Full-Time Faculty: Jack P. D'Amico, Chair; Robert J. Butler, Rita A. Capezzi, Hamilton E. Cochrane, Sandra P. Cookson, James C. Dolan, Judith A. Dompkowski, Paul M. Dowling, Jane E. Fisher, Eric L. Gansworth, David J. Greenman, Mark Hodim, Thomas C. Reber, Frank P. Riga, Melvin W. Schroeder, Kenneth M. Sroka, E. Roger Stephenson, Amy Wolf.

The Department of English serves all students at Canisius as well as its own English majors by fostering intellectual development and critical capabilities through literature and personal verbal and written expression. Through the study of many texts and literatures we strive to create and enlarge our faculty/student community and to foster intellectual development, critical inquiry, and critical response to the many challenges confronting people today. Our community strives to create an enlightened, informed, and responsible fellowship of readers and writers. Together, through the study of a range and variety of literatures, we join in the continuing human discussion necessary for the understanding and creating of both self and culture.

The Department staffs courses on three levels: English major courses, various literature courses in Area III of the Core curriculum, and freshman English Seminars I and II.

Our major courses present an array of literary experiences centered upon the formal study of literature and writing, and including a minor in theater arts. Reading and writing assignments emphasize precision in expression, close textual analysis, understanding of historical contexts, and examination of professional criticism.

Courses in Area III (Art and Literature) for non-majors provide study in the various genres of literature: poetry, fiction, drama, essay, and autobiography. The English Department also offers multicultural and interdisciplinary courses such as Images of Women, Literature and Psychology, Literature and Science, Images of Aging, The Hero in Literature, The Journey in Literature, and The Immigrant Experience in American Literature.

English Seminars I and II are designed to enhance literacy, communication skills, critical acuity, and intellectual development through the study of literary texts and emphasis on written expression.

Departmental faculty advisers work closely with students regarding course selection and career opportunities. In addition to the classroom experience, internships in local business and other organizations prepare majors for careers in all areas where effective communication, understanding, and feeling are essential. These include, but are not limited to, teaching, writing, law, social work, mass media, and public relations.

Admission

Students who wish to become English majors should have an interview with the Chair of the English Department. The quality of an applicant’s performance in ENG 101 and ENG 102 is important.

Recommended Schedule:

English Curriculum:

1.	ENG 101, ENG 102, PHI 101, RST 101
	(see pages 30-32)	(4 courses)	(12)
2.	Area Studies: Two courses from each of these areas:
	I, II, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII (see pages 30-35)1	(14 courses)	(42)
3.	Major course requirements:2	(12 courses)
	ENG 300	Introduction to English Studies	(3)
	Shakespeare: one 300 level course		(3)
	British Literature Distribution3 -- one 300/400 level course from three of the following four historical periods I. Medieval through Early Seventeenth Century II. Restoration through Eighteenth Century III. Nineteenth Century IV. Twentieth Century		(9)
	American Literature Distribution:3 one 300/400 level course from each of the following major historical periods I. Pre-Civil War American Literature II. Post-Civil War American Literature		(6)
	Writing: one 300/400 level course		(3)
	English electives: four 300/400 level courses		(12)
	Note: All courses used to meet the English major course requirements must be on the 300 or 400 level.
	Electives	(10 courses)	(30)
Total		(40 courses)	(120)

Recommended Schedule:

Fall	Spring
Freshman Year
ENG 101	3	ENG 102	3
Language4	3	Language	3
AS (History)5	3	AS (History)	3
AS	3	AS	3
AS	3	AS	3
Total	15	Total	15
Sophomore Year
PHI 101 or RST 101	3	RST 101 or PHI 101	3
ENG 300	3	British or American Distribution	3
British or American Distribution	3	Writing or Shakespeare	3
AS	3	AS	3
Elective	3	Elective	3
Total	15	Total	15
Junior Year
Shakespeare or Writing	3	British or American Distribution	3
British or American Distribution	3	English elective	3
AS	3	AS	3
AS	3	AS	3
Elective	3	Elective	3
Total	15	Total	15
Senior Year
British or American Distribution	3	English elective	3
English elective	3	AS	3
Elective	3	Elective	3
Elective	3	Elective	3
Elective	3	Elective	3
Total	15	Total	15
		Total	120

Other Programs

Honors: A two-year upper-level English honors program exists for selected qualified students. The program of study leading to this degree citation consists of a sequence of seminars designed to provide cultural enrichment and to develop expertise in analytical and research skills.

