English

Academics at Hanover:

At Hanover, English majors read, write and study literature in order to investigate the basic human impulse to make sense of life through art.

You’ll study traditional literary works as well as underrepresented voices that may be new to you. Our award-winning faculty and visiting scholars will challenge you with new ideas. Develop your own creative writing and contribute to the student-run literary magazine, newspaper or coffee house readings. Travel abroad to discover your literary roots. As you advance in your studies, take one of our unique, in-depth seminars focused on a literary master. The major culminates with an independent research or creative project you design yourself.

ARE YOU HUNGRY?

Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and Hanover alumna Carol Shields ’57 coined the term “narrative hunger,” the human need to understand human experience by shaping it into literary form. Hanover English students share this hunger.

A BRIDGE TO THE FUTURE

Hanover English graduates are well prepared for graduate school and to pursue careers in:

Law
Teaching
Business
Journalism
Publishing

What do English majors study?

Literary analysis
Early literature
English Literature
American Literature
Other topics that interest you, from Shakespeare to poetry to Arthurian literature to non-fiction

Sample graduate school placements:

University of North Carolina
Boston College
Duke University Law School
Miami of Ohio
William and Mary
University of Kentucky
University of Chicago
University of Iowa Writers Workshop
Indiana University
University of Illinois

Our alumni become professionals such as:

Actors
University English professors
Peace Corps volunteers
Editors
Playwrights
Novelists
Lawyers
Business professionals
Web designers
High school teachers

COURSES

Number

Name

Units

Description

ENG 113 Introduction to Poetry 1.00 This course offers an introduction to the features of lyric poetry that distinguish it from other types of literature--concentrated imagery and figures of speech, sound effects such as rhythm and rhyme, and use of special forms--through the analysis of great poems from a variety of time periods and cultures. Partially satisfies the LA CCR.

ENG 161 Poetry: The Spoken Word 1.00 Explores poetry as a spoken as well as a written art form. Includes an introduction to the history of poetry from Homer to the BreakBeats, with an emphasis on the study of oratory and poetic delivery and analysis of poetic devices, techniques, and forms. Students will write and present their own work as well as the work of major poets throughout the ages. Partially atisfies the LA CCR and satisfies the S ACE.

ENG 172 The Quest Archetype in Literature 1.00 An examination of the Quest archetype in literature. The course will use C. G. Jung’s theories of the collective unconscious and of archetypes, as well as Joseph Campbell’s Quest paradigm, to study works in various genres from classical antiquity to contemporary culture. Satisfies W1 ACE and partially satisfies LA CCR.

ENG 173 Fiction and Its Genres 1.00 A study of narrative fiction with special emphasis on the various genres of the modern short-story and novel, such as adventure stories, fantasy, comedy, detective fiction, horror, science fiction, and literary fiction. The course will also examine different theories of genre, including those proposed by folklorists, psychologists, historians, and literary theorists, in order to understand how genres function and evolve. Satisfies W1 ACE and partially satisfies LA CCR.

ENG 175 Journeys to the Underworld 1.00 A comparative study of works of literature and/or film whose central action involves a journey to either a literal or a metaphorical underworld. Satisfies W1 ACE and partially satisfies LA CCR.

ENG 176 Medieval and Renaissance Eurasia 1.00 An examination of great works of literature and art of the Middle East, China, Europe, and Japan from 300 CE to 1600 CE. The course will trace and compare the fundamental themes of human culture as they are developed in works from these periods, which include the rise of Christianity and Islam and the continuing growth and influence of Confucianism, Daoism, and Buddhism. Satisfies W1 and CP ACE and partially satisfies LA CCR.

ENG 177 Mythography of the Monstrous 1.00 An examination of some of the most famous monsters of literature from Classical Antiquity to the present-day. The course explores how monsters express the values, anxieties, and hopes of their age. Satisfies W1 ACE and partially satisfies LA CCR.

ENG 178 Beauty and the Beast in Literature 1.00 This course explores the enduring theme of Beauty and the Beast in literature across cultures, from antiquity to the present day. We approach this theme both as a timeless expression of the female "quest," and as a timely definition of beauty through its opposite: the monstrous. Satisfies W1 ACE and partially satisfies LA CCR.

ENG 179 Water 1.00 An examination of works of literature, art, and film from ancient to modern times that depict or incorporate images of water. From cave paintings to Monet’s Water Lilies, from Homer’s Odyssey to SpongeBob, depictions of water have conveyed ideas about time, motion, the origins and nature of the cosmos, and the relationship of human beings to the natural world. Satisfies W1 ACE and partially satisfies LA CCR.

