Department of English
Courses
ENG 0110 Writing Seminar (3)
Intensive writing workshop with focus on grammar and effective sentences, paragraphs and essays. Emphasis upon the writing process and integral critical thinking skills. Individual and collaborative writing assignments will culminate in a class project.
Pass/Fail. No college credit.
ENG 1030, 1031-1032, 1033-1034
College Composition (3)
Expository and persuasive writing for academic
purposes. Emphasis upon writing as a
reflective and social process; writing across
the curriculum; critical thinking; and the
development of a personal intellectual perspective
and style of expression.
ENG 1202 Experiential English in
the United States I (3)
English for visiting students at the beginning
and low intermediate levels. Emphasis on
experiencing language in the context of culture
in the United States. Pass/Fail. Not for
graduation credit at Kean University.
Prerequisite: Petition required from Center
for International Studies and Programs.
ENG 1203 Experiential English in the
United States II (3)
English for visiting students at the high intermediate
and advanced levels. Emphasis on
experiencing language in the context of culture
in the United States. Pass/Fail. Not for
graduation credit at Kean University.
Prerequisite: Petition required from Center
for International Studies and Programs.
ENG 1300 College Composition for Non-Native Students I (6)
Academic expository writing. Part one of a two-part sequence emphasizing reading, the writing process, collaboration, and critical thinking across the curriculum. Graded on a Pass/Fail basis only. Required of all ESL students according to results of placement test.
ENG 1430 College Composition
for Non-Native
Students II (6)
Academic, expository, and persuasive writing. Emphasis on reading, the writing process, collaboration, and critical thinking across the curriculum. Equivalent to Eng 1030. General Education requirement.
ENG 1620 Honors Composition (3)
Expository and persuasive writing; emphasis
on critical thinking and evaluation of written work.
ENG 2000 Writing about Literature (3)
Critical reading and writing about fiction,
poetry, and drama.
ENG 2001 Critical Approaches to
Literature (3)
A survey of the methods of literary research
and an introduction to literary criticism and
critically informed writing about literature.
Prerequisite: ENG 2000
ENG 2005 Advanced Composition (3)
Advanced composition of expository, persuasive
and belletristic essays. Emphasis is on
process, style, and evaluative criteria. Analysis
of professional models. Extensive use of writing
workshops.
ENG 2010 Creative Writing (3)
Instruction and practice to develop skills in
the writing of fiction, poetry, and drama.
ENG 2017 History and Theory
of Writing (3)
Examination of the history of writing as a
communication technology, its effects on various cultures, and its future in an electronic
age. Survey of western theories of authorship.
ENG 2101 Structure and Origins
of the English Language (3)
An overview of the grammatical structure of
English, of its diversity, and of its history.
ENG 2205 British Literature I (3)
Major writers, periods, genres, styles, and
ideas in British literature from Beowulf
through Milton.
ENG 2206 British Literature II (3)
Major writers, periods, genres, styles, and
ideas in British literature from the Restoration
through the 20th Century, with emphasis on
poetry, drama and shorter prose.
ENG 2210 World Drama (3)
Introduction to the range and depth of dramatic
literature from various times and
nations. A wide selection of plays read and
studied, including plays by authors extending
from Sophocles and Shakespeare to Beckett
and Albee.
ENG 2215 Shakespeare Survey (3)
An introduction to Shakespeare’s comedies,
histories, and tragedies.
ENG 2220 Diverse Traditions and
Voices of American
Literature I:
Beginnings to 1860 (3)
A survey of American literature from its
inception to 1860 with particular attention to
the diversity of its traditions and voices.
ENG 2221 Diverse Traditions and Voices
of American Literature II:
1860 to Present (3)
A survey of American literature since the Civil
War with particular attention to the diversity
of its traditions.
ENG 2250 Children’s Literature (3)
A survey of traditional and modern stories,
poems, plays, and informational materials for
children.
