English

Faculty
Description
Major Requirements
Minor Requirements
Program Policies
Course Descriptions

Faculty

Elizabeth Child, Assistant Professor of English (Program Chair)
Loretta Shpunt, Professor of English
Jacqueline Padgett, Associate Professor of English
William Beverly, Instructor of English
Jennifer Solomon, Instructor of English

Return to top

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; gender issues in literature; and 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 is able to construct a dynamic program of study built on a core of courses that provide an understanding of literary genres, of themes and movements, and of major figures. Consistent with the mission of Trinity, 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; and 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.

Return to top

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:

ENGL 211 Major British Writers I
ENGL 212 Major British Writers II

Major Figures Requirement (6 credits)

TWO courses at the 300-level or above specifically devoted to the work of one author or a limited set of authors; acceptable courses include, for example:

ENGL 323 Shakespeare I: Love and Marriage
ENGL 324 Shakespeare II: Power, Politics, and Prejudice
ENGL 421 Chaucer
ENGL 428 Milton: Literature and Politics in the Seventeenth Century
ENGL 434 Novels of Jane Austen
ENGL 435 The Bronte Sisters
ENGL 447 Samuel Beckett on the Absurd
ENGL 451 Writers of the American South
ENGL 476 Seminar on Toni Morrison

Major Genres and Movements Requirement (6 credits)

TWO courses at the 300-level or above which explore literary genres or specific movements and concerns in literature; acceptable courses include:

ENGL 322 Early Modern English Drama
ENGL 332 Romanticism
ENGL 363 American Short Fiction
ENGL 371 Women in Fiction
ENGL 373 African American Women Writers
ENGL 377 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):

ENGL 491 Internship*

* Students may substitute ENGL 201 with permission of the Program Chair.

Senior Colloquium (3 credits)

ONE Senior Colloquium:

ENGL 499 Senior Colloquium

Return to top

Minor Requirements

Major Authors Requirement (6 credits)

BOTH of the following courses:

ENGL 211 Major British Writers I
ENGL 212 Major British Writers II

Major Figures Requirement (3 credits)

ONE course at the 300-level or above 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

Return to top

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 ENGL 499 Senior Colloquium in English for which students write an independent supervised comprehensive and scholarly research 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, of which three must be in ENGL 499. Similarly, transfer students who elect an English minor must complete a minimum of 6 credits in English courses at Trinity.

Return to top

Course Descriptions

ENGL 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. Formerly ENG 105 Introduction to College Writing.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 103 with grade of “C” or better; or placement test proficiency

ENGL 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. Formerly ENG 107 College Composition.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 105 with grade of “C” or better; or placement test proficiency
FLC Area I
Core I-Writing

ENGL 201 Instruction in Writing and Peer Tutoring
Introduces students to contemporary Writing Center theory. The course 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 an internship or practicum. Formerly ENG 201 Instruction in Peer Tutoring.
3 credits
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor

ENGL 209 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. Formerly ENG 384 Business Writing.
3 credits
Prerequisite: ENGL 107

ENGL 211 Major British Writers I
Studies varied authors and movements from the early periods of English literature to the 18th century to provide students with the necessary tools for literary analysis and with a sense of the literary history of Britain and its colonies. Formerly ENG 215 Major Authors I.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 212 Major British Writers II
Studies varied British and Anglophone authors, texts, and films 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, including such important literary movements as modernism and post-colonialism. Formerly ENG 216 Major Authors II.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 214 Major US Writers I
Studies varied major works and authors from the earliest US writing through the late nineteenth century. Formerly ENG 251 American Literature I.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 215 Major US Writers II
Studies major US literary works in a variety of genres from the late 1800s to the present, including poetry, fiction, and drama. Formerly ENG 252 American Literature II.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 218 Introduction to African American Literature I
Familiarizes students with African American literature from its earliest expressions in the United States through the 19th century. Formerly ENG 254 Introduction to African American Literature I.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 219 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. Formerly ENG 255 Introduction to African American Literature II.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 267 Multicultural United States Literature
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. Formerly ENG 200 Multicultural US Literature.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 268 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. Formerly ENG 306 The American Family on Film.
3 credits

ENGL 271 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. Formerly ENG 204 Literature of the African Diaspora.
3 credits
FLC Area II – Literature Cluster
Core I-Literature

