Department of English

Bachelor of Arts in English

Your path through the English Program

Two tracks lead to one degree. Pick the track that fits your language background, follow your four-year plan, and pass each final to keep moving forward.

Sign in to your courses

Track 1 English as a First Language 16 courses · 48 credits See the plan Track 2 English as a Second Language 24 courses · 72 credits See the plan
  • 4years, 8 semesters
  • 2tracks, one degree
  • 6shared core courses
  • 3credits per course

Which track is right for me?

Track 1: English as a First Language

Choose this track if:

  • English is your first or strongest language.
  • You are ready for college-level reading and writing.
  • You want to study British, American, and world literature in depth.
View Track 1

Track 2: English as a Second Language

Choose this track if:

  • English is not your first language.
  • You want to build academic listening, reading, writing, and grammar first.
  • You will take a placement test to find your starting level.
View Track 2

How you move forward

All prerequisites must be completed before you move forward. A prerequisite is complete only when you have passed the course and its final.

  1. Complete the course

    Attend, finish the coursework, and earn a passing grade.

  2. Pass the final

    Every course ends with a required final. You must pass it to complete the course.

  3. Unlock the next course

    When every prerequisite for a course is complete, you can enroll in it.

Rules that apply to everyone

  • All prerequisites must be completed before you move forward.
  • Each ESL level must be passed before the next one.
  • ESL 131 Academic Reading and Writing leads into ENG 101.
  • ENG 102 is required before any 200-level course.
  • The 200-level surveys come before the 300-level courses.
  • ENG 490 Senior Seminar comes last in both tracks.

Shared core courses

Students in both tracks take these six courses. In the plans they carry a gold dot.

  • ENG 101 Composition I
  • ENG 102 Composition II: Argument and Research
  • ENG 201 Introduction to Literary Studies
  • ENG 230 World Literature
  • ENG 320 History and Structure of the English Language
  • ENG 490 Senior Seminar / Capstone

Plans of study and courses

Choose a track to see its four-year plan. Select any course to read its description, its final, and what you need to complete first.

Track 1

English as a First Language

You start in composition, build your skills with MLA and APA, then move through the British, American, and world literary traditions, theory, Shakespeare, and three electives of your choice.

Four-year plan

  1. Year 1

    Fall semester3 credits
    Spring semester0 credits
    • General education courses

  2. Year 2

    Fall semester3 credits
    Spring semester9 credits

  3. Year 3

    Fall semester9 credits
    Spring semester9 credits

  4. Year 4

    Fall semester9 credits
    Spring semester6 credits

Required courses

ENG 101Composition IShared core

Academic writing as a process: invention, drafting, revision, and editing. Students learn to summarize, respond to, and integrate sources while writing clear, purposeful essays, and learn to format papers and cite sources in both MLA and APA style.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Purdue OWL: Thesis Statements (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)What a thesis does and how to revise a weak one.
  2. Lesson 2 How to Write a STRONG Thesis Statement (Scribbr) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Step-by-step method for building an arguable thesis.
  3. Lesson 3 Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)When and how to use each method of integrating sources.
  4. Lesson 4 MLA Citation Style: Formatting a Paper (9th edition) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Page setup, heading, and Works Cited in MLA 9.
  5. Lesson 5 How Library Stuff Works: How to Write MLA Citations, 9th Edition (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)The MLA core elements, explained source by source.
  6. Lesson 6 APA Style 7th Edition: Student Paper Formatting (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Title page, headings, and page setup for APA student papers.
  7. Lesson 7 APA 7th Edition: Formatting the APA Reference Page (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How to build the References list.

Before you start

Track 1: no prerequisite. Track 2: ESL 131, final passed.

Final (must pass)

Timed in-class essay responding to a reading, plus a citation exercise formatting sources in MLA and APA.

3 credits

ENG 102Composition II: Argument and ResearchShared core

Builds on ENG 101 with sustained argument and research writing. Students frame research questions, evaluate sources, and write a documented argument in MLA or APA style.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 The Toulmin Model of Argumentation: Claims, Data, and Warrants, Oh My! (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Claim, data, warrant, backing, qualifier, rebuttal.
  2. Lesson 2 Warrants in an Argument (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How to find the unstated assumption that links evidence to a claim.
  3. Lesson 3 Check Yourself with Lateral Reading: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #3 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How fact-checkers evaluate an unfamiliar source.
  4. Lesson 4 Evaluating Evidence: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #6 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Judging whether evidence actually supports a claim.
  5. Lesson 5 How Library Stuff Works: Refining Your Research Question (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Turning a broad topic into a focused, researchable question.
  6. Lesson 6 Paraphrasing and Summarizing to Avoid Plagiarism in Research (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Using sources honestly in a research paper.

Before you start

ENG 101, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final researched argument paper (8 to 10 pages) in MLA or APA style.

3 credits

ENG 201Introduction to Literary StudiesShared core

Close reading of fiction, poetry, and drama, with the vocabulary and methods of literary analysis. Readings are excerpts from American, British, Canadian, African, and Caribbean authors. Students write critical essays that build an argument from textual evidence.