ENG 181 Shakespeare and Film 1.00 Even though Shakespeare created his plays four hundred years ago, they have inspired film directors of the 20th and 21st centuries more often than any other literary works. This course will examine different film versions of several of Shakespeare’s plays along with their texts to explore how contemporary viewers find meaning in and transform these enduring works. Satisfies the W1 ACE. Partially satisfies the LA CCR.

ENG 182 Satire & the American Personality 1.00 A study of works of literatrue and other media whose central action critiques social norms of behavior. Satisfies the W1 ACE and partially satisfies teh LA CCR.

ENG 183 Fiction in the American South 1.00 An examination of the short fiction and novels of the American South, covering late 19th and 20th centuries. We will hear from a multi-cultural array of voices, recognizing the many narratives that arise from this region of the country. Authors covered may include William Faulkner, Flannery O’Connor, LeAnne Howe, Lee Smith, and Zora Neale Hurston. Partially satisifies LA CCR, satisfies W1 ACE.

ENG 184 Writing in the Digital Humanities 1.00 In this writing-intensive class, students will both practice and analyze the application of digital technologies to the arts, literature, and related fields of study – that is, the digital humanities. Representative topics include “distant reading,” text mining, digital archives and editions, electronic publishing, and digital performances. Partially satisfies the LA CCR. Satisfies the W1 ACE.

ENG 185 American Nature Writing 1.00 A writing-intensive course that explores the history, circumstances, issues, and modes (narrative, description, exposition, persuasion, reflection, technical, etc.) of exemplary American nature writing. Partially satisfies the LA CCR. Satisfies the W1 ACE.

ENG 186 Fiction and Interfaith Perspectives 1.00 An examination of short fiction and novels from varying cultural and religious spaces, covering authors from the 20th and 21st centuries. We will hear from a multicultural array of voices, recognizing the many narratives that arise from Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Roman Catholicism, and Protestant Christianity. Satisfies the RP CCR and partially satisfies the LA CCR.

ENG 217 Fairy Tale Fictions 1.00 A study of fairy tales, their patterns, motifs, and ideological assumptions as well as critical approaches to tale analysis. Includes elements of storytelling and creative writing. Partially satisfies the LA CCR. Satisfies the S ACE.

ENG 218 Viking Myths & Legends 1.00 A study of the earliest literature of the Northern Germanic peoples, including the mythology of the Poetic Edda, the legendary sagas of the migration age, and the Icelandic family sagas. Partially satisfies the LA CCR and satisfies W2 ACE.

ENG 219 Love and Death: Star-Crossed Lovers 1.00 This course explores the legendary theme of the Liebestod, or Death in Love from antiquity to the present day. These tragic love stories, including Tristan and Isolde and Romeo and Juliette, involve lovers who encounter insurmountable social obstacles that lead to their untimely deaths, making them some of the most enduring love stories of all time. Offered Spring Term only. Partially satisfies the LA CCR.

ENG 224 Grammar of the English Language 1.00 A study of English grammar, focusing especially on the building blocks of the sentence: words, phrases, and clauses. Other topics will include different approaches to grammar (pedagogical, prespective, and descriptive); basic properties of language (morphology, syntax, and semantics); and practical applications, including punctuation, usage, and style. Not open to students with prior credit in ENG 220.

ENG 240 Literary Analysis 1.00 An introduction to basic techniques of literary analysis, with emphasis on close reading and group discussion. Texts will typically focus upon a particular theme or genre. This writing-intensive course is designed for students with strong interests in literature, and as a foundation course for majors and minors.

ENG 243 Survey I: Early Literature 1.00 Survey of selected masterpieces of the world’s early literary traditions. Partially satisfies the LA CCR and satisfies S ACE.

ENG 244 Survey II: Medieval Literature 1.00 Survey of major works from the beginning of English literature to about 1500. Partially satisfies the LA CCR and satisfies W2 ACE.

ENG 245 Survey III:Renaissance & Resto 1.00 Survey of major works. Partially satisfies the LA CCR and satisfies W2 ACE.

ENG 246 Survey IV: Eng. Lit. 1700-1900 1.00 Survey of major works. Partially satisfies the LA CCR and satisfies the W2 ACE.

ENG 247 Survey V: American Lit to 1900 1.00 Introduction to American literature, from its beginnings to 1900. Partially satisfies the LA CCR and satisfies W2 ACE.

ENG 251 American Journalism 1.00 An introductory course that explores the theoretical and practical sides of contemporary newspaper, magazine, and Internet journalism. Topics may include history and evolution of U.S. print media, their ethics, and their role in American society today. Intensive work on reporting and writing. In-class discussion of student work. Partially satisfies the LA CCR and satisfies the W1 ACE. Identical to Com 251.

