Spring 2027 Course Descriptions: Storrs Campus | English Advising

Spring 2027

Each semester the faculty for the Department of English provide course descriptions that build upon the University's catalog descriptions. These individually crafted descriptions provide information about variable topics, authors, novels, texts, writing assignments, and whether instructor consent is required to enroll. The details, along with reviewing the advising report, will help students select course options that best meet one's interests and academic requirements.

The following list includes Undergraduate courses that are sequenced after the First-Year Writing requirement and will change each semester.

Prerequisites: Recommended preparation: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011

1401-01 | W 5-7:30 | Barreca, Gina

This course, designed for serious readers of fiction and for students eager to improve their skills in critical thinking and writing, will focus on horror as a genre of literature. We’ll discuss how words on a page can make the flesh creep on your arm. We’ll examine how plots are resurrected, brought out of the past to live again, and what happens to stories when they appear in new shapes and contexts. We’ll exchange ideas about whether evil exists in places, persons, things, patterns, or in thought—or all on its own. We will, as Margaret Atwood would put it, “negotiate with the dead” and learn how certain kinds of stories emerge and why they refuse to leave us.  

We’ll be reading books by Toni Morrison, Hilary Mantel, Stephen King, Shirley Jackson, and others. Attendance is mandatory. No electronic devices are permitted for use in the classroom; no exceptions. You will purchase and bring to class hard copies of the texts under discussion and you will take handwritten notes in your notebooks. There are frequent graded writing assignments which must be completed in-class, an in-class midterm and an in-class final.

1401-02 | MW 10:10-11:00 with discussion sections on Friday | Semenza, Gregory

This course focuses on the theory and history of the international horror film, from the silent era through the present day; it also surveys the important sub-genres of horror, including the monster films, paranormal films, slasher films, gialli, and folk horror films, just to mention a few. Often criticized—sometimes dismissed—as the lowliest of all forms, horror has in fact always been one of the most capacious, formally innovative, and ideologically complex film genres. The passionate responses it inspires in audiences, from cult-like devotion to outright disgust, raise fascinating questions about why we love (or hate) to be frightened. How do the things that most terrify us change over time or within different locales? How do we draw ethical lines (personal, institutional, or national) about what we are willing to depict or watch on film? What do our individual and collective responses to horror say about us and the world in which we live?

The course schedule is organized into two (somewhat overlapping) sections on Theory and History. In the Theory section, we’ll pursue topics of special interest--such as the depiction of women in the horror film--in great depth and in relation to multiple films. In the History section, we’ll work 1) to situate emblematic, groundbreaking, and/or influential films in relation to their specific subgenres and cultural-historical moments; and 2) to trace the development of the genre over time.

Please note that this course is not for the squeamish. Many of the films contain graphic violence and gore, strong sexual content (including sexual violence), and generally disturbing themes. I will do my best each week to help you anticipate any unusually graphic content, but please note that, in many ways, disturbing content is precisely the focus of this course.

Assignments include weekly reading and screening, serious notetaking in lectures, participation, a group project, a midterm, and a final examination.

1616-01 | MW 2:00 - 3:15| Tonry, Kathleen

1616-02 | MWF 2:00 - 2:50| Ramponi, Christopher

1616-03 | TuTh 2:00 - 3:15| Breen, Margaret

Organized around the theme of family trouble, this course is likely to engage most, if not all, of the following major texts (one play, one essay, four novels, and one graphic novel): The Tempest, “A Modest Proposal,” Dracula, Passing, Maus, The Joy Luck Club, and Salvage the Bones. Three essays, approximately 1500 words each.

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.

2203-01 | TuTh 3:30 - 4:45 | Sanchez, Lisa

In this course we will study important works of American literature from the turn of the twentieth century to the present.

