Martha D. Patton

Section (ALL)

English 1000 is a college writing course that focuses on the choices that informed writers make when discovering, developing, and revising academic papers appropriate for the given topic. We offer about 115 sections of English 1000 each semester. For more information see Introduction to English 1000.

Tom Quirk
Section 1

TR 9:30AM - 10:45AM
Missouri has a rich literary history, and the purpose of this course is to acquaint students with some of the best writer who were from Missouri (or in the case of Tennessee Williams grew up here). Many of the writers we'll read did not write about the state as such, but we may speculate on the influence the state had upon them. We will be reading works by Mark Twain, Kate Chopin, Langston Hughes, T. S. Eliot, and Tennessee Williams. Course work: reading quizzes, a mid-term, take-home final, and student presentations.

Emma Lipton
Section 2

TR 12:30AM - 1:45AM
The tale of King Arthur and the Round Table is one of the most beloved of Western culture. This course will study the Arthur legends in literature, visual art and film, from its medieval origins to the present. We will use the Arthur myth to investigate such topics as the meanings of chivalry and "courtly love," the shifting constructions of masculinity and gender, and the relationship of individual and community. We will also think both about the ways our contemporary biases shape our perceptions of Arthurian Literature and how these medieval ideas have shaped modern life. We will read medieval romances of Arthur (Geoffrey of Monmouth, The History of the Kings of Britain; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight; Malory, Le Morte Darthur; Chretien de Troyes, Lancelot, Eric and Enid), the Arthurian literature and painting of the nineteenth century (Tennyson's Idylls of the King, works of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, Twain's Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court), and study twentieth-century Arthuriana (including modern films).

Ray Ronci
Section 1

MWF 12:00-12:50
"The Hero Journey." The Critical Praxis for this course is sometimes referred to as Archetypal Criticism, (based on Jung's theory of archetypes and the collective unconscious) and more commonly referred to as Myth Criticism. The basic paradigm of the heroic cycle is typically as follows: the Miraculous Birth, Childhood Initiations, the Calling, the Departure, the Descent and Trials, the Death, Resurrection and Apotheosis.

The study selections and the central theme of the course change periodically but almost always include David Adams Leeming's book, The Voyage of The Hero, an anthology of Hero Journey myths from all over the world. This is supplemented by Karen Armstrong's A Short History of Myth. Typically we then proceed through a close analysis of each of the following: Gilgamesh, The Theban Plays, The Odyssey, Beowulf, The Tao Te Ching. Students are often asked to apply the principles of archetypal criticism and the hero paradigm to criticizing a contemporary novel or film.

Martha Patton
Section 1

MWF 1:00PM - 1:50PM
How do great scientists and mathematicians use words to refine and translate their original discoveries? We will read texts by several biologists (Darwin, Gould, Johanson and Watson) and other scientists (Bernstein, Feynman, Franklin, Sacks, and Tufte) to explore what they say about scientific discoveries (their own and others') and how they use language to develop, justify, and translate their discoveries.

Is the discovery process primarily conscious or unconscious, empirical or theoretical? Is it pre-verbal or verbal or numerical? To what degree does a verbal discovery process (notes, dialogue, early drafts) dovetail non-verbal discovery? To what degree does the process of justifying the research claims in writing both develop and refine the discovery process? While we make no attempt to generalize about scientific or mathematical reasoning on the basis of these writers, we discuss their writings in order to heighten awareness about both verbal and non-verbal discovery processes and to reflect on our own processes, particularly (for purposes of this class), those that are language-related.

Anand Prahlad
Section 1

MWF 1:00PM - 1:50PM
The city has been a defining motif in Black films beginning with the first films of the early twentieth century and continuing through the contemporary period. To a large extent, the prevalence of urban landscapes in Black film have been reflections of historical trends, such as the migration of Black people from rural areas to urban centers. At the same time, however, Black films reflect influences of Hollywood and other filmic traditions in their treatments of urbanity. This course will explore ways in which urban landscapes function in films by Black filmmakers, including the negotiations of gendered, racial, and geographical identities. Film screenings will include Oscar Micheaux's Murder in Harlem, and Lying Lips; Spencer Williams's Blood of Jesus; Marlon Riggs's Looking for Langston; Melvin Van Peebles's Sweet Sweetback's Baadasss Song; Gordon Park's Shaft; Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing; John Singleton's Boyz N the Hood; Charles Burnett's Killer of Sheep; Leslie Harris' Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.; Tracy Moffat's Nice Colored Girls; and Alile Sharon Larkin's, A Different Image. Assignments will include journal writing, oral reports, and quizzes. (Cross-listed as Film Studies 2005:1 and Black Studies 2409:1).

Martha Patton
Section 1

 
A study of traditional and non-traditional literature written by women from the perspective of feminist themes-love, power, work, family and other relations. Prerequisite: ENGLISH 1000. No more than six hours may be taken in the Introduction to Women's Literature series.

Marly Swick
Section 1

TR 9:30AM - 10:45AM
This course consists about equally of writing and reading fiction. Each person will workshop 2 complete short stories and 1 Revision. We will also be reading and discussing published short stories and one or two novels. There will be a few short writing exercises and critical journal responses.

