Spring 2026 Undergraduate Course Descriptions

  Group 1  
4210 Old English Literature Evans
  Prose and poetry of the Old English period, exclusive of Beowulf, with emphasis on poetry. Works will be read in Old English, with supplementary translations.  
4270 Medieval Romance Mattison
  Development of the Romance form (verse and prose) during the high middle ages and reasons for its historical and continuing appeal. Materials may include: Arthurian romance, the Grail Quest, English and Breton lais, and the matters of France, Rome, and Britain. Some works may be read in modern English translation.  
4290 Topics in Medieval Literature Evans
  A special topic not otherwise offered in the English curriculum. Topics and instructors vary from semester to semester.  
4331 Shakespeare on Film Iyengar
  Students will read and discuss a play each week or so, keep a set of reading notes, attend relevant performances or films, take exams, and write critical essays. Class time will shift between lectures on the reading and discussion of critical issues.  
4391S Early Modern Environmental Lit Iyengar
  Immerse yourself in the natural world through walks around campus and service-learning with community organizations; juxtaposing readings about the natural world from pre-industrial times with contemporary insights; and reflective journaling about your experiences with natural or wild spaces.  
  Group 2    

4505

 Jane Austen Steger  
  "He and I should not in the least agree, of course, in our ideas of novels and heroines. Pictures of Perfection, as you know, make me sick and wicked" ~ Jane Austen, in a March 23, 1817 letter to her niece, Fanny Wright  

In this course, we will engage in a thorough examination of each of Jane Austen's six major novels, particularly focusing on Austen's heroines and their foibles, missteps, and defects. From the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennett to the timid Fanny Price, from the meddlesome Emma Woodhouse to the overly-sentimental Marianne Dashwood, we will examine how and why Austen used her “little bit (two inches wide) of ivory” (letter to J. Edward Austen, 16 December 1816) to deliberately paint pictures of imperfection when it came to her heroines.  In addition to the novels, we will be reading articles that provide cultural and historical context as well as literary criticism.  		    

4650

 Modern Drama Martini Paula  

 

 The drama of Europe and America from the realism of Ibsen and Strindberg to the present.    

4680

 Modern Irish Literature Allen  

 

 Contemporary Irish Literature is a thriving, experimental field.  A century after Yeats and Joyce the range of writing has changed and expanded, in particular in poetry, fiction and the short-story.  This course explores a range of recent authors and books with a view to understanding their formal innovations, their social settings and their sense of planetary questions like climate change and migration, all in context of the island of Ireland's own cultural history.  As well as reading contemporary work we will watch some television and film.  The list of authors we will read includes Sally Rooney, Anna Burns, Seamus Heaney, Ronan Hession, Louise Kennedy, Sinead Morrissey and Paul Muldoon.  There will be the option to write or make a creative or a critical work in response to the class, and there will be plenty of opportunity for conversation.    

Please be aware that this class will engage with the complexities of Irish culture and history, in particular of that late twentieth century period of civil war called the Troubles.		    

4690

 Topics in 20th c. British & Irish Lit Wasley  

 

 A special topic not otherwise offered in the English curriculum. Topics and instructors vary from semester to semester.    

4698

 James Joyce Parkes  
  This course will begin with Joyce’s early works of fiction, Dubliners and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, but our primary activity will be a detailed, episode‑by‑episode reading of Joyce’s masterpiece: Ulysses.  No previous knowledge of Joyce, modernism, or the history of the novel is assumed.  But taking this course will entail getting to grips with all of these things.  The book is famously (notoriously) challenging, but don't let that put you off: if you read and re-read with an open mind, you will reap the rewards.    
  Group 3  

4770

 20th c American Poetry Zurawski

 

 Ideas and forms in American poetry in the twentieth century. Writers may include Eliot, Pound, H.D., Stein, Stevens, Rich, Sexton, Roethke, Harjo, Lorde, Perlman, Howe, Ashbery, Lowell, Moore, Williams, and Frost.  

