Undergraduate Course Descriptions: Fall 2024

Need more info?
For the most up-to-date list of classes offered, visit the dynamic schedule. For questions about classes, consult our undergraduate advising page or contact the listed instructor. To see what we'll be offering in future semesters, visit our two-year course rotation template. Interested in studying literature, taking a writing workshop, improving your writing skills, or brushing up your teaching skills, but don't want to pursue a degree? You should apply as a Non-Degree Seeking Student.

Jump to: 

• African American Literature Courses
• Applied Linguistics/TESOL Courses
• Creative Writing Courses
• Literature Courses
• Professional Writing Courses
• Honors & Internships

*Click on each course title to read the professor's full course description; click on each thumbnail image to view the course flyer.

General Education Requirements:

ENGL 1010 - English Composition (multiple sections; online courses available)
Practice in expository writing with emphasis on content, organization, and style (levels of usage and sentence structure) for different purposes and audiences.

ENGL 1020 - English Composition/Analysis (multiple sections; online courses available)
Practice in expository writing that synthesizes ideas from various readings. Includes library work and production of documented papers.

ENGL 2201 - Literary Heritage (multiple sections; online courses available)
Major texts of literary heritage; modes of literary expression and cultural context; emphasis on works as products of their historical contexts and as processes shaping human consciousness.

ENGL 2201.019 - Literary Heritage: LGBTQIA+ Literature | Prof. Nina Myers | TR 1:00-2:25
In this section of Literary Heritage, we will read texts representing the literary modes of fiction, poetry, drama, and memoir with a focus on LGBTQ Literature. The course will explore topics such as defining LGBTQ literature, the differences between and among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer literature, and the changes in LGBTQ writing over time. This course asks students to use various literary criticism models (LGBTQ critical theory, Feminist, African American, and New Historicism analysis) as lenses.

ENGL 2201.003 - Literary Heritage: The Eerie & Uncanny | Dr. Lorinda Cohoon | MWF 9:10-10:05
In this section of Literary Heritage, the focus will be on examples of the eerie and the uncanny in plays, poems, and short stories.

ENGL 2202 - Literary Heritage: African American Literature (multiple sections; online courses available)
Consideration of major texts of literary heritage with emphasis on African-American culture; modes of literary expression and cultural context; emphasis on work as products of historical contexts and as processes shaping human consciousness.

African American Literature: 

ENGL 4372 - Women of the Harlem Renaissance | Dr. Shelby Crosby | TR 9:40-11:05
The Harlem Renaissance was a period of literary and artistic vibrancy for African Americans. It is marked by the outpouring of work by and about black folks. In 1925, Alain Locke coined the term the New Negro as a way to discuss and understand the emergence of a new black urban consciousness. The Harlem Renaissance is often referred to as the New Negro movement. In this course we will explore how black women writers engaged with the Harlem Renaissance. How did they respond to not only being black but being a woman?

ENGL 4373 - African American Authors Since the Harlem Renaissance | Dr. Verner Mitchell | Online
In-depth study of two or three authors since 1930, focusing on relationships among them and comparing their aesthetics. May be repeated for maximum of 6 hours credit with change in course content. 

Applied Linguistics/TESOL: 

ENGL 3501 - Modern English Grammar | Dr. Lindsay Helms | MW 12:40-2:05
In this class we will examine the structure of the English language with a focus on syntax, morphology, and the lexicon. We will consider different Englishes and how English grammar varies within and across communities. Students will be able to effectively use metalanguage to describe and analyze English grammar. 

ENGL 3511 - Intro to Linguistics | Dr. Rebecca Adams | Online 
This course is an introduction to linguistics, the scientific study of language. Students will develop familiarity with – and skills related to – the study of structure and function in language, as well as how languages change over time, how meanings and identities are constructed linguistically, and how language policies shape language use.

ENGL 4522 - Gender and Language | Dr. Lyn Wright | MW 12:40-2:05
Study of gender as a variable as it intersects with language use in a variety of contexts, including professional, legal, medical, and academic settings.

ENGL 4530 - Practicum in ESL | Dr. Rebecca Adams | TBA
The course provides field experience in ESL teaching in through observing teaching by ESL specialists in your local area and also by engaging in supervised teaching. You will need to find a suitable ESL teaching context for the practicum. Please be in contact with the instructor early (before the semester begins) to discuss options for practicum sites.

