English Major
Professional Writing Major
English Minor
American Studies Minor
Degree Type Offered: B.A. Major
Core Courses:
ENG-200 Introduction to English Studies
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
An introductory methods course for the English majors and minors. Surveys a variety of rhetorical and critical theories, their terminology and their application to a variety of texts in different genres. Modes of writing for diverse audiences are also practiced.
A 300-level PWR course
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Critical examination of Shakespeare's development as a dramatist and of his basic themes. Approximately 12 plays are studied. Prerequisite: ENG-110 FILA general education: literature
-or-
ENG-400 Seminar in a Major Literary Figure
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Or Spring
Critical examination of the life and writing of a major figure from American, British, or world literature. May take more than once for credit if the featured literary figure is different each time. Figures may include Dante, Geoffrey Chaucer, John Milton, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Henrik Ibsen, William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf or William Faulkner. Prerequisites: ENG-110 FILA general education: literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Explores the development of American literature from the Colonial period up through late 19th century American Realism (ENG 401). Transcendentalism, Realism, and Naturalism are examined. Sequence continues from the Modernist period to the present (ENG 402). Examines imagist poetry, existentialism, confessional poetry, postmodernism, the Beat movement, metafiction, and various multicultural perspectives. Prerequisite: ENG-200 or permission of instructor Does not satisfy the FILA general education literature requirement
ENG-402 American Literature II
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Explores the development of American literature from the Colonial period up through late 19th century American Realism (ENG 401). Transcendentalism, Realism, and Naturalism are examined. Sequence continues from the Modernist period to the present (ENG 402). Examines imagist poetry, existentialism, confessional poetry, postmodernism, the Beat movement, metafiction, and various multicultural perspectives. Prerequisite: ENG-200 or permission of instructor Does not satisfy the FILA general education literature requirement
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Explores the development of English literature from its Anglo-Saxon beginnings through the 18th century (ENG 405). Sequence continues from Romanticism to the present (ENG 406). Prerequisite: ENG-200 or permission of instructor Does not satisfy the FILA general education literature requirement
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Explores the development of English literature from its Anglo-Saxon beginnings through the 18th century (ENG 405). Sequence continues from Romanticism to the present (ENG 406). Prerequisite: ENG-200 or permission of instructor Does not satisfy the FILA general education literature requirement
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
An in-depth, graduate-level seminar examining a special literary topic or a literary figure or figures, to be chosen by the instructor. Explores both the primary sources and the critical and theoretical context of those sources. Culminates with students' production of critical essay which contributes to the ongoing critical discussion. Prerequisite: ENG-200 or permission of instructor Does not satisfy the FILA general education literature requirement
Plus five ENG courses numbered 201 and above.
Degree Type Offered: B.A. Major
Consists of a minimum of 36 credit hours and includes seven core courses (totaling 21 credit hours), plus five elective courses (totaling 15 credit hours).
Core Courses:
PWR-201 Introduction to Professional Writing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Introduces students to a range of rhetorical principles and practices in professional genres that they will explore in future coursework and in their careers. Prerequisite: ENG-110
PWR-275 Grammar, Style & Editing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Overview of what is traditionally called grammar, including syntax, mechanics, style, punctuation, spelling, vocabulary-building and proofreading for teaching writing at the elementary and secondary levels as well as for publication at a professional level. Develops competency in creation, analysis and editing of written English. Prerequisite: ENG-110
PWR-312W Technical & Workplace Writing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Advanced writing course in composing reports, proposals, instructions, brochures, digital information and other technical documents. Principles of document design, strategies for incorporating graphic elements into texts and methods of editing are also emphasized. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: writing intensive
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Explores analytical and practical skills in a range of business genres, including memos, letters, proposals and collaborative reports. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: writing intensive
-or-
PWR-314W Writing for the Sciences
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Emphasizes the skills necessary for presenting scientific concepts and subjects to various audiences, including ethical and practical constraints on reporting information. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: writing intensive
PWR-318W Writing in Electronic Environments
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Or Spring
Studies the nature of writing as it is shaped by digital technologies, including desktop publishing, document design and electronic portfolios. Implications of these media for writing in both theory and practice are emphasized. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: writing intensive
PWR-319 Publishing and Marketing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Surveys industry processes, including manuscript acquisition, editing, design, distribution, promotion and sales. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110
PWR-451 Senior Seminar in Professional Writing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
An in-depth seminar that studies significant trends in writing and helps students prepare for the job market. Prerequisite: PWR-201 or permission of instructor
Plus five elective courses (15 credit hours) chosen from the following:
Credits: 1 Term Offered: Fall and Spring
Skills-and-theory class that applies critical thinking to discuss and solve practical problems in news media production. Prepares students for the convergence of media, providing practical experience in multiplatform media writing and production, including print, radio, TV and web journalism. Work includes approximately three hours outside the class and one hour inside each week. May be repeated for a total of 3 credits. (Cross-listed as COMM-131)
Credits: 3 Term Offered: May Term
Explores published works from various genres on the cultures and natural environments of variable destinations, which provide the bases for students' original works in several modes of travel writing, including memoir, travelogue and creative nonfiction. Prerequisite: ENG-110
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
A writing workshop dedicated to writing about food. Topics covered include food blogs, restaurant reviews, experiences with trying new foods, recipes, experiences with food preparation and meal experiences. Literary selections and film depictions of food writing are also discussed. Expenses for incidentals such as restaurant visits are the responsibility of each student. Prerequisite: ENG-110
PWR/COMM-255W Introduction to News Writing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Teaches students the basic skills of researching, investigating and writing in a variety of formats. Emphasis on identification of the writing structures used by contemporary media writers and utilization of these structures in original pieces researched and written by the students. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: writing intensive (Cross-listed as COMM-255W)
