Spring 2025
Please see the 2024-25 Catalog at https://catalog.oregonstate.edu/ for locations and times.
AJ 313
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES IN APPLIED JOURNALISM
St. Jacques, Jill
Section: 1
CRN: 53679
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 and AJ 312.
ENG 101
INTRO TO LITERATURE: YOUNG ADULT NOVEL
Harrison, Wayne
Section 400/401
CRN: 57216/59414
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 104Z
INTRO TO LITERATURE: FICTION
Scribner, Keith
Section: 1
CRN: 58840
In this course we’ll read a selection of short stories and novels. As we proceed through the term, our focus will be on close reading and how these works achieve aesthetic and emotional effect through fictional craft elements, such as plot, character, setting, voice, structure, and symbolism. Course outcomes will include developing skills in textual analysis, close reading, and critical thinking and writing. We’ll examine these works for their historical, literary, social, and political significance, as well as their varying styles and themes, keeping in mind that they are first and foremost works of art.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 104Z
INTRO TO LITERATURE: FICTION
A STUDY OF THE SHORT STORY
Norris, Marcos
Section: 2
CRN: 58841
Hybrid
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)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 104Z
INTRO TO LITERATURE: FICTION
Bushnell, J.T.
Sections: 400
CRN: 58721
Ecampus
It’s easy to think of ourselves as totally separate and disconnected from the past. Aren’t we more sophisticated, complicated, and interesting than people a hundred years ago? Not so fast! In this class, we will read and discuss stories and a novel covering the last two hundred years and consider how these authors grapple with questions that are still relevant today. How does power impact personal relationships? How do we grow up? What do we do with our trauma? Can we ever truly return home? We’ll discuss all of these questions and more.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 104Z
INTRO TO LITERATURE: FICTION
Weaver, Damien
Section: 401
CRN: 58722
Ecampus
This course proceeds on a notion raised by literary critic Lionel Trilling: that a central task 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 convey “the human fact” as a timeless, universal condition and as something shaped by the specific contexts—social, cultural, historical, etc.—in which these stories are set and in which they were 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)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 106Z
INTRO TO LITERATURE: POETRY
Roush, Stephanie
Section: 1
CRN: 58842
Hybrid
You’ll be introduced to a variety of published voices from the past and present; you’ll study the basic craft elements of poetry including detail, imagery, voice, and lineation; you’ll practice your close reading skills to become a more skilled and confident reader of poetry; and you’ll establish a routine of checking in with your emotions and deepening your sense of empathy.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 106Z
INTRO TO LITERATURE: POETRY
Goldsmith, Jenna
Section: 400
CRN: 58723
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
Gottlieb, Evan
Section: 1
CRN:53975
Jumbo Class
Science fiction and Fantasy have long been two of the most popular literary genres. But is there more to them than sheer escapism? By tracing their literary histories from the early 19th c. onwards, we’ll see that the answer is a resounding ‘yes.’ Focusing on the short story form, we read a diverse range of authors including old favorites like H.G. Wells and Tolkien; forgotten masters such as Edith Nesbit and Harlan Ellison; and contemporary stars like Octavia Butler and Ted Chiang. Plus, the course open and closes with texts that highlight some of the alternative media in which these genres continue to thrive, including graphic novels, video games, and anime.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
ENG 108
INTRO TO SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY
Rubado, Annette
Section: 400/401
CRN: 57547/59598
Ecampus
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)
ENG 202
SHAKESPEARE
Olson, Rebecca
Section: 1
CRN: 58843
Ecampus
An introduction to the second half of Shakespeare’s dramatic career (the Jacobean period), with attention to the playwright’s continued global legacy. This course is designed to help students become confident readers of Shakespeare’s language, articulate the significance of aural and visual elements of Shakespearean scripts, and analyze the plays in light of specific cultural and historical contexts, both early modern and contemporary. Plays include Macbeth, Measure for Measure, and The Tempest.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 204
SURVEY OF BRITISH LITERATURE:
BEGINNINGS TO 1660
Bude, Tekla
Section: 1
CRN: 58844
This course is an introduction to English literature from its beginnings through Chaucer and Shakespeare. From Old English riddles and charms to bawdy fabliaux, from travel narrativesto sonnets and the rise of professional theater, this coursewill survey nearly a thousand years of English literary forms in their political, cultural, and artistic contexts, with an eye to understanding how premodern literature and language shaped the course of history. In 800 CE, “England” was merely a loose conglomeration of small kingdoms, a backwater in the North Atlantic fighting to survive against Viking invaders. By 1660, the English Empire was a growing colonial power internally fragmented by political and religious dissent. What was literature in this early period of English history, and how did its definition, power, and use change over time? What did it mean to read? What relationship did early English literature have to music, the visual arts, and scientific thought? How did English literature create the idea of an English nation?
