Undergraduate Courses

ENG 203 World Literature

The overarching purpose of ENG 203: World Literature is to acquaint students with reading and writing about a range of world literature that is geographically, historically, and generically diverse. We read narratives written in a variety of historical eras, in a variety of places around the world, and in a variety of forms and genres. In my sections of World Literature, readings and discussion loosely follow the themes of the global Middle Ages and global medievalisms. Students do not need any prior academic study of these topics, or of world literature in general, in order to succeed in this class. Instead, students are encouraged to draw connections between the course themes and their own academic, personal, and professional interests.

Last taught: Spring 2022

ENG 340 Analysis of Literature

In my section of ENG 340 Analysis of Literature, we engage with that most infamous of Old English poems—Beowulf—as our constant companion through the historiography of English studies, movements in critical theory, and the core English major skills of literary analysis. We read multiple translations and adaptations of Beowulf, from J. R. R. Tolkien to Meghan Purvis, and trace evolving approaches to the poem. Not only will successful students have an intimate familiarity with Beowulf by the end of this course, but they will also be prepared to apply their expertise in literary analysis and critical theory to remaining coursework in the English major or minor.

Last taught: Fall 2023 (Syllabus)

ENG 350 Survey of Early British Literature

How does literature shape our culture, our history, and our individual selves? This survey explores British literature from the eighth century through the eighteenth century. Students read authors and texts that are considered part of the “canon” of English literature, as well as their less canonical—though no less important—contemporaries. We explore the relationship between literature and history, through stories that reimagine both the present and the past of their own historical moment, from the beginnings of English literature to the dawn of the British Empire. We also explore aspects of British literature beyond English, including texts translated from Latin, French, and Celtic languages and texts inspired by or commenting on other parts of Europe and the world. Students in this course deliberately practice close reading through relevant literary and historical contexts.

Last taught: Fall 2024 (Syllabus)

ENG 400 Capstone

Topic - Camelot: Medieval Legend and Modern Fantasy

The legends of King Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin, Lancelot, and the Knights of the Round Table at Camelot have been quite at home in the English literary imaginary for centuries. In this Capstone seminar, we investigate: why? Why are the ideals of chivalric romance so compelling and yet so easily spoofed? Why is it so appealing to await a ‘once and future king’? Why are these knights and these forbidden romances the stories to which we return again and again, even when we already know how the story will end? The story of Camelot frames our consideration of genres across centuries of literary history, considering early legends as well as adaptations, satires, and reimaginings.

Last taught: Fall 2020

ENG 406 History of the English Language

In ENG 406, we trace the history of the English language from its prehistoric Indo-European roots, through sound changes of the Middle Ages, standardization in the era of print, and diversification as a global language in the modern world. Students learn the basics of linguistics; the pronunciation and basic grammar of Old English (spoken ca. 450–1150 CE) and Middle English (spoken ca. 1150–1500); how to fully utilize dictionaries and editions of English texts; and how dialects develop through isolation, imperialism, and human interactions.

Last taught: Spring 2024

HON 111/112 Honors First-Year COlloquium

Honors Colloquium (HON 111/HON 112) is the foundational course in the Honors curriculum. In Colloquium, students learn habits of investigation, critical analysis, and self-reflection. This year-long, seminar-style course is designed to nurture students’ curiosity, build skills as thinkers and investigators, and cultivate self-awareness. In HON 111, students learn how to ask rich, rewarding questions; in HON 112, students begin to learn how to answer such questions with creativity and rigor.  Over the course of the year, Colloquium also facilitates active engagement in students’ own learning and the development of intellectual and academic independence.

Across its various sections, Honors Colloquium 2024–2025 will examine the topic of “sense” and the significance of sense in our world. In my section of HON 111, we will question how we know what we (think we) know. We will engage in the study of epistemology, the study of how we acquire knowledge, with special focus on how we use our bodily senses to make sense of the world. We will examine sensory knowing through the academic lenses of history, literature, linguistics, biology, neuroscience, philosophy, and more, fueling our practice of one of the core genres of academic writing: evidence-based arguments.

In the Fall, we will practice making sense of the world—how do we know what happened in history or how natural phenomena work? We will debate philosophical models for knowledge-formation, analyze how historians make arguments about what happened in the past, and explore scientific processes for understanding the natural world. Participants will practice advanced writing skills through short weekly writing activities and analytical papers, building toward the proposal of a research project that will analyze how we know what happened in the historical event of their choice. In the Spring, we will pursue those individual research projects, while considering how we make sense of and through our bodies, by exploring diverse approaches to cognition and subjective experience.

Last taught: Fall 2024 + Spring 2025

HON 303 Honors Sophomore Seminar

Topic - Tolkien, Then and Now (co-taught with Dr. Jameela Lares, English)

In this section of HON 303, we explore the creative and scholarly careers of J. R. R. Tolkien (1892–1973), who has been lauded as the “Author of the Twentieth Century.” Students in this course will evaluate that claim in terms of how Tolkien’s work reflects a deep understanding of past history, language, and culture and also in terms of the many ways in which his influence pervades global society into the current century.

Last taught: Fall 2022

HUM 201 Colloquium on the Premodern World

Topic - Medieval Christendom and Medieval Islam (co-taught with Dr. Courtney Luckhardt, History, and Dr. Paula Smithka, Philosophy)

In this course, we examine two distinct global cultures of enduring significance from the perspective of history, literature, philosophy, and religion. The focus will be on the interplay between these different aspects of human experience: the reciprocal influence of history, literature, philosophy, and religion on each other. Since the material available to us is so vast, we will focus on themes in two distinct global (Western and non-Western) cultural contexts. The two cultures to be focused on this semester are medieval Europe and the medieval Middle East, ca. 400—1400 CE. The three themes are: (1) politics and power structures; (2) science and technology; (3) ethics and beliefs. To focus on these themes, we will be reading primary sources—that is, texts produced in the Middle Ages. Students will read and interpret these primary sources, critically reflect on them, and compare and contrast these two societies and their norms with each other and with contemporary American culture.

Last taught: Fall 2022