English
Creative Writing
Narrative Studies
Early Modern Studies
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM GUIDE Fall 2017 – Spring 2018
WELCOME TO ENGLISH
Featured poet Linda Gregerson at the Magill Poetry Reading on March 24, 2016. Photo by Steve Cohn. Catch the Magill Poetry Reading each March. Since 1987, the Department of English has welcomed poets from all over the world for this annual event, which honors the memory of the late Dr. Frank Magill and his extraordinary commitment to and passion for poetry. See Calendar on page 8.
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 can write in ways that change lives. English specializes in thinking clearly and writing well, in contexts that are culturally broad and historically deep. Job skills through stories?—yes. We analyze and organize complex ideas, evaluate qualitative information, anticipate how real audiences respond to language, and study behaviors of complex characters leading uncertain lives with competing values, weighing human costs and human benefits. All writing is creative—fiction or fact, prose or poetry, with sight or sound—and words matter. We develop critical abilities for a successful life, but our stories tell us 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 new programs that let you study narrative in different forms all across the university. Our classes are small—19 students in Literature and 12 in Creative Writing. And we work hard (that’s why you came here!), with
About the Undergraduate Program 2
extensive reading and writing. Literature and creative writing reinforce one another, and we want you to take classes in both areas. We have more than 40 full-time faculty with dozens of teaching awards among them, and all of them are always available to advise you. Many share appointments in other departments and can help guide you across USC and beyond USC. We believe in the value of study abroad and will help you find programs that are right for you, whether in English Literature, Creative Writing, or Narrative Studies. We honor excellent work in English with our extensive program of prizes and awards, and if you wish to go beyond our regular courses of study you can apply for our competitive English Honors Program. We run innovative Maymester programs in Literature and Creative Writing, and our undergraduate associations provide ways for students to share interests in small settings. We want you to graduate with an appreciation for the relations between representation and the human soul. Narratives are invitations to live other lives, to test attitudes and actions that are beyond our immediate experience, and when
you engage with complex literatures you prepare yourself for understanding complex lives. We want you to have a lifetime of new ideas. The relations between ideas and words matter. Change the words and you come up with new ideas, and English literature provides you with six hundred years of unexpected ways to change the words. All writing is creative, and “literature” is just a fancy word for “the history of creative writing.” We want you to know the social utility of a sophisticated understanding of discourse. We live in an uncertain world where there are always “two sides to a story.” We teach you how to understand and tell and test each side. It’s for this reason that Justice John Paul Stevens of the U.S. Supreme Court said that the best undergraduate training for a life in the law was… poetry! Two equally smart lawyers, each convinced that their own understanding of a text is correct, and trying to get a third person to agree. And that is literary criticism. You’ll find your own variation in whatever profession calls to you. Social discourse makes us human.
We want you to have a lifetime of new ideas. The relations between ideas and words matter.
… there are always “two sides to a story.” We teach you how to understand and tell and test each side.
About the Undergraduate Program 3
Opportunities in English
Overseas Studies
Students in the English major participate in overseas studies through USC Dornsife to study Anglophone literature on many continents—and students in the Narrative Studies major travel all over the world to study narrative in different forms and languages.
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. Upon successful completion of a critical Senior Honors Thesis your USC transcript will record departmental honors.
Progressive Degree Program
Explore the roles of professional editor and publisher, with an emphasis on literary nonfiction, by applying to our innovative progressive master’s degree program in Literary Editing and Publishing. Current undergraduate students apply during their junior year and begin their graduate course work during their senior year—and earn both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in just five years.
Scholarships and Prizes
English and Narrative Studies majors may apply to USC Dornsife Continuing Student Scholarships, the Beau J. Boudreaux Poetry Award, the Mark Greenberg Fellowship in Poetry, the Gene and Etta Silverman Family Award, the William James Essay Prize, the Edward W. Moses Creative Writing Prize, and the USC Libraries Wonderland Award.
Recent publications by undergraduate alumni include Release by Patrick Ness (2017), Love Sick by Cory Martin (2016), Rapunzel’s Braid by Beau Boudreaux (2016), Reading Contemporary African American Literature by Beauty Bragg (2014), and The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht (2011).
Opportunities in English 4
Courses and Registration Advisement & Registration
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 advisers 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.
