English
CREATIVE WRITING
narrative studies
early modern studies
Undergraduate Program Guide fall 2016 - sPRING 2017
Welcome to English We tell stories, and stories make us human. We tell stories to remind ourselves what should be, what could be, and the human truth of what now is. We collect stories over centuries, tell them to our children, and they help to define us as a culture. We change our stories, begin new ones, rethink old ones and experiment as we shift our sense of who we are and what we value. Take away our stories, and there is not much left of us. Study in English is a way of knowing our stories, and at USC we approach them critically and creatively. Distinguished faculty and renowned writers teach the ways of language, modes of analysis, and varieties of production. We share a core of literatures and genres through the ages, and then emphasize either Literature or Creative Writing, using each to enhance the other. Our innovative Narrative Studies major is interdisciplinary across the entire university. Such studies all take time. “Everyone can read!”—but not everyone can see what is really there or explain why it is there. “Everyone can write!”—but not everyone Above: Featured poet Yusef can write in ways that change lives. Komunyakaa at the Magill English specializes in thinking clearly and writing well, in Poetry Reading, March 27, contexts that are culturally broad and historically deep. Job skills 2014. through stories?—yes. We analyze and organize complex ideas, evaluate qualitative information, anticipate how real audiences Catch the Magill Poetry respond to language, and study behaviors of complex characters Reading in March. Since 1987, the Department of leading uncertain lives with competing values, weighing human English has welcomed poets from all over the world for costs and human benefits. All writing is creative—fiction or fact, this annual event. prose or poetry, with sight or sound—and words matter. We develop critical abilities for a successful life, but our stories tell us (See Calendar on page 8.) why life is worth living.
About Us We offer a broad range of courses in English and American literatures from the medieval to the present, with an extensive program in creative and expository writing, and now we have About the Undergraduate Program 2
new programs that let you study narrative in are invitations to live other lives, to test different forms all across the university. attitudes and actions that are beyond our Our classes are small—19 students immediate experience, and when you engage in Literature and 12 in with complex literatures Creative Writing. And you prepare yourself for We want you to we work hard (that’s why understanding complex you came here!), with have a lifetime of lives. extensive reading and We want you to have a new ideas. The writing. Literature and lifetime of new ideas. The relations between creative writing reinforce relations between ideas one another, and we want and words matter. Change ideas and words you to take classes in both the words and you come areas. We have more than matter. up with new ideas, and 40 full-time faculty with English literature provides dozens of teaching awards among them, you with six hundred years of unexpected and all of them are always available to advise ways to change the words. All writing is you. Many share appointments in other creative, and “literature” is just a fancy word departments and can help guide you across for “the history of creative writing.” USC and beyond USC. We want you to know the social utility We believe in the value of study abroad of a sophisticated understanding of discourse. and will help you find programs that are We live in an uncertain world where there are right for you, whether in English Literature, always “two sides to a story.” We teach you Creative Writing, or Narrative Studies. We how to understand and tell and test each honor excellent work in English with our side. It’s for this reason that Justice John Paul extensive program of prizes and awards, and Stevens of the U.S. Supreme Court said that if you wish to go beyond our regular courses the best undergraduate training for a life in the of study you can apply for our competitive law was… poetry! Two equally smart lawyers, English Honors Program. We run innovative each convinced that their own understanding Maymester programs in Literature and of a text is correct, and trying to get a third Creative Writing, and our undergraduate person to agree. And that is literary criticism. associations provide ways for students to You’ll find your own variation in whatever share interests in small settings. profession calls to you. Social discourse We want you to graduate with an makes us human. appreciation for the relations between representation and the human soul. Narratives About the Undergraduate Program 3
Opportunities in English The Honors Program The English Honors Program is open to students in English literature and in creative writing. The program provides a unique opportunity to pursue in depth a critical project of your own design. If you are thinking about applying to graduate school or professional school (such as law school) you will find the program especially rewarding. The Honors Thesis is a critical research project and typically runs upwards of 40 pages. If you are in the creative writing track, you may choose to include a creative component to accompany Scholarships and Prizes Many scholarships for continuing students are offered each year through Dornsife College (dornsife.usc.edu/css/) and the University. Scholarship and prize opportunities are also made available specifically to undergraduate students in the Department of English. Scholarship opportunities include the Gene and Etta Silverman Family Award,
your critical thesis. Upon successful completion of a critical Senior Honors Thesis your USC transcript will record departmental honors. Basic requirements:
• Minimum USC GPA of 3.0 • Minimum English GPA of 3.5 • Completion of introductory English sequence (200-level) • Completion of at least one USC upperdivision literature course • Be enrolled in, or have completed, ENGL 491.
