Department of English
500-Level courses
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524 - Writing—Advanced: Analytical or Technical
524-01 M 15:30-18:20 - K. Ritter
Topic: Writing in the Profession
In this course, graduate students will meet in a weekly workshop format to learn about and practice key genres of writing in the English studies profession. Several faculty from the English department will assist me in the teaching of this course, in the form of regular guest lectures on topics of expertise. As such, this is a course that is aimed at all sub-disciplines (literature, rhet/comp, theory) within our graduate student population.
We will begin the course asking “what is my professional identity?” in terms of the CV, job cover letter, and dissertation abstract, and spend time honing these documents (for those not yet at the dissertation stage, we will work on creating mock abstracts, to practice writing in this genre). We will then move to a study of professional writing beyond the application, specifically the conference abstract, journal query letter, journal article, and “revise and resubmit” writing of article submissions. Topics of conversation will include, how do I turn a seminar paper into an article? How do I turn a conference paper into an article? How do I know where to publish? What are the key components of an article, and how do these differ across specializations?
We will also discuss other professional writing that gets done in the service of, or after receiving, the academic job, including book reviews and “dream course” construction/ad hoc course syllabi, and the teaching portfolio/teaching philosophy. The general aim of this course is to better prepare students for a competitive job market in English, and to hone students’ professional writing skills so as to ensure greater success once that job is secured.
This course is restricted to graduate students in English. Master's and MFA students are welcome; the target population is beginning to advanced doctoral students. Course will meet once weekly in seminar format, and grades will be determined on a completion/contract basis. There are thus no “formal” requirements; students will bring various work products (CV, letter, conference papers from other courses, etc.) to class each week as directed. Reading load will be minimal, aimed at expanding upon the professional topics already under discussion, and likely will consist of selections from the following texts, as well as other helpful professional articles from journals and web sites:
Olson, Gary and Todd Taylor, eds. Publishing Rhetoric and Composition. ISBN 079143396X.
Sigismund Huff, Anne. Writing For Scholarly Publication. ISBN 0761918051.
Thyer, Bruce. Successful Publishing in Scholarly Journals. ISBN 027594660-6.
Course is capped at 15. Please e-mail Kelly Ritter (karitter@uncg.edu) with any questions.
531 - Feminist Theory and Women Writers
531-01 T 18:30-21:20 - M. Gibson
English 531 is designed as an introduction to various strands of contemporary feminist and gender theory, particularly as they impinge on questions of art, language, nation and body. In order to trace these connections, which are always dependent on history and location, we will focus on both literary and critical texts. You will be able to pursue your own interests in the context of these issues through independent research projects. Requirements: a reading journal, one or two seminar presentations, and a research paper.
Warhol, et. al., eds., Feminisms
Judith Butler, Bodies that Matter
Toni Morrison, Playing in the Dark
Luce Irigaray, This Sex Which is Not One
Gayatri Spivak, The Spivak Reader
Readings in nineteenth-century literature: Charlotte Bronte, Villette; Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Aurora Leigh; Toru Dutt, Ancient Ballads and Legends of Hindustan; selected poems by Amy Levy, Augusta Webster, and Frances Harper
Other texts available on e-reserve from Jackson Library.
541 - Milton
541-01 T 18:30-21:20 - C. Hodgkins
See the quintessential Dead White European Male come to life in all his paradoxical brilliance: libertarian censor, elitist regicide, puritan playwright, defender of patriarchy and no-fault divorce, revolutionary and bureaucrat, political hack writer and epic lord of language. We will read John Milton's work in keeping with the three major "movements" of his life: the early poetic apprenticeship ("On Shakespeare" through "Lycidas"); the middle years as revolutionary prose pamphleteer and Cromwellian spokesman (especially his tracts on divorce, press freedom, and regicide); and the last decades of blindness, defeat, and poetic fruition (Paradise Lost, Samson Agonistes, and Paradise Regain'd). Along the way we will study varied versions of the Eden story that may have influenced Paradise Lost, from Genesis to Lilith to Amelia Lanyer. Our first and final goal, though, will be understanding and enjoying the poetry and prose, particularly the great epics. We also will consider Milton’s remarkable influence on American literature and culture and his contemporary importance as a poetic, political, and religious innovator.
Students will write 2 brief essays, present one oral report, and develop a well-researched, well-reasoned course paper.
Required Texts: the Merritt Y. Hughes edition, John Milton: Complete Poems and Major Prose; MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers; Holy Bible (King James Version). Recommended Text: Norton Anthology of English Literature
553 - Topics in English Studies
553-01 T 15:30-18:20 - T. Kennedy