Dual Majors: Dual majors involving English are available in a large number of areas, including biology, history, modern languages, philosophy, psychology, and sociology. Interested students should consult the chairs of both departments involved. With permission of both chairs, inter-disciplinary courses may be used for credit toward the major requirements in both departments.

Course clusters combining English and pre-law or business are also available. In addition, three minors are offered, as follows:

English Minor: For non-majors only. A six-course sequence that includes many of the basic requirements for English majors.

• ENG 300 Introduction to English Studies (3)
• British Literature Distribution:
  one 300/400 level course from any period (3)
• American Literature Distribution:
  one 300/400 level course from either period (3)
• Shakespeare: ENG 322 or ENG 323 (3)
• Writing: one 300/400 level course (3)
• English elective: one 300/400 level course (3)
• Total (6 courses) (18)
  

Writing Minor: For both majors and non-majors. A five-course program that includes rhetorical theory and practice, writing in various contexts, workshops with practicing writers, and an internship in writing.

• ENG 401 Discourse Theory (3)
• Writing electives: three courses
  (ENG 385, 386, 387, 389, 394, 403, 411, 494) (9)
• ENG 498 Internship (3)
• Total (5 courses) (15)

Theater Arts Minor: For both majors and non-majors. A six-course sequence that includes course work in acting and production as well as in dramatic literature.

• ENG 345 Drama (3)
• ENG 410 Introduction to Theatre (3)
• ENG 412 Acting I (3)
• ENG 414 Technical Production (3)
• Theater Arts elective: one course (3)
• ENG 498 Internship (3)
• Total (6 courses) (18)

Students interested in one of these minors should see the department Chair. Additional Department activities, designed to make literature a more integral part of the academic and creative life of English majors and other members of the college community, include the Quadrangle literary magazine, "Mouth" a magazine for essays, the English Club, Sigma Tau Delta (International English Honors Society), and the Speaker’s and Guest Artist’s Program. Also available are The Griffin and the Little Theatre.

COURSES: 2001-2003

ENG 101 English Seminar I 3

A course in reading and writing. Intensive practice in various kinds and modes of writing. Stress on writing instruction, with some practice in research. Readings are primarily discursive prose.

ENG 102 English Seminar II 3

A course in reading and writing. Emphasis on writing, this time of a more complex sort, including a research assignment. Particular attention to summary, analysis, and organizational skills. Reading selected primarily from literature.

Prerequisite: Passing grade in ENG 101.

ENG 123 English Grammar 3

English grammar for those who wish to improve their understanding of English syntax and structure. Free elective credit only. 2002-2003 only

ENG 200 Science Fiction 3

A survey of science fiction literature; its nature and function as social commentary and art. (AS III) 2002-2003 only

ENG 203 (WST 211) Identity and Culture 3

How identity is shaped in relation to culture as seen through the formal and thematic elements of literary texts and films. Defining the textual strategies which reveal the representation of valued personal and cultural identities. (AS III) (ICD) 2001-2002 only

ENG 204 Classic American Literature 3

Develops the non-specialist student's knowledge and appreciation of some landmark works in our literary heritage. Traces certain thematic trends through American letters. (AS III) 2001-2002 only

ENG 207 Word and Image 3

Formal and thematic elements of literary texts, films, and texts composed of both words and images. Emphasis on how interpretive strategies specific to verbal texts might be made useful for understanding visual texts, and vice versa.
(AS III) 2002-2003 only

ENG 212 (WST 212) American Women's Poetry: Reading and Writing 3

Practice in reading and writing poetry, as well as critical interpretation. Emphasis on women poets from 1950s to present. (AS III) 2002-2003 only