the Mark Greenberg Fellowship in Poetry, and the Beau J. Boudreaux Poetry Award. Prize competitions in the Department of English include the Edward W. Moses Undergraduate Creative Writing Competition and the William James Undergraduate Essay Competition. More information about these opportunities is available on the Department of English website at Undergraduate » Prizes.
Recent publications by undergraduate alumni include The Emily Dickinson Reader by Paul Legault (McSweeney’s, 2012), The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht (Random House, 2011), Between Heaven and Here by Susan Straight (McSweeney’s, 2012), More Than This by Patrick Ness (Candlewick Press, 2013), and Merrily, Merrily by Becca Klaver (Lame House Press, 2013).
Opportunities in English 4
COURSES & REGISTRATION Advisement & Registration
FIRST-SEMESTER SCHEDULE
All students should meet with a faculty adviser once a semester before registering for courses. Students are encouraged to consult with an adviser at any time during the semester, and many advisers are available in the weeks immediately prior to registration. Faculty advisers help students shape their major according to their evolving interests and the requirements for the English major. Students should consult with the Director of Undergraduate Studies and the department’s staff undergraduate coordinator about such matters as department clearances and course substitutions. Before speaking to an adviser about registration, students must first consult the department’s online information on the English major and must bring a copy of their university STARS report with them to the advisement session. The STARS report is available for downloading online from OASIS, which is accessed by logging into MyUSC (my.usc.edu) and clicking OASIS under the “Student Links” section. Copies of the English departmental advising forms will be available both in the English department office during the advisement period and on the Department of English website under Undergraduate » Advisement and Registration.
Your very first course schedule at USC does not have to be scary or confusing. You do want to get started on your required General Education (GE) courses and your foreign languages. But you also want to start exploring your major and the wealth of elective courses at USC—after all, it’s your intellectual curiosity that brought us together. Here are some sample schedules for the first semester of your freshman year:
english (engl/crwt) Course
Units
General Education Seminar GE Core Literacy Foreign language ENGL 261, 262, or 263 (or elective)
TOTAL
4 4 4 4
16
NARrative studies Course
Units
General Education Seminar GE Core Literacy Foreign language NARS Lower-Division (or elective)
TOTAL
4 4 4 4
16
Advisement and Registration 5
THE ENGLISH MAJOR (ENGL) The Bachelor of Arts degree in English allows students to emphasize either Literature (ENGL) or Creative Writing (CRWT). The requirements below are for the emphasis in Literature. For the Creative Writing emphasis, see page 10.
# of units in Dornsife College
104
# of units for ENGL major
40
# of upper-division units
28
Requirements Three introductory courses All students take ENGL 261 (English Literature to 1800), 262 (English Literature since 1800), and 263 (American Literature).
UPPER-DIVISION COURSES At least seven upper-division courses (4 units each). Note that two special courses of 2-units may be combined within a category to satisfy a 4-unit course requirement.
