Winter 2026
Please see the 2025-26 Catalog at https://catalog.oregonstate.edu/ for locations and times.
AJ 312
ADVANCED MEDIA STORYTELLING
Bhanoo, Sindya
Section: 1
CRN: 36614
This class will operate like a living, breathing newsroom in which students are reporters. We will, above all, cultivate a spirit of curiosity. We will consider how our own varied interests and backgrounds – as scientists, artists, writers, engineers, fans of cooking or skydiving, as people with experiences from across the state, nation and world - might inform the reported stories we choose to pursue as journalists. Together we will read and discuss stories from local and national publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Oregonian, and NPR. Students will pitch, report, and write stories of their own. We will primarily produce written stories, but there will be opportunity to work in other forms (photojournalism, audio, and video) for those who are interested.
Prerequisite: Minimum grade of B in AJ 311
ENG 101
INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE: YOUNG ADULT NOVEL
Harrison, Wayne
Section 400
CRN: 39439
Ecampus
Over the past twenty years, young adult literary fiction has become the fastest-growing genre, driven by authors like S.E. Hinton, Jason Reynolds, John Green, Rainbow Rowell, and Nikki Grimes. YA novels explore themes of identity, sexuality, social justice, and social media, making them especially relevant to college students. This course encourages critical analysis of YA literature while preparing future educators to teach it. Weekly lectures cover craft elements like characterization, dialogue, and point of view. The online format includes readings, videos, discussions, and quizzes, totaling 90 hours of instruction and coursework, offering three credits upon completion.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
ENG 102
INTRODUCTION TO GLOBAL YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE
Cutter, Lila
Section 1
CRN: 42319
Interprets works of young adult literature within their cultural contexts from around the world, including varying definitions of adolescence. Employs critical methods to analyze literature and identify its historical, cultural, and social influences.
Core Education - Arts & Humanities: Global (CFGH)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
Liberal Arts Non-Western Core (LACN
ENG 104Z
INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE: FICTION
Norris, Marcos
Section: 1
CRN: 33856
What is a short story? The first thought that comes to mind is probably a story that’s short. But many scholars disagree with this definition. E.M. Exjebaum, for example, emphasizes form over length, describing the short story as “a bomb dropped from an airplane” that strikes “its war-head full-force on the target.” For Exjebaum and other scholars, the short story is so much more than a story that’s merely short. This course offers students a rigorous examination of the artform as it developed stylistically and formally over the past two centuries. Primary readings include stories by Edgar Allan Poe, Anton Chekhov, Virginia Woolf, Flannery O’Connor, Ernest Hemingway, Raymond Carver, and Jorge Luis Borges. Secondary readings include essays from Charles E. May’s The New Short Story Theories (1994).
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Core Education - Arts & Humanities: General (CFAH)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 104Z
INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE: FICTION
Weaver, Damien
Section: 2
CRN: 37971
This course proceeds on a notion raised by literary critic Lionel Trilling: that a central function of literary fiction is to reveal “the human fact” within “a world of circumstance.” Here, we will read and discuss numerous works of short fiction with the aim of cultivating an awareness of writerly craft and “the human fact” it seeks ever to convey. We will familiarize ourselves with the basic elements of narrative—character, setting, plot, symbolism, theme, structure, style, tone, and so forth. Overall, we’re concerned with thinking about how different writers seek to express “the human fact” as a timeless, universal condition and also as something shaped by the specific contexts—social, cultural, historical, etc.—in which these stories are set and in which they are written. We’re also concerned with the significance of the text at the time of its reading, i.e., how it is relevant to us in the current moment.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Core Education - Arts & Humanities: General (CFAH)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 104Z
INTRODUCTION TO LITERATURE: FICTION
Instructor to be determined
Section: 400
CRN: 34906
Ecampus
Invites students to enter imaginative narratives and confront the challenges of being human. Provides opportunities for the appreciation of fiction, including deeper awareness of craft and insight into how reading fiction can lead to self-enrichment. Includes reading a variety of types of fiction, from diverse perspectives and eras, and develops skills in discussion, literary analysis, and critical thinking.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Core Education - Arts & Humanities: General (CFAH)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 106Z
INTRO TO LITERATURE: POETRY
McDade, Monique
Section: 1
CRN: 36713
Invites students to delve into the biggest questions about life and culture alongside the seemingly smallest issues of words and sounds. Provides opportunities for the appreciation of poetry, including deeper awareness of craft and insight into how reading poetry can lead to self-enrichment. Reads a variety of types of poetry and poetic forms, from diverse perspectives and eras, and develops skills in discussion, literary analysis, and critical thinking.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 106Z
INTRO TO LITERATURE: POETRY
Goldsmith, Jenna
Section: 400
CRN: 35085
Ecampus