ENGL 4531 - Methods & Techniques in ESL (multiple sections offered; online courses available)

ENGL 4531.M50 | Dr. Ronald Fuentes | Online 
This class is designed to introduce methods and techniques of teaching English as a Second Language in various settings. It examines our current understanding of second language acquisition and the varying methods and techniques used to teach language skills to students of English at the K-12 level and in intensive and immigrant programs in the U.S. and overseas. The purpose of this course is to provide knowledge and experience that will help you to better analyze learning situations, enhance your professional skills, and increase your ability to promote learning

ENGL 4533 - ESL/EFL in Multicultural Settings | Dr. Emily Thrush | Online 
Approaches to working with ESL or EFL students in multicultural settings.

Creative Writing: 

ENGL 3606.001 - Poetry Writing | Prof. Kendra Vanderlip | MW 12:40-2:05
Calling all poets! ENGL 3606 is an introductory class for anyone who wants to learn more about writing and reading poetry. Students will learn the conventions of the genre through close reading, analysis, creative practice, and constructive critique studying contemporary selections of poetry to analyze the use of style, structure, and figurative language. We will compose poems throughout the semester with guided prompts, culminating in a portfolio at the end of the semester showcasing the writer’s growth and understanding of poetic conventions.

ENGL 3606.002 - Poetry Writing | TBD | TR 11:20-12:45
Exploration of the creative process within the forms and traditions of poetry. Emphasis on student’s own work.

ENGL 3607.001 - Fiction Writing | TBD | MWF 10:20-11:15
Exploration of the creative process within the forms and traditions of fiction. Emphasis on the student’s own work.

ENGL 3607.002 - Fiction Writing | TBD | TR 9:40-11:05
Exploration of the creative process within the forms and traditions of fiction. Emphasis on the student’s own work.

ENGL 4600 - Creative Nonfiction Workshop | Prof. Kendra Vanderlip | TR 11:20-12:45
This course places heavy emphasis on workshop and reading in preparation for workshop. The theme of this workshop class will revolve around the “queering of the essay.” Writers who identify from queer spaces use craft to create disruptions in their writing. You do not have to be a queer identifying student to take this class, as the emphasis will be on identifying the choices writers make in craft in conversation with identity. We will also compose workshop length essays that focus on student’s own understanding of identity while building their writer toolkit through class discussion and analysis, equipping students with a detailed understanding of the craft of literary nonfiction writing. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 hours credit with permission of instructor. 

ENGL 4601 - Poetry Workshop | Prof. Kendra Vanderlip | MW 2:20-3:45
This course places heavy emphasis on workshop and reading in preparation for workshop. The theme of this workshop class will revolve around the chapbook length projects. We will be taking a look at several chapbooks and thinking about what it is to compose a themed shorter poetry length project. Workshops will focus on developing content in conversation with the larger goals of the project, and how theme, craft and voice all work in conversation with one another while composing. Students will build their writer toolkit through class discussion and analysis, equipping students with a detailed understanding of the craft of literary poetry writing. May be repeated for maximum of 6 hours credit with permission of instructor.

ENGL 4603 - Fiction Workshop | TBD | MWF 11:30-12:25
Nature of short story and longer forms of fiction, critical approaches to fiction, and practical experience in writing and revising text. May be repeated for maximum of 6 hours credit with permission of instructor. 

ENGL 4604 - Forms of Poetry | Prof. Kendra Vanderlip | TR 1:00-2:25
This course places heavy emphasis on workshop and reading in preparation for workshop. The theme of this workshop class will revolve around the chapbook length projects. We will be taking a look at several chapbooks and thinking about what it is to compose a themed shorter poetry length project. Workshops will focus on developing content in conversation with the larger goals of the project, and how theme, craft and voice all work in conversation with one another while composing. Students will build their writer toolkit through class discussion and analysis, equipping students with a detailed understanding of the craft of literary poetry writing.

ENGL 4605 - Forms of Fiction: Studies in Genre | Dr. Eric Schlich | MW 12:40-2:05
This forms class explores a new genre in fiction each week—science-fiction, fantasy, magical realism, horror, fairy-tale and literary retellings, historical fiction, romance, humor, metafiction, epistolary and fraudulent artifact stories, and more. Students will read stories and try out writing in each of these genres, as well as mash up genres to create new ones. May be repeated for maximum of 6 hours credit with permission of instructor. 

