Recently Offered Courses

English 105: English Composition I

A writing course that stresses exposition and argumentation and introduces students to library research. Employs selected readings to illustrate a variety of rhetorical strategies and to enhance critical reading skills.

English 105L: English Composition Practicum

A supplementary review of instruction in exposition, argumentation, and library research in English 105. This review builds upon the assignments in English 105 to emphasize and enhance writing strategies and critical reading skills.

English 115: English Composition II

A writing course that further develops the writing, research, and critical reading skills acquired in ENGL 105. Students will engage with a variety of writing genres and rhetorical modes, including analysis, description, and evaluation; students will also learn how to write collaboratively. Course content and writing projects will be oriented around a theme of the instructor’s choosing.

English 200: Introduction to Literary Studies

This course introduces students to the formal study of literature, and to trends in criticism and theory. Students learn techniques of close contextual reading, interpretive strategies, techniques of literary analysis, and strategies for writing effective analytical papers. The course also provides a hands-on guide to literary research, including electronic databases and the internet.

English 201: Introduction to Rhetoric and Writing Studies

This foundational course for the Writing in Multiple Media concentration introduces students to the formal study and practice of rhetoric, as well as covering trends in the field and major theories. Students learn fundamental tools for rhetorical practice and criticism, such as the rhetorical canons, genre theory, stasis theory, and more. The course also provides students with individualized exploration of career paths in rhetoric.

English 205: Survey of British Literature I

In this course, we read some of the greatest works of literature ever written in the English language. We pay particular attention to how the knights of King Arthur model a hero’s journey and then see how that heroic narrative is upended with characters such as Sir Gawain or the tragic heroes of Renaissance drama. Along the way, we play trivia games, listen to music pertinent to the readings, and analyze Youtube videos. The course covers approximately one thousand years of British history, from the Anglo-Saxon days to the Restoration. We will learn to analyze works of literature in terms of what roles they play for their community as well as how they depict the human condition intellectually, emotionally, and existentially. Students will learn to recognize literary devices through close-reading and incorporate those devices into a well-informed interpretation of a text.

English 206: Survey of British Literature II

This course surveys the major figures of British literature from the past two centuries up to the present. We read and analyze plays, monster novels, Romantic and Victorian poetry, and the richly experimental writings from the Modernist period. Along the way, we play trivia games, listen to music, and watch videos. This course will develop students’ critical thinking skills, ability to craft a well-informed interpretation of a text, and close-reading techniques. Students will learn to analyze texts with consideration for genre and form, cultural and historical context, wordplay, and implication. We will cover such topics as tradition, love in its various forms, the role of art, and humankind’s place in the world.

English 210: Introduction to American Literature

The study of major American authors from the colonial through the modern periods. Emphasizes such writers as Edwards, Franklin, Whitman, Hawthorne, Dickinson, Twain, Eliot, and Faulkner.

English 215: Introduction to Fiction

This course focuses on the short story and novel genres with particular emphasis on the journey of the hero. Students enjoy an eclectic collection of short stories (classic to contemporary, comedy, suspense, fantasy, science fiction, Western, war, and more) and the novel The Hobbit. We explore the importance of literature, how it both reflects and influences society by looking at the cultural and historical aspects of the works. Along the way, we examine how writers use characterization, plot, symbolism/archetypes, theme, setting, point of view, and other elements of storytelling to explore what it means to be human and to entertain and engage the audience.
In this course we explore some of the great short stories and novellas of the past two hundred years. Particular attention is placed on the moments of decision and moments of delusion that occur at critical junctures in the fiction. We read fantasy, existentialism, Russian literature, and magical realism, among other genres. Students will learn some of the fundamental concepts of storytelling, such as characterization, archetypes, narrative structures, theme, and imagery. By applying those concepts, we situate fiction within societal, psychological, and ethical dynamics. The novels for this class are The Hobbit and Pale Fire.