PWR/COMM-305 Multimedia Reporting & Writing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Builds on the skills-oriented approach of COMM/PWR-255W by putting theory behind the practice of writing. Through individual and group writing projects, students work toward understanding the increasingly complex definition of news, its blurring line with entertainment, and the dynamic interplay between technologies and audiences. Prerequisite: COMM/PWR-255W or permission of instructor Offered alternate years: 2018-2019 (Cross-listed as COMM-305)
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Intensive workshop providing an opportunity to gain deeper insight into literary techniques and practices through the production of original short and longer works of fiction, poetry and drama, as well as creative expository forms. Students develop a single, but substantial, literary project unified by a common theme or themes. Group workshops and individual conferences provide extensive feedback and critical response as the student progresses through the project. Prerequisite: ENG-110
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Introduction to writing instruction for prospective teachers and writing center tutors from all disciplines. Incorporates current theoretical perspectives, applied linguistics and research on the writing process to introduce classroom practices such as one-to-one conferencing, the writing workshop approach and teaching in computer classrooms. Prerequisite: ENG-110
PWR/ENG-320WX Writing Contemporary Poetry
Credits: 3 Term Offered: May Term
Both a writing workshop and a reading course, wherein students practice writing and analyzing poetry in consultation and comparison with practicing poets. A portion of the course includes participation in the Bridgewater International Poetry Festival, a four-day event which is held in odd-numbered years. Students will manage, promote, host, and lead portions of the festival, and some will read their own work. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350, and ENG-110 FILA general education: writing intensive and experiential learning (Cross-listed as ENG-320WX)
PWR-322 Advanced Creative Writing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Advanced workshop providing an opportunity to demonstrate literary techniques and practices through the production of original short and longer works of fiction, poetry and drama, as well as creative expository forms. Students develop a single, but substantial, literary project, defined by means of a contract with the instructor and unified by a common theme or themes. Advanced workshop students also lead group workshop discussions, providing and receiving extensive feedback and critical response as class members' progress through their projects. Advanced students also explore the publishing market appropriate to their work and make a serious effort to secure publication in some form. Prerequisites: ENG-110 and PWR-311
PWR-324 Special Topics in Writing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Covers topics pertaining to writing in twenty-first-century modes and environments. Study of models and theoretical approaches combined with practical experiences enable students to develop written expression in the focus area. May take more than once for credit fit he topic is different each time. Possible topics include creative nonfiction, science and nature writing, sports writing, humor writing, biography. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110
Credits: 3 Term Offered: All Terms
Provides an opportunity for a student to gain field experience in an area related to the student's concentration or career goals. Supervision of an intern is provided by an appropriate faculty member and by a staff member of the agency or business in which the student is an intern. A student who wishes to engage in an internship must consult with the appropriate faculty member at least eight weeks in advance of the start of the term in which the internship is to be completed. A description of the internship, signed by the student and the faculty sponsor, must be filed with the director of internships by the first day of the semester prior to the start of the internship. Approval of each application for an internship is made by the director of internships based upon policies and guidelines as approved by the Council on Education and the faculty. To be considered for an internship, a student must have junior or senior status and at least a 2.00 grade point average. Internships are graded on an S or U basis. A student may enroll in an internship program for 3 credits per semester, and internship credit may be earned in subsequent semesters subject to the limitations that no more than two internships may be pursued in any one agency or business and a maximum of 9 credits in internships may be applied toward graduation.
Credits: 3 Term Offered: All Terms
Upon approval of the department and the division head, a student with a cumulative grade point average of 2.20 or better may engage in an independent study or research project. One desiring to pursue independent study or research must submit a written description of the proposed work to the chair of the appropriate department and to the appropriate division head prior to the last day of the drop and add period for the semester in which the study is to be conducted. At the end of the semester, the supervising professor files with the registrar a grade for the student and a description of the work accomplished. Credit may be received for not more than three independent studies or research projects.
Credits: 3 Term Offered: All Terms
Upon approval of the department and the division head, a student with a cumulative grade point average of 2.20 or better may engage in an independent study or research project. One desiring to pursue independent study or research must submit a written description of the proposed work to the chair of the appropriate department and to the appropriate division head prior to the last day of the drop and add period for the semester in which the study is to be conducted. At the end of the semester, the supervising professor files with the registrar a grade for the student and a description of the work accomplished. Credit may be received for not more than three independent studies or research projects.
Credits: 3 Term Offered: All Terms
An honors project is one in which a student researches a subject, by examination of relevant literature or by experimentation or both; the student reports the results in an accurately documented and well-written paper or appropriate representation of the work. Whenever the study deals with the subject of an established course, the student is expected to go well beyond the usual work of the course in research and in assimilation of the results as revealed in the report. Juniors and seniors with a cumulative grade point average of 3.40 or above may register for an honors project. One desiring to pursue an honors project must submit a written description of his or her proposed work to the chair of the appropriate department and to the appropriate division head prior to the last day of the drop and add period for the semester in which the study is to be conducted. Upon the completion of the Honors Project, the student must present an oral defense of his or her project. The final grade must include a satisfactory performance on the oral defense, assessed by a three-faculty member team. The Project Advisor will authorize the make-up of the oral defense team and will assign the final grade on the project. The honors project title will be noted on the student's transcript. It is the student's responsibility to provide a copy of the written paper or appropriate representation of the work to the library in compliance with specifications approved by the Council on Education. The library director arranges for binding and storage.
Degree Type Offered: Minor
Consists of a minimum of 21 credit hours. The following courses are required:
ENG-200 Introduction to English Studies
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
An introductory methods course for the English majors and minors. Surveys a variety of rhetorical and critical theories, their terminology and their application to a variety of texts in different genres. Modes of writing for diverse audiences are also practiced.
