Courses
Note: A minimum grade of C in EN 101 is a prerequisite for EN 102, and a minimum grade of C in EN 102 is a prerequisite for all 200- and 300-level English courses. All 400-level courses have additional prerequisites, which are listed in the course descriptions. These prerequisites may be waived by the department head if there is evidence that the cadet is well prepared for the 400-level course.
EN 101. ENGLISH COMPOSITION I
3—0—3
This course teaches students to analyze texts, introduces them to the writing process, and develops their ability to write a well-organized essay that advances a clear, logical thesis. Minimum grade of C required.
EN 102. ENGLISH COMPOSITION II
3—0—3
This course reinforces students' understanding of the writing process, enhances their ability to develop a defensible argumentative thesis, and develops their ability to use research to inform and advance an argument. Minimum grade of C required. Prerequisite: Minimum grade of C in EN 101.
EN 201. ENGLISH LITERATURE TO 1750
3—0—3
Beginning with the early Anglo-Saxon tale of heroes and monsters, Beowulf, and ending in the eighteenth century with the satiric adventures of Swift’s Gulliver, this course looks at the major writers and works of the intervening one thousand years. Writers will include Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Milton. Emphasis is placed not only on individual works but on continuity and tradition in the evolution of British literature.
EN 202. ENGLISH LITERATURE SINCE 1750
3—0—3
Romanticism turned away from the past to explore new relationships between human beings and nature, idealism and experience. Major emphasis will be placed on Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, and Keats. The impact of industry and science on the Victorian era will be considered in the poetry of Tennyson, Browning, and Arnold, and in Dickens' novel, Hard Times. Finally, we will explore the diversity and experimentation of the twentieth century's poetry, fiction, and drama, including the works of Conrad, Yeats, Woolf, and Eliot.
EN 203. WORLD LITERATURE-THEMATIC FOCUS
3—0—3
This course will introduce students to literature from various world regions and/or cultures using a thematic focus. The focus will be on both the close study of the literature itself and the cultural context through which it arose. See the course schedule for specific themes. Prerequisite: Minimum Grade of C in EN 102.
EN 204. WORLD LITERATURE-REGIONAL FOCUS (NOT BRITAIN OR US)
3—0—3
This course will introduce students to literature from a specific region of the world. The focus will be on both the close study of the literature itself and the cultural context through which it arose. See the course schedule for specific regional designations. Prerequisite: Minimum Grade of C in EN 102.
EN 209. SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE
3—0—3
“It’s a complex fate, being an American.” When Henry James wrote these words, he had in mind certain persistent conflicts in the American mind and imagination. This course is an introduction to the major writers from the Colonial period to the present who have helped to define these conflicts and thus to illuminate the complex fate of this country. The course will consider such things as America’s sense of destiny; the tension between individual rights and social imperatives; the encounter of black, red, and white on this continent; the role of the artist in a democratic society; changing perspectives on nature; the old world versus the new; the American dream; and the American nightmare.
EN 230. RHETORICAL TRADITIONS
3—0—3
An introduction to the history of rhetoric that highlights its relationship to reading, writing, and speaking in modern contexts. Emphasis will be placed on defining rhetoric- its traditions, terms, and enduring realms of influence. The course provides a foundation in the principles of classical rhetoric that will be explored further in upper-level writing courses..
EN 250W SEMINAR IN LITERARY RESEARCH & ANALYSIS
3—0—3
This course is an introduction to literary research and writing. It teaches students how to conceive and shape research topics, use a wide range of research tools (both in print and online), and apply a variety of critical theories for reading and analyzing literature. Course research projects will be both instructor-and student-designed.
EN 308. RENAISSANCE ENGLISH LITERATURE
3—0—3
A study of English poetry, prose, and drama of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Emphasis is on the understanding and appreciation of the works discussed, but some attention is given to each as an expression of the culture of the period.
EN 310. SHAKESPEARE
3—0—3
A survey of Shakespeare's works, including selected histories, tragedies, and comedies.
EN 312. EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY BRITISH LITERATURE
3—0—3
The literature of the Restoration and eighteenth century in England (1668-1775); Gulliver's Travels, Robinson Crusoe, The Beggar's Opera, and more.
EN 316. ROMANTIC LITERATURE
3—0—3
A study of poetry and prose of the English Romantic Movement. The nature of the individual, the connections among individuals, the nature of nature, the effects of technology and the industrial revolution, and the place and purpose of literature were the concerns of such poets as Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, Byron, and Shelley, and of the novelists Walter Scott and Mary Shelley (Frankenstein).
