English (EN)

EN 1400  Composition  (4)  

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.

EN 1600  Studies in English  (4)  

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)

EN 2360  Introduction to Film  (4)  

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.

EN 2440  Rethinking Early American Literature  (4)  

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)

EN 2460  Rethinking Modern American Literature  (4)  

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)

EN 2490  Rethinking Modern British Literature, 1660-1945  (4)  

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)

EN 2710  Creative Writing  (4)  

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).

EN 2900  Introduction to English Teaching  (4)  

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.

EN 3040  Practicum in Production  (2,4)  

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.

EN 3050  Practicum in Publication  (4)  

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.

EN 3105  Fiction Workshop  (4)  

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.

EN 3125  Advanced Composition  (4)  

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.

EN 3135  Non-Fiction Workshop  (4)  

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.

EN 3145  Poetry Workshop  (4)  

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.

EN 3305  The Craft of Screenwriting: Reading and Writing Screenplays  (4)  

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.

EN 3325  Literature into Film  (4)  

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.

EN 3420  Rethinking Medieval and Renaissance Literature  (4)  

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.

EN 3425  Rethinking Medieval and Renaissance Literature  (4)  

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 or EN 3420. Falls. (INCO)

EN 3515  Currents in Global Literature  (4)  

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)

EN 3595  The Filmmaker's Vision: An Introduction to Film Analysis  (4)  

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.

EN 3685  Scriptwriting  (4)  

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.

EN 3695  Critical Theory  (4)  

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.

EN 3755  Topics in Literature and Film  (4)  

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

EN 3765  Topics in Writing  (4)  

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.

EN 4035  Advanced Poetry Workshop  (4)  

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.

EN 4155  Digitalit: Storytelling in the Digital Age  (4)  

Advanced Study in Literature, Film, and Writing. Explores the ways in which technology is affecting how we read, write, and experience stories. Possible topics include: the history and development of electronic literature and hypertext media; the rise of social media and how it affects digital literature (fan fiction, online role playing games, Twitterature, etc.); and the rise of transmedia storytelling. Not open to students who have earned credit in EN 4150. Fall of odd years. (TECO)

Prerequisite(s): EN 1600 or EN 2500.

EN 4317  Teaching Writing: Practice  (3)  

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

EN 4318  Teaching Writing: Grades 5–12  (4)  

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.

Prerequisite(s): EN 2900

EN 4320  English Internship in Teaching Seminar  (1)  

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.

EN 4430  English Internship in Teaching 5-12  (11-12)  

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.

EN 4557  Teaching Literature: Practice  (3)  

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.

EN 4558  Teaching Reading: Grades 5–12  (4)  

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

EN 4559  Teaching Literature: Grades 5–12  (4)  

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.

EN 4560  Teaching Digital Literacy, Grades 5–12  (4)  

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.

EN 4645  Teaching Writing: Knowledge and Experience  (3)  

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.

EN 4805  Single Author Course  (4)  

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.

EN 4875  Teaching Literature: Knowledge and Experience  (3)  

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.

EN 4915  Independent Study  (1-4)  

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.

EN 4950  English Internship  (1-12)  

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.