English

Introduction to academic expository and argumentative writing, with a focus on developing rhetorical skills and practices appropriate to a range of disciplines. Instruction in ethical use of material from sources and academic documentation systems. Supplementary writer's workshop required, based on placement. FILA general education: master core skills.

Explores the development of English literature from its Anglo-Saxon beginnings through the 18th century. FILA general education: Literature.

Explores the development of English literature from the Romantic movement to the present, including various multicultural perspectives from the former British colonies such as India, South Africa, Canada, and the Caribbean. FILA general education: Literature.

Explores the development of American literature from the Colonial period through late 19th century American Realism. Early African-American narratives, Transcendentalism, Realism, and Naturalism are examined. FILA general education: Literature.

Explores the development of American literature from the Modernist period to the present. Examines imagist poetry, existentialism, confessional poetry, postmodernism, the Beat movement, metafiction, and various multicultural perspectives. FILA general education: Literature.

An examination of medieval outlaw tales. Covers relatively well-known figures such as Robin Hood and William Wallace to lessor known figures such as Hereward and Eustache the Monk. Traces the outlaw tale as a genre and consider its enduring popularity. Also examines some historical documents in order to place each of the figures studied in context. Reading will be either in a modern English translation or in a highly-glossed Middle or Early Modern English version.

Examines science fiction from a variety of perspectives in both written and film media. Concentrates on defining characteristics of humanness: physically, mentally and spiritually. May include such topics as the role of a creator, evolutionary changes, and technological innovation, to discuss ethical responsibilities and limitations.

Examines characters invented first in books and periodicals but known popularly for their incarnations in other 20th century media. Characters covered are Sherlock Holmes, Tarzan, Zorro, and James Bond. Begins with original texts and moves to popular manifestations.

Examines the role of the Middle Ages in contemporary pop culture as expressed in films. Readings include selections from film and cultural theory as well as appropriate medieval historical and literary texts. Films might include works such as Bergman, The Seventh Seal, Bresson, The Messenger, Boorman, Excalibur, Fuqua, King Arthur, Gilliam and Jones, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and Scott, Kingdom of Heaven.

Explores the role played by traditional American culture, including music, narrative, medicine, vernacular architecture, and folk art and craft. Much of the course will concentrate on the folk culture of the Shenandoah Valley. FILA general education: world cultures. Offered alternate years.

Introduces students to the concept of folk groups and the ways they have been represented to mainstream cultures through the media of film and literature. Explores literature in conjunction with viewing of film and television depictions of "the folk" as well as documentary films made by folklorists. FILA general education: global dynamics. Offered alternate years.

Studies a range of autobiographical writings in the context of America culture, focusing on individual lives as they intersect with U.S. social history and lived experience. Readings and other source materials vary.

Introduces students to the elements of American culture in the interdisciplinary manner of American studies. After gaining an understanding of the academic field itself, students explore the variety of ways to consider American culture including methodological and genre-based approaches. FILA general education: world cultures.

Examines representative literature of Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Mozambique to assess historical, cultural, and literary importance, beginning with aboriginal expression, moving through the Colonial period and the struggle of apartheid to the present. FILA general education: world cultures.

An examination of contemporary Ukrainian writers such as Taras Shevchenko, Oksana Zabuzhko, Serhiy Zhadan, Yuri Andrukovich, and many others. The course also explores Ukrainian history, culture, and folklore, as well as the role of literature as a cultural voice and means of preservation for both native Ukrainians and the Ukrainian diaspora. Students will also research Ukrainian writers whose literature helped fuel current political conversations regarding the 2013 political revolutions in Ukraine. FILA general education: world cultures.

Anthropological survey of Native North American and Meso-American cultures, examining features such as traditional subsistence patterns, kinship structures, religious beliefs and practices, social and political structures, artistic expression, and intellectual history. Focuses on the literary heritage of Native American cultures, beginning with the oral tradition and storytelling, and continuing on to the "Native American Renaissance", the proliferation of Native American authors and poets that began in the 1960s and continues to the present. FILA general education: world cultures. Offered alternate years.

Linguistic analysis incorporating traditional grammar, phonology, syntax, sociolinguistics, morphology semantics and historical linguistics (including the history of the English language).

Covers materials on instructional practice and student assessment as they relate to the teaching of English as a Second Language (ESL) and foreign languages. Material and discussions are focused on the central theme of how to contextualize language instruction and how to run a proficiency-oriented classroom. Taught in English. Required for students seeking ESL endorsement. Strongly recommended for students preparing to teach Spanish. (Cross-listed as FREN-317 and SPAN-317)

This course introduces students to methods of interpreting the cultural significance of their surrounding landscapes. Readings and lectures draw on architectural history, cultural geography, environmental studies, history, and other relevant fields. Successful completion requires field trips to local and regional sites. FILA general education: experiential learning.