Offers a broad introduction to the genre of poetry. Encourages students to be more skilled and confident readers of poetry by introducing core concepts, showcasing dynamic living poets, and giving students the opportunity to compose in a personal creative process.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH))
ENG 108
INTRO TO SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY
Rubado, Annette
Section:1
CRN: 43230
The roots of science fiction and fantasy lie in myth, folklore, and fairy tales. While we begin with these origins, we will focus on modern and contemporary science fiction and fantasy in print. The course introduces students to a range of voices and formats in these genres. Accordingly, we’ll start with a contemporary graphic novel and end the course with a recent sci-fi/ fantasy novel. In between, we’ll study sci-fi and fantasy stories by both well-known and now-forgotten authors, including H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Ursula Le Guin, Octavia Butler, and Ted Chiang.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Core Education - Arts & Humanities: General (CFAH)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 108
INTRO TO SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY
Bohlinger, Joe
Section: 400
CRN:39442
Ecampus
The roots of science fiction and fantasy lie in myth, folklore, and fairy tales. Although some attention will be paid to these origins, we’ll focus on 20th c. and contemporary examples of science fiction and fantasy in print. This course is committed to introducing students to a range of voices in these genres. Accordingly, we will read at least three stories a week that cover traditional Sci-Fi and Fantasy—as well as introduce related subgenres in the larger Speculative sphere. We will study stories by well-known and newer authors including Isaac Asimov, Ursula K. Le Guin, Octavia Butler, Ted Chiang, Carmen Maria Machado, Isabel Allende, and Vandana Singh.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Core Education - Arts & Humanities: General (CFAH)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 109
INTRO TO TRUE CRIME
Ehlers, Bec
Section: 1/2
CRN: 42321/42322
This course focuses on the American true crime genre, from its origins in the earliest colonial literature to the contemporary popularity of crime stories in various media. It pays particular attention to true crime examples from the last five decades, tracing the genre’s evolution and rise in popularity from Truman Capote’s 1966 book In Cold Blood to the present day. Members of the class will develop a collective understanding of how the true crime genre has evolved, why it has become so popular, and how true crime texts reflect the cultural assumptions and anxieties of their eras, especially in terms of their relationship to the genre’s core ideas of violence and truth.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
ENG 212
LITERATURES OF THE WORLD: MESO/SOUTH AMERICA & CARIBBEAN
Rubado, Annette
Section: 1/400
CRN: 38540/43484
On Campus/Ecampus
How is Latin American & Caribbean identity imagined and negotiated in prose and poetry? How do Latin American cultural texts use style to explore and contest relationships between self, community and world in the context of imperialism, dictatorship, and economic, racial and gender inequalities? We will address these questions through close reading across the diverse geopolitical landscapes of the Americas. In addition to examining the ethical and political dilemmas proposed by Latin American artists, we will practice meaningful literary engagement with these texts and one another. While we read in translation, we will think through language and power. We will also examine notions of genre and aesthetics, identifying the different ways in which our writers use various aesthetic techniques to represent history, cultures and identities.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Cultural Diversity (CPCD)
Core Education - Arts & Humanities: Global (CFGH)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
Liberal Arts Non-Western Core (LACN)
ENG 215
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
Roush, Stephanie
Section: 400
CRN: 39602
Ecampus
Retellings of stories from ancient Greece and Rome tend to celebrate heroes: Hercules, Theseus, Achilles. This class also foregrounds the losers in Classical mythology—the gods, individual humans, civilizations, and monsters that are conquered in some of the most foundational stories of Western culture. In this course, we’ll investigate why we continue to turn to powerful archetypes to express the human experience, and when/how they fail in this regard.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Western Culture (CPWC)
Core Education - Arts & Humanities: General (CFAH)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 215
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
Delf, Liz
Section: 401
CRN: 41154
Ecampus
Retellings of stories from ancient Greece and Rome tend to celebrate heroes: Hercules, Theseus, Achilles, Aeneas. This class flips the script and instead foregrounds the losers in Classical mythology—the gods, individual humans, civilizations, and monsters that are conquered in some of the most foundational stories of Western culture.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Western Culture (CPWC)
Core Education - Arts & Humanities: General (CFAH)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 215
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
Schwartz, Sam
Section: 402
CRN: 41155
Ecampus
Why do ancient myths still captivate us? How have the gods, heroes, and monsters of the Greco-Roman world shaped the way we tell stories today?
In this course, we’ll explore the foundational myths of ancient Greece and Rome—stories of divine creation, epic quests, tragic flaws, and heroic struggles—and examine their enduring influence on literature, art, film, and popular culture. Students will read primary texts in translation from authors such as Homer, Hesiod, Ovid, and Euripides, while engaging with modern interpretations that reimagine classical figures through new perspectives.