EN 318. VICTORIAN LITERATURE
3—0—3
A study of Victorian thought and spirit through literature. Readings in Bronte, Tennyson, Browning, Wilde, and others.
EN 320. TWENTIETH-CENTURY BRITISH LITERATURE
3—0—3
A study of major British writers since 1900 including Conrad, Eliot, Yeats, and Graham Green, among others.
EN 326. EUROPEAN LITERATURE: 1914 TO THE PRESENT
3—0—3
A study of various authors, typically including Mann, Sartre, Camus, Kafka, and Koestler. Emphasis is on the development of existential and absurdist attitudes and forms, especially as responses to the two World Wars, the emergence of totalitarianism and the Holocaust.
EN 330. CREATIVE WRITING - FICTION
3—0—3
A seminar that introduces students to the writing of fiction. It requires students to analyze the works of both established writers and classmates and to write and extensively revise their own fiction. A final writing project is required in lieu of a final examination.
EN 332. CREATIVE WRITING - POETRY
3—0—3
A seminar that introduces students to the writing of poetry. It requires students to analyze the works of both established writers and classmates and to write and extensively revise their own poetry. A final writing project is required in lieu of a final examination.
EN 334. CREATIVE WRITING - NONFICTION
3—0—3
A seminar that introduces students to nonfiction genres (e.g., biography, the memoir, the personal essay) and requires them both to analyze the works of established writers and classmates and to write and revise extensively their own nonfiction. A final project is required in lieu of a final examination.
EN 340. WRITING FOR THE PROFESSIONS
3—0—3
The chief purpose of this course is to improve the pre-professional candidate’s ability to write clear, precise, effective, and grammatically accurate prose in the composition of critical essays, letters, reports, memoranda, opinions, briefs, and/or research documents.
EN 342. TECHNICAL WRITING
3—0—3
A skills course that focuses on practical writing in the world of work. Emphasis will be given to individual practice in business correspondence, report writing, and resume preparation, but the course also offers students a chance to tailor assignments to their specific writing needs and interests.
EN 345. JOURNALISM
3—0—3
A seminar that introduces students to writing news articles. It requires students to submit balanced and accurate news articles based on personal interviews and research. In lieu of a final examination, each student will submit a long feature article which demonstrates a mastery of the journalistic skills and principles taught in this course (newsworthiness, form, interviewing, balance, accuracy, attribution, liveliness, research, and use of multiple and conflicting sources).
EN 347. ADVANCED COMPOSITION
3—0—3
A seminar offering advanced practice in essay and research paper writing, with particular emphasis on argumentation. The course emphasizes logic, the use of evidence, grammar and usage, and the development of a mature appropriate style. Assignments may focus on a single theme for the entire term, or students may be encouraged to explore topics of individual interest. A substantial final research project is required in lieu of a final examination.
EN 350. AMERICAN PERIOD - EARLY AMERICAN
3—0—3
A study of American literature beginning with the first voyage of Christopher Columbus and concluding with the rise of Washington Irving and James Fenimore Cooper, this course chronicles the efforts of European immigrants and their descendants to discover a distinctly "American" literary voice. In addition, this class will consider the literatures of Native Americans faced with invasion and of Africans faced with enslavement. Readings will include works by such authors as Columbus, Cabeza de Vaca, Smith, Winthrop, Bradford, Bradstreet, Rowlandson, Taylor, Sewall, Mather, Byrd, Edwards, Franklin, Crèvecoeur, Paine, Jefferson, Equaino, Freneau, Wheatley, Rowson, Brown, Irving, and Cooper.
EN 352. AMERICAN PERIOD - AMERICAN RENAISSANCE
3—0—3
Surveying American literature from the middle of the nineteenth century, this course will explore the major literary, social, and philosophical concerns that define the emergence of a distinctly American literature. The course will cover major movements such as Romanticism, Transcendentalism, Sentimentalism, and the rise of the Slave Narrative by examining readings by such authors as Emerson, Hawthorne, Stowe, Douglass, and Melville.
EN 356 AMERICAN PERIOD — REALISM AND NATURALISM
3—0—3
A study of the two most significant currents in American literature between the Civil War and World War I, this course considers how realist and naturalist writers responded to the economic, social, scientific, and artistic theories and realities of their times. Readings will include works by authors such as William Dean Howells, Mark Twain, Henry James, Kate Chopin, Edith Wharton, Charles Chesnutt, Stephen Crane, Frank Norris, and Theodore Dreiser.