This course examines significant similarities and differences between the cultures of the United States and a variety of international cultures. Students explore differences in media, foodways, music and theater, folk and popular culture, and museums. The class meets for approximately a week on the Bridgewater campus prior to traveling to several locations throughout the world. Cities that may be toured include: Berlin, London, Munich, Paris, and Prague (exact cities to be visited are selected each year). Additional costs associated with travel. FILA general education: world cultures and experiential learning.

A survey of the beliefs and ideas that have shaped American culture from the colonial period to the present. Topics covered may include the rise of consumer culture, cultural attitudes toward the arts, the significance of race and gender in American culture, and the effect of American cultural and political attitudes on the landscape. While gaining knowledge of the United States' cultural past students will acquire an understanding of culture's role in the present state of the nation and the United States' international roles. FILA general education: world cultures.

A study of literature inspired by the Bible. The focus is on reading and writing about how religious ideas are expressed in literature, how authors use specific biblical stories in their novels, and how various authors may vary in their retellings of the same story. FILA general education: literature and writing intensive. Offered alternate years. (Cross-listed as REL-327W)

Critical examination of Shakespeare's development as a dramatist and of his basic themes. Approximately 12 plays are studied. FILA general education: literature.

Examines the effect of the legends of King Arthur and his knights, showing such ideas as the Holy Grail and the code of chivalry in modern retellings and appropriations of the medieval sources. An acquaintance with Malory's Morte D' Arthur is expected. FILA general education: literature and writing intensive.

Study of German-language fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry. Additionally, students will gain knowledge of Germanic political, cultural, and literary histories. FILA general education: literature and writing intensive. (Cross-listed as GER-334W)

Selected readings of the fiction, drama, poetry, and non-fiction prose of French literature. Includes study of French political and cultural history as a way to examine recurring themes, innovation, and movements in literature. FILA general education: literature and writing intensive. (Cross-listed as FREN-335W)

Selected readings in the fiction, drama, poetry and non-fiction prose of major black writers, both African and African-American. Influential authors may include Douglass, Wright, Ellison, Achebe, Baldwin, and Morrison. FILA general education: literature.

Through close reading and discussion of poetry, short fiction, and the novel students will approach an understanding of what it means to categorize these texts as "Asian American literature." The course explores what connections and discontinuities people of Asian ancestry encounter while living in the United States and asks how gender, sexuality, and class inflect representations of Asian American identity. Representative authors include Chang Rae-Lee, Aimee Nezhukumatithil, Brian Komei Dempster, Li Young Lee, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Ocean Vuong. FILA general education: literature and writing intensive.

Examination of Greek myth, especially of mythological ideas and figures that have had great influence on literature and thought, and of selected Greek and Roman classics. Readings may include selections from Homer, Greek drama, Plato, Lucretius, Virgil, and St. Augustine. FILA general education: literature.

Study of several of the major works of medieval literature, including epic, Arthurian romance; religious lyric and drama; biography; and satire, with special attention to themes such as adventure, courtly love, and self-discovery. FILA general education: literature.

Readings in the Renaissance epic, in early prose narrative, and in drama, lyric, and other major literary forms. May include works by Machiavelli, Milton, Thomas More, Shakespeare, Moliere, Swift and Voltaire. FILA general education: literature.

Study of literature during the late 18th and 19th centuries. Explores the development of Romanticism and realism in American, English, and other western European literatures such as German, Russian, and French. Includes fiction, poetry, and drama by authors such as Blake, Wordsworth, Goethe, Pushkin, Dickens, Austen, G. Eliot, the Brontes, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Poe, Melville, Twain, James, Ibsen, and Flaubert. FILA general education: literature.

Development and analysis of the major types of children's literature are addressed, including picture books, poetry, fables, folktales, fantasy, realism, and historical fiction. Students read and analyze classic examples of each type. FILA general education: literature and writing intensive.

Reading and critical response to a range of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry written for a middle school through high school audience or considered suitable reading for this audience. FILA general education: literature.