Along the way, we’ll investigate how these myths express cultural values, explore questions of identity, power, and morality, and continue to resonate in today’s world. This course emphasizes close reading, analytical thinking, and critical discussion.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Western Culture (CPWC)
Core Education - Arts & Humanities: General (CFAH)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 220
TOPICS IN DIFFERENCE, POWER, & DISCRIMINATION: SEXUALITY IN FILM
St. Jacques, Jillian
Section: 1
CRN: 36615
Cross-listed with FILM 220
Non-binary. Genderqueer. Cis-male, pan and trans. How are sexualities constructed within contemporary cinema—and how do those constructions affect how viewers interact with actual human beings? That’s the central question for ENG/FILM220 students, as we closely analyze an array of films depicting intersecting sexualities for multifarious political and libidinal ends. Because decoding the distribution of difference within
any cultural venue is central to each Difference, Power and Discrimination course, participants in Sexualities & Film do not merely evaluate the intersection of different sexualities—they will explore how these sexual subject positions are represented as further intersecting with other subjective vantage points,
like class, race and age. Along with learning how to closely read films, students make connections with diverse and sometimes oppositional critical theories, including but not limited to psychoanalytic, feminist, (post)feminist, post-structural and queer theories. This transdisciplinary interlacement will serve as the basis for a generous amount of research, writing, group discussion and personal reflection.
Bacc Core - Difference, Power, and Discrimination (CPDP)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 253
SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE: COLONIAL TO 1900
Hausman, Blake
Section : 400
CRN: 38356
Ecampus
This course introduces students to a body of works known as early American literature and covers works from about the 17th to the 19th century (a few selected works will be notably earlier or later). We will pay close attention to how the ideologies of “an American identity” were formulated and contested through diverse voices and experiences by covering genres such as travel writings, settler narratives, sermons, poetry, slave narratives, political writings, maritime literature, fiction, short stories, drama, and history. We will also examine the dynamics of early environmental writings and their implications in the policies and politics of land appropriation, capitalism, labor, the Enlightenment, and American exceptionalism.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 260
LITERATURE OF AMERICAN MINORITIES
McDade, Monique
Section : 1
CRN: 39649
Ecampus
Study of the literature of American minorities: North American Indian, black, Chicano/Chicana, Asian, Middle Eastern, gay and lesbian.
Bacc Core - Difference, Power, and Discrimination (CPDP)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 275
THE BIBLE AS LITERATURE
Elbom, Gilad
Section : 1
CRN: 40227
This class will address the inherent complexity of biblical literature from multiple perspectives: historical, theological, political, psychological, linguistic, philosophical, and other points of view. Paying attention to style, genre, conflict, characterization, narrative strategies, poetic devices, and other literary components, we will broaden and deepen our understanding of the Bible while refraining from reducing it to clear messages, unequivocal truths, or agreed-upon interpretations.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Western Culture (CPWC)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 301
WAYS OF READING
Malewitz, Ray
Section: 1
CRN: 39648
The overarching topic that we will be examining this term is the Bildungsroman, which is a term derived from German that basically means a “coming-of-age” story. We will use the term fairly loosely here to describe the ways that characters in poetry, prose, and drama grapple with questions of what it means to be mature or to see the world from the clear-sighted perspective of adulthood. We will trace how this theme intersects with other questions of identity including race, class, gender, and sexual orientation in a variety of genres including literary criticism.
ENG 302
WRITING ABOUT LITERATURE
Balachander, Surabhi
Section: 1
CRN: 37585
In this course, we’ll explore the conventions of academic writing, with the goal of developing original textual interpretations and situating those interpretations in relation to secondary sources; develop an understanding of a broader scholarly conversation by writing about issues of difference, including but not limited to categories of gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, class, and ability; and practice evaluating scholarly resources. We’ll engage deeply with David Baker’s poem “Scavenger Loop” (2015) and Ruth L. Ozeki’s novel My Year of Meats (1998).
A minimum grade of D- is required in ENG 301.
ENG 304
CAREER PATHWAYS FOR ENGLISH AND CREATIVE WRITING MAJORS
Delf, Liz
Section: 400
CRN: 42798
Ecampus
Cross-listed with WR 304
“English major, huh? What are you going to do with that?” Anything you want! Creative Writing and English majors become lawyers, editors, administrators, non-profit fundraisers, and even (as everyone assumes) teachers. The same skills that you’ve used to analyze Beloved and give peer feedback in workshop can help you in the real world, too. As the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) report on career readiness highlights, employers continue to value oral and written communication, critical thinking, and leadership, making these career competencies essential for future employability.
This class is designed for English and Creative Writing majors to explore and prepare for post-graduation career options. You’ll reflect on your skills and interests, participate in career events, and develop a resume and cover letter.
Fulfills Core Ed Beyond I & II.
See course catalog for registration restrictions.