Two courses in literature WRITTEN before 1800 ENGL 420 ENGL 421 ENGL 422 ENGL 423
ENGL 430 ENGL 461 ENGL 465 ENGL 469
English Literature of the Middle Ages (1100-1500) English Literature of the 16th Century English Literature of the 17th Century English Literature of the 18th Century (1600-1780)
Shakespeare English Drama to 1800 The English Novel to 1800 Women in English Literature before 1800
4 4 4 4
4 4 4 4
One course in 19th century literature ENGL 424 ENGL 425 Majors 6
English Literature of the Romantic Age (1780-1832) English Literature of the Victorian Age (1832-1890)
4 4
ENGL Requirements (Continued) ENGL 440 ENGL 466
American Literature to 1865 The 19th-Century English Novel
4 4
One course in American literature ENGL 350 ENGL 440 ENGL 441 ENGL 442 ENGL 445m ENGL 446 ENGL 447m ENGL 448m ENGL 449m ENGL 451
Literature of California American Literature to 1865 American Literature, 1865 to 1920 American Literature, 1920 to the Present The Literatures of America: Cross-Cultural Perspectives African-American Poetry and Drama African-American Narrative Chicano and Latino Literature Asian American Literature Periods and Genres in American Literature
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
Two upper-division electives
These may be from any English course numbered 300 to 499 that has not been used to satisfy another requirement for the major. Only one elective may be a creative writing workshop.
ENGL 491 “Senior Seminar in Literary Studies.”
“Long Is the Way...” Join us for the annual marathon reading of John Milton’s Paradise Lost in December in the Department of English’s Ide Memorial Common Room (THH 420). See our Calendar of Events (page 8).
Above: John Martin, Satan Presiding at the Infernal Council, c. 1823-27
Majors 7
Calendar of Events for English
Upcoming events and important deadlines for English students for the 2016-2017 school year.
August 22
First day of classes for the Fall semester
September
5 9 *
November 11
Last day to drop a course with a mark of “W” 23-27 Thanksgiving (No classes)
FEBRUARY 20
Presidents’ Day (No classes)
Labor Day Last day to add/drop classes for the Fall 2016 semester and receive a refund Honors applications due
October
7 * *
december 2
Last day of classes for the Fall semester TBA Milton marathon reading 3-6 Study days 7-14 Final exams
january 9 16 *
MARCH * Registration for Summer 2017 TBA The Magill Poetry reading 12-19 Spring break (No classes) * Advisement for Fall 2017
There are many readings and events throughout the year that are not on this schedule—be sure to check our social media pages and your email to keep up-to-date with these opportunities!
Last day to drop a course without receiving a “W” Advisement for Spring 2017 Registration for Spring 2017
First day of classes for the Spring semester Martin Luther King Day (No classes) Last day to add/drop classes for the Spring 2017 semester without receiving a “W”
April * *
Registration for Fall 2017 Last day to drop a course with a mark of “W” TBA Submission deadlines for James and Moses prizes TBA Senior Honors Thesis presentations TBA Narrative Studies Capstone presentations 28 Last day of classes for the Spring 2017 semester
MAY 4/29-2 Study days 3-10 Final exams 12 Commencement
RESOURCES
For up-to-date information on events and deadlines, use the following webpages. University Academic Calendar academics.usc.edu/calendar Dornsife News and Events dornsife.usc.edu/events Schedule of Classes classes.usc.edu
CONTACT INFORMATION
Connect with us: Twitter: @usc_english Instagram: @usc_english Facebook: /DornsifeEnglish
Department of English Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences 3501 Trousdale Parkway Taper Hall of Humanities 404 Los Angeles, CA 90089-0354 (213) 740-2808 english@dornsife.usc.edu dornsife.usc.edu/english Undergraduate AdvisEr Tim Gotimer Taper Hall of Humanities 406 gotimer@usc.edu Director of Undergraduate Studies Lawrence Green Taper Hall of Humanities 426 lgreen@dornsife.usc.edu
THE ENGLISH MAJOR (CRWT) The Bachelor of Arts degree in English allows students to emphasize either Literature (ENGL) or Creative Writing (CRWT). The requirements below are for the emphasis in Creative Writing. For the Literature emphasis, see page 6.
