English Majors: Please plan to register as early as possible. If we have to cancel courses for under-enrollment, then you have to scramble to find replacement courses at the last minute. Every semester before you register—schedule an appointment with Wayne Berninger.
Non-English Majors: The skills that students gain in English classes are very useful in a variety of professional careers. Any student may take these courses as general electives. If you really want to build up your transcript, consider an English Minor (i.e., any four English courses numbered 100 or above). Note: The English minor will satisfy your Distribution Requirement, no matter what your major! If you’d like more information about minoring in English—or if you think you might like to major in English— schedule an appointment with Wayne Berninger.
English 119 World Masterpieces (Class ID# 5896)
Myth In Literature And History: The Story of Troy from Ancient Times to the Present
Professor Sealy Gilles
Tuesdays & Thursdays 4:30-5:45 pm
This course will satisfy an English elective requirement in the Literature concentration. It can also satisfy a literature requirement in the Creative Writing concentration or in the Writing & Rhetoric concentration.
Mythological texts are often read as encyclopedia items – one story after another, with a bewildering array of characters displaying a seemingly endless stream of attributes and special powers. This course attempts to move beyond the lists in order to put polytheistic deities and the humans who suffer from their meddling in literary and historical context.
The core story. When Paris, prince of Troy, and Helen, wife to the Spartan king Menelaus, elope in the third millennium B.C.E., their passion triggers titanic struggles between a coalition of Greek states and the Trojan dynasty of King Priam. However, the conflict is not restricted to the mortal realm. The gods descend from Mount Olympus and plunge into the fray – meddling both on the battlefield and in the bedroom. The Trojan War and its long aftermath provide us with a capacious lens for understanding ancient Mediterranean cultures and our own conflicted world.
The texts. We will follow the Troy story from ancient to modern times. Classical readings include selections from Homer’s Iliad, The Oresteia by Aeschylus, and Virgil’s Aeneid. We will also be working with the story of Trojan lovers in Chaucer and Shakespeare, and, finally, the representations of Helen in contemporary poetry.
Requirements. In addition to reading responses, students will develop research projects that explore the impact of myth in the ancient world and in our own era. Interdisciplinary work is encouraged and I look forward to papers on topics such as the impact of myth on psychology, archaeological discoveries and the Troy story, gender and myth, Troy in the movies, and the literary afterlife of mythological texts.
Questions? Write Professor Gilles at sealy.gilles@liu.edu.
English 126 News Writing (Class ID# 4867)--cross-listed with JOU 119 (Class ID# 4089)
Professor Donald Bird (Journalism Department)
Tuesdays & Thursdays 1:30-2:45 pm
For English majors, this course will satisfy a writing-and-rhetoric elective requirement in the Writing & Rhetoric concentration. It can also satisfy an English elective requirement in the Literature concentration. Students in either of the preceding categories who wish this course to count toward their English-major requirements should be sure to register for ENG 126—not JOU 119. For English majors concentrating in Creative Writing, this course will count as a general elective.
Contact the Journalism Department for information about this course.
English 129 Later British Literatures (Class ID# 4430)
Text and Context in Modern British Literature
Professor Bernard Schweizer
Mondays & Wednesdays 3:00-4:15 pm
For English majors, this course is required in the Literature concentration. It can also satisfy a literature requirement in the Creative Writing concentration or in the Writing & Rhetoric concentration.
The assigned texts for this course—all of them masterpieces of modern British Literature—will be read in a rich web of contextual references and sources. This interplay of text and context will give rise to a better understanding of both the literary work itself and of the varied social, political, cultural, scientific, and literary contexts that surround the text. Dickens’s Hard Times will be placed in connection with contemporary treatments of industrialization and poverty, both in creative and non-fiction writing. Stevenson’s classic The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde will be read in connection with Victorian ideas about psychology and crime. H.G. Wells’s tale The Island of Doctor Moreau will gain by juxtaposition with contemporary texts about Darwinian thought and fears of social degeneration. Rebecca West’s World War I novel The Return of the Soldier will be enriched by multiple textual and visual sources of the time, including World War I poetry, essays by Virginia Woolf and D.H. Lawrence, and paintings, posters, and photos from the period. Finally, Doris Lessing’s two short novels A Home for the Highland Cattle and The Antheap will become more meaningful by comparison to stories written by African women and by looking at documents on race relations and urban conditions in Southern Rhodesia. Each of the assigned books will be a Broadview contextual edition.