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Explores the development of American literature from the Colonial period up through late 19th century American Realism (ENG 401). Transcendentalism, Realism, and Naturalism are examined. Sequence continues from the Modernist period to the present (ENG 402). Examines imagist poetry, existentialism, confessional poetry, postmodernism, the Beat movement, metafiction, and various multicultural perspectives. Prerequisite: ENG-200 or permission of instructor Does not satisfy the FILA general education literature requirement
-or-
ENG-402 American Literature II
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Explores the development of American literature from the Colonial period up through late 19th century American Realism (ENG 401). Transcendentalism, Realism, and Naturalism are examined. Sequence continues from the Modernist period to the present (ENG 402). Examines imagist poetry, existentialism, confessional poetry, postmodernism, the Beat movement, metafiction, and various multicultural perspectives. Prerequisite: ENG-200 or permission of instructor Does not satisfy the FILA general education literature requirement
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Explores the development of English literature from its Anglo-Saxon beginnings through the 18th century (ENG 405). Sequence continues from Romanticism to the present (ENG 406). Prerequisite: ENG-200 or permission of instructor Does not satisfy the FILA general education literature requirement
-or-
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Explores the development of English literature from its Anglo-Saxon beginnings through the 18th century (ENG 405). Sequence continues from Romanticism to the present (ENG 406). Prerequisite: ENG-200 or permission of instructor Does not satisfy the FILA general education literature requirement
A 300-level PWR course
Plus three ENG courses numbered 201 and above
Degree Type Offered: Minor
Consists of a minimum of 18 credit hours. The following courses are required:
ENG-224W Introduction to American Studies
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Introduces students to the elements of American culture in the interdisciplinary manner of American studies. After gaining an understanding of the academic field itself, students explore the variety of ways to consider American culture including methodological and genre-based approaches. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: global dynamics and writing intensive
ENG-324 American Cultural History
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
A survey of the beliefs and ideas that have shaped American culture from the colonial period to the present. Topics covered may include the rise of consumer culture, cultural attitudes toward the arts, the significance of race and gender in American culture, and the effect of American cultural and political attitudes on the landscape. While gaining knowledge of the United States' cultural past students will acquire an understanding of culture's role in the present state of the nation and the United States' international roles. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: global dynamics
Arts and Literature
Choose a minimum of one course from the following:
ART-300W Modern & Post-Modern Art
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Critical study of the visual arts of the last 100 years with emphasis on understanding the implications of the concepts we know as modernism and postmodernism. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350; ENG 110 FILA general Education: fine arts & music and writing intensive
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Explores the role played by traditional American culture, including music, narrative, medicine, vernacular architecture, and folk art and craft. Much of the course will concentrate on the folk culture of the Shenandoah Valley. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: world cultures Offered alternate years
ENG-337W Asian American Literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Through close reading and discussion of poetry, short fiction, and the novel students will approach an understanding of what it means to categorize these texts as "Asian American literature." The course explores what connections and discontinuities people of Asian ancestry encounter while living in the United States and asks how gender, sexuality, and class inflect representations of Asian American identity. Representative authors include Chang Rae-Lee, Aimee Nezhukumatithil, Brian Komei Dempster, Li Young Lee, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Ocean Vuong. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: literature and writing intensive
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Study of the literature and culture of the southern United States from the 19th century to the present. Explores the cultural development of the region and the influence of the historical context including slavery, reconstruction, economic depression, and the Civil Rights movement. Writers studied may include Mark Twain, William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Zora Neale Hurston, James Dickey, Flannery O'Connor, Walker Percy, Alice Walker, Cormac McCarthy and Larry Brown. Prerequisite: ENG-110 FILA general education: literature Offered alternate years
ENG-400 Seminar in a Major Literary Figure
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Or Spring
Critical examination of the life and writing of a major figure from American, British, or world literature. May take more than once for credit if the featured literary figure is different each time. Figures may include Dante, Geoffrey Chaucer, John Milton, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Henrik Ibsen, William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf or William Faulkner. Prerequisites: ENG-110 FILA general education: literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Explores the development of American literature from the Colonial period up through late 19th century American Realism (ENG 401). Transcendentalism, Realism, and Naturalism are examined. Sequence continues from the Modernist period to the present (ENG 402). Examines imagist poetry, existentialism, confessional poetry, postmodernism, the Beat movement, metafiction, and various multicultural perspectives. Prerequisite: ENG-200 or permission of instructor Does not satisfy the FILA general education literature requirement
ENG-402 American Literature II
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Explores the development of American literature from the Colonial period up through late 19th century American Realism (ENG 401). Transcendentalism, Realism, and Naturalism are examined. Sequence continues from the Modernist period to the present (ENG 402). Examines imagist poetry, existentialism, confessional poetry, postmodernism, the Beat movement, metafiction, and various multicultural perspectives. Prerequisite: ENG-200 or permission of instructor Does not satisfy the FILA general education literature requirement
Credits: 3 Term Offered: May Term
American musical life from colonial times to the present. Samplings include music following both the European classical tradition (operatic, choral, symphonic, etc.) and America's popular tradition (ragtime, jazz, rock, etc.). Specific topics in the general areas are treated in detail by individual research. Corequisite: FILA-150 or FILA-350 FILA general education: fine arts and music
MUS/SOC-233 Social History of Jazz in America
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Examines how jazz music has mirrored the social history of the American people, reflecting ethnic and racial influences, historic events, and cultural change. Examines the history, styles and techniques of American jazz through lecture, audio and video recordings, and live demonstrations. Increases the appreciation and enjoyment of jazz. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 FILA general education: fine arts & music (Cross-listed as SOC-233)
Multiculturalism, Ethnicity, Class and Gender
Choose a minimum of one course from the following:
ENG-221 The Images of "folk" in Literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Introduces students to the concept of folk groups and the ways they have been represented to mainstream cultures through the media of film and literature. Explores literature in conjunction with viewing of film and television depictions of "the folk" as well as documentary films made by folklorists. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: global dynamics FILA alternate years
ENG-243 Native American Literature and Culture
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Anthropological survey of Native North American and Meso-American cultures, examining features such as traditional subsistence patterns, kinship structures, religious beliefs and practices, social and political structures, artistic expression, and intellectual history. Focuses on the literary heritage of Native American cultures, beginning with the oral tradition and storytelling, and continuing on to the "Native American Renaissance", the proliferation of Native American authors and poets that began in the 1960s and continues to the present. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: world cultures Offered alternate years
ENG-336 Literature of the Black Experience
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Selected readings in the fiction, drama, poetry and non-fiction prose of major black writers, both African and African-American. Influential authors may include Douglass, Wright, Ellison, Achebe, Baldwin, and Morrison. Prerequisite: ENG-110 FILA general education: literature
HIST-340 American Indian History
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Examines the history of American Indians from pre-contact civilizations and cultures to the present. It demonstrates the diversity of individual, tribal, national, and pan-Indian experiences in the context of culture, society, religion, economics, politics, and law. Students investigate a variety of sources including scholarly and popular non-fictional and fictional writings, images, songs, and films. Prerequisite: FILA-150 or FILA-350 FILA general education: world cultures Offered alternate years
SOC-333 Racial and Ethnic Studies
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
The nature of racial relations and inequalities in American society, including their historical origins and relationship to Western capitalist development. The ethnic composition of contemporary American society, impact of legal and illegal immigration patterns, dynamics of modern structures and institutions, the Civil Rights Movement, inter-ethnic conflicts and attitudes, multiculturalism and status of affirmative action are analyzed in the context of national and global social change. Prerequisite: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and SOC-101 FILA general education: global dynamics
History and Culture
Choose a minimum of one course from the following:
COMM-230 Communication Technologies: History, Culture, and Society
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall and Spring
An introduction to the history and influence of communication technology in society. The class will explore the various social, political, cultural, and economic impacts of new communication technology. Major topics include: the origins of writing, printing, photography, film, the telegraph and telephone, radio, television, and the internet.