Required readings (excerpts)

  • Caribbean Michael Anthony, The Year in San Fernando and Green Days by the River; V. S. Naipaul, A House for Mr. Biswas; Sam Selvon, Ways of Sunlight
  • African Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
  • American Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour”; Paul Laurence Dunbar, “We Wear the Mask”; Susan Glaspell, Trifles
  • British Katherine Mansfield, “Miss Brill”; Wilfred Owen, “Dulce et Decorum Est”
  • Canadian Stephen Leacock, Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town; John McCrae, “In Flanders Fields”; E. Pauline Johnson, “The Song My Paddle Sings”

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 How and Why We Read: Crash Course English Literature #1 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Why we read literature closely and what we gain from it.
  2. Lesson 2 How to Close Read Any Passage in 5 Easy Steps (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A method you can use on the unseen passage in Part C.
  3. Lesson 3 If One Finger Brought Oil: Things Fall Apart Part 1, Crash Course Literature 208 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Okonkwo, Umuofia, and the novel's structure.
  4. Lesson 4 Things Fall Apart, Part 2: Crash Course Literature 209 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Colonialism, change, and the novel's ending.
  5. Lesson 5 Caribbean Literature in English (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Background on the Caribbean literary tradition.
  6. Lesson 6 Living Writers: V. S. Naipaul (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Naipaul discusses his life and writing.
  7. Lesson 7 Who is Author Michael Anthony? A Literary Legend from Trinidad and Tobago (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Introduction to Michael Anthony's life and work.

Before you start

ENG 102, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final exam with passage identification and a close-reading essay on an unseen excerpt.

3 credits

ENG 230World LiteratureShared core

Major works in translation from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe, read in their cultural and historical contexts.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 What is World Literature? [Goethe and David Damrosch] (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)What 'world literature' means and why translation matters.
  2. Lesson 2 The 1001 Nights (Arabian Nights) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Shahrazad, the frame story, and the history of the collection.
  3. Lesson 3 So Long A Letter Summary by Mariama Ba (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Ramatoulaye's letter, polygamy, and women's choices in Senegal.
  4. Lesson 4 Lecture 04: Rabindranath Tagore (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Tagore's life, Gitanjali, and the 1913 Nobel Prize.
  5. Lesson 5 Lu Xun's Diary of a Madman: Does History Still 'Eat' Us Today? (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)The madman's diary as a critique of tradition.
  6. Lesson 6 Magical Realism of 'A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings' by Garcia Marquez (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How magical realism works in the story.
  7. Lesson 7 The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka): Thug Notes Summary and Analysis (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Gregor Samsa, family, and alienation (informal, lively style).

Before you start

ENG 102, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final exam with a comparative essay across two works from different regions.

3 credits

ENG 240Introduction to Creative Writing

A workshop introduction to fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Students read as writers, draft in each genre, and give and receive peer feedback.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Show, Don't Tell Writing Technique (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Turning statements about feelings into scenes and images.
  2. Lesson 2 Fix Your Writing Fast! Show, Don't Tell in 5 Minutes With Examples (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Quick before-and-after examples.
  3. Lesson 3 Creative Writing Workshop: Evocative Imagery (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Using sensory detail in poetry and prose.
  4. Lesson 4 How to Close Read (and improve your writing!) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Reading like a writer.

Before you start

ENG 102, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final portfolio of revised work in all three genres, with a reflective essay.

3 credits

ENG 210British Literature I

Survey of British literature from the Anglo-Saxon period through the eighteenth century, including Beowulf, Chaucer, Spenser, Milton, and Swift.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Literary Periods in English Literature (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)An overview of the periods covered in this course.
  2. Lesson 2 Beowulf (playlist) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Section-by-section summaries and analysis of Beowulf.
  3. Lesson 3 A crash course in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales and Its Historical Context (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Chaucer's world, pilgrims, and the frame story.
  4. Lesson 4 Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales: The General Prologue (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)The opening lines and the pilgrim portraits.
  5. Lesson 5 What Medieval English ACTUALLY Sounded Like (1395) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Hear Middle English pronunciation.
  6. Lesson 6 Crash Course #1: Gulliver's Travels Part 4 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Swift's satire and the Houyhnhnms.

Before you start

ENG 102, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final exam with passage identification and an essay on a theme across periods.

3 credits

ENG 220American Literature I

American writing from the colonial period to 1865: Puritan writers, the founding era, the American Renaissance, and slave narratives.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 The Story of American Literature in an Hour (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A quick tour of the periods in this course and the next.
  2. Lesson 2 American Literature: The Puritan Period (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Puritan beliefs and writing: Bradstreet, Edwards, and others.
  3. Lesson 3 Frederick Douglass: Crash Course Black American History #17 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Douglass's life, Narrative, and activism.
  4. Lesson 4 Before I Got My Eye Put Out: The Poetry of Emily Dickinson, Crash Course English Literature #8 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How to read Dickinson's dashes, slant rhyme, and compression.
  5. Lesson 5 Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, and American Poetry (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)The two poets who reinvented American verse.

Before you start

ENG 102, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final exam with passage identification and an essay on a theme across periods.

