125 courses with the subject ENG, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
ENG 117CHILDBIRTH AND WOMEN’S WRITING4
Also listed and described as GWS 117. An introduction to literary and interdisciplinary study as well as college writing. We will analyze birth stories as literary and cultural metaphors in the texts of authors such as Anne Bradstreet, Maggie Nelson, Hélène Cixous, Louise Erdrich, Julia Kristeva, Toni Morrison, Adrienne Rich, and Jazmina Barrera. Fulfills the 100-level literature requirement for the E&CW major. (f, w, x)
This interdisciplinary and writing-intensive course explores the rhetorical and literary construction of exile and immigration. What do we mean when we talk of being in exile? How are speaking, reading, and writing themselves states of exile? Possible texts: W.E.B. Dubois, Gloria Anzaldua, Monique Thuy-Dung Truong, Langston Hughes, Julia Alvarez, and Lone Star. Fulfills the 100-level literature requirement for the E&CW major. (f, w, x, AES, DIV, INQ) Hollins University 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog Page 219
Both monsters and marvels are deviations from a norm or standard that is called “natural.” Frequently it is the case that the word nature or natural implies a system of values or norms. Deviations from this norm - whether horrible (monsters) or wonderful (marvels) - offer an insight into the basis of values that form the norm. Readings will include The Odyssey, Frankenstein, and Jurassic Park. Fulfills the 100-level literature requirement for the E&CW major. (f, w, x, AES)
Fairy tales provide a rich treasure trove for critical and creative exploration. In this course, we will examine stories with their roots in oral tradition, as well as the literary tales inspired by and entwined with them. We will also examine different critical approaches to analyzing these tales, the interplay of oral and literary traditions, and modern creative work in a variety of genres. Fulfills the 100-level literature requirement for the E&CW major. (f, w, x, AES)
ENG 141FUNDAMENTALS OF WRITING POETRY AND FICTION4
Fundamentals of writing poetry and fiction; discussion of student work and of the creative process; readings in contemporary poems and short stories. Frequent conferences with the instructor. Fulfills the creative writing requirement for the E&CW major. Offered both terms. (f, w, o, CRE,
The writing of poetry, nonfiction, and fiction; intermediate level. Includes discussion of student work and work by classic and contemporary writers. Frequent conferences with the instructor. terms. (f, w, CRE)
ENG 141. Fulfills the creative writing requirement for the E&CW major. Offered both
ENG 150SPECIAL TOPICS: EXISTENTIALISM AND LITERATURE4
Also listed and described as PHIL 150. This course provides an introduction to the 20th century philosophical movement of existentialism and its relationship to literature. Through reading a selection of short philosophical texts, short stories, and novels we will explore key themes such as death, absurdity, faith, freedom, and responsibility within both canonical and non-canonical texts. Authors may include Camus, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Woolf, and Ellison. Fulfills the 100-level literature requirement for the E&CW major. Hollins University 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog Page 220
An introduction to literary studies at the college level. This is a course about how important stories and ideas are reanimated across genre, time, and cultures. Along the way you will experience your own transformation as a reader, thinker, and writer. Topics in literature vary from term to term. Fulfills the 100-level literature requirement for the E&CW major. (f, w, x, AES, INQ) Topics for 2026-2027
ENG 152THE CHILD’S IMAGINATION – CHILDREN IN LITERATURE4
An exploration of the role(s) of the child in literature with a special focus on the significance of the imagination. Texts could include Jane Eyre, Anne of Green Gables, The Little Prince, My Name is Asher Lev and Annie John. Assignments include weekly papers and oral presentations. Fulfills the 100-level literature requirement for the E&CW major. (f, w, x, AES, MOD)
Close examination of the phenomenon of fantastical cities in literature, starting in Atlantis and ending in contemporary sci-fi. “Unreal” cities are battlegrounds for very real questions about community, justice, and the soul. Close reading and writing intensive. Texts start with Plato and the Gilgamesh and may include medieval poetry, The Emerald City of Oz, the comic Astro City, and Italo Calvino. Fulfills the 100-level literature requirement for the E&CW major. (f, w, x, AES)
The Harlem Renaissance was a major period in American intellectual and artistic life. African Americans began to create literature that expressed a new-found sense of self-determination and self-awareness. The period represented a fertile outpouring of creative work that articulated a new vision for the 20th century. It brought together the voices of writers like Langston Hughes, Jean Toomer, and Zora Neale Hurston, along with painters like Aaron Douglass, sculptors like Sargent Johnson, and musicians like Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong. The primary goal of this course is to introduce students to various rhetorical and stylistic methods that these writers and artists used to examine issues of nationalism, gender, racism, and economic disparity. Fulfills the 100-level literature requirement for the E&CW major. (f, w, x, AES, DIV)
Also listed and described as GWS 174. This course explores the diversity of women’s voices and experiences through contemporary literature and film. Discussions will focus on how women respond to the forces of culture, language, politics, gender, and national identity. Readings and films will include a variety of work from Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Fulfills the 100-level literature requirement for the E&CW major. (f, w, x, AES, GLO) Hollins University 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog Page 222
Derek Walcott wrote: “The English language is nobody’s special property. It is the property of the imagination: it is the property of the language itself.” This survey course tracks English’s growth from a localized Germanic dialect to a global literary language. We will look at the mechanics of grammar, as well as historical themes, including linguistic change, the question of standardization, and the value of dialect and slang. E&CW major.
