Department

of English

Course Guide

Fall

2011

2

URGENT ADVISING

INFORMATION

THINK THAT YOU CAN WAIT

TO REGISTER FOR FALL

CLASSES?

THINK AGAIN!

Why Preregister?

Preregistration highly increases the likelihood that you will get a

seat in the classes you need, ensuring your progress towards

graduation.

In this difficult economic climate, classes that do not have an

enrollment of 12 students after preregistration will be cancelled.

Do not assume that you can wait until open registration to enroll.

You may find that the classes you wanted are no longer part of

the schedule.

Advising Hours for Registration:

Faculty will post their advising hours on a sign-up sheet on their office doors; if you would like to

reserve an appointment with a particular professor, sign up!

Walk-in advising hours for preregistration will be held April 4 – 15, 2011. Professor Bertram, the

Director of Advising, will be holding extended office hours during this period. However, after

April 15th, please consult with your faculty advisor for preregistration. Be sure to get your PIN (Personal

Identification Number) early if you are a senior, junior or sophomore.

Preparing for Registration in MaineStreet:

What happened to the Degree Audit? The DSIS degree audit is no longer available. The MaineStreet

term for Degree Audit is now Academic Advisement Report. Bring a copy of your Academic Advisement

Report with you any time you meet with your faculty advisor. This report is available through

MaineStreet at the end of your Unofficial Transcript (accessible within your Student Center and reflects

the CURRENT CATALOG REQUIREMENTS). If you are following the requirements for an earlier

edition of the USM Undergraduate Catalog, meet with your advisor for more information about proper

course requirements.

Course Search is available in MaineStreet only and will be posted on March 28, 2011.

Advance Registration Dates/Times will be available on the Registrar’s website:

http://usm.maine.edu/reg/advancedreg.pdf

Preparing for meeting with your advisor:

Bring a copy of your Unofficial Transcript

Student file (available in the English Department Office, 311 Luther Bonney)

Spring 2011 course schedule

Fall 2011 Wish List

If you are unprepared for your meeting, there is no guarantee that you will be able to get your PIN before your last opportunity to register.

Advising Information

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*** IMPORTANT NOTES ***

English 100, College Writing (or English 101, Independent Writing or English 104, Enriched College Writing) and English 120, Introduction to Literature, are prerequisites for all English courses at the 200 level and higher.

C English 201, Creative Writing, is a prerequisite for all creative writing courses at the 300 level and higher.

C English 245, Introduction to Literary Studies, is a prerequisite for all literature English courses at the 300 level and higher, except for those students not majoring in English. See your advisor if you have any questions.

C Individual courses may specify other prerequisites.

C

English 150 may be repeated for three additional credits when topics vary. Reminder: English 150 does not count toward the English major.

English 150 is a writing intensive course.

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ENG 150 TOPICS IN LITERATURE: M. BENDZELA MW 2:00-3:15 EXCAVATING THE BIBLE We will study modern theories of biblical composition--such as the Documentary Hypothesis and the Four-Source Theory--that never make it into public discussions about the Bible. We'll spend considerable time on Genesis, Exodus, and the Gospels. Later, we'll look at the Apocalyptic traditions of Daniel and John. The forgotten books of "J" and "P" in the Hebrew bible, the "Lost" gospels of the New Testament, and contemporary skeptical criticism support my thesis that the Bible, like everything else in the universe, is the product of evolutionary processes. TEXTS: Bring your own bible – Old and New Testaments – to every class. Edition of your choice. Required purchases: The Bible with Sources Revealed, Richard E. Friedman; The Complete Gospels, Ed. Robert J. Miller ASSESSMENT: Two midterm exams and a final; two separate writing projects.

C

ENG 150 TOPICS IN LITERATURE: D. BENEDICT R 4:10-6:40 BEASTS – ANIMALS IN LITERATURE Drawing on the literature of several cultures (American, European, and Chinese), we will explore twentieth-century stories, novels, and short works of memoir with an eye towards the rich and varied ways, both mythologically and metaphorically, that animals, woven into the fabric of stories throughout the world, afford those works emotion and meaning that cannot be accessed by any other means. TEXTS: A Death in the Woods and Other Stories, Sherwood Anderson; The Collector, John Fowles; Balzac and the Little Seamstress, Dai Sijie; Plainsong, Kent Haruf; The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd; and a packet of short story hand-outs. ASSESSMENT: class participation and (especially) attendance, assigned essays, informal written responses to the readings, quizzes, and a final exam.

C

5

ENG 150 TOPICS IN LITERATURE: J. CHEBOWICZ TR 2:00-3:15 LITERATURE INTO FILM Though filmmakers work in collaboration rather than in a writer's solitude, the director's imprint can be as clearly defined as an author's style. Serious artists in both media have shared a common goal: faithfully representing their visions of reality in the stories they tell. Our verbal and visual literacy is sharpened by a parallel study of their common texts. This course explores what is gained and lost as print is transformed into film. Among our concerns will be structure, character, symbol, point of view, and theme--as well as editing, camera placement/movement, lighting, and the uses of sound and visual rhythm. We will consider biographical, historical, formalist, feminist, and Marxist approaches to the texts. TEXTS may include Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?; The Red Shoes; The Talented Mr. Ripley; The Birds; The Letter; Brokeback Mountain; Rear Window; Strangers on a Train; The Maltese Falcon; and Before Sunrise. ASSESSMENT: Critical essays; reading/viewing response journals; class participation; in-class reports; objective quizzes; the pre-viewing of all films.

C ENG 150 TOPICS IN LITERATURE: M. CHEUNG W 4:10-6:40 MYTHOLOGY IN LITERATURE Myth, humanity's oldest form of storytelling, still energizes modern writers and artists. It expresses truths about our perceptions of the world we live in and how we experience our inner and outer lives. This course joins myths with later works consciously and unconsciously influenced by them from a worldwide range of poets, playwrights, fiction writers, and performers in words from the earliest times to the present. Students learn to recognize the settings, archetypal characters, story patterns, symbolic networks, styles, and themes that the mythic mode deploys. TEXTS: Leonard & McClure’s Myth & Knowing; Mahabharata; The Táin; A Midsummer Night's Dream; Black Orpheus; poems and multimedia forms. ASSESSMENT: 10 pages of informal writing, 10 pages of documented formal writing, a research and reporting project, and a take-home exam.

C

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ENG 150 TOPICS IN LITERATURE: T. SZAFRANSKI MW 1:15-2:30 MURDER, MADNESS, AND MONSTERS In her essay, The Madness of Art, Joyce Carol Oates celebrates the relevance of the horror writer in literature and society, with the contention that it is not necessary to distinguish so-called ―dark‖ fiction from other literary forms. Rather, she says that the delineation between ―serious, realistic‖ literature and ―supernatural, dark‖ fiction is a false one, and contends that horror literature is too frequently and too easily disregarded: The surreal is an integral part of our lives as the “real;” one might argue that, since the unconscious underlies the conscious, and we are always being bombarded by images, moods, and memories from that uncharitable terrain, it is in fact, more primary than the “real.” The Gothic work resembles the tragic in that it is willing to confront mankind’s - and nature’s - darkest secrets. Taking a cue from Oates' assessment of the importance and primacy of literary forms that confront the darker sides of human nature, this course is designed to blur the lines of distinction between what we consider ―serious‖ literature, and more popular ―mainstream‖ fiction, by combining the two genres into one cohesive examination of the various definitions of the word ―darkness‖ in reference to human emotion, action, and motivation. TEXTS: Featured works in this class will include works by authors such as Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Jeffrey Ford, Edgar Allen Poe, H.P. Lovecraft, and Charlotte Perkins-Gilman. In addition to short stories, students will also watch and appraise the elements of modern horror cinema. ASSESSMENT: class participation, attendance, informal journal reflection assignments, and formal unit essays.