English 220: Introduction to Poetry and Drama

This course focuses on two seemingly divergent genres of literature: poetry and drama. We explore the historical and cultural roots of drama with the classic Oedipus, Rexand trace the development of the tragic hero through Hamlet, Death of a Salesman, and other modern plays. Students will see how poetry naturally developed from drama as they examine various ways to interpret the medium.

English 226: Advanced Composition -- Unlocking the Power of Words in the Digital Age

English 226 is an advanced composition course which includes the study of classical and contemporary rhetorical theory with emphasis upon the aims and modes of contemporary discourse. It includes practice in techniques of invention, organization, and style. This course is designed to enhance students’ writing and research skills beyond the introductory level. Building on the foundations of first-year composition, Advanced Composition focuses on developing proficiency in expository writing, critical analysis, and argumentation. Students will engage in intensive practice with various forms of writing, including essays, articles, proposals, and technical reports, and a focus on research and writing processes.

English 301: Introduction to Linguistics

This course introduces students to key concepts related to language, focusing on the components that make up human speech. Topics include examining speech sounds (phonetics and phonology), individual units of meaning (morphology, semantics), the way meaning is developed in utterances (syntax), and how all these components are affected by speech goals and social realities of the linguistic context in which speech is produced (pragmatics and sociolinguistics). Students will come to understand how language is structured and develop the skills necessary to understand the influence of regional variation, linguistic power, and identity on the way language changes around us every day.

English 325: Technical Writing

This course focuses on writing in the workplace. Emphasis is placed on audience and purpose to create clear, effective documents. Students will develop their writing, research, and critical thinking skills through practical application of grammar, mechanics, tone, organizational patterns, and audience analysis to craft such documents as letters, memos, promotional material, reports, and proposals. Whether your career path leads to engineering, IT, healthcare, or any field that requires precise communication, this course will equip you with the essential skills to thrive.

English 400/600: History of the English Language

The English language is complicated. In this class, we follow a history of conquests, interactions, and changes to English over nearly fifteen hundred years. In the process, we look at language, history, and society in order to understand the development of the language from Old English, through Middle English, and into the Modern English that became what we speak today. In the process, we consider grammatical, phonological, and vocabulary changes.

English 406/606: Chaucer & the Canterbury Tales

The Canterbury Tales is an encyclopedic representation of English late fourteenth-century culture. Its 29 pilgrims are from all walks of life and Chaucer uses their voices to present an anthology of the best short stories of his time, personally collected by him from all over Europe. These stories reflect the themes, values, annoyances, and aspirations of ordinary folk “fallen by chance into a fellowship” as they gather at the Tabard Inn in south London and agree to make the 60-mile trek to Canterbury more pleasant by amusing each other with competing narrative styles. This class explores the ensuing social, religious, gender, and class issues that these stories reveal as well as the text’s relationship to other texts. Students will become familiar with Middle English language and versification and engage with the text in written and oral form through class discussion and both short response papers and longer critical analyses.

English 407/607: Gender and Spirituality in the Middle Ages

In this course we will read a variety of texts, some in the original Middle English, and some in translation, which reveal the ways in which medieval men and women thought about themselves. In an era before psychology, when mental health meant spiritual health, identity can be seen as a struggle by the soul for control of the body. Spiritual advisors often told people that the body was inherently lustful and sinful, and must be subdued through prayer, meditation, fasting, and even flagellation in order to achieve Christian perfection. Consequently, medieval literature seems almost obsessed with virginity, transformations, food, torture, and the suffering of the human body of Christ. We will follow this fascination with the body in works by Chaucer, the Pearl-poet, Margery Kempe, and a whole host of writers known as “Anonymous.” We will read saints’ lives (full of graphic scenes of mutilation), romances (where people change into horrible monsters), devotional guides, accounts of mystical visions, and a work written for three women who had themselves bricked up in the wall of a church in order to devote their lives to God.

English 450/650: The British Victorian Period

A study of British literature from the coronation of Queen Victoria in 1837 to her death in 1901. Emphasizes such writers as the Brownings, Tennyson, Arnold, the Rossettis, Carlyle, Ruskin, and Pater.

