Academic Calendar 2012/2013

course Descriptions • course Descriptions • course Descriptions • course Descriptions • course Descriptions • course DescriptionsENGL-242Prose and Poetry of the Augustan Age3 Credits (45:0:0 hours)Students study the authors, works, and genres that were predominantin the Augustan Age and broader Neoclassical Period, between 1660and 1785. This course includes a selection of drama, fiction, essays,and poetry by eighteenth-century writers such as John Dryden,Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, andSamuel Johnson.Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in 6 credits of 100 level UniversityEnglish except ENGL 108, ENGL 111 and ENGL 199.ENGL-267Literary Theory3 Credits (45:0:0 hours)This course introduces students to a variety of theoreticaldiscussions about literature, culture, and aesthetic practice - fromPlatonism, existentialism, and formalism to Marxism, structuralism,deconstruction, and feminism. While a portion of the class concernsthe historical roots of literary and cultural theory, the major focus istwentieth and twenty-first century “theory” and its application to thestudy of literature. Students thus examine the various recurrent themes,or problems, that continue to be debated in literary and cultural studiessuch as the autonomy of the artist/author, the nature of aesthetic value,the relationship between text and context, the arbitrariness of the sign,the definition of the sublime, the establishment of literary “canons”.Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in 6 credits of 100 level UniversityEnglish except ENGL 108, ENGL 111 and ENGL 199.ENGL-294Introduction to Writing Poetry3 Credits (45:0:0 hours)English 294 is an introductory course in the art of writing poetry.Students are expected to read widely, to apply poetic theory to theirown work, and to write poems in a variety of genres. This course isconducted as a workshop in which students’ original work is the basisfor class discussion.Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in 6 credits of 100 level UniversityEnglish except ENGL 108, ENGL 111 and ENGL 199.ENGL-296Reading Creative Nonfiction3 Credits (45:0:0 hours)This course is a critical exploration of several popular forms of creativenonfiction, a hybrid genre encompassing works that blur the distinctionbetween fiction and nonfiction, including the memoir, the personal/familiar essay, travel literature, and literary journalism. Selected worksare drawn from across a range of national literatures and time periods,with an emphasis on modern texts.Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in 6 credits of 100 level UniversityEnglish except ENGL 108, ENGL 111 and ENGL 199.ENGL-297Essay Writing for University Students3 Credits (45:0:0 hours)ENGL 297 aims to increase university students’ ability to write andunderstand non-fiction expository prose. Students study style andrhetoric, the relationship between form and content, the theory andpractice of composition, and the processes of revision to improve theiracademic writing skills. This is not a remedial course in grammar orin basic essay writing skills, though there may be some review of thesematters; rather, the class focuses on honing students’ expository writingand critical reading, writing, and analytical skills. Revising, editing,and essay workshopping may constitute a significant component ofclass time. While specific writing assignments may vary from section tosection, all students write a total of 6000 words, including at least onein-class essay. A major research assignment may also be included. Thereis no final examination. Note: Not to be taken by students with creditin ENGL 299.Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in 6 credits of 100 level UniversityEnglish except ENGL 108, ENGL 111 and ENGL 199.ENGL-299Essay Writing for Education Students3 Credits (45:0:0 hours)ENGL 299 aims to increase Education-bound students’ ability tounderstand and to write non-fiction expository prose. The coursefocuses on the study of style and rhetoric and their application tostudents’ writing and on the relationship between content and formin non-fiction writing. This is not a remedial course in grammar orwriting; rather it is a class in which Education-bound students canhone their reading, writing and thinking skills. Both in and out of class,students write a total of at least 6,000 words. Students write at least onein-class essay. Note: Students with credit in any other senior level nonfictionprose writing course will not receive credit in this course.Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in 6 credits of 100 level UniversityEnglish except ENGL 108, ENGL 111 and ENGL 199.ENGL-307History of the English Language3 Credits (45:0:0 hours)This course traces the history of English, from its ancient Indo-Europeanand Germanic roots to the Early Modern Period. By examiningrepresentative texts from Old, Middle, Early Modern, Englishes, studentslearn how English spelling, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, andsyntax have evolved.Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in 6 credits of 100 level UniversityEnglish except ENGL 108, ENGL 111 and ENGL 199.ENGL-322Medieval Drama3 Credits (45:0:0 hours)Bearing in mind both theoretical and pragmatic concerns, this studyof drama from the Middle Ages examines a variety of early Englishdramatic texts, from biblical plays and early moral interludes to theuniversity and humanist drama that heralded the arrival of commercialtheatre in London. In addition to reading the plays from a theoreticalperspective, the course pays particular attention to the experiences ofwatching and performing these complex and demanding works. Whileconsidering the interaction of plays with the audience, and exploringthe staging or performance of this drama which often conjoins sacredand profane, comic and tragic elements, another important focus of thecourse is the development of critical skills through close reading to beexpressed in various writing assignments.Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in 6 credits of 100 level UniversityEnglish except ENGL 108, ENGL 111 and ENGL 199.284Grant MacEwan University • A C A D E m I CRefer to the Online Alberta Transfer Guide at www.transferalberta.ca for transfer opportunitiesC A L E N D A R 2012/2013 • www.MacEwan.ca