Loyola University Chicago

Department of English

Summer 2014 Courses

Interpreting Literature (UCLR 100)

Section: 01L #1005
Instructor:  G. Bauer
3.0 credit hours Lecture
MTWR 10:25 - 12:05 PM LSC

Ghosts are remarkably dynamic figures in literature: they both comment upon the past and alter the present; they dredge up memories and offer paths to redemption; they reveal past transgressions and punish living transgressors. Accordingly, hauntings, as metaphors for lost love, mental instability, addiction, trauma, and more, are fixtures of both American and world literature. In this course, you will explore several ways of thinking about the haunted and the haunting -- both literally and figuratively speaking -- in poetry, drama, and prose spanning hundreds of years and several cultures. As you explore this theme, you will develop a literary and analytical vocabulary for discussing literature that will lead to a greater appreciation of literature outside of this course. Demonstrated application of terminology will be emphasized over rote memorization of definitions.  This course places a heavy emphasis on class discussion and individual participation in class and small group discussion. Aside from participation, assignment will likely include individual and/or group presentations, response papers, close readings, several unannounced reading quizzes, a final paper, and 3 tests. Major works (subject to change) will include Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner; Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit; Juan Rulfo’s Pedro Paramo, and Stephen King’s The Shining, as well as shorter works and poems by Edith Wharton, Joe Hill, Robert Frost, Billy Collins, William Shakespeare, Christina Rossetti, and Virginia Woolf.

Section: 60L #2710
Instructor:  S. O'Brien
3.0 credit hours Lecture
TR 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM LSC

What connects cultures separated by centuries and continents? What values, dilemmas, and questions continually resurface in different forms? What differences make individuals and cultures unique? This foundational literature course will develop your ability to read closely and analyze carefully. We will explore a variety of prose, poetry, drama, and film from around the world and across history, with a focus on 20th- and 21st-century world literature. We will master key literary and critical terms and employ a variety of critical approaches to analyzing and interpreting literature. “Interpreting Literature” is about what texts say but also about how we use them (or don’t), so we will also ask questions like what is literature? How do we decide what counts and what’s good? Why do all cultures create it? Why do we read it? Why require it in college? This course will enhance your understanding of literature, its role in the world, and how the skills we use to study it can be of benefit in other areas of your life.

UCLR 100-60L will meet at the Cuneo Mansion in Vernon Hills, IL


Advanced Writing: Business Writing (ENGL 210)

Section: 20W #1006
Instructor:  M. Meinhardt
3.0 credit hours Lecture
TWR 1:10 - 3:20 PM LSC

Business Writing is a seminar designed to build and improve effective communication practices for use in the business community. The ideas of “personal professionalism” and “priority of purposes” guide an exploration of business writing genres ranging from correspondence to memos, and from employment documents to executive summaries. Collaboration, peer interaction, and individual economy direct the creation of a series of writing projects that use revision and research as a necessary step in the writing process.

Section: 21W #1007
Instructor:  M. Meinhardt
3.0 credit hours Lecture
TWR 3:35 - 5:45 PM LSC

Business Writing is a seminar designed to build and improve effective communication practices for use in the business community. The ideas of “personal professionalism” and “priority of purposes” guide an exploration of business writing genres ranging from correspondence to memos, and from employment documents to executive summaries. Collaboration, peer interaction, and individual economy direct the creation of a series of writing projects that use revision and research as a necessary step in the writing process.


Exploring Poetry (ENGL 271)

Section: 100 #1019
Instructor:  S. Masello
3.0 credit hours Lecture
MTWR 10:25 - 12:05 PM LSC

Requirement: UCLR 100 for students admitted to Loyola University for Fall 2012 or later. No requirement for students admitted to Loyola prior to Fall 2012 or those with a declared major or minor in the Department of English, Department of Classical Studies, or Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.

In this introductory course, we will read and discuss a widely varied selection of poetry extending from the Elizabethans to the English Romantics and Victorians to more contemporary voices.  Our readings will include the works of primarily English and American poets, with additional selections from other European writers, as well.


