Faculty

Jacqueline Padgett, Associate Professor of English (Program Chair)
Margaret Claydon, SND, Professor of English 
Loretta Shpunt, Professor of English [Sabbatical 2002-2003]
Elizabeth Child, Assistant Professor of English 
Robin Vazquez, Instructor of English 

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Description

The English Program provides all students with the opportunity to become familiar with English as an effective tool in speaking and writing, to explore the range of literature in English from the earliest periods to the present, and to develop facility in original writing in various genres. Embracing the interdisciplinarity of Trinity's curriculum and its focus on gender, race, and ethnicity, the courses offered by the English Program invite students to study the rich traditions of and the current challenges to the standard canon of literary works. Thus, the Program encourages students to focus on texts whether printed, filmed, electronically published, or performed; on gender issues in literature; and on literary treatments of social concerns. The Program proposes to students the study of literary traditions, of literature by and about women, and of literature written in English by members of diverse cultures in the United States and internationally.

Requirements for the major are carefully selected to ensure that each student be able to construct a dynamic program of study built on a core of courses chosen to provide an understanding of literary genres, of themes and movements, and of major figures. Consistent with the mission Trinity College, the English Program stresses the development of the ability to analyze, criticize, and synthesize the structures and ideas encountered in texts; the viewing of literature as the reflection of diverse cultures; the understanding of literature as a sociological and political event and as a commentary on human values, particularly values related to justice, gender, and race.

Through research projects and participation in seminars and class discussions, students develop the ability to reason, write, and speak persuasively. In their capstone experience in the senior year, the Program's faculty members encourage English majors to view themselves as independent researchers. The English Program supports both a major and a minor in the College of Arts and Sciences and in the School of Professional Studies.

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Major Requirements

To fulfill the requirements of the B.A. in English, students must complete required coursework in the following areas:

Major Authors Requirement (6 credits)

BOTH of the following courses, which examine the work of writers whose ideas and achievements have shaped and are shaping literature in English:

ENG 215 Major Authors I
ENG 216 Major Authors II

Major Figures Requirement (6 credits)

TWO courses specifically devoted to the work of one author or a limited set of authors; acceptable courses include, for example:

ENG 303 Seminar on Toni Morrison
ENG 323 Seminar on Kate Chopin
ENG 332 Chaucer
ENG 333 Shakespeare I: Love and Marriage
ENG 334 Shakespeare II: Power, Politics, and Prejudice
ENG 347 Novels of Jane Austen
ENG 447 The Bronte Sisters

Major Genres and Movements Requirement (6 credits)

TWO courses which explore literary genres or specific movements and concerns in literature; acceptable courses include:

ENG 321 Romanticism
ENG 343 Early Modern English Drama
ENG 355 American Short Fiction
ENG 362 Women in Fiction
ENG 363 African American Women Writers
ENG 365 Women in Contemporary American Film

Additional Requirements (15 credits)

ONE literature course, in English or in another language, with a primary focus on gender, race, and/or ethnicity

THREE additional English courses at the 200-level or higher

ONE course as an internship or practicum with an emphasis on writing or research in a professional context (courses in disciplines such as publishing, journalism, or technological applications of English may satisfy this requirement)

Senior Colloquium (3 credits)

ONE Senior Colloquium:

ENG 497 Senior Colloquium

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Minor Requirements

Major Authors Requirement (6 credits)

BOTH of the following courses:

ENG 215 Major Authors I
ENG 216 Major Authors II

Major Figures Requirement (3 credits)

ONE course specifically devoted to the work of one author or a limited set of authors (see above)

Electives (9 credits)

THREE additional courses in the English Program beyond the 100-level

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Program Policies

Advanced Placement: The English Program accepts AP credit for major and minor requirements and in lieu of certain English courses.

CLEP Policy: Students interested in receiving credit for CLEP examinations should contact the Program Chair.

Grades in Major and Minor Courses: Students are required to earn a grade of "C" (2.0) or better in all courses counted to fulfill requirements for the major or minor in English.