ENG 2255 Young Adult Literature (3)
A study of modern literature for and about
adolescents.
ENG 2403 World Literature (3)
Reading in world literatures from ancient
times to the present. Emphasis on cultural
diversity, selected themes, and literary genres.
Development of aesthetic and ethical values
and of critical reading, thinking, and writing.
Prerequisite: ENG 1030 (or equivalent) and
completion of any freshman placement
requirements in reading.
ENG 2603 Honors Landmarks of
World Literature (3)
Representative readings in the literatures of
the world’s cultures from earliest times to the
present, with emphasis on selected themes
and genres.
ENG 2920 Introductory Journalism (3)
Instruction and practice in basic journalistic
techniques, with an emphasis on developing
news judgment, interviewing, and writing the
inverted pyramid story with a “5-W” lead.
ENG 3000 Writing Poetry (3)
Exploration of poetic vision and creative
process through the writing of poetry.
ENG 3010 Playwriting (3)
A course in the writing of play scripts.
ENG 3017 Writing Creative Nonfiction
A course for the writing of creative nonfiction.
Each semester will be devoted to a special
topic such as Memoir, Humor and Satire, Self-
Help, Travel, Science, Politics, Spirituality and
Religion, or Nature. This course may be taken
for credit more than once if the topics studied
differ.
ENG 3080 Writing for Cyberspace (3)
Writing for the Internet and other new electronic
media, including software help documents
and hypertexts. An exploration of the
textual logic of the new media, its effects on
the writing process and literacy, and effective
techniques for writing in a cyberspace environment.
ENG 3090 Business and Professional
Writing (3)
Business and professional writing. The construction
of resumes and correspondence as
well as memoranda, proposals, abstracts, and
reports. Emphasis on appraising the audience.
ENG 3101 Introduction to Linguistics (3)
An introduction to the study of language,
using examples drawn from a variety of languages
including English.
Prerequisite: ENG 2101 or passing grade on
Department placement test in linguistics.
ENG 3200 African American
Literature Survey (3)
A survey of African-American writers from
the Colonial period to the present.
Prerequisite: ENG 2403 or equivalent.
ENG 3205 Literature of the East (3)
Traditional and contemporary writings (epic,
novel, poetry, short story, drama) from the
Near and Far East examined for literary,
aesthetic, and transcultural values.
ENG 3210 Russian Literature in
Translation (3)
Representative works in English translation of
major writers from Pushkin to Solzhenitsyn.
ENG 3220 Soviet Film (3)
A study of Soviet cinema from the Russian
Revolution to the glasnost period.
Prerequisite: ENG 2403 or equivalent.
ENG 3221 Detective Fiction (3)
A survey of both classic and hardboiled detective
fiction from Edgar Allan Poe to Walter
Mosley.
ENG 3222 World War II in Film and
Literature (3)
Analyses of representative American films and
novels about World War II.
Prerequisite: ENG 2403 or equivalent.
ENG 3232 Special Topics in Women
and Literature (3)
A shell course for the study of literature by
and about women. Each semester will be
devoted to a special topic such as Women and
the Creative Process, Women and Politics,
Marriage in the Early Modern Period, Feminist
Criticism and Theory, and topics will vary by
semester. This course may be taken for credit
more than once as long as the particular
topics studied differ.
Prerequisite: ENG 2403 or equivalent.
ENG 3250 Russian Studies in
Leningrad and Moscow (3)
Travel course to Russia, offered only during
January, for study of the culture, history, aesthetics,
music and drama that form the backdrop
of the literature of Leningrad and
Moscow. Travel costs will vary. Students
should consult instructor and Director of
International Studies. May be used as free
elective only.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
ENG 3260 African Literature Survey (3)
A survey of selected novelists, playwrights
and poets of modern Africa.
Prerequisites: ENG 2403 or equivalent.
ENG 3300 Ancient Greek and Roman
Literature in Translation (3)
A survey of the major works in ancient Greek and Roman literature from Homer to Virgil and Ovid.