C

ENG 150 TOPICS IN LITERATURE: E. WATERS TR 11:45-1:00 CARIBBEAN LITERATURE Dreaming of Caribbean beaches? Listening to Bob? Planning a holiday? This course will take you beyond the tourist clichés and provide an introduction to the Caribbean through writing by its major poets, short fiction writers, and novelists. We’ll read works by authors from Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, St. Lucia, Jamaica, Martinique, and other islands. Topics discussed will emphasize the multi-cultural Caribbean, the French, Spanish, English, and Dutch colonial legacy, Caribbean music and food, and Black British writing. Internet will be used extensively.

TEXTS: Reggae Poetry by Kwame Dawes; Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys; The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz; Krik? Krak! by Edwidge Danticat; Childhood by Patrick Chamoiseau; Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories, edited by Stuart Brown and John Wickham. Texts may be substituted based on availability.

ASSESSMENT: Quizzes, two papers of 2,000 words each on a particular aspect of a writer’s work, a midterm essay, and final essay exam.

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C

ENG 201 CREATIVE WRITING An introduction to the principles and practices of writing fiction and poetry; other genres may be added at the discretion of the instructor. Students will be exposed to a variety of writing modes through exercises and engagement with literary texts. Emphasis is on using imaginative and precise language, on developing critical skills through workshops, and on assembling a portfolio of revised student writing.

GORHAM

Cheung TR 12:30 – 1:45

Giles MW 11:00 – 12:15

PORTLAND

Coffin MW 11:45 – 1:00

Coffin MW 2:45 – 4:00

Edmands R 4:10 – 6:40

Kelly T 7:00 – 9:30

Pijewski F 4:10 – 6:40

Waters TR 1:15 – 2:30

Waters TR 2:45 – 4:00

C

PREREQUISITES: ENG 100 (or ENG 101 or ENG 104)

and ENG 120

Fulfills Elective Requirement

May be taken

concurrently with ENG 245

(Does not fulfill

Writing Requirement for students who

declared their major in Fall 2000 or later.)

8

ENG 203 TOPICS IN WRITING N. GISH TR 1:15-2:30 RHETORIC, STRUCTURE, AND PERSUASION: HOW TO WRITE EFFECTIVE ESSAYS Writing well is more than a skill: it is a form of discovery, of understanding, of conviction and persuasion. Yet to write well is to acquire the most fundamental skills that make us human. While it is possible to acquire these skills by long reading, reflection, and thinking, most writers need to learn basics and move to increasingly complex patterns. Building on the fundamentals learned in College English, this course focuses on the essay form as a primary method of both discovery and communication. From college essays to public debates, from editorials to presidential speeches, both theoretical understanding and practice in key skills provide writers with the tools to recognize, understand, and evaluate ideas, and to convincingly argue their own positions. Thus the course aims to engage students in becoming experts in a culture of writing. Students will be responsible for critical reading of all assignments, regular writing in class as well as in outside assignments, and learning the key concepts and forms of written texts. While we will address issues of style, our primary focus will be on organization, evidence, and citation of sources as the foundations of all effective writing. Specifically, we will focus on the following objectives: 1) to understand the relation of critical reading and effective writing; 2) to develop clear, compelling strategies for organizing essays; 3) to understand what makes valid evidence and how to cite it; and 4) to understand the centrality of language and writing to all areas of human experience. TEXTS: Paul Eschholz, et. al., Language Awareness, 10th ed.; Diana Hacker and Nancy Sommer, A Writer’s Reference, 7th ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s; Webster’s New World Pocket Dictionary, 4th ed.; Handouts in class ASSESSMENT: TBA

Fulfills Writing Requirement May be taken concurrently with ENG 245

C

ENG 230 LITERACY STUDIES A. DEAN TR 10:15-11:30 English 230 will introduce students to competing theories of literacy and literacy practices. Above all, this course will challenge students to rethink their own conceptions of literacy as well as their own literacy practices. TEXTS: TBA ASSESSMENT: several papers, class participation

Fulfills Language Requirement

May be taken concurrently with ENG 245

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C

ENG 244 INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL STUDIES D. MARYA MW 10:15-11:30 This course will familiarize us with intellectual positions taken by commentators from different disciplines on culture and its role in perpetuating or resisting the spread of a dominant cultural perspective that is built on capitalism and the globalization of western culture. What is common to the readings is an analysis that explores the relationship between culture, power and society. How and when does a culture become oppressive? How do a wide range of cultural emblems, discourses and artifacts become a source of dominance? Through essays and selections from a range of texts, we will examine the role of cultural resistance in everyday lives of ordinary citizens looking for alternatives to the culture of capitalism and the impact of their resistance. TEXTS: Readings include works by Bourdieu,Chomsky, Williams,Gandhi, Hobsbawm among others. ASSESSMENT BASED ON: three papers (5-6 pages each) and class discussions.

Fulfills Interdisciplinary and Cultural Studies Requirement May be taken concurrently with ENG 245

C

ENG 244 INTRODUCTION TO CULTURAL STUDIES J. MUTHYALA W 7:00-9:30 This course will introduce the history, concepts, and methods of contemporary cultural studies and their application in the reading of culture. While focusing on a variety of key concepts (culture, ideology, representation, subcultures) and texts, we will study culture less as a clearly defined idea or commodity and more as the site of competing constructions of identity, memory, history, and belonging. In the process we will discuss how specific narratives of American history produce and authorize certain ideas of cultural belonging, examine the uneven yet pervasive power of visual culture to shape contemporary forms of cultural interaction, and study the emergence of subcultures like hip hop, which embody the generational and cultural tensions of post-1960s America. TEXTS: essays by Matthew Arnold, Frederick Jackson Turner, Susan Bordo, Bakari Kitwana. ASSESSMENT: Three term papers, midterm exam, and several short commentaries on the readings.

Fulfills Interdisciplinary and Cultural Studies Requirement May be taken concurrently with ENG 245

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ENG 245 INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY STUDIES F. C. MCGRATH T 4:10-6:40 This course will have a double focus. It is partially an introduction to the practical methods and procedures of research and interpretation and the techniques of effective critical writing. It is also partially a forum for discussing the differences and similarities between several significant critical, theoretical, and pedagogical approaches to literary and cultural studies. We will read and discuss a number of literary works from a variety of periods, but there will also be a strong emphasis on writing. TEXTS: Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms; Shakespeare, The Tempest; Conrad, Heart of Darkness; Bram Stoker, Dracula, and selected poetry and criticism. ASSESSMENT: A series of short papers and a research paper.

C

ENG 245 INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY STUDIES R. SWARTZ TR 11:45-1:00 This course is designed to offer students practice in critical close reading and guidance in writing literary analyses. It will also introduce the contexts or methods of interpretation English majors are likely to encounter during their undergraduate careers. TEXTS: Shakespeare, MacBeth; Conrad, Heart of Darkness; several selected essays ASSESSMENT: a combination of quizzes, short and long papers, and exams.

C

INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY STUDIES This course introduces students to the terminologies, methodologies, and writing strategies necessary to pursue an English major. Through readings of both critical essays and literary works, we will study and compare a variety of critical and theoretical approaches to textual analysis and explore the relationships between literature and culture. There will be a strong emphasis on writing assignments that teach skills necessary both for effective critical thinking and for writing the literary research paper.

REQUIRED OF ALL BEGINNING ENGLISH MAJORS

11

ENG 245 INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY STUDIES L. WALKER MW 1:15-2:30 This course introduces students to the terminologies, methodologies, and writing strategies necessary to pursuing an English major. Through close readings of critical essays and literary works, we will study and compare a variety of critical and theoretical approaches to textual analysis and explore the relationship between literature and culture. There will be a strong emphasis on writing assignments that teach skills necessary for both effective critical writing and for the literary research paper. TEXTS: Bedford Glossary of Literary Terms; Barry, Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory; Cesaire, A Tempest; Hacker, A Writer's Reference; Shakespeare, The Tempest; Sheridan LeFanu, Carmilla; Coleridge, Christabel.