English 159 Literatures of the U.S. Since 1865 (Class ID# 4084)
Ghost Stories
Professor Carol Allen
Tuesdays & Thursdays 3:00-4:15 pm
For English majors, this course is required in the Literature concentration. It can also satisfy a literature requirement in the Creative Writing concentration or in the Writing & Rhetoric concentration.
This course covers American literature from the nineteenth century to the present with a focus on American ghost stories from a variety of writers in a number of different genres. Some of these texts are traditional tales about the visitation of spirits on the living, and others more loosely fit under the topic as the “entity” may be desire or a lost wish. We begin with a discussion of the conventions found in this tradition then move on to works about nineteenth-century America, even though some of these readings may have been composed more recently. From there, we arrive in the early twentieth century and finish with contemporary pieces. Paying close attention to the setting, mood, message, and relevant literary and cultural criticism, we will decipher these texts to arrive at interesting and unique interpretations. Be prepared for a variety of assignments that will include informal writing, presentations, in-class essays, research, and a final essay with proposal. You will learn about the major movements in American literary development from the Civil War to present, hone your critical reading skills, concentrate on close reading and building an interpretation from that concentrated textual study, practice research, writing and revision, and perfect your article-building skills. Think of this course as practice in composing a publishable piece.
Required Texts:
- The Conjure Woman, Charles Chestnutt
- Beloved, Toni Morrison
- Desire Under the Elms, Eugene O’Neill
- Love, Toni Morrison
- Criticism and Handouts
English 166 Fiction Writing Workshop (Class ID# 4149)
Writers Studio—A Fiction Writing Workshop
Professor John High
Wednesdays 6:00-8:30 pm
For English majors, this course will satisfy a creative-writing elective in the Creative Writing concentration. It can also satisfy an English elective requirement in the Literature concentration. English majors concentrating in Creative Writing may take this class two times for credit.
This workshop will function as a Writers Studio in which we meet each other face to face in our stories and focus on the way autobiography and dreams overlap with story writing and how the past is fictionalized as a way of giving it a voice. The premise is that the source of most fiction is memories and dreams. We’ll look at writers of the last century as well as contemporary writers who often blur the borders between fiction, dream and life story. We may even film our stories in reading, and enact them in theatrical performances. We'll concentrate on the various traditions of narrative, including plot, character, and conflict--with an eye towards expanding on what's already been done. There will be weekly creative writing exercises and group discussions, as well as commentary on the writing process and how to make it come alive for you. With one another we’ll read and help one another with our stories and how we can revise them. We’ll also give presentations or performances of the work as we go along. The course offers relaxed, though thorough and individualized investigation of the participants' work in relation to craft, theme and content of writing. Our writing project will include working with dreams, secrets, memories, observations, opinions, overheard conversations and random fragments of language. The goal of the course includes completing a chapbook and/or anthology of our work. You will also have the opportunity to explore and write about the larger community of NYC with the attendance of a literary reading or a visit to one of our great museums or theatres.
English 168 Creative Nonfiction Workshop (Class ID# 5895)
Professor Harriet Malinowitz
Mondays 6-8:30 pm
This course will satisfy a requirement in either the Writing & Rhetoric concentration or the Creative Writing concentration. It can also satisfy an ENG elective requirement in the Literature concentration. English majors concentrating in Writing & Rhetoric or in Creative Writing may take this class twice for credit.