Prerequisite: ENG 2403 or equivalent or permission
of instructor.
Writing Emphasis Course
ENG 3305 Medieval Poetry and Prose (3)
A study of secular Medieval narrative in
romance, saga, fabliau, and other genres.
ENG 3306 Renaissance Prose and
Poetry (3)
A historic-biographical analysis of out-standing
European Continental literary works from
1350 to 1650, with attention to multi-cultural,
class and gender issues.
Prerequisite: ENG 2403 or equivalent.
Writing Emphasis Course
ENG 3310 Sixteenth Century English
Renaissance (3)
The “Golden Age” in English literature (exclusive
of Shakespeare) from the close of the
Middle Ages to the death of Elizabeth I, with
focus on the development of English fiction
and verse forms, the effect of religious and
political controversy in the literature, and the
rise of “popular” writing.
ENG 3315 17th Century Prose and
Poetry (3)
Major works of Milton, Donne, Dryden,
Bunyan, the Metaphysical and Cavalier poets
and other writers, examined in relation to the
17th century and modern times.
ENG 3316 Elizabethan and Stuart
Drama: 1587-1642 (3)
Major writers from Marlowe to the closing of
the theatres in 1642, with the omission of
Shakespeare.
Prerequisite: ENG 2205 or ENG 2215 or permission
of instructor.
ENG 3320 Restoration and Eighteenth
Century Drama (3)
British dramatic literature of the period from
1660-1800, with emphasis on the comedies of
Wycherly, Congreve, Sheridan and
Goldsmith.
ENG 3325 Eighteenth Century English
Literature (3)
Pope, Swift, Boswell and Johnson with
emphasis on satire, the development of periodical
literature and biography.
ENG 3335 English Romantic
Literature (3)
Writings of Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley,
Coleridge, Keats, Hazlitt, and Lamb, studied
in relation to the history and culture of the
time.
ENG 3340 Victorian Literature (3)
The major Victorian novelists, poets and
essayists studied within the context of important
social and political changes during the
19th century.
ENG 3342 The Irish Literary
Tradition (3)
Emergence of the modern Irish literary voice
especially in Yeats, George Moore, Synge,
Joyce, O’Casey, Frank O’Connor, and
selected contemporary poets.
ENG 3345 Twentieth Century British
Literature (3)
A critical study of literary texts by twentieth-
century British authors. Emphasis on
issues of race, class, and gender. Special
attention to stylistic aspects of modernism
and post-modernism.
Prerequisites: ENG 2403 or equivalent and
ENG 2206.
ENG 3350 Contemporary Literature (3)
A critical study of contemporary world literature,
from the 1960s on with an emphasis on
literature of American and British origin.
Prerequisites: ENG 2000 and ENG 2403 or
equivalent.
Writing Emphasis Course
ENG 3355 American Transcendentalism:
The Movement in
Literature, 1815-1871 (3)
Origins and development of
Transcendentalism. Achievements of the
movement in literature. Emphasis of ideas and
on literary theory and practice of Emerson,
Thoreau, and Whitman. Some consideration
of minor literary figures and of the movement
in its broader aspects.
Prerequisite: ENG 2220 or permission of
instructor.
ENG 3360 American Literature
Between the World Wars (3)
Prose and poetry of the period from World
War I to the beginning of World War II.
Emphasis on literary experimentalism, social
and political ferment, and the influence of
regionalism and expatriation on American writers
of the first half of the twentieth century.
ENG 3365 Literatures and Literary
Theories
of Colonialism and Post-
Colonialism (3)
Examination of literatures and literary theories
of colonialism and post-colonialism, with
an emphasis on narratives written in English.
Prerequisite: ENG 2403 or equivalent.
ENG 3380 Literature of the Holocaust(3)
A study of Holocaust literature as history,
memory, and art.
