English (ENG)
This course is designed to give intensive practice in the fundamental of grammar usage, sentence structure, mechanics and diction.
Intermediate English is designed to engage the student with intensive practice in the fundamentals of grammar usage, sentence structure, mechanics and diction, along with the essentials of English writing and grammar. Emphasis will be placed on the various writing styles and techniques, focusing on paragraph structure and advancing to the fundamentals of essay structure. Focus is mainly placed on paragraph writing/mastery that will collectively infuse interdisciplinary, collaborative learning, provide exposure to basic research development, and practice standard forms of writing to encourage an intelligent expression of ideas through prewriting (including brainstorming, outlining, and gathering information).
English Composition I with Co-requisite Support is an accelerated course designed to engage the student in the essentials of English writing and grammar through the Intermediate English refresher followed by the credit-bearing college-level Freshman Composition I course. Emphasis will be placed on the various writing styles and techniques, beginning with paragraph structure and writing to the fundamentals of essay structure. English Composition I with Co-requisite Support will progress with the writing-intensive Freshman Composition I, which will strive to collectively infuse interdisciplinary, collaborative learning, and provide exposure to research development, practice standard forms of essay development to encourage an intelligent expression of ideas through prewriting (including, brainstorming, outlining, and gathering information). Emphasis will be placed on drafting, revision, peer review, editing, and the final draft. Ultimately, English Composition I with Co-requisite Support will help students improve writing skills, prepare for oral discussions and develop well-written papers. The course will also enhance the students’ appreciation of the variety of writing styles and themes available to hone the student’s ability to write clearly and effectively.
This course is the first part of the two-semester freshman composition program and is designed to give intensive study and practice in writing themes. Emphasis is placed on grammar and mechanics, the sentence, the paragraph, and the essay.
An intensive course in the principles of rhetoric and composition with emphasis on the structure, organization and style of the various types of discourse: exposition, description, narration, and argumentation.
A continuation of ENG 111, with emphasis on the styles and types of writing reflected in literary genres.
ENG 120 is a 3-hour credit course. Students taking this course will analyze, compare, and contrast matters of global concern in the areas of social and environmental justice. These films represent the biases and technologies of various eras in filmmaking, from the Silent Era through the “Talkies,” the Golden Age of Hollywood and modern filmmaking. Film genres could include action-adventure, silent, Western, documentary, science fiction, comedy, adventure, drama, musical, war, film noir, historic, Black cinema, romance, dystopia, blaxploitation, suspense, horror and international cinemas. All of these films will be selected for social and environmental content. Seven to nine films will be covered each semester. These films will be watched by students on their own through available media. The class will foster group discussions and debate. Papers and presentations will be required.
The purpose of this course is to explore the humanities (philosophy, history, politics, education, and various forms of artistic expression such as paintings, sculpture, music, literature, etc.) from the Black perspective and the influence of the African Diaspora, While exploring these modes of human expression through the Black experience, this course will also examine the influence of popular culture and social media on the Humanities, Black culture, and Black identity.
This course is the second part of Humanities and will continue to explore the ways and means of human expression through the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century and will begin with a summary of key information from English 201/211 before it picks up chronologically where English 201/211 ended. The purpose of this course is to explore the humanities (philosophy, history, politics, education, and various forms of artistic expression such as paintings, sculpture, music, literature, etc.) from the Black perspective and the influence of the African Diaspora. While exploring these modes of human expression through the Black experience, this course will also examine the influence of popular culture and social media on the Humanities, Black culture, and Black identity.
A one-semester survey of classical literary masterpieces representative of the Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance and Modern Periods. The course will assist the student in reading literary works with increased perceptiveness and understanding of the complex resources available to the imaginative writer for the representation of human experience and reality.
A one-semester survey of literature by scientists or about science which conveys scientific and literary values.
A continuation of Literature of Science I, which surveys additional works by scientists or about science having both literary and scientific value. A unit on the relationships between mathematics and the arts will be included.
The purpose of this course is to explore the humanities (philosophy, history, politics, education, and various forms of artistic expression such as paintings, sculpture, music, literature, etc.) from the Black perspective and the influence of the African Diaspora, While exploring these modes of human expression through the Black experience, this course will also examine the influence of popular culture and social media on the Humanities, Black culture, and Black identity.