ECON-310 U.S. Economics & Business History
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Traces the growth and development of the U.S. economy and economic institutions from the Colonial era to the present with special emphasis on key institutions and events, such as slavery, industrialization, the rise of big business and the Great Depression. Prerequisite: ECON-200 or ECON-210 FILA general education: global dynamics
Credits: 3 Term Offered: May Term
Studies a range of autobiographical writings in the context of America culture, focusing on individual lives as they intersect with U.S. social history and lived experience. Readings and other source materials vary. Prerequisite: ENG-110
HIST-201 History of the United States to 1877
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
The United States from settlement to Reconstruction. Major themes include the development of a new society, evolution of democratic behavior, and the growth of sectionalism. Includes both social and political approaches.
HIST-202 History of the United States Since 1877
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
The United States from Reconstruction until the present. Major themes include industrialization and modernization, the increased role of government, greater U. S. involvement in international affairs, and the impact of these changes on society. A continuation of HIST-201.
HIST/REL-365 Foundations of American Religion
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Survey of American religious history with a focus on origins and diversity. Major topics include Puritanism, Revivalism, Mormonism, Methodism, African-American religion, fundamentalism, Catholicism, and Judaism and religion during the cold war. Offered alternate years (Cross-listed as REL-365)
HIST-462 History of the United States South
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Survey of the former slaveholding states. Focuses on slavery and slavery politics, race relations, and distinctive characteristics of Southern Society. Offered alternate years
SOC-338 Introduction to Material Culture Studies
Credits: 3 Term Offered: May Term
Introduces students to techniques for examination of objects and artifacts through the study of important texts, hands-on experience, on-site visits to museums, buildings and cultural landscapes. Topics include vernacular architecture, cultural geography, popular design, technology, folk life and archaeology. Prerequisite: SOC-101
Other elective courses, including those from study abroad programs, may be included with departmental approval.
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall and Spring
Introduction to academic expository and argumentative writing, with a focus on developing rhetorical skills and practices appropriate to a range of disciplines. Instruction in ethical use of material from sources and academic documentation systems. Supplementary writer's workshop required, based on placement. FILA general education: master core skills
ENG-200 Introduction to English Studies
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
An introductory methods course for the English majors and minors. Surveys a variety of rhetorical and critical theories, their terminology and their application to a variety of texts in different genres. Modes of writing for diverse audiences are also practiced.
Credits: 3 Term Offered: May Term
An examination of medieval outlaw tales. Covers relatively well-known figures such as Robin Hood and William Wallace to lessor known figures such as Hereward and Eustache the Monk. Traces the outlaw tale as a genre and consider its enduring popularity. Also examines some historical documents in order to place each of the figures studied in context. Reading will be either in a modern English translation or in a highly-glossed Middle or Early Modern English version. Prerequisite: ENG-110
ENG-215 Science Fiction & Contemporary Issues
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Interterm Only
Examines science fiction from a variety of perspectives in both written and film media. Concentrates on defining characteristics of humanness: physically, mentally and spiritually. May include such topics as the role of a creator, evolutionary changes, and technological innovation, to discuss ethical responsibilities and limitations. Prerequisite: ENG-110
ENG-216 Movies From Literature & As Literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: May Term
Introduction to the literary aspects of film. Some analyses cover movies derived from fiction, such as Tom Jones, and some treat movies without prior literary source but with a distinguished director, such as John Ford. An examination of the social role of film is included. Prerequisite: ENG-110
ENG-217 Literary Heroes in Popular Culture
Credits: 3 Term Offered: May Term
Examines characters invented first in books and periodicals but known popularly for their incarnations in other 20th century media. Characters covered are Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, Zorro, and James Bond. Begins with original texts and moves to popular manifestations. Prerequisite: ENG-110
ENG-218 History of Motion Picture
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
By examining key people, ideas, and techniques, the course presents an historical survey of the development of the motion picture into an art form. Class members will be required to attend on-campus screenings. Prerequisite: ENG-110
ENG-219 Filming the Middle Ages
Credits: 3 Term Offered: May Term
Examines the role of the Middle Ages in contemporary pop culture as expressed in films. Readings include selections from film and cultural theory as well as appropriate medieval historical and literary texts. Films might include works such as Bergman, The Seventh Seal, Bresson, The Messenger, Boorman, Excalibur, Fuqua, King Arthur, Gilliam and Jones, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Scott, Kingdom of Heaven. Prerequisite: ENG-110
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Explores the role played by traditional American culture, including music, narrative, medicine, vernacular architecture, and folk art and craft. Much of the course will concentrate on the folk culture of the Shenandoah Valley. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: world cultures Offered alternate years
ENG-221 The Images of "folk" in Literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Introduces students to the concept of folk groups and the ways they have been represented to mainstream cultures through the media of film and literature. Explores literature in conjunction with viewing of film and television depictions of "the folk" as well as documentary films made by folklorists. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: global dynamics FILA alternate years
Credits: 3 Term Offered: May Term
Studies a range of autobiographical writings in the context of America culture, focusing on individual lives as they intersect with U.S. social history and lived experience. Readings and other source materials vary. Prerequisite: ENG-110
ENG-224W Introduction to American Studies
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Introduces students to the elements of American culture in the interdisciplinary manner of American studies. After gaining an understanding of the academic field itself, students explore the variety of ways to consider American culture including methodological and genre-based approaches. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: global dynamics and writing intensive
ENG-235 Literature of Southern Africa
Credits: 3 Term Offered: May Term
Examines representative literature of Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Mozambique to assess historical, cultural, and literary importance, beginning with aboriginal expression, moving through the Colonial period and the struggle of apartheid to the present. Prerequisite: ENG-110
ENG-237 Contemporary Ukrainian Literature and Culture
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
An examination of contemporary Ukrainian writers such as Taras Shevchenko, Oksana Zabuzhko, Serhiy Zhadan, Yuri Andrukovich, and many others. The course also explores Ukrainian history, culture, and folklore, as well as the role of literature as a cultural voice and means of preservation for both native Ukrainians and the Ukrainian diaspora. Students will also research Ukrainian writers whose literature helped fuel current political conversations regarding the 2013 political revolutions in Ukraine. Prerequisite: ENG-110
ENG-240 Russian Literature & Culture
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Study of major writers of 19th and 20th century Russian literature. Texts are read in English translation. Some study of Russian culture is included. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: world cultures
ENG-243 Native American Literature and Culture