Literature:

ENGL 3210 - British Literature to 1750 (multiple sections offered; online and honors courses available)
Survey of major authors, themes, and movements from the medieval period through the 18th century. 

ENGL 3210.002/350 (honors embedded) | Dr. Cristina Cervone | TR 9:40-11:05
Students will gain a broad overview of British literature and its cultural contexts from its beginnings in early Britain up to the middle of the eighteenth century. The class will ask the following questions of a variety of British literary texts and their original audiences: What do we consider literature? What did they consider literature? Why were certain forms, themes, and plots popular, and how can we learn to appreciate them from a modern perspective? How does a text become “timeless”?

ENGL 3210.M50 | Dr. Joshua Phillips | Online 

ENGL 3220 - British Literature Since 1750 (multiple sections):

3220.001 | Prof. Rhonda Powers | TR 9:40-11:05
This survey course will address British literature from the Romantics to the Post-moderns and examine the quest for empire. The British Empire spanned the world and linked a quarter of world's population to Britain through a shared, official allegiance to the Crown. Thus, Britain has — through language, education, and culture — shaped globalization, and the world.

3220.002 | Dr. Carey Mickalites | MWF 10:20-11:15
Survey of major authors, themes, and movements from the Romantic period through the present.

ENGL 3327 - American Literature to 1865 (multiple sections):
Survey of major authors, themes, and movements in American literature from the colonial period through 1865.

ENGL 3327.002 | Dr. Jeff Scraba | TR 1:00-2:25

ENGL 3327.M50 | Dr. Jeff Scraba | Online

ENGL 3401.001/350 (honors embedded) - Children's Literature | Dr. Lorinda Cohoon | MWF 11:30-12:25
This section of Children’s Literature will focus on the natural and supernatural in children's literature, with selected readings with themes and topics focusing on trees and elves, flowers and fairies, with some mushrooms, ghosts, and spirits mixed in.

ENGL 3404 - Studies in Popular Texts | Dr. Andrew Donnelly | MW 2:20-3:45 
This course will examine the Civil War in popular imagination--in novels, stories, poetry, film, monuments, and other media--to consider how texts make meaning of the past and what the Civil War has meant and continues to mean today. 

ENGL 3405 - Multicultural Children's Literature: Bridges & Windows Through Intergenerational Stories | Dr. Lorinda Cohoon | MW 12:40-2:05
Starting from a thematic focus on intergenerational stories and the ways that they might build bridges and windows across ages, nations, ethnicities, and perspectives, participants will read and write about books from multiple cultures that feature intergenerational relationships and themes.

ENGL 3701 - Literary Criticism & Theory: Marxist Theory & Criticism | Dr. Carey Mickalites | MW 12:40-2:05
Do you ever wonder why “Marx” is such a dirty word to a lot of people? Have you ever noticed shared concerns among women, people of color, and wage earners? Or would you like to write some badass literary criticism? If you answered “yes” to any of these, this class is for you! We’ll begin with foundational 19th century texts by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, and then move through later developments in Black Marxism, Marxist-Feminism, Postcolonial Studies, and other engagements with this important intellectual legacy. Along the way we will supplement our discussion with select literary texts, films, and other cultural products. No prior knowledge of Marxism is required!!!

ENGL 4237 - Shakespeare For All! | Dr. Joshua Phillips | TR 11:20-12:45
Have you never read a Shakespeare play but want to? This class is for you! Have you read a lot of Shakespeare but want to know more? This class is for you too! This course will focus on some of Shakespeare’s most beautiful and influential works — including the sonnets and plays including Hamlet, King Lear, The Winter’s Tale and The Tempest. Also, we will be thinking about Shakespeare’s place in modern culture, considering music, movies, memes, and more. If you have ever wanted to know more about the writer often considered the GOAT, this class is for you!

ENGL 4346 - Studies in American Literature: What Are the Public Humanities? | Dr. Donal Harris | TR 1:00-2:25
This course will introduce late-stage undergraduates and early graduate students to these ‘public humanities’ initiatives: how they differ from traditional scholarship, what they share and where they depart in their own methods, and how they open up new careers for humanities students. This class will be interactive and project-based: you will end the course having made something. May be repeated for a maximum of 6 hours credit with change in course content.

