English

An introduction to the study of literary forms, including poetry, drama, short story, novel, novella, and essay. Students will read texts from a wide variety of genres and historical periods, to examine how litereay forms developed and gain/lost popularity over time. Students will learn the vocabulary and technique of literary analysis.

3 CreditsH 

Utilizing Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, World War Z, and other popular works of fiction for class, this introductory course will engage students in the fundamental terms and approaches needed to analyze, appreciate and discuss works of fiction at the college level. Students will study introductory elements of literary theory, emphasizing using various social and theoretical perspectives, as a means of learning how to identify cultural and literary meaning within texts.

4 CreditsH 

The English Colloquium prepares students for academic expectations in the English department and introduces them to professional opportunities within the discipline. This colloquium is intended for students with English, Secondary Education/English or Professional Writing POEs, individualized POEs with foundation in literature or writing, or students with secondary emphases in English.

1 CreditHPre-requisites: sophomore standing, one EN course beyond EN110, or instructor's permission.

This course is an introduction to English research methods taken in the junior year. Students will learn and negotiate the research process, applying the skills learned to their analysis of literary works or writing research. Writing, ethics, and constructing effective research questions and arguments will be covered to prepare students for completing their senior research thesis, paper, or creative project.

2 Credits Pre-req: EN-204 English Colloquium and Junior Standing

When talking about the canon in literature, we are usually gesturing towards the classics-works of art that have stood the test of time as culturally significant. How did those books become classic in the first place? We will study the histories of canon formation before debating what works to include in a self-designed literary anthology.

4 CreditsH 

Like other languages, English is not monolithic, and it is always on the move. This course examines how English functions now, both in its Standard form and in many of its varieties around the world; how its sounds and structures have changed from its Proto-Indo-European beginnings; and what major factors have influenced those changes.

3 CreditsH, IPrerequisites: FYC101, EN110, or EN109.

In this course we will examine the ways in which specific novels, short stories and films explore various perspectives on nightmarish or ideal societies through alternative political and social ideologies. The class will introduce various literary theories (including Marxism, approaches to feminism and New Historicism) as well as the genre and history of utopian and dystopian literature. V for Vendetta, Sir Thomas More's Utopia, Plato's Atlantis writings, Children of Men and other works will be covered during the semester.

3 CreditsHPrerequisites: EN110 or EN109.

Pennsylvania is a rich and storied landscape featuring a large rural area bookended by two historic cities, all serving as the backdrop for this course. Using literature and film, as well as articles, musical selections, and local engagement activities, this course will examine stories portraying various cultures, lifestyles, and people in Pennsylvania. This course will also consider how many of the different communities and peoples that make up the Keystone State have been represented historically and in fiction. Students will also explore some of the complex social, political, and economic contexts that have shaped the state's history as well as the lived experiences of its people.

4 CreditsH,SW-USPre-Req: FYC-101 or EN-110 or EN-109.

Students will consider ways in which sports literature written over the last eighty years reveals the developing and shifting American ideologies concerning subjects such as race, gender, sexuality, and justice, over that same time period. Students will also develop an understanding of the genres and purposes in various forms of sports literature, including newspaper articles, magazine feature articles, short stories, and novels.

3 CreditsHPrerequisite: EN110 or EN109.

In this course students will read a variety of novels and review media that inspires and reflects our cultural fixation with zombies. Through critical thinking, analysis, and discussion, students will explore the intersections between fictional zombies and actual cultural practices that reflect the mindlessness of a zombie culture.

4 CreditsCA, HPrerequisites: EN110 or EN108 & EN109.

This course explores the experiences of men and boys as represented through works of fiction and analyzed via cultural, economic and social contexts. The course considers " maleness " as a social construct and how perceptions within American society influence men's actions and the ways in which they perceive themselves, other men, women, and social situations.