ENG 142. Offered both terms. (w, CRE- 4 credits required for CRE)
ENG 210CREATIVE NONFICTION4
This creative writing course focuses on the writing of creative nonfiction, including personal essays as well as nonfiction about nature, sport, and culture. Students will develop their writing through the process of sharing their work with others, reading a variety of authors, experimenting with new ways of writing, responding to each other’s work, and focusing on revision. The course is open to beginning as well as advanced nonfiction writers. E&CW major. (w, CRE)
sophomore standing or permission. Fulfills the creative writing requirement for the
ENG 211MULTICULTURAL WOMEN WRITERS4
Also listed and described as GWS 211. This course focuses on the work of 20th-century women writers whose work explores issues of culture, ethnicity, and American identity. Issues discussed include how each character struggles to create a sense of female identity within the often- conflicting influences of family and American culture; how authors respond to stereotypes of their cultural heritage; and how they depict the history of their group within the larger context of American history. Underrepresented Voices” requirement for the E&CW major. (w, x, AES, DIV)
one semester of college work or permission. Fulfills the “Historically
ENG 217SHAKESPEARE’S KINGS AND CLOWNS4
High and low, Shakespeare portrayed hierarchy through the eyes of those at the top and through the eyes of those who subverted or mocked it. The divine right of kings, political Hollins University 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog Page 223
Also listed and described as SPAN 219. Survey of U.S. Latinx literature that introduces students to the major authors and trends in the tradition through a variety of genres ranging from poetry and short stories to memoirs and novels. Throughout the course, a major question we will be investigating is what makes literature “Latinx.” Where does this term come from and how useful is it as a designation for a group of people and a literary tradition? How does it fit into a transnational context? Authors may include Justin Torres, Sandra Cisneros, Piri Thomas, Ana Castillo, or Cristina García. major OR the “Historically Underrepresented Voices” requirement for the E&CW major. (DJP)
one semester of college work or permission. Fulfills the methods requirement for the E&CW
ENG 220EARLY AFRICAN-AMERICAN LIT: RACE AND RESISTANCE, SLAVERY AND SONG4
This course is a survey of African-American literature from its early vernacular traditions to the Harlem Renaissance. Students will be exposed to a range of genres, including fiction, poetry, drama, autobiography, and nonfiction. In this course, we will examine how this tradition explores a diverse body of ideas, which nonetheless coalesce around preoccupations with identity, freedom, and mobility. E&CW major OR the “Historically Underrepresented Voices” requirement for the E&CW major. (w, x, AES, DIV)
one semester of college work or permission. Fulfills the methods requirement for the
ENG 221AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE4
This survey course will focus on African-American literature from the 1920s to the present. Topics include the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts Movement, and black women writers. We will examine the various ways the black experience has been depicted in poetry, fiction, and drama, as we discuss issues of aesthetics, community, and gender. Prerequisite: one semester of college work or permission. Fulfills the “Historically Underrepresented Voices” requirement for the E&CW major. (DIV, MOD) Hollins University 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog Page 224
This course will survey British literature from the medieval to the early modern period. We will read the work of Geoffrey Chaucer, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, and others.
Also listed and described as GWS 231. An introduction to Anglophone LGBTQ+ literature from the late nineteenth century to the present. Our aim is to analyze the generic range and political messages of texts by queer writers during this period. Authors include Gertrude Stein, Patricia Highsmith, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, Alison Bechdel, Carmen Maria Machado, Natalie Diaz, Ocean Vuong, and Danez Smith. We will read these works as individual texts and through the lens of queer theory by critics including Jack Halberstam, Eve Sedgwick, Judith Butler, Gayle Salomon, and José Esteban Muñoz. Also cross listed as GWS 231. Prerequisite: one semester of college work or permission. Fulfills the “Historically Underrepresented Voices” requirement for the E&CW major. (AES, DIV, SMN)
An introduction to traditional and contemporary classics. This course provides a foundation both in the history and interpretation of children’s literature and in the practical implications of book selection and censorship. E&CW major. (w, x, AES) Topics for 2026-2027
one semester of college work or permission. Fulfills the methods requirement for the
ENG 250SPECIAL TOPICS: BEYOND PUBLISH OR PERISH4
This course aims to equip students with the knowledge of the paths toward creative writing publication and how to articulate their writing skills into a portfolio appropriate for different fields where the skills of writing well – and the liberal arts in general – can be applied for various careers.
We will read a variety of literature of the Holocaust to examine how writers tried to create meaning from their experience. Our readings will be drawn from a range of genres, including survivor memoirs, testimonies, non-fictional narrative, graphic novels, poetry, essays, and film. Each genre approaches the representation of the Holocaust in a different way. Voices” requirement for the E&CW major. (DJP)
sophomore standing or permission. Fulfills the “Historically Underrepresented
ENG 273STUDIES IN LYRIC POETRY4
How do poets work, and play, with words? Close readings of selected poems by traditional and contemporary writers; training in the analysis of poetry useful to writers and other students interested in studying literature and to anyone else who wishes to learn the rules of the game of poetry.