Pass/No Pass: The pass/no pass grading option is not accepted in courses to be applied for the major or minor in English.

Senior Assessment: All majors are required to take ENG 497 Senior Colloquium in English for which students write an independent supervised comprehensive paper.

Study Abroad: Students are encouraged to plan their studies to allow for the possibility of study abroad.

TELL Policy: Students with substantial experiential learning are encouraged to apply for TELL credit in English.

Transfer Credits: Students may apply transfer credit in English toward the major and minor in English if the transferred courses parallel courses required for the major or minor. Transfer students who elect an English major must complete a minimum of 12 credits in English major courses at Trinity College, of which three must be in ENG 497. Similarly, transfer students who elect an English minor must complete a minimum of 6 credits in English courses at Trinity College.

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Course Descriptions

ENG 103 Grammar and Writing Workshop
Reviews structures of English grammar, usage, style, and skills appropriate to writing at the college level.
3 credits

ENG 105 Introduction to College Writing
Serves students working toward competence and fluency in college-level writing. Students who place into English 105 must complete the course with a grade of C or better in order to register for English 107.
3 credits
Core I-E

ENG 107 College Composition
Develops skills necessary for effective writing of thesis-centered essays at the college level, including analytical, critical, and argumentative essays. Research and documentation techniques included.
3 credits
Prerequisite: English 105 with grade of C or better or placement test
FLC Area I
Core I-W

ENG 199 Freshman Honors Seminar
Offers students the opportunity to explore in depth specialized topics in English and US literature. Recent topics have included the concept of "voice" in contemporary US culture and the history of women's authorship in Europe and the US. By invitation only. English 199 fulfills both the English107 FLC requirement and the Area II literature cluster requirement.
3 credits
FLC Area I and FLC Area II (Literature Cluster)

ENG 200 Multiculturalism and Literature in the United States
Examines largely contemporary writings by writers representing the diverse cultures in the US with a consideration of the ways in which difference or the other may be constructed.
3 credits
Core I-L

ENG 201 Instruction in Writing and Peer Tutoring
Introduces students to contemporary Writing Center theory. Allows students to evaluate that theory critically and determine which aspects will shape their developing methods as they tutor students in the college's Writing Center. Fulfills the Major Requirement for a practicum.
3 credits

ENG 203 African American Poetry
Explores traditional and experimental poetry by African American writers.

ENG 204 Literature of the African Diaspora
Introduces students to the study of literature written by authors of African descent in Europe and the Americas and explores the development of an international and multicultural consciousness with Africa and the diaspora as its referents.
3 credits
FLC Area II

ENG 205 Stories and Their Writers
Introduces the study of prose fiction, both classic and contemporary, in its multicultural contexts, with a focus on gender and history.
3 credits
FLC Area II

ENG 206 Plays and Playwrights
Introduces students to the study of drama as a genre with its origins in Greek tragedy; students will read and analyze plays from classical Greece, the medieval period, the 19th and 20th centuries, and today's theater in order to understand the development of drama; plays currently in production in Washington, DC, will be reviewed.
3 credits
FLC Area II

ENG 208 The Art of Poetry
Teaches both the appreciation and analysis of the rich and diverse tradition of poetry written in English, with attention to form, theme, major figures, and historical contexts and influences.
3 credits
FLC Area II

ENG 215 Major Authors I
Studies varied authors from the early periods of English literature to provide students with the necessary tools for literary analysis and with a sense of the literary history of Britain and of Ireland.
3 credits
Core I-L 

ENG 216 Major Authors II
Studies varied British and Anglophone authors from 1800 to the 20th century in order to promote students' skills in literary analysis and their knowledge of the history of literature in English.
3 credits
Core I-L 

ENG 251 American Literature I
Studies varied major works and authors from the earliest American writing through the late nineteenth century.
3 credits

ENG 252 American Literature II
Studies major literary works in a variety of genres from the late 1800s through the 20th century, including poetry, fiction, and drama.
3 credits

ENG 254 Introduction to African American Literature I
Familiarizes students with African American literature from its earliest expressions in the United States through the 19th century.
3 credits
Core I-L 

