Full-Time Faculty: Sandra P. Cookson, Chair; Robert J. Butler, Rita A. Capezzi, Hamilton E. Cochrane, Jack P. D’Amico, Jennifer Desiderio, Judith A. Dompkowski, Paul M. Dowling, Jane E. Fisher, Eric L. Gansworth, David J. Greenman, Joseph L. Grossi (Leave-of-Absence 2007-08), Mark Hodin, Robert Oscar López, James M. Pribek, S.J., Thomas C. Reber, Melvin W. Schroeder, Kenneth M. Sroka, E. Roger Stephenson, Amy Wolf.
English Department Mission Statement
The Department of English serves all students at Canisius as well as its own English majors. In keeping with the college’s Jesuit mission to educate the whole person, the English Department strives to nurture intellectual and spiritual growth through the study of literature and the practice of writing. The Department fosters academic excellence through a diverse and rigorous curriculum.
Learning Goals for Students in the English Major
English majors will demonstrate the ability to analyze and interpret written texts in a variety of genres, historical periods and cultural contexts; to write a coherent, detailed argument of some length that flows from a clear thesis; to integrate secondary sources into a paper and document them properly. Students in creative writing courses will also demonstrate proficiency in writing original works of poetry, fiction, drama, or creative nonfiction. The English Portfolio (see below) and other written and oral assignments will provide the main evidence that students have successfully met these goals.
English Courses
The Department staffs courses on three levels: English major courses, as well as a variety of literature and writing 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 study of literature, in fiction and non-fiction readings and writing. The English Department offers minors in theater arts, writing and creative writing.
Courses in Area III (Art and Literature) for non-majors study the various genres of literature: poetry, fiction, drama, the essay and autobiography. The English Department offers multicultural and interdisciplinary courses such as African American and Native American literature, Literature and Film, Literature and Psychology and The Immigrant Experience in American Literature. It also offers a range of courses in Women’s Studies, including Women Writers, American Women’s Poetry and Images of Women in Literature and Film.
English Seminars I and II are designed to enhance literacy, communication skills, critical acuity, and intellectual development through the study of non-fiction prose and literary texts and emphasis on written expression.
Departmental faculty advisors work closely with students regarding course selection and career opportunities. In addition to the classroom experience, internships in local business, arts, non-profit and social service oriented organizations prepare majors for careers in all areas where effective communication, organization, understanding and empathy are essential.
These include, but are not limited to, teaching, writing, publishing, 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. Prerequisites for 200- and 300- level English courses: English 101 and 102 (or equivalents) or HON 101 or permission of the department chair.
English Curriculum
| 1. ENG 101, ENG 102, PHI 101, RST 101 (4 courses) | (12 credits) | |
| 2. Area Studies: Two courses from each of these areas I, II, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII (14 courses)1 | (42 credits) | |
| 3. Major course requirements:2 (12 courses) | ||
| ENG 300 Introduction to English Studies | (3 credits) | |
| Shakespeare: one 300 level course | (3 credits) | |
| 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 credits) | |
| 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 credits) | |
| Writing: one 300/400 level course. | (3 credits) | |
| English electives: four 300/400 level courses | (12 credits) | |
| Note: All courses used to meet the English major course requirements must be on the 300 or 400 level. | ||
| 4. Electives (10 courses) | (30 credits) | |
| TOTAL (40 courses) | (120 credits) | |
Portfolio
In addition to the coursework listed above, students will be required to submit a portfolio of their work in the English major, consisting of a selection of papers and a Reflections page, toward the end of their senior year, in order to graduate. Please see our English website, or contact your English major advisor, for more information. See also Senior Seminars (below).
ENG 490 Senior Seminars
Advanced study in a literary theme, genre, period, author, or other special topic. Involves a major paper, which will be the final paper for the student’s English portfolio. Required of all senior English majors, beginning with the entering class of 2006.