ENG 3500 The Art of Poetry (3)
Study of the art of poetry with emphasis on
modes of interpretation and cross-cultural
comparisons.
ENG 3502 The Bible as Literature (3)
Study of the literary forms of the Old and
New Testaments and their influences on
Western literature.
ENG 3506 Modern British and American
Poetry: 1900-1945 (3)
The genesis of modern poetry, its major characteristics,
and its relation to the poetic tradition.
ENG 3507 Contemporary British and
American Poetry: 1945 to
Present (3)
An exploration of the most significant developments
in British and American poetry since
1945.
ENG 3510 Aspects of the Novel (3)
Such novelists as Joyce, Gide, Kafka,
Lawrence, Hemingway, Faulkner, and Woolf,
studied in relation to their antecedents in the
realistic novel of the 19th century.
ENG 3515 Modern Drama (3)
An examination of themes and forms of modern
drama from Ibsen to the present.
Prerequisite: ENG 2403 or equivalent.
ENG 3517 Biography (3)
Study of biography in its various manifestations
from ancient times to the present.
ENG 3525 Literary Theory and
Criticism (3)
Reading and examination of literary theory
and criticism: its history and an overview of
contemporary modes of literary studies.
Prerequisite: ENG 2000 or permission of
instructor.
ENG 3525 Literary Theory and
Criticism (3)
Reading and examination of literary theory
and criticism: its history and an overview of
contemporary modes of literary studies.
Prerequisite: ENG 2000 or permission of
instructor.
ENG 3530 The Short Story (3)
The history, theory, and practice of the
European and American short story.
ENG 3540 The American Short
Story in Film (3)
Analyses of representative American short
stories from Hawthorne to Updike and study
of films based upon them.
Writing Emphasis Course
ENG 3555 Comedy (3)
An analysis of the form and structure of comic
drama from Aristophanes to Neil Simon.
ENG 3600 Honors Course in
Modern Literature (3)
Honors course for qualified students who will
be expected to study selected literary works
dating from the late nineteenth century to the
present.
Credit not given for both ENG 3350 and ENG
3600.
ENG 3700 African-American Women
Writers (3)
An overview of the literature created by
African American women from colonial days
to modern times, emphasizing their response to social, cultural, and artistic marginalization
and the power and merit of their work.
Prerequisite: ENG 2403 or equivalent.
ENG 3716 British Women Writers:
A Critical Perspective (3)
Selected British women writers from several
critical perspectives.
Prerequisites: ENG 2000 and ENG 2403 or
equivalent.
Writing Emphasis Course
ENG 3723 The American Jewish Novelist
and the Modern World (3)
An in-depth study of several Jewish-American
novelists who have helped to shape and
reflect contemporary literature and contemporary
social and psychological consciousness.
ENG 3725 Ethnic American Literature(3)
Study of African, Asian/Pacific, Hispanic,
Native American, and other ethnic American
literature.
Prerequisite: ENG 2403 or equivalent or permission
of instructor.
ENG 3910 Advanced Journalism (3)
Instruction and practice in advanced journalistic
techniques, with an emphasis on such specialized
areas of coverage as business, science,
education, and arts and entertainment.
Prerequisite: ENG 2920 or permission of
instructor.
ENG 3915 Feature Writing (3)
Instruction and practice in the principles of
writing feature articles for newspapers and
magazines, with emphasis on style, organization,
and human interest.
ENG 3917 Sports Writing in
Journalism (3)
Instruction and practice in writing sports stories
for newspapers and magazines.
Prerequisites: ENG 2920 or permission of
instructor.
ENG 3920 Specialty Writing in
Journalism (3)
Instruction and practice in writing specialty
articles for newspapers, such as cultural
reviews, editorials and opinion articles, news
analyses, business stories, and science stories.
Prerequisite: ENG 2920 or ENG 3915 or permission
of instructor.
ENG 3925 Editing Skills in Journalism (3)
Instruction and workshop in the principles
and practice of editing newspapers and magazines.
