The Honors Learning Community is a team-taught, interdisciplinary set of courses that address specific disciplinary topics as well as college writing. Each LC includes HON-101, HON-102, and LCIS-101.

This required orientation course introduces all Library and Information Science, and Dual Degree students to the full range of academic, administrative, and social expectations for students, and the environment in which they must meet those expectations. Intended for and appropriate to both online and face-to-face students, this course describes program requirements; college, school, and program policy; and offers information about the full range of resources available to the students in support of their program. It also offers basic tutorial and instruction related to the use of Moodle (the learning management system used in online and face-to-face courses), library resources, and other key tools used to support student learning.

This course is an introduction to the field of library and information science, exploring information professions, services, and institutions, as well as addressing fundamental concepts and theories of information. Topics which will be the subject of discussion and study include settings in which an information professional might work (libraries, information centers, archives, and the information industries); the history of the information professions; the organizational structures of information institutions; the information needs of users and their information-seeking behavior; and information concepts, theories, and practices. The class will engage with current issues and trends affecting the information professions in today's society. Assignments may include presentations, posters, papers, case studies, examinations, and written exercises.

The course applies the principles of evaluation research to contemporary information management problems. It covers the fundamentals of identifying and investigating problems relevant to continuous quality enhancement and communicating the results to decision makers.

Designed to acquaint students with the basic management functions of planning, organizing, staffing, directing, and controlling. The course is intended to help provide understanding of human interactions in the workplace and develop the practical problem-solving skills needed to handle managerial problems professionally. Approaches to managing, from authoritarian to participative to laissez-faire, are examined. Readings, case studies, critical incidents, simulations, and discussions.

A critical review of the issues and trends in management, program development, and evaluation of contemporary school library media centers at the elementary, secondary, and district levels in the United States. Students in this course will complete 15 pre-practicum fieldwork hours in the context of an assignment involving the development of an observation protocol (a method associated with evaluation research) and an interview with a school library media specialist.

This course focuses on topics related to services, information sources and information seeking processes as manifested in a variety of information centers. Introduces information concepts and services, including: question-negotiation (the reference interview), customer service, ethics, evaluating the collection, management, user service philosophy, service in different institutional settings and for diverse populations, and the assessment of services. Students learn about the creation, packaging, access and presentation of information in different types of sources and formats.

This course offers an overview of user instruction, including needs assessment, planning, educational strategies, and evaluation of programs in all types of libraries. Students will critically evaluate concepts of information literacy, learning theories, and the goals of user instruction and apply best practices principles in development of user instruction program modules for either oral presentation or online tutorials. Readings, discussion, guest lectures, oral presentations, and a term project may be included.

The phenomena, activities, and issues surrounding the organization of information in service of users and user communities. Topics include resource types and formats, information service institutions, markup, descriptive metadata, content standards, subject analysis and classification, and the information life cycle. Readings, discussions, examinations, and oral and written exercises.

This course addresses the theories, principles, and practices of bibliographic description and the application of national standards to the construction of catalogs in libraries. It covers the fundamental concepts of descriptive cataloging including: the elements of bibliographic description, the choice of descriptive detail, the description of print and non-print resources , the choice of access points, the formulation of authorized names and titles, the principles and practices of authority work , and the application of encoding standards. The course also includes examinations of current trends and future directions of descriptive cataloging. May include readings, discussions, presentations, exams, exercises, and individual or group projects.

The course focuses on the book publishing industry and its relationship to the library profession. Students examine all the segments of the publishing process: editorial, design, manufacturing, marketing, and sales. The course explores current issues in the book publishing industry; it helps librarians develop critical skills to evaluate books; it clarifies aspects of copyright as related to printed material; and it provides information about ways libraries can influence what appears in print and can take advantage of current conditions in the publishing marketplace. Also included are guest speakers from the publishing industry, media presentations, and individual research papers.

This course examines cultural origins and contemporary practices of oral storytelling. It explores the psychological and social value of stories and practical and ethical issues in selecting, adapting, and presenting story materials. Students observe and practice storytelling and develop a personal repertoire of stories. Readings, class discussion and exercises, and course assignments will acquaint them with a wide variety of story types, skills of story presentation, and the development of story programs.