Recommended Schedule:
| Fall | Spring | |||||
| Freshman Year | ||||||
| ENG 101 | 3 credits | ENG 102 | 3 credits | |||
| Language4 | 3 credits | Language | 3 credits | |||
| AS (History)5 | 3 credits | AS (History) | 3 credits | |||
| AS | 3 credits | AS | 3 credits | |||
| AS | 3 credits | AS | 3 credits | |||
| Total | 15 credits | Total | 15 credits | |||
| Sophomore Year | ||||||
| PHI 101 or RST 101 | 3 credits | RST 101 or PHI 101 | 3 credits | |||
| ENG 300 | 3 credits | British or American Distribution | 3 credits | |||
| British or American Distribution | 3 credits | Writing or Shakespeare | 3 credits | |||
| AS | 3 credits | AS | 3 credits | |||
| Elective | 3 credits | Elective | 3 credits | |||
| Total | 15 credits | Total | 15 credits | |||
| Junior Year | ||||||
| Shakespeare or Writing | 3 credits | British or American Distribution | 3 credits | |||
| British or American Distribution | 3 credits | English elective | 3 credits | |||
| AS | 3 credits | AS | 3 credits | |||
| AS | 3 credits | AS | 3 credits | |||
| Elective | 3 credits | Elective | 3 credits | |||
| Total | 15 credits | Total | 15 credits | |||
| Senior Year | ||||||
| British or American Distribution | 3 credits | English elective | 3 credits | |||
| English elective | 3 credits | AS | 3 credits | |||
| Elective | 3 credits | Elective | 3 credits | |||
| Elective | 3 credits | Elective | 3 credits | |||
| Elective | 3 credits | Elective | 3 credits | |||
| Total | 15 credits | Total | 15 credits | |||
| TOTAL | 120 credits |
Other Programs
Honors: Students who have completed two English department seminars with distinction and an honors thesis will have earned the English Honors designation.
Dual Majors: Dual majors involving English are available in a large number of areas, including biology, communication, history, modern languages, philosophy, psychology and sociology. Interested students should consult the chairs of both departments. With the 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. They are:
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 credits)
- British Literature Distribution: one 300/400 level course from any period (3 credits)
- American Literature Distribution: one 300/400 level course from either period (3 credits)
- Shakespeare: ENG 322 or ENG 323 (3 credits)
- Writing: one 300/400 level course (3 credits)
- English elective: one 300/400 level course (3 credits)
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 Texts, Contexts, and Subtexts (3 credits)
- Writing electives: three courses (ENG 385, 389, 394, 402, 411, 494, 495, 496) (9 credits)
- ENG 498 Internship (3 credits)
Creative Writing Minor: For both majors and non-majors. A five-course program that provides interested students the opportunity to learn and practice the fundamentals of writing stories, poems, essays and plays. Students may choose among:
- ENG 394 Introduction to Creative Writing
- ENG 494 Advanced Creative Writing: Fiction
- ENG 495 Advanced Creative Writing: Poetry
- ENG 496 Advanced Creative Writing: Literary Non- Fiction
- ENG 498 Internship
- ENG 499 Directed Study
- Additional courses: ENG 312, ENG 388, ENG 411
Theater Arts Minor: For both majors and non-majors. A five-course sequence that includes course work in acting and production as well as in dramatic literature.
- ENG 345 Drama (3 credits)
- ENG 346 Introduction to Theatre (3 credits)
- ENG 412 Acting I (3 credits)
- Theater Arts elective: (1 course) (3 credits)
- ENG 498 Internship (3 credits)
Total (5 courses) (15 credits)
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, the English Council, Sigma Tau Delta (International English Honors Society) and the Speaker’s and Guest Artist’s Program.
Also available for students are The Griffin college newspaper and the Little Theatre.