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Western Culture (CPWC)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 210
LITERATURES OF THE WORLD: ASIA
Singh, Jaspal
Section: 400
CRN: 55632
Ecampus
In this course you will study Asian literature and culture where colonial and postcolonial writers examine historical and cultural contexts of their experiences and their reflections on the development of English literature. Students will expand on their critical abilities to read literature and literary narratives to argue and support their assertions through critical theory. It is not assumed that students are familiar with colonial and postcolonial theory; the only criteria required are their willingness to explore alternative historical and cultural viewpoints and engage with resistant representations from the formerly colonized in colonial and postcolonial English literature.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Cultural Diversity (CPCD)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
Liberal Arts Non-Western Core (LACN)
ENG 212
LITERATURES OF THE WORLD:
MESO/SOUTH AMERICA/CARIBBEAN
Blomgren, Olga
Section: 1
CRN: 57226
This course surveys 20th century Latin American writing, including central figures and major works of Latin American thought and literature. We will explore literary and artistic movements and reflect on the human conditions that emerge across boundaries and historical periods. The readings will generate questions about literary creations and human experiences. Guiding questions are: What and where is Latin America? Who creates Latin American literature? How should we engage with a translation? In addition to examining the creative and political contexts of the artists, we will practice meaningful literary engagement with these texts and one another. As we read in translation, we will think through issues related to language and power.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Cultural Diversity (CPCD)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
Liberal Arts Non-Western Core (LACN)
ENG 215
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
Larison, John
Section: 1
CRN: 57227
In this class, we’ll study the collapse of civilization, the stories that endure after even the grandest palaces crumble, and how those stories can give rise to new cultures and civilizations. We’ll focus our attention on the Late Bronze Age in the Mediterranean as we explore the lives, beliefs, and mythology of the ancient Greeks. Through classic (and disturbing) myths—as well as recently uncovered archeological evidence—we’ll learn about matriarchy’s confrontation with patriarchy, the rise of monotheism in the centuries before Judaism; and how a shift in the earth’s climate led to one of the most famous wars in history. We’ll study two enduring and significant works of literature, Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey, the latter of which we’ll read in its entirety. We’ll ask hard questions about gender, power, justice, and adventure—in ancient times and now.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Western Culture (CPWC)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 215
CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY
Rubado, Annette/Roush, Stephanie
Section: 400/401
CRN: 58724/58725
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)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 220
DIFFERENCE, POWER AND DISCRIMINATION: QUEER LITERATURE AND CINEMA IN THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURY
Mazur, Krystyna
Section: 1
CRN: 59627
Crosslisted as FILM 220
The course is an introduction to LGBTQ literature and film in the United States. It attends to recurrent topics (such as, for example “the closet”) and characteristic forms (e.g. “camp”). We will investigate issues related to definitions of identity; study LGBTQ movements and politics; look at intersections of sexuality and, among others, race, gender, class, and disability; study the relation of LGBTQ expression to other minoritarian voices in the U.S. and more. The course is based on selections from novels, short stories, drama, graphic novels and poetry; feature films, and documentaries; as well as some foundational essays in LGBTQ studies.
Bacc Core- Difference, Power, and Discrimination (CPDP)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 222
CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
Balachander, Surabhi
Section: 400
CRN: 58726
Ecampus
This course focuses on frontier narratives written for children (Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series and related texts that explore settlement in the 19th-century U.S.) to explore key issues and forms in children’s literature, as well as to introduce close-reading and literary writing skills. Issues include race, gender, and representation; banned and challenged books; awards; marketing to children; and use of children’s literature in the classroom. Forms include picture books, book series, graphic novels, nonfiction, and more. Other authors include Louise Erdrich, Joyce Carol Thomas, and Shing Yin Khor.