The course will cover a wide variety of topics concerned with the history and development of the book, both as a physical object and as the bearer of intellectual content. Therefore, the lectures/discussions will look at two different kinds of phenomena: the physical properties of the objects that carried written and pictorial texts and the intellectual use to which books have been put. A third area that the course will address picks up the miscellaneous but important issues of the world of libraries; the antiquarian and out-of-print book trade; remainders; handling, storing, caring for, repairing, and conserving books; legal considerations of book/text ownership and use; and other areas of book history. Students will be introduced to the extensive vocabulary of the book world. With a mastery of this new vocabulary, the students will have a grasp of a subject of extraordinary breadth, boundless fascination, and endless debate. As Milton said, "A good book is the precious life blood of a master spirit." This course will explain why.

This courses serves as a foundation course for students who seek careers as information professionals in archives, museums, libraries, and other cultural heritage settings. Working with representative partner sites, the course introduces students to diverse information organizations. With a focus on the purpose, mission, and history of these institutions, the course examines key concepts and activities in an interdisciplinary context. Differences in the purposes and missions of these institutions are also considered. Specific topics include: collection building, organizing knowledge structures, conserving and preserving collections, collection use, exhibitions, education, the application of technology, and cultural politics. Assignments include case studies, presentations, and group projects.

Fundamentals of archival theory and practice, including the issues, values, methods, and activities in archival settings. Introduction to core archival functions of appraisal, acquisition, arrangement, description, reference, and access. Overview of history and terminology of the profession. Discussion of the types and varieties of archival repositories and the value of historical records beyond traditional research use. Engagement with contemporary issues in the archival profession. Course includes a required 60-hour field experience. Open to all MS students. First in a required three-course sequence in the Archives Management Concentration and required by the Cultural Heritage Informatics.

This course covers the fundamentals of planning and managing programs of prevention and remedial treatment for the preservation of information resources in libraries and archives. The study of the nature of all types of materials and the factors contributing to their deterioration serves as background. Preservation planning topics, such as environmental control and light, security, risk management, fire prevention, housekeeping and storage, general collections maintenance and testing methods, are covered. Additional topics include: emergency planning in the areas of preparedness, mitigation and response; selection of materials for basic repair, conservation or reformatting; budgeting for preservation activities; preservation training for staff and users; digital preservation; and cooperative programs. Course includes readings, guest lectures, media presentations, field trips, demonstrations, and individual projects.

Explores access to and use of archives and manuscript collections within the framework of archival description and representation. How archives are described and the surrogates that are used to represent them profoundly impact their access and use and are central to the archives profession. Students will explore various types of archival use including exhibits (physical and virtual) in addition to the creation of surrogates for primary sources and will gain a theoretical and practical understanding of EAD (Encoded Archival Description) as well as other emerging metadata standards.

Archival appraisal, or the assessment and evaluation of archival records to determine their continuing value for permanent retention, is one of the central and most critical challenges and responsibilities of the archivist. Building on the introductory exposure to appraisal offered in LIS 438, this course will focus on developing a theoretical framework for appraisal. It will introduce students to the theories and methodologies of appraisal and will explore appraisal models developed and implemented within the profession. It will place the issues and activities within the context of the documentation of society and the preservation of organizational and community memory.

Developing a knowledge base that encompasses a variety of competencies around sustaining an archives is vital for archivists who often work in small one or two person repositories or may face the challenges of establishing new repositories. This course will analyze the requirements of such small or emerging programs and focus on the ways to develop strategic plans, locate and pursue sources of funding, market and design outreach, understand the physical and intellectual resources of an archival facility; and sustain program growth. The class will also examine these issues within the context of different types of archives (i.e. government, academic, historical societies).

This is a bridge course between Archives and History that explores the relationship between historical events, the creation and maintenance of archival records, and the construction of collective memory. It analyzes the role of archives and records in the process of documenting and remembering (or forgetting) history. Focusing on twentieth century events, it considers such archival issues as repatriation, records destruction, contested history, and memory construction. These issues are presented within the context of various types of records such as genealogical records, oral records, and records of material culture (artifacts) in addition to traditional print materials.