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Anthropological survey of Native North American and Meso-American cultures, examining features such as traditional subsistence patterns, kinship structures, religious beliefs and practices, social and political structures, artistic expression, and intellectual history. Focuses on the literary heritage of Native American cultures, beginning with the oral tradition and storytelling, and continuing on to the "Native American Renaissance", the proliferation of Native American authors and poets that began in the 1960s and continues to the present. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: world cultures Offered alternate years
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Linguistic analysis incorporating traditional grammar, phonology, syntax, sociolinguistics, morphology semantics and historical linguistics (including the history of the English language). Prerequisite: ENG-110
ENG-317 ESL and World Language Teaching
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Covers materials on instructional practice and student assessment as they relate to the teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) and foreign languages. Material and discussions are focused on the central theme of how to contextualize language instruction and how to run a proficiency-oriented classroom. Taught in English. Required for students seeking ESL endorsement. Strongly recommended for students preparing to teach Spanish or French. Prerequisite: ENG-110 (Cross-listed as FREN/SPAN-317)
ENG-320WX Writing Contemporary Poetry
Credits: 3 Term Offered: May Term
Both a writing workshop and a reading course, wherein students practice writing and analyzing poetry in consultation and comparison with practicing poets. A portion of the course includes participation in the Bridgewater International Poetry Festival, a four-day event which is held in odd-numbered years. Students will manage, promote, host, and lead portions of the festival, and some will read their own work. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: writing intensive and experiential learning (Cross-listed as PWR-320WX)
ENG-321W Advanced Writing of Contemporary Poetry
Credits: 3 Term Offered: May Term
Blending writing poetry, critical reading, and event management skills, wherein students practice writing and analyzing poetry in consultation and comparison with practicing poets. A portion of the course includes a leadership position in the Bridgewater International Poetry Festival, a four-day event held on campus. Students will manage, promote, and lead portions of the festival. Students will also read their work publicly, meet with publishers, lead small writers' groups, and meet professional expectations in hosting a major literary event. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 and ENG/PWR-320WX FILA general education: writing intensive (Cross-listed as PWR-321W)
ENG-324 American Cultural History
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
A survey of the beliefs and ideas that have shaped American culture from the colonial period to the present. Topics covered may include the rise of consumer culture, cultural attitudes toward the arts, the significance of race and gender in American culture, and the effect of American cultural and political attitudes on the landscape. While gaining knowledge of the United States' cultural past students will acquire an understanding of culture's role in the present state of the nation and the United States' international roles. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: global dynamics
ENG-327W Bible Themes in Literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
A study of literature inspired by the Bible. The focus is on reading and writing about how religious ideas are expressed in literature, how authors use specific biblical stories in their novels, and how various authors may vary in their retellings of the same story. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: literature and writing intensive Offered alternate years (Cross-listed as REL-327W)
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Critical examination of Shakespeare's development as a dramatist and of his basic themes. Approximately 12 plays are studied. Prerequisite: ENG-110 FILA general education: literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Examines the effect of the legends of King Arthur and his knights, showing such ideas as the Holy Grail and the code of chivalry in modern retellings and appropriations of the medieval sources. An acquaintance with Malory's Morte D' Arthur is expected. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: literature and writing intensive
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Study of Irish literature, including Celtic mythology. Late 19th and 20th century authors such as Yeats, Joyce, Synge, O'Casey, and Bowen are emphasized. Includes study of Irish political and cultural history will be included. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: literature and writing intensive
ENG-334W German Literature in Translations
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Study of German-language fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry. Additionally, students will gain knowledge of Germanic political, cultural, and literary histories. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: literature and writing intensive (Cross-listed as GER-334W)
ENG-335W French Literature in Translation
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Selected readings of the fiction, drama, poetry, and non-fiction prose of French literature. Includes study of French political and cultural history as a way to examine recurring themes, innovation, and movements in literature. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: literature and writing intensive (Cross-listed as FREN-335W)
ENG-336 Literature of the Black Experience
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Selected readings in the fiction, drama, poetry and non-fiction prose of major black writers, both African and African-American. Influential authors may include Douglass, Wright, Ellison, Achebe, Baldwin, and Morrison. Prerequisite: ENG-110 FILA general education: literature
ENG-337W Asian American Literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Through close reading and discussion of poetry, short fiction, and the novel students will approach an understanding of what it means to categorize these texts as "Asian American literature." The course explores what connections and discontinuities people of Asian ancestry encounter while living in the United States and asks how gender, sexuality, and class inflect representations of Asian American identity. Representative authors include Chang Rae-Lee, Aimee Nezhukumatithil, Brian Komei Dempster, Li Young Lee, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Ocean Vuong. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: literature and writing intensive
ENG-341W Mythology and Classical Literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Examination of Greek myth, especially of mythological ideas and figures that have had great influence on literature and thought, and of selected Greek and Roman classics. Readings may include selections from Homer, Greek drama, Plato, Lucretius, Virgil, and St. Augustine. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: literature and writing intensive
ENG-342W Medieval Literature From Beowulf to Dante
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Study of several of the major works of medieval literature, including epic, Arthurian romance; religious lyric and drama; biography; and satire, with special attention to themes such as adventure, courtly love, and self-discovery. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: literature and writing intensive
ENG-343W Literature of Renaissance & the Enlightenment
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Readings in the Renaissance epic, in early prose narrative, and in drama, lyric, and other major literary forms. May include works by Machiavelli, Milton, Thomas More, Shakespeare, Moliere, Swift and Voltaire. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: literature and writing intensive
ENG-344 Literature of Romanticism & Realism
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Study of literature during the late 18th and 19th centuries. Explores the development of Romanticism and realism in American, English, and other western European literatures such as German, Russian, and French. Includes fiction, poetry, and drama by authors such as Blake, Wordsworth, Goethe, Pushkin, Dickens, Austen, G. Eliot, the Brontes, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Poe, Melville, Twain, James, Ibsen, and Flaubert. Prerequisites: ENG-110 FILA general education: literature
ENG-345W Literature for Children
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall and Spring
Development and analysis of the major types of children's literature are addressed, including picture books, poetry, fables, folktales, fantasy, realism, and historical fiction. Students read and analyze classic examples of each type. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: literature and writing intensive
ENG-347W Nineteenth Century Children's Literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: May Term