ASSESSMENT: A combination of short (2-3 pg.) and longer (5-7 pg.) papers, and an exam.

C

ENG 262 POETRY, THE GENRE N. GISH R 4:10-6:40 What is poetry? How does it work? Why does it matter to us? This course will focus on these and related questions by examining the changing forms and voices of poetry in English. Our interest will thus be historical (why do we read Pope but seldom read Finch?) and political (How did T.S. Eliot's poetry both challenge and reinforce traditional poetry? How do Williams and Levertov, for example, use sound and rhythm differently from poets who write sonnets and sestinas?). We will thus consider poetry as both a way of speaking and an activity in society. TEXTS will include Norton Anthology of English Literature; Hacker, A Writer's Reference; and extra texts of poetry by women and minorities. ASSESSMENT: Three essays and a mid-term exam. Presentations or written responses in class may also be assigned.

Fulfills Genre and Form Requirement

May be taken concurrently with ENG 245

C

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ENG 263 FICTION, THE GENRE L. WALKER MW 2:45-4:00 This course is a writing intensive, multi-period introduction to the short story, novella, and novel. The course will begin with oral storytelling and traditional tales (fables), but will concentrate primarily on types of narrative developed in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Throughout the semester we will pay close attention to formal elements of fiction such as structure, setting, point of view, character, theme, tone, and style, while also thinking about fictional texts as being produced in, and telling us about, particular historical moments. Class format will enable students to develop skills of discussion, interpretation, and writing literary analysis. TEXT: The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction ASSESSMENT: Combination of homework, a series of short 3-7 page papers, and a final exam

Fulfills Genre and Form Requirement May be taken concurrently with ENG 245

C

ENG 264 PERFORMANCE GENRES B. BERTRAM MW 2:45-4:00 From Sophocles to Lady Gaga, theater and performance art have provided a forum for ethical and political decision making. They have been a source of entertainment and education, pleasure and ethical awareness. Theater asks us to think about the causes of human suffering and it occasionally exerts significant influence on political life. This course will focus on plays and performances that force us to engage with big social issues like war, sexual violence, class conflict, and religious strife. We will address the social and theatrical functions of drama and performance art through the close reading and interpretation of a variety of texts. In addition to plays, we will study public performances of a political bent, from Queen Elizabeth I’s processions to Lady Gaga’s spectacles. TEXTS: Authors will likely include: Euripedes, Marlowe, Buchner, Brecht, Churchill, Hare, Kushner, and a variety of performance artists from the 20th/21st centuries. ASSESSEMENT: quizzes, essays, final exam, class participation

Fulfills Genre and Form Requirement May be taken concurrently with ENG 245

C

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ENG 300 FICTION WRITING J. TUSSING M 7:00-9:30 This course will explore the fundamental aspects of writing craft. Using the published work of recognized masters, we will initiate a conversation about the possibilities of fiction. We will develop a vocabulary that allows us to talk critically about the work we read. In small groups and as a class, we’ll complete writing exercises and share the results. Finally, we will use the workshopping process to evaluate our own short story drafts, to guide revisions, and to further hone our analytic abilities. TEXT: James Wood, How Fiction Works, and handouts ASSESSMENT: (1) Four shorter writing assignments (2-4 pages). (2) Each student will workshop two longer prose pieces (at least 15 pages each). These may be stories, novel chapters, or excerpts of some kind. (3) Students will write a 1 page letter to their peers in response to each workshopped piece. (4) Two significant revisions: one each of the shorter and longer writing assignments. (5) Class participation. Class lectures will address writing process, revision, and fiction theory.

Prerequisite: ENG 201

Fulfills Writing Requirement

C

ENG 301 POETRY WRITING S. WALDREP TR 10:15-11:30 This course is designed to acquaint students with the basic elements of poetry writing. We will function as a workshop in which each student submits poems to the class as a whole for comment and critique. Emphasis will be on the imitation of contemporary writers, exercises that stress the elements of poetry, and the development of personal approaches. TEXTS: Behn, Robin, and Chase Twichell, eds. The Practice of Poetry: Writing Exercises from Poets who Teach; Pound, Ezra. ABC of Reading; Poulin, A., Jr., and Michael Waters, eds. Contemporary American Poetry. 8th ed. ASSESSMENT: Comments and critiques of classmates' poems, class participation, exercises, and a final portfolio.

Prerequisite: ENG 201 Fulfills Writing Requirement

C

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ENG 302 FICTION WORKSHOP D. BENEDICT R 7:00-9:30 This is a course in the writing of fiction. Students will use prompts for exercise in fundamental aspects of the craft of narrative writing and in accessing story material for the completion of at least one short story during the semester. The course draws on weekly writing exercises, reading assignments, manuscript workshops, and discussions of the reading. Stress is given to specific aspects of craft, including writing in the concrete, fashioning real and believable characters, building well rounded scenes, evoking metaphor, tackling structure and defining the parameters of a story. Students will be asked to participate actively in reading, editing, and commenting on each other's work. Individual conferences will be set up with the instructor. May be repeated for an additional 3 credits. TEXT: Ann Charters, ed., Major Writers of Short Fiction. ASSESSMENT: class attendance and participation, the timely completion of work, and growth in the craft throughout the semester.

Prerequisite: ENG 201 Fulfills Writing Requirement

C

ENG 303 POETRY WORKSHOP E. SHOLL T 4:10-6:40 The Poetry Workshop is for students who have already been engaged in the practice of poetry, who want to continue developing the skills and style they’ve already established, while at the same time challenging that style and approach and exploring new possibilities. We will proceed by workshop for the most part, but also spend time discussing aesthetic issues and reading several individual books of poetry. Students will do some critical writing and produce a portfolio of revised poems. TEXTS will include one anthology and four individual volumes of poetry by contemporary poets, plus copies of selected individual essays. ASSESSMENT: 25% class participation, 25% critical writing, and 50% final portfolio.

Prerequisite: ENG 301 or instructor’s permission. Fulfills Writing Requirement

C

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ENG 304 ADVANCED MEMOIR D. BENEDICT W 7:00-9:30P This course is designed for the student who is interested in writing short and long works of memoir. Through weekly discussions of readings and workshops, the student will work towards completion of a substantial final collection of creative work. Prompts and writing exercises lead to mastery of the following fundamentals of narrative writing: writing in the concrete, fashioning real and believable characters, building scenes, evoking metaphor and structure, defining parameters, etc. Students will be asked to participate actively in reading, editing, and commenting on each other's work and will have several opportunities throughout the semester for individual conferences with the instructor. May be repeated for an additional 3 credits. TEXTS will include Jo Ann Beard, The Boys of My Youth and Tobias Wolf, In Pharaoh's Army. ASSESSMENT: Participation in class discussions, reading quizzes, prompt coverage of assignments, and evidence of growth in craft.

Prerequisite: ENG 201 and ENG 202 (or the permission of the instructor) Fulfills Writing Requirement

C

ENG 305 RHETORIC, SYNTAX, & STYLE J. KUENZ MW 11:45-1:00 Writing, like playing the piano, is a skill achieved through practice, but also like music, writing requires knowledge of fundamental units. Just as one cannot play the piano without understanding scales, chords, and phrasing, one cannot write without knowledge of words, phrases, clauses, and patterns of sentences. While it is possible to play or write by ear, most musicians and writers need to learn basics first. And in both cases, teaching the skill requires theoretical understanding of those basics. Writing is thus both a content and a practice. This course aims to conceptualize writing as form, skill, and convention as well as process, and to develop a theoretical grasp of rhetoric, syntax, and style as a basis for editing and revision as well as enhanced clarity and grace. In this course students will focus on sentence-level writing as a specific skill and as a basis for larger structures, developing knowledge of theory and style as well as expertise in editing. Specifically we will work on the following objectives: 1) to understand syntax as rhetoric, that is, to see grammar and sentence-level writing as central to meaning rather than as arbitrary rules, 2) to develop an understanding of grammar and syntax as a range of choices that allow complexity as well as clarity and style, 3) to develop an understanding of these choices as possibilities for meaning rather than as a way of avoiding error, and 4) to use these skills to write a full essay that is rhetorically effective, stylistically sophisticated, and intellectually distinctive. TEXTS: The Chicago Manual of Style; Strunk and White, Elements of Style; reader and/or course packet of readings on sentence style and structure as well as examples of many styles.