EN 360 AMERICAN PERIOD — MODERNISM
3—0—3
American Literature's "Second Renaissance." Widely ranging and diverse readings in this period (1910-1940) of extraordinary creativity can include Lewis, Anderson, Fitzgerald, Frost, Pound, Eliot, Hughes, Stein, Hemingway, H.D., Toomer, Faulkner, Hurston. Against a background of interrelationship of the arts, numerous movements and approaches to writing may be examined, including Imagism, Stream of Consciousness, Lost Generation, Harlem Renaissance, Objectivism.
EN 363 AMERICAN PERIOD — CONTEMPORARY
3—0—3
This course is designed to expose students to representative prose texts of the period following World War II up to the present day. Students read texts that follow in the tradition of standard American literary movements—naturalist/realist, modernist, postmodernist—and that can be contextualized within those historical movements and against the backdrop of social, political, racial, and historical trends in American society. Students write short critical papers on topics/themes of their choosing. Research is not required, but may be used. A sampling of texts over the past eight years includes Nabokov's Lolita; Ellison's Invisible Man; The Collected Stories of John Updike; Morrison's Song of Solomon; Vonnegut's Hocus Pocus; and Wilson's Fences.
EN 372 LITERATURE OF THE BIBLE
3—0—3
This course is a study of the Bible as literature and will pay particular attention to the importance of genre.
EN 376. LITERATURE OF WAR
3—0—3
A study of how characters in literature behave under the stress of battle. We will be concerned with issues of fear, heroism, comradeship, and the changing nature of war. We will also explore the different ways in which writers have sought to depict war. Readings will be selected from a wide range of materials, including novels, poems, plays, trench memoirs, essays, and histories.
EN 378. ARTHURIAN LEGEND
3—0—3
Magic, morals, cuckoldry, and comedy, romance, and tragedy are all a part of the legend of King Arthur, which this course will trace from its origin in the chronicles of the ninth century to its most important compendium in the fifteenth, with sidelong glances at modern versions in books and on film. The centerpieces will be Chretien de Troyes's romances and Sir Thomas Malory's "Arthuriad," Le Morte D'Arthur.
EN 401. THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE: HISTORY AND USE
3—0—3
A general survey of linguistics with emphasis on the history of the English language, phonetics, and grammar theory, including Transformational Grammar. This course is required by many states for certification to teach English. Prerequisite: one 200- or 300-level English course.
EN 406. LITERARY THEORY: WAYS OF READING TEXTS – WORLD LIT.
3—0—3
This course will introduce cadets to the historical development of literary theory and the major critical "schools" that have developed to the present. As part of our investigation, we will discuss the following questions: Why study literature? What literature should be studied, and how do we make that decision? From what viewpoint should we read, given the variety of possible ways to analyze any text? And what tools do we need to facilitate our exploration and analysis of works being produced on an increasingly global literary landscape? In addition to Bressler's Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice, we will read Wole Soyinka's Death and the King's Horseman (Nigerian), Anita Desai's Clear Light of Day (South-Asian Indian), selected poetry by Caribbean, Irish, Iraqi, Chinese, Palestinian, and Polish poets. No prior experience with the study of literary theory is necessary.
EN 413. CHAUCER
3—0—3
A general study of Chaucer's early works and The Canterbury Tales, considering Chaucer’s sources, his artistry, and his significance as a representative of his time and as a subject of modern critical controversy. Prerequisite: EN 201.
EN 420. STUDIES IN SHAKESPEARE
3—0—3
A study of a selected topic in Shakespeare. See the course schedule for the specific subject. Prerequisite EN 310.
EN 423 MILTON
3—0—3
This course is a survey of Milton's major poetry and prose and will include an intensive study of his epic masterpiece, Paradise Lost. Prerequisite: EN 201.
EN 450. SOUTHERN LITERATURE
3—0—3
A study of the literature of the American South, emphasizing how the region's writers described, celebrated, critiqued, and even created aspects of "Southernness." Readings may be focused historically or thematically. Prerequisite: EN 209.
EN 454. BEAT GENERATION LITERATURE
3—0—3
Intensive readings in several of the American authors (primarily Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs, Corso, and Snyder) active from the mid- and late forties through the present, loosely grouped as the Beat Generation. What has shaped their philosophies? What are their themes? Styles? What have they contributed to American (and world) life and letters? This course will lay foundations from which to address such questions. Prerequisite: EN 209.
EN 455. AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE
3—0—3
A study of the literature of the African-American experience, how it works both within and outside of the tradition of mainstream American literature, responding to, emulating, and/or critiquing what our traditional literature says it means to be "American." Readings may be focused historically or thematically. Prerequisite: EN 209.
EN 460. STUDIES IN DRAMA
3—0—3
A study of a selected topic in drama. See the course schedule for the specific subject. Prerequisite: one 200- or 300-level English course.
