English Department Course Descriptions
ENGL-155 Special Topics
See department for description.
Credits: 1.00
ENGL-195 Independent Study
See department for details. Independent Study contract required.
Credits: 1.00
ENGL-200 Introduction to Literature
An introduction to the study of literature by examining fiction, poetry, drama and essays from various periods and countries. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-220 Literature and Human Concerns
A study of important ideas and problems as they are reflected in the world's literature. War, racism, death, censorship, film, civil disobedience, minority literature, and the Holocaust are examples of characteristic topics. Please see department for additional information on specific offerings. May be repeated more than once when content varies. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-221 Disability and Literature
The historian Sander Gilman calls literature "the art of writing down a culture's dreams." It is interesting to note, then, how many of Western culture's dreams are of the physically or mentally different, the monstrous (so-perceived) and the maimed, the crippled and the crazed. From Sophocle's Philoctetes to Dunn's Geek Love, this course explores how and why authors of various periods have imagined and represented physical and cognitive difference. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-227 Introduction to World Literature
An introduction to literature drawn from Western and non-Western cultures, organized around a theme, a literary problem, or the examination of a political condition. Ordinarily, the reading lists will include several genres. Meets comparative cultural core requirement. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-229 Introduction to American Literature
An introduction to selected American authors and themes. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-232 Introduction to British Literature
An introduction to selected British writers and themes. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-255 Special Topics
See department for course description.
Credits: 1.00
ENGL-275 Internship
See department for details. Internship contract required.
Credits: 1.00
ENGL-319 Vietnam War Era Literature, Theory, Film
An in-depth study of the U.S. war in Viet Nam and its repercussions as evidenced in the literature, film, historical commentaries, and theories of war still emerging in response to that war era. We will be examining the war from both the American and Vietnamese perspectives-its background, events, and aftermath. The weekly film showings and critiques will include both American and Vietnamese feature films and documentaries-dating from the early 1970s to the present. Prerequisites: one 200-level ENGW or ENGL course. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-323 Shakespeare
An analysis of Shakespeare's major plays with emphasis on both literary and theatrical qualities. Prerequisite: one lower-division literature course. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-340 Studies in Drama
The reading and analysis of chief European and American playwrights from the authors of the morality plays to the present, with some consideration of the dramaturgy involved in the production of plays. Prerequisite: one lower- division literature course. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-341 Studies in Poetry
An upper level introduction to reading poetry, with an emphasis on structure, traditional models, periods and interpretation. Prerequisite: one lower-division literature course. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-342 Studies in Fiction
A study of the development of the short story and novel, with an emphasis on exploring interpretive models. Prerequisite: one lower-division literature course. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-343 Studies in Criticism & Theory
A study and application of some of the critical and theoretical approaches used in the study of literature. Prerequisite: one lower-division literature course. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-355 Special Topics
See department for course description.
Credits: 1.00
ENGL-395 Independent Study
See department for details. Independent Study contract required.
Credits: 1.00
ENGL-417 Beowulf to Swift
Advanced studies of Beowulf, Chaucer, Milton, Pope, Dryden and Swift. The content will vary depending on the professor's choice. Drama or poetry or lyric poetry may be the focus but the central authors will remain the same. Prerequisite: Junior standing or above and 2 courses from ENGL. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-421 The Romantic Period
An advanced study of the poetry and poetics and prose of the Romantic Period of British Literature, with special emphasis on the affects on a variety of poets of the emerging Industrial Revolution, the French Revolution and its aftermath, and new paradigms of thought in the way people perceived nature and gender roles, among other topics. Prerequisites: Junior standing and two courses from ENGL. Offered alternative years. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-422 The Victorian Period
An advanced study of several literary genres during the Victorian Period of British Literature (1837-1901), with special emphasis on the affects on authors of the triumph of the Industrial Revolution, the rise of Darwin's theories, the challenges to religious and social orthodoxies, and changes in aesthetics, among other topics. Authors to be studied could include such figures as Austen, Dickens, Eliot, Tennyson, the Rosettis, Arnold, Swinburne, Hopkins, Ruskin, Shaw, Gissing, the Brownings, Mill, and others. Prerequisites: Junior standing and 2 courses from ENGL. 4 credits. Offered alternative years.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-423 19th Century American Literature
Intensive study in the period to include such writers as Irving, Poe, Hawthorne, Emerson, Thoreau, Dickinson, Whitman, Gilman, and the literature of slavery and abolition. Prerequisite: Junior standing and 2 courses from ENGL. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-425 Studies in 20th Century Literature
In-depth studies of the major movements in Twentieth Century Literature. Not a survey class, the content will vary. The focus may be on a particular genre. Prerequisite: Junior standing and 2 courses from ENGL. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-430 Major Writers
A detailed study of the works of selected writers; for example, Chaucer, Milton, Dickens, Blake, Yeats, Thoreau, Woolf. Prerequisite: Junior standing and 2 courses from ENGL. May be repeated once for credit when content varies. Offered intermittently. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGL-455 Special Topics
See department for course description.
Credits: 1.00
ENGL-475 Internship
See department for details. Internship contract required.
