Summer 2022 Course Offerings

Summer 2022

Registration for Summer 2022 will begin on February 14. More information about Summer at UConn can be found here. 

Class listings for First-Year Writing courses, which include ENGL 1004, 1007, 1010, and 1011, are available here.

May Term: May 9 – May 27

2401: Poetry

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.
2401 | Online | Kneidel, Gregory | Hartford

A study of the techniques and conventions of the chief forms and traditions of poetry in English. Requirements for this fast-paced class include quizzes, discussion boards, a some light poetry writing assignments, two short essays, and either a final book review or creative final. There is no textbook for the class (i.e., all readings are available online, either in the public domain or through the UConn library). Fulfills CA 1.

2407: The Short Story

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.
2407 | Online | Carillo, Ellen | Waterbury

This course is designed to introduce students to the short story as a literary form. The course, which includes short stories from a range of periods and authors, invites students to engage with these stories through formal writing assignments and discussion board posts. Students will also read theoretical texts and pieces of literary criticism, which they will apply to the assigned stories.

Summer Session 1: May 31 – July 1

2214W: African American Literature

Also offered as: AFRA 2214
Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.
2214W | MW 5:30-9:30 | In-Person | Sommers, Sam | Waterbury

2407: The Short Story

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.
2407 | TuTh 5:30- 9:00 | Distance Learning | Gorkemli, Serkan | Stamford

In this course, we will study the theory and history of the short story as a literary form and read its fine examples by significant writers of this genre. In our discussions, we will focus on the literary elements of plot, character, setting, point of view, style, and theme in short stories, and you will write textual analyses.

3503: Shakespeare I

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011. May not be taken out of sequence after passing ENGL 3505.
3503 | Online | Semenza, Gregory | Storrs

“The remarkable thing about Shakespeare is that he is really very good, in spite of all the people who say he is very good.”  -- Robert Graves

After more than 25 years of teaching and studying Shakespeare, I still marvel at how good he really is.  In the class, we will study in depth 5 plays—Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, and Macbeth.  You will also watch four episodes of the BBC series Upstart Crow and a film adaptation or two.  My general goal in the course is to share some of what I've learned about Shakespeare’s plays over the years, and to explore with you the reasons why his artistry continues to influence and move us 400 years after his death.  My technical goal is to instill appreciation and understanding of the following: the historical context in which Shakespeare lived and created his art; the major dramatic genres of comedy and tragedy; the chief characteristics of Shakespeare's dramatic style: systematic indeterminacy, pervasive metatheatricality, and dialectical structuring (we will define these in class!); the basic terms and devices of Shakespearean drama, including soliloquy, aside, play-within-the-play, and exposition; the major characters such as Hamlet, Lear, and Juliet; and the major dramatic themes, including nature versus nurture, fate and freewill, and sacred and profane love.  In addition to reading the required materials and performing numerous online exercises, you will be required to write about the plays and a few adaptations of them; you will also take a final exam.

Alternative Session 1: May 31 – July 8

2276W: American Utopias and Dystopias

Also offered as: AMST 2276W
Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.
2276W | Online | Bedore, Pamela | Avery Point

he very notion of “America” is, arguably, bound up in utopian impulses. This course explores the importance of utopia in understanding America by asking several questions: What is utopia? What do we gain by understanding utopia as an impulse, a philosophical orientation, a literary or popular genre? What is the relationship of utopia to dystopia? To what degree do utopian and dystopian literature shape our thinking about the past, present, and future?

We’ll read five novels: one utopia—Edward Bellamy’s Looking Backward; one dystopia—Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451; and three novels that are hard to categorize—Octavia Butler’s Dawn, M.T. Anderson’s Feed, and Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One. We’ll look at several kinds of scholarship on these novels, including peer-reviewed articles, book reviews, and a podcast.

This is an asynchronous online class, so will include video lectures, open-book online reading quizzes that will point you to the key passages in each novel, and online discussion boards. It’s a W course, so will require three five-page papers and an open-book final exam. There will be short podcasts about writing, short informal writing assignments to prepare for the formal papers, and lots of opportunity to interact with your professor by email, phone, text-chat, or video-chat.

This is a general education course that fulfills the CA1 requirement. It also counts towards the American Studies and English majors. I see it as a great course for anyone who is interested in understanding why dystopian and apocalyptic novels, films, and TV shows are so popular in the 21st century while utopian texts have all but disappeared.

2730W: Travel Writing

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.
2730W | Online | Litman, Ellen | Storrs
Here’s the catalog language: Introduction to the craft of travel writing, with attention to the history, variety, and ethics of the genre. W and CA 1…But you deserve more detail: Travel writing is both a report of an unfamiliar place and a revelation of the self. We will explore this vibrant genre of non-fiction by reading a range of travel writing, most of it contemporary; you will also compose original essays grounded in your experiences. You don’t have to be journeying to exotic places during the course, but you do need to adopt the attitude of an explorer and storyteller, taking account of your travels (past or present) in either far-off or nearby locales. We will write 4 major essays: 1 critical analysis of published travel writing and 3 creative essays that report and reflect on your experiences. You will also select one of those essays to remix into another medium, such as a video, audio essay, illustrated narrative, or annotated map. All the essays will be composed in drafts, with peer review. Other requirements include posting to discussion boards, completing tests and quizzes, reviewing the drafts of others, and assembling a final portfolio. This is a compressed course, so the pace for both our reading and writing will be pretty fast! 

Summer Session 2: July 11 – August 12

2274W: Disability in American Literature & Culture

Also offered as: AMST 2274W
Prerequisite: Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.
2274W | Online | Duane, Anna Mae | Storrs

2401: Poetry

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.
2401 | Online | Igarashi, Yohei | Storrs

A study of the techniques and conventions of the chief forms and traditions of poetry in English. The course introduces the basics of poetic form, rhetorical and literary terms, poetic genres, and the contours of literary history. We'll also discuss enduring questions about meaning, the roles of subjectivity and objectivity in the analysis of poetry, sound patterns, and poetry and linguistics. Requirements for this class include short essays, quizzes, and midterm and final exams. There's no textbook for the class. Fulfills CA 1.

2407: The Short Story

Prerequisites: ENGL 1007 or 1010 or 1011 or 2011.
2407 | Online | Codr, Dwight | Storrs