The six books assigned for the course will be studied as masterworks of the novel. What all of these works have in common is that they are gorgeously wrought and ethically charged explorations of the American experience. Some are or were controversial. We will study them in pairs. The first two texts (Wharton and Dreiser) narrate the experiences of single young women in the industrialized American city at the turn of the twentieth century. One is born into wealth then experiences a downward economic spiral (in New York) and another is working class but has a quick launch into relative wealth (in Chicago then New York). The next couple (Williams and Faulkner), published during the 1920s and 30s, explore the legacy of United States history (colonialism, slavery, and the Civil War); both titles are also radical experiments in form. The final duo (Danticat and Erdrich) are two recent and extraordinary historical novels by a first-generation (Haitian American) refugee and a first nation (Turtle Mountain band Chippewa) American. Besides the exquisite artistry of these novels, both authors offer a subaltern woman’s view of twentieth-century American life.

Our approaches to these texts will range from historical, sociological, and psychological theories to various philosophical schools of literary criticism. Issues of race, violence, inter- generational trauma, class, gender, and sexuality will be discussed as well, since they are core topics in contemporary American literary studies.

Grades determined by three in-class exams and a class participation grade.

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.

2401-01 | MW 12:30-1:20|Hybrid|Forbes, Sean

2401-02 | TuTh 3:30 - 4:45 | Cohen, Bruce

2401-03 | T 5:00 - 7:30 | Pelizzon, V. Penelope

This course is an introduction to the delights of poetry in English. It’s designed to familiarize you with a range of poetic forms and modes from the 16th- through the 21st- centuries. We’ll read, discuss, and write about different kinds of poems, learning to appreciate their wealth of rhythms, figures, and rhetorical effects. Central to this course is learning to hear poems: we’ll listen to poems aloud in class, at visiting writer events, and online. You’ll also memorize and recite poems yourself, since memorization allows you inside a poem in a rather magical way. Participants should expect weekly quizzes, several short writing projects, memorization and recitation of short poems, a midterm, and a final, exam.

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.

2401W-01 | TuTh 9:30 - 10:45 |Pieratti, Danielle

This course will offer an introductory survey of poetry in English, beginning with a brief overview of Anglophone poetic tradition followed by a more sustained exploration of English-language poetry and poetry in translation from the Victorian period to the present. Analyses will be grounded in an approach that demystifies the reading of poetry, making room for the strange, experimental, or otherwise “inaccessible” in our encounters with unfamiliar forms. Coursework will include close reading, discussion, collaboration, written analysis, and the drafting and revising of research papers.

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.

2407-01 | MWF 11:15 - 12:05 | Cordon, Joanne

2407-02 | TuTh 2:00 - 3:15 | Sanchez, Lisa

This course surveys American and other significant writers. Our aim is to analyze the short story as art and artifact. Students will study the history and elements of the short story genre; master the key concepts involved in analysis of the genre; and participate in class discussions and group discussions.

Grades determined by three in-class exams and a class participation grade.

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.

2408W-01 | TuTh 12:30-1:45 | Burke, Mary

We will read a variety of modern plays with an eye to staging and to how theatre in the twentieth century both departs from and harks back to the drama of preceding eras. Progressing in chronological order, we consider evolutions of genre, theme, form, and politics in drama from a variety of national traditions, from Henrik Ibsen through J.M. Synge and on to Susan Glaspell, Eugene O’Neill, Tennessee Williams, the postwar British “Angry Young Men” (and women) scene, and Lorraine Hansberry. Coursework will consist of a practice essay, a midterm paper, response papers, group discussion, and a final assessment.

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011

2635E-01 | TuTh 12:30 - 1:45 | Anson, April

Literature and the Environment explores how literature and other forms of writing represent and imagine human relationships to environment, and in turn how environment “takes shape” in human culture through the way we represent it. “Environment” in this course will mean both nonhuman nature and environments built by humans. We will read Climate Fiction (Cli-Fi) from authors such as NK Jemisin, Ursula K LeGuin, and Louise Erdrich, as well as engage nonfiction, poetry, film, and other media. The course will be organized thematically, around concepts like “nature” and “environment” but also notions of conservation, territory, race, and gender that have influenced each other across American history and culture. We will begin with several classic pieces before looking at recent ones that build on—and oftentimes against—this older work. We will ask not just what writers write, but how. We will write short weekly responses, lecture quizzes, a midterm presentation, final exam, and final project of critical analysis.