FIRST-SEMESTER SCHEDULE
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
GE Seminar
4
GE Core Literacy
4
Foreign language
4
ENGL-261g, -262g, or -263g
4
Total
16
Narrative Studies (NARS) Course
Units
GE Seminar
4
GE Core Literacy
4
Foreign language
4
NARS Intro. to Narrative Media
4
Total
16
Courses and Registration 5
English Literature
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 for ENGL major
40
# of upper-division units
28
# of units in Dornsife
104
Lower-division requirements All students complete three foundational courses. At least two should be completed before enrolling in courses to meet the upper-division requirements. ENGL-261g
English Literature to 1800
4
ENGL-262g
English Literature since 1800
4
ENGL-263g
American Literature
4
Upper-division requirements Two courses in literature written before 1800 ENGL-341
Women in English Literature before 1800
4
ENGL-420
English Literature of the Middle Ages (1100–1500)
4
ENGL-421
English Literature of the 16th Century
4
ENGL-422
English Literature of the 17th Century
4
ENGL-423
English Literature of the 18th Century (1660–1780)
4
ENGL-430
Shakespeare
4
ENGL-461
English Drama to 1800
4
ENGL-465
The English Novel to 1800
4
One course in 19th-century literature ENGL-424
English Literature of the Romantic Age (1780–1832)
4
ENGL-425
English Literature of the Victorian Age (1832–1890)
4
English Literature 6
ENGL-440
American Literature to 1865
4
ENGL-466
The 19th Century English Novel
4
One course in American literature ENGL-350
Literature of California
4
ENGL-351
Periods and Genres in American Literature
4
ENGL-440
American Literature to 1865
4
ENGL-441
American Literature, 1865 to 1920
4
ENGL-442
American Literature, 1920 to the Present
4
ENGL-445
The Literatures of America: Cross-Cultural Perspectives
4
ENGL-446
African-American Poetry and Drama
4
ENGL-447
African-American Narrative
4
ENGL-448
Chicano and Latino Literature
4
ENGL-449
Asian American Literature
4
Two upper-division electives
Complete eight additional units numbered 300-499 chosen from courses in the English department. One class may be a creative writing workshop.
One ENGL-491 “Senior Seminar in Literary Studies”
“Afoot and light-hearted I take to the open road…”
– Walt Whitman, “Song of the Open Road”
By studying abroad through the Office of Overseas Studies, students can take courses that meet major and minor requirements for the programs in the Department of English.
English Literature 7
CALENDAR OF EVENTS Please check your @usc.edu email account regularly for announcements, reminders, and upcoming deadlines.
August 21
First day of classes
23-24 Involvement fair
September
Last day to drop a course with a mark of “W”
22-26 Thanksgiving week (no class)
Last day to drop a course without receiving a “W”
4
Labor Day (no class)
6
8
Last day to add/drop classes and receive a refund
16-20 Faculty advisement week
8
Honors applications due
*
November 10
October
December
Registration for Spring 2018
January
1
Last day of classes
8
First day of classes
2-5
Study days
15
8
Milton Marathon Reading
Martin Luther King Day (no class)
6-13
Final exams
26
Last day to add/drop classes and receive a refund
February
March
19
President’s Day (no class)
11-18
Spring break (no class)
23
Last day to drop a course without receiving a “W”
19-23
Faculty advisement week
22
Magill Poetry Reading
*
Registration for Fall 2018
*
Progressive degree application deadline
April 6
Last day to drop a course with a mark of “W”
TBA
Honors Thesis Presentations
TBA
Capstone Presentations
27
Last day of classes
May 4/285/1
Study days
2-9
Final exams
11
Commencement
Academic Calendar academics.usc.edu/calendar
Dornsife News and Events dornsife.usc.edu/events
Schedule of Classes classes.usc.edu
Contact Information Department of English
Connect with us dornsife.usc.edu/engl /DornsifeEnglish
USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences 3501 Trousdale Parkway Taper Hall of Humanities 404 Los Angeles, CA 90089-0354 (213) 740-2808 dornsife.usc.edu/engl
Undergraduate advisers Tim Gotimer Taper Hall of Humanities 406 gotimer@usc.edu
Laura Hough Taper Hall of Humanities 404 lhough@usc.edu
Director of Undergraduate Studies @usc_english @usc_english
Professor Lawrence D. Green Taper Hall of Humanities 426 lgreen@dornsife.usc.edu
Creative Writing
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 for CRWT major
40
# of upper-division units
28
# of units in Dornsife
104
