Courses

English 298 - Writing and Research Honors

This is a research-based course that focuses on a variety of themes including environmental, political, historical and literary studies of the American West. We examine the impact of Frederick Jackson Turner’s “Frontier Thesis” and its influence on popular history; recent scholars who have attempted to redefine and/or complicate this history; and the major literary and critical essays of the American west. We also visit Washington State University's Manuscripts, Archeives, and Special Collections (MASC) and analyze the original frontier photographs of Edward Curtis and Frank Matsura, the letters and diaries of women homesteaders, the oral histories of African American pioneers, and other unique collections. By the end of this course, students learn to chose a workable topic, formulate a research question, develop a research plan, and conduct in-depth library research, which includes obtaining primary and secondary sources.

English 351 - Creative Writing: Prose

This is a course in creative writing focusing on short fiction and building upon prior knowledge of characterization, plot, dialogue, image, and setting. This course also gives students opportunities to hone those concepts as well as develop a deeper understanding of style. Learning to write requires close, critical reading so this course involves reading the work of professionals to learn the "tricks of the trade." Students also read the writing of their peers in preparation for whole-class workshops.

English 357 - Literary Editing and Publishing

This is a writing-based course that focuses on the practice of editing and publishing through group collaboration. Each student prepares a pitch proposal that includes the name, logo, and publishing description for a literary journal. Students break into groups of five, deliver their pitches, select members for various editorial positions, and begin the process of finalizing the basic theme and design of their journal. For the duration of the semester, group members work together to produce marketing materials, a web page, and all of the required technical documents (acceptance letters, rejection letters, etc.) that are necessary to run a real-life literary journal. They also create a presentation board that showcases some of these materials. Finally, each group prepares their first issue for printed publication. We unveil presentation boards and publications to the public the following semester.

English 402 - Professional and Technical Writing

In this course students learn a rhetorical approach to producing technical and professional documents from job application materials to technical research reports. While it is guided by the needs and practices of business and industry, this course promotes rhetorical approaches and ethical assessments and judgments. These approaches, assessments, and judgments are part of an effort to move technical and professional writing to a position that encourages holistic thinking and ethical, sustainable practice as part and parcel of this kind of writing.