English Department

Morgan Hall,
Room 258
(785) 231-1010 ext. 1441

Course Offerings

 

 

Courses marked with * are part of the University's General Education program. See pages 31-32 for details

EN 100 Developmental English (3)
Small classes and individual attention, focusing on developing the basic habits of good writing through short writings and culminating in the writing of organized and developed themes. Does not count towards degree credit hour requirements, nor general education requirements.

EN 101 Freshman Composition (3)
The techniques and processes of composing and revising; often some attention to relating reading and writing. Required, with a minimum grade of C, for graduation. Students whose last names begin with the letter A through K take it in the Fall semester; the others take it in the Spring semester.

*EN 110 Readings in the Literature of Minorities (3)
Prose, poetry, drama of such American minorities as Blacks, Native Americans, Chicanos, Puerto-Ricans, and Jews.

*EN 131 Understanding Short Fiction (3)
The interpretation and appreciation of short fiction through close reading of selected masterpieces.

*EN 133 Stories Around the World (3)
Focuses on the fiction of authors from Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and/or Australia.

*EN 135 Introduction to Literature (3)
The appreciation of literature showing relationships through analysis of different genres.

*EN 138 Kansas Literature (3)
A study of Kansas through its poetry, short stories, novels, and journalism. Lectures on Kansas history provide background as an aid to better understanding the literature. A study of the literature of pioneering, the small town, and contemporary accounts of Kansas, its land and people.

EN 140 Traditional English Grammar (3)
The terminology and procedures of traditional grammar, emphasizing the techniques for analyzing the sentence and its parts, together with a survey of standard English usage.

*EN 145 Shakespeare in Action (3)
An introduction to Shakespeare's poetry and plays, including a selection from the Sonnets, one of the narrative poems, and plays of more than one genre. The course focus is on Shakespeare's language and ideas, his methods and kinds of performance, and the historical and cultural moment in which he lived. Film versions of the plays supplement the written texts.

EN 150 Vocabulary Development (3)
The Greek and Latin roots of English vocabulary, especially abstract and technical terms, and the word families derived from these roots.

*EN 190 Film Appreciation (3)
Film as a mode of artistic expression with emphasis on selected films, short and feature-length, American and foreign, for understanding and appreciation. Stress will be given to the development of a "vocabulary" with which to discuss, criticize, and otherwise enjoy film art.

*EN 192 Literature and Film (3)
A study of classic literary texts and their adaptations into the medium of film, with emphasis on the
comparative strengths and weaknesses of each version. Stress will be given to the critical vocabulary shared by these narrative forms.

EN 193 Types of Popular Culture (3)
Examination of subject interests in popular literature, with focus on the relationship between popular genres and the traditional canon. May be repeated with change of content.

EN 199 Special Topics in Writing and Reading (1-3)
See schedule for current offerings.

EN 200 Intermediate Composition (3)
Continued practice in the techniques and practices of composing and revising beyond EN 101 and further preparation for upper division writing courses, such as EN 300. Attention to relating reading, responding, and writing. Prerequisite: EN101, with a grade of C or better, or by placement.

*EN 205 Creative Writing (3)
Practice in various kinds of imaginative writing. Prerequisite: EN 101 or consent of instructor.

*EN 208 Business &Technical Writing (3)
A review of the basic essentials of business/technical usage and style, with emphasis on organizing ideas and managing basic business and technical writing forms. Prerequisite: EN 101.

*EN 210 Mythologies in Literature (3)
Mythologies which have been a backbone for literature, working mainly in Greek and Roman materials, but drawing upon others such as Norse, Celtic, Gaelic, and Eastern. Readings will include both literary works and supplemental texts.

*EN 214 / 514 Women and Literature (3)
Literature by and about women from the classical to the contemporary.

EN 225, 226 Survey of English Literature (3)
Major literary movements, major authors, and the careful reading of masterpieces. Each course may be taken separately. Special attention to the history of the English language as a literary medium.

EN 299 Special Topics in Writing and Reading (1-3)
See schedule for current offering.

EN 300 Advanced Composition (3)
Additional practice in writing, to assure proficiency in the techniques and tools of composition and to offer students the opportunity to order and articulate their knowledge. Some sections for special academic interests. Prerequisite: EN 101, with a grade of C or better and a satisfactory placement test, or a grade of C or better in EN 200. Required, with a minimum grade of C, for graduation.

EN 301 Critical Reading and Writing (3)
Practical criticism and writing, stressing the types and methods of critical approaches to literature, ancient and modern, and their application in the interpretation of literary works. Prerequisite: EN 101, 300 or equivalent.

EN 305 Advanced Fiction Writing (3)
Continued practice in fiction writing with special emphasis on technique. Prerequisite: EN 205.

EN 306 Advanced Poetry Writing (3)
Continued practice in poetry writing with emphasis on technique. Prerequisite: EN 205.

EN 308 Technical Writing (3)
A pre-professional writing course for students entering technical fields.
Prerequisite: EN 101 and 300.


EN 309 Understanding Language Problems of Non-English Speakers (3)

Designed for those who work with non-English speakers. Special emphasis on improving intercultural understanding, on the interaction of language and culture, and on language learning and language teaching.

EN 310 / 510 Modern English Grammar (3)
The course surveys different points of view about language, including a review of traditional grammar and an introduction to transformational grammar. The course also focuses on such topics as phonology, morphology, the history of the language, psycho-linguistics, language acquisition, dialects, syntax and sentence combining, and their implications for language learning at all levels. Graduate students must write a 12-page paper developing in greater detail one of the topics covered in the course.