English 420/620: Seventeenth-Century British Literature

The seventeenth century is among the most eventful and tumultuous periods in British history. Britain is grappling with the ramifications of the Protestant Reformation, and the country is on the verge of civil war. Meanwhile, new cosmological discoveries disrupt the sense of humanity’s position and purpose within the world. This course will trace how British writers respond to these crises of knowledge. We will primarily follow two currents of seventeenth-century British literature: Jacobean theater and Metaphysical Poetry. These writers critically interrogate and renegotiate the realms of (a) self, (b) the physical world, and (c) metaphysical reality. We will question how tragedy and poetry become mechanisms of thought and reflection on the human experience while examining how these mechanisms comment on cultural crisis.

English 470/670: The Romantic Movement in American Literature

A survey of American literature from about 1820 to the Civil War. Emphasizes such authors as Irving, Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Douglass, Whitman, and Dickinson.

English 475/675: The American Novel to 1900

A study of developments in the novel from the beginnings to 1900. Emphasizes such writers as Cooper, Hawthorne, Melville, Twain, James, Howells, and Crane.

English 481/681: Theory and Practice of Composition

A broad survey of the evolution of composition theory from the field’s inception to the present. The course will explore varying methods, techniques, and notions of composition theory and pedagogy. Students will also examine scholarly movements in composition theory such as the process movement, the cognitive view of writing, the social “turn” in composition theory, and others.

English 485: World Literature

A survey of literature representing Latin American, European, African, Asian, and Middle Eastern cultures. Covers mythology, folklore, and such ancient works as the epic Gilgamesh, as well as works by more modern writers such as Flaubert, Chekov, Ibsen, Marquez, Achebe, and Kawabata.

English 489: Senior Capstone

A course designed to encourage majors to synthesize their course of study in order to enlarge their appreciation of the aesthetic, historical, and cultural values of literature. Includes attention to professional issues, graduate school requirements, and career opportunities.

English 490: Studies in English – Stephen Crane (Spring 2026)

This course focuses on Literary Studies, and Stephen Crane as a major author. ENGL 490 is a variable-topics course for advanced students interested in studying a topic more deeply than regular offerings permit.

English 490: Studies in English -- Rhetorical Theory and Practice (Spring 2025)

This course focuses on rhetoric. ENGL 490 is a variable-topics course for advanced students interested in studying a topic more deeply than regular offerings permit.

English 490/MCOM 317: Studies in English – Copy-Editing (Spring 2025)

This course focuses on rhetoric and composition in practice. ENGL 490 is a variable-topics course for advanced students interested in studying a topic more deeply than regular offerings permit.

English 499: Writing Internship

A writing course offering professional writing experience for English majors or students in the Writing Specialization. May involve on campus appointment or writing and editing for a local business or governmental agency. Ten to fifteen hours of lab per week. Grading is on a pass/no credit basis. May be repeated for a maximum of six credit hours. Students will work with English and Foreign Languages faculty and its many committees (Writing and Recruitment, News Letter, Media Lab, Artificial Intelligence, etc.) to produce various documents and multimodal texts, e.g., minutes, correspondence, posters, course flyers, social media posts, etc. Students will engage the many modalities and genres of writing for/in an English department.

GERM

German 101: Elementary German I

A study of the fundamentals of German grammar, with special emphasis given to aural-oral practice in the language. Grammar, conversation, aural comprehension, and elementary reading selections. We will approach the German language and culture by engaging in different activities. The main emphasis is on reading, writing, grammatical and cultural understanding. Continuous practice will be assessed through weekly assignments. Regular attendance is essential for academic success in this course. Attendance is essential for academic success in this course.

German 102: Elementary German II

Following German 101 or credit by examination, this is a continued study of the fundamentals of German grammar, with special emphasis given to aural-oral practice in the language. Grammar, conversation, aural comprehension, and elementary reading selections. We will approach the German language and culture by engaging in different activities. The main emphasis is on reading, writing, viewing, grammatical and cultural understanding. Continuous practice will be assessed through weekly assignments. Attendance is essential for academic success in this course.