Study of works written during the first golden age of children's literature. Exploration of examples of the century's proliferating types of fiction (fantasy, adventure, domestic and exotic realism), comparison of original literary texts to filmed adaptations, investigation of the influence of folktales upon children's literature, and acquaintance with some of the best illustrators and writers for children of the period. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: literature and writing intensive
ENG-350 Literature for Young Adults
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Reading and critical response to a range of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry written for a middle school through high school audience or considered suitable reading for this audience. Prerequisite: ENG-110 FILA general education: literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Examination of theatrical literature and forms from the late 19th century well-made plays, Realism, Expressionism, Futurism and Symbolism, to Epic theatre and the Theatre of the Absurd. Playwrights such as Henrik Ibsen, Bernard Shaw, Anton Chekhov, Eugene O'Neill, Bertolt Brecht, Samuel Beckett, and others will be studied. The goals of this course are for students to gain an understanding of the scope, history, techniques and influence of Modern Drama. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: literature and writing intensive Offered alternate years (Cross-listed as THEA-360W)
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Contemporary theatrical forms of American and British drama. Begins with post-World War II dramatic works and moves sequentially to the present day. Areas of attention include the "angry young men," metadrama, gender race and ethnicity, the "new brutalism," and contemporary docudrama. Particular focus on how play texts engage with the cultural and historical moment of their creation. Students gain an understanding of the scope, history, techniques and influence of contemporary drama. Playwrights such as John Osborne, Edward Albee, Eduard Bond, Jose Rivera, Martin McDonagh, Tony Kushner, Sarah Kane, Suzan Lori-Parks, Nilo Cruz, Moises Kaufman, Sarah Ruhl and others are studied. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: literature and writing intensive Offered alternate years (Cross-listed as THEA-362W)
ENG-364 Studies in Short Fiction
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Study of the development of the short story as a distinctive literary form with focus will be on the genre's history, techniques, and conventions, giving emphasis to 19th and 20th century authors from various national literatures who have had a particular impact on the form's development. Prerequisite: ENG-110 FILA general education: literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Study of the development of the novel as a distinctive literary form with emphasis on different techniques, conventions and themes of the genre exemplified by representative works chosen from American, British, and other national literatures. Prerequisite: ENG-110 FILA general education: literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Study of the development of poetry as a distinctive literary form with emphasis on the techniques, conventions and themes of the genre exemplified by representative works chosen from American, British and other national literatures. Prerequisite: ENG-110 FILA general education: literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Study of the modernist movement in American, English, and world literatures with emphasis on fiction, poetry and drama written in the first half of the 20th century before World War II. Writers studied may include Hemingway, Faulkner, Yeats, T.S. Eliot, Woolf, Pound, Conrad, Camus, Sartre, Joyce, Kafka, and Mann. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: literature and writing intensive
ENG-386 Contemporary Literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Study of post-modern and contemporary literature in American, English, and world literatures with emphasis on fiction, poetry, and drama written from World War II to the present day. Writers studied may include Beckett, Ellison, Vonnegut, Achebe, Borges, Kundera, and Heaney. Prerequisite: ENG-110 FILA general education: literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Study of the literature and culture of the southern United States from the 19th century to the present. Explores the cultural development of the region and the influence of the historical context including slavery, reconstruction, economic depression, and the Civil Rights movement. Writers studied may include Mark Twain, William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Zora Neale Hurston, James Dickey, Flannery O'Connor, Walker Percy, Alice Walker, Cormac McCarthy and Larry Brown. Prerequisite: ENG-110 FILA general education: literature Offered alternate years
ENG-400 Seminar in a Major Literary Figure
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Or Spring
Critical examination of the life and writing of a major figure from American, British, or world literature. May take more than once for credit if the featured literary figure is different each time. Figures may include Dante, Geoffrey Chaucer, John Milton, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Henrik Ibsen, William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf or William Faulkner. Prerequisites: ENG-110 FILA general education: literature
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Explores the development of American literature from the Colonial period up through late 19th century American Realism (ENG 401). Transcendentalism, Realism, and Naturalism are examined. Sequence continues from the Modernist period to the present (ENG 402). Examines imagist poetry, existentialism, confessional poetry, postmodernism, the Beat movement, metafiction, and various multicultural perspectives. Prerequisite: ENG-200 or permission of instructor Does not satisfy the FILA general education literature requirement
ENG-402 American Literature II
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Explores the development of American literature from the Colonial period up through late 19th century American Realism (ENG 401). Transcendentalism, Realism, and Naturalism are examined. Sequence continues from the Modernist period to the present (ENG 402). Examines imagist poetry, existentialism, confessional poetry, postmodernism, the Beat movement, metafiction, and various multicultural perspectives. Prerequisite: ENG-200 or permission of instructor Does not satisfy the FILA general education literature requirement
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Explores the development of English literature from its Anglo-Saxon beginnings through the 18th century (ENG 405). Sequence continues from Romanticism to the present (ENG 406). Prerequisite: ENG-200 or permission of instructor Does not satisfy the FILA general education literature requirement
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Explores the development of English literature from its Anglo-Saxon beginnings through the 18th century (ENG 405). Sequence continues from Romanticism to the present (ENG 406). Prerequisite: ENG-200 or permission of instructor Does not satisfy the FILA general education literature requirement
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
An in-depth, graduate-level seminar examining a special literary topic or a literary figure or figures, to be chosen by the instructor. Explores both the primary sources and the critical and theoretical context of those sources. Culminates with students' production of critical essay which contributes to the ongoing critical discussion. Prerequisite: ENG-200 or permission of instructor Does not satisfy the FILA general education literature requirement
Credits: 3 Term Offered: All Terms
Provides an opportunity for a student to gain field experience in an area related to the student's concentration or career goals. Supervision of an intern is provided by an appropriate faculty member and by a staff member of the agency or business in which the student is an intern. A student who wishes to engage in an internship must consult with the appropriate faculty member at least eight weeks in advance of the start of the term in which the internship is to be completed. A description of the internship, signed by the student and the faculty sponsor, must be filed with the director of internships by the first day of the semester prior to the start of the internship. Approval of each application for an internship is made by the director of internships based upon policies and guidelines as approved by the Council on Education and the faculty. To be considered for an internship, a student must have junior or senior status and at least a 2.00 grade point average. Internships are graded on an S or U basis. A student may enroll in an internship program for 3 credits per semester, and internship credit may be earned in subsequent semesters subject to the limitations that no more than two internships may be pursued in any one agency or business and a maximum of 9 credits in internships may be applied toward graduation.
