English

In this course, students receive instruction in academic reading and writing, including writing processes, effective use of language, analytical thinking, and the foundations of academic research.

This course provides an exploration of intellectual, psychological, social and physical factors that impact lifelong learning, well-being and success. Topics include motivation and self-efficacy; critical thinking, academic integrity and active study strategies; health issues and lifestyle choices; relating to others as a global citizen; written and oral communication; time management; career exploration; and educational planning.

STAT C1000 (formerly MATH 54) or MATH 21 recommended

See the full list: Cal-GETC Area 2 Course

LIBR 1 recommended

In this course, students receive instruction in critical thinking for purposes of constructing, evaluating, and composing arguments in a variety of rhetorical forms, using primarily non-fiction texts, refining writing skills and research strategies developed in ENGL C1000 Academic Reading and Writing (or C-ID ENGL 100) or similar first-year college writing course.

POLS C1000 (formerly POL SC 1) recommended

See the full list: Cal-GETC Area 4 Course

A comparative study of selected literature originating in the Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East from antiquity through the 16th Century.

The course is a comparative study of selected works of fiction, poetry, and drama, in translation and in English, of literature from around the world from the mid-seventeenth century to the present. In addition, the course examines the social, intellectual, and historical foundations that have shaped the literatures of this period.

This course surveys literature written in English in countries around the world, including but not limited to the British Isles and the American colonies, from the pre-Norman period in England to the late 18th century.

A continuation of English 5, this course covers English literature from the late 18th Century to the 20th Century.

This course surveys American literature from its beginnings to 1865.

This course introduces students to a wide range of American authors and their relationship to major literary and intellectual movements from 1865 to the present.

This course is a survey of the literature of California from the time of the Spanish conquest to the 1980s, when voices from several new immigrant groups, especially from Asia, began to be heard with increasing clarity and power. Prominent themes and motifs in the literary works of the various immigrant groups of California will be explored. The course will analyze the influence of these literary works on and contributions to the formation of California literature and to the canon of American literature. The course will also study how the literature depicts issues relating to assimilation and identity, family, class, and gender among the various peoples of California. Students will read the literature and examine the contribution of at least four ethnic groups in California, including but not limited to indigenous peoples of California, Chicanos/Latinos, European Americans, Asian Americans, and African Americans.

This course surveys contemporary American literature since World War II, with special emphasis on the novel. The selected texts include some of the essential and recurring themes in the history of American literature reflecting a diverse and evolving landscape of gender, ethnic and race relationships. The course content also aims to closely examine current literary criticism and cultural studies in order to familiarize students with different approaches to the interpretation of texts.

In this course students read and analyze eight to ten of Shakespeare's most popular plays, as well as study his life, times, and theatre.

This course introduces the students to the variety and wealth of British literature since 1945. The course will focus on novels, short stories, plays, and poetry from among such authors as Angela Carter, Salman Rushdie, Seamus Heaney, and Jeanette Winterson. The course will cover topics such as gender, race, sexuality, and class as well as explore changes in style, genre, and literary experimentation. Discussion of relevant British music, films, fashion, and art will also be introduced.

This course focuses specifically on Children's Literature, including the value of children’s books to child psychology and development, and the historical construction of childhood. It introduces representative works from major genres, develops students’ close reading and analytical writing skills, and promotes appreciation and critical understanding of the cultural, historical, and aesthetic qualities of literature.

This course examines the works of African writers of the essay, the novel and shorter fiction, drama and poetry, with emphasis on the interpersonal, cultural, and political tensions of modern and post-modern Africa as expressed in its literature and history. It explores the universality of this literature while at the same time recognizing its sources in the conflicts of modern history and society.

This course is an examination of the novel, short fiction, and drama which may be categorized as "absurd." These writings portray humans as bewildered beings in an incomprehensible or meaningless universe.

This course analyzes the images of women presented in fiction, poetry and drama in various historical periods. Special attention is given to the way women writers transform women’s psychological, sociological and political experience into literature, but course readings may also include male writers.

Major works of Asian literature will provide a window to the rich cultures of a fascinating part of the world. Students will study literature of at least four Asian countries. The course is designed to introduce students to the important values of the society, the major beliefs and traditions of the culture, and prominent motifs of the arts of these countries.