This course is the second part of Humanities and will continue to explore the ways and means of human expression through the twentieth century and into the twenty-first century and will begin with a summary of key information from English 201/211 before it picks up chronologically where English 201/211 ended. The purpose of this course is to explore the humanities (philosophy, history, politics, education, and various forms of artistic expression such as paintings, sculpture, music, literature, etc.) from the Black perspective and the influence of the African Diaspora. While exploring these modes of human expression through the Black experience, this course will also examine the influence of popular culture and social media on the Humanities, Black culture, and Black identity.
A course designed for those students of varied academic backgrounds and occupational interests whose jobs or careers will, or already do, require specific writing skills. Since many of the types of writing are not taught in basic composition courses, this course offers students opportunities to enhance these particular skills, thereby providing them with on the job experience that would not ordinarily be gained in regular composition courses offered at Jackson State University.
A one semester course dealing with the elements of fiction with specific emphasis on the analysis of the elements.
This course is designed to help students master the basic forms of writing appropriate to each level of discourse.
A course designed to gain knowledge of Greek and Roman myths and what they symbolize in the contemporary world.
Building English vocabulary from a knowledge of Latin and Greek roots.
A laboratory of imaginative writing emphasizing composition for students interested and talented in creative writing.
A study of the structural, functional, and rhetorical aspects of composition. Linguistic concepts will be discussed. Articles on applied linguistics will be reviewed, and language will be presented from an objective structural point of view.
This course is designed to provide a thorough introduction to various received forms of poetry, including griot court poetry, epic, lyric, ballad, ghazal, quatrain, tanka, sestina, courtly love poem, sonnet, narrative, haiku, villanelle, and kwansaba. Additionally, this course will consider the emergence and practice of free verse. Students will also learn defining qualities of traditional genres of poetry, such as narrative, lyric, and satirical, and will explore subgenres, such as elegy, ode, palinode, ekphrastic, concrete (visual), acrostic, and occasional poetry. The goal is to provide students with a wealth of resources to enable them to expand and hone their voices with a multitude of tools and with the knowledge of their own moment in the ongoing conversation that we call literature, ending with a portfolio of original poems.
This course explores the fundamentals of fiction writing, focusing on aspects of the story such as exposition, characterization, setting, dialogue, and point of view. Students will gain a greater understanding of the process of fiction writing through the study of short stories by writers such as James Baldwin, Flannery O'Connor, and James Joyce. Students will complete short writing exercises and participate in workshop sessions. They will produce complete short works and go through the revision process. Pre-requisite: ENG 300
This course is an experiential-learning colloquium that prepares students to work as peer tutors in a writing center. It will introduce students to the writing process on theoretical and practical levels, and to the theoretical and practical components of writing/speaking center work. Specific topics will include the role of the peer tutor, the rhetorical situation, types of academic writing and speaking, global perspectives, and approaches to talking about the various stages of developing papers and presentations for global audiences.
This course examines the theoretical and practical components of writing/speaking center work, paying particular attention to their reflexive nature, that is, to the ways in which theories of collaborative learning challenge and extend practice and the ways in which practice interrogates and shapes theory. The course will also introduce peer tutors to aspects of RWC administration, particularly the task of assessing their individual effectiveness and the effectiveness of RWC on the JSU campus. Areas of focus will change each semester.
Women in Literature is a study of various portraits and delineations in literature showing both problems and progress of women. Male and female authors will be studied with particular emphasis given to a study of works by female writers. The course is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural in its approach. It is open to all students as an elective.
The course is designed to give students an overview of books and related materials suitable for adolescent and young adult readers. This course will investigate various issues in adolescent and young adult literature theory, teaching resources, and effective pedagogy.
A general survey of American Literature and the Literary and intellectual movements from Colonial days to the Civil War. Writers from Smith to Whitman are studied.
A survey of American Literature from the Civil War to the present.
The media is a powerful source in society. It has been a significant conveyor of information for centuries. How we receive and contextualize this information has impacted the ways in which we interact with one another on a micro-level and how we fare in society on a much larger scale. Because of its significance, it is important to study the impact the media has in creating and disseminating images of people. For the purposes of this class, we will consider the image of the African American.