ENG 254
SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE: 1900 - PRESENT
Schwartz, Sam
Section: 1
CRN: 58845
American Literature 1900-present explores various literary modes—poetry, short fiction, novels, autobiography--and their production in the context of the aesthetic movements, politics, culture, and history that foregrounded their creation. The reading list reflects the diversity of U.S. regional literatures and their respective populations. We will balance between works that are “canonical” with those works that are not as often included in survey-level courses. Students will take written exams, participate in discussions, and collectively annotate selected works.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 260
LITERATURE OF AMERICAN MINORITIES
Davison, Neil
Section: 1
CRN: 58846
This course will be a survey study of Jewish American literature from the immigrant generation beginnings of the modern American community (1890's) to its height of influence on American Letter during the second half of the 20th century (1960's-'80s). Writers to be studied range from works by Abraham Cahan, Anzia Yezierska, Michael Gold, Philip Roth, and Bernard Malamud. As one of the most important Jewish American novelist and short story writers, potential students should note that the last figure here, Bernard Malamud, taught at OSU from 1939-1960, moving from obscurity to becoming a two-time National Book Award recipient while here. We will also study a film version of one of Cahan's most popular stories. To evaluate the learning process, students will sit for an hour-and-fifty minute in-class midterm, write a 6-7 page formal essay, and sit for a two-hour final exam. Some of our materials to be studied, included an excerpt from history of the Jewish American community, will be posted on the Files section of the course Canvas page; as regards the three books students need to purchase for the course, please obtain the exact edition as listed on the course syllabus on Canvas.
Bacc Core- Difference, Power, and Discrimination (CPDP)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 275
THE BIBLE AS LITERATURE
Kurman, Nirit
Section: 400
CRN: 52119
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 lessons.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Western Culture (CPWC)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 302
WRITING ABOUT LITERATURE
Balachander, Surabhi
Section: 1
CRN: 57229
Writing Intensive Course
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, including secondary sources and archival research. 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.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing Intensive Courses (CWIC)
ENG 304
CAREER PREP FOR ENGLISH MAJORS
Delf, Elizabeth
Section: 1
CRN: 54851
2 credits
“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.
Successful completion of ENG 301 is a prerequisite for this course.
ENG 319
THE AMERICAN NOVEL: POST WORLD WAR II
Dybek, Nick
Section: 1
CRN: 55636
As one of the major literary developments in the second half of the twentieth century, postmodernism offers curious alternatives to some of the basic building blocks of fiction: plot, characters, setting, time, dialogue, believability, conflict, resolution, and other familiar components. Through a close reading of American novels, both celebrated and neglected, this course explores the various definitions and configurations of postmodern literature, examining the ways in which innovative texts wrestle with the trauma of World War II, the mechanisms of language, the construction of narratives, identities, and realities, and the complexities of life in a technologically advanced, potentially self-destructive, arguably dystopian world.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 320
STUDIES IN PAGE, STAGE, AND SCREEN
Davison, Neil
Section: 1
CRN: 58847
In line with studies-model courses, this class focuses on various topics, themes, genres, movements, and authors from term to term through relations of text, performance, and film. In “Hollywood in Novels and Films” we will examine how novelists and directors have often made the American film industry itself the center of their narratives, and in doing so, frequently become self-reflexive as to how the fictions or imaginaries of our culture are reconstructed or analyzed in the two different genres. We will also confront early on how adaptation may reemphasize, lessen, or completely alter the thematic thrust of a single work as it moves between the genres. Finally, we will examine key aspects of the 20th-century “American Dream” as it becomes essential to Hollywood’s message to the masses. By way of this focus, we will study novels written from the “Golden Age” of Hollywood (1930-50’s) to the era of the “New Hollywood” (1960’s-80’s), and finally films from the latter third of the century (1970’s-2000’s) that represent the second-wave era of the movie industry’s self-critique on screen. Students are responsible for assigned readings as due in accordance with the syllabus. Students are expected to introduce and grapple with background contexts (lecture and Canvas readings) in their interpretations of works discussed.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 322
STUDIES IN GLOBALISM, TEXT, AND EVENT
Blomgren, Olga
Section: 1
CRN: 58848
As humans, we strive to communicate and build understanding across languages and geographies. This course focuses on the persistent changes we make to language in the context of globalization. We will read translated literature and discuss the ways that thinking in/of translation alters and facilitates our reading, writing, and interpretation. Our aim is to think about the authors’ and texts’ trans/national mobilities as we reflect on migrations, language, and de-coloniality, including how these themes appear in literatures. Some guiding questions: How might we read, hear, and speak one another’s languages without creating language hierarchies or repeating colonialisms? How does one weave their movements into writing? How does one thrive in translation?