This introductory course will study contemporary Asian literature and film as reflections of the cultural values and important social and political movements in some Asian countries. Students will study selected films and literature from at least three Asian countries each semester in order to highlight and explore the relationship between images and words, between the verbal text and the visual text.

This course studies the major characters and tales from Greek and Roman mythology. It takes a thematic approach to myths and legends from a variety of sources, examining humanity’s attempt to explain the unknown: the beginning of the world, creation of living creatures, explanation of natural phenomena, relationships between gods and mortals, deeds of super heroes, testing, death, and afterlife. The emphasis is primarily on Western culture – Greek and Roman myths which have influenced literature and allied arts from earliest time.

This course surveys Mexican literature. It deals with pre-Columbian Aztec and Mayan writing, poetry from the colonial and independence periods, and nineteenth century romanticism, but will emphasize twentieth century literature as it evolves through Modernismo (1888-1912), Poshnodemismo (1912-1918), and Postvanguardismo (1940s and 1970s): Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz, Nervo, Velarde, Reyes, Pellicer, Paz, Castellanos, Sabines, and Pacheco among other poets. The prose fiction section will begin with Azuela's 1915 novel of the revolution, but will focus on post-1940s writers: Rulfo, Arreola, Fuentes, and Paz. Contemporary poets and writers (1970's-present) will complete the course.

This course introduces the craft and practice of creative writing through reading and writing in various genres. Students will explore poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction in their many forms and sub-genres. This course focuses on the fundamentals of these genres and related forms. Students will generate new pieces and be introduced to the workshop method. In workshop, they will offer constructive and critical feedback. While developing their writing process, students will also learn to apply critiques and revise their original work. The course will introduce students to the critical skill of reading like writers to better understand the craft of creative writing.

In this introduction to the humanities students will survey literature in conjunction with great works of art through the ages (painting, sculpture, music, architecture, dance) exploring how, at widely separated points in time, artists and writers have expressed and responded to cultural, political, and intellectual concerns of their day. In doing so, they will see literature in the context of other art forms.

This advanced writing course is intended especially for English majors and other students desiring to develop rhetorical skills beyond those practiced in English 1. It stresses critical analysis and argument, and focuses on style in effectively communicating with various audiences.

This course studies the major characters and tales from the mythologies of several Asian societies. A sort of ur-knowledge or ur-science, mythology in Asian societies is both an attempt to understand the nature of the cosmos and a human being's place in it as well as a means of organizing relationships among people to form a cohesive, functioning society. The course takes a thematic approach to myths and legends from a variety of sources, especially literature and the visual arts, to examine humanity's attempt to explain the unknown and the meaning of life: the beginning of the world, creation of living creatures, explanation of natural phenomena, relationships between gods and mortals, deeds of super heroes, duties of an individual in a society, death, and afterlife. The resonance of these mythological motifs and characters in modern Asian cultures will also be studied.

This course provides an analytical and critical study of the Old Testament of the Bible, focusing on its component genres and literary qualities. Attention is given to how Biblical literature has been and can be interpreted, studied, and used. Representative types of Biblical literature are examined.

This study introduces the students to the variety and wealth of literature contained in the New Testament. Attention is given to the ways in which Biblical literature has been and can be interpreted, studied, and used. The various types of literature in the Bible are set forth and representative pages of each of these types are presented and examined.

This course consists of a study of some of the great works of 20th Century drama.

As a study of the 20th Century novel, this course includes the English novel and the European novel in translation.

This course surveys 20th Century Latin-American literature. The poetry section begins with Dario and modernismo (1888-1910), postmodernismo (1910-1918) and vanguardismo (1918-1938): Neruda, Vallejo, Huidobro, Mistral, and Paz, among others, and concludes with postvanguardismo: Afro-Caribbean and other post-war poetic currents. Prose fiction will begin with realiismo or criollismo (1880s-1930s), but will focus on the post-1940s, when Latin-American prose begins to enjoy international renown: Borges, Carpentier and Asturias, precursors to the "boom," then Fuentes, Sabato, Vargas Llosa, Donoso, Cortazar, and Garcia Marquez, whose works popularized "magic realism." The course will conclude with contemporary writers, such as Cabrera Infante, Allende, and Puig.