An introduction to major linguistic theories, including the transformational-generative theory. Illustrations will be drawn from modern languages with their phonological, syntactic, and semantic components.
The origins and development of the English language, with stress on the problem of change. The relationship of English orthography to pronunciation will be discussed.
A laboratory of imaginative writing emphasizing composition for students interested and talented in creative writing. Hours and credits to be arranged by instructor.
This course focuses on the history and aesthetics of nonfiction writing. Students will read various sub-genres of nonfiction such as literary criticism and analysis, opinion journalism, and creative nonfiction. Students will produce original pastiches of each form, practicing style, structure, narration, scene, dialogue, and voice. There is also dedicated focus on the analysis of original student nonfiction. Students will participate in peer review and workshop.
This course is designed to help the student gain proficiency in thinking logically, writing intelligently and effectively. (For students who are not successful on the English Proficiency Examination.)
All phases of an effective language arts program in the elementary school curriculum are examined.
This course examines exploratory and systematic approaches to teaching the language arts in the high school in order to give prospective teachers alternate approaches to teaching language arts.
A study of the major works of Richard Wright, his career as a bridge between the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement, and as a major figure in literary criticism and art as protest.
A study of the major works of Margaret Walker, her career as a bridge between the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement, and as a major figure in literary criticism, humanism, and feminism.
This course builds from the objectives learned in ENG 304 Fundamentals of Poetry and provides students the workshops and feedback needed to develop their mastery of form and to develop their unique voices into publishable poems. As such, this course will focus on learning to write for particular audiences and understanding that each audience represents a particular aesthetic ideal whether that is an academic audience, mass popular, slam/spoken word, and grassroots/community. Finally, the goal will be to produce a manuscript of poems that can be submitted individually or collectively to journals, contests, agents, and publishing houses.
This course will build on the skills learned in Fundamentals of Fiction Writing. Students will continue to practice the elements of the fiction story, but will expand their knowledge of various types of stories such as fables, epistolary stories, flash fiction, and framed stories, etc. and the decisions involved in determine the best format for their story. Through workshops and assignments, students will work on producing a novella or chapbook of short stories as a final project for the class. This class will also explore the procedures involved in the publication process. Pre-requisite: ENG 300 and ENG 306
The development of the novel from the works of Richardson to the present.
Puritan, Romantic, Naturalistic, and Realistic traditions in the American novel from its origin to the present.
A two-semester course that treats selected works by African American authors.
A two-semester course that treats selected works by African American authors.
This course centers on Chaucer¿s Literary achievement and merit and on treatment of the Prologue to the Canterbury Tales, selected Tales, and selections from his shorter works.
English Literature from 1500 to 1649, excluding the works of Shakespeare and Milton.
A study of the major comedies, histories, and tragedies. Tragedies and comedies alternate per semester. Comedies¿Summer; Tragedies¿Fall. Students can earn a total of six
The major poetry and selected prose within the context of the historical and literary background of the period.
Primarily the works of Blake, Wordsworth, Coleridge, Byron, Shelley, and Keats as they express the literary trends of the age.
An intensive survey of literature of the period, especially of the poets and essayists.
Study of the maor tragedies, including historical tragedies of Shakespeare. Tragedies and comedies alternate per session: Comedies--Summer; Tragedies--Fall. Students can earn a total of six (6) hours of credit. (See ENG 423.)
The study of worldwide literature and literary trends in relationship to social aspects of today¿s world.
The development of American theatrical writing since the First World War.
Major writers of the period.
The study of contemporary American poets.
The study of basic principles of literary evaluation in the light of major critical theories from Plato to Deconstruction.
Intense reading and writing of a long investigative paper in a specific area of American or English Literature under the direction of a specialist in that area, by permission of department head.
Comparative studies of great authors, genres, and periods.
A research course designed to have majors think through what they have learned in their discipline, to share their knowledge with one another and the faculty, and to expand their knowledge of the field both in depth and breadth.
Students will apply the knowledge gained through the creative writing curriculum to create a culminating projecting consisting of three major parts: 1) a creative core (fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, or drama); 2) a researched analysis essay that discusses the student's process of the selecting the social justice issue and ow it manifests in the creative core. The reflective essay should also discuss the student's future writing goals and aspirations. The student will select an appropriate capstone advisor to work closely with to guide the project.