3 credits

ENG 320History and Structure of the English LanguageShared core

An introduction to linguistics through English: sounds, word formation, grammar, meaning, and how the language changed from Old English to its global varieties today.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Phonetics: Consonants, Crash Course Linguistics #8 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Place, manner, and voicing for consonants.
  2. Lesson 2 Phonetics: Vowels, Crash Course Linguistics #9 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How vowels are described and transcribed.
  3. Lesson 3 Phonology: Crash Course Linguistics #10 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Phonemes, allophones, and minimal pairs.
  4. Lesson 4 Morphology: Crash Course Linguistics #2 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Morphemes, affixes, and how words are built.
  5. Lesson 5 Syntax: Morphosyntax, Crash Course Linguistics #3 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How word forms and word order work together.
  6. Lesson 6 Syntax: Trees, Crash Course Linguistics #4 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Constituents and tree diagrams.
  7. Lesson 7 Semantics: Crash Course Linguistics #5 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Meaning, sense relations, and ambiguity.
  8. Lesson 8 Language Change and Historical Linguistics: Crash Course Linguistics #13 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How and why languages change.
  9. Lesson 9 The History of English in 10 Minutes (Open University) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)From Anglo-Saxon to global English, quickly.
  10. Lesson 10 The Great Vowel Shift: a public service announcement (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Why English spelling and pronunciation don't match.
  11. Lesson 11 What are Creoles and Pidgins? And What's the Difference? (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Pidgins, creoles, and how they develop.

Before you start

ENG 201, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Cumulative final exam on phonetics, morphology, syntax, and the history of English.

3 credits

ENG 211British Literature II

Survey of British literature from the Romantics to the present, including Wordsworth, the Brontës, Dickens, Woolf, and contemporary writers.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 First Generation Romantic Poets: W. Wordsworth and S. T. Coleridge (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Lyrical Ballads and the Romantic revolution in poetry.
  2. Lesson 2 Lyrical Ballads and the Revolution of Romantic Poetry (Part 1) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)What changed in 1798, and why it mattered.
  3. Lesson 3 The Victorian Age Explained (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Industry, empire, and the Victorian novel.
  4. Lesson 4 Reader, it's Jane Eyre: Crash Course Literature 207 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Jane Eyre's voice, independence, and Bertha Mason.
  5. Lesson 5 Wuthering Heights Summary Explained (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Catherine, Heathcliff, and the novel's structure.
  6. Lesson 6 Virginia Woolf on Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A reading of Woolf's essay that links the Brontës to modernism.

Before you start

ENG 210, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final exam with passage identification and an essay on a theme across periods.

3 credits

ENG 221American Literature II

American literature from 1865 to the present: realism, modernism, the Harlem Renaissance, and contemporary voices.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 The Story of American Literature in an Hour (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Realism, modernism, and after.
  2. Lesson 2 Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance: Crash Course Literature 215 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Hughes, jazz, and the Harlem Renaissance.
  3. Lesson 3 Their Eyes Were Watching God: Crash Course Literature 301 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Janie's voice, dialect, and independence in Hurston's novel.
  4. Lesson 4 Langston Hughes: Harlem Renaissance Poet, Novelist, Playwright (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Hughes's life and major works.

Before you start

ENG 220, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final exam with passage identification and an essay on a theme across periods.

3 credits

ENG 300Literary Theory and Criticism

Major critical approaches, including formalism, structuralism, Marxist, feminist, postcolonial, and reader-response theory, applied to literary texts.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Formalism, Authorial Intent, and Reader Response Theory (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Three ways of locating meaning: text, author, reader.
  2. Lesson 2 Formalism and Structuralism Differences (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How the two approaches differ.
  3. Lesson 3 Structuralist Literary Theory: Key Concepts, Major Theorists, Key Questions (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Saussure, signs, and binary oppositions.
  4. Lesson 4 What is literary theory: Feminist, Queer and Marxist (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)An introduction to three political approaches.
  5. Lesson 5 Edward Said's Orientalism EXPLAINED (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)The foundation of postcolonial criticism.
  6. Lesson 6 22. Post-Colonial Criticism (Yale lecture) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A university lecture on postcolonial theory.

Before you start

ENG 201 and one 200-level survey, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final paper applying two critical approaches to one text.

3 credits

ENG 310Shakespeare

Close study of selected comedies, histories, tragedies, and romances, with attention to performance, language, and historical context.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Shakespeare's Tragedies and an Acting Lesson: Crash Course Theater #15 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How the tragedies work on stage.
  2. Lesson 2 Of Pentameter and Bear Baiting: Romeo and Juliet Part 1, Crash Course English Literature #2 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Iambic pentameter and Shakespeare's theater.
  3. Lesson 3 Understanding Shakespeare's Plays: The Ultimate Crash Course (Tragedy, Comedy, History and Romance) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)The four genres you study in this course.
  4. Lesson 4 Harold Bloom Lectures on Shakespeare's major tragedies (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A famous critic on Hamlet and Othello.

Before you start

ENG 210, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final exam with passage analysis and an essay on two plays.

3 credits

ENG 490Senior Seminar / CapstoneShared core

A culminating seminar in which students complete an original research or creative project and assemble a portfolio of their best work from the program.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 How to Prepare an Excellent Thesis or Capstone Defense (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Planning and practicing your defense.
  2. Lesson 2 Oral Research Presentations and Defending Your Thesis or Dissertation (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Structuring a research talk and handling questions.
  3. Lesson 3 Surviving Capstone: Defense Presentation Tips (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Practical tips for the presentation day.
  4. Lesson 4 Paraphrasing and Summarizing to Avoid Plagiarism in Research (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A refresher on using sources honestly.

