General Literature & Language

Introduces students to the tradition of American environmental literature dating from Transcendentalism through realist and experimental contemporary literary texts. Students will study key terms and concepts related to the environment such as anthropocentrism, bioregionalism, eco-cosmopolitanism, environmental justice, deep ecology, and posthumanism. They will apply them to different literary genres toward...

Horror is “hot” right now. Prestige television programming such as The Walking Dead and True Detective, the popularity of writers such as Jeff VanderMeer and Thomas Ligotti, and academic interest in weird and new weird fiction attest to this fact. This course examines this current popularity by way of an...

Explores literature in the Gothic mode and aesthetic and critical theories related to modern "horror" genres or their precursors. Introduces literary-critical concepts (such as notions of abjection, repression and anxiety) that developed alongside this branch of literature. Students read canonical works in British and American traditions while reflecting on notions...

This seminar is designed to help you write an honors thesis that is well-researched, historically and culturally grounded, and responsive to critical trends that have informed your particular topic. It will focus on sharpening the skills needed to write a successful thesis, including research skills, the formulation of an argument,...

Since the publication of The Lord of the Rings in the United States in the mid-1960s, fantasy has become immensely popular. However, the fantasy that has become and remains popular tends to be that written in a mode very similar to Tolkien’s, involving quests, Dark Lords, battles between clearly distinguished good guys and bad guys.

This course offers a close study of significant 20th-century poetry, drama, and prose works. Readings range from the 1920s to the present.

This HYBRID-ONLINE course introduces students to the life and work of one of the world's great playwrights. One reason for William Shakespeare's ongoing popularity is the way that his plays ask the big questions: What does it mean to be a person? What is desire? What is the nature of evil?

This course introduces students to the life and work of one of the world's great playwrights. One reason for William Shakespeare's ongoing popularity is the way that his plays ask the big questions: What does it mean to be a person? What is desire? What is the nature of evil?

Tales of love, lust, jealousy, and betrayal; mirth and mischief; greed and murder; revenge, mercy, and redemption: welcome to the world of Shakespeare!

Masterpieces of American Literature enhances students' understanding of the American literary and artistic heritage through an intensive study of a few centrally significant texts, emphasizing works written before the 20th century.