ENG 275SPECULATIVE FICTION AND ITS LITERARY ANCESTORS4
This course considers the nature of the modern publishing category “speculative fiction” and its roots in long traditions of fantastical storytelling. We will read modern examples of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and magical realism alongside analogues in ancient, medieval, and Hollins University 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog Page 227
This course explores the creative work of a unique and racially diverse group of artists and musicians who gathered primarily around the cosmopolitan cities of New York and San Francisco during the 1950s and 1960s. This group of Bohemian intellectuals revolutionized art and introduced a new way of seeing America. The course focuses on the origins of the “Beat Movement” by examining the work of Bob Kaufman, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Diane DiPrima, William Burroughs, Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones), and several others. Underrepresented Voices” requirement for the E&CW major. (DIV)
one semester of college work or permission. Fulfills the “Historically
ENG 290INDEPENDENT STUDY (2 OR 4)
Independent study conducted below the advanced level. Application must be made with faculty and department chair prior to registration. Offered any term. Hollins University 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog Page 228
Also listed and described as PHIL 303. Where does creativity come from? Does a work of art mirror the world or mirror the artist? What does “representation” actually mean? How does language create meaning? These topics are treated in this historic and analytic introduction to literary theory as we move from classical to postmodern thinkers.
This course focuses on writing nonfiction prose with an overview of expository writing as a literary genre. Students will read, analyze, and write exploratory, research-based essays, articles, and creative criticism with focus on voice, audience, and style.
This course includes readings in fiction, poetry, memoir, and writing process theory as well as writing assignments cast under the influence of the writers whose works we will be studying. We will consider works by a variety of writers while asking questions such as, How does art generate other art? Are authors actually acts of imagination much like their works (and characters)? Is criticism a form of autobiography? What happens to ourselves/identities when we imagine?
Also listed and described as PHIL 307. This course offers a focused look at different schools of theory: the theory and function of metaphor and performative language from classical to contemporary thought, emphasizing the latter.
This course will give students the opportunity to tell their own stories by working on a longer creative nonfiction project, which may be composed of a single work or shorter interrelated pieces. The process of writing will be enhanced by our reading and analyzing longer memoirs with special attention to structure, development, and voice. Class time will be divided between discussion of literary works and student writing. requirement in the E&CW major. (AES, CRE) Hollins University 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog Page 229
ENG 210 or permission. Fulfills the “Historically Underrepresented Voices”
ENG 310CHAUCER: THE CANTERBURY TALES4
Close examination of Chaucer’s 14th-century story collection, The Canterbury Tales. Themes include ideas of character and community; gender and genre; religion and secularity. We will read the poem in Chaucer’s own dialect, but no prior knowledge of the Middle Ages or Middle English is expected. major. (w, x, AES, PRE)
sophomore standing or permission. Fulfills the pre-1700 requirement for the E&CW
ENG 313LITERATURE OF THE RENAISSANCE4
This course examines the creation of political, textual, and rhetorical authority in (primarily) English works of prose, drama, and poetry. After examining the way that the earth was conceived in classical and new world writings, we consider the role of politics and princes, reading Machiavelli’s The Prince for its advice as well as its rhetorical construction, and put it up against Webster’s The Duchess of Malfi. Lovers, like political subjects, are often supplicants, so we read the poetry of the period, focusing on the sonnet tradition and the use of the blazon. major. (AES, MOD)
junior standing or permission. Fulfills the pre-1700 requirement for the E&CW
ENG 314SEMINAR IN JANE AUSTEN4
A study of the complete works of Jane Austen, including her unfinished and juvenile works as well as her published novels. Our analysis will be enriched by appeals to the historical context of the “long 18th century” as well as readings in the extensive critical commentary on Austen’s work. (w, x, o, SMN)
junior standing or permission. Fulfills the 1700-1950 requirement for E&CW major.