3 CreditsH 

This course considers how various texts portray individuals with disabilities. Via short stories, novels, theoretical articles, films, and memoirs we will explore ways that stereotypical portrayals can stigmatize and discriminate against people with disabilities. The class will also examine narratives and voices that question the definition of 'normal' as well as reinterpret traditional representations of disability. We will consider key concepts such as ableism, justice, access, and the medical and social models of disability. The course will also introduce some of the ways that disability intersects with other aspects of identity such as gender, sexuality, race, and class.

3 CreditsH 

An examination of works of literature that have been labeled obscene. Using examples from the comedy of Aristophanes to the poetry of Allen Ginsberg, the course looks at why and how serious writers deploy scandalous and offensive elements in their work.

3 CreditsH, CW 

Applying various cultural and theoretical perspectives, students will view and read works from Quentin Tarantino, Christopher Nolan, Kurt Vonnegut, Salman Rushdie, David Foster Wallace and others to examine ways that consumerism, technology, social institutions and other facets of modern culture and society shape identities and influence the human condition. 

4 CreditsCAPrerequisites: EN110 or EN109.

The United States has always been a violent nation, and American writers have used that violence to explore questions of justice, truth, and human nature. This course will examine the portrayal of violence in writers from Poe to Cormac McCarthy.

3 CreditsH 

The personal autobiographies of American slaves are the foundational works of the African American literary tradition, and they have influenced generations of American authors. Originally written as a means of promoting the abolition of slavery, contemporary writers have taken this historical form and transformed it to reflect upon the past and engage with problems of the present. Neo-slave narratives are a reminder that, as Faulkner writes, " The past is never dead. It's not even past. " In this course, we will read a variety of original slave narratives and put them in dialogue with contemporary fictionalized slave narratives. In doing so, we will explore topics such as the boundaries between fact and fiction, the political uses of literature, the afterlife of slavery, and many others.

4 CreditsH, CWPrerequisites: EN110 or EN109.

Called the " Jazz Age " by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the 1920s were marked by great cultural change. In response to the trauma of the First World War, the " lost generation " broke traditional social barriers while embracing radically new forms of art. Beginning in 1920 (the year both women's suffrage and prohibition were passed as constitutional amendments) and concluding with the 1929 stock market crash that signaled the start of the Great Depression, we will examine the role of the Harlem Renaissance in inspiring and sustaining domestic and expatriate American modernism. With special emphasis on the interplay of art, music, and literature, this class will examine the literature of the Jazz Age across genre " and racial " boundaries, concluding with two contemporary works that evaluate the lasting significance of this era on American culture.

3 CreditsHPrerequisite: EN110 or EN109.

Deaths. Betrayals. Loves lost. Falls from grace. These calamities, and those that suffer them, have captivated dramatists, novelists, philosophers, and theoreticians since the first tragedy was staged in ancient Athens over 2,500 years ago. This course will explore how literary cultures have understood and expressed notions of tragedy in different historical periods. By examining the ways in which we inflict and endure suffering, we will consider how literary tragedy informs our understanding of the human condition.

3 CreditsH 

Allows the department to offer special topics not normally offered. Departments may offer more than one special topic.

1-4 Credits Prerequisites vary by title.

As grammatical creatures, we use our talents in pattern recognition and handling discrete structures. Along with the individual and interpersonal aspects of language, the course investigates sentence structure as an exercise in constructing a scientific theory based on the formal reasoning inherent in some grammatical theories. A research project relates material to students' interests.

3 CreditsH,CW,WK-FRPrerequisite: EN110, EN109, or FYC 101.

Students will read & analyze a variety of literature from the Young Adult Lit category. Students will engage in class discussions and make presentations based on individual research.