Before you start

Senior standing; all core courses.

Final (must pass)

Public presentation and defense of the capstone project and portfolio.

3 credits

Plus three electives from the elective list.

Track 2

English as a Second Language

You take a placement test, build academic English through three levels, then join ENG 101 and the shared core alongside upper-level ESL courses.

Four-year plan

This plan is for a student placed at Level 1. If you place at Level 2 or 3, you skip ahead and have room for extra electives.

  1. Year 1

    Fall semester9 credits
    Spring semester12 credits

  2. Year 2

    Fall semester12 credits
    Spring semester6 credits

  3. Year 3

    Fall semester9 credits
    Spring semester9 credits

  4. Year 4

    Fall semester9 credits
    Spring semester6 credits

Courses by level

Level 1: Intermediate

ESL 110Listening and Speaking I

Everyday and classroom listening and conversation at the intermediate level, with a focus on comprehension and confident participation.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Intermediate English Conversation Practice (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Everyday conversations at your level.
  2. Lesson 2 B1 Intermediate English listening practice and speaking practice (Elephant English Podcasts) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Short podcasts for daily listening practice.
  3. Lesson 3 Conversation Practice to Improve English Listening and Speaking Skills (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Practice asking and answering common questions.
  4. Lesson 4 Questions vs. Statements: American English Pronunciation (Rachel's English) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How intonation changes in questions.

Before you start

No prerequisite. Placement test decides your starting level.

Final (must pass)

Final listening test and one-on-one speaking interview.

3 credits

ESL 111Reading and Writing I

Reading short texts for main ideas and detail, and writing clear paragraphs.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Finding the Main Idea: Reading Comprehension Lesson (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How to find what a text is mostly about.
  2. Lesson 2 Supporting details and patterns in reading (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How details support the main idea.
  3. Lesson 3 How to Boost Reading Comprehension: Read-Ask-Paraphrase (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A simple strategy to check your understanding.
  4. Lesson 4 How to Write a Basic Paragraph (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Topic sentence, supporting sentences, concluding sentence.
  5. Lesson 5 How to Write a Topic Sentence (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Start every paragraph with a clear main idea.

Before you start

No prerequisite. Placement test decides your starting level.

Final (must pass)

Final reading comprehension test and a timed paragraph.

3 credits

ESL 112Grammar I

Core sentence structures and verb tenses for accurate everyday communication.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Basic Sentence Structure: S+V+O for Beginners (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Subject, verb, object order.
  2. Lesson 2 Easy English Grammar: The Simple Present Tense (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Forms and uses of the present simple.
  3. Lesson 3 Present perfect and past simple: 6 Minute Grammar (BBC Learning English) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)When to use 'I have done' and 'I did'.
  4. Lesson 4 'I've done' or 'I did'? Ask BBC Learning English (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A short answer to a common question.

Before you start

No prerequisite. Placement test decides your starting level.

Final (must pass)

Final grammar exam on core sentence structures and tenses.

3 credits

Level 2: High intermediate

ESL 120Listening and Speaking II

Longer lectures, discussions, and short presentations at the high-intermediate level.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Cornell Notes Method of Taking Notes (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A simple system for lecture notes.
  2. Lesson 2 How to take better notes in class: The Cornell Method (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Practice before the exam.
  3. Lesson 3 30 Minutes of English Listening Practice (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Build listening stamina for longer talks.
  4. Lesson 4 Questions vs. Statements: American English Pronunciation (Rachel's English) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Intonation for your presentation.

Before you start

ESL 110, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final lecture-listening test and a short individual presentation.

3 credits

ESL 121Reading and Writing II

Reading longer texts and writing multi-paragraph essays with clear organization.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Supporting details and patterns in reading (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Finding evidence in a longer text.
  2. Lesson 2 How to Boost Reading Comprehension: Read-Ask-Paraphrase (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Checking understanding paragraph by paragraph.
  3. Lesson 3 How to Write a STRONG Thesis Statement (Scribbr) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)The main idea of your essay.
  4. Lesson 4 Hamburger Paragraphs (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A simple model for organized paragraphs.

Before you start

ESL 111, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final reading test and a timed multi-paragraph essay.

3 credits

ESL 122Grammar II

Complex sentences, clauses, and verb forms used in academic writing.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Complex Sentences: Independent and Dependent Clauses, Subordinating Conjunctions, and Using Commas (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How to build and punctuate complex sentences.
  2. Lesson 2 Lesson on how to use SUBORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)After, although, unless, even though, and more.
  3. Lesson 3 Defining and Non-Defining Relative Clauses: English Grammar Lesson (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Who, which, that, and when to use commas.
  4. Lesson 4 What's the passive voice? Ask BBC Learning English (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Forming and using the passive.
  5. Lesson 5 Present and past passives: 6 Minute Grammar (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)More passive practice.

Before you start

ESL 112, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final grammar exam on clauses and complex sentences.