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011

2650W-01 | T 5:00 - 7:30| Barreca, Gina

This course is designed for serious students who are committed to improving their critical skills through demanding work involving both their willingness to read long texts and write engaging, original prose. Attendance is mandatory. No electronic devices are permitted for use in the classroom; no exceptions. You will purchase and bring to class hard copies of the texts under discussion and you will take handwritten notes in your notebooks. There are frequent graded writing assignments which must be completed in-class, as well as three short papers which will be graded, revised, and graded again. AI will not be your friend in this course; you should not even try.

We’ll be addressing, through fiction and memoir, the largest issues facing the study of medicine, the role of medical professionals, the place of caretakers, patients, and families. We’ll discuss big and small issues: Are the body and mind two different entities? When we ask someone how they are, are we asking them about their physical life, their emotional life, their spiritual life or their mental life? Is there a difference between the self and the physical self? When we talk about illness, when we’re talking about disease, and when we're talking about death, are we talking about chaos? Are health, wellness, and care universal experiences or ones informed by culture, time, gender, and class?

After all, from shamanistic healers to technologically advanced practitioners of nuclear medicine, the question we're being asked is always the same: How are you? What brings you here today? How are you feeling? Books include A COUNTRY'S DOCTOR’S NOTEBOOK, HOSPITAL SKETCHES. GIVING UP THE GHOST, MISERY, THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS and other works.

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011

301oW-01 | TuTh 3:30 - 4:45 | Pieratti, Danielle

Advanced Composition for Prospective Teachers is a course designed for students interested in careers in education, such as Secondary English Education majors, dual degree students in English and Education, and English majors thinking of pursuing teaching. Students will study current approaches to composition, respond to research, and reflect on their own literacy. Readings will include articles on the history of writing instruction, contemporary composition theory, and literacy education by authors such as Peter Elbow, Gloria Anzaldua, Vershawn Ashanti Young, bell hooks, and others. In addition to reading and discussion, coursework includes regular reflections as well as three major revised projects, one of which will be collaborative.

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011; open to juniors or higher. Cannot be taken for credit after passing ENGL 3011.

3012-01 | TuTh 5:00 - 6:15 | Grossman, Leigh

Where do books come from? This advanced publishing course delves into how book publishing works, and all of the steps a manuscript goes through in becoming a book or ebook—and why some books sell to mainstream publishers while others don't. The course also touches on the skills necessary to break into and to be successful in the publishing field, whether as a line editor, production editor, writer, agent, publicist, or other creative position. A number of publishing professionals will be on hand as guest lecturers on specific topics, and to answer questions.

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 . Instructor Consent

3091-01 | Arr. | Fairbanks, Ruth

Writing Internships provide unique opportunities to apply writing skills and to develop practical critical thinking in non-academic settings supervised by professional writers. Internships are recognized as an important experiential aspect of undergraduate education and many employers give preference to applicants with internship experience. English 3091 is open to juniors and seniors in all majors. Both on-campus and off-campus placements in a broad variety of professional career areas are available.

Excellent writing and communication skills are essential.

Applicants must have at least 3.0 cumulative GPA in the major and at least 54 credits.

This is a variable-credit, permission number course with one to six possible credits depending on specific placement projects. The course may be repeated for credit with no more than eight credits per placement.

Grading Scale: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

See the English Department website link (below) to Writing Internship Program pages for further information and application forms: https://english.uconn.edu/undergraduate/writing-internship-program/

Interested applicants may at any point email questions about the program, application materials, or application process to Ruth.Fairbanks@uconn.edu. Because internships are in demand, it’s highly recommended that students discuss the ENGL 3091 opportunity with major advisors in advance of the official Spring 2026 advising period.

Application Timeframe: after applicants have discussed the internship opportunity with major advisors, they should schedule a meeting in weeks 7-12 with Professor Ruth Fairbanks through nexus.uconn.edu and submit application materials to Professor Fairbanks.

Application materials: internship application, letter of interest, current transcript, and best academic paper should be electronically submitted prior to meeting with Professor Ruth Fairbanks. For further information, see the link to online internship pages.

