English (EN)

Composition is an introduction to the occasions and standards of college writing. Students develop writing abilities through the study and practice of writing processes. Students explore flexible strategies for inventing, generating, drafting, reading, editing, sharing, and presenting their work. The study of ideas, evidence, organization, style, and convention is essential. Coursework stresses the importance of reading and writing for inquiry, learning, thinking, and communication. Students write for varied situations, in a variety of genres, and in response to personal experience, reading, research, argument, and demand. Students examine both the rhetorical and visual impact of the texts they produce. By the end of this course, students are better prepared for the writing they will do in college and beyond. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 1200. Falls and Springs.

Provides broad foundation to adolescent and cognitive development, learning, and teaching the humanities at the secondary level. Explores the political, ethical, and democratic influences, and the rights and responsibilities of educators. Students explore factors that influence healthy adolescent development. Not open to students who have earned credit for SSE1515. Observation required. Springs. (WECO)

Required of all English majors. Acquaints students with fundamental concepts such as text, genre, author, period, nation/place and reader/critic as they apply to underlying philosophy and material practice in the discipline of English. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 2500. Falls and Springs. (QRCO) (WRCO)

Introductory Course. Focuses on significant films, some short, some full-length. Designed to develop greater understanding and appreciation of film as an art form. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 2610. Spring of even years.

What is Early American literature? Where might we find it today? In an era increasingly defined as “global,” how durable and stable is the category of the nation in defining a literary tradition? We grapple with these questions as we examine American texts from the period of early colonization to the end of the Civil War. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 3715. Falls. (DICO) (TECO)

Focuses on American literature from the period of the end of the Civil War though the present day, roughly 1865 through the present. Builds off of students’ preconceptions of modern American literature and analyses historical, national, and aesthetic constructions of the literary canon. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 3720. Springs. (DICO)

Focuses on British literature from 1660 through the mid-20th century. Builds off of students’ preconceptions of modern British literature and analyses historical, national, and aesthetic constructions of the literary canon. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 3621. Springs.. (TECO)

Students study and practice introductory-level craft and technique associated with the major genres of imaginative writing: poetry and prose fiction. Other genres, such as nonfiction prose and drama, may also be covered. Students read in the genres and practice various specific elements of writerly craft through drafting, revision, reflection, and discussion. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 2700. Falls and Springs.

Prerequisite(s): EN 1200 or EN 1400 (may be concurrent).

Provides broad exposure to the realities of English teaching in the secondary/middle school, theoretical orientations to English teaching, the school, the adolescent, the teacher and their relationship. Observation/participation in schools required. Not open to student who have earned credits for EN 2560. Falls.

Advanced Study in Writing or Advanced Study in Literature/Film. Practical application of broadcast media production. Students work with local broadcast media, such as Pemi Baker Public Access television, or WPCR, Plymouth State’s student-operated radio station. May be taken for a half semester (2 credits) or a full semester (4 credits). Repeatable for up to 4 credits. Pass/No Pass. Falls and Springs.

Advanced Study in Writing. Practical application of the theories and techniques studied in Journalism and/or Creative Writing. Students work on campus-based publications such as The Clock and Centripetal at tasks ranging from writing and reporting to copy-editing and layout. May be repeated for up to 8 credits when students work in a different role or at a different publication. Pass/No Pass. Springs.

Prerequisite(s): (EN 2700 or EN 2710) or CM 3090 or CM 3670.

Advanced Study in Writing. Focuses on the process of imaginative writing. Instruction is guided by the students' individual interests, strengths and needs. While the principal, traditional forms of fictional narrative writing are explored, including the sketch, the short story, novella and novel, students are encouraged to discover and reflect their voice in the form most suitable. Experimentation is encouraged in both conventional and divergent narrative modes. Not open to students how have earned credit for EN 3100. Springs.

Prerequisite(s): EN 2700 or EN 2710.

Advanced Study in Writing. Focuses on the development of clarity, force and fluency, especially in the writing of expository, critical and argumentative prose. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 3120. Falls and Springs.

Prerequisite(s): EN 1200 or EN 1400.

Advanced Study in Writing. Focuses on the analysis and writing of nonfiction. Topics may vary from semester to semester. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 3130. Falls.

