Ashley Squires

Instructor:  Squires, L            Areas:  II / F

Unique #:  35420            Flags:  n/a

Semester:  Spring 2013            Restrictions:  n/a

Cross-lists:  n/a            Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description: Artists and evangelists, politicos and pundits have recently been warning us of America’s decline in the face of environmental devastation, secularization, economic calamity, globalization, and nuclear threat. But what are we declining from, and when, precisely, did this fall from grace begin? Was it during the banking crisis of 2008? Was it in the 1960’s during the catastrophe of Vietnam and the rebellion of America’s youth? Was it during the Great Depression, when the foundation of industrial capitalism seemed to be completely eroding? Or do the roots of twenty-first century disillusionment with American hope and promise go all the way back to the Civil War? This course will examine the American Dream and its discontents through a survey of U.S. literature from Whitman and Dickinson to the present. It will prepare students to progress further in the English major by acquainting them with the various experimentations in literary form that characterize the post-Civil War era and engaging with questions of race and religion, gender and class, family and empire that have dominated the cultural conversation for a century and a half.

Texts: Norton Anthology of American Literature, 8th edition, Vols. C, D, and E; Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court; James Baldwin, Go Tell it on the Mountain; Ursula K. LeGuin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Toni Morrison, Paradise; A text published in the last ten years to be selected by the student (possibilities include Jonathan Franzen, Louise Erdrich, and Junot Diaz).

Requirements & Grading: *There is a strict attendance policy in this class.* 20%-Close Reading assignment (2 pages), 20%-Historical Context Research Assignment (3-4 pages), 25%-Supplemental Reading Assignment (3-4 pages), 35%-Final Project (synthesis of the course material in a multimedia presentation)

Instructor:  Squires, L            Areas:  II / F

Unique #:  35395            Flags:  n/a

Semester:  Fall 2012            Restrictions:  n/a

Cross-lists:  n/a            Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description: Artists and evangelists, politicos and pundits have recently been warning us of America’s decline in the face of environmental devastation, secularization, economic calamity, globalization, and nuclear threat. But what are we declining from, and when, precisely, did this fall from grace begin? Was it during the banking crisis of 2008? Was it in the 1960’s during the catastrophe of Vietnam and the rebellion of America’s youth? Was it during the Great Depression, when the foundation of industrial capitalism seemed to be completely eroding? Or do the roots of twenty-first century disillusionment with American hope and promise go all the way back to the Civil War? This course will examine the American Dream and its discontents through a survey of U.S. literature from Whitman and Dickinson to the present. It will prepare students to progress further in the English major by acquainting them with the various experimentations in literary form that characterize the post-Civil War era and engaging with questions of race and religion, gender and class, family and empire that have dominated the cultural conversation for a century and a half.

Requirements & Grading: *There is a strict attendance policy in this class.* 15% - Reading Journal; 20% - Two Close Reading Assignments (2 pages each); 20% - Historical Context Research Assignment (3-4 pages); 20% - Supplemental Reading Assignment (3-4 pages); 25% - Take-Home Essay Exam.

Texts: Norton Anthology of American Literature, 8th edition, Vols. C, D, and E; Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court; Willa Cather, O Pioneers!; James Baldwin, Go Tell it on the Mountain; Ursula K. LeGuin, The Left Hand of Darkness; Toni Morrison, Paradise; A text published in the last five years to be selected by the class (possibilities include Jonathan Franzen, Louise Erdrich, and Junot Diaz).

Instructor:  Squires, L.            Areas:  n/a

Unique #:  34580            Flags:  Writing

Semester:  Spring 2012            Restrictions:  n/a

Cross-lists:  R S 306            Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites: E 603A, RHE 306, 306Q, or T C 603A.

Description: Sympathy for the Devil –

The figure of the Devil has inspired myriad artistic representations that reveal and inform the way we understand the source of ultimate evil and suffering—as a rebellious angel forever tormented by his separation from God, as a malevolent force in competition with a benevolent deity, as a trickster figure sparking mischief and mayhem, or as a motiveless malignity bent on causing pain and suffering wherever possible. This course will consist of an historical survey of literary representations of the Devil, beginning with Marlowe’s depiction of the Faustian bargain and Milton’s fallen angel as epic hero, taking us into the present day. We will end with Salman Rushdie’s exploration of the angel/devil dichotomy in the context of globalization and religious extremism, considering how contemporary discussions of fundamentalism and terrorism have shaped our modern understanding of evil.

Texts: Required Reading (subject to change): Christopher Marlowe—Dr. Faustus; John Milton—Paradise Lost; William Blake—The Marriage of Heaven and Hell; James Hogg—Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner; C.S. Lewis—The Screwtape Letters; Salman Rushdie—The Satanic Verses; Short readings by Lord Byron, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Flannery O’Connor.

Requirements & Grading: Daily Quizzes, 10%; Reading Journal, 10%; Field Reports (three 2-3 page essays), 30%; Major Essays (two 5-7 page essays), 50%. Students are encouraged (and in some cases required) to revise written work for a better grade.

Prerequisites: E 603A, RHE 306, 306Q, or T C 603A.

Description: Sympathy for the Devil –

The figure of the Devil has inspired myriad artistic representations that reveal and inform the way we understand the source of ultimate evil and suffering—as a rebellious angel forever tormented by his separation from God, as a malevolent force in competition with a benevolent deity, as a trickster figure sparking mischief and mayhem, or as a motiveless malignity bent on causing pain and suffering wherever possible. This course will consist of an historical survey of literary representations of the Devil, beginning with Marlowe’s depiction of the Faustian bargain and Milton’s fallen angel as epic hero, taking us into the present day. We will end with Salman Rushdie’s exploration of the angel/devil dichotomy in the context of globalization and religious extremism, considering how contemporary discussions of fundamentalism and terrorism have shaped our modern understanding of evil.

Texts: Required Reading (subject to change): Christopher Marlowe—Dr. Faustus; John Milton—Paradise Lost; William Blake—The Marriage of Heaven and Hell; James Hogg—Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner; C.S. Lewis—The Screwtape Letters; Salman Rushdie—The Satanic Verses; Short readings by Lord Byron, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Flannery O’Connor.

Requirements & Grading: Daily Quizzes, 10%; Reading Journal, 10%; Field Reports (three 2-3 page essays), 30%; Major Essays (two 5-7 page essays), 50%. Students are encouraged (and in some cases required) to revise written work for a better grade.