ENG 219 Literature and Psychology 3

Focuses on the convergence of the disciplines of literature and psychology, especially the ways in which psychology has drawn on literary genres, techniques, and motifs. (AS III) 2002-2003 only

ENG 222 Shakespeare 3

Introductory survey for non-majors. Typically,
6-8 plays, drawn from the categories of comedy, tragedy, and history. (AS III)

ENG 245 Drama 3

Survey of drama from classical to modern. (AS III) 2001-2002 only

ENG 255 Poetry 3

Reviews the basic elements of poetry and then examines the major poetic genres and their respective conventions and motifs. (AS III) 2002-2003 only

ENG 262 (GRN 262) Images of Aging in Literature 3

Variety of literary types and authors from different cultures and time periods. Theme: aging and how it is used in different ways by the authors. (AS III) 2002-2003 only

ENG 264 Short Fiction 3

Detailed investigation of various modes of short fiction to develop student's ability to read, comprehend, and appreciate short fiction through an understanding of its techniques. (AS III)

ENG 266 Literary London 3

Major literary works studied in the context of the city. Includes a trip to London.

ENG 268 The Classic English and American Novel 3

Focuses on the outstanding novelists of the language, with an overview of the main developments in the novel's form and themes. (AS III) 2002-2003 only

ENG 269 Contemporary Fiction

Study of recently published novels and short stories, exploring the formal and thematic range of new fiction and focusing on the contemporary issues it reflects. (AS III) 2001-2002 only

ENG 275 (WST 210) Images of Women in Literature and Film 3

Focuses on how women's literature is connected to folklore and mythology, tracing continuities that bridge both historical periods and cultural traditions. (AS III)

ENG 284 The City in Literature 3

The city as a focus for literary representation in British, American, and world literature. (AS III) 2001-2002 only

ENG 294 Introduction to Creative Writing 3

Workshop for non-majors in the fundamentals of poetry and fiction writing, focusing on the close study and discussion of both professional texts and student manuscripts. (AS III)

ENG 295 The Journey in Literature 3

Explores the concept of the journey in literature from a number of cultural and intellectual perspectives. The journey theme provides unity and continuity through a diversity of texts. (AS III) (ICD) 2001-2002 only

ENG 300 Introduction to English Studies 3

Introduction to the essentials of literary analysis and interpretation. Focusing on the rigorous analysis of poetry, narrative, and drama chosen from different historical periods, the course will stress writing with critical awareness about literature. Required of all English majors.

Prerequisite: English 101 – 102

ENG 301 British Literature for Majors I 3

Representative works of British Literature from the middle ages through the 18th century. 2001-2002 only

ENG 302 British Literature for Majors II 3

Survey of 19th and 20th century British Literature, providing overview of authors, genres, and issues for the Romantic, Victorian, and Modern periods. 2001-2002 only

ENG 303 Medieval Literature 3

A survey of the major voices of medieval British literature centering on Chaucer. 2001-2002 only

ENG 304 Sixteenth Century Literature 3

A survey of the poetry and prose of major British authors, including some continental works. 2001-2002 only

ENG 305 Seventeenth Century Literature 3

A survey of the poetry and prose of major British authors from the Renaissance to the Restoration. 2002-2003 only

ENG 306 Eighteenth Century Literature 3

A survey of the poetry and prose of major British authors in the "long" eighteenth century.

ENG 307 English Romantic Poets 3

The meaning and spirit of English Romanticism studied through a close examination of important poems by Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, and Keats. 2002-2003 only

ENG 308 Victorian Literature 3

The conflict between religion and science, culture and technology, historical determinism and historical change that characterized the Victorian period. 2001-2002 only

ENG 309 Modern and Contemporary British Literature 3

A survey of representative figures and genres. 2001-2002 only

ENG 310 British Youth in Literature 3

Britain's rock culture traced back to its roots in the "Angry Young Men" writers, "Social Realism" cinema, and 1960s transatlantic "British Invasion" in rock music. 2002-2003 only

ENG 311 Women Writers 3

Works by women writers from all periods and 2001-2002 only

ENG 315 American Literature I 3

The first half of a two-semester American literature survey. The course begins with the Puritans and ends with the American Realists.