ENG 315DANTE4
Dante’s Divine Comedy in translation. Analysis of Dante’s journey through hell, purgatory, and heaven, both in its historical context and as part of a long-running cultural conversation continuing today. major. (PRE)
Survey of medieval literature in England, with emphasis on multilingualism, the mutual influence of sacred and secular themes, and the relationship between interiority and Hollins University 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog Page 230
This course explores the development of literature (poetry, fiction, autobiography, etc.) that employs the “jazz aesthetic.” The philosophical/aesthetic role that jazz improvisation has played in the development of Modernist and Post-Modernist critiques will also be examined. Artists discussed include Charles Mingus, Jack Kerouac, Bob Kaufman, Amiri Baraka, Nathaniel Mackey, Miles Davis, Anthony Braxton, Jayne Cortez, and several others. The course entails the development of a creative and critical portfolio of jazz-inspired writing. requirement for the E&CW major. (AES, DIV)
junior standing or permission. Fulfills the “Historically Underrepresented Voices”
ENG 320IMMIGRANT LITERATURE4
This course focuses on the literature of immigrants in the United States from the early 1900s to the present. Students will explore the varied and complex experiences of immigrants from different cultural backgrounds. Discussion issues include: the way in which the process of immigration disrupts one’s sense of identity, the struggle between alienation and assimilation, and the concept of home. Written requirements will consist of several papers and a final creative/critical project. The course is conducted as a discussion seminar, with emphasis on student participation. requirement for the E&CW major. (AES, DIV)
ENG/FILM 321, ENG/FILM 323, or permission. Offered Term 2. (CRE)
ENG 323CINEMATIC ADAPTATION4
Also listed and described as FILM 323. Prerequisite: ENG/FILM 321, ENG/FILM 323, or permission. Students will go through the entire process (from analysis of the story to outline to treatment to screenplay) of adapting a work of fiction for the screen. The course also includes Hollins University 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog Page 231
This course examines the aesthetics of textual performance as it has been applied to the performative aspect of poetry. Students will develop methods of critiquing and perform a broad range of aesthetic expression that incorporates poetry with other media. Poets to be discussed include Jayne Cortez, Ed Sanders, and several others. This course is a composite seminar/practicum. requirement for the E&CW major. (o, CRE, MOD)
sophomore standing or permission. Fulfills the 1700-1950 requirement for E&CW
ENG 32819TH-CENTURY WOMEN WRITERS4
Also listed and described as GWS 328. This course relies on close reading and feminist criticism to explore key nineteenth-century novels and poems. We will use Gilbert and Gubar’s pivotal book, Madwoman in the Attic, as a starting point for asking questions about the restrictions placed on women writers in the nineteenth century, the literary strategies they used to escape these restrictions, and the evolution of feminist literary theories. Texts may include work by Jane Austen, Mary Shelley, Charlotte Brontë, George Eliot, Louisa May Alcott, and Emily Dickinson. 200-level literature course in English. Fulfills the 1700-1950 requirement for E&CW major. (w, x,
sophomore standing; English majors must have completed at least one 100-level or
ENG 329REIMAGINING THE MIDDLE AGES4
Why won’t we let the Middle Ages die? To understand modernity’s fraught relationship to an imagined medieval past, we will examine medieval texts alongside works from modern and contemporary writers. Possible pairings include Dante-Walcott, Malory-Twain, Arthuriana-T.S. Eliot, historical chronicles-Shakespeare. major. Hollins University 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog Page 232
sophomore standing or permission. Fulfills the 1700-1950 requirement for E&CW
ENG 33017TH- AND 18TH-CENTURY LITERATURE: TRANSATLANTIC LITERATURE4
In this course, we will study transatlantic Anglophone literature of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Over the course of the semester, students will close-read poetry, prose, drama, periodicals, and other forms produced by the cultures and conflicts of Atlantic world societies. major. (w, x, AES, MOD, DJP)
Tudor historians linked the dim history of Britain to that of Rome. Republic, empire, myth— what did Rome, and romanitas, mean to Shakespeare? Influenced by Ovid and Plutarch as well as the British chronicle histories, Shakespeare located several tragedies in the Roman world and portrayed a Roman presence in Cymbeline. We will examine the political and aesthetic use of romanitas in select plays and The Rape of Lucrece. major.
sophomore standing or permission. Fulfills the pre-1700 requirement for E&CW
ENG 332SHAKESPEARE AND THE THEATRE4
Plays that reflect on their own artfulness, characters that examine their thoughts and behavior as acting, or plays-within-the-play that reflect/refract the action of the main play are considered metadrama. In this course we will examine theatrical self-awareness in select plays of Shakespeare (Hamlet and Henry IV Part I, among others) and related metadramatic works, including Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. We will also view some films. major. (PRE)
sophomore standing or permission. Fulfills the pre-1700 requirement for E&CW
ENG 333SHAKESPEARE’S WOMEN4
An examination of the way female characters in Shakespeare’s comedies and tragedies perform, expand, subvert, or question their social roles. Attention will be given to Shakespeare’s creating and theatricalizing a female role, the political implications of dynastic marriage, female access to power through language and self-creation, and women’s relationship to nature. Genre will also be a category of analysis. major. (AES, MOD) Hollins University 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog Page 233
junior standing or permission. Fulfills the pre-1700 requirement for the E&CW
ENG 335MILTON4
Also listed and described as REL 335. An analysis of Paradise Lost. We will use close readings of the poem’s language, structure, and themes to understand Milton’s epic as a literary masterpiece; we will consider literary responses to the poem as a means of determining the epic’s cultural significance. Fulfills the pre-1700 requirement for the E&CW major.
An examination of the cultural background and development of the novel in English with some attention to the sentimental and gothic genres. Close reading of Daniel Defoe, Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding, Laurence Sterne, Fanny Burney, Ann Radcliffe, and Matthew Gregory Lewis. major.