English 168 is an intensive workshop devoted to writing “literary” essays. We will read essays about writing essays and examine published “literary” essays for critical observation and analysis. However, the core of the course will consist of the class’s reading and discussion of student work. Some of the genres we will explore may include autobiography; the personal essay; the biographical portrait or profile; social observation; cultural criticism; and others upon suggestion. Each student will write three short (3-5 page) pieces, and revise and expand one of them in a final longer piece of 10-20 pages.
English 175 Writing for the Professions (Class ID# 4865)
Professor John Killoran
Thursdays 6:00-8:30 pm
For English majors, this course will satisfy a writing-and-rhetoric elective in the Writing & Rhetoric concentration. It can also satisfy an English elective requirement in the Literature concentration. English majors concentrating in Writing & Rhetoric may take this class two times for credit.
This is a writing course for students in any field preparing for their careers.
When you are given your first writing project on the job, will you know what to do? Writing for the Professions is an elective for students across the disciplines as well as in English who are looking ahead to prepare themselves to write for their careers in business, law, the health professions, science, technology, education, and the arts.
Students will learn to orient their writing toward different audiences, such as managers, customers, clients, and professional colleagues. Students will also learn to write in ways that result in action. By the end of the semester, students will have written their resume and other career-related documents, and will be more confident in their abilities to write effectively.
English 190: Senior Seminar in Literature (Class ID# 3965)
Instructor TBA
Tuesdays 6:00-8:30 pm
This course is required for English majors concentrating in Literature. If you register for this course, and it cancels due to low enrollment, consult one of the Co-chairs of the English Department (either Professor Leah Dilworth or Professor Patricia Stephens) or the Undergraduate Registration Advisor (Wayne Berninger). If you need it for May graduation, we can arrange for you to take it as a Tutorial. Otherwise, we may ask you to wait until the next time it’s offered.
English 191: Senior Seminar in Creative Writing (Class ID# 4347)
Instructor / Day / Time TBA
This course is required for English majors concentrating in Creative Writing. If you register for this course, and it cancels due to low enrollment, consult one of the Co-chairs of the English Department (either Professor Leah Dilworth or Professor Patricia Stephens) or the Undergraduate Registration Advisor (Wayne Berninger). If you need it for May graduation, we can arrange for you to take it as a Tutorial. Otherwise, we may ask you to wait until the next time it’s offered.
English 192: Senior Seminar In Writing & Rhetoric (Class ID# 4088)
Instructor / Day / Time TBA
This course is required for English majors concentrating in Writing & Rhetoric. If you register for this course, and it cancels due to low enrollment, consult one of the Co-chairs of the English Department (either Professor Leah Dilworth or Professor Patricia Stephens) or the Undergraduate Registration Advisor (Wayne Berninger). If you need it for May graduation, we can arrange for you to take it as a Tutorial. Otherwise, we may ask you to wait until the next time it’s offered.
ALSO…FOR ENGLISH MAJORS (& MINORS)
IN THE HONORS PROGRAM—
HHE 174 Classics in Performance (Class ID# 6073)
Professor Sealy Gilles
Wednesdays 6-8:30 pm
For English majors, this course may be used to satisfy an English elective requirement in the Literature concentration, or a literature requirement in the Creative Writing concentration, or a literature requirement in the Writing & Rhetoric concentration. Non-English majors can apply this course toward a minor in English. Please discuss your plan with Wayne Berninger in the English Department before you register.
HSM 110 Brooklyn Campus Town Hall: Dialogue for Social Change (Class ID# TBA)
Professor Deborah Mutnick
Thursdays 3-5:30 pm
For English majors, this course may be used to satisfy an English elective requirement in the Literature concentration, or a literature requirement in the Creative Writing concentration, a writing-and-rhetoric workshop requirement in the Writing & Rhetoric concentration, or a literature requirement in the Writing & Rhetoric concentration. Non-English majors can apply this course toward a minor in English. Please discuss your plan with Wayne Berninger in the English Department before you register.