ENG 316 American Literature II 3

A survey of representative American writers from the end of the Civil War to the present. Emphasis on Twain, Dreiser, Faulkner, O'Neill and Frost.

ENG 317 The Hero in American Literature 3

The study of a particular theme, mode, or period, such as the hero, the American Renaissance, or the Roaring Twenties.

ENG 319 Special Topics in American Literature: Post WWII 3 

ENG 318 Modern American Novel 3

A study of representative modern and contemporary American novels. 2002-2003 only

ENG 322 Shakespeare I 3

Introductory survey for majors. Plays drawn from the categories of comedy, tragedy, and history.

ENG 323 Shakespeare II 3

Plays selected with emphasis on specific themes, structures, or styles. Shakespeare I not a prerequisite.

ENG 345 Drama 3

Survey of drama from classical to modern. 2001-2002 only

ENG 347 English Novel I 3

Survey of major English novels from Defoe to Austen, including works of Sterne, Goldsmith, and others. 2001-2002 only

ENG 348 English Novel II 3

Major British novels from the nineteenth century. 2002-2003 only

ENG 349 Modern British Novel 3

Survey of major British novels of the twentieth century. 2001-2002 only

ENG 350 European Novel 3

A study of major European novels, primarily French, Russian, German, and Italian. 2002-2003 only

ENG 351 Modern European Literature 3

Survey of European literature from World War I to the present. Authors include Mann, Singer, Camus, Milosz, and Rilke. 2001-2002 only

ENG 352 Immigrant Experience in Literature 3

The course focuses on literary works, chosen from a variety of periods, that reflect the immigrant experience. 2002-2003 only

ENG 353 Canadian Literature 3

An examination of the prose and poetry of several regions of Canada including the works of Margaret Atwood and Hugh Maclennan.

ENG 355 Poetry 3

An in-depth survey of poetry. 2001-2002 only

ENG 356 Modern Poetry 3

Major modern and earlier twentieth-century poetry, to about 1950. 2002-2003 only

ENG 357 Contemporary Poetry 3

Major trends and currents in twentieth-century poetry, from 1950 to the end of the century. 2001-2002 only

ENG 361 The Literature of Service 3

Develops connections between literary works and various forms of community service. Requires that students perform community service as part of the course. 2002-2003 only

ENG 366 Literary London 3

Major literary works studied in the context of the city. Includes a trip to London.

ENG 369 Contemporary Fiction 3

Study of recently published novels and short stories, exploring the formal and thematic range of new fiction and focusing on the contemporary issues it reflects. 2002-2003 only

ENG 370 Special Topics in Literary Themes and Modes 3

The study of themes and modes in British or British and American literature which cut across historical periods and genres, such as war and literature, utopian literature, or romance and epic.

ENG 371 Special Topics in Drama 3

Selected plays chosen by the instructor to elucidate the nature of the dramatic genre, or sub-genre, or to study a specific historical period, such as Restoration drama.

ENG 372 Major Figures in British Literature 3

An in-depth examination of the major works, life, and times of one important figure, chosen by the instructor, from any period of British literature from the Middle Ages to the present.

ENG 373 Major Figures in American Literature 3

An in-depth examination of the major works, life, and times of one important figure, chosen by the instructor, from any period of American literature from the Revolutionary period to the present.

ENG 374 Interdisciplinary Studies 3

Selected works chosen by the instructor to examine the connections between English or American literature and other disciplines.