EN 461. STUDIES IN PROSE
3—0—3
A study of a selected topic in either fiction or non-fiction. See the course schedule for the specific subject. Prerequisite: one 200- or 300-level English course.
EN 463. STUDIES IN POETRY
3—0—3
A study of a selected topic in poetry. See the course schedule for the specific subject. Prerequisite: one 200- or 300-level English course.
EN 464. STUDIES IN WORLD LITERATURE
3—0—3
A study of a selected topic in world literature. See the course schedule for the specific subject. Prerequisite: one 200- or 300-level English course.
EN 465. SEMINARS IN LITERATURE
3—0—3
These courses are intended for cadets who want to enhance their appreciation of literature as well as their ability to talk and to write about it. Enrollment is limited; class discussion is emphasized. In each course, substantial instruction and practice in writing is to be expected. Conferences will be held with cadets to help them plan and execute written work. The literary and artistic content of these courses is eclectic, offering a wide variety of themes, authors, artists, genres, and historical periods. Prerequisite: one 200 or 300 level English course.
EN 468. SEMINAR IN RHETORIC AND WRITING
3—0—3
A focused, in-depth study of specific subjects in the fields of rhetoric and writing designed to provide cadets with the opportunity to engage particular questions, controversies, or issues. Seminars may be developed in the fields of rhetoric, composition, linguistics, creative writing, technical writing, professional writing, or journalism. Topics may invite the study of theoretical and practical concerns, historical moments, significant figures, or current events among others. Prerequisite: appropriate rhetoric or writing course or permission of the department head. The course number of the appropriate prerequisite will be included in the preregistration materials.
EN 470. INTERNSHIP IN WRITING
3—0—3
With a faculty sponsor, the cadet will arrange for work in written communication with a local business or industry (5-10 hours per week). In addition to submitting work for periodic evaluation by his or her supervisor, the cadet will prepare a portfolio of writing (in lieu of a final examination) to be evaluated by the faculty sponsor at the conclusion of the internship. Prerequisites: EN 340, 342, 345, or 347, agreement of the faculty sponsor; and permission of department head.
EN 473-474. INDEPENDENT READING
3—0—3
Independent reading in a closely-defined field or an individual author or group of authors, under the supervision of the instructor teaching a course in a corresponding subject. Prerequisites for both EN 473 and 474; English major; EN 201, 202, and 209; a 3.0 average in English courses beyond EN 102; permission of the department head. Limit: two independent reading courses in English.
EN 480W. SENIOR CAPSTONE COURSE
3—0—3
In this student-centered seminar, the culmination of their study in the Department of English and Fine Arts, cadets will demonstrate their achievement of the learning outcomes for English majors by creating a capstone portfolio and making an oral presentation to the class. They will revise selected papers and build on previous work – for example, by extending their research or by refining their critical approach. They will also devote a substantial portion of the course to composing and refining an introductory reflective essay explaining how the portfolio reveals the breadth and depth of their accomplishments. Open only to First Class English majors. Prerequisite: EN 250W.
EN 495. INDEPENDENT READING FOR HONORS
3—0—3
Open only to English Honors candidate who will prepare a bibliography and prospectus on the chosen topic. Prerequisites: EN 201, 202 and 209; a 3.2 average in English courses beyond EN 102; and approval by the Honors Committee and the department head.
EN 496. HONORS THESIS
3—0—3
Open only to English Honors candidates, this course is devoted to preparing an honors thesis. Prerequisites: a grade of B or higher in EN 495 and approval by the Honors Committee and the department head.
FINE ARTS
Note: A minimum grade of C in EN 102 is a prerequisite for all three-credit 200- and 300-level fine arts courses.
FA 207. PRINCIPLES OF THE VISUAL ARTS
3—0—3
An introduction to the major elements (line, color, texture, etc.), principles of design (symmetry, perspective, etc.), media (oil painting, sculpture, etching, etc.), and criteria of judgment of the visual arts. The aim of the course is to make cadets visually “literate”—to teach them, through analysis and critical evaluation, to see rather than merely to look.
FA 215. STUDIO ART: DRAWING AND THE GRAPHIC ARTS
0—2—1
A course designed to introduce cadets to the basic techniques of draftsmanship and principles of design through practical work in such major media of drawing and printmaking as graphite, charcoal, ink wash, pen and ink, dry point, and etching. Enrollment is limited to sixteen.
FA 216. STUDIO ART: PAINTING
0—2—1
A practical introduction to the materials and techniques of some of the major media of painting and color graphics: watercolor, gouache, oil, acrylic, and lino cut. Although desirable, FA 215 is not prerequisite. Enrollment is limited to sixteen.