German 201: Intermediate German

Following German 201 or credit by examination, this is a study of intermediate concepts in German grammar, with special emphasis given to aural-oral practice in the language. Grammar, conversation, aural comprehension, and elementary reading selections. We will approach the German language and culture by engaging in different activities. A systematic review of grammar with continued oral work, vocabulary building, and reading of German prose.

LA

Liberal Arts 701: Introduction to Liberal Arts

The Latin word liber means “free” (think of the word “liberation”). In Ancient Rome, the Liberal Arts were those areas of reading and study pursued by men (yes, pretty much only men and only those who were rich and privileged) who had the leisure to read history, or study music, or learn Euclidean geometry for its own sake. By definition the liberal arts did not give you technical skills or train you for a job but were pastimes for the elite. So why on earth should we study them today? This course looks at the evolution of the liberal arts from classical antiquity to the present day, reading and responding to a variety of texts to estimate their value or worth as part of a graduate school curriculum.

Liberal Arts 702: Research and Writing in the Liberal Arts

A theoretical and practical introduction to research and writing in the disciplines that comprise the Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Liberal Arts 703: MLA Capstone

This course serves as a culmination of your experience in the MLA program at LSUS. It provides you with an opportunity to draw upon your previous coursework to address a contemporary issue of importance to you, your community, and/or your future career path.

SPAN

Spanish 101: Elementary Spanish I

The course focuses on introducing speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in Spanish, while building vocabulary, learning basic rules and terminology of Spanish grammar, and introducing Hispanic cultures in order to communicate in an accurate, effective, and informed manner within a variety of sociocultural situations. You will develop communication skills that include cultural and global literacy and oral presentation competence, which are fostered through a comprehensive focus in class on speaking, listening, reading, and writing in Spanish, while building vocabulary, learning basic rules and terminology of Spanish grammar, and introducing Hispanic cultures in order to communicate in an accurate, effective, and informed manner within a variety of sociocultural situations. You will learn how to talk in the present tense, build beginning sentences in Spanish, learn vocabulary about daily objects, and parse written and spoken Spanish texts.

Spanish 102: Elementary Spanish II

This course focuses on developing speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in Spanish, while building vocabulary, learning rules and terminology of Spanish grammar, and exploring Hispanic cultures in order to communicate in an accurate, effective, and informed manner within a variety of sociocultural situations. Extending from SPAN 101, this course is focused on further developing and broadening communication skills that include cultural and global literacy and oral presentation competence. These competencies will be fostered through a comprehensive focus in class on speaking, listening, reading, and writing in Spanish, while building vocabulary, learning intermediate rules and terminology of Spanish grammar, and introducing Hispanic cultures in order to communicate in an accurate, effective, and informed manner within a variety of sociocultural situations. You will learn how to talk about professions, holidays and calendar events, weather, and food, and how to develop commands and reflexive statements in Spanish.

Spanish 201: Intermediate Spanish

This course focuses on reinforcing and expanding speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in Spanish, building vocabulary, learning rules and terminology of Spanish grammar, and exploring Hispanic cultures in order to communicate in an accurate, effective, and informed manner within a variety of sociocultural situations. In the course, you will talk about topics related to art, sports, family, and travel. You will learn how to talk about events in the past, and how to apply this grammar to culturally relevant topics.

Spanish 205: Spanish Literature and Grammar

Readings in classical and contemporary Spanish prose. Special emphasis on comprehension as well as oral and written expression of the language.

Spanish 301: Spanish Phonetics and Conversation

An analysis of the Spanish sound system and conversational practice. Emphasis on the special pronunciation difficulties experienced by English-speaking students of Spanish.

Spanish 316/HUM 490/HUM 690

A survey of the expression of the Spanish personality through music, painting, and the plastic arts, and a study of the cultural factors that form the background for knowledgeable communication in Spanish.

SPAN 405/HUM 490/690: Latin American Cinema

The development of the cinema in Latin America from its origins to the present. Films are approached in a historical, sociopolitical, literary, and aesthetic context. Films are in Spanish with English subtitles, and lectures and class discussions are conducted in English.

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