This course surveys Mexican literature. It deals with pre-Columbian Aztec and Mayan writing, poetry from the colonial and independence periods, and nineteenth century romanticism, but will emphasize twentieth century literature as it evolves through Modernismo (1888-1912), Poshnodemismo (1912-1918), and Postvanguardismo (1940s and 1970s): Sor Juana Inez de la Cruz, Nervo, Velarde, Reyes, Pellicer, Paz, Castellanos, Sabines, and Pacheco among other poets. The prose fiction section will begin with Azuela's 1915 novel of the revolution, but will focus on post-1940s writers: Rulfo, Arreola, Fuentes, and Paz. Contemporary poets and writers (1970's-present) will complete the course.

This course allows students to study intensively, areas covered cursorily, if at all, in standard literature or composition classes. Students will explore primary works, source materials, and criticism in a seminar topic, giving oral presentations and writing critical analysis. Although the course is of particular importance for English majors, non-majors are also encouraged to take the course.

This course is a survey of the history, scholarship, and transformations of the fairy tale. The course includes a thematic approach to the first fairy tale collections, examination of notable criticism, and a review of modern reinventions in literature, film, and new media.

This course surveys modern crime fiction (both short stories and novels) from around the world published after World War II. The novels and stories in this genre are both works of literature and cultural artifacts that provide a significant insight into the ethical, social, and political ethos of the country. The course, therefore, will study the dual identity of these novels and short stories: as literary works and cultural artifacts. Works from three of the following countries will be studied (in English translation): Japan, Sweden, the United States, and Nigeria. Students will compare adaptations of the crime fiction genre and the ways in which crime and social justice resonate in these cultures.

Science fiction raises the central existential question of what it means to be human in an evolving and incomprehensible world and cosmos. Works in this genre are compelling critiques of the status quo that inspire us to work towards a more humane world. The course will examine Post World War II works in short story, novel, poetry, drama, and film from around the world and how these tales provide an astonishing diversity of thought to the enduring themes of social justice, environmentalism, gender identity, and dreams and nightmares of utopia.

Graphic literature, also referred to as sequential art or graphic fiction, is one of the world’s great storytelling media. Students will explore its rich history, and consider its evolution from its comic book origins into a multi-faceted international genre. Graphic literature is -- in the words of author and artist Eddie Campbell -- “an emerging new literature of our times in which word, picture, and typography interact meaningfully and which is in tune with the complexity of modern life.” Students will learn how to read graphic literature, talk about what makes it powerful or effective, and explore a variety of critical approaches to visual storytelling as both a medium of communication and a unique form of literary art.

This course introduces students to the fundamental principles of technical communication, which is the process of creating, designing, and transmitting technical information to help use it effectively. The course examines the essential rhetorical structure of scientific and professional texts. It emphasizes the development of analytical skills and synthesis of multiple sources in order to construct coherent arguments. Students will develop skills necessary for research in various disciplines of the sciences and technology. Using some of the latest technology, students will read and prepare specific types of documents commonly used in the academic and professional worlds, especially in the sciences, high technology, engineering, and environmental studies.

This creative writing course focuses on the fundamentals of poetry and related forms. Students will generate new pieces and participate in a peer-to-peer workshop where they will offer constructive and critical feedback. While developing their writing process, students will also learn to apply critique and revise their original work. The course will also include literary analysis to understand better the craft of poetry, publication, and performance.

This course introduces the craft and practice of creative nonfiction, which employs many of the literary strategies and techniques of fiction writing to the telling of true stories. Students will explore CNF subgenres such as memoir, flash and micro-memoir, researched nonfiction, hermit crabs and other borrowed forms, lyric, braided, and other types of personal essays, cultural criticism, travel narratives and even hybrid subgenres. Students will expand and sharpen storytelling skills and gain a deeper understanding of the properties of creative nonfiction through writing, revision, reading, discussion, and critique. By reading and analyzing a range of nonfiction works, students will broaden their understanding of the narrative designs, literary techniques, and opportunities for expression available in creative nonfiction.

Students will expand and sharpen storytelling skills and gain a deeper understanding of the properties of fiction through writing, revision, reading, discussion, and critique. These activities will sensitize each writer to the techniques of language and rhythm, description and dialogue, and facilitate the exploration of the effects of character, point of view, plot, and sentence structure on narrative fiction.