ENGL 273 African American Poetry
Explores traditional and experimental poetry by African American writers. Formerly ENG 203 African American Poetry.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 277 Women Warriors in Film and Fiction
Examines representations of the figure of the female warrior, from the Amazons to G.I. Jane, in fiction, film, drama, and television. Formerly ENG 218 Women Warriors in Film and Fiction.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 278 Global Hollywood
Examines the reception of US-made films abroad and cross-cultural representations in a variety of Hollywood blockbusters; considers responses to Hollywood in various non-Western films, such as those in the Bombay film industry (Bollywood).
3 credits

ENGL 281 The Art of Poetry
Teaches students 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. Formerly ENG 208 The Art of Poetry.
3 credits
FLC Area II – Literature Cluster
Core I-Literature

ENGL 283 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. Formerly ENG 205 Stories and Their Writers.
3 credits
FLC Area II – Literature Cluster
Core I-Literature

ENGL 285 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. Formerly ENG 206 Plays and Playwrights.
3 credits
FLC Area II – Literature Cluster
Core I-Literature

ENGL 287 Tales of Terror:  Gothic Fiction and Film
Introduces students to major works in the Gothic genre from the 18th century to the present; emphasizes characteristics and evolution of horror as a topic for narrative.
3 credits
FLC Area II – Literature Cluster
Core I-Literature

ENGL 299 First-Year 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 299 fulfills the Area II literature cluster requirement. Formerly ENG 199 Freshman Honors Seminar.
3 credits
FLC Area II (Literature Cluster)

ENGL 301 Creative Writing: Poetry
Concentrates on the critical analysis of student writing in poetry, with readings in contemporary US poetry. Formerly ENG 373 Creative Writing: Poetry.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107

ENGL 302 Creative Writing: Fiction 
Concentrates on the critical analysis of student writing in fiction, with readings of US short stories. Formerly ENG 372 Creative Writing Fiction.
3 credits
Prerequisites: ENGL 107

ENGL 307 Structure of English Grammar
Provides an advanced understanding of the structures of the English language.
3 credits

ENGL 309 Linguistics
Provides an introduction to the study of language, including the history of linguistics and the impact of its practice on a variety of contemporary disciplines. Useful for students interested in literary theory, modern philosophy, and cultural politics. Also meets the linguistics requirement for Education majors who plan to teach English at the secondary level.
3 credits

ENGL 321 Arthurian Literature
Studies Arthurian history, legend, and literature from its earliest sources to contemporary writings and film. Formerly ENG 315 Arthurian Literature.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 322 Early Modern English Drama
Focuses on the plays of selected canonical writers and recently rediscovered playwrights in early modern England. Formerly ENG 343 Early Modern English Drama.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 323 Shakespeare: Love and Marriage
Analyzes selected plays of Shakespeare involving love and marriage, with an emphasis on the comedies. Formerly ENG 333 Shakespeare: Love and Marriage.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 324 Shakespeare: Power and Politics
Studies selected plays of Shakespeare involving historical figures, events, politics, and prejudice, with emphasis on the tragedies. Formerly ENG 334 Shakespeare: Power, Politics, and Prejudice.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 332 Romanticism
Studies Romanticism as expressed in several genres, especially poetry, and its attention to intellectual, artistic, and political concerns in texts of late 18th and early 19th century British literature. Formerly ENG 321 Romanticism.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 340 Christianity and Literature
Explores literary re-visions of Biblical narratives, with re-writings of the Annunciation from St. Luke's Gospel as a prime example, and considers literary treatments of such Christian concepts as grace, forgiveness, and redemption.
3 credits
Core l-Literature

ENGL 348 Modernisms
Explores modernism as a global literary movement in the early 20th century.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 349 Postmodernism/Post colonialism
Looks at the intersection of postmodernism and Post colonialism in the mid to late 20th century, with emphasis on colonial difference, border thinking, and globalization. Readings may include fiction, poetry, drama, and nonfiction by such writers as Franz Fanon, J.M. Coetzee, Kamau Brathwaite, Maryse Conde, Susan Howe, Adrienne Kennedy, Salman Rushdie, and Bharati Mukherjee.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 361 Contemporary United States Poetry
Examines contemporary United States poetry with attention to its relationship to the literary tradition, innovation, and United States culture.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 363 American Short Fiction
Analyzes selected short fiction by US writers and the history, traditions, and revisions of short fiction genres in texts ranging from the early 19th century through contemporary fiction. Formerly ENG 355 American Short Fiction.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 365 Contemporary United States Fiction
Considers the issues explored by contemporary US writers and the challenges they make to traditional fictional genres, including the novel. Formerly ENG 361 Contemporary American Fiction.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 367 Films of the 1970s
Considers and analyzes some of the major films of the decade, with emphasis on the ways in which these works reflect social changes. Formerly ENG 305 Films of the 1970s: Changing Society.
3 credits