4790

 Topics in American Lit Perdieu

 

 Topic: Literature and the American West 

Larry McMurtry called the American West the “phantom limb of the American psyche.”  This course will look to uncover that phantom limb by examining the West as a distinctive space that shaped and was shaped by American literature, history, art, film, music, identity, and mythology. We will contextualize the Western expansion of Euro-America through the perspectives of Indigenous, Black, and Latinx-American writers, acknowledging the American West as a space where many cultures and ideologies came into conflict with one another. Our reading list may include Lonesome Dove (1985) by Larry McMurtry, Paradise (1997) by Toni Morrison, Tracks (1988) by Louise Erdrich, Ledfeather (2008) by Stephen Graham Jones, My Ántonia (1918) by Willa Cather, La Maravilla (1993) by Alfredo Véa, Jr., The Good Lord Bird (2013) by James McBride, The Legacy of Conquest (1987) by Patricia Nelson Limerick (excerpts), Borderlands/La Frontera (1987) by Gloria Anzaldúa, So Far from God (1993) by Ana Castillo, Main Street (1920) by Sinclair Lewis (excerpts), “Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit” (1993) by Leslie Marmon Silko, The Way to Rainy Mountain(1969) by N. Scott Momaday, Postcards(1992) by Annie Proulx, Housekeeping (1980) by Marilynne Robinson, and No Country for Old Men (2005) by Cormac McCarthy. We will also discuss film, art, and music about the American West.  		  

4860

 Multicultural topics Morales-Franceschini

 

 Emancipatory Aesthetics 

 A survey of theory, art, and literature that strive to—in the words of writer and documentary filmmaker Toni Cade Bambara--“make revolution irresistible.” A variety of mediums and genres will be considered—not least poetry, posters, photography, and the manifesto–each drawn from case studies and contexts in the Americas, with an emphasis on the paradigmatic 1960s.		  

4884

 Contemporary Af Am Writing Pavlic
  Exploration of recent attempts to characterize and document a wide variety of African American experiences. Consideration of accounts for the integral role they play in what we know of black life in the United States and also in the diaspora. Close attention will be paid to the qualities of "voice" (form, genre, and address) contemporary black writers create as part of their exploration of experience.  
  Group 4  

4640

 Film as Literature Romero

 

 Special Topic: :  Global Indigenous Film and Media 

This class will interrogate the ways that global Indigenous writers, filmmakers, and artists use film and digital media to articulate Indigenous stories, and to respond to and attempt to correct false cinematic stereotypes.  We will critically explore a variety of different media formats (films, documentaries, animation, multimedia art installations, etc.) from tribal peoples throughout the world, especially from North America, the Arctic, Sápmi, New Zealand, and Australia.  We will examine the diverse ways that contemporary Native, First Nations, and Aboriginal artists assert existing Indigenous presence and connections to tribal homelands, in the face of mainstream media traditions that historically render them absent.  Topics for discussion will include (among others) the relationship between cinema and tribal traditions, especially storytelling traditions; the politics of representation; visual sovereignty; spectatorship; cinema and language preservation; and the ethics of film production. 		  
4800W CW Intermediate Fiction Kashyap
  Students develop skills in fiction writing with a focus on the elements of narrative including plot, point of view, character development, dialogue, and voice. Students complete their own stories, analyze works of literature and one another’s drafts, and complete short writing exercises.  
4803W CW Advanced Poetry Zawacki
  In this course, students already experienced in writing original poetry will not only create and revise individual poems but also learn strategies for developing and revising a poetry manuscript. Student assignments include sharing and critiquing one another’s drafts, completing short writing exercises, reading the work of established poets, attending campus poetry events, and completing a collection of original poetry.  

4822

 Texts, Sex, Gender Sargan

 

 Examination of medieval literary and cultural production through the lens of gender and sexuality.  

4823

 20th c Poetics Zurawski

 

 Survey of 20th-century poetics. Readings include statements of poetics made by practitioners of the art, theoretical essays, manifestoes, and poems meant to serve as practical examples. Movements covered may include Russian and Italian Futurism, Surrealism, Negritude, Objectivism, the New York School, and the Black Arts Movement.  
4837W Digital Storytelling Harding
  Step into a world where stories meet technology. In Digital Storytelling, you’ll explore how narratives take shape across platforms—from print to podcasts, from social media to immersive multimedia. Together, we’ll examine the theories, histories, and creative tools that shape storytelling in the digital age. 

Through hands-on projects, you’ll craft your own digital stories—experimenting with blogs, listicles, podcasts, and more—while gaining fluency in digital tools and platforms. Each module combines critical investigation with creative practice, leading up to a Digital Showcase where you’ll share your work with a wider audience. 

