ENGL 299 - Seminar for Prospective Majors

FDR: HL
Planned Offering: Fall, Winter
Credits: 3

Winter 2017, ENGL 299-01: Seminar for Prospective Majors: Divinity and Desire in the English Renaissance (3). In this gateway seminar, we study portrayals of secular and divine love in the English Renaissance. We read love poets of Henry VIII’s court—Wyatt and Surrey—along with accounts of the last English mystic, Elizabeth Barton, whose way of life ended with the dissolution of the monasteries. We trace discourses of divinity and love through the sonnets of Anne Locke, a Protestant exile in the reign of Mary, along with a host of secular writers in Elizabeth’s court—Spenser, Shakespeare, Sidney—culminating with the holy eroticism of metaphysical poet John Donne. Drawing from readings on Tudor courts and discourses of love and romance, students practice the skills of research writing in stages, preparing for the essay requirements of upper-level English courses. (HL) Gertz.

Winter 2017, ENGL 299-02: Seminar for Prospective Majors: Poetry’s Otherworlds (3). “Speculative fiction” encompasses science fiction and fantasy, but can it include poetry, too? In this gateway seminar, we read recent poetry that departs from consensus reality and estranges the familiar. As students study verse by Anne Sexton, James Merrill, Tracy K. Smith, and Anne Carson in conjunction with theories of the fantastic, they also practice the skills of research writing in stages, preparing for the essay requirements of upper-level English courses. (HL) Wheeler.

Fall 2016, ENGL 299A-01: Seminar for Prospective Majors: Revenge (3). Prerequisites: Completion of FW composition requirement and at least one course chosen from English courses numbered from 203 to 295. In this seminar, preparatory to more advanced study in the English Department, we sharpen our skills as close readers of texts and as clear and compelling writers about literature and film. Our topic is one of the most common themes and sources of conflict in world literature: revenge. From Greek drama (such as Medea), to the Old Testament, to English Renaissance drama (The Spanish Tragedy, Hamlet), to contemporary film (Kill Bill), to world literature and film (Chushingura, The Virgin Spring), the revenge motive has propelled plots and characters and has spun off sub-genres, such as detective fiction, gangster violence, and legal drama. The course culminates in a longer paper on the topic and texts of your choice that showcase your skills in textual analysis, application of pertinent theory, and research. (HL) Dobin.