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ASSESSMENT: All readings, regular assignments and exercises in sentence structure and style, assignments of specific paragraph forms and styles, and a term paper developed in sequence over the semester that demonstrates ability to use all course concepts. There may also be short tests or papers on theory, depending on the class. The course will consist primarily of discussion, joint editing, and workshops on student writing.

Fulfills Writing Requirement

C

ENG 315 ANCIENT LITERATURE W. RUSCH MW 11:45-1:00 Beginning with a unit that studies the cultural artifacts of the Mediterranean and Aegean world from the Bronze Age through the development of classical Greek, this course introduces students principally to several of the most admired and influential works in Greek (especially from the Fifth Century BCE) and in Latin (from 100 BCE to 100 CE). Discussions of literary texts will use critical perspectives covered in English 245, ―Introduction to Literary Studies,‖ but will also introduce methods and theories developed specifically in the context of classical studies. Because the English Department has not offered English 316, ―The Bible‖ in several years, in Fall 2011 the course will end with a unit that studies the New Testament in the light of the foregoing discussions and of the Hellenistic context for the emergence of a canonical New Testament. Readings will include two Greek tragedies, Hesiod’s Theogony, selected books of Virgil’s Aeneid, Latin and Greek lyric poetry, and, from the New Testament, ―The Sermon on the Mount,‖ which contains ―The Beatitudes,‖ and the deuterocanonical Bel and the Dragon, a book rejected by Protestant Christianity but accepted by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches. Final grades will be based on (1) attendance and participation (10 to 12%), (2) a series of quizzes (30 to 40%), 2 short essays (30%), and a final essay (25%). The quizzes will be concerned almost exclusively with factual information detailed in class. The lowest quiz score earned by each class member (possibly the lowest two scores) will be dropped automatically.

Fulfills Historical Requirement (Ancient and Biblical)

C

Bertalan Pór’s “Sermon on the Mountain,” 1911

17

ENG 325 MEDIEVAL EPIC AND ROMANCE K. ASHLEY MW 10:15-11:30 Medieval literary history is marked by the survival of major epic and romance texts in unique manuscript copies. Their authors are unknown and their circumstances of production and reception are mysterious and even controversial. Understanding how these works arise from specific cultures where they may have had significant ideological roles to play is therefore a challenge—one this course will take up through an attentive reading, written analysis, and class discussion of individual narratives, supplemented by occasional slide lectures. This is a course designed to introduce the masterworks of medieval cultures, from over seven centuries and from various countries, including England, France, Germany, Spain, and Iceland. TEXTS: all in translation, will include Beowulf, Song of Roland, The Cid, Hrafnkel's Saga, Gottfried von Strassburg's Tristan, selected romances by Chrétien de Troyes, The Lais of Marie de France, and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. ASSESSMENT: 5 essays (4-6 pages each), participation in class discussion, an exam on the epics and an exam on the romances.

Fulfills Historical Requirement (Medieval)

C

ENG 326 STUDIES IN INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE SINCE 1900: D. MARYA MW 11:45-1:00 RESISTANCE LITERATURE This course will examine the politics of domination and exploitation with the idea of posing questions that include 'What are the political outcomes of hegemony?' 'How do the asymmetrical arrangements of social and political structures impact civil rights and political access for the majority of the world?' The readings will help us frame ways of understanding contemporary phenomenon such as global terrorism, grassroots social movements and anti-capitalist movements across the world that are concerned with the agency of the common person being colonized. The readings will help us figure out what the impact of these political sub-cultures and zones of resistance have been on reform and change in the world. TEXTS: Readings for this course will include topics such as Black Nationalism, Irish independence movement, political movements in the Middle East, writings by Frantz Fanon, CLR James, David Harvey, John Holloway and Antonio Negri among others. ASSESSMENT will be based on a combination of short and long papers, class discussions and a final essay.

Fulfills Historical Requirement (Since 1900)

18

C

ENG 329 MODERN DRAMA G. PETERS W 7:00-9:30 A survey of modern English and Continental dramatists who have had a revolutionary impact on the modern theater. The course will emphasize the experience of drama as much as possible by viewing video productions of several plays. TEXTS: may include works by the following dramatists: August Strindberg, Georg Buchner, Henrik Ibsen, Bertolt Brecht, Harold Pinter, Jean Genet, and Luigi Pirandello. ASSESSMENT: three short critical papers, one research paper, and a final exam.

Fulfills Historical Requirement (Since 1900)

C

ENG 330 HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE W. RUSCH M 4:10-6:40 This course introduces students to the historical study of the structure of the English language from its earliest stages through the contemporary period. Special attention is given to developments in English literary and cultural history that affected (and/or resulted from) changes in the language. Students will learn some essentials of phonological, morphological, and syntactic analysis, but both the course and the primary textbook assume an audience with no background in linguistics. Throughout the semester, the emphasis will be on the English language in varied social contexts. Readings will include a comprehensive history of the English language and a scholarly edition of a short literary text illustrating Early Modern English, probably Edmund Spenser’s The Shepheardes Calender or a passage from the King James Bible.

Final grades will be based on (1) attendance and participation (15 to 17%), (2) a series of quizzes (35 to 40%), and a series of exercises (35 to 40%). The lowest quiz score earned by each class member will be dropped automatically.

Fulfills Language Requirement

The north face of the Ruthwell Cross, containing a figure of Christ as judge, above two animals, and, around the

edges, an inscription written with symbols from the futhorc, the first writing system used to record Old English.

19

C

ENG 341 CONTEMPORARY CRITICAL THEORIES F. C. MCGRATH TR 2:45-4:00 This course will examine major contemporary theoretical perspectives from structuralism to the present, such as poststructuralism, feminism and gender criticism, psychoanalytic criticism, Marxism, new historicism, cultural studies, and postcolonial theory. TEXTS: David H. Richter, The Critical Tradition, 3rd edition. ASSESSMENT: Short papers, quizzes, and a final exam.

Fulfills Criticism and Theory Requirement

C

ENG 342 TOPICS IN CONTEMPORARY THEORY: S. WALDREP TR 1:15-2:30 THEORIES OF GENDER AND SEXUALITY

We will examine some of the major concepts about gender and sexuality on the current scene. Topics that we will trace in detail include the institutional history of lesbian and gay studies; the relationship of feminism to sexuality; the application of theories of sexuality to literary and/or cultural analysis; the

impact of AIDS; and the future of Queer Studies as a discipline or sub-specialty within the academy and without. TEXTS: Literary Theory: An Anthology; essays on electronic reserve; a few novels, stories, and films that illustrate the theories under discussion (by Dennis Cooper, Monique Wittig, Kenneth Anger, and others). ASSESSMENT: short papers and a presentation.

Fulfills Criticism and Theory Requirement

C

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ENG 347 TOPICS IN CULTURAL STUDIES: L. COLE ONLINE ANIMAL STUDIES, LITERATURE, AND ART This online course grows out of a new, interdisciplinary way of thinking about humans, animals, and the natural world. In his groundbreaking book Picturing the Beast: Animals, Identity, and Representation, Steve Baker asked three questions: Why does the animal, frequently conceived as ―other,‖ play such an important role in the construction of human identity? What is the relationship between these portrayals of animals and real animals? Finally, how might a different representation of animals bring about a change in public attitudes? These three questions will also serve to structure our class, which will draw upon a wide range of literature and film, from Aesop’s fables to Art Spiegelman’s graphic novel Maus. TEXTS: To be announced. ASSESSMENT: Regular participation in online discussions groups, a series of short essays, and a final powerpoint presentation.