Exploring Drama (ENGL 272)

Section: 90W #1008
Instructor:  T. Boyle
3.0 credit hours Lecture
TBA LSC

Requirement: UCLR 100 for students admitted to Loyola University for Fall 2012 or later. No requirement for students admitted to Loyola prior to Fall 2012 or those with a declared major or minor in the Department of English, Department of Classical Studies, or Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.

This course is an introduction to classical and modern theatre. In this course we will endeavor analyze the structure and philosophical preoccupation of the authors. We will compare and contrast the classical format with the radically different modern approach. A selection of works, from different genres, will provide the basis of our investigation. We will analyze and discuss the style, structure, and theme in each of these works, focusing on the technical language and critical analysis of drama criticism.

Section: 94W #2427
Instructor:  A. Kessel
3.0 credit hours Lecture
MTWR 12:20 - 2:00 PM LSC

Requirement: UCLR 100 for students admitted to Loyola University for Fall 2012 or later. No requirement for students admitted to Loyola prior to Fall 2012 or those with a declared major or minor in the Department of English, Department of Classical Studies, or Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.

In this course we will examine the adaptation of several plays into the medium of film. We will read, discuss, and write about plays from different time periods and in different genres, including drama, comedy, musical, and mystery. All of these plays represent the relationships and complex emotions of human beings as individuals, as family members, and as members of society. We will begin by reading and discussing each of the original stage plays and then viewing the film into which it was adapted. When possible, we will view video clips of the plays performed on stage. Applying some theory of adaptation, we will think about how transference from the stage to the screen changes the dramatization. How do the director, adaptor, screen actors, and the medium of film itself alter the vision of the original work?

Students will be asked to write three short papers and a take-home final.

Some of the works we will engage in this course include:

Much Ado about Nothing William Shakespeare/ Kenneth Branagh
An Ideal Husband Oscar Wilde/ Oliver Parker
Uncle Vanya/ Vanya on 42nd Street Anton Chekhov/ David Mamet/ Louis Malle
A Streetcar Named Desire Tennessee Williams/ Oscar Saul/ Elia Kazan
Cabaret Multiple authors/ Bob Fosse
Dial M for Murder Frederick Knott/ Alfred Hitchcock
Play It Again, Sam Woody Allen/ Woody Allen


Exploring Fiction (ENGL 273)

Section: 102 #1010
Instructor:  J. Bninski
3.0 credit hours Lecture
MTWR 2:15 - 3:55 PM LSC

Requirement: UCLR 100 for students admitted to Loyola University for Fall 2012 or later. No requirement for
students admitted to Loyola prior to Fall 2012 or those with a declared major or minor in the Department of English, Department of Classical Studies, or Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.

This course focuses on the understanding, appreciation, and criticism of prose fiction. Students will be able to demonstrate understanding of fiction as a means of exploring human experience and understanding the creative process, and be able to use the technical vocabulary necessary for understanding fiction.

Topic: This section focuses on fiction from the Victorian period (roughly 1837-1901). We'll find that the Victorians used fiction to grapple with many problems that we still face: consumerism, inequality, a desire for life to have meaning and beauty, rapidly changing technologies that offer both benefits and threats, and the search for a conceptual framework with which to make sense of the world.

Assignments: Frequent quizzes will assess reading comprehension. There will be two or three formal essays, including at least one close reading and at least one literary argument. In addition to the formal papers, there will be some low-stakes writing assignments, such as personal responses. Active student participation, including oral presentations, will be important. 

Section: 93W #1009
Instructor:  K. Quirk
3.0 credit hours Lecture
MTWR 12:20 - 2:00 PM LSC

This is a writing-intensive course in which we will read works of fiction particularly concerned with exploring ethical dilemmas. Many of the works fall under the related categories of gothic, science, and speculative fiction – good summer reading! Early class sessions will focus on the close analytical reading of short stories. After establishing the fundamental terms for analyzing fiction, the course will move on to novels such Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Anthony Burgess’s A Clockwork Orange, and Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake. There will be 3-4 major writing assignments of varying length. Early writing assignments will include brief personal responses and analyses. Later assignments may involve analysis of film adaptations, situating the texts in their historical and cultural contexts, and explorations of a critical controversy. Grading will focus primarily on written work but will also include class participation, quizzes, and informal written exercises. 


