English

Introduces students to women writers, past and present, who write in a variety of genres. Focuses on the way women explore or subvert gender.

This course surveys the wide range of Modernist literature that responds to the social, artistic, technological, intellectual, and economic changes that took place in the early twentieth century. Students will use literary theory and criticism, as well as other cultural artifacts, to understand the ways in which writers make sense of their rapidly changing world. Special attention will be given to women's leadership, social responsibility, and global awareness.

This course will consider poetry as a means of resistance and a tool of social justice. Students will examine historical, cultural, political, and social context to analyze a wide range of poetic genres from different periods. Special emphasis on women's leadership, social responsibility, and global awareness. Topics vary.

This course considers the depictions of women in British and American literature written before 1900. Special emphasis on women’s leadership and social responsibility, and on feminist theory.

This course surveys the wide range of Modernist literature that responds to the social, artistic, technological, intellectual, and economic changes that took place in the early twentieth century. Students will use literary theory and criticism, as well as other cultural artifacts, to understand the ways in which writers make sense of their rapidly changing world. Special attention will be given to women's leadership, social responsibility, and global awareness.

This class will explore the development of Jane Austen's literary career through a focus on her six major novels and some of the juvenilia. Background information on Austen's life and times will enable students to appreciate the many themes and subtexts of these works. Suitable for Jane-ites as well as those unfamiliar with her work, the class will explore, through close reading, lecture, active class discussion, and research, what made Austen so popular in her time as well as why she remains so compellingly popular today.

Exploration of the development of Toni Morrison’s literary career, focusing primarily on her novels and criticism. Fulfills post-1900 B.A. English.

Exploration of Edith Wharton’s life and work in the context of women’s leadership, social responsibility, and global awareness, and through the lens of feminist literary theory. Students will read a variety of genres and complete a wide range of assignments. Fulfills English B.A. post-1900 and writing intensive requirements.

The Introduction to the English Major will introduce students to the discipline of English. The course will consider career options for English majors, literary criticism, and literary theory.

Introduction to the English Major will introduce students to the discipline of English. The course will consider career options for English majors, literary criticism, and literary theory.

Study of works by selected British writers who represent significant literary movements up to Romantic period.

Study of works by selected British writers who represent significant literary movements and eras in British life from Romantic period to present.

Study of works by selected American writers who represent significant literary movements up to 1900.

Study of works by selected American writers who represent significant literary movements and eras in American life from 1900 to present.

This course introduces students to Young Adult Literature in a variety of genres. Includes discussion of various pedagogical methods for response-based teaching and issues in literary censorship.

This course will survey the history of African American Literature from the eighteenth century to the present. We will read a wide range of literary texts, as well as cultural and political documents. In analyzing these works, we will also consider art and music, literary and critical theory, and social responsibility.

This course will consider literature, written in or translated into English, from around the world. We will read a diverse group of authors, traditions, and genres, paying special attention to historical and cultural context. Special focus on global awareness.

This course will provide a review of the basics of grammar and mechanics for the purpose of knowing and explaining how English grammar and language works. Students will learn the Reed-Kellogg system of diagramming to understand the deep structure of language. Grammar will be presented from both a prescriptive and descriptive perspective. Ideal for students interested in language and writing, studying a foreign language, or wanting to teach English or a foreign language.

This course is an experiential learning course that can be attached to specific courses or that can stand alone. Excursions allow students to “do English” and aid in the development of immersion environments that enable students to understand issues in a more sophisticated and critical way. Excursions require a minimum of 15 hours of academic commitment in and out of the classroom per credit hour. Topics will vary and may include Willa Cather’s Prairie (Red Cloud, NE), Mark Twain in Hannibal (Hannibal, MO), The World War I Museum (Kansas City, MO), The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City, MO), Walden Woods (Lincoln, MA), Sophia Smith Collection (Northampton, MA). 1-2 variable credits

This course investigates the three phases of the English language - Old, Middle, and Modern English - and the relation of language to history and culture.

This course explores the novel in terms of literary, historical, and cultural context and through close readings of literary, theoretical, and critical texts. Topics vary.

This course considers the depiction of animals in literature and what that depiction suggests about the relationship between human and non-human animals. Students will consider texts from a wide range of disciplines with special focus on women’s leadership and social responsibility. Fulfills post-1900 B.A. English and writing-intensive requirement.

This course will provide a historical and thematic survey of critical theory and an interdisciplinary theoretical framework for the analysis and understanding of literature and the world beyond the text.

Culmination of the student’s work in the major. Allows student to complete a thesis under the direction of an English faculty member. Class meetings will guide and support the thesis writing process by creating regular writing workshops for students and allowing for various kinds of feedback during each stage of the process. Students will also develop résumés, application letters, and portfolios, and they will present their theses to the campus community.