# of units in Dornsife College
104
# of units for CRWT major
40
# of upper-division units
28
Requirements Three introductory courses
All students take ENGL 261 (English Literature to 1800), 262 (English Literature since 1800), and 263 (American Literature).
Two introductory workshops
ENGL 304 (Introduction to Poetry Writing) and one from ENGL 303 (Introduction to Fiction Writing) or 305 (Introduction to Nonfiction Writing).
UPPER-DIVISION COURSES
At least seven upper-division courses (4 units each). Note that two special courses of 2-units may be combined within a category to satisfy a 4-unit course requirement.
One 400-level workshop ENGL 405 ENGL 406 ENGL 407 ENGL 408
Fiction Writing Poetry Writing Advanced Fiction Writing Advanced Poetry Writing
4 4 4 4
One course in literature before 1900 ENGL 420 ENGL 421 ENGL 422 ENGL 423 Majors 10
English Literature of the Middle Ages (1100-1500) English Literature of the 16th Century English Literature of the 17th Century English Literature of the 18th Century (1660-1780)
4 4 4 4
CRWT Requirements (Continued) ENGL 424 ENGL 425 ENGL 430 ENGL 440 ENGL 461 ENGL 465 ENGL 466 ENGL 469
English Literature of the Romantic Age (1780-1832) English Literature of the Victorian Age (1832-1890) Shakespeare American Literature to 1865 English Drama to 1800 The English Novel to 1800 The 19th-Century English Novel Women in English Literature before 1800
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
One course in literature after 1900 ENGL 426 ENGL 441 ENGL 442 ENGL 445m ENGL 446 ENGL 447m ENGL 448m ENGL 449m ENGL 452 ENGL 455 ENGL 456 ENGL 462 ENGL 463 ENGL 467
Modern English Literature (1890-1945) American Literature, 1865-1920 American Literature, 1920 to the Present The Literatures of America: Cross-Cultural Perspectives African-American Poetry and Drama African-American Narrative Chicano and Latino Literature Asian American Literature Modern Poetry Contemporary Prose Contemporary Poetry British and American Drama, 1800-1950 Contemporary Drama The Modern Novel
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
One upper-division English elective
Any English course numbered 300 to 499 that has not been used to satisfy another requirement for the major. A second workshop from the 400 series is recommended.
ENGL 491 “Senior Seminar in Literary Studies.” Majors 11
THE Narrative Studies MAJOR The Bachelor of Arts in Narrative Studies is an interdisciplinary program that features courses across the arts and humanities.
# of units in Dornsife College
104
# of units for NARS major
36-40
# of upper-division units
28-32
Introduction to Narrative Studies Narrative Studies prepares students for the development and evaluation of original content for novels, films, theatre and other narrative platforms, but recognizes that the range of professional opportunities in literature and the performing arts is much wider than the roles of author, screenwriter or playwright. To recognize a good story, to critique, help shape, realize and transform it, requires a background in the history of narrative, cross-cultural and contemporary models, and an understanding of the broader context of popular culture. Narrative Studies assumes that an effective narrative will be adapted from the medium in which it first appears as new media become available. In the past this has most often meant from written fiction to another form, but the future will likely present more opportunities for narratives written originally for new story-telling environments. To prepare students for a future in which the platform is likely to change, the Bachelor of Arts in Narrative Studies allows students to study across the current platforms while concentrating on the techniques of effective construction common to them all. In so doing, it draws upon course work from several schools of art but finds its home in the humanities. To help develop the flexibility necessary to understand how stories change across platforms, students are expected to complete at least three courses in literary and three courses in performance-based media. The remaining three courses may be chosen to reflect the student’s personal preference and initial career aspirations. MDA 490 Directed Research and MDA 494 Directed Creative Project are “capstone experiences” focusing on an individual project of the student’s own design, bringing together Majors 12
all of the student’s prior studies in narrative, under the guidance of a full-time research or creative arts instructor in a relevant discipline. Preparation for the capstone begins in junior year, and proposed projects and supervising faculty must be approved in advance by the Department of English.