3 credits

Level 3: Advanced and bridge

ESL 130Academic Listening and Note-Taking

Following college lectures, taking organized notes, and using them to study and write.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Cornell Notes Method of Taking Notes (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Set up your page for lecture notes.
  2. Lesson 2 How to study efficiently: The Cornell Notes Method (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Turning notes into study questions.
  3. Lesson 3 Cornell Notes Guide: How to Take Notes You Can Actually Study From (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Abbreviations, symbols, and review.
  4. Lesson 4 30 Minutes of English Listening Practice (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Build stamina for longer lectures.

Before you start

ESL 120, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final exam: take notes on a recorded lecture, then answer questions from those notes.

3 credits

ESL 131Academic Reading and Writing

Bridge course: reading college texts critically and writing source-based essays in preparation for ENG 101.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Synthesising: How to Combine Your Sources in Academic Writing (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How to connect two sources in one essay.
  2. Lesson 2 Synthesize Your Sources: How to Write the Research Essay (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Moving from summary to synthesis.
  3. Lesson 3 Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Using sources in your own words.
  4. Lesson 4 Frederick Douglass: Crash Course Black American History #17 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Background for Source A.

Before you start

ESL 121, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final exit essay based on two sources. Passing it qualifies students for ENG 101.

3 credits

ESL 132Advanced Grammar and Editing

Self-editing for accuracy and style in academic writing.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Run-Ons, Comma Splices, and Fragments: Grammar Lesson (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)The three most common sentence errors.
  2. Lesson 2 Sentence Structure Errors and How to Fix them with Real Examples (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Editing practice with real sentences.
  3. Lesson 3 Grammar Revision of Relative Clauses: Restrictive or Nonrestrictive? That or which? (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Punctuating relative clauses.
  4. Lesson 4 PAST SIMPLE vs. PRESENT PERFECT: #1 Most Common Error (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A frequent error in academic writing.

Before you start

ESL 122, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final editing exam: correct and revise an academic text.

3 credits

Support courses

ESL 140Pronunciation and Fluency

Sounds, stress, rhythm, and intonation for clear, natural speech.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Sheep or Ship? Practice now! (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)The vowels in 'ship' and 'sheep'.
  2. Lesson 2 Minimal Pairs: Master English Pronunciation Practice (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Hearing and saying sounds that are close.
  3. Lesson 3 TH Sound: Practice Tip (Rachel's English) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How to make the 'th' sounds.
  4. Lesson 4 Word Stress + Acronyms: American English Pronunciation (Rachel's English) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Which syllable to stress.
  5. Lesson 5 Function Words: American English Pronunciation + Intonation/Word Stress (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Why small words are reduced.
  6. Lesson 6 Questions vs. Statements: American English Pronunciation (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Rising and falling intonation.

Before you start

Level 1 or placement.

Final (must pass)

Final recorded speaking sample rated on clarity and fluency.

3 credits

ESL 150Academic Vocabulary

High-frequency academic words, word families, and strategies for learning vocabulary across subjects.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 What is the AWL? (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)What the Academic Word List is and why it matters.
  2. Lesson 2 Academic Word List (AWL), Vocabulary in Context, Part 7 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Learning AWL words in sentences.
  3. Lesson 3 ENGLISH VOCABULARY: ACADEMIC WORD LIST (playlist) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Lessons on AWL sublists.
  4. Lesson 4 25 Common Collocations for Academic English Writing (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Words that naturally go together.
  5. Lesson 5 The Academic Collocation List (ACL) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A list of common academic word partnerships.

Before you start

Level 2 or placement.

Final (must pass)

Final vocabulary exam on the academic word list.

3 credits

Upper-level ESL

ESL 250Academic Presentations and Discussion

Planning and delivering presentations and leading seminar discussions.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Seminar on Seminars: How to Deliver an Effective Academic Presentation (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Structure and delivery for academic talks.
  2. Lesson 2 How to Present Your Research in 5 Minutes (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Focus and clarity under time limits.
  3. Lesson 3 4 Discussion Facilitation Options (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Ways to lead a seminar discussion.
  4. Lesson 4 Presentation Skills: 6 Tips to Start a Great Presentation (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Strong openings.

Before you start

ESL 130, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final presentation and a discussion the student leads.

3 credits

ESL 260Research Writing for Multilingual Writers

Research writing support for multilingual students, taken alongside ENG 102: paraphrase, citation, and avoiding plagiarism.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Paraphrasing and Summarizing: Key Skills for Academic Writing (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How to restate sources in your own words.
  2. Lesson 2 The Art of Paraphrasing: Avoiding Plagiarism (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Step-by-step paraphrasing.
  3. Lesson 3 How to Use Sources in a Research Paper and Avoid Plagiarism: 3 Easy Steps (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Integrating sources honestly.
  4. Lesson 4 APA 7th Edition: Formatting the APA Reference Page (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Building your reference list.
  5. Lesson 5 How Library Stuff Works: How to Write MLA Citations, 9th Edition (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)MLA citations.

Before you start

ENG 101, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final research paper written alongside ENG 102, with a source and citation check.