ENG 255 Introduction to African American Literature II
Familiarizes students with African American literature from the late 19th century through the Harlem Renaissance and on to later 20th century and contemporary writing.
3 credits

ENG 285 Hemingway and Fitzgerald
Analyzes the work of Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald in relation to the early twentieth century. 
3 credits
Core I-L 

ENG 303 Seminar on Toni Morrison
Examines the novels and selected shorter writings of Toni Morrison, with special interest in the literary commentary on race, gender, and oppression.
3 credits
FLC Seminar II 

ENG 305 Films of the 1970s: Changing Society
Considers and analyzes some of the major films of the decade, with emphasis on the ways in which these works reflect social changes.
3 credits
Core I-E 

ENG 306 The American Family on Film
Considers film as "composed realism" and provides a sociological overview of the American family as portrayed in films, such as Ordinary People, Crooklyn, My Family (Mi Familia), Moonstruck, Fiddler on the Roof, and others.
3 credits
Core I-E 

ENG 310 Narrative and Media
Explores the ways in which storytelling and voice are central to culture through a study of film, television, music, print, and speech.
3 credits
Core I-E 

ENG 311 Mystery Novels
Provides students the opportunity to develop critical analyses of the mystery genre.
3 credits
Core I-E 

ENG 314 Film as Social Criticism
Explores the use of film to illuminate and comment on social problems in contemporary culture. Problems presented in films include addiction, war, racism, and AIDS.
3 credits

ENG 315 Arthurian Literature
Studies Arthurian history, legend, and literature from its earliest sources to contemporary writings and film.
3 credits
Core I-E 

ENG 321 Romanticism
Studies Romanticism as expressed in several genres, especially poetry, and in its attention to intellectual, artistic, and political concerns in texts of late 18th and early 19th century British literature.
3 credits
Core I-L 

ENG 323 Seminar: Kate Chopin
Analyzes the major and minor works of Louisiana writer Kate Chopin, including The Awakening, and evaluates her work in the context of Southern literature and of literature by and about women.
3 credits
FLC Seminar II 
Core I-E 

ENG 328 Jazz Age American Literature
Studies the literature produced during the Jazz Age in the US.
3 credits
Core I-L

ENG 329 The Black Arts Movement
Investigates the Black Arts Movement in US literature of the 1960s and early 1970s, particularly its political, ethical, and aesthetic response to the Black Power Movement and to the development of an authentic Black cultural nationalism; considers the further expression of the movement in contemporary popular culture; proposes readings of selected authors, such as Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Ed Bullins, and Gwendolyn Brooks.
3 credits

ENG 330 Masters of Darkness: Gothic Fiction
Studies the psychological and cultural implications of works such as Frankenstein, Dracula, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and others.
3 credits
Core I-E 

ENG 332 Chaucer
Explores The Canterbury Tales in the context of Chaucer's time, including a brief study of 14th century language and the emergence of poetic genres.
3 credits
Core I-L 

ENG 333 Shakespeare I: Love and Marriage
Analyzes selected plays of Shakespeare on love and marriage, with an emphasis on the comedies.
3 credits
Core I-L 

ENG 334 Shakespeare II: Power, Politics, and Prejudice
Studies selected plays of Shakespeare on historical figures, events, politics, and prejudice, with emphasis on the tragedies.
3 credits
Core I-L 

ENG 340 Hopkins, Yeats, and Eliot
Analyzes the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins, William Butler Yeats, and T. S. Eliot.
3 credits
Core I-L

ENG 343 Early Modern English Drama
Focuses on the plays of selected canonical writers and recently rediscovered playwrights in early modern England.
3 credits
Core I-L 

ENG 345 Development of the Novel
Studies the origins, rise, and development of the novel in European and US literatures.
3 credits
Core I-L 

ENG 347 Novels of Jane Austen
Analyzes the novels of Jane Austen and selected filmed adaptations to evaluate the ways in which the novels comment on gender and ideology.
3 credits
Core I-L 