ENG 318
THE AMERICAN NOVEL: MODERNIST PERIOD
Elbom, Gilad
Section: 400
CRN: 39443
Ecampus
Focusing on some of the prominent thematic, stylistic, historical, and cultural aspects of American modernism, this class will combine famous classics with important novels other than the ones commonly perceived as canonical. Through close textual analysis and active participation in ongoing discussions, we will examine seminal works of American modernism that have paved the way for previously silenced voices, paying attention to the rise of nontraditional authors, characters, literary strategies, and subject matters.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 321
STUDIES IN WORD, OBJECT, AND IMAGE: ZINES: MAKING MISCHIEF
Pflugfelder, Ehren
Section: 1
CRN: 40229
Whatcha’ mean, what’s a zine? A zine is a self-made, self-published, mini-magazine on a topic that you pick. Zines were originally made as small circulation literary magazines in the 19th century, science fiction fanzines in the 30s, and punk, art, political, or subculture expressions after that. We’ll learn this history, consider zine making theory, and make zines in this class. Be prepared to use scissors, staplers, glue, and a mess of craft supplies to make your zines, but also come prepared to learn how zines fit into a complex cultural, political, and textual history.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature & the Arts (CPLA)
ENG 360
NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE
Hausman, Blake
Section: 2
CRN: 42323
Ecampus
This course gives students an opportunity to study several contemporary works by Native American authors. We'll read book-length works by Louise Erdrich, Stephen Graham Jones, and Natalie Diaz, as well as shorter works by several poets, scholars, essayists, and short story writers. Offered in a hybrid format that meets every other Monday — we'll meet as a full class on Mondays of odd-numbered weeks, starting with Week 1, plus an optional hour in zoom on Mondays of even-numbered weeks for students who want to check in during the weeks that class doesn't meet in-person — this version of ENG 360 aims to balance the best of both in-person and online learning. The instructor is a citizen of Cherokee Nation.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature & the Arts (CPLA)
ENG 362
AMERICAN WOMEN WRITERS
McDade, Monique
Section: 1
CRN: 41152
This course brings together the work of writers who fit and challenge the categories of “American” and “woman.” During the term, we will investigate how particular literary texts by American women create and engage ideas and experiences of nationhood, gender, and belonging, as well as those of class, race, sexuality, citizenship, and the environment.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 435
STUDIES IN SHAKESPEARE
Olson, Rebecca
Section:1
CRN:42324
In 2023, the Oregon State online textbook Romeo and Juliet—edited and revised by SWLF students—enjoyed more than 25,000 users in 148 countries. In2024, in an ongoing effort to make the edition even more accessible, students recorded an audiobook to accompany the edition. In this projects-based course, students will continue the project, taking next steps to publish and promote the audiobook. To prepare for that work, we will explore the print history of Shakespearean drama and recent scholarship about the poetics of editing and the influence of non authorial producers on the English literary tradition.
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 465
STUDIES IN THE NOVEL: THE NOVEL GROWS UP
Ward, Megan
Section: 1
CRN: 42325
How have novels grown and changed since their birth in the eighteenth century? Where is the novel today? This class will follow the novel as it grows and changes – including through some awkward stages – to the present day. Emerging only a few hundred years ago, the novel is the newest genre of literature, and it’s also the most varied, as it amalgamates texts such as gothic tales, romantic quest narratives, and autobiographical testimony in order to become the rambling, varied, and fascinating stories that we love today.
Recommend Sophomore standing; 8 credits of Eng 200 level or above.
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 480
STUDIES IN LITERATURE, CULTURE, AND SOCIETY:
Malewitz, Ray
Section: 1
CRN: 39686
Post 1900
The perils and promises of 21st century geology, biology, medicine, and digital technology have encouraged American artists to create two antithetical visions of a “posthuman” future—one in which humans become increasingly untethered from their biological status as embodied creatures and another that pushes back against this fantasy, enlisting contemporary discussions of embodiment to rethink Enlightenment ideals of “the human.” Students will explore the significance of these contested ideas through fiction and critical theory.
Sophomore standing; 8 credits of ENG 200-level or above.
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 485
STUDIES IN AMERICAN LITERATURE: HUMOR
Scribner, Keith
Section: 1
CRN: 38233
What’s so funny about literary writing anyway? In this WIC class specifically designed for creative writing majors, we’ll take a crack at that question, exploring how humor is used in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, being careful not to over-analyze the magic out of it. You’ll write lots of your own exercises, and, as humor needs an audience, you’ll share them with the class. This is a seminar-style class with presentations and in-class writing. Attendance and participation are essential and required.
Prerequisite: Sophomore standing; 8 credits of ENG 200-level or above .
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing Intensive Courses (CWIC)
Core Education - Writing Intensive Course (CSWC)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
FILM 125
INTRODUCTION TO FILM STUDIES: 1945-PRESENT
Rust, Stephen
Section: 1
CRN: 37232
Jumbo
Provides an introduction to the serious study of world cinema, 1945-present. Class lectures will offer a variety of historical, critical and theoretical approaches. Weekly screenings of important films from the U.S., Europe, and Asia accompany the lectures.
