This course is a global perspective on of one literature’s most timed-honored forms: the heroic epic. In our present-day world, heroes come in various forms, whether they be blockbuster-movie protagonists of super-human (almost cartoonish) strength, or ordinary people rising to the occasion of extraordinary circumstances. But where did these templates emerge from and why? Was the hero archetype globally constructed, a common trope bandied and modified across oceans and time or are there numerous local archetypes, each staying locked in their culture’s values and mores? To consider these questions, students will encounter literature and orature from the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, West Africa, and Eurasia.

As an introduction to literary studies, English 301 is intended to answer the question: What are we doing when we critically analyze literature? This course will act as an introduction to engaging critically with literary texts. We will read many articles from current academic journals and analyze their methods and approaches. We will read about and discuss various terminology and methods used in critical analyses of literature, and students will be asked to write brief analyses of different critical approaches to literature throughout the semester, analyzing the way various critics approach literary texts. The course will culminate in a researched academic essay on a literary text. EH 301 will offer students a sound introduction to analysis and research in upper-level literature courses.

This workshop is designed for beginning students of Creative Nonfiction. Through Dinty Moore’s books, The Truth of the Matter and Crafting the Personal Essay, we will be discussing the basic forms of Creative Nonfiction. We’ll read as many examples of the various forms of Creative Nonfiction as time will allow, both in and out of class. Our objective will be to grasp the techniques and issues of craft and to practice them in the writing of our own Creative Nonfiction. We’ll be doing “free writes” in the workshop to spark ideas for the different forms of Creative Nonfiction. We’ll focus on techniques, writing in scene, forms, ethics in researching, interviewing, reporting, writing about place, writing about things and processes, voice, and the writing life.