Lower-division requirements All students complete three foundational courses. At least two should be completed before enrolling in courses to meet the upper-division requirements. ENGL-261g
English Literature to 1800
4
ENGL-262g
English Literature since 1800
4
ENGL-263g
American Literature
4
Upper-division requirements Two introductory workshops: one in poetry and one in prose ENGL-303
Introduction to Fiction Writing
4
ENGL-304
Introduction to Poetry Writing
4
ENGL-305
Introduction to Nonfiction Writing
4
One 400-level workshop ENGL-405
Fiction Writing
4
ENGL-406
Poetry Writing
4
ENGL-407
Advanced Fiction Writing
4
ENGL-408
Advanced Poetry Writing
4
One course in literature written before 1900 ENGL-341
Women in English Literature before 1800
4
ENGL-420
English Literature of the Middle Ages (1100–1500)
4
ENGL-421
English Literature of the 16th Century
4
Creative Writing 10
ENGL-422
English Literature of the 17th Century
4
ENGL-423
English Literature of the 18th Century (1660–1780)
4
ENGL-424
English Literature of the Romantic Age (1780–1832)
4
ENGL-425
English Literature of the Victorian Age (1832–1890)
4
ENGL-430
Shakespeare
4
ENGL-440
American Literature to 1865
4
ENGL-461
English Drama to 1800
4
ENGL-465
The English Novel to 1800
4
ENGL-466
The 19th Century English Novel
4
One course in literature written after 1900 ENGL-360
Modern Poetry
4
ENGL-361
Contemporary Prose
4
ENGL-362
Contemporary Poetry
4
ENGL-363
Contemporary Drama
4
ENGL-364
The Modern Novel
4
ENGL-426
Modern English Literature (1890–1945)
4
ENGL-441
American Literature, 1865 to 1920
4
ENGL-442
American Literature, 1920 to the Present
4
ENGL-445
The Literatures of America: Cross-Cultural Perspectives
4
ENGL-446
African-American Poetry and Drama
4
ENGL-447
African-American Narrative
4
ENGL-448
Chicano and Latino Literature
4
ENGL-449
Asian American Literature
4
ENGL-462
British and American Drama 1800–1950
4
One upper-division elective
Complete four additional units numbered 300-499 chosen from courses in the English department.
One ENGL-491 “Senior Seminar in Literary Studies” Creative Writing 11
Narrative Studies
The Bachelor of Arts degree in Narrative Studies is an interdisciplinary program that features courses across the arts and humanities.
# of units for NARS major
36
# of upper-division units
28
# of units in Dornsife
104
What is 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.
The Capstone Project
All students in the Narrative Studies major complete a capstone project during their senior year. This project, which may be critical or creative, is devised by the student and is a culmination of the student’s education at USC. Each project is done under the guidance of a faculty supervisor in a relevant discipline.
Learn more about the capstone on the Department of English website at Undergraduate Âť Narrative Studies Major Capstone Âť Project.
Narrative Studies 12
six categories All students complete four units of course work from each interdisciplinary category below (usually one course). Students are expected to complete at least three courses in literary and three courses in performance-based media. Additional prerequisites may be required for the courses below, which may increase the number of units required to complete the major. #1. Introduction to Narrative Media COLT-101gp
Masterpieces and Masterminds: Literature and Thought
CRIT-150g
Histories of Art, Design and Visual Culture
CTCS-190g
Introduction to Cinema
CTCS-191
Introduction to Television and Video
CTIN-190
Introduction to Interactive Entertainment
ENGL-261g
English Literature to 1800
ENGL-262g
English Literature since 1800
ENGL-263g
American Literature
ENGL-371g
Literary Genres and Film
ENGL-381
Narrative Forms in Literature and Film
PHIL-446
Aesthetics and the Film
THTR-125
Text Studies for Production
THTR-403
The Performing Arts
#2. Writing and Narrative Forms
#3. Popular Culture and Ethnicity AMST-200gm
Introduction to American Studies and Ethnicity
AMST-274gmw
Exploring Ethnicity through Film
AMST-285gm
African American Popular Culture
AMST-333
Religion in the Borderlands
COLT-365
Literature and Popular Culture
CTCS-192m
Race, Class, and Gender in American Film
CTCS-392
History of the American Film, 1925–1950
CTCS-393
Postwar Hollywood, 1946-1962
CTCS-394
History of the American Film, 1977– present
CTCS-407
African American Cinema
CTCS-414
Latina/o Screen Cultures
ENGL-392
Visual and Popular Culture
HIST-380
American Popular Culture
MUSC-200gmw
The Broadway Musical: Reflection of American Diversity
MUSC-320gmw
Hip-hop Music and Culture
MUSC-460