3 credits

ESL 270English for Professional Communication

Email, reports, meetings, and interviews in professional settings.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 How to Answer Behavioral Interview Questions Sample Answers (STAR method) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Structuring interview answers with STAR.
  2. Lesson 2 Writing Professional Emails in English (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Structure, tone, and phrases for work email.
  3. Lesson 3 Business English: How to Write a Professional Email (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Openings, requests, and closings.
  4. Lesson 4 Formal and Informal English: Register (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Choosing the right level of formality.

Before you start

ESL 250, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final mock job interview and a professional email and report.

3 credits

ESL 280Language and Culture in North America

How language reflects culture: register, politeness, idiom, and cultural expectations in academic and social life.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Formal and Informal English: Register (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How context changes the language we choose.
  2. Lesson 2 Politeness in English (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Indirectness and softening in English.
  3. Lesson 3 4 Discussion Facilitation Options (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Useful for planning the oral report's question time.

Before you start

ESL 131, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final project: a written and oral report on a cultural language topic.

3 credits

ESL 290Reading Literature in English

Strategies for reading fiction, poetry, and drama in English, with attention to figurative language and cultural reference.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Imagery: metaphor, simile, personification, symbol, explained! (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)The main kinds of figurative language.
  2. Lesson 2 Figurative Language in Poetry: Simile, Metaphor, and Personification (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How poets use comparison.
  3. Lesson 3 How to Close Read Any Passage in 5 Easy Steps (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A method for the unseen poem.
  4. Lesson 4 Caribbean Literature in English (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Background on the texts in this course.

Before you start

ENG 201, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final exam with a close-reading essay on an unseen literary passage.

3 credits

Shared core

ENG 101Composition IShared core

Academic writing as a process: invention, drafting, revision, and editing. Students learn to summarize, respond to, and integrate sources while writing clear, purposeful essays, and learn to format papers and cite sources in both MLA and APA style.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Purdue OWL: Thesis Statements (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)What a thesis does and how to revise a weak one.
  2. Lesson 2 How to Write a STRONG Thesis Statement (Scribbr) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Step-by-step method for building an arguable thesis.
  3. Lesson 3 Quoting, Paraphrasing, and Summarizing (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)When and how to use each method of integrating sources.
  4. Lesson 4 MLA Citation Style: Formatting a Paper (9th edition) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Page setup, heading, and Works Cited in MLA 9.
  5. Lesson 5 How Library Stuff Works: How to Write MLA Citations, 9th Edition (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)The MLA core elements, explained source by source.
  6. Lesson 6 APA Style 7th Edition: Student Paper Formatting (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Title page, headings, and page setup for APA student papers.
  7. Lesson 7 APA 7th Edition: Formatting the APA Reference Page (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How to build the References list.

Before you start

Track 1: no prerequisite. Track 2: ESL 131, final passed.

Final (must pass)

Timed in-class essay responding to a reading, plus a citation exercise formatting sources in MLA and APA.

3 credits

ENG 102Composition II: Argument and ResearchShared core

Builds on ENG 101 with sustained argument and research writing. Students frame research questions, evaluate sources, and write a documented argument in MLA or APA style.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 The Toulmin Model of Argumentation: Claims, Data, and Warrants, Oh My! (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Claim, data, warrant, backing, qualifier, rebuttal.
  2. Lesson 2 Warrants in an Argument (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How to find the unstated assumption that links evidence to a claim.
  3. Lesson 3 Check Yourself with Lateral Reading: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #3 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How fact-checkers evaluate an unfamiliar source.
  4. Lesson 4 Evaluating Evidence: Crash Course Navigating Digital Information #6 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Judging whether evidence actually supports a claim.
  5. Lesson 5 How Library Stuff Works: Refining Your Research Question (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Turning a broad topic into a focused, researchable question.
  6. Lesson 6 Paraphrasing and Summarizing to Avoid Plagiarism in Research (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Using sources honestly in a research paper.

Before you start

ENG 101, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final researched argument paper (8 to 10 pages) in MLA or APA style.

3 credits

ENG 201Introduction to Literary StudiesShared core

Close reading of fiction, poetry, and drama, with the vocabulary and methods of literary analysis. Readings are excerpts from American, British, Canadian, African, and Caribbean authors. Students write critical essays that build an argument from textual evidence.

Required readings (excerpts)

  • Caribbean Michael Anthony, The Year in San Fernando and Green Days by the River; V. S. Naipaul, A House for Mr. Biswas; Sam Selvon, Ways of Sunlight
  • African Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
  • American Kate Chopin, “The Story of an Hour”; Paul Laurence Dunbar, “We Wear the Mask”; Susan Glaspell, Trifles
  • British Katherine Mansfield, “Miss Brill”; Wilfred Owen, “Dulce et Decorum Est”
  • Canadian Stephen Leacock, Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town; John McCrae, “In Flanders Fields”; E. Pauline Johnson, “The Song My Paddle Sings”

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 How and Why We Read: Crash Course English Literature #1 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Why we read literature closely and what we gain from it.
  2. Lesson 2 How to Close Read Any Passage in 5 Easy Steps (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A method you can use on the unseen passage in Part C.
  3. Lesson 3 If One Finger Brought Oil: Things Fall Apart Part 1, Crash Course Literature 208 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Okonkwo, Umuofia, and the novel's structure.
  4. Lesson 4 Things Fall Apart, Part 2: Crash Course Literature 209 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Colonialism, change, and the novel's ending.
  5. Lesson 5 Caribbean Literature in English (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Background on the Caribbean literary tradition.
  6. Lesson 6 Living Writers: V. S. Naipaul (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Naipaul discusses his life and writing.
  7. Lesson 7 Who is Author Michael Anthony? A Literary Legend from Trinidad and Tobago (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Introduction to Michael Anthony's life and work.

