  (4)

Prerequisite:  ENGL 501 or 502.  Study of one or more major writers or of selected significant works in world literature, as announced in Schedule of Classes.  May be repeated as subject matter changes.

ENGL 590 Seminar:  Special Studies in Language in Literature  (4)

Prerequisite:  ENGL 501 or 502.  Study of selected genres, intellectual movements, or literary ideas in representative works, as announced in Schedule of Classes.  May be repeated as subject matter changes.

ENGL 596 Comprehensive Examination  (0)

See the Comprehensive Examination in the requirements for the Masters Degree section of this chapter.

ENGL 598 Graduate Directed Study  (1-4)

Prerequisites:  ENGL 501 or 502, instructor consent to act as sponsor, approval of principal graduate adviser.  Independent study of advanced topics in field;  regular conferences with sponsor.  May be repeated to maximum of 5 units with maximum of 4 units allowed in any quarter.  Graded CR/NC. 

ENGL 599 Thesis  (1-5)

Prerequisites:  Advancement to candidacy, formal approval by department.  Independent study resulting in a critical essay.  Oral examination about master’s essay required.  Must be repeated to total of 5 units.  Graded CR/NC.