Includes newsroom administration.
Prerequisite: ENG 2920 or ENG 3910 or permission
of instructor
ENG 4005 Writing Fiction (3)
The theory and practice of writing fiction.
ENG 4090 Collaborative Writing
at Work (3)
Computer-assisted writing of formal documents
through intensive team development
of proposals and solutions for simulated organizational
problems; presentation of completed
projects for peer evaluation.
Prerequisite: ENG 3090 or permission of
instructor.
ENG 4120 Language Variation
in Society (3)
Analysis of language as a reflection of society
and language use in specific social contexts.
Introduction of research tools for language
studies.
ENG 4301 Contemporary Caribbean
Women Writers in English
& English Translation (3)
Study of selected contemporary Caribbean
women writers in English and English translation.
Prerequisite: ENG 2403 or equivalent or permission
of instructor.
ENG 4400 Chaucer (3)
Development of Chaucer’s artistic genius
from the early poems through Troilus and
Criseyde and The Canterbury Tales as the
final synthesis of the medieval world, with
attention to the language, versification, literary
characteristics, and historical background.
ENG 4405 Shakespeare: Selected
Plays (3)
A detailed analysis of texts, sources, analogues,
and criticism of a limited number of
plays.
Prerequisite: ENG 2215.
ENG 4410 Milton (3)
Milton’s poetry and prose, with emphasis on
critical analysis and scholarly problems and
the philosophical, religious and political
thought of the seventeenth century.
ENG 4413 William Blake (3)
Intensive reading of selected lyrics and
prophetic poems, with special emphasis on
Blake as visionary writer in his cultural context
(and in ours).
ENG 4415 Poe, Hawthorne
and Melville (3)
The poetry, fiction, and criticism of the three
writers with emphasis also on literary, biographical
and historical data.
Prerequisite: ENG 2220 (recommended) or
ENG 2221.
ENG 4417 Henry James (3)
The fiction of Henry James with emphasis on
the development of his art, critical analysis of
important selected works, examination of his
contributions to the genres of the novel and
short story.
Prerequisite: ENG 2221 or permission of
instructor.
ENG 4419 Edith Wharton (3)
Intensive reading of Wharton’s fiction, with
special attention to her intellectual and artistic
formation and her place in the development
of the novel.
Prerequisites: ENG 2403 or equivalent.
Writing Emphasis Course
ENG 4420 Fitzgerald, Faulkner, and
Hemingway (3)
The major fiction of the writers with emphasis
on literary, biographical and historical values.
Prerequisite: ENG 2220 or ENG 2221 (recommended).
ENG 4421 Tennessee Williams:
Poet of the Theater (3)
Study of the major plays, as well as the poetry,
short fiction, and film scripts.
ENG 4430 Ibsen, Strindberg,
Chekhov, and Shaw (3)
Representative plays of these four major
figures.
ENG 4462 Emily Dickinson (3)
Intensive critical and historical exploration of
the poetry and correspondence of Emily
Dickinson.
Prerequisite: ENG 2000 and ENG 2403 or
equivalent, or permission of instructor.
ENG 4500 Three Masters of
Modern Poetry (3)
An intensive study of three major twentieth
century figures such as Yeats, Pound, Eliot,
Williams, or Stevens.
Prerequisite: Three credits of poetry.
ENG 4600 Senior Honors Seminar (3)
Individual and intensive reading and investigation
in a selected area of literature or language,
proposed by the student, and culminating
in either a thesis or a creative project.
Prerequisites: Senior status, English major.
Qualified juniors may enroll in the seminar
with permission of the Department. May be
substituted for ENG 4800 as required seminar.
Credit not given for both ENG 4600 and
ENG 4800.
Writing Emphasis Course
ENG 4620 Honors Course in
Robert Frost (3)
A close reading of Frost’s poetry supplemented
by criticism and Frost’s biography.