Before you start

ENG 102, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final exam with passage identification and a close-reading essay on an unseen excerpt.

3 credits

ENG 230World LiteratureShared core

Major works in translation from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe, read in their cultural and historical contexts.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 What is World Literature? [Goethe and David Damrosch] (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)What 'world literature' means and why translation matters.
  2. Lesson 2 The 1001 Nights (Arabian Nights) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Shahrazad, the frame story, and the history of the collection.
  3. Lesson 3 So Long A Letter Summary by Mariama Ba (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Ramatoulaye's letter, polygamy, and women's choices in Senegal.
  4. Lesson 4 Lecture 04: Rabindranath Tagore (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Tagore's life, Gitanjali, and the 1913 Nobel Prize.
  5. Lesson 5 Lu Xun's Diary of a Madman: Does History Still 'Eat' Us Today? (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)The madman's diary as a critique of tradition.
  6. Lesson 6 Magical Realism of 'A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings' by Garcia Marquez (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How magical realism works in the story.
  7. Lesson 7 The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka): Thug Notes Summary and Analysis (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Gregor Samsa, family, and alienation (informal, lively style).

Before you start

ENG 102, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final exam with a comparative essay across two works from different regions.

3 credits

ENG 320History and Structure of the English LanguageShared core

An introduction to linguistics through English: sounds, word formation, grammar, meaning, and how the language changed from Old English to its global varieties today.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Phonetics: Consonants, Crash Course Linguistics #8 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Place, manner, and voicing for consonants.
  2. Lesson 2 Phonetics: Vowels, Crash Course Linguistics #9 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How vowels are described and transcribed.
  3. Lesson 3 Phonology: Crash Course Linguistics #10 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Phonemes, allophones, and minimal pairs.
  4. Lesson 4 Morphology: Crash Course Linguistics #2 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Morphemes, affixes, and how words are built.
  5. Lesson 5 Syntax: Morphosyntax, Crash Course Linguistics #3 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How word forms and word order work together.
  6. Lesson 6 Syntax: Trees, Crash Course Linguistics #4 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Constituents and tree diagrams.
  7. Lesson 7 Semantics: Crash Course Linguistics #5 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Meaning, sense relations, and ambiguity.
  8. Lesson 8 Language Change and Historical Linguistics: Crash Course Linguistics #13 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How and why languages change.
  9. Lesson 9 The History of English in 10 Minutes (Open University) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)From Anglo-Saxon to global English, quickly.
  10. Lesson 10 The Great Vowel Shift: a public service announcement (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Why English spelling and pronunciation don't match.
  11. Lesson 11 What are Creoles and Pidgins? And What's the Difference? (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Pidgins, creoles, and how they develop.

Before you start

ENG 201, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Cumulative final exam on phonetics, morphology, syntax, and the history of English.

3 credits

ENG 490Senior Seminar / CapstoneShared core

A culminating seminar in which students complete an original research or creative project and assemble a portfolio of their best work from the program.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 How to Prepare an Excellent Thesis or Capstone Defense (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Planning and practicing your defense.
  2. Lesson 2 Oral Research Presentations and Defending Your Thesis or Dissertation (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Structuring a research talk and handling questions.
  3. Lesson 3 Surviving Capstone: Defense Presentation Tips (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Practical tips for the presentation day.
  4. Lesson 4 Paraphrasing and Summarizing to Avoid Plagiarism in Research (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A refresher on using sources honestly.

Before you start

Senior standing; all core courses.

Final (must pass)

Public presentation and defense of the capstone project and portfolio.

3 credits

Plus two electives from the elective list.

Electives

Track 1 students choose three electives. Track 2 students choose two. Elective course numbers are proposed.

Literature

ENG 330The Novel

Development of the novel as a form, from its eighteenth-century origins to the present.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Literary Analysis: Point of View (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Narrators and perspective, the core tool for reading novels.
  2. Lesson 2 Analyze how point of view impacts story meaning when the narrator is reliable & unreliable (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Reliable and unreliable narrators.
  3. Lesson 3 Reader, it's Jane Eyre: Crash Course Literature 207 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Jane Eyre's first-person voice and its contexts.
  4. Lesson 4 Like Pale Gold: The Great Gatsby Part 1: Crash Course English Literature #4 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Gatsby and Nick Carraway as narrator.

Before you start

ENG 201, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final critical essay on a novel studied in the course.

3 credits

ENG 331Poetry

Forms, meter, and movements in English-language poetry, with intensive close reading.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Scansion 101 by Shmoop (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Marking stressed and unstressed syllables.
  2. Lesson 2 Scansion Basics: Regular & Irregular (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Substitutions and irregular lines.
  3. Lesson 3 Complete guide to meter, rhythm and scansion (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)All the feet and line lengths in one place.
  4. Lesson 4 How to Close Read Any Passage in 5 Easy Steps (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A method for the unseen poem.