COURSES: 2007 - 2009
ENG 101 English Seminar I 3 credits
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. Both semesters 2007-2009
ENG 102 English Seminar II 3 credits
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. Both semesters 2007-2009
ENG 200 Science Fiction 3 credits
A survey of science fiction literature; its nature and function as social commentary and art. (AS III) Spring 2008
ENG 203 Identity and Culture 3 credits
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) (WST) (ICD) Spring 2008
ENG 204 Classic American Literature 3 credits
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) Fall 2007/2008
ENG 207 Word and Image 3 credits
Formal and thematic elements of literary texts, films and texts composed of both words and images. Emphasis on how interpretive strategies that are specific to verbal texts might be made useful for understanding visual texts, and vice versa. (AS III) Fall 2008
ENG 210 Mothers in Literature and Film 3 credits
A theme course focusing on portrayals of mothers, motherhood, and mothering in a variety of literary and cinematic forms, crossing cultures and time periods. (AS III) (WST) (ICD) (SL) Fall 2007
ENG 222 Shakespeare 3 credits
Introductory survey for non-majors. Typically, 6-8 plays, drawn from the categories of comedy, tragedy and history. (AS III) Fall 2008
ENG 233 Literature and Faith in the Middle Ages 3 credits
A survey of major medieval English authors, with special attention to the ways in which they engage contemporary orthodox spirituality and respond to challenges to Church authority. (AS III) Fall 2008
ENG 255 Poetry 3 credits
Reviews the basic elements of poetry and then examines the major poetic genres and their respective conventions and motifs. (AS III) Spring 2008
ENG 262 Images of Aging in Literature 3 credits
Variety of literary types and authors from different cultures and time periods. Theme: aging and how it is used in different ways by various authors. (AS III) Fall 2007
ENG 268 The Classic English and American Novel 3 credits
Focuses on the outstanding novelists of the language, with an overview of the main developments in the novel’s form and themes. (AS III) Fall 2008
ENG 300 Introduction to English Studies 3 credits
Introduction to the essentials of literary analysis and interpretation. Focusing on the rigorous analysis of poetry, prose narrative and drama chosen from different historical periods, the course will stress writing with critical awareness about literature. Required of all English majors. Prerequisites: English 101-102 Both semesters 2007-2009
ENG 303 Medieval Literature 3 credits
A survey of the major voices of medieval British literature centering on Chaucer. Fall 2008
ENG 305 Seventeenth Century Literature 3 credits
A survey of the poetry and prose of major British authors from the Renaissance to the Restoration. Fall 2007
ENG 306 Eighteenth Century Literature 3 credits
A survey of the poetry and prose of major British authors in the “long” eighteenth century. Fall 2007
ENG 307 English Romantic Poets 3 credits
The meaning and spirit of English Romanticism studied through a close examination of important poems by Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley and Keats. Spring 2008
ENG 309 Modern and Contemporary British Literature 3 credits
A survey of representative figures and genres. Fall/Spring 2007-2009
ENG 310 Angry Artists of the Twentieth Century 3 credits
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. Spring 2009
ENG 311 Women Writers 3 credits
Works by women writers from all periods and backgrounds.(WST) Spring 2008-2009
ENG 312 American Women Poets: Reading and Writing 3 credits
Practice in reading and writing poetry, as well as critical interpretation. Emphasis on women poets from 1950s to present. (AS III) (WST) Spring 2008
ENG 313 Literature and Psychology 3 credits
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) (WST) Fall 2008
ENG 314 Chaucer 3 credits
Studies the major works of the author sometimes called the “father of English poetry.” Includes selections from The Canterbury Tales, as well as other works. Spring 2008
ENG 315 American Literature I 3 credits
The first half of a two-semester American literature survey. The course begins with the Puritans and ends with the 19th century American Realists. Both semesters 2007-2009
ENG 317 Heroes and Heroines in American Literature 3 credits
A study of uniquely American heroic types, including the Alger hero, the western hero and the picaresque hero. Representative texts studied in detail, in historical and cultural context. Fall 2007
ENG 318 Modern American Novel 3 credits