ENG 4655 Honors Course in
American Autobiography (3)
Study of American autobiographical writing
from the Puritans to the present. Emphasis on
life writing in its various forms, including the
conversion narrative, captivity narrative, slave
narrative, memoir, and non-fiction novel.
ENG 4817 Senior Writing Seminar (3)
Intensive study of theories of authorship, culminating
in a substantial original manuscript
and a critically informed reflective essay on its
production.
Prerequisites: Senior status, English major.
Qualified juniors may enroll in the seminar
with the permission of the Department.
Prerequisite: Senior Status, English Writing
Option major, or by permission.
Writing Emphasis Course
ENG 4805, 4806 Publishing Field
Experience (3, 6)
Supervised placement in a publishing house to
learn the rudiments of the publishing trade.
Prerequisite: Selection by English Department
and instructor.
ENG 4810, 4811, 4812 Independent
Study for English
Majors (1, 2, or 3)
Opportunity for English majors of advanced
ability to pursue in a concentrated manner a
specific area of study in literature, language,
or writing not available through current
course offerings. Approximately 45 hours of
supervised work required for each credit
hour. May be repeated for credit. Only six
credits may be applied toward graduation.
Prerequisites: Twelve credits in English or
permission of instructor.
ENG 4910, 4911 Journalism Field
Experience (3, 6)
Supervised placement at a daily or weekly
newspaper, a monthly magazine, or a comparable
publication to write news or feature stories
under deadline.
Prerequisites: ENG 2920 and ENG 3915
ESL (English as a Second Language) Program Courses
ESL 0090 Beginning English as a Second
Language (6)
For non-native speakers, beginning-level study of English for use in academic settings, including work in written and oral language. Graded on a Pass/Fail basis only. Required of ESL students according to results of placement test.
ESL 0100 English as a Second Language I (6)
Narrative and expository writing. Part one of a two-part sequence that prepares students for courses in academic written and oral communication. Focus on topics of interest to the students. Graded on a Pass/ Fail basis only. Required of all ESL students according to results of placement test.
ESL 0103 Conversation I (3)
Practice in conversational English in campus, community, social, and work situations. Pass/Fail. Institutional credit only.
ESL 0105 Reading and Writing I (3)
Develop as a reader and writer of English. Emphasis on subject matter of high interest to each student. Pass/Fail. Institutional credit only.
ESL 0200 English as a Second Language II (6)
Narrative and expository writing. Part two of a two-part sequence that prepares students for courses in academic written and oral communication. Focus on topics of interest to the students. Graded on a Pass/ Fail basis only. Required of all ESL students according to results of placement test.
ESL 0203 Conversation II (3)
Extensive practice in conversational English in formal and informal settings. Pass/Fail. Institutional credit only.
ESL 0205 Reading and Writing II (3)
Continue to develop as a reader and writer of English. Emphasis on subject matter of high interest to each student. Pass/Fail. Institutional credit only.
ESL 0303 Academic Oral Discourse I (3)
Develop oral language in academic settings, using authentic materials related to General Education course demands. Pass/Fail. Institutional credit only.
ESL 0305 Academic Written
Discourse I (3)
Develop reading, writing, and vocabulary in English for General Education courses. Pass/Fail. Institutional credit only.
ESL 0403 Academic Oral
Discourse II (3)
Develop oral language in academic settings, using authentic materials related to students’ chosen fields. Pass/Fail. Institutional credit only.
ESL 0405 Academic Written Discourse II (3)
Develop reading, writing, vocabulary, and rhetorical strategies in English, as applied to students’ chosen disciplines. Pass/Fail. Institutional credit only.
ESL 0503 Pronunciation Workshop (3)
For non-native speakers of English, including those in ESL courses and others as advised. Guidance and practice in English pronunciation. Emphasis on individual student’s pronunciation goals. Pass/Fail. Institutional credit only; can be repeated (for institutional credit only).