Before you start

ENG 201, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final exam with scansion and a close-reading essay on an unseen poem.

3 credits

ENG 332Modern Drama

Major plays and playwrights from Ibsen to the present.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Ibsen and realism theatre (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Ibsen's realism and the 'problem play'.
  2. Lesson 2 Henrik Ibsen: the father of modern drama (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Ibsen's life and influence.
  3. Lesson 3 Beckett, Ionesco, and the Theater of the Absurd: Crash Course Theater #45 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)The Theatre of the Absurd and Waiting for Godot.
  4. Lesson 4 Theatre of the Absurd Explained (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A short review of absurdist drama.

Before you start

ENG 201, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final essay on a play, including analysis of a staging choice.

3 credits

ENG 340African American Literature

Traditions of African American writing from the eighteenth century to today.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Arts and Letters of the Harlem Renaissance: Crash Course Black American History #26 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)The Harlem Renaissance's writers and artists.
  2. Lesson 2 Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance: Crash Course Literature 215 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Hughes's poetry and its blues and jazz forms.
  3. Lesson 3 Zora Neale Hurston: Crash Course Black American History #30 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Hurston's life, folklore, and fiction.

Before you start

ENG 201, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final research essay on an author or movement.

3 credits

ENG 341Postcolonial Literature

Writing from former colonies and its responses to empire, nation, and identity.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 22. Post-Colonial Criticism (Yale, Paul Fry) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A university lecture on Said, Bhabha, and postcolonial theory.
  2. Lesson 2 Postcolonial Theory (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)A shorter introduction to key concepts.
  3. Lesson 3 Homi Bhabha's The Location of Culture Explained (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Hybridity, mimicry, and the 'third space'.
  4. Lesson 4 Caribbean Literature in English (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Caribbean writers and contexts.

Before you start

ENG 201, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final research essay on an author or movement.

3 credits

ENG 350Literature and Film

Adaptation and storytelling across page and screen.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Shot Types, Camera Angles & Rules of Framing (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)The vocabulary of shots and framing.
  2. Lesson 2 How to read cinematography (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Analyzing what the camera shows and why.
  3. Lesson 3 The Secret Language of Camera Angles (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How angles create meaning.
  4. Lesson 4 Like Pale Gold: The Great Gatsby Part 1: Crash Course English Literature #4 (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)The novel behind one of the course's adaptations.

Before you start

ENG 201, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final adaptation essay planning and defending your own film version of a novel from the course.

3 credits

Writing

ENG 360Advanced Composition

Style, rhetoric, and revision for experienced writers.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 The Rhetorical Triangle and Rhetorical Appeals (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Speaker, audience, message, and the appeals.
  2. Lesson 2 How to Write about Rhetorical Appeals (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Turning observations into analysis.
  3. Lesson 3 Ethos, Pathos & Logos (4 Minute Explainer) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Quick review of the three appeals.

Before you start

ENG 102, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final portfolio of revised essays with a rhetorical analysis of the writer's own work.

3 credits

ENG 361Technical and Professional Writing

Reports, proposals, instructions, and workplace documents for real audiences.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 How to write a Technical Memo (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Memo purpose, headings, and structure.
  2. Lesson 2 Technical Writing: Memo Format (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Standard memo format.
  3. Lesson 3 Technical Proposal Writing (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Writing proposals clients will accept.
  4. Lesson 4 Technical Writing: Proposals (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Proposal sections and persuasion.

Before you start

ENG 102, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final project: a complete document set (proposal, report, and instructions) for a real client.

3 credits

ENG 370Fiction Workshop

Advanced workshop in the short story.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 How to Practice 'Show Don't Tell' When Writing Fiction (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Turning statements of feeling into scenes.
  2. Lesson 2 SHOW, don't TELL in writing (with examples) (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Before-and-after examples.
  3. Lesson 3 Literary Analysis: Point of View (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Choosing a point of view for your story.

Before you start

ENG 240, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final portfolio of two polished short stories.

3 credits

ENG 371Poetry Workshop

Advanced workshop in poetry writing and revision.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Revising Poetry: Line and Stanza Breaks (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)How line and stanza breaks shape meaning.
  2. Lesson 2 Writing Poetry: Using Line Breaks Well (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Practical line-break strategies.
  3. Lesson 3 How to write a poem with imagery and descriptive language (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Concrete images over abstractions.
  4. Lesson 4 Scansion Basics (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Hearing the rhythm of your own lines.

Before you start

ENG 240, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final portfolio of ten revised poems.

3 credits

ENG 380Editing and Publishing

Copyediting, developmental editing, and the publishing process.

Video lessons in this course

  1. Lesson 1 Proofreading and Copy Editing Symbols (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Standard marks for editing on paper.
  2. Lesson 2 Quick Tips for Mastering the Chicago Manual of Style, 18th Edition (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)The style guide most book publishers use.
  3. Lesson 3 My Top PROOFREADING Tips for Beginners to Edit Like a Pro (video, opens YouTube in a new tab)Practical proofreading habits.

Before you start

ENG 102, with the final passed.

Final (must pass)

Final project: copyediting and developmental edit of a manuscript, with an editor's letter.

3 credits