FA 251. HISTORY OF ART I
3—0—3
A survey of Western painting, sculpture, and architecture, beginning with the styles of Crete and Mycenae and ending with that of Gothic Europe. Although we will mainly define styles and identify the historical processes that shaped them, we will also pause to discuss such matters as the technology of Roman architecture, the Greco-Roman sources of Early Christian style, and the effects upon later medieval art of pilgrimages and relics.
FA 252. HISTORY OF ART II
3—0—3
A survey of the styles of Western painting, sculpture, and architecture that existed between 1400 and 1900: Flemish, Renaissance, Mannerist, Baroque, Rococo, Neo-Classical, and so on. In addition to defining styles, we will discuss such phenomena as the secularization of religious art after 1400, the changing relationship between the artist and his patron, and the rebirth of still life and landscape in 17th-century painting.
FA 340. INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC
3—0—3
Following a study of the fundamentals of music theory and notation, we will survey the styles of Western music: Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern. Although we will briefly consider such matters as the influence of architecture on music, the evolution of instruments, and the social status of the composer and the performer, we will devote ourselves mainly to studying the forms with which such major composers as Bach, Beethoven, Schubert, and Stravinsky have given shape to their inspiration.
FA 346. THE FILM
2—3—3
Through a study of the history and aesthetics of the film, films themselves, and their significant critics, the course seeks to establish substantial grounds for understanding and evaluating the film as an art form.
FA 362. MODERN ART
3—0—3
A study of the art—chiefly the painting—of 1800-1970: a period of unparalleled richness, diversity, and innovation. We will closely examine the works of major figures like Courbet, Manet, Cézanne, Van Gogh, Munch, Picasso, and Kandinsky so as to gain a better understanding of such cultural phenomena as the birth of the avant-garde, the embrace of the irrational, and the incorporation into Western styles of the modes of expression of Oriental and African art.
FA 364. ART AND REVOLUTION: PROPAGANDA IN 19th AND 20th CENTURY EUROPE AND AMERICA
3—0—3
A study of visual artists’ responses to some of the major revolutionary events of the last 200 years, including the French Revolution, World War I, the Nazi-Bolshevist struggles in Weimar Germany, and World War II. Although we will look at examples of popular art—posters, propaganda films, and so forth—as documents of the social upheavals that inspired them, we will chiefly concern ourselves with the paintings, drawings, and graphic works of such important "fine" artists as David, Goya, Delacroix, Daumier, Grosz, and Kollwitz.
FA 375-380. SPECIAL SEMINARS
3—0—3
Seminars on individual artists, composers, topics, or problems, as suggested from time to time by members of the faculty or by groups of cadets.
FA 383. WESTERN ARCHITECTURE
3—0—3
After discussing principles of structure and problems of stress, we will examine the various methods by which Western architects have enclosed and articulated space. Moving chronologically from sixth century BC Greece to twentieth century America, we will define the structural and decorative conventions of the major styles in their cultural contexts. Working independently, each cadet will prepare a research project based upon the study of an important local building. Because Lexington is located in an architecturally rich area, there will be several field trips. Enrollment limited to sixteen.
FA 385. MODERN ART AND THE GREAT WAR
3—0—3
It is ironic that World War I, a war of stalemate and attrition that claimed 10,000,000 victims, inspired a rich outpouring of visual art. In this course we will study the paintings, original prints, and works of sculpture that it inspired—documents of the "war fever" of 1911-1914, of the protracted agony of the war itself, and of the bitter disillusionment that followed. Each work of visual art will be examined against its cultural background, the details of which will be provided by slide-illustrated lectures on the history of the period, readings from poems and trench memoirs, recordings of both popular and "serious" music inspired by the war, and films with World War I settings.
FA 401. INDEPENDENT STUDY IN FINE ARTS
3—0—3
Independent study of an individual artist, a school of artists, or a historical period, under the supervision of the instructor teaching a course in a corresponding subject. Prerequisite: 3.0 average in two Fine Arts lecture (three-credit) courses and permission of the department head. Limit: one independent study course in Fine Arts.
FA 407. ART HISTORY THESIS
3—0—3
Guided by the instructor, the cadet will select a problem in some area of the visual arts—painting, the graphic arts, sculpture, or architecture—explore it intensively, and, applying the methods of criticism and scholarship, produce a paper of “honors” quality. Designed mainly but not exclusively for cadets planning postgraduate work in art history. Prerequisites: A 3.5 average in FA 251 and FA 252 and permission of the department head.