The preservation and retention of media in digital environments are increasingly urgent issues for archival digital repositories. This course focuses on archiving and preserving a wide variety of digital media (primarily text, image, sound, moving images, and web sites) as well as thinking in a long-term way about overcoming the many challenges. Topics under discussion will include the characteristics of digital media that make a difference in their long-term preservation, media formats, rights issues, digital asset management, each addressed theoretically, historically, and practically. Please note: This class is not limited to Archives concentrators.

This course will cover the theory and practice of metadata as it is applied to digital collections. It will provide students with a comprehensive overview of current metadata standards in the library, archives, and visual resources communities, and offer them an opportunity to get hands-on practice using selected standards. It will examine the role of metadata in the discovery, delivery, administration, and preservation of digital objects, and consider current and emerging issues in metadata. The course will address all aspects of metadata, including creation, management, and use. In-class exercises and assignments will provide students with the opportunity to apply specific content and structure standards. Prerequisite: LIS 415.

This course addresses the creation, management, and dissemination of art information in museums and in their archives adn libraries, as well as in academic art libraries and visual collections. Topics include: the historical development of art research collections in museums and libraries; impact of new technologies on research and collection management; use of social media and the related information management issues; developments in field-specific standards such as CCO and the various Getty vocabularies, with an emphasis on the impact on access to visual materials; develoments in cross-institutional projects; and issues specific to small museum libraries and archives.

This course teaches the core concepts and skills needed to create and manage digital collections and repositories. It covers the digital convergence of cultural heritage information in libraries, archives and museums. It introduces strategies for managing digital objects over the long term through active, ongoing oversight of the total environment (content, technologies, and user expectations) during all phases of the information life cycle. The course also includes extensive discussion of policy issues affecting digital collections, including sustainability issues for digital repositories, and open access to digital resources.

This course surveys the history, staffing, organization, development, and future of public libraries, addressing the principles and techniques associated with planning and delivering public library services to individuals and communities. Students will examine the governance and service structure of metropolitan and town libraries and consider the political, fiscal, and societal trends affecting them. Special attention will be given to the analysis of the library needs of specific groups and relationship of these needs assessments to the implementation of particular programs and services.

This course surveys the history, staffing, organization, development, and future of college and university libraries. Common issues-including managing change, scholarly communication, publishing, information technology, advocacy, evaluation and assessment, planning, budgeting, and higher education-will be addressed within a context that connects academic libraries, and their infrastructure, with their parent institutions.

Activities through which library collections are systematically developed and managed are explored, especially the formulation and implementation of written collection development policies. Other specific topics include identification of user needs; collection evaluation; fund allocation among competing departments, subjects, and/or media; selection methods; intellectual freedom; storage alternatives; and cooperative collection development. Course includes readings, guest lectures, and a term project in which a collection development policy for a real information agency is prepared.

This course covers the conceptual frameworks and applied methodologies for user-centered design and user experience research. Emphasis is placed on learning and practicing a variety of usability research methods/techniques such as scenario development, user profiling, tasks analysis, contextual inquiry, card sorting, usability tests, log data analysis, expert inspection and heuristic evaluation. Rather than a Web or interface design course, this is a research and evaluation course on usability and user experience with the assumption that the results of user and usability research would feed directly into various stages of the interface design cycle. Assignments may include usability methods plan, user persona development, scenario and task modeling, card sorting, usability testing project, and user experience research project. The usability test project will use actual real-time cases from organizations in the Greater Boston area. Usability experts and research specialists will be invited as guest speakers to present in class and some will serve as mentors/site supervisors for the usability testing project. Field trips to local usability labs will be arranged. Simmons GSLIS Usability Lab (http://gslis.simmons.edu/usability/) will be used as the platform for class projects/assignments.

Principles and practices of database management and database design. Discussion and practice cover database application lifecycle, data modeling, relational database design, SQL queries, reports and other interfaces to database data, and documentation. Lectures also cover Web databases, XML, multimedia databases, and ethical and privacy issues associated with database systems. Individual and group projects.