Women in Literature (ENGL 283) - Online

Section: 92W #2055
Instructor:  H. Mann
3.0 credit hours Lecture
TBA LSC

Requirement: UCLR 100 for students admitted to Loyola University for Fall 2012 or later. No requirement for students admitted to Loyola prior to Fall 2012 or those with a declared major or minor in the Department of English, Department of Classical Studies, or Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.

This course will be taught exclusively online, which means that there will be no “face-to-face” meetings on campus. Part of the instruction, discussion, and guidance about assignments will take place via postings in Sakai and Adobe Connect, which students can access at their own pace and time. The remainder of the instruction and discussion will take place in bi-weekly synchronous online sessions, which will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. CST.

Please note that the pre-requisite for this course is UCLR 100 for students admitted to Loyola University for Fall 2012 or later.  There is no requirement for students admitted to Loyola prior to Fall 2012 or those with a declared major or minor in the Department of English, Department of Classical Studies, or Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.  Further, this course satisfies 3 credits of the Core Curriculum requirements in Literary Knowledge and Experience and 3 credits of the Writing Intensive requirement. In addition, the course counts as a 200-level elective for both the English major and minor and meets the 3-credit multicultural requirement of the English major.

Cross-listed with WOST 283, this course will examine the ways in which non-western women writers have portrayed gender issues and their historical and social causes and manifestations.  Drawing upon selected West Indian, African, American, and South Asian fiction, we will analyze how the authors re-present traditional and patriarchal values and ideals and create women's culture.  And we will consider whether women's experiences and concerns are universal, or whether they are culture-specific and based upon issues of nationality, religion, race, ethnicity, and class/caste. In addition, we will examine the role of contributing literary techniques, including setting, structure, language, narrative voice, and characterization, to arrive at comparative assessments of the diverse voices of contemporary women writers.


Human Values in Literature (ENGL 290) - Online

Section: 01W #
Instructor:  C. Scheidenhelm
3.0 credit hours Lecture
TBA LSC

This course will be taught exclusively online, which means that there will be no “face-to-face” meetings on campus. Part of the instruction, discussion, and guidance about assignments will take place via postings in Sakai and Adobe Connect, which students can access at their own pace and time. The remainder of the instruction and discussion will take place in bi-weekly synchronous online sessions, which will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00-7:30 PM. CST.

This section of English 290 is designated as writing intensive; since the course is compressed into a six-week format, it will also be reading intensive. The literary works we will be discussing all focus on some aspect of individual identity and how society, family, class, politics and race impact the development of the individual. Assignments will focus on the elements of literary construction as well as the analysis of the student’s understanding of the implications of character development. Synchronous class discussions will include student presentations based on weekly group work.

Please note that the pre-requisite for this course is UCLR 100 for students admitted to Loyola University for Fall 2012 or later. There is no requirement for students admitted to Loyola prior to Fall 2012 or those with a declared major or minor in the Department of English, Department of Classical Studies, or Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. Further, this course satisfies 3 credits of the Core Curriculum requirements in Literary Knowledge and in Promoting Justice Values and 3 credits of the Writing Intensive requirement. In addition, the course counts as a 200-level elective for both the English major and minor and meets the 3-credit multicultural requirement of the English major.

Section: 91W #1021
Instructor:  H. Mann
3.0 credit hours Lecture
TBA LSC

Requirement: UCLR 100 for students admitted to Loyola University for Fall 2012 or later. No requirement for students admitted to Loyola prior to Fall 2012 or those with a declared major or minor in the Department of English, Department of Classical Studies, or Department of Modern Languages and Literatures. Please note that this course satisfies 3 credits of the Core Curriculum requirements in Literary Knowledge and in Promoting Justice Values. In addition, the course counts as a 200-level elective for both the English major and minor and meets the 3 credit multicultural requirement of the English major.

This course will be taught exclusively online, which means that there will be no “face-to-face” meetings on campus. Part of the instruction, discussion, and guidance about assignments will take place via postings in Sakai and Adobe Connect, which students can access at their own pace and time. The remainder of the instruction and discussion will take place in bi-weekly synchronous online sessions, which will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m. CST.