By the end of the semester, you’ll not only understand how stories spread and evolve in digital spaces but also leave with a portfolio of original, collaborative, and innovative digital work. 

Come ready to create, critique, and collaborate!		  

4866

 Novel after 1900 Obioma

 

 Study of a topic related to the history, form, development, or theory of the novel since 1900. Depending on the instructor and the topic, the course may concentrate on a particular historical setting or theoretical orientation, or it may range broadly across time, place, or theoretical approach.  

4890

 Topics in Crit & Culture Woodhouse

 

 What is Race? 

Race is one of the most uncomfortable realities of contemporary American society. Some people claim to not see it, others claim it's impossible to ignore. Some reject racial categorizations, others embrace them as one of the most important facets of their personalities. For some bodies, it's always on display for others to see and remark upon. For others, it's a puzzle that others are always trying to work out. It's a social construction that writes itself on our skin, our cultures, and our societal debates. 

In this course, we'll consider various theories about what race really is. We'll read scholars and theorists like Michael Omi and Howard Winant, Franz Fanon, Eduardo Bonilla-Silva, Patricia Hill-Collins, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Sara Ahmed. Together, we'll think through the difficult question of what race really is. Even if we don't come to a definitive answer, we'll grow our ability to engage in discussions about race with a caring and open-minded confidence.		  

4896

 Comics & Graphic Narratives Santesso

 

 This course focuses on graphic novels emerging from non-Western societies. We will start by reading theoretical works about decolonization, nation-building, and postcolonial identity. We will then consider comics works to explore the relationship between text and image, and reflect on the politics of representation by focusing on visual aesthetics: how do comics use text and image in tandem to convey an idea? How do they use different points of view? How does the comic reader participate in the meaning-making process? As part of your grade, you will work collaboratively to design our own comics (no previous skills necessary).  

4899

 Topics in Sci Fi McKnight

 

 A special topic in science fiction not otherwise offered in the English curriculum. Topics and instructors vary from semester to semester.  
4960R Undergraduate Research Végső
  The class will give students the opportunity to work on a longer research paper. Each student will pursue their own separate research project, of their choosing, but you do *not* need to have a research project already lined up in order to enroll in the course. The class will help students with all the stages of a bigger research project, from devising a topic to building a bibliography through drafting and revising. At the end of the semester, students will participate in a mini-conference, sharing their research with their peers. 

If you’ve been curious about research in English, or you’d like to work to on a longer, individual project (maybe you need a writing sample for graduate school?), this new class is a great opportunity! The course is open to all English majors, but to register, we’ll need to give you Permission of Department. So if you’re interested, please reach out to me (legette@uga.edu) or Dr. Kallerman (jkallerm@uga.edu), and we’ll grant you that permission.		  
  3000-level Courses  

3030

 World Englishes Comeaux

 

 The forms and functions of varieties of Englishes in diverse cultural contexts. World Englishes, or the English of Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, and the Americas, has a scope that integrates theory, methodology, and the empirical study of English in global, linguistic, and literary contexts.  
3330H Literature and Human Rights (Honors) Santesso
  We will be looking at a variety of genres (novels, essays, newspaper articles, and manifestos) in order to discuss how literary authors allude to human rights and address human rights violations as a form of witnessing with the intend to amend official accounts of history. In our reading of these texts, we will focus on the ways in which they both support and problematize international efforts—describing the United Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as “urgent and necessary” as well as “incomplete and inadequate.” Ultimately, our analysis of the texts will consider questions about aesthetics and ethics simultaneously: what responsibilities do these authors have towards their subject-matter/audience as they engage with storytelling? How do these stories relate to cultural and aesthetic forms? In what way do they resolve the tensions between the local and global structures?  

3100

 Intro to British & Irish Studies Wasley

 

 This course considers the British Isles from a variety of perspectives: artistic, historical, political, environmental, and social, equipping students to pursue more sophisticated studies in British and Irish history, literature, and culture.  

3230

 Development of African American Lit Pavlic

 

 African American literature since 1773, particularly 1830 to the present: Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs, Zora Neale Hurston, Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Dorothy West, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, Alice Childress, Lorraine Hansberry, Amiri Baraka, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, and August Wilson, including diverse voices rooted in the folk origins for literary forms.  