A study of representative modern and contemporary American novels. Spring 2008
ENG 319 Special Topics in American Literature 3 credits
The study of a particular theme, mode or period, such as the hero, the American Renaissance, or the Roaring Twenties. Topics vary semester to semester. Both semesters
2007-2009
ENG 320 Contemporary Catholic Fiction 3 credits
Study of novels and short stories by Catholic American writers from 1950 to the present: writers such as Flannery O’Connor, Walker Percy, Mary Gordon and Andre Dubus. (AS III). Spring 2009
ENG 321 Child and Adolescent Hero in American Literature 3 credits
Examines child and adolescent heroes in American literature from post-Civil War period to the present. Texts explore major themes in American literature, from Mark Twain on. Fall 2008
ENG 322 Shakespeare I 3 credits
Introductory survey for majors. Plays drawn from the categories of comedy, tragedy and history. Fall 2007/2008
ENG 323 Shakespeare II 3 credits
Works selected with emphasis on specific themes, structures, or styles. Shakespeare I is not a prerequisite. Fall 2007, Spring 2008/2009
ENG 324 Reading and Writing in Early America 3 credits
This course explores pre-Civil War writers and the audiences of their texts in terms of the social and cultural significance of literacy and literary production. (WST) Spring 2008
ENG 330 The Bible as Literature 3 credits
A study of the Bible as literary text and cultural source, integrating film, painting and sculpture as representations of biblical images for interpretation. (AS III) Spring 2008-2009
ENG 331 Studies in Irish Literature 3 credits
An historical survey focused mainly on 20th century Irish writers. An aim of the course is to define Irish literature and identify its distinguishing features. Fall 2008
ENG 332 Literature of Anglo-Saxon England 3 credits
Covers the period from roughly 800 to 1100, with Beowulf dominating the course. Other works include “The Wanderer,” “The Dream of the Rood” and excerpts from the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and prose pieces. Spring 2009
ENG 343 Comedy and Humor 3 credits
A course for enjoying and thinking critically about a great variety of texts, ranging from single-sentence jokes to stage plays and novels. (AS III) Fall 2007/2008
ENG 344 Children’s Fantasy Literature 3 credits
The main purpose of this course is to give upper-level college students a mature literary experience in the study of children’s writers, among whom are Lewis Carroll, Frances Hodgson Burnett, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Russell Hoban. Fall 2008
ENG 345 Drama 3 credits
Survey of drama from classical to modern. (AS III) Spring 2008/2009
ENG 346 Introduction to Theater 3 credits
The collaborative efforts of theater, play and audience to create the theater experience. Exploration of the development of modern theater from its ritualistic roots to modern times. (AS III) Fall 2007/2008
ENG 347 English Novel I 3 credits
Survey of major English novels from Defoe to Austen, including works of Sterne, Goldsmith and others. Spring 2008
ENG 348 English Novel II 3 credits
Major British novels from the nineteenth century. (AS III) Spring 2008
ENG 352 Immigrant Experience in Literature 3 credits
The course focuses on literary works, chosen from a variety of periods, that reflect the immigrant experience. Fall 2008
ENG 353 Canadian Literature 3 credits
An examination of the prose and poetry of several regions of Canada. Spring 2009
ENG 354 Asian American Literature 3 credits
This course investigates the function of gender and stereotype in the formation of racial others in Asian American literature. It examines how sexuality, race and American national identity intersect with Asian American literature. Spring 2009
ENG 355 Poetry and Poetics 3 credits
Surveys the forms and styles of poetry in English since the Middle Ages, the major practitioners of the art, selected writings by poets on the nature and practice of poetry (poetics). (AS III) Fall 2007
ENG 361 The Literature of Service 3 credits
Develops connections between literary works and various forms of community service. Requires that students perform community service as part of the course. (AS III) (SL) Fall 2007
ENG 364 Short Fiction 3 credits
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) Spring 2008
ENG 368 Native American Literature 3 credits
A survey of contemporary Native American literature, covering major and lesser-known authors. The course traces the origins of traditions, both thematic and structural. (WST) Fall 2008
ENG 369 Contemporary Fiction 3 credits
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) (WST) Spring 2008