Students complete structured field experience activities in elementary and secondary school libraries. Students will document their field experiences, make reflective written responses to readings and activities, and complete carefully designed learning projects that will help them develop professional skills, knowledge, and resources. This course fulfills 30 of the mandated 75 hours of pre-practicum field experience in preK-12 libraries for Massachusetts initial certification.

This course provides an in-depth look at the pedagogy of teaching and learning including an analysis of the research base that informs the application of specific strategies used for effective instruction. Students will examine the organization, structure, and content of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, the Common Core State Standards, and the AASL Standards for the 21st Century Learner. Students will prepare lessons, teach, participate in peer reviews, and begin to develop as reflective practitioners. Students will develop an understanding of the wide range of instructional strategies as they learn to create and implement standards-based lesson plans. Students will learn how to assess these lessons, resulting in data that correlates to student achievement.

Digital libraries are regulated collections of distributed networked resources made accessible to users, usually through a transparent and standardized interface. This course will examine publicly and privately funded digital library projects in the US and internationally, and will explore evolving definitions and visions, as well as issues such as preservation and intellectual property. Through hands-on investigation, students will also become familiar with the components of digital libraries, and with digital library research. Assignments will include (but are not limited to) papers and presentations.

This course will introduce students to the components of the medieval manuscript codex and teach them how to localize and date this kind of material, introducing them to the fields of paleography, codicology and manuscript illumination from the reign of Charlemagne in the ninth century to the invention of printing in the fifteenth. They will trace the development of book production and literate culture from its monastic origins to the later commercialization of the book trade. Different types of texts, such as Books of Hours, will be introduced. Students will learn the fundamentals of manuscript bibliographic description, and issues involving the modern book trade and curatorship of this type of material will be addressed.

Organizing and structuring content to help individuals, communities, and organizations find and manage internal and external Web-based resources and services. Application of current coding, metadata, and style standards to create Web documents. Evaluation of Web site quality and usability, and assessment of resource discovery tools. Strategic planning and user needs analysis for information architecture. Content inventory, organization, and management in support of wayfinding and navigation. Design documents for prototyping large Web sites. Readings, essays, design projects, in-class presentations.

This course explores the primary formats, technologies, approaches, and social dimensions of archiving and preserving motion picture film, magnetic video tape, and digital moving images. We study the preservation of moving images from historical, theoretical, and critical perspectives that inform archival practice. Course topics include: the field of moving image archives; histories of moving image technologies; preservation approaches, field-specific standards; ethics; and the presentation of moving images.

Outreach and advocacy are critical components of successful archives and cultural heritage programs, encompassing broad areas of user concerns from digital exhibits to educational programs, to social responsibility. Students explore the principles of outreach as well as strategies for identifying partners and the needs of diverse user populations. They learn how to develop public and educational programs including exhibits, and publicity and marketing tools for many audiences. Students also examine professional ethics and core values of advocacy and social responsibility in national and international settings.

This course addresses the evaluation, selection, and organization of materials for children (ages 0 - 12) in public and school library collections. Students will become familiar with materials for children in various formats, including the picture book, easy reader, transitional book, and chapter book; and will attend to fiction and nonfiction published to meet young people's recreational and curricular reading and information needs and interests. This course places strong emphasis on the evaluation of both individual items and library collections of children's material as well as on the selection of material for children for the purposes of collection development.

This course examines trends and techniques in planning and delivering public library services to children and their families. Attention is paid to the learning needs and recreational interests of children through the various stages of childhood. Students have opportunities for observation and practice of storytelling and other program techniques. Emphasis on planning, developing, funding, publicizing and evaluation of services and programs.

This course addresses the evaluation, selection, and organization of materials for young adults (young people ages 12 - 18) in public and school library collections. Students will become familiar with materials for young adults in various formats and genres, including traditional and graphic novels, and will attend to fiction and nonfiction published to meet young adults' recreational and curricular reading and information needs and interests. This course places strong emphasis on the evaluation of both individual items and library collections of young adult material as well as on the selection of material for young adults for the purposes of collection development.