Placements have included Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, Connecticut Landmarks, Connecticut Writing Project, Globe Pequot Press, Dodd Research Center and Archive, Mystic Seaport, New Britain Museum of American Art, UConn Office of Inclusion and Civil Rights, UConn Women’s Center, UConn Information Technology, World Poetry Books, WithitGirl online magazine. Other placements are available.

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011; open to sophomores or higher.

3122W-01 | TuTh 11:00 - 12:15 | Burke, Mary

This course introduces a broad range of Irish literature in English (and, to a lesser extent, in translation from the Irish) since 1939. Students will explore themes and subjects such as post-colonialism and social change, examining particularly how authors in the post-independence (post-1922) Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland contended with inherited traditions. Readings will be situated in the context of Irish history, politics, and linguistic and cultural traditions. Fiction, drama, and poetry by writers such as Bowen, O'Brien, Heaney, Ní Dhomhnaill, Tóibín, McDonagh, and Rooney will be included. Coursework will consist of a practice essay, a midterm paper, response papers, group discussion, and a final assessment.

3320-01 | Online Asynchronous | Moores, Donald

In this course we will attempt the impossible: to survey the literature and culture of India in one semester. Because we are limited to fourteen weeks, our engagement with the subcontinent must be restricted to a representative sampling and thus include a few works while excluding many others. To this end, we will engage Indian history, religion/philosophy, poetry, film, and fiction. Readings and media include short documentaries, two influential sacred texts (the Upanishads and the Gita), a medieval poet, a Nobel Prize-winning modern poet, three award-winning films, and a novel by Nobel Prize-winning novelist V. S. Naipaul. Please know that India, throughout most of its history, has remained a plurality. To refer to India is to prompt the question: Which India? The subcontinent is a diverse amalgam of cultures, each with different languages, values, assumptions, and ideologies. During the semester, we will skim the surface of an immeasurable deep ocean. I hope the material will motivate students to take further dives on their own.

Prerequisites: ENGL 2701; instructor consent required. May be repeated for a total of 6 credits

3701-01 | MW 9:05 - 9:55 Hybrid | Forbes, Sean

Poetry and Fiction

3701-02 | MW 12:30 - 1:45 | Dennigan, Darcie

3701-03 | W 5 - 7:30 | Pelizzon, V. Penelope

Being Stylish: Poetry and Nonfiction

How do we talk about a writer’s style? Is style the same as “voice”? Who are some of the most interesting contemporary poetic and nonfiction stylists? How do we develop our own distinctive styles as writers of original poems and nonfiction? These are some of the questions we’ll ask in this creative deep dive into BEING STYLISH.

Be prepared to read many diverse poems and nonfiction works and to write with gusto in a variety of styles within the genres of poetry and nonfiction. Class members will write, workshop, and revise four major projects; offer sustained written feedback for peers; lead discussion of class texts; and engage actively in conversation at each meeting.

Prerequisites: ENGL 2701; instructor consent required. May be repeated once for credit.

3703-01 | MW 1:25 - 2:15 | Hybrid |Litman, Ellen

Fiction

This seminar is designed for upper-level undergraduate students interested in writing fiction, and as such it will require a great deal of writing, reading, and revising. Students will write 2 or 3 original short stories (or novel chapters) and complete a series of exercises. Most pieces will be then revised for the final portfolio (the final project for this class). The students will be required to actively participate in the discussions of the assigned readings and their peers’ work. Some discussions will occur in class, while others will take place on Perusall or HuskyCT. The course texts will consist of craft essays and individual short stories and novel excerpts. For a permission number, please e-mail Professor Litman at ellen.litman@uconn.edu.

Enrollment Requirements: ENGL 2701; open to sophomores or higher; instructor consent required. Recommended preparation: one 3000-level creative writing workshop.