ENGL 371 Women in Fiction
Studies the representation of women in fiction by women writers of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Formerly ENG 362 Women in Fiction.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 373 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. Formerly ENG 363 African American Women Writers.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 377 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. Formerly ENG 365 Women in Contemporary American Film.
3 credits

ENGL 378 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. Formerly ENG 369 African American Women in Film.
3 credits

ENGL 379 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. Formerly ENG 350 Images of Men in Contemporary Film.
3 credits

ENGL 380 History of the Novel
Studies the evolution of the novel in European, South American, and US literatures. Formerly ENG 345 Development of the Novel.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 385 Modern Drama
Examines modernist and postmodernist dramatic genres and the concerns these dramas show for social issues, philosophical theories, and intellectual trends. Formerly ENG 348 Modern Drama.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 386 Literature of Fantasy
Studies selected works of fantasy by US and British writers and the literary construction of the fantastic and of utopias/dystopias. Formerly ENG 368 Literature of Fantasy.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 389 Literary and Critical Theory
Introduces traditional and contemporary models of literary criticism and theory through practical interpretation of literary texts. Formerly ENG 397 Literary and Critical Theory.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Two literature courses at the 200-level or higher

ENGL 399 Honors Seminar:  Trading Spaces:  Migration, Narrative, and Economics
This Honors seminar will examine migration, humanity's ceaseless ebb and flow across all the spaces of the globe, through the twin lenses of literature and economics.  In literature, we will explore narratives of men and women driven to "trade spaces" through various intersections of necessity and desire.  Through economics, we will examine the socioeconomic patterns that underlie wide-scale relocations of peoples, from the industrialization of early modern Western economies to the global trade in women of the post-modern era.
3 credits
Prerequisites:  Honors Program or permission of Instructor
FLC Seminar II
Cross-listed with ECON 399

ENGL 421 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. Formerly ENG 332 Chaucer.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 428 Milton: Literature and Politics in the 17th Century
Examines the poetry and prose of John Milton, with special attention to his major epic, Paradise Lost.  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. Formerly ENG 403 Milton Seminar: Literature and Politics in the 17th Century.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Sophomore status
Core I-Literature

ENGL 434 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 and contribute to the evolution of the novel as a genre. Formerly ENG 347 Novels of Jane Austen.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 435 The Brontë 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. Formerly ENG 447 The Brontë Sisters.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 437 Hopkins, Yeats, and Eliot
Analyzes the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins, William Butler Yeats, and T. S. Eliot. Formerly ENG 340 Hopkins, Yeats, and Eliot.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 447 Samuel Beckett on the Absurd
Examines the works of Samuel Beckett, especially in terms of how his writings draw upon and reproduce absurdism and existentialism in the twentieth century.
3 credits

ENGL 451 Writers of the American South
Focusing on two or three writers, this course inquires into the effect of Southern life, history, and culture on the development of American authorship. Writers to be considered may include Kate Chopin, Zora Neale Hurston, Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner, and others.
3 credits
FLC Seminar II
Core I-Literature

ENGL 470 Wright, Ellison, and Baldwin
Examines the novels, short stories, and essays of Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, and James Baldwin. Themes addressed may include racial and ethnic politics and literature, world conflict, Paul Gilroy's theory of "the Black Atlantic," jazz, queer theory and gender politics, and the development of the African American novel in the 20th century.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 476 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. Formerly ENG 303 Seminar on Toni Morrison.
3 credits
FLC Seminar II
Core I-Literature

ENGL 477 Seminar on Alice Walker
Considers the literary works of Alice Walker. Formerly ENG 326 Seminar on Alice Walker.
3 credits
Core I-Literature

ENGL 489 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. Formerly ENG 314 Film as Social Criticism.
3 credits

ENGL 491 Internship 
Offers experiences in fields related to the English major, primarily in research, teaching, and writing or publishing in professional contexts. Formerly ENG 380 Internship.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor

ENGL 498 Independent Study
Offers guidance to students who seek to study a selected topic in literature independently. Formerly ENG 493 Independent Study.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Permission of instructor

ENGL 499 Senior Colloquium
Encourages the English majors to synthesize their studies in English and other fields; directs students in the writing of an original and scholarly research paper. Offered in the Fall semester. Formerly ENG 497 Senior Colloquium.
3 credits
Prerequisites: Senior status

Return to top