Bacc Core, Synthesis - Global Issues (CSGI)
ENG 345
INTRO TO LITERARY CRITICISM AND THEORY
Gottlieb, Evan
Section: 1
CRN: 51456
Contemporary literary and critical theory derives from the radical conceptual upheavals of the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, at which time three major Western thinkers – Sigmund Freud, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Nietzsche – revolutionized how we understand ourselves and the world around us. After learning how their ideas play out in key early-20th century texts of critical and feminist theory, we’ll backtrack to pick up the structural linguistics of Ferdinand de Saussure. Armed with Saussure’s structuralism, we’ll then read challenging selections from modern and contemporary Euro-American theorists.
Successful completion of ENG 301 is a prerequisite for this course, which may be taken concurrently.
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 360
NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE
Hausman, Blake
Section: 400
CRN: 55633
This class studies a range of literary arts and cultural expressions by Native American authors. We’ll consider Native American literatures in their historical, cultural, geographical, political, and legal contexts. Throughout the course, we’ll prioritize Indigenous experiences, worldviews, and intellectual traditions in the study of Native literatures.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Cultural Diversity (CPCD)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
Liberal Arts Non-Western Core (LACN)
ENG 434
STUDIES IN LITERATURE: 1700-1900: WRITING THE ANIMAL
Mazur, Krystyna
Section: 1
CRN: 59619
In this course we will look at early—18’th and 19’th century—attempts to recognize the sentience, rights, needs, and/or threats to nonhuman animals. From Jeremy Bentham’s famous proclamation “the question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?”, through the radical vegan activism of Benjamin Lay, a 19th century vegan commune, and various representations of animals in Romantic, and later Realist prose, essay, and poetry, we will be discussing the relationship of humans and animals; the dramatically changing forms of animal exploitation; the intersection of the positioning of animals with race, class and gender, and more. Those early readings will be supplemented or juxtaposed with more contemporary ones, as well as films, podcasts, and readings from the growing contemporary field of animal studies.
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 470
STUDIES IN POETRY: ARCHIVE FEVER
Megan, Ward
Section: 1
CRN: 58849
WIC/Projects Based
Working closely with materials in Special Collections, this class will build a virtual exhibit that includes images, original research, and public writing. Along the way, we’ll examine the very nature of archival research through theoretical exposition and literary representation. Why is archival research so romanticized? What can it help us discover and what will always remain elusive in our search to understand the past?
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing Intensive Courses (CWIC)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 485
STUDIES IN AMERICAN LITERATURE
Malewitz, Ray
Section: 1
CRN: 58850
WIC
One of the casualties of the “post-truth” world we all live in is our sense of a stable, agreed upon past that helps us to make meaning in the present. While polarizing debates regarding American and world history may seem to be a product of the last few years, similar debates crop up in a stylistically and conceptually diverse group of American literary narratives written after 1960 but set in the past. The key questions that we will ask in this course concern the relationship between historicity (the factual status of a given historical account) and these kinds of narratives. We will examine the ways that American postmodern artists recount the events and enduring effects of American settler colonialism and slavery, the birth of modern capitalism, and the Vietnam War. We will explore the ways in which postmodern skepticism towards “grand narratives” of history influence the plot and style of historical narratives. We will investigate the methods by which literary critics think and write about literature in the wake of this skepticism by bringing into dialogue historical, critical, and creative readings. Finally, we will contemplate ways that future teachers might integrate these ideas into high school and college classrooms to better understand our strange, “post-truth” era. Readings include E.L. Doctorow’s Ragtime, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer, Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, and a variety of historical sources related to the narratives.
Sophomore standing; 8 credits of ENG 200-level or above .
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing Intensive Courses (CWIC)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
ENG 488
LITERATURE AND PEDAGOGY
Olson, Rebecca
Section: 1
CRN: 58851
Practices, approaches, histories, and theories of teaching literature appropriate for secondary through college settings. Considers text selection, assignments, and evaluation. This section will apply up-to-the-minute strategies for decolonizing the English literature / language arts curriculum and crafting accessible assignments.