Film Music: History and Function from 1930 to the Present
THTR-395m
Drama as Human Relations
THTR-405m
Performing Identities
#4. Narrative in Cross Cultural Perspective ANTH-372
Interpretation of Myth and Narrative
COLT-264gp
Asian Aesthetic and Literary Traditions
CTCS-200g
History of the International Cinema I
CTCS-201
History of the International Cinema II
EALC-125g
Introduction to Contemporary East Asian Cinema and Culture
EALC-332
Modern Korean Literature in Translation
CTWR-412 & CTWR-415a
Introduction to Screenwriting & Advanced Writing
ENGL-105x
Creative Writing for Non-Majors
ENGL-302
Writing Narrative
ENGL-402
Narrative Composition
THTR-365
Playwriting I
EALC-342g
Japanese Literature and Culture
THTR-366
Playwriting II
EALC-452
Chinese Fiction
EALC-455
Japanese Fiction
ENGL-444m
Native American Literature
Narrative Studies 13
#6. Contemporary Fiction and Drama
ENGL-445m
The Literatures of America: CrossCultural Perspectives
AMST-448m
Chicano and Latino Literature
FREN-320g
The French New Wave and its Legacy
AMST-449m
Asian American Literature
GERM-360g
20th Century German Prose: Texts and Films
COLT-345
Realist Fiction
ITAL-360
Italian Cinema
COLT-348
Modernist Fiction
THTR-210
Theory and Practice of World Theatre I
COLT-351
Modern and Contemporary Drama
THTR-211g
Theory and Practice of World Theatre II
COLT-420
The Fantastic
COLT-472
Los Angeles Crime Fiction
COLT-475
Politics and the Novel
EALC-354g
Modern Chinese Literature in Translation
ENGL-361g
Contemporary Prose
ENGL-363g
Contemporary Drama
ENGL-375
Science Fiction
#5. Western Narrative in Historical Perspective CLAS-325
Ancient Epic
CLAS-337gp
Ancient Drama
CLAS-380
Approaches to Myth
COLT-312
Heroes, Myths and Legends in Literature and the Arts
ENGL-423
English Literature of the 18th Century (1660–1780)
ENGL-442
American Literature, 1920 to the Present
ENGL-424
English Literature of the Romantic Age (1780–1832)
ENGL-447m
African-American Narrative
FREN-347
ENGL-425
English Literature of the Victorian Age (1832–1890)
Race, Gender and Power in Francophone Literature
SLL-303
Contemporary Russian Literature
ENGL-426
Modern English Literature (1890–1945)
SLL-348g
The Novels of Vladimir Nabokov
ENGL-430
Shakespeare
THTR-300
Introduction to Modern Drama
ENGL-440
American Literature to 1865
THTR-314
Advanced Topics in Modern Drama
ENGL-441
American Literature, 1865 to 1920
GERM-340
German Prose Fiction from Goethe to Thomas Mann
GERM-372g
Literature and Culture in Berlin in the 1920s
SLL-302g
Modern Russian Literature
SLL-344g
Tolstoy: Writer and Moralist
SLL-345g
Literature and Philosophy: Dostoevsky
SLL-346
Russian Drama and the Western Tradition
SPAN-304
Survey of Fiction
THTR-301
Greek and Roman Theatre
THTR-302
Shakespeare in His World
Narrative Studies 14
Two upper-division electives
Complete eight additional units numbered 300-499 chosen from the lists above. These courses must be from different departments (i.e., they must have different prefixes). Capstone project enrollment
Upon submitting an approved project proposal, students will complete their projects in one of the following three courses: ENGL-492
Narrative Studies Capstone Seminar
MDA-490
Directed Research
MDA-494
Directed Creative Project
Minors English
Declaring a minor
Students majoring in other fields, especially the professional schools, often speak of the ways that literary studies and writing have helped them encounter themselves—their past and their dreams—and discover the power and passion of their self-expression.
All minors in the Department of English require a minimum of 20 units (usually five courses). To declare a minor in English, contact one of our undergraduate advisers (see Contact Information on page 8). Students are often able to meet one of their minor requirements with a course that also meets a General Education requirement, upon consulation with an adviser.
Narrative Structure Students with an interest in story-telling who are majoring in programs and disciplines other than Narrative Studies now can explore story structure from the perspective of several disciplines. Course work is drawn from departments across the humanities at USC Dornsife and from several professional schools.
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. The minor focuses on the interplay of literary and historical methodologies while promoting an area study in a wide context.
See the courses that meet each minor requirement on the Department of English website at Undergraduate Âť Minors.
Minors 15
Notes
Rev. 8/17/2017