Please note that the pre-requisite for this course is UCLR 100 for students admitted to Loyola University for Fall 2012 or later.  There is no requirement for students admitted to Loyola prior to Fall 2012 or those with a declared major or minor in the Department of English, Department of Classical Studies, or Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.  Further, this course satisfies 3 credits of the Core Curriculum requirements in Literary Knowledge and in Promoting Justice Values and 3 credits of the Writing Intensive requirement. In addition, the course counts as a 200-level elective for both the English major and minor and meets the 3-credit multicultural requirement of the English major.

Adopting an international and cross-disciplinary perspective, this section of English 290 will examine the portrayal of human values in modern and contemporary works by selected non-western writers from Africa, the West Indies, South Asia, and USA. Our main aim will be to examine the extent to which the societies under study (and the individuals who constitute them) share universal values and the extent to which these societies and their values are predicated upon culture specific norms and expectations. To this end, we will consider the role of nationalism, tradition, religion, race, ethnicity, gender, and class/caste in the conception and practice of such values. In addition, we will analyze the cultural bases of contributing literary techniques, including structure, language, narrative focus, and characterization among others, to arrive at comparative assessments of the portrayal of human values in modern world literature.


Writing of Poetry (ENGL 317)

Section: 105 #1011
Instructor:  L. Goldstein
3.0 credit hours Lecture
TWR 3:35 - 5:45 PM LSC

This course approaches the writing of poetry as both a study and a craft that requires reading, exploration, practice, and sharing. We will read a wide range of poetry in order to discuss its roots as a cultural form of expression, and its contemporary manifestation as an art form as a basis for our own work. Readings include traditional and experimental verse, prose poetry, hybrid writing, and poetics. The workshop element of the course will include prompts for writing and the presentation of student poetry to the group with the expectation of respectful and productive responses that will encourage writers to build upon their ideas for subject, form, and style.


Writing of Fiction (ENGL 318)

Section: 106 #1023
Instructor:  A. McOmber
3.0 credit hours Lecture
TWR 3:35 - 5:45 PM LSC

Students will learn the art and craft of writing fiction in a supportive, workshop environment through a. Reading and discussing of master writers; b. Writing three original stories; and c. Having these stories discussed and critiqued by the instructor and by fellow writers. Class participation is emphasized. This course is writing intensive.


Plays of Shakespeare (ENGL 326)

Section: 107 #1012
Instructor:  J. Biester
3.0 credit hours Lecture
TWR 1:10 - 3:20 PM LSC

In this course, students will study plays in various genres—comedy, history, tragedy, and romance—and from various stages of Shakespeare’s career, reading them closely and considering them in relation to the intellectual, political, and social contexts in which they were produced, the theatrical practices and conventions of the age, and Shakespeare’s own development as a playwright.  We will also explore the implications of various methods of interpreting and performing the plays.  Requirements will include two or three quizzes and two papers.


Internship (ENGL 394)

Section: 18E #1045
Instructor:  B. Ahad
3.0 credit hours Lecture
TBA LSC

English 394 provides practical, on-the-job experience for English majors in adapting their writing and analytical skills to the needs of such fields as publishing, editing, and public relations.  Students must have completed six courses in English and must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher before applying for an internship. Qualified second semester juniors and seniors may apply to the program.  Interested students must arrange to meet with the Internship Director during the pre-registration period and must bring with them a copy of their Loyola transcripts, a detailed resume (which includes the names and phone numbers of at least two references), and at least three writing samples.  Students may be required to conduct part of their job search on-line and to go out on job interviews before the semester begins.  Course requirements include: completion of a minimum of 120 hours of work; periodic meetings with the Internship Director; a written evaluation of job performance by the site supervisor; a term paper, including samples of writing produced on the job.


Special Studies in Literature (ENGL 399)

Section: 111 #1025
Instructor:  B. Ahad
3.0 credit hours Lecture
TBA LSC

Students arrange for this course on an individual basis by consulting a faculty member who agrees to supervise the independent study. When the student and the faculty member have agreed on the work to be done, the student submits the plan to the director of undergraduate programs for approval and registration. Usually students will work independently and produce a research paper, under the direction of the faculty member.