3 CreditsH 

In this course, we will explore the use of literature as a means of protesting social injustice throughout U.S. history. How have American authors used novels, poems, stories, and essays to illustrate social problems, create empathy, and advocate for social change? What are the boundaries between art and politics? How might literary aesthetics inspire social action? How has literature shaped social progress and vice versa? Questions of literary form, merit, and content will guide our search, as will questions of representation, politics, and economics. Though topics will range widely (but often intersect), we will ask how each literary work engages with the foundational statement of American dissent, " The Declaration of Independence. "

4 CreditsSW-USPrerequisite or corequisite: FYC-101 or EN-110 or EN-109.

This course will explore how film communicates the myths of a various societies to its members. By combining theoretical approaches to myth with film analysis, we will explore the ways in which cinema both influences and reflects the way we think, what we value, fear, and aspire to achieve. Focusing on some of the most prevalent themes in this genre, students will be introduced to Classical and contemporary adaptations of myths and their historical and cultural contexts, examining how those narratives provide meaning today via cinema.

4 CreditsHPrerequisites: EN110 or EN108 and EN109.

Students will examine the various functions revenge plays in human culture by tracing its role as a literary device from the bloodbaths of popular Greek tragedies to the more psychological retaliation of contemporary works. Engaging in a focused study of the historical and cultural influences that have shaped human notions of revenge over centuries, students will contemplate the often complicated distinctions humans make between perceptions of retribution and justice.

4 CreditsHPrerequisite: EN110 or EN109.

Examines historical moments, cultural perspectives, and theatrical constructs that shaped the writing, acting, and reception of Shakespeare's comedies, tragedies, and history plays.

3 CreditsHPrerequisite: EN110 or EN109.

By applying queer theory frameworks to a variety of texts, we will examine literary representations of LGBTQ identity. Readings will include works by James Baldwin, John Rechy, Audre Lorde, Leslie Feinberg, Tony Kushner, and others. Topics will include: biological essentialism vs. the social construction of gender and sexual identity; authenticity and performance; social and legal forms of identity categorization and boundary maintenance; the role of literature in social reform; and more.

4 CreditsCA, HPrerequisites: EN110 or EN109.

This class will examine the many meanings of " border crossing " in 20th- and 21st-century literature about immigration to the United States. Using critical race theory, this class will put works of fiction and autobiography in historical context to better investigate the influence of immigration law on U.S. national literature. Beginning with short texts from the turn of the twentieth century, we will focus primarily on contemporary works dealing with the post-1965 (or " new wave " ) immigrant experience. Topics will include: " American Dream " mythology, social mobility, generational conflict, acculturation and assimilation, hyphenated identity, nativism, barriers to full citizenship, and more.

4 CreditH,CW,SW-USPrerequisites: FYC-101 or EN-110 or EN-109

Allows the department to offer special topics not normally offered. Departments may offer more than one special topic.

1-4 Credits Prerequisites vary by title.

In this course, we'll explore the three primary creative writing genres: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Through assigned texts, we'll establish a common vocabulary of concepts for discussing form, voice, point of view, structure, and other important elements of craft. You'll then put those concepts into practice by writing in each genre. Every student will be required to submit at least one poem, essay, or work of fiction to be read and discussed during in-class workshops.

4 CreditsWK-CEPrerequisite: FYC-101

This course immerses students into the study and practice of writing that strives to bring about social change. Students will explore the argumentative tactics of writing in the service of advocacy, activism, and non-profit organizations, as well as its circulation across audiences and platforms. In addition to crafting public-facing genres like op-eds, persuasive articles, and posters, students investigate the process of grant-writing and the strategies of media campaigns. (Previously titled Writing for Social Change)

H,SW-USPrerequisite: FYC-101

This course covers the types of writing used in the professional and business world, with attention to deciding when to use which type, or whether to use writing at all. Also concentrates on effectively addressing different audiences. The course will also cover the use of graphics, from basic concepts through effective design and adjusting to audience and situation. 

4 CreditsH, CWPrerequisite: First-year or sophomore standing. Juniors and Seniors by instructor permission.

This course explores how visuals and text are used for purposes of identification, information, and persuasion. It looks at many visual modes such as comics, ads, maps, graffiti, film, art, scientific images, and web sites. Students have the option to create arguments using only text, only images, or a combination of both. 