STUDY ABROAD AND EARN CREDIT THAT CAN BE APPLIED TOWARD YOUR MAJOR
The Global College Program of Long Island University invites English majors to study abroad for a semester or a year at one of our centers—Costa Rica, Japan, China, or India. Not only will you have the opportunity to study and travel in a foreign country while earning credit towards your major, but you will also become immersed in another culture, develop your global awareness and cross-cultural communication skills, and be provided with a variety of internship and service learning opportunities. At all centers, students are encouraged to engage in independent-study projects relevant to their academic interests.
The Costa Rica Program in Heredia offers home stays with Costa Rican families, internships throughout the region, and courses in writing, Latin American studies, cross-cultural research methods, Latin American literature, Spanish language, global health and traditional healing, peace and reconciliation studies, environmental studies, and an introduction to experiential education.
The India Program in Bangalore enables students to explore the country’s religious and cultural diversity, the caste system, travel writing, environmental issues, the situation of Tibetan refugees, and the status of women. Students also have the opportunity to study India’s art forms, dance, and music.
The China Program in Hangzhou allows students to study a wide range of topics including the history of China, religious life in China, traditional Chinese medicine, poetry, women’s issues, calligraphy, taiji, Mandarin Chinese language and modernization and economic development.
The Comparative Religion and Culture Program enables students to engage in intensive study of the teachings, rituals, and spiritual practices of the world’s major religions while exploring cross-cultural issues such as identity, human rights, peace and reconciliation, and world citizenship. During the fall semester, students travel in Taiwan and Thailand, and during the spring semester, students travel throughout India and Turkey while they immerse themselves in the religions and cultures of these countries. The courses offered in the fall include: Comparison: Theory and Method, Religions and Modernity in Taiwan, Culture and Society of Taiwan, and Religions and Modernity in Thailand. The following courses are offered in the spring: Comparison: Practice and Critique, Religions and Modernity in India, History and Society in India, and Religions and Modernity in Turkey.
The Australia Program in Byron Bay is offered only during the spring semester. Students explore the relationships between people and their environment from multiple disciplinary perspectives. Students travel throughout Australia and take courses that focus on indigenous peoples, the natural history, ecological diversity and related social and cultural contexts of Australia through seminars, field trips, service learning and internships.
Long Island University Financial Aid can be applied to all Global College overseas programs. For more information call 718 488 3409 or e-mail globalcollege@liu.edu.
A number of $5000 scholarships may be available to study in Global College programs.
English Majors who are interested in Global College should see the next page for the English Department’s Guidelines for English Majors Studying Abroad in the Global College Program—please do not register for Global College without meeting with Wayne Berninger first!
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT GUIDELINES FOR ENGLISH MAJORS STUDYING ABROAD IN THE GLOBAL COLLEGE PROGRAM
The following are guidelines for undergraduate English majors who wish to study abroad through the Global College Program and apply the credits earned toward their upper-division English major requirements.
Student must receive permission from Undergraduate Registration Advisor (Wayne Berninger) and Chair of English to enroll in Global College. See Wayne Berninger FIRST, before you do anything else.
Before going abroad, student must have completed ENG 16, COS 50, and six credits from ENG 61-62-63-64.
A maximum of 12 Global College credits may be applied toward upper-division English major requirements.
During any semester abroad, student must take 6 credits (or equivalent) in English. Independent study may be arranged, in consultation with Undergraduate Advisor and Chair of English.
Notes
Tuition, fees, and room & board abroad is about the same as tuition, fees, and room & board at the Brooklyn Campus.
University financial aid and scholarships are transferable to Global College. However, students should be aware that there are no work-study opportunities abroad. Also, athletes who receive free room and board at the Brooklyn Campus are not automatically eligible for same while abroad. Department of Athletics may agree to provide athletes with a stipend to cover Global College room & board fees. Students are urged to discuss this possibility with the Department of Athletics before they decide to study abroad.
Global College has additional sources of scholarships for students studying abroad.