This course focuses on the literature of Arab women whose writing engages the political and cultural transformations taking place in the Middle East. Particular attention is paid to how these writers confront the restrictions and expectations placed upon Arab women. Issues raised for discussion include Arab women’s struggle for independence in both domestic and economic spheres, women’s participation in political struggles, and conflicts between modernization and tradition. Also listed and described as GWS 345. requirement for the E&CW major. (AES, GLO)
junior standing or permission. Fulfills the “Historically Underrepresented Voices”
ENG 346ARAB-AMERICAN LITERATURE4
This course begins with an introduction to the history of the first Arabs to immigrate to the U.S. and their process of adaptation. Moving to the contemporary period, students read a variety of literature by Arab Americans, looking at how these writers have expressed the ways in which Arab Americans have crossed geographical and cultural boundaries, their relationship to their homeland, and their evolving identity in the U.S. Written requirements consist of a series of Hollins University 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog Page 234
sophomore standing or permission. (w, x, AES, MOD)
ENG 348MADNESS IN SHAKESPEARE4
Jealousy, hysteria, melancholy, demonic possession, and love sickness–all kinds of madness will be the object of our study in selected works of William Shakespeare. Along the way, we will be interested in the difference between madness and evil. (AES, PRE)
junior standing or permission. Fulfills the pre-1700 requirement for the E&CW major
ENG 350SPECIAL TOPIC: AMERICAN MODERNISM4
Students will examine experimental poetry, fiction, and drama that reflect modernist concerns such as fragmentation, alienation, disillusionment, and the search for new forms of expression. Key figures include T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Close reading and discussion will examine how American modernist literature responds to societal changes.
sophomore standing or permission. Fulfills the 1700-1950 requirement for the
ENG 351WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE4
Topic and genre vary each year in accordance with the writer-in-residence. Prerequisite: ENG 207 and junior standing or permission. For AY 2026-2027: Crystal Wilkinson. Writing Fractured Beauty: A Study of Literary Fragmented Forms in Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction This is a course examining the cycle or fragment as a narrative strategy across genres. The mosaic structure and its many forms ( lyric essays, novel in verse, poetry cycles, etc) has emerged as a primary genre for expressing and exploring an individual (self or character) and their place in a larger society. We will begin by laying the groundwork by taking a look at a few early authors and then quickly move forward to more recent works and examine how these writers appropriate the form. You will have an opportunity to discuss a narrative linked strategy in your own work through generative exercises and in a “big picture” workshop format.
Also listed and described as FILM 353. This course focuses on a study of films by directors such as Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, Stanley Kubrick, and Orson Welles, as moral, aesthetic, and psychological narratives, with particular attention to the development of cinematic style in relation to concerns throughout their careers. Prerequisite: sophomore standing.
Also listed and described as FILM 354. A study of films by directors such as Sir Alfred Hitchcock, Ingmar Bergman, and Roman Polanski as moral, aesthetic, and psychological narratives, with particular attention to the development of cinematic style in relation to concerns throughout their careers. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or permission of instructor.
Read writers who made new poetries: Intensive study of poems written or first influential in the first half of the 20th century. Such authors as: Emily Dickinson, H.D. [Hilda Doolittle], T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, William Butler Yeats, Ann Spencer, Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, Hart Crane, Robert Hayden, Stevie Smith. major.
sophomore standing or permission. Fulfills the 1700-1950 requirement for E&CW
ENG 356CONTEMPORARY U.S. POETRY4
Contemporary American poetry and its roots. A study of the origins and the present modes and voices of poetry in North America, with emphasis on works written since World War II. We Hollins University 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog Page 236
This course examines the African continent in the imagination of diasporic writers and the politics of identity. The course explores how these writers have reclaimed or reinvented an understanding of African culture and history within a Western context. The course addresses the development of a literature that establishes a discourse rooted in the trauma of the Middle Passage and the struggle for justice. Writers included are: Aimé Césaire (Martinique), M. NourbeSe Philip (Tobago), Grace Nichols (Guyana), Kamau Brathwaite (Barbados), Amiri Baraka (USA), and others. Underrepresented Voices” requirement for the E&CW major. (AES, GLO)
sophomore standing or permission of instructor. Fulfills the “Historically
ENG 367CROSS-GENRE AND EXPERIMENTAL WRITING4
An examination of and practice in forms of writing that straddle and/or blend poetry/prose, image/word, fiction/nonfiction, memoir/essay, and points between, including conceptual art, graphic memoir, and fictional (auto)biography. Students will write poetry, flash fiction, fictional memoir, and experiment with redacted texts, altered books, and invented forms, while considering a range of 20th and 21st c. authors.