Credits: 1.00
ENGL-495 Senior Seminar: Literature
Students in this capstone experience for literature majors will discuss the state of literature, criticism, and writers in contemporary society, reflecting on the tradition of literature and literary study, and develop, present, and critique original critical work. Students will produce a 20-30 page thesis, with annotated bibliography, and present their work publicly. Prerequisite: Senior standing. 2 credits.
Credits: 2.00
ENGL-496 Senior Seminar: Literature
Students in this capstone experience for literature majors will discuss the state of literature, criticism, and writers in contemporary society, reflecting on the tradition of literature and literary study, and develop, present, and critique original critical work. Students will produce a 20-30 page thesis, with annotated bibliography, and present their work publicly. Prerequisite: Senior standing. 2 credits.
Credits: 2.00
ENGW-201 Expository Writing
An expository writing course in which various topics and genres are used to help students develop and evidence critical thinking skills, understand rhetorical methods, and shape effective prose styles. Students will be writing expository essays and a research paper. Some sections focus on a particular theme. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing required. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGW-202 Writing About Disability
This is both a writing intensive course and an introduction to Disability Studies. Disability Studies understands disability as referring not only to a biological or medical condition, but also to a community of people (the largest minority in the U.S.); to a civil rights movement; to a complex set of social and ethical issues; to a universal human experience; and to the ways cultures respond to particular bodies, minds, and behaviors. The class, taught with the help of two faculty from Pacific's School of Physical Therapy, will help students understand disability in its social, cultural, and ethical dimensions. It will also help students develop critical thinking skills, understand rhetorical methods, and shape effective prose styles through writing expository essays and a research paper. Prerequisite: Sophomore standing. Satisfies Core Writing Requirement. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGW-206 Writing Poetry
An introduction to writing poetry. Prerequisite: College writing skills core requirement met. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGW-207 Mixed Genres
An introduction to writing in two or more of the following genres: short fiction, drama, poetry, and the personal essay. Prerequisite: College writing skills core requirement met. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGW-208 Writing Fiction
An introduction to writing fiction. Prerequisite: College writing skills core requirement met. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGW-209 Creative Nonfiction
An introduction to creative nonfiction. Prerequisite: College writing skills core requirement met. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGW-255 Special Topics
See department for course description.
Credits: 1.00
ENGW-275 Internship
See department for details.
Credits: 1.00
ENGW-295 Independent Study
See department for details.
Credits: 1.00
ENGW-303 Tutoring in Writing Skills
Tutoring in Writing Skills prepares students working in the Writing Resource Center to consult with peers on their writing. Through reflection, discussion, and practice with their own writing and tutoring processes, students will gain a deeper understanding not only of themselves as writers but also as mentors to others in their writing. 1 credit.
Credits: 1.00
ENGW-305 Research Methods in the Humanities
This required class for English Literature Majors will concentrate not only on the up-to-date methods of research used for writing in the Humanities, but also the traditional methods of pursuing a topic, note-taking, assimilation of materials and the presentation, written and oral, of completed research. The class is also open to non-English majors in the Humanities. Prerequisite: Junior Standing. 2 credits.
Credits: 2.00
ENGW-306 Advanced Poetry Writing
A workshop for writing and discussing poetry. May be repeated. Prerequisite: ENGW 201 or ENGW 202 with a C- or better; plus ENGW 206, and ENGW 208 or ENGW 209 all with a B or better. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGW-308 Advanced Fiction Writing
A workshop for writing and discussing fiction. May be repeated. Prerequisite: ENGW 201 or ENGW 202 with a C- or better; plus ENGW 208, and ENGW 206 or ENGW 209 all with a B or better. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGW-309 Advanced Creative Nonfiction
A workshop for writing and discussing creative nonfiction. May be repeated. Prerequisite: ENGW 201 or ENGW 202 with a C- or better; plus ENGW 209, and ENGW 206 or ENGW 208 all with a B or better. 4 credits.
Credits: 4.00
ENGW-355 Special Topics
See department for course description.
Credits: 1.00
ENGW-395 Senior Writing Project
See department for details.
Credits: 1.00
ENGW-455 Special Topics
See Department for description.
Credits: 1.00
ENGW-466 Literary Magazine Production
A course in literary magazine production. Students work with graduate students in Pacific's MFA in Writing program to produce a nationally distributed literary review. Pass/No Pass. 2 credits.
Credits: 2.00
ENGW-475 Internship
See department for details.
Credits: 1.00
ENGW-497 Senior Seminar: Creative Writing
Creative Writing majors will study and write about the work of a writer or writers, addressing craft or technique, including influences upon that writer and the work(s). Prerequisite: Senior standing, and one upper-division ENGW course. 2 credits.
Credits: 2.00
ENGW-498 Senior Seminar: Creative Writing
Creative Writing majors will study and write about the work of a writer or writers, addressing craft or technique, including influences upon that writer and the work(s). Prerequisite: Senior standing, and one upper-division ENGW course. 2 credits.
Credits: 2.00
ENGL-555 Special Topics
See department for course description.
Credits: 1.00
WRI-581 MFA Writing Course
MFA Writing Course
Credits: 4.00
WRI-582 MFA Final Residency
Successful completion of this course signifies that the student is ready to graduate.
Credits: 0.00