Professional Writing:

ENGL 3601 - Intro to Technical & Professional Writing (multiple sections):
Introduction to rhetoric and style of documents written by scientists, engineers, technical writers, and other professionals; extensive practice in writing reports, proposals, manuals, and correspondence.

ENGL 3601.001 | TBD | TR 1:00-2:25

ENGL 3601.M50 | Prof. Emily Gillo | Online
This section gives students the opportunity to learn, experiment with, and apply principles of technical writing and rhetoric to workplace communication, public online writing, and civic engagement. This section is centered on digital literacy and is made up of four units: corporate workplace writing, online content creation & social media, professional networking, and the online job market. Students will have the opportunity to tinker with a variety of writing genres, scenarios, audiences, and writing platforms/tools, and will leave this course not only with tangible, career-ready skills, but also with a better understanding of Web 4.0’s rhetorical situation as well as their place and space within this new situation.

ENGL 3601.M51 | Prof. Terry Ansbro | Online 

ENGL 3602 - Professional Editing | Dr. Chloe Robertson | Online
Workshop in techniques of editing effectively in academic, industry, government, literary, and research settings; developing practical genre familiarity for printed and online formats within those areas.

ENGL 3603 - Engineering Communications (multiple sections offered):
Form and contexts of written and oral communications in engineering professions; extensive practice in oral reporting, written reports, manuals, and proposals.
*Does not apply to the English major or minor.*

ENGL 3603.001 | Dr. Adam Sneed | MW 12:40-2:05
This course teaches the fundamentals of technical communication with a focus on written and oral communications specific to the engineering domain. It embraces the idea that students learn best through practical, hands-on experience in real-world contexts. The course’s central assignment is a semester-long service-learning project, the iFixit Technical Writing Project (Standard Project), where students work with their peers to create and publish an original, wiki-based troubleshooting manual for a real device. The course also affords opportunities to develop important job application documents and even pursue your own research interests.

ENGL 3603.002 | Dr. Chloe Robertson | MW 2:20-3:45

ENGL 3603.003 | Prof. Calen Verbist | TR 9:40-11:05

ENGL 3603.004 | Prof. Calen Verbist | TR 11:20-12:45

ENGL 3604 - Persuasive Writing (multiple sections offered, online sections available)
Study and practice of writing essays and reports with emphasis on persuasion; introduction to empirical and library research, application of rhetorical principles, and nature of evidence, including numerical; academic and professional writing, editing, and revision.

ENGL 3604.002 | Dr. Scott Sundvall | MW 12:40-2:05
This course will first analyze the rhetoric surrounding gun violence in Memphis and then, in partnership with a community partner, will ask students to rhetorically invent potential solutions to gun violence in Memphis. 

ENGL 3604.M50 | Prof. Terry Ansbro | Online

ENGL 3604.M51 | TBD | Online

ENGL 4602 - Advanced Composition: Writing & Public Advocacy | Dr. Will Duffy | Online
This course focuses on the principles and applications of writing across genres (voice, video, social media, etc.) with a focus on public writing and advocacy.

ENGL 4618 - Document Design | Dr. Chloe Robertson | Online
Theories of visual and written communication, focusing on the interrelationship between visual and verbal elements; practice in effective design using layout and graphics software; working on client projects in a collaborative setting.

ENGL 4620.M50 - Digital Rhetoric & Writing | Dr. Scott Sundvall | Online 
This course will immerse students in the complexities and nuances of digital writing and rhetoric as understood within that post-literate medium. Within the context of the digital institution, students will analyze, create, remix, and remediate various forms and methods of writing and rhetoric.

Honors & Internships:

ENGL 4640 - Internship in English | Rachel Cantrell | TBA
Experience with a local community partner requiring the assistance of English majors with strong oral and written communication skills. Dependent upon availability. Visit our internships page for more information. 

ENGL 4995 - Honors Thesis Research | Dr. Cristina Maria Cervone | TBA 
Students engage in individual, intensive study of a unique problem or issue in English Studies, culminating in a prospectus for their Honors thesis. Visit our English honors page for more information.