Credits: 3 Term Offered: All Terms
Upon approval of the department and the division head, a student with a cumulative grade point average of 2.20 or better may engage in an independent study or research project. One desiring to pursue independent study or research must submit a written description of the proposed work to the chair of the appropriate department and to the appropriate division head prior to the last day of the drop and add period for the semester in which the study is to be conducted. At the end of the semester, the supervising professor files with the registrar a grade for the student and a description of the work accomplished. Credit may be received for not more than three independent studies or research projects.
Credits: 3 Term Offered: All Terms
Upon approval of the department and the division head, a student with a cumulative grade point average of 2.20 or better may engage in an independent study or research project. One desiring to pursue independent study or research must submit a written description of the proposed work to the chair of the appropriate department and to the appropriate division head prior to the last day of the drop and add period for the semester in which the study is to be conducted. At the end of the semester, the supervising professor files with the registrar a grade for the student and a description of the work accomplished. Credit may be received for not more than three independent studies or research projects.
Credits: 3 Term Offered: All Terms
An honors project is one in which a student researches a subject, by examination of relevant literature or by experimentation or both; the student reports the results in an accurately documented and well-written paper or appropriate representation of the work. Whenever the study deals with the subject of an established course, the student is expected to go well beyond the usual work of the course in research and in assimilation of the results as revealed in the report. Juniors and seniors with a cumulative grade point average of 3.40 or above may register for an honors project. One desiring to pursue an honors project must submit a written description of his or her proposed work to the chair of the appropriate department and to the appropriate division head prior to the last day of the drop and add period for the semester in which the study is to be conducted. Upon the completion of the Honors Project, the student must present an oral defense of his or her project. The final grade must include a satisfactory performance on the oral defense, assessed by a three-faculty member team. The Project Advisor will authorize the make-up of the oral defense team and will assign the final grade on the project. The honors project title will be noted on the student's transcript. It is the student's responsibility to provide a copy of the written paper or appropriate representation of the work to the library in compliance with specifications approved by the Council on Education. The library director arranges for binding and storage.
Credits: 1 Term Offered: Fall and Spring
Skills-and-theory class that applies critical thinking to discuss and solve practical problems in news media production. Prepares students for the convergence of media, providing practical experience in multiplatform media writing and production, including print, radio, TV and web journalism. Work includes approximately three hours outside the class and one hour inside each week. May be repeated for a total of 3 credits. (Cross-listed as COMM-131)
Credits: 1 Term Offered: Fall and Spring
Skills-and-theory class that applies critical thinking to discuss and solve practical problems in news media production. Prepares students for the convergence of media experience in multi-platform media writing and production including print, radio, TV and web journalism. Work includes approximately three hours outside the class and one hour inside each week. May be repeated for a total of 3 credit hours. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350, and 2 credits earned in COMM-131 or PWR-131 FILA general education: experiential learning (Cross-listed as COMM-131X)
PWR-201 Introduction to Professional Writing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Introduces students to a range of rhetorical principles and practices in professional genres that they will explore in future coursework and in their careers. Prerequisite: ENG-110
Credits: 3 Term Offered: May Term
Explores published works from various genres on the cultures and natural environments of variable destinations, which provide the bases for students' original works in several modes of travel writing, including memoir, travelogue and creative nonfiction. Prerequisite: ENG-110
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
A writing workshop dedicated to writing about food. Topics covered include food blogs, restaurant reviews, experiences with trying new foods, recipes, experiences with food preparation and meal experiences. Literary selections and film depictions of food writing are also discussed. Expenses for incidentals such as restaurant visits are the responsibility of each student. Prerequisite: ENG-110
PWR-255W Introduction to News Writing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Teaches students the basic skills of researching, investigating and writing in a variety of formats. Emphasis on identification of the writing structures used by contemporary media writers and utilization of these structures in original pieces researched and written by the students. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: writing intensive (Cross-listed as COMM-255W)
PWR-275 Grammar, Style & Editing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Overview of what is traditionally called grammar, including syntax, mechanics, style, punctuation, spelling, vocabulary-building and proofreading for teaching writing at the elementary and secondary levels as well as for publication at a professional level. Develops competency in creation, analysis and editing of written English. Prerequisite: ENG-110
PWR-305 Multimedia Reporting & Writing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Builds on the skills-oriented approach of COMM/PWR-255W by putting theory behind the practice of writing. Through individual and group writing projects, students work toward understanding the increasingly complex definition of news, its blurring line with entertainment, and the dynamic interplay between technologies and audiences. Prerequisite: COMM/PWR-255W or permission of instructor Offered alternate years: 2018-2019 (Cross-listed as COMM-305)
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Intensive workshop providing an opportunity to gain deeper insight into literary techniques and practices through the production of original short and longer works of fiction, poetry and drama, as well as creative expository forms. Students develop a single, but substantial, literary project unified by a common theme or themes. Group workshops and individual conferences provide extensive feedback and critical response as the student progresses through the project. Prerequisite: ENG-110
PWR-312W Technical & Workplace Writing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Advanced writing course in composing reports, proposals, instructions, brochures, digital information and other technical documents. Principles of document design, strategies for incorporating graphic elements into texts and methods of editing are also emphasized. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: writing intensive
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Explores analytical and practical skills in a range of business genres, including memos, letters, proposals and collaborative reports. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: writing intensive
PWR-314W Writing for the Sciences
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Emphasizes the skills necessary for presenting scientific concepts and subjects to various audiences, including ethical and practical constraints on reporting information. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: writing intensive