This course covers the fundamental concepts and theories pertaining to information science. The course content includes core concepts and theories, information context, user and needs, information seeking and behavior, information interaction and retrieval, information use, and other related topics. Through this course, students will examine, analyze, and synthesize professional and scholarly work in this field, develop an understanding of the history of the field, and project the future of information science and their own leadership role within it. Assignments may range from literature search, opinion paper, annotated bibliography, in-class presentations on theories and models, to oral history interviews of persons in the field. This is a required course for master's students in the IST concentration. IST students are advised to take the course early in their program of study.

Introduces computer science and programming using a high-level programming language (currently Python). Teaches program design in the context of contemporary practices both object oriented and procedural. Presents fundamental computer science topics through initiation and design of programs. Students learn to think logically and to apply this thinking to debugging computer programs.

Libraries and archives rely on data. While data is ubiquitous, the formats in which data is stored can vary widely. The differences in formats can hinder the accessibility of useful information and lead to difficulties in finding answers to questions. This class examines different data formats, and how the information they store can be transformed into other formats, and the inherent difficulties in some of these transformations. This class uses the Python programming language and related libraries to examine and transform data in a variety of formats, including .txt, CSV, XML, and JSON. By the end of the course, students will be able to write programs to perform these transformations accurately, and with awareness of potential ways that data can be lost or mistranslated.

This course provides the conceptual foundation and context of computing, Internet and related technologies as used in information-intensive professions. With an emphasis both on concepts (along with an emphasis on terminology that appears in the professional literature) and skills (interactive demos and/or hands-on sessions), the course encourages students in trying out and learning new pieces of technology. The course provides an overview of topics such as how computers work (hardware, software, history of IT); networking; internet, related technologies and the future of WWW; content management systems; RDBMS and XML; ethics; security; information search and retrieval; the impact and implications of technological change on libraries, archives and other information centers; technology today and tomorrow; and other related topics. Along with providing the general technology foundation needed before taking other technology courses offered at SLIS, this course also introduces some of these other courses. Students are strongly encouraged to take this course early in their course program.

The Practicum Equivalent Experience provides students with the opportunity to apply in a school setting the skills and knowledge that he/she has learned throughout the School Library Teacher Program. If a student is currently working in a school library as "the teacher of record," he/she can choose to substitute one of the practica with a Practicum Equivalent Experience. The Practicum Equivalent Experience allows the student to receive credit for work experience gained at the school in which he/she is employed. The Practicum Equivalent Experience is done under the direction of a college supervisor and supervising practitioner. The minimum time requirement for a Practicum Equivalent Experience is 300 clock hours. Registration is made by arrangement with the Director of the School Library Teacher Program. LIS 495 is a capstone experience which is completed after all pre-practicum course work has been completed.

This is an educational field-based experience at the preK-8 grade level for students needing a practicum as certification requirement. Students will have the opportunity to practice school library skills and methods under the direction of a college supervisor and supervising practitioner. A minimum of 100 clock hours will be arranged. Registration is made by arrangement with the Director of the SLT program.

This is an educational field-based experience at the 7-12 grade level for students needing a practicum as certification requirement. Students will have the opportunity to practice school library skills and methods under the direction of a college supervisor and supervising practitioner. A minimum of 100 clock hours will be arranged. Registration is made by arrangement with the Director of the SLT program.

The independent study program provides an opportunity for the student with a distinguished academic record, who has achieved degree candidacy, to pursue an individual topic related to his/her own interests for use in a substantial paper or project. A faculty member guides and advises the student in conferences, reviews preliminary drafts, and assigns the final grade. Academic credit is dependent upon substantial accomplishment at a distinguished level of quality. Members of the faculty actively encourage publication of those completed seminar studies that represent useful contributions to professional literature. The study proposal must be initiated by the student at least eight weeks before the semester in which it is to be undertaken. The student bears responsibility for formulating the study, approaching an appropriate faculty member, securing his/her consent to act as a sponsor, and submitting a full written statement outlining the study to that sponsor at least four weeks before the semester opens. Ask your advisor for instructions and Independent Study proposal forms.