ENG 370 Special Topics in Literary Themes and Modes (Beauties and Beasts, ENG 370A) 3 credits
The study of themes and modes in British or British and American literature that cut across historical periods and genres, such as war and literature, utopian literature, or romance and epic. Fall 2007
ENG 371 Special Topics in Drama (Modern Irish Drama ENG 371A) 3 credits
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. Fall 2007
ENG 372 Charles Dickens 3 credits
An in-depth examination of the major works, life and times of one of the most important British novelists of the nineteenth century. Spring 2008
ENG 374 Interdisciplinary Studies 3 credits
Selected works chosen by the instructor to examine the connections between English or American literature and other disciplines. Fall 2007
ENG 375 Special Topics in Literary Criticism 3 credits
Selected works studied in the context of critical theory, aesthetics, or the history of literary criticism. Spring 2008
ENG 376 Film as Literature 3 credits
An exploration of the relationship between two distinct aesthetic forms: film and literature. The course relies heavily on the original written text and then explores the film director’s interpretation of the literary work. (AS III) Spring 2009
ENG 378 The City in American Literature 3 credits
The city as the focus for literary representation in the American tradition. Spring 2009
ENG 380 Latino Literature 3 credits
Surveys two broad groupings of authors classified as Latino: those living in the United States and writing in English; and those living in Latin American countries, whose works, written in Spanish or Portuguese, have been translated into English. Fall 2007
ENG 382 African American Literature 3 credits
A survey of major writers and historical trends in African American literature from the time of slavery to the present. (AS III) Spring 2008
ENG 385 Persuasive Writing 3 credits
Analysis and construction of arguments. Readings on issues in law, politics and education. Fall 2007
ENG 388 Literary Publishing 3 credits
A practicum combining the study of the history of the literary magazine in America with the practical work of editing The Quadrangle, the Canisius College literary magazine. Spring 2008
ENG 389 Business Communication 3 credits
Practice in writing letters, memos, reports, with models and strategies offered for each form. Spring 2008/2009
ENG 394 Creative Writing 3 credits
Workshop in the fundamentals of poetry and fiction writing, focusing on the close study and discussion of both student manuscripts and professional texts. (AS III) Both semesters 2007-2009
ENG 395 The Journey in Literature 3 credits
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. (AS III) (ICD) Fall 2007
ENG 396 English Honors Seminar 3 credits
Any student may take one or more of the seminars. Seminar topics vary each semester. Both semesters 2007-2009
ENG 401 Texts, Contexts and Subtexts 3 credits
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. (WST) Spring 2008
ENG 402 Creativity and Composition Theory 3 credits
A writing theory course that addresses a variety of composing patterns and strategies found in the invention, development and revision of writing for different purposes and audiences. Fall 2008
ENG 411 Playwriting 3 credits
The playwriting process. Brief review of dramatic technique and theory, followed by working through the process from germinal idea to finished playscript. Fall 2008
ENG 412 Acting I 3 credits
Introduction to the art of acting. Through lecture and participation in acting assignments, performed in class, students gain understanding of the actor’s role in theater. Fall 2007/2008
ENG 413 Acting II 3 credits
Continuation of Acting I. Spring 2008/2009
ENG 415 Special Topics in Theater Performance 3 credits
Aspects of theatrical production, performance and direction. Spring 2008/2009
ENG 494 Advanced Creative Writing: Fiction 3 credits
Workshop for experienced writers in fiction.Prerequisite: ENG 394 or permission of instructor. Spring 2008
ENG 495 Advanced Creative Writing: Poetry 3 credits
Workshop for experienced writers in poetry.Prerequisite: ENG 394 or permission of instructor. Spring 2009
ENG 496 Advanced Creative Writing: Literary Non-Fiction 3 credits
Workshop for experienced writers in literary non-fiction, the artful telling of true stories. Prerequisite: ENG 394 or permission of instructor. Fall 2007
ENG 497 English Honors Thesis Both semesters 3 credits
ENG 498 Internship Both semesters 3 credits
ENG 499 Independent Study 3 credits
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. Both semesters
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.