Examination of theatrical literature and forms from the late 19th century well-made plays, Realism, Expressionism, Futurism and Symbolism, to Epic theatre and the Theatre of the Absurd. Playwrights such as Henrik Ibsen, Bernard Shaw, Anton Chekhov, Eugene O'Neill, Bertolt Brecht, Samuel Beckett, and others will be studied. The goals of this course are for students to gain an understanding of the scope, history, techniques and influence of Modern Drama. FILA general education: literature and writing intensive. Offered alternate years. (Cross-listed as THEA-360W)

Contemporary theatrical forms of American and British drama. Begins with post-World War II dramatic works and moves sequentially to the present day. Areas of attention include the "angry young men," metadrama, gender race and ethnicity, the "new brutalism," and contemporary docudrama. Particular focus on how play texts engage with the cultural and historical moment of their creation. Students gain an understanding of the scope, history, techniques and influence of contemporary drama. Playwrights such as John Osborne, Edward Albee, Eduard Bond, Jose Rivera, Martin McDonagh, Tony Kushner, Sarah Kane, Suzan Lori-Parks, Nilo Cruz, Moises Kaufman, Sarah Ruhl and others are studied. FILA general education: literature and writing intensive. Offered alternate years. (Cross-listed as THEA-362W)

Study of the development of the short story as a distinctive literary form with focus will be on the genre's history, techniques, and conventions, giving emphasis to 19th and 20th century authors from various national literatures who have had a particular impact on the form's development. FILA general education: literature.

Study of the development of drama as a distinctive literary form focusing on the genre's history, techniques, and conventions. FILA general education: Literature. (Cross-listed as THEA-365)

Study of the development of the novel as a distinctive literary form with emphasis on different techniques, conventions and themes of the genre exemplified by representative works chosen from American, British, and other national literatures. FILA general education: literature.

Critical examination of a literary genre not covered in regular course offerings or an in-depth examination of a subgenre. May take more than once for credit if the literary genre is different each time. Focus will be on the genre's history, techniques, and conventions. Genres may include epic, the sonnet, graphic novels, or memoir. FILA general education: Literature.

Study of the development of poetry as a distinctive literary form with emphasis on the techniques, conventions and themes of the genre exemplified by representative works chosen from American, British and other national literatures. FILA general education: literature.

Study of the literature and culture of the southern United States from the 19th century to the present. Explores the cultural development of the region and the influence of the historical context including slavery, reconstruction, economic depression, and the Civil Rights movement. Writers studied may include Mark Twain, William Faulkner, Eudora Welty, Zora Neale Hurston, James Dickey, Flannery O'Connor, Walker Percy, Alice Walker, Cormac McCarthy and Larry Brown. FILA general education: literature. Offered alternate years.

Critical examination of the life and writing of a major figure from American, British, or world literature. May take more than once for credit if the featured literary figure is different each time. Figures may include Dante, Geoffrey Chaucer, John Milton, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Henrik Ibsen, William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, Virginia Woolf or William Faulkner. FILA general education: literature.

Capstone experience for ENG and PWR majors. Students will complete semester-long research and writing projects and prepare a portfolio of their work in the major. Students will also prepare materials for job or graduate school applications. (Cross-listed as PWR-460)

Provides an opportunity for a student to gain field experience in an area related to the student's program of study or career goals. The learning objectives for internships include connecting academic knowledge and problem-solving processes to experiences and problems in professional settings. Supervision of an intern is provided by an appropriate faculty member and by a site supervisor of the agency or business in which the student is an intern. A student who wishes to engage in an internship must consult with the appropriate faculty member at least eight weeks in advance of the start of the term in which the internship is to be completed. A description of the internship, signed by the student and the faculty sponsor, must be filed with the director of internships by the first day of the semester prior to the start of the internship. Approval of each application for an internship is made by the director of internships based upon approved policies and guidelines. Internships are graded on an S or U basis. Students must complete 120 hours of internship-related work as well as weekly journal entries and a final reflective paper completed in accordance with approved requirements. A student may enroll in an internship program for 3 credits per semester, and internship credit may be earned in subsequent semesters subject to the limitations that no more than two internships may be pursued in any one agency or business and a maximum of 9 credits in internships may be applied toward graduation. FILA general education: experiential learning.

Skills-and-theory class that applies critical thinking to discuss and solve practical problems in news media production. Prepares students for the convergence of media, providing practical experience in multiplatform media writing and production, including print, radio, TV and web journalism. Work includes approximately three hours outside the class and one hour inside each week. May be repeated for credit. (Cross-listed as COMM-131)

Skills-and-theory class that applies critical thinking to discuss and solve practical problems in news media production. Prepares students for the convergence of media experience in multi-platform media writing and production including print, radio, TV and web journalism. Work includes approximately three hours outside the class and one hour inside each week. FILA general education: experiential learning. (Cross-listed as COMM-131X)

Introduces students to a range of rhetorical principles and practices in professional genres that they will explore in future coursework and in their careers. 

Explores published works from various genres on the cultures and natural environments of variable destinations, which provide the bases for students' original works in several modes of travel writing, including memoir, travelogue and creative nonfiction. FILA general education: world cultures and experiential learning.