Film fee of $20 required.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Core Education - Arts & Humanities: General (CFAH)
FILM 145
INTRODUCTION TO FILM STUDIES: 1968-1999
Rust, Stephen/Schulze, Joshua
Section: 400/401
CRN: 37771
Ecampus
Explores and examines American and European cinema, 1968-1999. Emphasizes important films and filmmakers of the era as well as key events in American and European cultural history.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Core Education - Arts & Humanities: General (CFAH)
FILM 220
TOPICS IN DIFFERENCE, POWER, & DISCRIMINATION: SEXUALITY IN FILM
St. Jacques, Jillian
Section: 1
CRN: 36615
Cross-listed with ENG 220
Non-binary. Genderqueer. Cis-male, pan and trans. How are sexualities constructed within contemporary cinema—and how do those constructions affect how viewers interact with actual human beings? That’s the central question for ENG/FILM220 students, as we closely analyze an array of films depicting intersecting sexualities for multifarious political and libidinal ends. Because decoding the distribution of difference within
any cultural venue is central to each Difference, Power and Discrimination course, participants in Sexualities & Film do not merely evaluate the intersection of different sexualities—they will explore how these sexual subject positions are represented as further intersecting with other subjective vantage points,
like class, race and age. Along with learning how to closely read films, students make connections with diverse and sometimes oppositional critical theories, including but not limited to psychoanalytic, feminist, (post)feminist, post-structural and queer theories. This transdisciplinary interlacement will serve as the basis for a generous amount of research, writing, group discussion and personal reflection.
Bacc Core - Difference, Power, and Discrimination (CPDP)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
FILM 245
THE NEW AMERICAN CINEMA
Schulze, Joshua
Section: 1
CRN: 43475
This class will attend to contemporary American Cinema by closely examining important films and filmmakers of 21st-Century Hollywood (2000-present) along with key events in the business of developing, producing, distributing, and exhibiting motion pictures. There are no prerequisites for this course.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
WR 121Z
ENGLISH COMPOSITION
See the Course Catalog for available sections.
English Composition is designed to help you develop skills and confidence in analytical writing, and to foster your rhetorical awareness—your perception of where, how, and why persuasion is occurring. This 3-credit course places emphasis on the process of writing, including acts of reading, researching, analytical thinking, freewriting, drafting, review, revision, and editing. Complementing this approach is our focus on the final product—quality compositions that demonstrate rhetorical awareness and evidence of critical thinking.
Bacc Core, Skills - Writing I (CSW1)
Core Education - Writing Foundations (CFWF)
WR 224
INTRO TO FICTION WRITING
See the Course Catalog for available sections.
WR 224 is an introduction to the writing of fiction. Our approach in this fiction writing workshop will be to develop your skills as a creative writer through several means: careful reading and analysis of our own work; careful reading and analysis of established writers’ work; the execution of several meaningful fiction exercises; and a constant commitment to revision. Assessment methods include creative writing exercises, quizzes and reading checks on textbook craft sections, peer review, and the evolution of a short story from first to final, polished draft by the end of the term.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
Core Education - Arts & Humanities: General (CFAH)
Liberal Arts Fine Arts Core (LACF)
WR 227Z
TECHNICAL WRITING
See the Course Catalog for available sections.
Technical writing is practical written communication for a specialized need and a specific audience, typically instructive and/or informative, which may or may not be about science or technology. Nearly all workplaces require technical documents. Some workplaces hire trained technical writers, but in most cases technical writing is just one of your duties, often not even on the job description. Technical writing requires a problem-solving process focused on user centered design for a specific audience, purpose, and context, which is why it is sometimes called Information Management. Information must be procured,
packaged, and presented in clean, attractive, error-free copy for a specific audience. This class requires you to present information in various documents, with focus on the writing in your field. Research (both primary and secondary) is required. Conferences and peer review will help. OSU’s Writing Center located in Waldo with an annex in the Valley Library provides excellent assistance with writing projects.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
Core Education - Writing Elevation (CSWE)
WR 240
INTRO TO NONFICTION WRITING
See the Course Catalog for available sections.
Creative nonfiction is the genre of creative writing that bridges the act of making literary prose--the crafting of vivid scenes, a thoughtful narrative voice, and meaningful formats--with the kinds of practical personal writing often required in our academic and professional lives. In this course, we will discuss several published pieces from the creative nonfiction genre, including personal essays, memoir, and lyric essay. More importantly, we will also write, edit, workshop, and revise several pieces of our own creative nonfiction. Expect a lively class with lots of imaginative prompts, free-writes, and hardy discussion.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
Core Education - Arts & Humanities: General (CFAH)
Liberal Arts Fine Arts Core (LACF)
WR 241
INTRO TO POETRY WRITING
See the Course Catalog for available sections.
“The art of poetry is ultimately an art of attention—Michael Blumenthal.” Throughout this course, we will consider the tools necessary to approach poetry more attentively as both readers and writers. This course will provide a firm grounding in the rudiments of poetic craft such as word choice, line breaks, imagery, structure, and other devices, as well as an introduction to different forms available to poets. We will consistently work through writing exercises and read/ discuss the work of various poets in order to aid us in the generation of our own poems.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
Core Education - Arts & Humanities: General (CFAH)
Liberal Arts Fine Arts Core (LACF)
WR 250
PODCAST STORYTELLING
Griffin, Kristin
Section: 1
CRN: 36003
In this class, we’ll study the practice and conventions for writing, recording, and editing podcasts. We’ll listen to and analyze some of the best and most influential podcasts from the past few years—from Radiolab to Serial to Ologies—and see what makes that writing and recording successful, before we write our own podcasts. You can expect to learn the more practical skills involved in podcasting, such as audio recording and editing, as well as more complex elements like how to nail an interview and how to structure a multi-part audio essay to make it as compelling as possible. We’ll stress the importance of engaging multiple voices, developing a podcasting style, researching your topic, and appealing to your audience through narrative.
Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in WR 121Z or WR 121HZ.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
WR 250
PODCAST STORYTELLING
Ross, Selene
Section: 2
CRN: 39640
In this class we will explore stories told through sound. We’ll listen to some of the best and most important podcasts of the last decade and unpack what makes them so satisfying. You’ll learn how to identify elements of compelling storytelling and how to think like a producer, imagining sound-design and narrative possibilities. While we will utilize audio software as necessary, the majority of this class will focus on the scripting and structure of podcasts, rather than the production. Students will pitch, develop, and produce their own podcast throughout the duration of the course.
Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in WR 121Z or WR 121HZ.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
WR 301
EDITING IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Drummond, Rob
Section: 400
CRN: 40214
Ecampus
Students in this class will learn editing and copyediting techniques through a rhetorical lens, practicing editorial decision-making and bias-free editing. Students will hone their editorial judgement, considering purpose, audience, and accessibility across document types, and adapt their approach to meet 21st-century digital and print conventions. Students practice all levels of the editorial craft, from copyediting and proofreading to author queries and process-based editing at the macro level. The course introduces students to the broad range of editorial techniques and skills used in professional editing genres.
Prerequisites: A minimum grade of D- in WR 121 and WR 121H.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
WR 303
WRITING FOR THE WEB
Holmes, Dan
Section: 400
CRN: 37010
Ecampus
Concerns the production of instructive, informative, and rhetorically savvy writing for Web-based locations and applications. Helps people find information, get things done, convey their opinions, build communities, and collaborate on complex projects.
Prerequisites: A minimum grade of D- in WR 121 and WR 121H.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
WR 304
CAREER PATHWAYS FOR ENGLISH AND CREATIVE WRITING MAJORS
Delf, Liz
Section: 400
CRN: 43431
Ecampus
Cross-listed with ENG 304
“English major, huh? What are you going to do with that?” Anything you want! Creative Writing and English majors become lawyers, editors, administrators, non-profit fundraisers, and even (as everyone assumes) teachers. The same skills that you’ve used to analyze Beloved and give peer feedback in workshop can help you in the real world, too. As the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) report on career readiness highlights, employers continue to value oral and written communication, critical thinking, and leadership, making these career competencies essential for future employability.
This class is designed for English and Creative Writing majors to explore and prepare for post-graduation career options. You’ll reflect on your skills and interests, participate in career events, and develop a resume and cover letter.
Fulfills Core Ed Beyond I & II.
See course catalog for registration restrictions.
WR 314
WRITING IN BUSINESS
See the Course Catalog for available sections.
As college students, you will soon enter a job market driven by new technologies, a changed economy, and the need to communicate with different audiences from all over the globe. The ability to write clearly and effectively for a wide range of purposes and audiences will be a vital skill in your future, regardless of your field of work. This course will develop your understanding of rhetoric, audience, and conventions to improve your communication skills; we will focus on the practical uses of clear and effective writing that can be applied to a variety of workplaces.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
Core Education - Writing Elevation (CSWE)
WR 323
ADVANCED WRITING AND ARGUMENTATION
See the Course Catalog for available sections.
While continuing the concerns of WR 121, WR 323 emphasizes the development of argumentation skills and the control of style to suit a variety of writing situations. Students will develop skills through critical thinking; discussing the style and mechanics of good writing; and workshopping and drafting formal essays. You will also study the work of professional writers for inspiration and guidance in your own writing, and approach them with a critical mind. In your reading you will learn to adopt the habit of looking closely and questioning the reliability of opinions; to identify, evaluate, and use the elements of argument; to distinguish between observation, fact, inference, etc.; to discern invalid evidence, bias, fallacies, and unfair emotional appeals; to understand how assumptions operate; to draw reasonable conclusions based on induction and deduction; and to distinguish subjective and objective approaches.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
Core Education - Writing Elevation (CSWE)
WR 324
SHORT STORY WRITING
Dybek, Nick/Larison, John
Section: 1/400
CRN: 33337/37923
On Campus/Ecampus
Tim O’Brien writes that a story, if truly told, makes the “stomach believe.” But how do you convince a reader to believe, or even care about, something that never happened? In this class, we will attempt to answer this question—and many others—by reading and critiquing works of fiction (by published writers and by you and your classmates), and by completing short exercises that aim to illuminate the craft by calling attention to choices and effects of imagery, perspective, character, etc. Many would argue that writing cannot be taught. But, as with any craft—origami, ship carpentry—there is a long tradition of studying fiction in order to learn specific and/or established techniques and writing strategies. On the other hand, some of the most exciting fiction occurs when a writer disregards or flouts expected craft choices. In this course we’ll endeavor to figure out what “the rules” are and how and when to break them.