Requirements One 4-unit course from each category
No more than 8 units may be at the 100- or 200-level. At least seven courses (totaling 28 units) must be taken at the 300- or 400-level. Students also take two upper-division electives chosen from the courses listed in the categories below. Some 2-unit courses within the same category may be combined for 4 units.
CAPSTONE ENROLLMENT
Students complete the capstone requirement, either MDA 490 or MDA 494. Introduction to Narrative Media
ENGL 405
Fiction Writing
COLT 101
Masterpieces and Masterminds: Literature and 4 Thought of the West
THTR 365
Playwriting I
4
CTCS 190
Introduction to Cinema
4
THTR 366
Playwriting II
4
CTCS 191
Introduction to Television and Video
4
Popular Culture and Ethnicity
CTIN 190
Introduction to Interactive Entertainment
4
AMST 200m Introduction to American Studies and Ethnicity 4
ENGL 261
English Literature to 1800
4
AMST 274gm Exploring Ethnicity through Film
4 4
4-8
ENGL 262
English Literature since 1800
4
AMST 285m African American Popular Culture
ENGL 263
American Literature
4
ANTH 333
Forms of Folklore
4
Literature and Popular Culture
4
ENGL 471
Literary Genres and Film
4
COLT 365
ENGL 481
Narrative Forms in Literature and Film
4
CTCS 192m Race, Class and Gender in American Film
4
History of the American Film, 1925-1950
4
FASC 150
Visual Culture and Literacy I
4
CTCS 392
PHIL 446
Aesthetics and the Film
4
CTCS 393
History of the American Film, 1946-1975
4
History of the American Film, 1977-Present
4
THTR 125
Text Studies for Production
4
CTCS 394
THTR 403
The Performing Arts
4
CTCS 407
African-American Cinema
4
CTCS 414
Latina/o Screen Cultures
4
ENGL 392
Visual and Popular Culture
4
HIST 380
American Popular Culture
4
MUSC 400
The Broadway Musical: Reflections of American Diversity, Issues and Experiences
4
Writing and Narrative Forms CTWR 412
Introduction to Screenwriting AND
2
CTWR 415a Advanced Writing
2
ENGL 105
Creative Writing for Non-Majors
4
ENGL 302
Writing Narrative
4
MUSC 420m Hip Hop Music and Culture
4
Majors 13
MUSC 460
Film Music: History and Function from 1930 to the Present
4
THTR 395m Drama as Human Relations
4
THTR 405
4
Performing Identities
Narrative in Cross-Cultural Perspective
ENGL 441
American Literature, 1865-1920
4
GERM 340
German Prose Fiction from Goethe to Thomas Mann
4
GERM 372
Literature and Culture in Berlin of the 1920s
4
SLL 302
Modern Russian Literature
4
SLL 344
Tolstoy: Writer and Moralist
4
SLL 345
Literature and Philosophy: Dostoevsky
4
SLL 346
Russian Drama and the Western Tradition
4
SPAN 304
Survey of Fiction (taught in Spanish)
4
THTR 301
Greek and Roman Theatre
4
THTR 302
Shakespeare and His World
4
ANTH 372
Interpretation of Myth and Narrative
4
COLT 264
Asian Aesthetic and Literary Traditions
4
CTCS 200
History of the International Cinema I
4
CTCS 201
History of the International Cinema II
4
EALC 125g
Introduction to Contemporary East Asian Film and Culture
4
EALC 332
Korean Literature in English Translation
4
Contemporary Fiction and Drama
EALC 342g
Japanese Literature and Culture
4
AMST 448m Chicano and Latino Literature
4
EALC 452
Chinese Fiction
4
AMST 449m Asian-American Literature
4
EALC 455
Japanese Fiction
4
COLT 345
Realist Fiction
4
ENGL 444
Native American Literature
4
COLT 348
Modernist Fiction
4
ENGL 445m The Literatures of America: Cross-Cultural Perspectives
4
COLT 351
Modern and Contemporary Drama
4
FREN 320
French Cinema and French Society: 1900 to the Present
4
COLT 420
The Fantastic
4
COLT 472