ENG 252 Creative Writng for the Digital Age 1.00 An introduction to contemporary creative writing, including fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction both individually and as they apply to other audio and visual mediums such as comic books and podcasts. Student work is presented and critically reviewed in seminar sessions. Not open to students with prior credit in ENG 352.

ENG 253 Creative Writing and the Podcast 1.00 A creative writing course with an intensive focus in the narrative craft and practical construction of podcasts. Student work is presented and critiqued in seminar sessions. Prerequisite: ENG 252. Satisfies the S ACE.

ENG 321 20th-Century Poetry 1.00 Significant works of poetry in England and the United States since 1900. Practice in the close reading of poetry. Partially satisfies the LA CCR.

ENG 322 20th-Century Fiction 1.00 Significant works of fiction in England and the United States since 1900. Partially satisfies the LA CCR. Satisfies the W2 ACE.

ENG 324 The Short Story 1.00 A study of the development of the short story as a literary art form. Partially satisfies the LA CCR.

ENG 325 African-American Literature 1.00 A study of the literature of African- American women and men from the 18th century to the present. Offered alternate years. Partially satisfies the LA CCR, satisfies W2 ACE, satisfies CP ACE.

ENG 326 Women in Fiction 1.00 A study of portrayals of the female personality in selected writings of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Partially satisfies the LA CCR and satisfies S ACE.

ENG 327 Arthurian Literature 1.00 A study of Arthurian legend in selected works of literature and art from the Middle Ages to the present. Partially satisfies the LA CCR and satisfies W2 ACE.

ENG 332 Literary Genderquests 1.00 An examination of works of LGBTQ+ literature through the lens of queer, trans, postcolonial, and intersectional theories.

ENG 334 Shakespeare 1.00 Selected plays of Shakespeare, examined both as literature and as theatre. Offered on campus alternate years. Partially satisfies the LA CCR.

ENG 336 Modern Drama 1.00 Significant dramatic works from Ibsen to the present. Offered alternate years. Partially satisfies the LA CCR.

ENG 338 American Renaissance 1.00 A study of U.S. literature, 1830-1865. Offered alternate years. Partially satisfies the LA CCR.

ENG 339 US Literature 1865-1917 1.00 Offered alternate years.

ENG 343 Screenwriting 1.00 Writing for narrative film. Emphasis on structure, character development, meaning, and professional format. Identical to THR 343.

ENG 347 Chaucer 1.00 The major works of the great 14th-century English poet Geoffrey Chaucer, read in Middle English. Partially satisfies the LA CCR and satisfies W2 ACE.

ENG 348 Shakespeare in England 1.00 Selected plays of Shakespeare in performance, together with the cultural settings from which they emerged. Identical to Thr 348. Offered in Stratford-upon-Avon in Spring Term odd-numbered years. Permission of the instructor is required. May be repeated for credit. Partially satisfies the LA CCR.

ENG 350 Florence of Dante & Petrarch 1.00 Studies in the history and literature of Florence in the 13th and 14th centuries. Taught in Florence in Spring Term in even-numbered years. Permission of the instructor is required. Satisfies LA CCR.

ENG 353 Studies in Poetry 1.00 A seminar, primarily for junior English majors, on a relatively specific topic within the genre. Prerequisites: junior major status or permission. May be repeated for additional credit, including additional credit toward the major or minor in English, with permission of the instructor. Satisfies W2 ACE.

ENG 354 Studies in Fiction 1.00 A seminar, primarily for junior English majors, on a relatively specific topic within the genre. Prerequisites: junior major status or permission. May be repeated for additional credit, including additional credit toward the major or minor in English, with permission of the instructor. Satisfies W2 ACE.

ENG 355 Advanced Creative Writing Workshop 1.00 An advanced creative writing course with an intensive focus on the craft and style of prose and lyrical forms. Student work is presented and critiqued in seminar sessions. Prerequisite: ENG 252 Creative Writing for the Digital Age or ENG 352 Fiction and Poetry Workshop. May be repeated for additional credit, with permission of the instructor.

ENG 356 Studies in Drama 1.00 A seminar, primarily for junior English majors, on a relatively specific topic within the genre. Prerequisites: junior major status or permission. May be repeated for additional credit, including additional credit toward the major or minor in English, with permission of the instructor. Satisfies W2 ACE.

ENG 358 Editing and Publishing Practicum 1.00 This course will focus on providing students with the knowledge and practical skills involved in creating and producing both print and digital versions of a literary journal of the arts. Students will actively participate in content selection, editing, copy-editing, marketing, designing, and distributing a professional literary journal. May be repeated for credit with permission of instructor.

ENG 461 Senior Seminar 1.00 Analysis and discussion of basic principles of literary study.