A minimum grade of D- is required in WR 224 and WR 224H.
Liberal Arts Fine Arts Core (LACF)
WR 330
UNDERSTANDING GRAMMAR
Bushnell, J.T.
Section: 400
CRN: 37011
Ecampus
WR 330 is an advanced study of traditional grammatical structures and functions. We’ll study the sentence, its patterns, its required slots, its optional slots, its alternative structures, its modification, its punctuation, and your own intuitive knowledge of these concepts. In the process, we’ll gain the vocabulary to discuss grammar and linguistics, explore various (and sometimes oppositional) theories about linguistic “correctness,” and develop an appreciation of language, form, and style.
Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in WR 121Z and WR 121HZ.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
WR 340
CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING
Smith, Cleavon
Section: 1
CRN: 39438
Writing 340 is OSU’s intermediate creative writing course in creative nonfiction: personal essays, memoirs, travel narratives, and lyric essays. Any student who has taken a 200-level creative writing course is welcome to join the group. For this section, students will generate several very short pieces of creative nonfiction–”flash essays”--discussing and revising a few in small groups. Along the way, students will also read and discuss published examples of the flash form. Students can expect a lively schedule and a diverse reading list that prepares them to write about the world in many capacities.
Prerequisite: A minimum grade of D- in WR 240.
Liberal Arts Fine Arts Core (LACF)
WR 341
POETRY WRITING
Holmberg, Karen
Section: 400
CRN: 40215
Ecampus
In this poetry course, 341 students will further refine the skills gained in WR 241: recognizing the poetic subject, using vivid and accurate language, creating appropriate metaphors and imagery, breaking lines effectively, and maximizing the musicality and rhythmic intensity of poetic lines. Students will gain practice in writing poems in persona, and in the less-used third person point of view. We will also consider how diction affects voice, and how visual formatting helps project and communicate a poem’s voice or mood. Projects include a poem in a “hybrid” form, an “I go walking” poem, a poem responding to a news item, and a dramatic monologue. The final poem is an “open subject/form” poem that must be turned in in two versions: present tense and past tense. During this course, students will read widely, using a variety of on-line anthologies (no purchased texts required).
A minimum grade of D- is required in WR 241
Liberal Arts Fine Arts Core (LACF)
WR 362
SCIENCE WRITING
See the Course Catalog for available sections.
Communicating science-related information to the general public has never been more important. While scientists and other experts understand their field, they’re not always adept at communicating that understanding in a way the general public can understand. Science Writing teaches you strategies for identifying your audience, so you can write to address their interests, needs, and biases. You’ll practice research, drafting, and revision skills to hone your ability to write clear, engaging, and accessible articles for audiences who want learn about science and how it affects them.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
Core Education - Writing Elevation (CSWE)
WR 383
FOOD WRITING
Griffin, Kristin
Section: 400
38300
Ecampus
From the recipe to the memoir essay, the investigative feature to the food crawl, this online course will expose you to the booming world of food writing. We’ll discuss the classics in American food writing and read deeply in what’s current, from personal blogs like Smitten Kitchen to online magazines like Serious Eats to print magazines like Saveur. Once you have a sense of the genre and its possibilities, each student will become writer, editor, and designer of a new issue of Buckteeth Magazine, an online food magazine associated with the class and produced collaboratively over the course of the term. You’ll assign yourself a food-focused story, learn effective strategies for pitching it, and hone your revision skills, earning yourself a spot on the masthead and a publication for your resume.
Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in WR 121Z and WR 121HZ.
WR 390
HABITS OF CREATIVE PRACTICE
Braun, Clare
Section: 400
CRN: 40216
Ecampus
How do you make inspiration strike? When it does, how do you turn the idea into the thing? We’ll experiment with components and conditions of active creative work (boredom, writing implements, journaling, fresh air, ambient noise, mindfulness, maybe a little light spellcasting, etc.,) to better understand and shape our habits of production. Whether or not you’re working on a large project, you’ll craft intentional creative practices to remove friction and make creative work more satisfying.
Recommended: Collaboration, writing, and self-reflection skills.
WR 406
PROJECTS: LETTERPRESS
Holmberg, Karen
Section: 2
CRN: 37139
This 1 credit, 2-day course introduces students to the basic techniques of letterpress printing. During the intensive (providing 10 hours of instruction), students will learn:
•Basic history and terminology;
•Introductory design skills using typefaces, spacing, and ornaments;
•Hand type-setting;
•Operation of the proofing press and demonstration of the Chandler and Price hand press.
This course is required for students seeking supervised access to the Moreland Letterpress Studio during its open hours for the Winter term.