Fulfills Interdisciplinary and Cultural Studies Requirement

C

ENG 348 TOPICS IN INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES: BOB DYLAN R. ABRAMS TR 2:45-4:00 We'll study Bob Dylan's songs as performed poetry, prophecy and enigma, always bearing in mind Bob's caution: At dawn my lover comes to me and tells me of her dreams With no attempt to shovel the glimpse into the ditch of what each one means. The course will focus on four or five of Dylan's artistic periods: early (folk, followed by electric), mid-70’s, Christian, and present phases. We'll consider Dylan's poetic and musical influences and friendships; his looks, personae and commercial packaging; his transformation of songs in performance, his relationship to cultural movements of his time, his Jewish roots and Christian infatuations, his activism and his artistic persistence. We'll read biographical studies, interviews and texts written for the page. We'll view scenes from Pennebaker's poison-pen documentary, Don't Look Back. We'll also read a number of critical essays. One major question I'd like us to struggle with as a class is the following: what will/should future Dylan criticism look like (because Bob will survive)? All of Dylan's lyrics are online, but students are expected also to know the studio versions of his songs. I haven't yet figured how to get you crucial materials while keeping costs down (but I will). Throughout the course, students will be expected to argue positions regarding interpretation of various songs, albums, phases of Bob's career, and his relation to his times. My own strengths lie in interpreting Dylan’s lyrics in light of his backgrounds in trade unionism, southern blues, progressive and anarchist movements, surrealist art, '60s idealism, and so on. I wish I were a musician, but I'm not, so I'm particularly interested in attracting not only English majors but students of varied interests, with strengths in such areas as pop music, modern art and American history.

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TEXTS: See above. ASSESSMENT: Class participation and a couple of term papers. Some rudimentary form of online access is strongly desirable. You'd definitely be at a handicap without it.

Fulfills Interdisciplinary and Cultural Studies Requirement

C

ENG 360 SHAKESPEARE R. ABRAMS TR 1:15-2:30 A consideration of the verbal intricacies and theatrical power of four important Shakespeare plays. TEXTS: to be determined ASSESSMENT: three term papers, pop quizzes, class participation.

Fulfills Historical Requirement (Renaissance)

C

ENG 363 / HTY 394 STUDIES IN RENAISSANCE: B. BERTRAM/D. KUCHTA MW 10:15-11:30 THE ATLANTIC WORLD

Using both historical and literary texts, this course will examine interactions among the peoples of western Europe, Africa, and the Americas from the 15th to the 18th century. The emphasis will be on how Europeans understood the peoples and lands they conquered and colonized, but we will also analyze how the Americans and Africans viewed Europeans. We will cover a variety of documents, including accounts of travelers and participants in events, philosophical essays about those encounters, plays and novels set throughout the Atlantic world, and maps depicting these newly-encountered lands. TEXTS: to be determined ASSESSMENT: Exams, Essays, and Class participation

Fulfills Historical Requirement (Renaissance)

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C

ENG 365 RESTORATION AND 18TH CENTURY L. COLE T 4:10-6:40 LITERATURE & CULTURE The "Restoration" refers to the period between 1660 and 1700, when the Stuart family, in the person of Charles II, was restored to the English throne. According to some traditional accounts, Charles initiated an "Age of Reason" that lasted until the late eighteenth century, when it was contested by the British romantics. What accounted for this preoccupation with rationality? To what extent did the literati of the period share their culture's anxiety about the nature and limits of reason? The purpose of this class is to explore the relationship between "reason" and "unreason"--love, enthusiasm, madness--in some of the most widely-read works of the period. One third of the course will be devoted to the writings of Jonathan Swift. TEXTS will include both canonical and non-canonical works by writers such as Aphra Behn, John Dryden, John Wilmot, Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, Henry Fielding, and others. This is a good course to take if you are preparing for the GRE subject test in English literature. ASSESSMENT: Three essays (4-6 pages) and a brief oral report

Fulfills Historical Requirement (18th Century)

C

ENG 373 STUDIES IN ROMANTIC LITERATURE: R. SWARTZ T 4:10-6:40 ROMANTICS AND WAR War with France was a dominant feature of English life early in the nineteenth century. The war had two phases: it begins as the French Revolutionary War, in which England joins forces with the conservative European reaction against the Revolution, and then transforms into the Napoleonic Wars after the Bonaparte comes to power. All told, England was at war with France for 22 years, from 1793 until Bonaparte’s final defeat at Waterloo in 1815. As you can well imagine, 22 years of war had a decisive effect on English society, politics, and culture, and therefore naturally had a powerful effect on every aspect of English Romanticism, causing writers as diverse as Coleridge, Wordsworth, Blake, and Byron to confront a diverse range of monumental issues, from the nature of heroism and sacrifice (and the grim brutality of constant bloodletting) to the nature of national identity. Responding to war, and imagining the nature of war, forced these writers to confront the deeply contradictory nature of English society. The paradoxes surrounding Romantic War are striking. This is an era in which military glory is imagined in the most soaring, sublime language even as modern communicative media such as the newspaper circulated horrific detailed portraits of war's grisly reality; war highlighted the incredible inequalities of traditional English class-divided society and yet led to a

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newborn sense of patriotism among the suffering poor. The course will explore key texts of traditional Romantic writing in relation to the inescapable paradoxes defining the French Wars.

TEXTS: The Romantics and Their Contemporaries (Longman); Seize the Fire: Heroism, Duty, and Nelson’s Battle of Trafalgar; various scholarly essays and primary texts on electronic reserve; documentary films on the French Revolution, the Battle of Trafalgar, and the transformations of English society in the 1790s and 1800s.

ASSESSMENT: a combination of in-class writing, quizzes, short and long papers, and exams

Fulfills Historical Requirement (19th Century)

C

ENG 382 EARLIER AMERICAN NOVEL J. KUENZ MW 2:45-4:00 This course will examine the development of the novel in the U.S. from the late 18th through the 19th century. In particular, it will focus on the relation of aesthetic innovation to cultural milieu and on the novel as an especially apt index for significant cultural debates during the post-revolutionary, antebellum, and post-Civil War periods. We will address many of these in the context of 1) questions of genre, including the early novel's relation to autobiography and "true" narratives, as well as the major 19th-century forms: Gothic, romantic, sentimental, and realist; and 2) changing definitions of the "self," "success," "freedom," particularly as these are reflected in cultural anxieties about gender, race, and national unity and the roles of women and African-Americans in the new country. TEXTS will be selected from Foster, The Coquette; Brown, Wieland; Hawthorne, The House of the Seven Gables; Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin; Melville, Moby Dick; Wilson, Our Nig; Howells, The Rise of Silas Lapham; Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn; James, The American; Chesnutt, The Marrow of Tradition; Dreiser, Sister Carrie. ASSESSMENT: a combination of critical papers and exams

Fulfills Historical Requirement (19th Century)

C

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ENG 387 / WST XXX WOMEN WRITERS SINCE 1900: D. MARYA MW 1:15-2:30 OTHER FEMINISMS This course is structured to do three things: to examine women's solidarity movements that provide a fertile ground for working across locations in spite of politics of difference, the building of an ethics of crossing national, cultural and class borders, and the crafting of an anti-capitalist critique through the organization of these unmarked movements. The questions we will address among others are 'what are our common interests that rethink different locations and histories?' And how does feminist solidarity challenge corporatization and globalization? The readings are designed to examine 'solidarity' models that are built around articulations of connection and disconnection between activist movements around the world. The course will proceed through readings marking the role of anti-global politics that challenge institutionalized feminist agendas and the naturalization of practices that have supported global capitalism. TEXTS: Readings will include works by Angela Davis, Vandana Shiva, Biddy Martin, Maria Mies and Chandra Mohanty ASSESSMENT: three papers of varying lengths.

