English Requirements
Communicating Plus: English. Communicating Plus: English. The Communicating Plus Program at Ripon College emphasizes students’ development of skills in four areas: written communication,
oral communication, critical thinking and problem-solving. The English department focuses each course and the department offerings overall on developing
the student’s abilities to analyze critically, to respond sensitively, to understand broadly, and to express oneself effectively in oral and written forms. The regular or core courses for the major or minor give extended attention to the development of these skills through instruction, practice, and assessment by self, peers and faculty. Each graduating class reviews with the faculty their individual development and the strengths of the major in the Senior Portfolio course.
Requirements for a major in English: Thirty-three credits beyond English 110 including: 230, 251, 340, 430, 500. One course outside the English Department, if approved by the chair, may substitute for up to four credit hours of electives. Off-campus programs (such as the Newberry Library, London-Florence or Bonn Study Program) provide significant opportunities for work relevant to the English major. The chair of the English Department will determine how the off-campus courses will substitute in the major. Grades earned in all English courses except 110 and 402 are counted in computing departmental honors.
Requirements for a minor in English: Twenty credits beyond English 110 including:
230, 251, 340.
Requirements for a teaching major in English: Thirty-seven credits including: English 230, 246, 251, 340 (Shakespeare), 430, 500; one of the following: English 211, 213, 312; a course that includes a representative sample of world literature, including western and non-western texts (students should consult with their English adviser in selecting this course).
The following courses are required for teacher certification but do not count toward the major: English 110 or equivalent, English 402 and one of the following: Communication 115, 248, 326; Theatre 248.
Requirements for a teaching minor in English: Twenty-four credits including English 230, 246, 251, 340 (Shakespeare); one of the following: English 211, 213, 312, and a four-credit course that includes a representative sample of world literature, including western and non-western texts (students should consult with their English adviser in selecting this course).
The following courses are required for teacher certification but do not count toward the minor: English 110 or equivalent, English 402.
Note: Students completing certification programs in Early Childhood/Middle Childhood (Ages 0-11; Birth - Grade 5) or Middle Childhood/Early Adolescence (Ages 6-12/13; Grades 1-8) are exempt from English 402.
Courses
110. Literature and Composition (Staff)
Four credits. An introduction to literature and to college-level writing. An emphasis on reading and analyzing imaginative literature is integrated with the study of the writing process. Frequent writing is required. Enrollment limited to 20 students per section.
200. Topics in Literature (Staff)
Four credits. Different courses under this number may be repeated for credit. The study of a characteristic theme, genre or period in literature. These courses are taught at the introductory level and are open to all interested students. They offer students the opportunity to study literary topics not offered in the regular curriculum.
211. Creative Writing: Poetry (Graham/Sontag)
Four Credits. Offered in 2008-09 and alternate years. Introduction to the art and craft of poetry writing. Regular reading and writing assignments and a major project are required. Enrollment limited to 16 students.
213. Creative Writing: Fiction (Graham/Sontag)
Four Credits. Offered in 2007-08 and in alternate years. Introduction to the art and craft of fiction writing, concentrating on the short story. Regular reading and writing assignments and a major project are required. Enrollment limited to 16 students.
230. Literary Criticism (Staff)
Four credits. Analysis of literary works from several critical perspectives. The course explores different critical approaches to literature in order to illustrate how the approach can change our understanding and appreciation of a literary text. Frequent writing develops the students’ analytical skills and writing abilities.
243. Women’s Literature (Woods)
Four credits. Offered in 2008-09 and alternate years. Works in various genres by women writers. Attention to issues surrounding women’s writing, possibly including the following: how and why has women’s writing been marginalized? Is there a style of writing that is essentially female? How do women’s texts handle the issue of oppression? To what extent is feminist criticism a useful tool for studying literature? For comparison, the course may include writings by men, but the main focus will be the work of women.
246. The American Experience (Graham/Schang)
Four credits. An examination of what is characteristic of the American tradition. Three topics are of special importance: American nature, the relationship between the individual and the larger society, and the African American experience as different from the white European experience.
Readings cover an historical range from Puritan to modern times, with an emphasis on texts written before 1900.