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
FILM 145
INTRODUCTION TO FILM STUDIES, 1968-1999
Lewis, Jon
Section: 1
CRN: 54980
Explores and examines American and European cinema, 1968-1999. Emphasis on 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)
FILM 220
DIFFERENCE, POWER AND DISCRIMINATION: SEXUALITY IN FILM
St. Jacques, Jill
Section: 001
CRN: 55637
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 220
DIFFERENCE, POWER AND DISCRIMINATION: QUEER LITERATURE AND CINEMA IN THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURY
Mazur, Krystyna
Section: 002
CRN: 59624
The course is an introduction to LGBTQ literature and film in the United States. It attends to recurrent topics (such as, for example “the closet”) and characteristic forms (e.g. “camp”). We will investigate issues related to definitions of identity; study LGBTQ movements and politics; look at intersections of sexuality and, among others, race, gender, class, and disability; study the relation of LGBTQ expression to other minoritarian voices in the U.S. and more. The course is based on selections from novels, short stories, drama, graphic novels and poetry; feature films, and documentaries; as well as some foundational essays in LGBTQ studies.
FILM 245
THE NEW AMERICAN CINEMA
Section: 400
Bohlinger, Joe
CRN: 57217
Ecampus
A formalist, ideological, and commercial investigation into contemporary American cinema.
Bacc Core, Perspectives - Literature and the Arts (CPLA)
Liberal Arts Humanities Core (LACH)
FILM 312X
100 Years of Black Film in a White World
Smith, Cleavon
Section: 1
CRN: 37231
Surveys more than a century of Black artists in the film industry, on-screen and behind the scenes. Examines the effects of shifting racial politics on the business of making movies and the on-screen results.
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)
WR 201
WRITING FOR MEDIA
St. Jacques, Jill
Section: 1
CRN: 59415
Blogging, podcasting, tweeting and seeding. Posting, boasting, ghosting and roasting. Whatever new form the media takes—and however its adherents decide to deliver their content—the post-90s proliferation of new media across the world of journalism has forever changed the ways we write the news. Still, the ethical tenets of newswriting remain fairly the same: accuracy, balance and an almost superhuman devotion to objectivity. Writing for Media participants learn how to write clear, concise, alluring news stories in any media form. Beginning with dynamic headlines, lead grafs and kickers, students progress to writing short feature stories and photoessays across a variety of media forms, including digital and multimedia styles. The following four missions are mandates for each successful student: 1) Write compelling news stories about real local events; 2) Conduct in-depth interviews with both expert and non-expert sources; 3) Compile research from credible sources, and; 4) Turn in publishable copy by deadline. Gaining a working command of Associated Press Style will prove bedrock for the course.
Recommend grade B or higher in WR 121 or WR 121H.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
WR 214
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)
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)
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)
WR 227Z
TECHNICAL WRITING-ENGINEERING
Elbom, Emily
Section: 3/5
CRN: 56458/56460
In the “Technical Writing for Engineers” sections of WR 327, students use an engineering communication textbook and engage with the course objectives and learning outcomes through engineering-specific activities and assignments. This approach serves two purposes. First, by focusing specifically on principles of effective engineering communication, the course builds proficiency in the kinds of communication practices you will be tasked with both in pro-school and in the engineering workplace. Second, your engagement with fundamental engineering concepts in each of the course assignments will both solidify and extend your repertoire of technical knowledge. In other words, participation in this course not only will help you become a better engineering communicator but will also lead to greater conceptual and technical fluency in your chosen field.
These are Engineering Communication sections and are open to engineering students only.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
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)
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)
Liberal Arts Fine Arts Core (LACF)
WR 250
PODCAST STORYTELLING
Delf, Elizabeth
Section: 1
CRN: 55348
Ready to join the podcasting revolution? In WR 250: Podcast Storytelling, you'll master the art of creating compelling audio content that captivates listeners. Through hands-on experience, you'll develop essential skills in interviewing, script writing, and audio editing while analyzing successful podcasts to understand what makes them shine. Working both individually and in teams, you'll progress from crafting short interviews to producing a complete, professional-quality podcast episode. This course emphasizes engaging multiple perspectives, developing your unique voice, and structuring complex topics into compelling narratives. Perfect for students interested in digital storytelling, journalism, or creative communication.
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:59464
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 them to see what makes them so satisfying. You’ll learn how to identify elements of compelling storytelling and write and deliver scripts tailored to specific audiences and genres. 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. We will approach all topics with eager curiosity and within the context of a timeless dedication to oral storytelling, to which we are now the heirs.
Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in WR 121Z or WR 121HZ.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
WR 301
PUBLISHING AND EDITING
Drummond, Rob
Section: 400
CRN: 53369
Ecampus
Invites students to learn about editing and copyediting techniques, broader editorial decisions, and current publishing platforms. Students will learn about scholarly publishing in the U.S. and about how social media and public relations fit into this world. Participants will also explore editing within a rhetorical dimension, considering purpose and audience, as well as conventions of grammar, mechanics, and usage. Students will review a scholarly article reporting on research in editing and/or publishing; as well as develop a publication-ready work of their own. As part of a final project, the class will work toward a collaborative publication.
Successful completion of Writing 121 is a prerequisite for this course.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
WR 303
WRITING FOR THE WEB
Kelly, Kristy
Section: 400
CRN: 58731
Ecampus
Writing for the Web considers the role of the human writer in an increasingly automated, impulsive, and filtered information environment. The course builds writing skills in digital genres that prioritize interactivity, social connectivity, and resilience of key messages across platforms. Students will analyze the inner workings of online communities, adapt written and visual content to shifting audiences, and apply best practices for designing engaging texts for mobile and often-distracted readers. The course also examines the role of artificial intelligence for digital writers, providing both practice with AI and deeper consideration of its ethical implications.
Prerequisites: A minimum grade of D- in WR 121Z or WR 121HZ.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
WR 323
ADVANCED WRITING AND ARGUMENTATION
See the Course Catalog for available sections.
While continuing the concerns of WR 121Z, 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)
WR 324
SHORT STORY WRITING
Bhanoo, Sindya
Section: 1
CRN: 56039
In this intermediate course, you’ll deepen your study of literary short story writing. With your classmates, you’ll conduct investigations into the architecture of the best contemporary short fiction, then share your findings with each other to discover the intersections between craft elements such as description, conflict, and character. You’ll then use these discoveries to guide and enhance your own creative work, first with exercises, then a full short story, and finally revision. Along the way, you’ll celebrate the successes of your classmates and offer suggestions for improvement, and they’ll do the same for you.
Successful completion of WR 224 or WR 224H is a prerequisite for this course.
Liberal Arts Fine Arts Core (LACF)
WR 340
CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING
Passarello, Elena
Section: 400
CRN: 58732
Ecampus
Writing 340 is OSU’s intermediate creative writing course in creative nonfiction: personal essays, memoirs, travel narratives, feature journalism and lyric essays. Students who have taken a 200-level creative writing course are welcome to enroll. Students will generate several very short pieces of creative nonfiction–”flash essays”--workshopping a select number as a class. Along the way, students will also read and discuss recently published essays to understand the wide variety of creative nonfiction expressions.
Prerequisite: A minimum grade of D- in WR 240.
Liberal Arts Fine Arts Core (LACF)
WR 341
POETRY WRITING
Richter, Jen
Section: 1
CRN: 57543
Uses skills learned in WR 241 to practice writing, critiquing, and close-reading poems. Practices the stages of writing—from generative brainstorming to composing solid drafts to polishing accomplished work—through in- and out-of-class exercises; employs revision strategies at every stage. Examines students’ poems in depth in a rigorous, supportive workshop. Encourages useful, insightful written and oral feedback. Studies a variety of contemporary poets as models and inspiration.
Prerequisite: A minimum grade of D- in WR 241.
Liberal Arts Fine Arts Core (LACF)
WR 362
SCIENCE WRITING
See the Course Catalog for available sections.
Scientists and other experts understand their field, but they don’t always know how to communicate that understanding to the general public. WR 362: Science Writing teaches you strategies for identifying your audience so you can write to their interests and needs. You’ll practice research, drafting, and revision skills to hone your ability to write clear documents for audiences who want learn about science and how it affects them.
Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in WR 121Z and WR 121HZ.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing II (CSW2)
WR 383
FOOD WRITING
Griffin, Kristin
Section: 1
CRN: 58853
Hybrid
From the recipe to the memoir essay, the investigative feature to the food crawl, this course will expose you to the booming world of food writing. We’ll discuss the classics in American food writing—MFK Fisher, Edna Lewis, Madhur Jaffrey—and read deeply in what’s current, from personal blogs to magazines, in print and online. Once you have a sense of the genre and its possibilities, each student will become editor, writer, 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 an opportunity to publish.
Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in WR 121Z and WR 121HZ.
SPECIAL PROJECTS: PUBLISHING PRACTICUM
Larison, John
Section: 1
CRN: 59465
Want to learn more about the process and business of publishing? The Publishing Practicum is a two-credit course that will introduce you to a world of publishing opportunities, from landing a book-deal to launching a career in editing, agenting, or copywriting. Have questions about how a person becomes a real-life writer? Bring them. Through a customizable curriculum and individualized mentorship, students are supported as they take the first steps toward launching their literary career. Expect a distinctive course that will prepare you to navigate real-world publishing opportunities.
WR 424
ADVANCED FICTION WRITING
Dybek, Nick
Section: 1
CRN: 57690
Our focus in this section of WR 424 will be to explore in deeper ways both “macro” and “micro” levels of fiction writing. The macro level is narrative structure—how stories are put together. To that end, we’ll be writing several short literary pieces that play with different structures. The micro level is language—words, sentences, paragraphs, openings, titles, transitions, metaphors. We will examine the work of professional writers to use as our models. By the end of the term you will have further developed your critical writing and thinking skills, applied a range of editing strategies to your revision process, and widened your knowledge of the creative writing field generally.
Successful completion of WR 324 is a prerequisite for this course.
Liberal Arts Fine Arts Core (LACF)
WR 435
SCIENTIFIC, TECHNICAL, AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION CAPSTONE
Pflugfelder, Ehren
Section: 1
CRN: 53749
This one-credit course provides an opportunity for students enrolled in the certificate in scientific, technical, and professional communication to compose and design a portfolio of their existing work for future professional use. The course covers the purpose and goals in creating a portfolio, the selection and organization of materials, the formation of an editing and revision plan, the development of contextual summaries, the writing of an introductory letter, and the delivery of a finished portfolio project. Faculty will assist students in these decisions throughout the five-week course, each week focusing on smaller elements of the portfolio project.
Enrollment is limited to students with a program in Scientific, Tech, & Prof Comm (C750).
Department Approval Required: SAPR
WR 440
ADVANCED CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING
Kibler, Jess
Section: 1
CRN: 55640
This prose course uses the creative workshop model to help advanced students draft, revise, and discuss significant creative nonfiction projects. Expect a mix of reading published essays of many types (memoir, lyric, experimental, research-driven), and then developing creative material and providing significant peer feedback over the course of the term.
Successful completion of WR 340 is a prerequisite for this course.
WR 448
MAGAZINE ARTICLE WRITING
Griffin, Kristin
Section: 400
CRN: 59417
Ecampus
This course will guide you through the process of pitching, writing, and selling your first magazine article. Reading deeply in the genre, both in print and online, you’ll develop an understanding of the marketplace and learn strategies for building a freelance writing practice. This includes considerations of what makes for a good magazine article, discussions about recognizing and cultivating expertise, and exercises intended to hone your unique voice. You’ll be introduced to valuable resources, will have the opportunity to chat with active editors, and will share your work with peers during in-class workshops. Expect a practical nuts and bolts class, one that leaves you a stronger and more confident writer.
WR 462
ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING
Pflugfelder, Ehren
Section: 1
CRN: 53977
WIC/Hybrid
There are few issues as significant or overwhelming as the environmental problems that humanity faces. Has it always been this way, and how have we reacted to these concerns? Environmental Writing is a course that asks these questions and more. The course focuses on a range of writing and theory on the environment, examining scholars, concepts, documents, and methodologies that are central to the evolution of American environmental theory, while also touching on popular theorists who have explored specific issues in ecology, nature writing, wilderness, environmental communication, environmental racism, and the emergence of the Anthropocene. Students will be able to recognize concepts in the history of environmental writing in America, as well as be able to articulate ongoing and currently unfolding debates in environmental topics in their own writing.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing Intensive Courses (CWIC)
WR 462
ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING
Jensen, Ian
Section: 400
CRN: 58109
Ecampus
WIC
Writing about environmental topics from multiple perspectives. Includes science journalism, research and writing on current scientific issues and controversies, and theories of rhetoric and environmentalism.
A minimum grade of C- is required in WR 121, WR 121H, WR 121Z and WR 121HZ.
Bacc Core, Skills – Writing Intensive Courses (CWIC)