EMU HOME | ASK EMU | DIRECTORIES | CALENDARS | MY.EMICH
Below is a listing of courses that fulfill general education requirements that are offered by the Department of English Language and Literature. For more in depth information about general education courses and requirements, please view the General Education Program in the course catalog.
In English 121, EMU students develop the foundation for writing, research, and critical thinking strategies that they will use throughout their college careers and in the workplace. Writing is both a means of communication, and a tool for developing new ideas. Good writers are flexible. They know how to assess the expectations of a variety of audiences with whom they want to communicate and how to draw on or develop different writing strategies to meet those expectations. Good writers also understand that different kinds of writing have different conventions, and they can move fluidly between those conventions. English 121 students develop these strategies that are key to effective communication throughout the course. Students write between 50-70 pages of draft work and between 20-30 pages of polished, final-draft work during the course of the semester, and that work is supported and directed by frequent feedback from the instructor. Read more about ENGL121 and the first year writing program >>
This course introduces students to the study of African American literature, thought and cultural practices through an examination of the oral traditional, texts, music and visual arts of African Americans and other peoples of the African diaspora. Readings include oral narratives, fiction, poetry, drama, autobiography, political treatises and essays from 1619 to the present.
A course in the oral and written literatures of Native American cultures -— emphasizing memoirs, essays, fiction, poetry, drama and film of the 20th and 21st centuries -— examined within their cultural and historical contexts. This course will promote and understanding of traditional Native world views, as well as examine the impact of Native peoples’ contact with other cultures.
This course examines the complex position of Jews in America -— considering minority status, assimilation and cultural history of Jewish population -— by focusing on poetry, prose and drama that reflects awareness of both an oppressive European past and a desire to more forward in the vibrant intellectual life of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Students will read novels in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series; myths, legends and folktales on which they are based; and criticism written about the novels. They will focus on literary terminology, literary allusion, literary merit and the public debates about the role of the humanities in contemporary culture.
A concentrated reading course designed to impart the knowledge necessary for an appreciation and understanding of children’s literature and its use in the schools. In addition to reading the classics and the critically acclaimed works of both fiction and nonfiction by modern writers, students will study poetry, folklore and mythology, and examine the relationship between illustration and text. Does not count toward a major or minor in curricula for teachers in junior and senior high school.
Prerequisite: sophomore standing and one 100-level LITR course
An introduction to the techniques of critical reading with equal emphasis on prose fiction, poetry and drama. Development of a fundamental understanding and enjoyment of reading.
Reading and critical analysis of prose fiction intended to deepen the student’s understanding and enjoyment of prose fiction.
Reading and critical analysis of poetry intended to deepen the student’s understanding and enjoyment of poetry.
Reading and critical analysis of drama intended to deepen the student’s understanding and enjoyment of drama.
A comparison of the people and culture of ancient Rome and modern America, considering individual hopes and ideals, religious beliefs and ideas about death, government, morality, love and sex. Team taught by a member of the English Department and a classicist.
*6 credit course - This will satisfy both humanities requirements.
This course introduces students to the study of African American literature, thought and cultural practices through an examination of the oral traditional, texts, music and visual arts of African Americans and other peoples of the African diaspora. Readings include oral narratives, fiction, poetry, drama, autobiography, political treatises and essays from 1619 to the present.
A course in the oral and written literatures of Native American cultures -— emphasizing memoirs, essays, fiction, poetry, drama and film of the 20th and 21st centuries -— examined within their cultural and historical contexts. This course will promote and understanding of traditional Native world views, as well as examine the impact of Native peoples’ contact with other cultures.
An intensive introduction to poetry, fiction and drama designed to appeal to the enthusiast who loves reading literature. Especially useful for those considering majoring in literary studies or English education. Course content is thematically focused (themes vary by instructor) and covers multiple literary periods as well as writing in different styles.
An introduction to at least five of Shakespeare’s plays with emphasis upon the tragedies
Prerequisite: one 100- or 200-level LITR course