Ray Ronci
Section 1

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Description: This course covers roughly one hundred years of literary theory beginning with New Criticism and covering the major critical praxes of the 20th century such as formalism, structuralism, reader-oriented theories, Marxist theories, feminist theories, Post-structuralism, Post-colonialism and Postmodernism. We will study and discuss how these various practices influence the reading of a text; we will also examine the nature of what we mean by a "text." From a Postmodern point of view, everything is a text—a building, a hat, a hairstyle, a shopping center, an ad, etc—and can be read, interpreted and commented upon. We will apply literary critical strategies when discussing fiction and poetry and apply the same strategies when discussing the various texts of contemporary American culture. Teaching methodology: informal lectures and discussion. Critical writing assignments.

Richard Schwartz
Section 1

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Description: The novel has become the predominant literary form for several reasons. Among these are its faithfulness to classic principles and its ability to sustain those principles in a vast variety of ways. It is, simultaneously, both predictable and malleable. We will discuss the origins of the novel in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and examine multiple examples (from the eighteenth century to the present) of the ways in which it can adhere to principle in fresh and varied ways. Approximately ten novels will be read.

Charles Marvin
Section 1

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Tom Quirk
Section 1

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John Evelev
Section 2

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Maureen Konkle
Section 1

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LuAnne Roth
Section 1

Time:TR 2:00-3:15, T 6:30-8:30 pm (film screening)
Description:Beyond breathing, what is more essential to life than food?  This course examines some of the complexities and contingencies involved in the seemingly mundane acts of procuring, preparing, and consuming food. Topics addressed include the evolution of cooking and the history of particular foods, the sensory evaluation of food, and the cultural and psychological significance of food.  Readings and assignments will prepare you to participate meaningfully in the MU Life Sciences & Society Symposium, Food Sense (March 16-18), where you will attend a series of lectures by scholars of nutrition, taste science, psychology, cultural studies, consumer behavior, journalism, and the culinary arts. By the end of the course, you will come to understand how different academic disciplines approach the multifaceted issue of what, when, where, why, and how we eat.

Section 1

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Lily Gurton-Wachter
Section 1

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Noah Heringman
Section 1

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Ray Ronci
Section 1

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Description: The semester begins with an in-depth study of the term Postmodernism as it applies to philosophy, politics, feminism, religion, popular culture, music and literature. After establishing a basic understanding of what Postmodernism means, we will direct our focus towards Postmodern Poetics by carefully examining the poetry and selected writings of such poets as Charles Olson, Robert Duncan, Kenneth Koch, Denise Levertov, Robert Creeley, Allen Ginsberg, Frank O' Hara, Susan Howe and so on. There are at least two formal papers required for this class, one on Postmodernism(s), the other on Postmodern Poetics.

Clenora Hudson-Weems
Section 1

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English 4420, Africana WoManism, is an undergraduate course specifically designed to broaden one's scope in the area of issues, recurring themes and/or trends in modern Africana women's fiction. An in depth study of the lives and selected works by five (5) leading Africana women writers—Zora Neale Hurston, (Their Eyes Were Watching God); Mariama Bâ (So Long a Letter); Toni Morrison (Beloved); Terry McMillan, (Disappearing Acts); and Sister Souljah (No Disrespect)—will be enhanced by critical readings of scholarly articles by and about the various authors. Students will be introduced to an authentic theoretical concept and methodology, Africana WoManism, and will be applying Africana WoManist theory to these Africana woManist novels.

Meshed together, the primary and secondary reading materials will aid students in refining their own individual concepts about not only the writings of the individual authors, but about critical current issues, particularly as they relate to Africana women and their families and communities. The ultimate objective of the course is to enhance one's knowledge and appreciation of Africana women in particular and Africana life and culture in general. (Cross-listed as Black Studies 4420).

Richard Schwartz
Section 1

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Description: We will block out plans for a novel, writing a short treatment, the first and last chapters and an outline of the major plot arcs. Particular attention will be paid to the complexities of the planning process and the writing techniques employed by noteworthy practitioners. We will look at exemplary works by Carl Hiaasen, James Ellroy, James Lee Burke, Thomas Harris and Raymond Chandler, paying attention to the elasticity of the genre as well as its central elements.

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Matthew Gordon
Section 1

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Michael Marlo
Section 1

MW 2:00PM - 3:15PM
At a time when minority languages are dwindling and becoming extinct, language documentation is more important than ever. The pedagogical goal of the course is to teach the methods of constructing a detailed linguistic description and analysis of an unknown language, essentially from scratch, by working with a native speaker of the language. Topics to be covered include the phonology, morphology, and syntax of nouns and verbs. (Cross-listed as Linguistics and Anthropology 4870/7870:1).

Dana Kinnison
Section 3

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This section of English 4950 is for students who secure a publishing internship independently and want to earn academic credit for the experience.

Donna Strickland
Section 1

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Joanna Hearne
Section 1

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Frances Dickey
Section 2