251. Foundations of English Literature (Woods/Stage)
Four credits. Major works from Beowulf to Paradise Lost. The course will give attention to the development of Petrarchan lyrics, the transition from romance to epic, and the emergence of dramatic tragedy. Works studied will be viewed in relation to the historical and social contexts, the major literary movements that characterize each age, and the development of the language from Old to Middle to Modern English.
260. Topics in Cultural Identity (Staff)
Four credits. Different courses under this number may be repeated for credit. A slot to be filled by various courses which examine themes of cultural identity: the ways in which major cultural entities or currents within cultures define themselves or interact with other cultures in their literature. Courses filling this slot might proceed in any of three directions, focusing upon: a distinct minority strain within some cultural stream (e.g., Black American Voices; Native American Literature; American Immigrant Fiction); the distinctive literature of a particular place other than England or the U.S. (e.g., African Fiction; Caribbean Literature; Irish Nationalism); a literary issue spanning multiple places and peoples (e.g., Post-Colonial Literature; Gay Literature). Some topics may count toward the Global and Cultural Studies requirement.
300. Departmental Studies (Staff)
Four credits. Special subjects in English not covered by regular courses. Some topics have included: Poetry, Love and Power in the Court of Elizabeth I; The Victorian Period; From Page to Screen. Some topics may count toward the Global and Cultural Studies requirement. This course may be repeated for credit when topics change.
312. Creative Writing Workshop (Graham/Sontag)
Four credits. Offered in 2007-08 and alternate years. Continuing work in creative writing. Students normally will focus on a single genre of their choice, producing a term project in either fiction, poetry or drama. Frequent writing and regular
workshop discussion of works in progress are required. Enrollment limited to 16 students. Prerequisite: English 211 or 213 or consent of the instructor.
320. Period Studies: Contemporary Literature (Graham)
Four credits. Offered in 2008-09 and alternate years. Literature of the recent past, focusing on the last 20 years. Genres covered may include drama (both stage plays and screenplays), fiction, poetry and the essay. A variety of authors will be presented. Attention paid to the ways in which the works read reflect their culture.
322. Period Studies: Romanticism (Woods)
Four credits. Offered in 2007-08 and alternate years. A study of the changes in literature that took place as Neoclassical ideas evolved to the Romantic viewpoint. Not necessarily a historical survey, but a study of change, its causes and effects. This course will be an attempt to come to terms with Romanticism both as an historical event in literature and as an ongoing attitude. Authors and texts may vary, though there will be some attempt to: present Neoclassical texts as a contrast, convey the internationality of Romanticism and ground the texts in their fullest historical contexts.
340. Major Author (Staff)
Four credits. Different courses under this number may be repeated for credit. A slot to be filled by various courses focusing on a single major author. Attention to the arc and scope of the whole career, the accompanying critical tradition and the literary/historical context. Authors selected for coverage will meet all or most of these requirements: they will have produced a substantial body of work; demonstrated ambition and range of imaginative scope; acted as a significant influence upon other writers; attracted substantial critical attention; and be widely understood to be of major significance. Specific slots will be regularly available for Shakespeare, other pre-1800 authors, women writers and post-1800 writers.
402. English Teaching Methods (Sontag/Schang)
Two credits. Study of the methods of teaching Language Arts in middle school and high school. The course examines things like curricular planning, modes of presentation and teaching composition.
Does not count toward a major. Prerequisite: Junior standing.
430. Senior Seminar (Staff)
Four credits. Offered each term. A sustained exploration of a literary topic such as a period or a genre. Students will undertake an independent research project and develop it into a major paper through a collaborative writing process. Enrollment limited to 12 students per seminar. Prerequisites: Senior standing and permission of the chair of the department.
500. Senior Portfolio (Sontag/Schang)
One credit. Offered each term. A course in which seniors review their careers as English majors, polish a piece of work and publish an anthology containing one piece of writing by each student. Prerequisite: Senior standing. Grading is S-U.
541, 542. Independent Study (Staff)
One to four credits. Independent study involving substantial critical, scholarly or creative writing. For exceptional students. Prerequisites: Junior standing, permission of the chair of the department, and 12 credits toward the major.
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