EN 320 Literature for Young Adults (3)
The study of books read by young adults between the ages of 12 and 18, covering the history of young adult literature, the relationship between children's and young adult literature, censorship and selection, and teaching methods.

EN 330 / 530 American Literature I (3)
Course provides a survey of early American literature, from pre-Columbian legends through literature of 1850's. Graduate students will be required to investigate in depth one of the following areas: colonial literature, early national literature, or the literature of American Renaissance.

EN 331 / 531 American Literature II (3)
Course is a survey of American literature from Civil War to present in historical and generic contexts. It stresses close readings of individual texts of fiction, poetry, and drama. Graduate students will select one major author and examine his/her treatment in literary criticism during last fifty years.


*EN 332 Literature of the American West (3)
Focuses on the fiction, but also includes the autobiographies, poetry, and/or essays, of authors shaped by the landscape, diverse peoples, and values of the American west.

EN 337 The Short Story (3)
The history and development of the short story, with emphasis on the short story as an expression of world literature. Some special attention to the contribution of non-western literature to the development of narrative form.

EN 345 / 545 Shakespeare (3)
Students read, discuss, and write on some of Shakespeare's poetry and a selection from the Comedies, Tragedies, and Histories. Consideration of historical and cultural contexts of the plays, as well as their performance history, will help us appreciate both the works and the culture which inspired them. Graduate students will conduct primary research on topics of their choosing.

EN 360 World Literature I (3)
Readings in the great works of world literature in translation (from Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa) from ancient times to 1600.

EN 361 World Literature II (3)
Readings in the great works of world literature in translation from 1600 to the present.

EN 370 Medieval Literature (3)
A survey of English literature in the Middle Ages with special emphasis on the works of Chaucer. Special attention to the contextual relationship of literature and the thought and culture of the period.

EN 371 Renaissance Literature (3)
A survey of the literature written from 1475 to 1660, focusing on major poets and dramatists, such as
Spenser, Shakespeare, Jonson, Donne, and Milton, but also lesser-known writers such as Countess of Pembroke and Aemilia Lanyer. Special attention to the contextual relationship of literature and the thought and culture of the period.

EN 372 Restoration & Eighteenth Century Literature (3)
A survey of the principal genres and major authors of literature written between 1660 and 1800. The course may emphasize a certain genre such as the novel or satire, or an individual author such as Jonathan Swift, Aphra Behn, Samuel Johnson, Henry Fielding, or Fanny Burney. Special attention to the contextual relationship of literature and the thought and culture of the period.

EN 373 Romantic/Victorian Literature (3)
Readings in Romantic and Victorian literature. The course begins with Wordsworth's expressions of religion in nature, working through selections from the other major Romantics, and concludes with the prophetic and public solutions to the problems of industrial England offered by Carlyle, Tennyson, Ruskin, and Arnold. Special attention to the contextual relationship of literature and the thought and culture of the period.

EN 374 Modern Literature (3)
Readings will cover the expressions of Modernism in all the major creative arts with primary focus on the reading and analysis of selected "modernist" literary writers from the genres of fiction, poetry, and drama. Some attention to defining the concept and historical parameters of "Modernist".

EN 375 Contemporary Literature (3)
Readings in the literary milieu from 1960 to the present in poetry, short fiction, and the novel with attention to the cultural, social, and historical context of individual works and their authors.


EN 377 Science Fiction (3)

Selected novels and short stories depicting innovations and discoveries in science and their impact on man, society, and the universe.

EN 378 Fantasy (3)
Selected novels and short stories depicting fictive worlds which contemporary knowledge considers impossible.

EN 380 Modern Poetry (3)
Major British and American poets from about 1890 to 1945, including Yeats, T. S. Eliot, and Frost.

EN 381 Drama (3)
A study of drama as a literary form.

EN 382 Modern Novel (3)
A survey of the art and vision of the novel as a modern expression of world literature. Some special attention to the contribution of non-western literature to the development of narrative form.

EN 384 Publishing Lab (3)
Students will learn to gather, evaluate, and edit creative manuscripts and produce and publish a literary magazine. Prerequisites: EN 305 and/or EN 306.

EN 385 Directed Reading, Writing, or Research (1-3)
Designed to investigate a field of special interest which will not be covered in detail in the courses offered in the department. After securing the approval of the chairperson of the department and the consent of a member of the department who is prepared to supervise their reading, students will carry out their projects with the supervising teacher.

EN 390 Aspects of the Film (2-3)
Variable specified content in film, such as the American novel into film, the science fiction film, western novels in film. May be repeated with change of content.

EN 393 Literature of Popular Culture (3)
The study of such individual literary topics as the western, detective fiction, sports literature, and prize-winning novels. May be repeated with change of content.

EN 399 Special Topics in Writing and Reading (1-3)
See schedule for the current offering.

EN 400 Senior Seminar (3)
This course is the capstone course for the literature emphasis of the English major. Students work together as a class with a faculty member on a specific topic of ongoing research in the faculty member's area of expertise. English majors, senior status, and consent.

EN 499 Special Topics in the Teaching and Study of English (1-3)
Special topics of a varying nature for teachers doing in-service work, for graduate students in education and English education, and upper-division majors.

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