In this workshop students will generate new poems, working in both free verse and traditional forms. Emphasis will be given to honing elements of craft, to developing one's 'voice,' and to the all-important process of revision. Readings will include books by contemporary poets, with workshops devoted to critiquing student work and discussing the poems of established writers.

This workshop is for students seriously engaged in writing short stories. Students will refine their technical skills and work on the subtleties of style. Extensive readings are required.

Exceptional works of nonfiction will guide us as we weigh the challenges of building energetic narratives out of small mountains of facts. Story development, research, structure, 'voice,' and the translation of specialized language into accessible prose will be our focus throughout. Students will read widely, dipping into the best work now in print; yet the core endeavor will be to produce two original works of nonfiction at magazine length.

An introduction to African literature in English since 1960. Fiction, drama, autobiography, essays by such writers as Ama Ata Aidoo, Ayi Kwei Armah, Chinua Achebe, Buchi Emecheta, Ngugi wa Thiong'o, Chimamanda Adichie, Chris Abani, Sindiwe Magona, and Zoe Wicomb. Particular attention to themes of exile and imprisonment, political struggle before and after independence, the convergence of oral cultures and European languages, and the emergence of postcolonial and feminist discourses in contemporary Africa.

This course will examine African American literature and culture in the postwar period as American identities are coalescing around the concept of the US as a world power. Specifically, our task during the semester will be to discuss the myriad ways black authors and artists attempt to interrogate the structure of racial hegemony by creating poetry and prose meant to expand notions of culture and form. We will also examine music, visual art, and advertisements from this era to have a greater sense of the black experience through various cultural representations.

A continuation of English 240, which explores the diversity of writers and literary forms that arose in U.S. society in the period from the Civil War to World War I. Authors may include Alcott, Chopin, Crane, Dreiser, Dunbar, Dunbar-Nelson, DuBois, Sui-Sin Far, Gilman, Harper, James, Jewett, Stein, Twain, Wharton, and Whitman. Will address the development of realism, naturalism, and modernism; will explore literary redefinitions of race, gender, sexuality and class as shaped by social pressures during this era.

While influenced by Augustine's warning that worldly inquiry could endanger the pilgrimage of the soul, medieval literature contains many instances of curious looking. Exploring the medieval desire to know, this course considers how the period's tendencies toward spiritual and metaphysical thought are balanced against its fascinations with the observable world. We will study the ways allegories, travel narratives, romances, and dream visions intersect with natural philosophy, historiography, cartography, and architecture.

A study of some of Shakespeare's plays emphasizing the poetic and dramatic aspects of his art, with attention to the historical context and close, careful reading of the language. Eight or nine plays.

The finest journalists craft engaging narratives to help us better frame and understand our world. They inform us about the near and far (and sometimes extraterrestrial) with extensive research, sharp analysis and incisive critiques wrapped in stylish narratives. This will be our goal. To get there, students will study exceptional works (and some flops) in class, then step beyond their comfort zones to observe, research, analyze and interview as they cover an event, write a profile, and report on an issue of local significance. This is an intense seminar requiring considerable self-motivation.

This seminar will cover selected topics on the geology of Death Valley region, California. We will meet for two hours per week up until spring break, then embark on a ten-day field trip to Death Valley National Park, Thursday, March 10 - Saturday, March 19, 2016. A participation fee is required. Students will be responsible for researching particular topics and presenting a pre-trip oral report and a post-trip written final report.