May be repeated for credit

3713-01 | TuTh 2:00 - 3:15 | Litman, Ellen

This practicum course offers students an opportunity to join the editorial staff of Long River Review, UConn’s award-winning national journal of literature and art. In addition to performing a variety of editorial tasks (reading submissions, choosing work for the new issue, copyediting, collaborating on design decisions, contributing to the journal’s blog and social media, and more), students become familiar with common practices and issues in small magazine publishing and familiarize themselves with older and newer print and online publications. Readings are combined with research presentations, writing, and hands-on editing work. The class culminates with the public release of its major project, that year’s issue of Long River Review. English 3713 is by permission only. Students who wish to apply should e-mail a one-page application letter detailing class standing (freshman, sophomore, etc.), past English classes, and any other writing or editorial experience to Professor Litman at ellen.litman@uconn.edu by October 12. Interviews will be arranged during and after the advising period.

Spring 2027

The following list includes Undergraduate courses that are sequenced after the First-Year Writing requirement and will change each semester.

1000-Level Courses

1101W: Classical and Medieval Western Literature

1103W: Renaissance and Modern Western Literature

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011

1103W-01 | TuTh 12:30 - 1:45| Tonry, Kathleen

1201: Introduction to American Studies

1401: Horror

Prerequisites: Recommended preparation: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011

1401-01 | W 5-7:30 | Barreca, Gina

1401-02 | MW 10:10-11:00 with discussion sections on Friday | Semenza, Gregory

1601W: Race, Gender, and the Culture Industry

1616: Major Works of English & American Literature

2000-Level Courses

2013W: Introduction to Writing Studies

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.

2013W-02 | TuTh 3:30 - 4:45 |Bugingo, Margaret

2055WE: Writing, Rhetoric, and Environment

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.

2055WE-01-01 |MWF 10:10 - 11:00 | Ziolkowski, Lauren

2100: British Literature I

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.

2100-01 |TuTh 2:00-3:15 | Hasenfratz, Bob

2101: British Literature II

2107: The British Empire, Slavery, and Resistance

2201W: American Literature to 1880

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.

2201W-01 | TuTh | Phillips, Jerry

2203: American Literature Since 1880

2203-01 | TuTh 3:30 - 4:45 | Sanchez, Lisa

2207: Empire and U.S. Culture

Also offered as: AMST 2207, HIST 2207

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011

2207-01 | MWF 12:30 - 1:20| Vials, Christopher

2214: African American Literature

Also offered as: AFRA 2214

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.

2214-01 | MWF 10:10-11:00| Salvant, Shawn

2214-02 | MWF 10:10 - 11:00| Fasipe, Emmanuel

2274W: Disability in American Literature and Culture

Also offered as: AMST 2274W

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.

2274W-01 | MW 12:30- 1:45 Hybrid |Duane, Anna Mae

2276: American Utopias and Dystopias

2276W: American Utopias and Dystopias

2301: Anglophone Literatures

2401: Poetry

2401W: Poetry

2405: Drama

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.

2405-01 | TuTh 12:30-1:45 | Winter, Sarah

2407: The Short Story

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.

2407-01 | MWF 11:15 - 12:05 | Cordon, Joanne

2407-02 | TuTh 2:00 - 3:15 | Sanchez, Lisa

2408W: Modern Drama

2409: The Modern Novel

2411: Popular Literature

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011

2411-01 | TuTh 11:00 - 12:15 | Cormier, Emily

2411-02 | TuTh 12:30 -1:45 | Cormier, Emily

2600: Introduction to Literary Studies

2603: Literary Approaches to the Bible

2605: Capitalism, Literature, and Culture

2605W: Capitalism, Literature, and Culture

2609: Fascism and its Opponents

Also offered as: CLCS 2609

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 Not open for credit to students who have passed AMST/ENGL 3265W when offered as "Fascism and Antifascism in the US."

2609-01 | MWF 10:10 - 11:00 | Vials, Christopher

2616: Artificial Intelligence: Creative and Critical Approaches

2635E: Literature and the Environment

2640: Studies in Film

2645: The Classical Hollywood Cinema

2650W: Reading and Writing the Medical Humanities

2701: Creative Writing I

2730W: Travel Writing

3000-Level Courses

3010W: Advanced Composition for Prospective Teachers

3012: Books and Book Publishing