Literature Courses

ENGL 221 - World Masterpieces: Ancient to Enlightenment

3 hours

Prerequisite: ENGL 121, 220

A basic course with emphasis on an understanding of and an appreciation for the various types of literature including poetry, drama, and prose. Selections will be chosen from English and world literature. (Fall)

ENGL 222 - World Masterpieces: Enlightenment to Contemporary

3 hours

Prerequisite: ENGL 121, 220

A continuation of the study of world masterpieces from the Enlightenment to modern literature. (Spring)

ENGL 224 - Survey of English Literature

3 hours

Prerequisite: ENGL 121, 220

A survey of major figures and trends in British literature from the Anglo-Saxon period into the 20th century. (Spring)

ENGL 231 - American Literature I

3 hours

Prerequisite: ENGL 121, 220

A comprehensive study of the major writers and literary movements from 1609-1860 with emphasis on Franklin, Hawthorne, Whitman, and Dickinson. The class focuses on the establishment of a distinctly American literature in both content and style. (Spring)

ENGL 232 - American Literature II

3 hours

Prerequisite: ENGL 121, 220

A continuation of the study of American literature from 1860 to the present. Deals with the genres of the novel, poetry, and the short story with focus on the way Americans prefer individual freedom to society's accepted norms. (Fall)

ENGL 322 - Literary Perspectives

3 hours

This class explores the nature of literature, often through its various genres, its differing historical and cultural contexts, and its various critical approaches. Content may concentrate on a specific author (Dante, Shakespeare), literary period (World War I), theme (the hero in literature), or emphasis (women's literature). Subject matter may vary, depending on the instructor and the sequence of the class. Students may repeat the course for credit if topic, emphasis, or genre differs from the previous class. Applies toward the general education requirement.

ENGL 451 - Studies in Renaissance Literature

3 hours

Prerequisite: ENGL 121, 220

The historical and literary background of the English Renaissance from 1485-1616 with emphasis on the most significant writers of the period, including Shakespeare. This course fulfills the requirement for an upper-division course with components as specified in Southwestern's Quality Enhancement Plan. May be taken for general education credit with permission of the instructor only. (Spring, even years)

ENGL 452 - Studies in 17th Century Literature

3 hours

Prerequisite: ENGL 121, 220

English prose and poetry from 1603-1660 with particular attention to the poetry of Jonson, Donne, and Herbert with a more detailed study of John Milton and his major poems. May be taken for general education credit with permission of the instructor only. (Fall, odd years)

ENGL 453 - Studies in 18th Century Literature

3 hours

Prerequisite: ENGL 121, 220

English poetry and prose from 1660-1800 with special attention to the major works of Dryden, Swift, and Pope. May be taken for general education credit with permission of the instructor only. (Fall, even years)

ENGL 454 - Studies in Medieval Literature

3 hours

Prerequisite: ENGL 121, 220

A study of selected Old and Middle English texts (900-1400) with special emphasis on Anglo-Saxon language, Middle English, Chaucer, the Pearl Poet, and religious dissent in the fourteenth century. May be taken for general education credit with permission of the instructor only. (Spring, odd years)

ENGL 455 - Studies in Romantic Literature

3 hours

Prerequisite: ENGL 121, 220

Representative English Romantic poetry and prose with special emphasis on Wordsworth, Coleridge, Shelley, Keats, and Byron. May be taken for general education credit with permission of the instructor only. (Spring, odd years)

ENGL 456 - Studies in Victorian Literature

3 hours

Prerequisite: ENGL 121, 220

A study of British poetry, novels, essays, and plays from 1830-1900. Emphasis on Dickens, R. Browning, Hardy, and E. Bronte. This course fulfills the requirement for an upper-division course with components as specified in Southwestern's Quality Enhancement Plan. May be taken for general education credit with permission of the instructor only. (Fall, odd years)

ENGL 457 - Studies in 20th Century Literature

3 hours

Prerequisite: ENGL 121, 220

A study of the major trends and writers in English and American literature since 1900. This course fulfills the requirement for an upper-division course with components as specified in Southwestern's Quality Enhancement Plan. May be taken for general education credit with permission of the instructor only. (Spring, even years)

ENGL 458 - Literary Analysis

3 hours

Prerequisite: Completion of all lower-division English requirements.

An examination of literary theories and genres and their application to selected works of literature. Designed as a capstone to the English major, this class will be taken during the student's senior year and serves as the fourth-year writing class. This course fulfills the requirement for a capstone/portfolio completion course with components as specified in Southwestern's Quality Enhancement Plan. (Spring)

ENGL 459 - The American Classics

3 hours

A study of major texts or authors in American literature in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries with an emphasis on distinctive elements in American subject matter and style. May be taken for general education credit with permission of instructor only. (Spring, odd years)