ENG 373THE BLACK AESTHETIC MOVEMENT IN LITERATURE4
Referred to as the cultural wing of the Black Power Movement, The Black Arts/Black Aesthetic Movement (1960s-1970s) remains one of the most innovative and controversial movements in modern and contemporary African-American literature. This cultural movement sought to integrate and infuse Pan-Africanist and radical politics as a means of challenging the “traditional” means of creative expression. As the aesthetic counterpart of the Black Power Movement, this aesthetic movement gave birth to artists’ circles, writers’ workshops, drama and dance groups, as well as new publishing ventures. The resultant work was both didactic and explosive and had a profound impact on college campuses and African-American communities. This course examines the work of several of the movement’s principal theorists and writers: Toni Cade Bambara, Larry Neal, Sun Ra, Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Audre Lorde, etc. Voices” requirement for the E&CW major. (AES, DIV) Hollins University 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog Page 237
sophomore standing or permission. Fulfills the “Historically Underrepresented
ENG 375WRITING OUT OF THE MULTICULTURAL EXPERIENCE4
This is a literature and creative writing course. Readings will focus attention on particular issues, such as perception and stereotypes, gender expectations, and cultural conflicts. Assignments will be creative, encouraging students to bring the issues raised in the literature into their own work. Students can write from their specific background, paying particular attention to ethnic, national, and regional identity, economic class, sexual orientation, etc. major OR the “Historically Underrepresented Voices” requirement for the E&CW major. (CRE,
junior standing or permission. Fulfills the creative writing requirement for the E&CW
ENG 382ADVANCED STUDIES IN AMERICAN LITERATURE
Close study of various topics in American literature. Recent topics have included Gothic America: Monsters, Madness, and the Macabre; Graphic Novels; Queer Ecologies; and Literature of Protest. Prerequisite: (w, x, AES, DIV) Topic for 2026-2027: Queering Nature in American Literature Also listed and described as GWS 382. This course engages the understanding that American discourse on nature naturalizes heteronormative national identities. Through the lenses of queer and environmental studies, we will examine how American writers from the 19th century to the present have dramatized the link between nature and sexuality through queer ecologies that challenge gender binaries and human exceptionalism. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or permission of instructor. This course fulfils the “Historically Underrepresented Voices” OR 1700-1950 requirement for the E&CW major.
Major writers of the Victorian period, with some attention to the relations between literary art and intellectual and social issues of the time. Readings include nonfiction prose as well as fiction and poetry; Emily Brontë, Matthew Arnold, George Eliot, Charles Dickens, John Henry Newman, and others. major.
sophomore standing or permission. Fulfills the 1700-1950 requirement for E&CW
ENG 390INDEPENDENT STUDY (2 OR 4)
Independent study at advanced level. Application for independent study must be made a term prior to registration. Approval of faculty advisor and department chair is required. Hollins University 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog Page 238
sophomore standing or permission. Offered any term.
ENG 399INTERNSHIP (2 OR 4)
Pair the critical and creative skills gained through the English & Creative writing major/minor with supervised internships in a professional setting. Develop transferable skills, explore careers, and find your purpose by registering for a fall, spring, summer, or January-term internship experience. Fall, spring, and summer terms: Choose between 2 credits (70 hours of work) or 4 credits (140 hours work). January Term: 4 credits only (35 hours a week for four weeks). Arrangements must be made with faculty prior to beginning.
ENG 207 or ENG 208, or permission. Offered both terms. (w, CRE, EL)
ENG 482ADVANCED SEMINAR IN ENGLISH LITERATURE4
What is the purpose of literary criticism? The pleasure? Why write about what we read? This seminar builds on the skills you have developed as careful readers and thoughtful writers and guides you through the process of writing an extended essay. Students will be introduced to a variety of advanced research techniques, write a major essay in an area of English literature of their choosing, and reflect on post-graduate plans. (EL)
Open to senior English and Creative Writing majors with permission of instructor.
ENG 484ADVANCED STUDIES IN POETRY4
An intensive exploration of poetry, focusing on contemporary writers from the U.S. Can poetry really matter? How does it mean now? Is craft dead, murderous, of the essence? How do past poets speak through/against/around writers of our time? Is aesthetic progress possible? What are the orthodoxies, transgressions, blunders of the age? Open to creative writing M.F.A. students, and senior English and creative writing majors with permission of instructor.
Studies in the form of the novel, ranging throughout the history of the novel. Close readings of a variety of novels with an effort to determine the demands of the form and ways in which it has been and can be developed. Open to creative writing M.F.A. students, and senior English and creative writing majors with permission of instructor. Hollins University 2026–27 Undergraduate Catalog Page 239
This is a course on the literary form that has come to be known as “Creative Nonfiction.” We will read and discuss various modes of writing about personal experience and the aesthetic and ethical issues raised by such writing. Written assignments will include discursive prose, as well as students’ original creative nonfiction. Open to creative writing M.F.A. students, and senior English and creative writing majors with permission of instructor.
This seminar focuses on the Western traditions we (U.S.) have inherited and internalized in our sense of contemporary, ‘artful,’ short stories that rings true today. With close study of influential work, writing techniques, and structures we aim to gain insight into questions like what makes a ‘good story’? How can we write ‘well’ and/or choose to broaden/subvert/rebel against the tradition? Open to creative writing M.F.A. students, and to senior English and creative writing majors with permission of instructor.
A year-long (Fall, Short, and Spring Terms) study culminating in a substantial critical or creative manuscript. academic work. Application must be made with faculty prior to registration. (EL) Environmental Studies | Environmental Science
senior standing and invitation from the department based on the student’s previous
ENG 501502: GRADUATE CREATIVE WRITING TUTORIAL I, II (4, Guild, Kaldas, Milan
4) Moeckel, van Eerden Graduate tutorial seminars in the form and theory of contemporary writing practice, with attention to the writing of the students in the class. The exact contents of any given seminar will be determined by the needs and interests of its members. Limited to graduate students in the creative writing program.
ENG 511512: GRADUATE CREATIVE WRITING TUTORIAL III, IV Guild, Kaldas, Milan
(4, 4) Moeckel, van Eerden Graduate tutorial seminars in the form and theory of contemporary writing practice, with attention to the writing of the students in the class. The exact contents of any given seminar will be determined by the needs and interests of its members. Limited to second-year graduate students in the creative writing program.