WR 414
ADVERTISING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING
St. Jacques, Jill
Section: 400
CRN: 40217
Ecampus
TikTok, Vanity Fair, YouTube influencers and spam. All of these media denizens rely on one thing for survival: advertising. On the advertising side of the spectrum, it’s inconsequential whether their client is promoting fashion, soda pop or political activism—what matters is that their message effectively breaks through the clutter to reach you. By examining the ways in which content delivery interfaces with written rhetoric in advertising and public relations, students will learn to write for both fields. At first blush, these two fields might seem worlds apart, but advertising and public relations share a deeply intrinsic task: both fields deploy language to motivate target audiences to take a desired action. By necessity, professionals in advertising and public relations must be sufficiently adaptable to write in any media form that conveys their message most expediently. Through assembling (and critiquing) two multi-document portfolios – an advertising campaign and a press kit – WR414 participants will hone their skills at writing for advertising and public relations in an increasingly nuanced media marketplace.
A minimum grade of B is required in WR 121, WR 121H, WR 121Z and WR 121HZ.
WR 424
ADVANCED FICTION WRITING
Bhanoo, Sindya
Section: 400
CRN:40218
Ecampus
In this workshop we will read and write literary fiction. Using published stories as models, we’ll discuss methods of characterization, plotting, scene-setting, dialogue, and so on. Much of our work together will involve close reading and analysis of the texts in question. Our emphasis will be on writing more complicated and sophisticated stories with concision and economy.
A minimum grade of D- is required in WR 324.
Liberal Arts Fine Arts Core (LACF)
WR 441
ADVANCED POETRY WRITING
Biespiel, David
Section: 1
CRN: 40237
As a combination seminar, generative workshop, lab study, and peer-feedback experience, we will read poems closely and write poems frequently. We will PRACTICE writing, curious as much about failure as success, knowing that success is not about perfection, but progress. Finished poems mean little to us in 441. Instead, practicing compositional strategies through fundamental and experimental methods mean everything. Advanced Poetry Writing's reading list, provided by the professor, will consist primarily of work by contemporary poets—by that, it is meant, poets of the past 150 years—to deepen your connection to poetry as an art across the generations. All to ask the question: where do you fit in? As we study how poems are made, we will also consider the ways in which, and the reasons why, poets are (sometimes, fatally, other times, liberated'ly) indebted to the poetry of the past. Our four-hour Friday-only sessions will be animated, bold, and celebratory—the ABCs of any good workshop—and include close readings of selected poems, writing in conversation with those poems, experimenting in myriad ways to “find the poem in your poem," and sharing your writing. Critique will not be our first or last job, but just something that comes up as we go about the ABCs. By the time you’ve completed this workshop, you’ll be reading like a writer and, because of that, writing like a poet. You’ll learn more about what a poem is and where your poems might come from—which is the most important thing to you as 441 poets. All of that is more important than brutal forms revision. All of that is more elemental to growing as writers than a circle of critiques. Instead, you’ll have deepened your comprehension of poetic thinking (i.e. making metaphor). And, you will have further developed your roles as writers in service of the art of poetry.
A minimum grade of D- is required in WR 341.
Liberal Arts Fine Arts Core (LACF)
WR 462
ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING
Larison, John/Instructor to be determined
Section: 400/401
CRN:38301/40024
Ecampus
This course explores how environmental content is communicated and why this communication matters. We’ll analyze the discourse of environmental topics from multiple perspectives, genres, and styles, including nature writing, science journalism, and contemporary feature essays, while also composing quality environmental writing of our own. From early conservationism to deep ecology, climate science to indigenous rhetorics, this class will journey through a forest of diverse voices.
A minimum grade of C- is required in WR 121, WR 121H, WR 121Z and WR 121HZ.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing Intensive Courses (CWIC)
Core Education - Writing Intensive Course (WIC) (CSWC)
WR 474
WRITING AND RHETORIC OF CRITICAL RACE THEORY
Ribero, Ana
Section: 400
CRN: 43231
Ecampus
This class examines the history and ideas of Critical Race Theory, with emphasis on how CRT responds to structural racism. We consider the form and function of structural racism in the US in education and the carceral system; analyze counterstory as a CRT writing genre and a method of scholarship; and engage students in the practice of writing counterstories. Students will have opportunities to analyze and write about their own identities and positions in relation to systems of oppression.
A minimum grade of C- is required in WR 121, WR 121H, WR 121Z and WR 121HZ.
Core Education - Difference, Power, & Oppression: Advanced (CSDP)
WR 497
DIGITAL LITERACY AND CULTURE
Kelly, Kristy
Section: 1
CRN: 38234
From fanfic to 4Chan, from cute cats to QAnon: the internet is a chaotic, compelling, and often treacherous place. In an information environment that prioritizes instant gratification, hot takes, and clickbait, how do we build ethical online spaces that value community, conversation, and authentic connection? By investigating the inner workings of artificial intelligence, interface design, and social media algorithms designed to capture and redirect our attention online, we’ll ask ourselves what it means to be literate in the digital age. Examining everything from algorithmic bias and online radicalization to generative AI and misinformation, we’ll navigate the mayhem of internet culture with an eye toward social, racial, and economic justice.
A minimum grade of C- is required in WR 121, WR 121H, WR 121Z and WR 121HZ.