ENG 375 Special Topics in Literary Criticism

Selected works studied in the context of critical theory, aesthetics, or the history of literary criticism. 2001-2002 only

ENG 384 The City in Literature 3

The city as a focus for literary representation in British, American, and world literature. 2001-2002 only

ENG 385 Persuasive Writing 3

Analysis and construction of arguments. Readings on issues in law, politics, and education. 2002-2003 only

ENG 386 The Art of the Essay 3

The essay as a literary form studied in a variety of rhetorical and historical contexts. 2001-2002 only

ENG 387 Writing a Life

A course in writing, reading, and discussing the personal essay. 2002-2003 only

ENG 389 Business Communication 3

Practice in writing letters, memos, reports, with models and strategies offered for each form. 2002-2003 only

ENG 390 History and Structure of the English Language 3

Chronological overview of the history of the English language, with some attention to basic linguistic theory. 2002-2003 only

ENG 393 C.S. Lewis and Fantasy Literature 3

Survey of C.S. Lewis and related authors: E.T.A. Hoffman, George MacDonald, J.R.R. Tolkien, H.C. Wells, Charles Williams. 2002-2003 only

ENG 394 Creative Writing 3

Workshop in the fundamentals of poetry and fiction writing, focusing on the close study and discussion of both student manuscripts and professional texts.

ENG 395 The Journey in Literature 3

Explores the concept of the journey in international literature from a number of cultural and intellectual perspectives. The journey theme provides unity and continuity through a diversity of texts. 2001-2002 only

ENG 396 Seminar I: Medieval – Renaissance 3

Part of seminar sequence for English Honors students. Any student, whether in English Honors or not, may take the seminar.

Prerequisite: Permission of Director of English Honors Program. 2002-2003 only

ENG 397 Seminar II: Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century 3

See ENG 396 for description. 2001-2002 only

ENG 398 Seminar III: Nineteenth Century Literature 3

See ENG 396 for description. 2001-2002 only

ENG 399 Seminar IV: 20th Century Literature 3

See ENG 396 for description. 2002-2003 only

ENG 400 Honors Seminar: Thesis 3

An option that may be taken in place of one of the four other Honors seminars.

ENG 401 (WST 313) Discourse Theory 3

The dynamic of rhetorical situations. Observations/ practical writing in rhetorical theory, writing process theory, writing and thinking, socio-cognitive theory. Writing is both creative and analytical. 2001-2002 only

ENG 403 Technical Writing 3

Writing for practical purposes, especially the conveying of information. Emphasis on analyzing audiences, organizing data, and employing a clear writing style. Students produce memos, letters, process descriptions, reports. 2002-2003 only

ENG 410 Introduction to Theater 3

The collaborative efforts of theater, play, and audience to create the theater experience. 2001-2002 only

ENG 411 Playwriting 3

The playwriting process. Brief review of dramatic technique and theory, followed by working through the process from germinal idea to finished playscript. 2002-2003 only

ENG 412 Acting I 3

Introduction to the art of acting. Through lecture and participation in acting assignments, performed in class, students gain understanding of actor's role in theater. 2001-2002 only

ENG 413 Acting II 3

Continuation of Acting I. 2002-2003 only

ENG 414 Technical Production 3

A hands-on course on the technical and artistic aspects of theatrical production. Research, experimentation, and practical application of skills for each facet of production. 2001-2002 only

ENG 415 Special Topics in Theater Performance 3

Aspects of theatrical production, performance, and direction. 2002-2003 only

ENG 494 Advanced Creative Writing 3

Workshop for experienced writers in either poetry or fiction.

Prerequisite: ENG 294 or ENG 394 or permission of instructor.

ENG 498 Internship 3
ENG 499 Independent Study 3

Tutorial arrangement for the investigation of an approved special area of work by a student reading under the close supervision of a faculty member.

Prerequisite: Permission of the Chair.

---

1 Area III is automatically fulfilled because this program is in the Art and Literature area.

2 Ordinarily, English majors may fulfill their English requirements with as many as two Independent Study courses (ENG 499).

3 Courses representative of the historical period must include at least three major authors and a representative genre, topic, or issue.

4 Language: It is best for students to do the year of foreign language as early as possible – especially for the benefits that come from course work that includes a good deal of the study of language "as language." Students should seek help from the Modern Languages Department in deciding at which college level they can begin with a language for which they have high school background.

5 While other AS choices can be left free, it is recommended that students take their AS IV courses in the freshman year.