ENG 519THE JAZZ AESTHETIC IN LITERATURE (4) Department
This course explores the development of literature (poetry, fiction, autobiography, etc.) that employs a “jazz aesthetic.” The philosophical/aesthetic role that jazz improvisation has played in the development of Modernist and Post-Modernist critique will also be examined. Artists discussed include Charles Mingus, Jack Kerouac, Bob Kaufman, Amiri Baraka, Nathaniel Mackey, Miles Davis, Anthony Braxton, Jayne Cortez, and several others. The course entails the development of a creative and critical portfolio of jazz-inspired writing. Not offered 2026-27.
An intensive hands-on course in the art of writing for the screen, for beginners and for writers experienced in other genres (fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction). Screenings, writing exercises, and workshop-style critiques comprise the course. Not offered 2025-2026.
An intensive course in screenwriting in which students go through the various stages of developing and writing a feature-length film script, from outline to treatment to presentation and group critiques to finished screenplay, including the analysis of previously produced screenplays and films. Not offered 2025-2026.
Students go through the entire process (from analysis of the story to outline to treatment to screenplay) of adapting a work of fiction for the screen. The course also includes close study of works of fiction that have previously been adapted for the cinema, as well as the resulting screenplays and films. Not offered in 2025-2026.
This course examines the aesthetics of textual performance as it has been applied to the performative aspect of poetry. Students will develop methods of critiquing and perform a broad range of aesthetic expression that incorporates poetry with other media. Poets to be discussed include Jayne Cortez, Ed Sanders, and several others. This course is a composite seminar/practicum. Not offered 2026-27. 70
The role of art in children’s literature will be examined in this course as a survey of traditional and contemporary works emphasizing Western and some global traditions of how artists interpret and reinterpret texts. This course is required for M.F.A. in Writing and Illustrating majors.
ENG 535Retellings and Adaptations: Myth, Fairytales, and Folklore4
From its earliest roots in older oral and written sources, literature for children has a rich tradition of retellings and adaptations. The course explores how adaptation works in various forms and genres for young readers and audiences.
ENG 536THE FANTASTIC IN CHILDREN’S AND YA LITERATURE4
From Oz to Middle Earth, to Outer Space, the Fantastic has been a major element in children’s and YA fiction for over a century. It is a category different from realistic fiction with its own rules for writing and criticism, which will be examined here. 55
ENG 538CULTURAL REPRESENTATION IN CHILDREN’S AND YA LITERATURE4
This course will examine the themes that emerge in books, asking which elements are universal, and how these stories contribute to a larger cultural narrative. Class participants will engage in close readings and discussions.
ENG 542HISTORY AND CRITICISM OF CHILDREN’S LITERATURE4
An introduction to literature for children, from its roots in the oral tradition to the 20 th century works, concentrating on American and global literature, including some international translations. This course is offered every year and required by all students.
Selected readings in the short story from masters to recent innovators, with attention to stories by women and the contemporary short-short story. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or permission. Not offered 2026-27.
ENG 552WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE: WRITING FRACTURED BEAUTY: A Wilkinson
STUDY OF LITERARY FRAGMENTED FORMS IN FICTION, POETRY, AND NONFICTION (4) Topic and genre vary each year in accordance with the writer-in-residence. Offered Term 2.
A study of films by directors such as Sir Alfred Hitchcock and Ingmar Bergman, as moral, aesthetic, and psychological narratives, with particular attention to the development of cinematic style in relation to concerns throughout their careers. Not offered 2026-27.
This course focuses on a study of films by directors such as Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, Stanley Kubrick, and Orson Welles, as moral, aesthetic, and psychological narratives, with particular attention to the development of cinematic style in relation to concerns throughout their careers. Not offered 2026-27.
This survey workshop course will examine several age ranges and genres such as picture books, chapter books, mid-grade, graphic novels, and young adult to help introduce students to the wide range of stories that fall beneath the children’s and young adult literature umbrella and help them figure out their preferred category in which to create. This course may be taken more than once. This is a great class for beginners.
ENG 567CROSS-GENRE AND EXPERIMENTAL WRITING (4) Burnside
An examination of and practice in forms of writing that straddle and/or blend the worlds of fiction/poetry, image/word, fiction/nonfiction, and points between, including poetry, conceptual art, graphic memoir and fictional (auto)biography. Students will write concrete and prose poetry, flash fiction, fictional memoir, and experiment and redacted texts and their own invented forms, while considering a range of 20th-and 21st-century authors. Not offered 2026- 27.
This course will focus on learning to write in one or more of the long forms of literature published for children and young adults, including mid-grade, older graphic novels, and young adult literature. Genres will concentrate on fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, drama, or humor, etc., while employing figurative language and sensory details to create fully realized characters, worlds, and stories. Course focus based on the expertise of the instructor and interests of the students. This course may be taken more than once.