ENG 348 Modern Drama
Examines modernist and postmodernist dramatic genres and the concerns these dramas show for social issues, philosophical theories, and intellectual trends.
3 credits
Core I-L 

ENG 350 Images of Men in Contemporary Film
Views and analyzes contemporary films featuring stereotypical images of men in Western culture and the revisions of those images in certain films.
3 credits
Core I-E 

ENG 353 Dead of the Night: Classic Horror Films
Studies the genre of the horror film as part of the history of film, examining the films for their interest in horror, the gothic, good and evil, and human psychology.
3 credits
Core I-E 

ENG 355 American Short Fiction
Analyzes selected short fiction by American writers and the history, traditions, and revisions of short fiction genres in texts ranging from the early 19th-century through contemporary fiction.
3 credits
Core I-L 

ENG 361 Contemporary American Fiction
Considers the issues explored by contemporary American writers and the challenges they make to traditional fictional genres, including the novel.
3 credits
Core I-L 

ENG 362 Women in Fiction
Studies the representation of women in fiction by women writers of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. 
3 credits
Core I-L 

ENG 363 African American Women Writers
Examines the history and images of African Americans, especially women, in selected works by African American women writers ranging from Zora Neale Hurston to Toni Morrison.
3 credits
Core I-L 

ENG 365 Women in Contemporary American Film
Examines the stereotypical images of women in contemporary American film, including images of the Madonna, the temptress, the witch, and the virgin.
3 credits
Core I-L 

ENG 368 Literature of Fantasy
Studies selected works of fantasy by American and British writers and the literary construction of the fantastic and of utopias/dystopias.
3 credits
Core I-L

ENG 369 African American Women in Film
Considers the images of African Americans presented in film and especially in the work of African American actors, directors, screenwriters, and producers.
3 credits
Core I-E

ENG 371 Creative Writing
Introduces students to the writing of fiction and poetry with an emphasis on critical analysis of student work and of readings in the modern and postmodern periods.
3 credits
Core I-E

ENG 372 Creative Writing: Fiction
Concentrates on the critical analysis of student writing in fiction, with readings of American short stories. 
3 credits
Core I-E

ENG 373 Creative Writing: Poetry
Concentrates on the critical analysis of student writing in poetry, with readings in contemporary American poetry.
3 credits
Core I-E

ENG 374 Contemporary Fiction
Considers the issues explored by contemporary writers and the challenges they make to traditional fictional genres, including the novel.
3 credits

ENG 380 Internship
Offers experiences in fields related to the English major, primarily in research, teaching, and writing or publishing in professional contexts.
2-3 credits

ENG 384 Business Writing
Familiarizes students with basic types of standard business writing, including memos, letters, resumes, reports, and manuals, and with techniques appropriate to such writing.
3 credits
Core I-E

ENG 387 Thriller! Films of Alfred Hitchcock
Studies the films of the famed director.
3 credits
Core I-E

ENG 397 Literary and Critical Theory
Introduces traditional and contemporary models of literary criticism and theory through practical interpretation of literary texts.
3 credits
Core I-E

ENG 403 Milton Seminar: Literature and Politics in the Seventeenth Century
Examines the poetry and prose of John Milton, with special attention to his major epic, Paradise Lost; evaluates Milton's works in the context of the political and religious upheavals of the seventeenth century. Attention will also be given to contemporary critical reception, especially in terms of reader response theories as well as the feminist reaction to and recovery of Milton.
3 credits

ENG 447 The Bronte Sisters
Analyzes the novels of Anne Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, and Emily Bronte; their links to biography; and their exploration of women's lives and roles, with consideration of intertextuality as evidenced in the works of film directors, poets, and novelists which turn on the Bronte sisters themselves and their works, such as Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea.
3 credits
Core I-E

ENG 493 Independent Study
Offers guidance to seniors who seek to study a selected topic in literature independently.
3 credits

ENG 497 Senior Colloquium
Encourages the English majors to synthesize their studies in English and other fields; directs students in the writing of the senior comprehensive research paper.
3 credits

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