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Introduction to writing instruction for prospective teachers and writing center tutors from all disciplines. Incorporates current theoretical perspectives, applied linguistics and research on the writing process to introduce classroom practices such as one-to-one conferencing, the writing workshop approach and teaching in computer classrooms. Prerequisite: ENG-110
PWR-318W Writing in Electronic Environments
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Or Spring
Studies the nature of writing as it is shaped by digital technologies, including desktop publishing, document design and electronic portfolios. Implications of these media for writing in both theory and practice are emphasized. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110 FILA general education: writing intensive
PWR-319 Publishing and Marketing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
Surveys industry processes, including manuscript acquisition, editing, design, distribution, promotion and sales. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110
PWR-320WX Writing Contemporary Poetry
Credits: 3 Term Offered: May Term
Both a writing workshop and a reading course, wherein students practice writing and analyzing poetry in consultation and comparison with practicing poets. A portion of the course includes participation in the Bridgewater International Poetry Festival, a four-day event which is held in odd-numbered years. Students will manage, promote, host, and lead portions of the festival, and some will read their own work. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350, and ENG-110 FILA general education: writing intensive and experiential learning (Cross-listed as ENG-320WX)
PWR-321W Advanced Writing of Contemporary Poetry
Credits: 3 Term Offered: May Term
Blending writing poetry, critical reading, and event management skills, wherein students practice writing and analyzing poetry in consultation and comparison with practicing poets. A portion of the course includes a leadership position in the Bridgewater International Poetry Festival, a four-day event held on campus. Students will manage, promote, and lead portions of the festival. Students will also read their work publicly, meet with publishers, lead small writers' groups, and meet professional expectations in hosting a major literary event. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350, ENG-110 and ENG/PWR-320W FILA general education: writing intensive (Cross-listed as ENG-321W)
PWR-322 Advanced Creative Writing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Advanced workshop providing an opportunity to demonstrate literary techniques and practices through the production of original short and longer works of fiction, poetry and drama, as well as creative expository forms. Students develop a single, but substantial, literary project, defined by means of a contract with the instructor and unified by a common theme or themes. Advanced workshop students also lead group workshop discussions, providing and receiving extensive feedback and critical response as class members' progress through their projects. Advanced students also explore the publishing market appropriate to their work and make a serious effort to secure publication in some form. Prerequisites: ENG-110 and PWR-311
PWR-324 Special Topics in Writing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Fall Only
Covers topics pertaining to writing in twenty-first-century modes and environments. Study of models and theoretical approaches combined with practical experiences enable students to develop written expression in the focus area. May take more than once for credit fit he topic is different each time. Possible topics include creative nonfiction, science and nature writing, sports writing, humor writing, biography. Prerequisites: FILA-150 or FILA-350 and ENG-110
PWR-451 Senior Seminar in Professional Writing
Credits: 3 Term Offered: Spring Only
An in-depth seminar that studies significant trends in writing and helps students prepare for the job market. Prerequisite: PWR-201 or permission of instructor
Credits: 3 Term Offered: All Terms
Provides an opportunity for a student to gain field experience in an area related to the student's concentration or career goals. Supervision of an intern is provided by an appropriate faculty member and by a staff member of the agency or business in which the student is an intern. A student who wishes to engage in an internship must consult with the appropriate faculty member at least eight weeks in advance of the start of the term in which the internship is to be completed. A description of the internship, signed by the student and the faculty sponsor, must be filed with the director of internships by the first day of the semester prior to the start of the internship. Approval of each application for an internship is made by the director of internships based upon policies and guidelines as approved by the Council on Education and the faculty. To be considered for an internship, a student must have junior or senior status and at least a 2.00 grade point average. Internships are graded on an S or U basis. A student may enroll in an internship program for 3 credits per semester, and internship credit may be earned in subsequent semesters subject to the limitations that no more than two internships may be pursued in any one agency or business and a maximum of 9 credits in internships may be applied toward graduation.
Credits: 3 Term Offered: All Terms
Upon approval of the department and the division head, a student with a cumulative grade point average of 2.20 or better may engage in an independent study or research project. One desiring to pursue independent study or research must submit a written description of the proposed work to the chair of the appropriate department and to the appropriate division head prior to the last day of the drop and add period for the semester in which the study is to be conducted. At the end of the semester, the supervising professor files with the registrar a grade for the student and a description of the work accomplished. Credit may be received for not more than three independent studies or research projects.
Credits: 3 Term Offered: All Terms
Upon approval of the department and the division head, a student with a cumulative grade point average of 2.20 or better may engage in an independent study or research project. One desiring to pursue independent study or research must submit a written description of the proposed work to the chair of the appropriate department and to the appropriate division head prior to the last day of the drop and add period for the semester in which the study is to be conducted. At the end of the semester, the supervising professor files with the registrar a grade for the student and a description of the work accomplished. Credit may be received for not more than three independent studies or research projects.
Credits: 3 Term Offered: All Terms
An honors project is one in which a student researches a subject, by examination of relevant literature or by experimentation or both; the student reports the results in an accurately documented and well-written paper or appropriate representation of the work. Whenever the study deals with the subject of an established course, the student is expected to go well beyond the usual work of the course in research and in assimilation of the results as revealed in the report. Juniors and seniors with a cumulative grade point average of 3.40 or above may register for an honors project. One desiring to pursue an honors project must submit a written description of his or her proposed work to the chair of the appropriate department and to the appropriate division head prior to the last day of the drop and add period for the semester in which the study is to be conducted. Upon the completion of the Honors Project, the student must present an oral defense of his or her project. The final grade must include a satisfactory performance on the oral defense, assessed by a three-faculty member team. The Project Advisor will authorize the make-up of the oral defense team and will assign the final grade on the project. The honors project title will be noted on the student's transcript. It is the student's responsibility to provide a copy of the written paper or appropriate representation of the work to the library in compliance with specifications approved by the Council on Education. The library director arranges for binding and storage.