Los Angeles Crime Fiction
4
GERM 360
20th-Century German Prose: Texts and Films
4
COLT 475
Politics and the Novel
4
ITAL 360
Italian Cinema
4
EALC 354
Modern Chinese Literature in Translation
4
THTR 210
Theory and Practice of World Theatre I
4
ENGL 375
Science Fiction
4
THTR 211
Theory and Practice of World Theatre II
4
ENGL 442
American Literature, 1920 to the Present
4
Western Narrative in Historical Perspective
ENGL 447m African-American Narrative
4
CLAS 325
4
ENGL 455
Contemporary Prose
4
Contemporary Drama
4
Ancient Epic
CLAS 337
Ancient Drama
4
ENGL 463
CLAS 380
Approaches to Myth
4
FREN 347
4
COLT 312
Heroes, Myths, and Legends in Literature and the Arts
4
Race, Gender and Power in Francophone Literature
SLL 303
Contemporary Russian Lit
4
ENGL 423
English Literature of 18th Century (1660-1780)
4
SLL 348
Nabokov’s Novels: Art and Exile
4
THTR 300
Introduction to Modern Drama
4
THTR 314
Advanced Topics in Modern Drama
4
ENGL 424
English Literature of the Romantic Age (17801832)
4
ENGL 425
English Literature of the Victorian Age (18321890)
4
ENGL 426
Modern English Literature (1890-1945)
4
ENGL 430
Shakespeare
4
ENGL 440
American Literature to 1865
4
Majors 14
MINORS Minor in English The minor in English requires 20 units (5 courses) from 4 categories. Note that some courses have prerequisites, and these courses may result in a total of more than 20 units. Interdisciplinary Minor in Early Modern Studies Have you ever read Shakespeare, and then wondered what was going on at the same time in France or Italy or Spain or the New World? Have you taken acting courses in Shakespeare, and wondered about Cervantes or Dante? Have you studied the paintings of the Renaissance, and wondered about the history or poetry of the time, or wanted to sing its glorious music? Now you can combine your English major (or minor) with the new Interdisciplinary Minor in Early Modern Studies. This minor brings together the resources of the Departments of English, History, and Art History to study the literatures and cultures of Europe and the Americas from the late medieval period to 1800. It draws upon courses from the Departments of French and Italian, Spanish and Portuguese, Philosophy, American Studies and Ethnicities, the Thornton School of Music, and the School of Theatre. The minor focuses on the interplay of literary and historical methodologies while promoting an area study in a wide context. The minor includes a senior seminar based on the resources of the Early Modern Studies Institute (a consortium between USC and the Huntington Library), which enables students to learn about current issues in this cross-disciplinary field and about research techniques employed to deal with those emergent issues. Interdisciplinary Minor in Narrative Structure This interdisciplinary minor (which requires 5 courses, 20 units total) is intended for students with an interest in story-telling who are majoring in programs and disciplines other than Narrative Studies. The minor, based in the humanities, provides opportunities for undergraduates to study story structure from the perspective of several disciplines. Students must choose at least four courses (16 units) outside their major department and four courses (16 units) that are not being used to satisfy any other subject requirement. For more information More information about minor requirements is available on the Department of English website by clicking the link Undergraduate  Minors. Minors 15
Notes
revised 06/2016