This course is designed to introduce library science students to the growing field of Middle East Librarianship. It will examine major developments and various aspects of the field. Major topics will include: 1) the history of Middle East collections in North America, 2) collection development,and acquisition concepts as they relate to Middle East publications, 3) selection of Middle East research resources for digitization, 4) provision of reference services, 5) Romanization tables (and cataloging), 6) professional associations with particular focus on Middle East librarianship, and 7) other related topics. Assignments will include course readings, written papers, discussion topics posted on the discussion link in Moodle, Web sites to review and evaluate, as well as a final paper. All assignments will be posted on Moodle using the assignment link.

The development of archival theory and practice has brought contributions from around the world. In addition, contemporary issues related to access, accountability, and memory offer plenty of examples and discussions from international archival contexts. This course introduces students to a diverse number of archival issues analyzed from an international perspective. Topics include historical developments of theory and practice in Archives and Records Management, archival solidarity, social justice, standards, and community archives. Students analyze these topics within the transnational environment offered by the collaboration between the School of Library and Information Science and the Department of Information Studies at University College London.

This course is a focused field experience combined with a related academic components. The field experience involves a minimum of 130 hours in an LIS setting and approximately 20 hours of coursework completed online. As a 3-credit course, it has a significant hands-on learning component. Through discussion with key personnel in the organization and working under professional supervision, the student gains hands-on experience in the information environment. Examples of coursework include: readings; discussion forums; reflections or journal entries; and/or examples of field work. Prerequisite: 18 credit hours including all SLIS core and concentration requirements.

This course provides a theoretical and practical introduction to Museum Studies. Students will read academic scholarship on the history of museums, the cultural and epistemological functions they have served and the ethical dilemmas they face. Through a combination of lectures, site visits and conversations with leaders in the field, they will also examine how real-world institutions organize, preserve and exhibit their collections, serve their audiences and make use of new technologies. Students will learn about professional roles including curation, collections management, registration, education and fundraising. The class will examine the continuing divide between arts institutions and historically marginalized communities, and analyze how (and how well) a variety of organizations are reaching out to diverse audiences today. Students taking this class at the graduate level will complete supplementary assignments and readings.

This course is designed to teach students how to meet the popular reading needs of adult public library users. Genre fiction, literary fiction and non-fiction titles along with readers' advisory resources and tools are explored. The relationship of readers' advisory services with reference, and other library programs, research on adult reading, and with popular reading in an information society will be examined. While the course introduces the basic principles of reader's advisory work, subjects or genre, because of the immense body of literature available, will be covered in a brief, introductory manner. The fiction genres included are adventure, western, mystery/crime, science fiction, fantasy, romance, historical fiction, Christian fiction, and horror. Non-fiction subjects include how-to-do-it, biography, self- improvement, and consumer health. Readers' advisory services including the interview, book lists, and book discussion groups are examined. Relevant research, trends and issues related to readers advisory are discussed.

Open only to students in the doctoral program. Required of all such students (1) not in residence in any regular semester in order to maintain matriculation, (2) not taking a course for credit during the fall or spring semester, and (3) working on their concept paper, proposal, or their field research project. Supervised study may not be applied toward academic credit requirements for the doctoral degree.

Independent Study offers an opportunity for the doctoral student to pursue individual study related to aspects of management not covered in detail in the regular course offerings. Independent Study may be a reading course, a group investigation of a topic of mutual interest, or a directed research project. An end result will be an oral presentation to the faculty supervisor and the Committee on Doctoral Studies, as well as a possible paper of publishable quality.

LIS 620 serves as a foundation and a cohort-building course. The course takes an international perspective in exploring historical developments, current issues, and research activities of interest to library and information science, archival studies, and related information fields. It reviews the history and major developments in LIS education and considers the role of scholarship in higher education. It introduces key topics related to the research process, including problem identification, funding opportunities, the communication of findings, use of human subjects, research ethics, and research misconduct. Assignments include papers, presentations, leading classroom discussion and completion of the Simmons College Institutional Review Board "Investigator 101" module. This is the required first course for SLIS Ph.D. students. MS students admitted with the permission of the instructor.

This course covers basic statistical methods and tools for exploratory data analysis in social sciences, focusing on basic concepts of probability theory, experimental design, descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, and regression analysis.