A writing workshop dedicated to writing about food. Topics covered include food blogs, restaurant reviews, experiences with trying new foods, recipes, experiences with food preparation and meal experiences. Literary selections and film depictions of food writing are also discussed. Expenses for incidentals such as restaurant visits are the responsibility of each student. FILA general education: writing intensive.

Teaches students the basic skills of researching, investigating and writing in a variety of formats. Emphasis on identification of the writing structures used by contemporary media writers and utilization of these structures in original pieces researched and written by the students. FILA general education: writing intensive. (Cross-listed as COMM-255W)

Overview of what is traditionally called grammar, including syntax, mechanics, style, punctuation, spelling, vocabulary-building and proofreading for teaching writing at the elementary and secondary levels as well as for publication at a professional level. Develops competency in creation, analysis and editing of written English.

Builds on the skills-oriented approach of COMM/PWR-255W by putting theory behind the practice of writing. Through individual and group writing projects, students work toward understanding the increasingly complex definition of news, its blurring line with entertainment, and the dynamic interplay between technologies and audiences. Offered alternate years. (Cross-listed as COMM-305)

Intensive workshop providing an opportunity to gain deeper insight into literary techniques and practices through the production of original short and longer works of fiction, poetry and drama, as well as creative expository forms. Students develop a single, but substantial, literary project unified by a common theme or themes. Group workshops and individual conferences provide extensive feedback and critical response as the student progresses through the project.

Advanced writing course in composing reports, proposals, instructions, brochures, digital information and other technical documents. Principles of document design, strategies for incorporating graphic elements into texts and methods of editing are also emphasized. FILA general education: writing intensive.

Explores analytical and practical skills in a range of business genres, including memos, letters, proposals and collaborative reports. FILA general education: writing intensive.

Introduction to writing instruction for prospective teachers and writing center tutors from all disciplines. Incorporates current theoretical perspectives, applied linguistics and research on the writing process to introduce classroom practices such as one-to-one conferencing, the writing workshop approach and teaching in computer classrooms.

Studies the nature of writing as it is shaped by digital technologies, including desktop publishing, document design and electronic portfolios. Implications of these media for writing in both theory and practice are emphasized. FILA general education: writing intensive.

Surveys industry processes, including manuscript acquisition, editing, design, distribution, promotion and sales.

Advanced workshop providing an opportunity to demonstrate literary techniques and practices through the production of original short and longer works of fiction, poetry and drama, as well as creative expository forms. Students develop a single, but substantial, literary project, defined by means of a contract with the instructor and unified by a common theme or themes. Advanced workshop students also lead group workshop discussions, providing and receiving extensive feedback and critical response as class members' progress through their projects. Advanced students also explore the publishing market appropriate to their work and make a serious effort to secure publication in some form.

Covers topics pertaining to writing in twenty-first-century modes and environments. Study of models and theoretical approaches combined with practical experiences enable students to develop written expression in the focus area. May take more than once for credit if the topic is different each time. Possible topics include creative nonfiction, science and nature writing, sports writing, humor writing, biography.

This course explores theories and practices of writing that serve a public interest. Study and production of models and theoretical approaches combined with intentional community engagement enables students to develop and share written expression in the focus area. May be taken more than once for credit if the topic is different each time.  Possible topics include augmented reality writing, writing for nonprofits, writing for a cause (safety, health, political activism, the environment, animal rights, the arts, etc.) Depending on the topic, students will develop writing projects with non-profits, businesses, and other groups in the community. FILA general education: writing intensive and experiential learning.

Capstone experience for ENG and PWR majors. Students will complete semester-long research and writing projects and prepare a portfolio of their work in the major. Students will also prepare materials for job or graduate school applications. (Cross-listed as ENG-460)

Provides an opportunity for a student to gain field experience in an area related to the student's program of study or career goals. The learning objectives for internships include connecting academic knowledge and problem-solving processes to experiences and problems in professional settings. Supervision of an intern is provided by an appropriate faculty member and by a site supervisor of the agency or business in which the student is an intern. A student who wishes to engage in an internship must consult with the appropriate faculty member at least eight weeks in advance of the start of the term in which the internship is to be completed. A description of the internship, signed by the student and the faculty sponsor, must be filed with the director of internships by the first day of the semester prior to the start of the internship. Approval of each application for an internship is made by the director of internships based upon approved policies and guidelines. Internships are graded on an S or U basis. Students must complete 120 hours of internship-related work as well as weekly journal entries and a final reflective paper completed in accordance with approved requirements. A student may enroll in an internship program for 3 credits per semester, and internship credit may be earned in subsequent semesters subject to the limitations that no more than two internships may be pursued in any one agency or business and a maximum of 9 credits in internships may be applied toward graduation. FILA general education: experiential learning.