Prerequisite(s): EN 1200 or EN 1400.

Advanced Study in Writing. Focuses on the analysis and writing of poetry. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 3140. Falls.

Prerequisite(s): EN 2700 or EN 2710.

Advanced Study in Literature and Film. Advanced Study in Writing. Students read and analyze a number of critically acclaimed screenplays, watch the filmed versions of those screenplays and then begin writing their own, focusing primarily on a few specific types of scenes. The second half of the class will essentially be run as a workshop, with student scenes being read and critiqued by class members. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 3300. Fall of even years.

Advanced Study in Literature and Film. Students read novels, short stories, plays, and other literary genres and view filmed adaptations based on those texts. Students focus their analysis on varying styles and degrees of "adaptation" or "translation," aesthetics, and the interplay of film technique and literary genre technique. Course assignments and activities take into account film and literary theory as well as other theories of print and media culture. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 3320. Spring of odd years.

Takes a contemplative approach to texts from the Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman, Medieval, and Renaissance eras of English literary history. Students explore their pre-conceived notions of the medieval and Renaissance past to both “unlearn” and “learn.” Assignments require working creatively and critically with themes of love, fate, knowledge, power, and gender. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 3611. Falls. (INCO) (INCP)

Prerequisite(s): Junior status.

By studying the premodern literature of the British Isles before 1700: What can we learn from old stories? Why is 21st century culture – from novels to TV to games – obsessed with swords, sorcery, dungeons, and dragons? How far back can we trace categorizations of human identity like race, gender, and disability? Answers involve creative and critical work. Falls.

Focuses on global literature. Centers on a particular theme of the instructor's choosing and investigates how this theme interacts with the historical events and literary trends. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 3510. Falls. (GACO)

Advanced Study in Literature and Film. Studies film as an art - parallel to poetry or painting or music. Analyzes the means by which good filmmakers move audiences to feel, to think, to experience certain aspects of life and becomes familiar with film art (particularly the roles played in that art by the director, the editor and the cinematographer). Stresses the humanistic qualities of the film experience and how it can connect to our own "real life" personal experiences. Fall of odd years.

Advanced Study in Writing. Focuses on analysis and writing of dramatic scripts; primarily of theatrical plays, but also with brief coverage of radio plays and screen plays. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 3680. Springs.

Prerequisite(s): EN 1200 or EN 1400.

In Studies in English students explored basic questions about texts, genre, authorship and the role of the reader in literary analysis. Critical Theory seeks to build on that general introduction and to acquaint students with specific modern and contemporary schools of literary theory including: Formalism, Reader Response, Psychoanalysis, Structuralism, Semiotics, Marxism, Poststructuralism, Feminism, Queer Theory, Postcolonial Theory and New Historicism. More importantly, students begin to develop their own theoretical approach, informed by what they learn from reading important literary theorists. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 3690. Springs.

Prerequisite(s): EN 1600 or EN 2500.

Advanced Study in Literature and Film. Considers topics not covered in other literature courses. May be repeated with different topic.

Advanced Study in Writing. Topics not covered in detail in other writing courses, such as flash fiction, writing about the outdoors and science writing. May be repeated for credit with a different topic. Spring of odd years.

Advanced Study in Writing. A final in-depth course in a Writing Option student's program, designed to improve students' creative and critical faculties through the writing and intensive critiquing of original poetry. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 4030. Repeatable a maximum of three times. Springs Even.

Prerequisite(s): EN 3140 or EN 3145.

A clinical experience designed for teacher certification majors who wish to teach middle and high school English language arts. With supervision of faculty and practicing teacher-mentors, candidates will plan, implement, and assess curriculum and instruction and work with middle and high school students in a public school.  This course focuses on curriculum and instructional practices for the teaching of writing, as well as management and organization of secondary classrooms. Springs.

Prerequisite(s): EN 2560 or EN 2900, Junior status, and acceptance into Teacher Certification Candidacy.

Corequisite(s): EN 4645

Focuses on methods to teach students in grades 5–12 how to write clear sentences as well as coherent, careful essays and compelling stories. Topics include assessment, options for publishing, and supporting students with learning differences. Springs.