Fulfills Historical Requirement (Literature Since 1900)

C

ENG 390 BRITISH POETRY SINCE 1900 N. GISH TR 11:45-1:00 This course will focus on poetry written in Britain since 1900. Our purpose will be to examine the shift from Modernist forms in the early part of the century to contemporary developments, specifically new emphases on postmodern experimental work and on "the democratic voice"--a rich variety of poets from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales and from working class and rural regions. This represents fundamental rethinking of the nature of poetry and its cultural functions. We will place specific poets against a broader poetic and historical context, using selections from a larger group for definition and studying key poetic texts in relation to them. The key poets will include T.S. Eliot, early MacDiarmid lyrics, Liz Lochhead, Denise Riley, and either Evan Boland or Maeve McGuckian. TEXTS: Eliot, T. S., The Waste Land and Other Poems (Harcourt); Tuma, Keith, Anthology of Twentieth-Century British and Irish Poetry (Oxford); Handouts in class to supplement; Hacker, Diana, and Sommer, Nancy, A Writer’s Reference ASSESSMENT: active class participation, short response papers on selected poems, and two essays. Essays will include drafts and revisions. Students may also be responsible for oral presentations on key issues.

Fulfills Historical Requirement (Literature Since 1900)

"For like his critically acknowledged contemporaries -- Pound, Eliot, Yeats, Williams -- and more recently re-examined women of the early modern period such as H.D. and Marianne Moore, MacDiarmid helped define an era. Indeed, for Scotland, he did so almost alone." --Nancy Gish, Hugh MacDiarmid, Man and Poet (13).

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C

ENG 394 / WST XXX STUDIES IN AMERICAN LITERATURE AND CULTURE: L. WALKER T 4:10-6:40 THE NEW WOMEN IN AMERICAN FICTION, 1900-1945 American writers of the early twentieth century were frequently drawn to the subject of women’s proper place in a society where middle-class women, in particular, were increasingly college-educated, gainfully employed, and often defied traditional expectations of feminine propriety. The term ―New Woman‖ became a popular catchphrase for several figures, including the Gibson Girl, the flapper, and the bachelor girl, that complicated women’s roles in a modern world of changing economic and cultural values. This class will explore how American authors, both canonical and popular, defined, celebrated and also resisted the ―new‖ roles of women in all tiers of society. TEXTS: Authors we will study may include Willa Cather, Kate Chopin, Ernest Hemingway, Fannie Hurst, Nella Larsen, Anita Loos, Zora Neale Hurston, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edith Wharton. ASSESSMENT: A combination of short and longer papers, including one research paper.

Fulfills Historical Requirement (Literature Since 1900)

C

ENG 401 CREATIVE WRITING MINOR THESIS (1 CREDIT) Student works one-on-one with an advisor to complete a thesis comparable to an M.F.A. application portfolio. Typically students revise 10 to 15 poems or 25 to 40 pages of fiction or non-fiction. May be completed concurrently with second workshop course. Must be completed for student to receive Creative Writing Minor.

Prerequisite: ENG 302, 303, or 304 Requires: Permission of Advisor

C

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ENG 409 INTERNSHIP IN PROFESSIONAL WRITING K. ASHLEY BY ARRANGEMENT Opportunity for qualified English majors to gain experience outside the classroom on local publications. Duties may include researching, drafting, and editing articles or press releases while learning other technical aspects of journalism, such as layout. Students have held internships at The Free Press, Portland Magazine, Casco Bay Weekly, The Portland Daily Sun, Bangor Daily News, Portland Monthly, Phoenix, FACE, The Bollard, and Maine Public Radio. Other weeklies and magazines in the area are possible. PREREQUISITES: ENG 309 (Newswriting) or its equivalent is highly recommended. Serious interest in professional writing and application filed with Coordinator of Internships. Guidelines for the application may be found on the department website or in hard copy at the department office. Application should be done during pre-registration with K. Ashley - or at the latest before the end of SPRING 2011 semester. ASSESSMENT: Completion of the semester’s work at internship site. An internship report supported by published work of the semester is required for a grade. Guidelines for the report are available from the Coordinator.

Fulfills Writing Requirement

C

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ENGLISH SEMINARS

A seminar is a small class (limit of 15 students) designed to encourage independent thinking, intensive student participation, and in-depth research on topics of the student's choice related to the seminar topic. Typically, seminars allow a professor to teach a focused subject of special interest, one on which the professor has done recent research and/or scholarly writing.

ENG 419/ANE 650 AMERICAN AUTOBIOGRAPHY K. ASHLEY M 4:10-6:40 Autobiography has been called the characteristic American genre, mirroring and creating the ―social, historical and aesthetic varieties of our national experience.‖ Werner Sollers points that autobiographies illuminate the ―inward experience of how social and individual forces may interact.‖ In this course we will read a range of works written in America from the seventeenth through the twentieth century, organized around the topics of early American narratives, slavery and the American nation, immigrants and the myth of success, and gendered and/or ethnic identities. Each autobiography will be considered as a cultural text and as an experiment with autobiographical form designed for a particular audience. Because each work has been chosen for its literary interest, historical significance and diversity, the course should be useful to students preparing to teach literature or the social sciences. TEXTS: Sidonie Smith and Julie Watson, Reading Autobiography: A Guide for Interpreting Life Narratives, 2nd ed.; Spiritual autobiographies; Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin; William Apess, A Son of the Forest; Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass; Harriet Jacobs, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl; Mary Antin, The Promised Land; Gertrude Stein, The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas; N. Scott Momaday, The Names; Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior; and Gloria Anzaldua, Borderlands/La Frontera. Primary texts may be accompanied by critical essays. ASSESSMENT: Participation in seminar discussion, short writing assignments, and a seminar project (including class presentation and a paper). Please note: There will be only 3-5 openings for English majors as the course is being taught for students in the American and New England Studies program. English majors need instructor permission before registering. Interested students should be seniors.

Fulfills Senior Seminar and Genre and Form Requirement

C

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ENG 419 SEMINAR: BILDUNGSROMAN G. PETERS MW 2:45-4:00 Originally developed in German literature, the novel of self-development or Bildungsroman depicts the process of inner development of a young man from adolescence to adulthood through his quest to attain personal culture. The course investigates the changes the idea of Bildung underwent at the hands of various authors in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in their adaptation of the original form, including the revision of selfhood to address Bildung as a female as well as male province. This course will focus on specific topics pertaining to the Bildungsroman, including the ―apprenticeship‖ paradigm, the development of secret societies, and the educational journey. TEXTS to be considered include Goethe’s Wilheim Meister’s Apprenticeship, Ludwig Tieck’s Sternbald’s Travels, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Joyce’s A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Thomas Mann’s Magic Mountain. All non-English texts will be taught in translation. ASSESSMENT: four short essays, one in-class presentation, and a longer research project on one of the topics under discussion.

Fulfills Senior Seminar and Genre and Form Requirement

C

ENG 491 SEMINAR: JOYCE F.C. MCGRATH R 4:10-6:40 This seminar will be devoted to the writings of James Joyce. We will read Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, and Ulysses. Most of the semester, however, will be spent trying to master Ulysses. In addition to the primary texts, we will also read biographical material and some recent criticism. The seminar also will introduce you to some of the major scholarly resources for the study of Joyce. TEXTS: Dubliners, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Ulysses, and selections from Finnegans Wake. ASSESSMENT: class participation, one short paper, one longer paper, and an oral presentation.

