The elective program in English offers a wide variety of courses for student selection. These offerings range from thematically organized courses, to special seminars on specific authors, with each course covering relevant short and long works that fit the course’s focus. The typical composition students write at this level continues to build on student’s mastery of the five-paragraph essay. Students are expected to write three such essays each semester. They also study topics such as outlining, introductions and conclusions, transitions, and parallel structure designed to develop specific skills necessary for the writing of effective essays.
This literature course introduces students to the short story and familiarizes them with selections of short stories by writers from the United States and around the world, with a few texts from the 19th century, and the majority coming from the 20th and 21st centuries. We will study authors such as O'Connor, Baldwin, Packer, Roth, Carver, Joyce, and Chekhov exploring plot, theme, narrative, characterization, and these writers’ contributions to our literary heritage.