Accompanies English Internship in Teaching in grades 5-12 and focuses on theory in practice. Establishes a professional learning community for reflection, dialogue, and inquiry. Assists pre-service teachers in their transition into the profession. Falls and Springs.

Corequisite(s): EN 4430.

Capstone experience for English Teacher Certification majors, leading to teacher certification. It is a continuous full-time (5 days per week) experience during which students gradually assume full responsibility for teaching a full schedule of classes at the middle and/or high school levels in English/Language Arts. The Internship in Teaching is conducted in local schools under the supervision of a Mentor Teacher and a University Supervisor. Pass/No Pass for students following the 2008-09 and subsequent Catalogs. Falls and Springs.

Prerequisite(s): minimum grade of C in EN 3515, EN 4645 Teaching Writing: Knowledge and Experience, EN 4316 Teaching Writing: Practice, EN 4875 Teaching Literature: Knowledge and Experience, and EN 4556 Teaching Literature: Practice; minimum grade of C in 3 of EN 2440, EN 2460, EN 3420, or EN 2490; minimum 2.70 cumulative GPA; completion of all other program requirements for certification; permission of the Coordinator of Internships.

Dives deep into the art of designing meaningful unit plans and assessments across humanities subjects. Students will participate in mock department meetings and grade sample assessments. Observation in schools required. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 4559 or SSE 4515. Falls.

A clinical experience designed for teacher certification majors who wish to teach middle and high school English language arts. With supervision of faculty and practicing teacher-mentors, candidates plan, implement, and assess curriculum and instruction and work with middle and high school students in a public school. This course focuses on curriculum and instructional practice for teaching literature, as well as management and organization for secondary classrooms. Falls.

Prerequisite(s): EN 2560 or EN 2900.

Corequisite(s): EN 4875.

Explores reading research from various fields. Focuses on methods to support readers' development of skills and knowledge, such as word recognition, vocabulary, fluency, background knowledge, and reading comprehension. Falls.

Prerequisite(s): EN 2900

Explores the dilemmas faced by Secondary English teachers. What texts should students read? What question should drive analyses and discussions? What does it mean to meet the needs of diverse learners in a literature class? For part of the course, students will support middle school or high school English classes. Falls.

Prepares educators to teach secondary students how to conduct online research, evaluate information's credibility, and contribute to public discourse in the digital realm. Students will consider questions such as: What counts as knowledge? What is the difference between entertainment and information? And, what does it mean to be a good citizen in the digital marketplace of ideas? Falls.

An introduction to methods and philosophies of the teaching of writing, with a focus on grades 5-12. Students explore philosophical elements of a process/environmental approach to teaching writing for responsive teaching in a democratic and pluralistic society. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 4310 or EN 4315 or EN 5640. Springs.

Prerequisite(s): (EN 2560 or EN 2900), Junior status, and acceptance into Teacher Certification Candidacy.

Advanced Study in Literature and Film. Focuses on a single author and his/her works with emphasis on the author's development, style and reputation. Repeatable with different author.

An introduction to methods and philosophies of the teaching of literature and reading, with a focus on grades 5-12. Students examine adolescent literature and explore a response-based cultural studies approach to teaching literature. Not open to students who have earned credit for EN 4550, EN 4555 or EN 5870. Falls.

Prerequisite(s): (EN 2560 or EN 2900), Junior status, and acceptance into Teacher Certification Candidacy.

Advanced Study in English. A unique opportunity for highly motivated students to propose and pursue a reading, research, and/or writing project in depth. Topics should not replicate existing courses. Students are responsible for determining an appropriate course of study and finding the faculty member best suited to assist and evaluate their work. Consent required of the supervising instructor. May be repeated once for a maximum of 8 credits. Early Springs, Falls Even, Falls Odd, Falls, Springs Even, Springs Odd, Springs, Summers. Instructor permission required.

Prerequisite(s): EN 1600 or EN 2500, Junior or Senior status, permission of the Department Chair.

Advanced Study in Writing or Advanced Study in Literature and Film. Offers a culminating experience for English m majors and minors in their junior or senior year. Students work in professional settings related to the field under the supervision of the Director of Practica/Internships. Individual Enrollment. Repeatable for a maximum of 12 credits. Pass/No Pass.

Prerequisite(s): permission of the Director of Practica/Internships and the English Department Chair.