ENG 569PEDAGOGY AND PRACTICE OF CREATIVE WRITING (2) Moeckel
The pedagogical background and practical application of creative writing for the college classroom. Students will research pedagogical materials and texts, build syllabi, work one- on-one with peer mentors, engage in practice teaching, and learn institutional practices pursuant to college level teaching. Limited to MFA-CW program Teaching Fellows and Graduate Assistants by permission. Offered Term 2. 71
ENG 573THE BLACK AESTHETIC MOVEMENT IN LITERATURE (4) Department
Referred to as the cultural wing of the Black Power Movement, The Black Arts/Black Aesthetic Movement (1960s-1970s) remains one of the most innovative and controversial movements in modern and contemporary African American literature. This aesthetic movement gave birth to artists’ circles, writers’ workshops, drama, and dance groups, as well as new publishing ventures. The resultant work was both didactic and explosive and had a profound impact on college campuses and African American communities. This course examines the work of several of the movement’s principal theorists and writers: Toni Cade Bambara, Larry Neal, Sun Ra, Amiri Baraka, Sonia Sanchez, Audre Lorde, etc. Prerequisite: sophomore standing or permission of instructor. Not offered 2026-27
ENG 575WRITING OUT OF THE MULTICULTURAL EXPERIENCE (4) Kaldas
This is a literature and creative writing course. Readings will focus attention on particular issues, such as perception and stereotypes, gender expectations, and cultural conflicts. Assignments will be creative, encouraging students to bring the issues raised in the literature into their own work. Students can write from their specific background, paying particular attention to ethnic, national, and regional identity, economic class, sexual orientation, etc. Offered Term 1.
Close analysis of a particular form, genre, or theme in children’s and young adult literature and culture taught by leading scholars in the subject of study. Students will apply critical approaches to academic essays about literature.
ENG 577GENDER STUDIES IN CHILDREN’S AND YA LITERATURE4
Literature for young readers is a powerful tool for examining how we acquire and/or assign identities and gender roles and the finding of selfhood. Some genres, such as historical fiction, represent our culture’s traditional gender divisions, while others, such as fantasy and science fiction, may reconceive them, opening a broader interpretation of societal gender roles. CREATIVE WRITING:
This course will focus on learning to write in one or more of the short forms of literature published for children, including picture books, poetry, easy readers, chapter books, young graphic novels, and/or short stories. Genres will concentrate on fiction, non-fiction, fantasy, drama, or humor, etc., while employing figurative language and sensory details to create fully realized characters, worlds, and stories. Course focus will be based on the expertise of the 56
Graduate tutorial seminar in the generation, examination, and interpretation of texts in children’s literature in the light of literary history and theory with attention to the writing of the students in the class. The exact contents of any given seminar will be determined by the needs and interests of its members. Prerequisite: to be taken after the successful completion of at least one ENG561 course. This course may be used as preparation for thesis.
An intensive exploration of poetry, focusing on contemporary writers from the U.S. Can poetry really matter? How does it mean now? Is craft dead, murderous, of the essence? How do past poets speak through/against/around writers of our time? Is aesthetic progress possible? What are the orthodoxies, transgressions, blunders of the age? Open to creative writing M.F.A. students, and senior English majors with permission of instructor. Not offered 2026-27.
Studies in the form of the novel, ranging throughout the history of the novel. Close readings of a variety of novels with an effort to determine the demands of the form and ways in which it has been and can be developed. Not offered 2026-27.
ENG 586ADVANCED STUDIES IN CREATIVE NONFICTION (4) Van Eerden
This is a course on the literary form that has come to be known as “Creative Nonfiction.” We’ll read and discuss various modes of writing about personal experience and the aesthetic and ethical issues raised by such writing. Written assignments include discursive prose as well as students’ original creative nonfiction. Offered Term 1. 72
ENG 587ADVANCED STUDIES IN SHORT FICTION (4) Milan
Close readings of representative stories past and present that define or defy our expectations for the form. Attention to building a vocabulary for discussion and to the analysis of technique and structure. Includes focused study of several contemporary masters of the form. Offered Term 2.
Students may deep dive into a particular subject matter of interest to them as part of their maturation process as a scholar and creator with the guidance and supervision of an assigned instructor. Students will develop a robust curriculum and provide regular outputs and summaries of their findings, creations, and discoveries. ILLUSTRATION (ART):
The graduate internship course provides experiential learning experiences through supervised internships in professional areas related to scholarship, illustration, writing, and culture of children’s literature. Through applied practice, students will become active participants in the diverse community of creators, publishers, sellers, sharers, and others who work with texts and images intended for children and young adults. In order to receive graduate credit for an internship, all students will be required to: • Identify objectives for seeking an internship with a particular sponsor. • Research the company or sponsor where interning and provide a paragraph on what the company does as it relates to student’s objective. • Document the experience of the internship in detail. • Reflect on experience gained through the internship through a narrative essay. • Present learning outcomes to advisor and share with other students via a presentation.
Along with assigned supervisors/readers and their expectations, thesis will consist of an online course platform where students will be expected to perform regular check-ins and participate in group discussions with their peers. Students complete their thesis in two 4-credit courses that can be taken over one or two semesters. • M.A. students may choose either a scholarly or a creative thesis. Students who choose to do a creative thesis must have taken at least two creative writing classes. M.A. students will choose a primary advisor and a second reader. • M.F.A. in Children’s Literature students will complete a book-length manuscript or manuscripts (depending on the age range) of fiction, poetry, drama, or literary non-fiction 60
