Spring/Summer 2009 Course Descriptions
SPRING 2009
English 400, Seminar/ENG 538, American Lit. since 1900
Fitzgerald, Hemingway & the Lost Generation
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:30-7:00 pm
Dr. Fred Svoboda
We will examine works by these two famous friends as well as information on the time in which they wrote, covering the 1920s through the mid-1930s. Students will prepare several written/oral class presentations on the history and culture of the time, works by the authors, their biographies and various critical works. They also will write and present a major paper focusing on some aspect of the above. Expect considerable discussion in class and via an internet threaded discussion board.
Works to be read in common:
Fitzgerald:
The Great Gatsby (1925)
Tender is the Night (1934)
Selected Short Stories
Hemingway:
In Our Time (1925) & other stories
The Sun Also Rises (1926)
The Garden of Eden (posthumous, 1986)
ENG 588/EDR 585.m1 Special Topics, Literacy
Hangin’ with Elijah, Bud, Kenny, and friends
Mixed Mode. Tues. 4:30-7:00
Professor Rose Casement
This course will provide an opportunity for an in-depth look at the work of Christopher Paul Curtis in advance of his Winegarden Visiting Professorship on campus in the '09-'10 academic year. We will also look at works by Jacqueline Woodson and Gary Schmidt.
The class will be a Tuesday course (mixed mode) and will meet face-to face 4:30-7:00 on May 5, 12, 19, 26, June 2, 9, & 16.
SUMMER 2009
Eng/Lin 409 American English
Prerequisite: At least junior standing
W 4:30-7:00 (Mixed-Mode)
Dr. Jan Bernsten
Social and regional variations in American English will be considered in terms of contemporary views of cultural history and process of language change. This advanced course is cross-listed as a graduate course in the Master’s in Liberal Studies Program.
Eng 588 Special Topics: Language and Human Nature
Online
Dr. Kazuko Hiramatsu
We will be using Steven Pinker’s book, The Stuff of Thought (2007), as a starting point for examining how language reflects human nature. What does language tell us about human conceptions of such things as space, time and causation? By looking at a variety of examples, including legal language, baby naming and swearing, we will explore how language relates to: thought, reality, community, emotions and social relations.