Open only to students in the doctoral program who have completed 33 semester hours and have successfully passed the comprehensive examination. Note: while working on the dissertation students are enrolled in LIS 600 for the fall and spring semesters.

Designed for students with a solid base of writing skill who wish to grow further as writers. Teaches writing of non-fiction that a non-captive audience would willingly read. Focuses primarily on the personal narrative.

Examines myths about the principle gods, goddesses, and heroes of ancient Greece, and the influence of Greek mythology on later literature, language, and the visual arts. Includes readings from Homer, Hesiod, Sappho, Ovid, and Greek dramatists.

A study of the literary skills integral to healing and to medicine--radical listening, the noting of patterns in a story, the understanding of how people make sense of the world. Readings and films focus on many topics, including detection & diagnosis, pandemics, the theater of medicine, power hierarchies, and cultural differences in medicine.

Analyzes the possibility of viewing fiction by African Americans as constitutive of a distinctive genre of literature. Highlights certain repeated themes and rhetorical patterns found in fiction by African Americans, but asks if race itself is what finally determines the makeup of the genre. Authors include Douglass, Baldwin, Ellison, Washington, Wright, and others.

Studies texts of law, literature, and cinema arising out of acts of genocide and political violence in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Provides students with a basis for understanding, through literary analysis, the social, cultural, and legal histories that resulted in specific human rights violations.

Explores the writings and cultural contexts of literature by and about women from the 19th century to the present. Features novels, short stories, speeches, poems, and plays. Selected topics may include: education, friendship, sexuality, the marriage plot, labor, and protest and politics.

Serves as an introduction to film analysis by teaching the basics of mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, and sound as well as fundamental principles of film narrative, style, genre, and theory. Films chosen from a number of different historical periods and national contexts, including classical Hollywood cinema.

An introduction to the English major, 199 provides a grounding in the skills and questions basic to the study of literature: how to trace an image, how a novelist constructs a character, what a poet is doing with meter and rhyme, and how to make comparisons between different texts. Required for all English majors.

Intermediate Poetry is for students who have had some prior instruction in the rudiments of poetry writing and some workshop experience. Workshops will offer greater challenge and critical standards than in introductory poetry and will cover aspects of craft such as poetic persona, the prose poem, the collage, and open-field composition.

Students examine a wide range of theoretical essays and books, most by poets and creative writers whose theories of literary art develop out of their own practice. Focused on an array of influential writings by creative writers on the art, theory, and practice of writing, the course will consider how their ideas and arguments have shaped many of our fundamental conceptions of what creative writing is and how it works. The objective of the course is to provide students with a working knowledge of the central theoretical and practical issues in creative writing and an understanding of how diverse writers have attempted to define and set standards for their art.Eligibility:Student has completed or is in process of completing any of the following course(s): ENGL 105 - Creative Writing: Non-Fiction, ENGL 107 - Creative Writing: Fiction, ENGL 109 - Creative Writing: Poetry, ENGL 199 - Approaches to Literature

Introduces literature of the 17th century through study of the metaphysical wit and cavalier poetry of Donne, Herbert, Marvell, Milton, and Jonson; the prose of Bacon and Browne; and the poetry of Phillips, Wroth, and Amelia Lanyer. Themes include manuscript and print culture, public politics and private culture, and sex and religion.

Focuses upon the works of major American writers and defines and analyzes how the sentiments and attitudes of the Romantic and Realist periods become intertwined with race in the literary process of imagining and representing American identity. Authors include Stephen Crane, James Fenimore Cooper, Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe, Jacob Riis, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Mark Twain.

Analyzes how film form positions women and investigates how female audiences consume the medium. Topics include female directors and stars, gaze theory and psychoanalysis, melodrama and the "woman's film," feminist documentary, racialized bodies, lesbian cinema, feminist television criticism, chick flicks, and postfeminism.

Analyzes how film form positions women and investigates how female audiences consume the medium. Topics include female directors and stars, gaze theory and psychoanalysis, melodrama and the "woman's film," feminist documentary, lesbian cinema, female spectatorship and reception theory, race studies and postcolonialism, and postfeminism.