Fulfills Senior Seminar and Historical Requirement (Literature Since 1900)

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COURSE DISTRIBUTION BY LEVEL & CATEGORY Fall 2011

ENG 150/ENG 245 courses Interdisciplinary and Cultural Studies 150 Topics: Excavating the Bible Bendzela 244 Intro. to Cultural Studies Marya

150 Topics: Beast: Animals in Lit. Benedict 244 Intro. to Cultural Studies Muthyala

150 Topics: Literature into Film Chebowicz 347 Animal Studies, Literature, & Art Cole

150 Topics: Mythology in Literature Cheung 348 Dylan Abrams

150 Topics: Murder, Madness & Monsters

Szafranski

150 Topics: Caribbean Literature Waters Historical – Ancient

315 Ancient Literature Rusch

245 Intro. to Lit. Studies McGrath 245 Intro. to Lit. Studies Swartz Historical – Medieval 245 Intro. to Lit. Studies Walker 325 Epic and Romance Ashley

Criticism and Theory Historical – Renaissance 341 Contemporary Critical Theories McGrath 360 Shakespeare Abrams

342 Theories of Gender & Sexuality Waldrep 363 The Atlantic World Bertram

Language Historical - 18th Century

230 Literacy Studies Dean 365 Restoration and 18

th Century Lit

and Culture Cole

330 History of the English Language Rusch

Historical - 19th Century

Genres and Forms 373 Romantics and War Swartz

262 Poetry the Genre Gish 382 Earlier American Novel Kuenz

263 Fiction the Genre Walker 264 Performance Genres Bertram Historical - Since 1900

419 Bildungsroman Peters 326 Resistance Literatures Marya

419 American Autobiography Ashley 329 Modern Drama Peters

387 Other Feminisms Marya

Writing 390 British Poetry Since 1900 Gish

203 Topics in Writing Gish 394 The New Women in American Fiction, 1900-1945

Walker

300 Fiction Writing Tussing 301 Poetry Writing Waldrep Seminars

302 Fiction Workshop Benedict 419 American Autobiography Ashley

303 Poetry Workshop Sholl 419 Bildungsroman Peters

304 Advanced Memoir Benedict 491 Joyce McGrath

305 Rhetoric, Syntax, and Style Kuenz

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ENGLISH DEPARTMENT ADVISING GUIDELINES Who is my advisor? If you are a new major, you should make an appointment with the Director of Student Advising, Ben Bertram (bertram@usm.maine.edu). He will review English major requirements with you, answer any questions you have, discuss your academic and career plans, and assign you to a permanent faculty advisor. If you do not meet with Professor Bertram prior to preregistration to receive an advisor assignment, you may have to use walk-in advising hours to get your Personal Identification Number (PIN). All English majors are encouraged to choose their own advisors. At any time, you may request a change of advisor. Change of Advisor forms are available in the English Department Office in 311 Luther Bonney. Once you have completed this form, our administrative assistant will process all changes of advisor. When should I meet with my advisor? All students in the English Department must meet with an advisor during preregistration to discuss course selection, develop a schedule, and to receive a PIN that will allow you to register in Maine Street. Students are also encouraged to meet with their advisors at any other time during the year to discuss issues such as core requirements, progress towards completing the degree in English, choosing a minor, and preparing for post-graduate goals. New majors are especially encouraged to meet with Professor Bertram before preregistration! How do I find my advisor? You can find out who your advisor is by going to the student center in Maine Street. Below your Enrollment Dates, you will see your advisor’s name. If you click on your advisor’s name, you can contact them by email. In the English Department, you will find a list of faculty, their office hours, phone numbers, and email addresses. If, for any reason, you have difficulty getting in touch with your advisor, you may contact the Department Chair, Professor John Muthyala, at muthyala@usm.maine.edu. How should I get advising during preregistration? During the first week of the pre-registration period, there will be English Department faculty available for walk-in advising. Please consult the posted schedule in 311 Luther Bonney to see exactly when faculty will be available for walk-in advising. If you already have an advisor, then you may contact your advisor directly to make an appointment.

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How should I prepare for preregistration advising?

There are a few things that you should do prior to your appointment. Coming to your appointment with the following things accomplished will help to make your course selection and registration process very productive.

Before Your Appointment:

Pick up and review the English Department Course Guide for next semester’s courses. It is available in the English Department or on the English Department’s website at http://www.usm.maine.edu/eng/.

Go to MaineStreet and print out an unofficial transcript. Also print a schedule of the classes you are taking this semester.

Review the Core curriculum requirements in your USM catalog or your Guide to Graduation. See what remaining requirements you have.

Review your English Major Requirements Form to see what remaining requirements you have. Blank copies are available in the English Department Office. You may find it useful to keep a filled out copy for yourself, so that you can check off requirements as you go along.

Using the Wish List on MaineStreet, develop a list of possible classes to take in the Fall. Check to see if you have met proficiencies and course prerequisites. For example, ENG 100

and ENG 120 are prerequisites for English majors, and you must complete ENG 245 before you take 300-level courses.

Bring all of your documents with you to your advising appointment, including your file from the English department.

At Your Appointment You Can Expect to:

Confirm your remaining Core and Major requirements. Design a schedule that fits your needs. Get your PIN and advisor's approval, which you need in order to register.

FINALLY, ADVISING IS NOT JUST FOR COURSE REGISTRATION!

Students are also encouraged to meet with their advisors at any time during the year to discuss issues such as core requirements, progress towards completing the degree in English, choosing a minor, and preparing for post-graduate goals.

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The Department of English has a special exchange relationship with Radboud University in The Netherlands. Els Lunding is an exchange student from Radbound University and is attending USM during the Spring of 2011 and Charlie Nickell studied there in the Spring of 2008. Their descriptions of the exchange experience follow: Radboud University Nijmegen Els Lunding Nijmegen is a dynamic city. It can be easily reached by public transportation. The university is a mere 10 minutes away from the city center and can be reached by bus or bike (which is a popular means of transportation in the Netherlands). The campus is not too big, which makes it fun and easily understandable. During the warmer months, you will find an outdoor café (which is part of the indoor Cultuur café, the on-campus café), where people sit, enjoy the sun and each other’s company. The university itself is divided into a couple of buildings, the Erasmus-building being the largest one (20 floors). Although it is small, I find it a fun and pretty campus. The city of Nijmegen in itself can be compared to Portland in size. With plenty of bars, clubs and discos, Nijmegen has something to offer for everyone. With student housing not just near the university, but all over town, Nijmegen enables students to fully engage in student life. Fun fact. American Studies (USA) and English (GAG) host regular parties throughout the month, among them a monthly pub quiz at Absolute Zero, the favorite bar for American Studies and English students. Whether you are a member of USA or GAG, you can participate in their events. These gatherings are a good way to meet new people and to have an amazing night out! Go Abroad Charlie Nickell As an English major at USM you have a special opportunity to study at Radboud University in The Netherlands. I spent my spring ’08 semester there and am grateful I did. The experience of living in a foreign country and going to school with students from around the world opened my eyes to many new and exciting opportunities and adventures. It is hard to imagine what my life would be like now

The English Department encourages majors to consider study abroad for a semester or an academic year. Several locations are available from the English department in 311 Luther Bonney Hall and from the International Programs Office in 101 Payson Smith Hall. Professor Kathleen Ashley, Professor Gerald Peters, and Professor Ben Bertram may also be consulted for more detailed information on International Exchanges.

