UNDERGRADUATE

Electives for Nonmajors

Department of English

FALL 2008

 

 

205.001

Introduction to Creative Writing:  Fiction and Poetry

9:30-10:45 TR

Swingrover

 

In this course we will be working to increase your understanding of and facility with poetry and the short story form. Even if you eventually want to write novels or screenplays, the short story is a good laboratory in which to conduct the sorts of experiments that ultimately lead to quality long-form fiction, and poetry is our oldest and most revered literary form.

 

Through a series of writing craft exercises and oral/written presentations on published work, you'll be building an understanding of such issues as structure, character, plot, pacing, language, voice, exposition and dialogue. You will understand some of the basic forms of poetry, as well as the more esoteric meters.  Later, you will also be reading and commenting upon your classmates' work. As a consequence of in-class discussions and my commentary upon your written work, you will be building a vocational and critical lexicon--which you'll be able to use in shaping your creative writing and in closely reading the work of other apprentice creative writers and published authors. Attention to deadlines and regular attendance are crucial to success in this course.

 

 

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205.002

Introduction to Creative Writing:  Fiction and Poetry

5:30-6:45 TR

TBA 

 

 

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205.003

Introduction to Creative Writing: Fiction and Poetry

7:00-9:45 W

Johnston

 

What makes a poem? A piece of prose? Although these questions have no easy answers, we will explore some possible ones in this class.  To begin with, our work will involve reading about and writing in various genres of creative writing (prose and poetry) to get you familiar with the forms.  Even if you don’t plan to write in a particular genre for the long haul, you will have opportunities to experiment with each genre so that you’re familiar with them and can better respond to your peers’ writing.  This process will also help you generate material while putting aside fears of writing “badly”.  Perhaps you will even develop a love for a genre that you previously avoided!  Our central focus, then, will be to workshop your writing and to discuss writing samples from published writers that you discover and enjoy.  Workshops will foster discussion and exploration—not condemnation; we will function on the principle that in order to write well, you have to be willing to take risks and “fail” (although no effort is truly failure if you’re willing to continue).  In order to create a productive and supportive writing environment for everyone, regular attendance and completion of course assignments are essential.  You can contact the instructor, Emily Johnston, at ejohnston@unr.edu.

 

 

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235.001

Survey of English Literature I

1:00-2:15 TR

Brown

 

In this course, we will cross the ocean and explore the English literary tradition. We will trace the development of a variety of literary forms and, during this journey, we will encounter strange creatures and even watch a king go mad. We will examine and study the nature of several major literary periods (Medieval, Renaissance, Eighteenth Century) by reading a broad range of poetry, plays, and prose pieces. The readings we encounter will increase our familiarity with English history as well as early English literary criticism and, in the end, will provide us with a greater understanding of the continuing cultural significance of English literature.

 

 

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240.001

Survey of American Literature

12:00-12:50 MWF

Hall

 

For details on this course, you may contact the instructor at stevenh@unr.nevada.edu

 

 

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252.001

Introduction to Drama

4:00-5:15 TR

Grecu

 

This course is focused on the evolution of drama between mid 19^th century and present time. A selection of 14 excellent plays, both European and American, arranged chronologically, as well as a few critical articles, reveal the progress and the inter-influences among playwrights of different cultural origins that took place within this literary genre in the last 150 years.  This is a literarily and culturally enriching class. Students need to be good and prompt readers, analytical thinkers and also creative to thoroughly enjoy this course.

 

 

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265.001

Nature in Literature

2:30-3:45 MW

Webb

 

In English 265, participants will examine American values and attitudes toward nature and its cultural representations in visual and literary works. We'll study how nature is represented in literature by reading and analyzing the writing of environmentalists (in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction) since Thoreau. English 265 will help participants employ a variety of critical perspectives to understand the relationship between literature and our perceptions of the natural world.

Participants will write reading responses, essays, and a midterm exam, as well as research and present a final project. Course texts will include Bill McKibben's recently published American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau.

 

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321.001

Expository Writing

10:00-10:50 MWF

Francis

 

For details on this course, you may contact the instructor at eafrancis@sbcglobal.net .

 

 

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321.002 - CANCELLED

Expository Writing

11:00-11:50 MWF

 

 

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321.003

Expository Writing

4:00-5:15 TR

TBA

 

 

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