4 CreditsHPrerequisite: EN110 or EN109.

Allows the department to offer special topics not normally offered. Departments may offer more than one special topic.

1-4 Credits Prerequisites vary by title.

In this course, we will work to develop skills in the art of writing fiction. Students will study fiction as a craft, read and discuss fiction by major writers, critique each other's work, and write and revise extensively.

4 CreditsF,H,WK-CEPrerequisite: FYC 101

An experience in creating forms of nonfiction prose ranging from analytical essay to the familiar essay to satire. First-year students need the instructor's permission to enroll.

4 CreditsH, CWPrerequisite: EN110 or EN109.

This advanced writing course introduces students to the genres and techniques of journalism. Students will write a number of news and feature stories. The writing process involves interviewing, note taking and other forms of data gathering on campus and local news events, creating multiple story drafts and participating in peer-editing workshops: work culminates in a portfolio of stories written throughout the semester. Students need not plan to become professional media writers to benefit from the course.

4 CreditsH, CWPrerequisite: EN110 or EN109.

An examination of writing for the real world: as such it concentrates equally on content and practice. The course builds around various document designs and waysto present those designs in expressions appropriate to audience and purpose. While sophomores are allowed to register they may be removed from the course if the demand by upperclassmen is high.

4 CreditsH, CWPrerequisites: EN110 or EN109 and Sophomore, Junior or Senior standing.

This course focuses on both the use of ethical principles to design games and the critical study of ethical games, which position players to make ethical decisionsthroughout the game. After learning about ethical principles through play and analysis, students design a text-based game where players make ethical choices shaping the narrative and experience of the game.

3 CreditsSW-ER,H,CWPrerequisite: FYC-101

When we want to convey a message to others, how do we choose whether to Tweet, blog, or shoot video? And why does it matter which we choose? Contemporary life asks us to be agile interpreters of images, texts, and sounds. In response, this course immerses students into the theory and practice of how and why we choose the media in which we communicate. Students explore how we understand and manipulate media, but also how media-in and of themselves-influence what gets written and how. Through an assignment sequence that includes text, webtext, image, sound, and video, students gain strength and versatility as writers by honing their awareness of genre, audience, and rhetorical situation. The course culminates in a multimodal, web-based portfolio. This course may be of interest to those considering not only professional writing, but also business, marketing, technology, creative entrepreneurship, media studies, art, and/or design.

3 CreditsH,CW,CTDHPre-Req: FYC-101 or EN-110 or EN-109.

Writing for Video Production is a course that combines contemporary rhetoric, creative inquiry, design thinking, media authorship, self-reflection, and social engagement. Students complete directed writing such as journal entries, scripts, storyboards, and shotlists in concert with video production, facilitating an integrated process of thinking, creating, and problem-solving. 

4 CreditsH,CW,CTDH,WK-CETake FYC-101 or EN-110 or EN-109

This course provides a broad understanding of editing and its role in document development, publication, and use. Students will learn to edit effectively on a range of editing tasks and documents and edit documents for a community partner project. These skills will prepare students for a variety of professional editing positions.

3 CreditsH,SW-LEPrerequisite: FYC-101 or EN-110 or EN-109.

English students may apply their acquired skills and knowledge in on-the-job internships of a semester during their junior or senior year for a total of 9 credit hours. Television stations, radio stations, newspapers, magazines, public relations and advertising agencies are all possible placements for the Juniata interns, who not only work as full-time members of the business's team but also evaluate and document their growth in a journal and prepare a portfolio of presentations or publications.

2-9 CreditsHPrerequisites: Permission of the instructor and Junior or Senior standing. Corequisite: EN495.

In addition to the on-the-job experience provided by the internship, the student is required to pursue research related to the placement. An in-depth research paper or presentation is completed during the semester and turned in for a possible 3 credit hours.

2-6 CreditsHPrerequisites: Permission of instructor and Junior or Senior standing. Corequisite: EN490.