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without those experiences: a five-day bike tour of Holland with two French girls, enjoying a beer in front of Notre Dame on a sunny afternoon, watching the European Cup on a giant screen in the center of Nijmegen with 20,000 screaming fans, seeing Will Smith and Charlize Theron at a movie premier in Berlin, or watching skateboarders at a giant concrete park beside a medieval cathedral in Brussels. It sure beat spending another icy winter in Maine—where you’ll be if you don’t take advantage of this opportunity. Nijmegen is situated beside the river Waal near Germany and is considered the oldest city in The Netherlands. It is also a wonderful base from which to explore the rest of Europe. Amsterdam is one and a half hours away, Brussels two, Paris six, and Berlin five. Nijmegen has a large student population from all across Europe, Asia, and North and South America. Everyone rides bicycles. It is not uncommon to see women in high heels holding umbrellas, talking on cell phones while riding one-handed with a friend riding on the back. Truly amazing. The food is basic but good and there’s no difference between organic or non-organic produce because all of it is organic! The university is nice and has a large library with many English titles. Although Dutch is the national language, pretty much everyone speaks English—very helpful. Many literature and culture classes are offered and the faculty will really do their best to help. Thank you Professor Hans Bak! Just about all students live in residency halls that include full kitchens and an assortment of unique decoration. I lived with other exchange students across the Waal River in Lent where we had four-bedroom apartments. The bike ride to school was often challenging but worth it for the view from across the bridge. There are too many great things I can say about my time at Radboud to list here, so if you knew what was good for you, you’d start an application today—don’t delay.

For more information on our exchange with Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen, please visit the

following link: http://www.ru.nl/english

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Volunteer for

the English

Student

Association!

As a member of the ESA you will:

Get connected, get involved!

Meet other majors, and meet

English Department faculty.

University of

Southern Maine

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

For more information about joining the ESA contact:

Prof. Ben Bertram, bertram@usm.maine.edu

311B LB; 780-4944

Prof. Lorrayne Carroll, lorrayne@usm.maine.edu

3B LB; 780-4324

Department of English

Do you wish there were a

stronger community of

English Majors?

ESA is making it happen! We

host readings, film showings,

and create opportunities for

collaboration among students

and faculty.

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Scholarship Information

There are many scholarships available for USM English majors. They fall into three categories:

I. USM Scholarships These are open to all USM students who fulfill the individual award criteria. There is a general form you can submit that will put you in a pool of all other eligible students. The deadline for most university-wide scholarships is on or about March 1, 2011. Applications are available in Career Services, Financial Aid, Campus Centers, Libraries and Deans' Offices.

II. CAS Scholarships These are open to all College of Arts and Sciences students who fulfill individual award criteria. There is a general form you can submit that will put you in a pool of all other eligible students. The deadline for most college-wide scholarships is on or about March 1, 2011. We would like to direct your attention to three CAS awards that English majors may be especially successful in pursuing: A. Treworgy Scholarship

Open to any major entering Junior or Senior Year, with a minimum GPA of 3.00, who has demonstrated a commitment to his/her degree and demonstrates financial need.

B. Dorothy Montgomery Scholarship

Open to any English or Science major, with a minimum GPA of 3.00, who is enrolled for a minimum of 6 credits during the award semester, and demonstrates financial need. Preference is given to students with the responsibility of being a single parent.

C. Alan Rodway Memorial Scholarship

Open to any liberal arts Major in good standing who graduated from Deering High School.

III. Department of English Scholarships The Department of English administers three scholarships that are only available to English majors: A. C. Elizabeth Sawyer Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded to an active English major holding senior status, with outstanding academic achievement and a minimum GPA of 3.5, intending to enter the teaching profession with plans to do graduate study in English. The faculty review and selection takes place in October.

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B. Barbara C. Jandebeur Memorial Scholarship This scholarship is awarded to an active English major holding Junior or entering Senior status, with a minimum GPA of 3.25 intending to pursue a Masters and/or Doctoral degree in the field of English. The winner must enroll in 6 credit hours or more in the award semester. The faculty review and selection takes place in mid-March.

C. Richard W. Carbonneau, Jr., Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded to an active English major, class year unspecified, who is a non-traditional (adult) student with outstanding writing ability. The application deadline is in mid-March.

Of these, only the Carbonneau Scholarship, for the Stonecoast Writers Conference, requires your application. The Sawyer and Jandebeur Scholarships are awarded through a process of faculty review. Majors are notified by the Department if they are eligible, and they may be asked to submit further application materials.

For more information on the USM and CAS scholarships and awards, visit the Financial Aid website at http://www.usm.maine.edu/fin/scholarships.htm . Application forms for most USM/CAS scholarships and awards will be available in the Department of English office, 311 Luther Bonney.

A few of the English Majors who received scholarships last year (from clockwise, upper left): Brietta Hopkins, recipient of the Treworgy Scholarship; Patty Henges, recipient of the Dorothy Montgomery Scholarship; Rodney Nason, recipient of the Richard Carbonneau Scholarship; and Elise Jensen, recipient of the Jandebeur Scholarship

―Since returning to college, I have worked harder, with greater focus, than I have ever worked on anything in my life. It is an amazing feeling to have that effort formally recognized.‖ – Elise Jensen

―With the help of this award I shall be able to…participate in a USM student exchange program in England this fall.‖ – Brietta Hopkins

―One thing my continuing education allows me at this

point in my life, is to show my ten-year old daughter that

education is extremely important.‖ – Patty Henges

Rodney Nason is an English major and Theatre minor at USM and intends to graduate in May 2011.

His memoir short story ―Dog‖ was awarded the

Richard Carbonneau scholarship in 2010.

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Richard H. Abrams, Ph.D., State University of New York at Buffalo. Interests: Shakespeare, Dante, renaissance studies, cultural criticism.

Kathleen M. Ashley, Ph.D., Duke University. Interests: Medieval literature, autobiography studies, African-American literature, cultural theory, contemporary women writers.

Dianne Benedict, M.F.A., Goddard College. Interests: Fiction writing, contemporary fiction, film and literature.

Benjamin Bertram, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego. Interests: Early modern studies, Shakespeare, 16th & 17th c. English literature, critical theory, and cultural studies.

Lorrayne Carroll, Ph.D., The Johns Hopkins University. Interests: Early American literature, captivity narratives, historiography, women's studies.

Lucinda Cole, Ph.D., Louisiana State University. Interests: 18th-century English literature and culture, gender studies, cultural theories.

Ann Dean, Ph.D., Rutgers University. Interests: Composition, 18

th-century American and English literature, print culture and history of the book.

Annie Finch, Ph.D., Stanford University. Interests: Poetry, prosody, women’s writing, literary translation.

Nancy K. Gish, Ph.D., University of Michigan. Interests: 20th-century British and American literature, 20th-century poetry, theory, women's studies.

Jane Kuenz, Ph.D., Duke University. Interests: American literature, African-American literature, cultural studies.

Deepika Marya, Ph.D., University of Massachusetts. Interests: Postcolonial theory and literature, cultural studies.

Francis C. McGrath, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin. Interests: 19

th- and 20

th-century British literature, Irish literature, theory.

John Muthyala, Ph.D., (Chair), Loyola University, Chicago. Interests: Literatures of the Americas, Postcolonial Studies, Ethnic Literatures of the United States.

Gerald Peters, Ph.D., University of Illinois, Urbana. Interests: Continental & comparative literature, psychoanalytic theory, autobiography.

Willard J. Rusch, Ph.D., University of Illinois, Urbana. Interests: Old English literature, historical phonology, linguistic theory, horror and fantasy literature.

Richard Swartz, Ph.D., University of California, San Diego. Interests: Romantic literature and culture, critical theory, and cultural studies.

Justin Tussing, M.F.A., University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop

Interests: Fiction writing, Contemporary fiction

Shelton Waldrep, Ph.D., Duke University. Interests: 19

th-century British literature and culture, critical theory, aesthetics, and cultural studies.

Lisa Walker, Ph.D., Louisiana State University. Interests: Modern American literature and gay/lesbian studies.

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The University of Southern Maine shall not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or citizenship status,

age, disability, or veteran’s status in employment, education, and all other areas of the University.

For more information regarding this course guide please contact:

Pam LaRiviere Department of English

311A Luther Bonney Hall 207-780-4117

harjula@usm.maine.edu