3240

 Asian American Literature & Culture Wei

 

 A survey of Asian American literature and culture in English, and key topics in Asian American and Pacific Islander studies. Students will explore how Asians in America have imaginatively dramatized issues such as migration, labor, citizenship, war, imperialism, and assimilation.  

3360

 Literature and Animals Martini Paula

 

 Animals are a central aspect of how humans interact with our environment. Course introduces students to the growing field of “animal studies” in literary criticism through readings and discussions of animal representations in literature. Students will explore how our interactions with other animals have shaped how we think of ourselves, how we frame the racial, sexual, and ethnic “Other,” and how we make sense of our environment.  

3410

 Literature and Media Woodhouse

 

 Fan and Audience Cultures  

Everyone, it seems, is a fan of something. Our identities are often expressed through what we love: pop stars, television shows, books, video games, sports teams, or even trains. In Fan Cultures, we'll explore what it means to be a fan and how fandom has come to define not just our tastes, but the ways we make friends, express our creativity, and how we consume and critique culture. We'll think about fan creations (fan fiction, TikTok edits, crafting, cosplay), fan communities, and the ways that fandom has increasingly come to define the ways our media industries work. Assignments will engage our creativity, fannish interests, and academic thinking together so that, by the end of the semester, we'll be able to think critically about what we love, how we love it, and who we love it with.		  

3430

 Literature and Childhood Bray

 

 Literature in English in relation to children and childhood. Depending on the instructor, the course may concentrate on critical approaches to literature for children or on the representation of childhood or focalization through child characters in works marketed primarily to adults.  

3460

 Literature and Utopia Hussey

 

 A survey of utopian and dystopian literature and criticism. Students will explore the genre's literary profiles, its critical and speculative capacities, and its ethical and philosophical implications.  

3540

 Introduction to Publishing Bartunek

 

 Examination of the major processes that typically take place when publishing a book or periodical in the U.S. and some of the contexts that drive decision-making by editors, publishers, marketers, designers, and other professionals. We will explore the past, present, and future of the U.S. publishing industry.  
3580W Writing, Rhetoric, and AI Davis
  Introduction to the theory, function, and ethical implications of computer-assisted writing tools, including Generative AI and software for producing and editing writing. Students will study the history of assistive writing technologies, think critically about the attendant rhetorical and practical issues of composing with such tools, and write with and about different AI writing platforms.  
3560W Writing Games King
 
You might call this class a persistent multiplayer sandbox game with a strong crafting focus and emergent storytelling. You might also call it a rules-light GM-led collaborative journaling RPG with long-term legacy play potential. Or you might embrace institutional reality and call it an upper-division writing-intensive class about the intersections of game design and writing.
 
Whatever you call it, this is a class about how game design and writing blend. When you write a document, you’re actually providing your reader with a set of rules meant to limit and motivate the reading experience. When you design a game, you’re writing constantly, from dialogue and game narrative, to technical documentation, to promotional materials, to business documents.
 
To better understand how writing and games inform one another, we’ll read deeply in both game studies and rhetorical theory, we’ll consider games and play as metaphors for the writing process, and we’ll study how game writers create narrative meaning. 
 
Throughout the semester, you will work both individually and collaboratively to create analog and digital games, and you will experiment with extensive writing, research, and revision processes to create serious works of game studies scholarship.
 
Please note that this is not a traditional game design class: we won’t spend much time on level design or the complex statistical work of game balancing, and we definitely won’t have technical instruction on working in Unity or Godot. That said, however, the broader principles of experiential design, iterative writing and revision, and meaningful peer critique will translate directly to real-world game design work.
  
3590W Technical and Professional Communication Marshall
  Writing in the professional domains, with an emphasis on research methods, clear and accurate presentation of ideas and data, and computer-mediated communication.  
3800H Introduction to Creative Writing (Honors) Kashyap
  Elements of writing poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction through selected readings and discussion of student writing for Honors students.  
3800W Introduction to Creative Writing Obioma
  Elements of writing poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction through selected readings and discussion of student writing.  
3800W Introduction to Creative Writing Ellis
  Elements of writing poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction through selected readings and discussion of student writing.  
3800W Introduction to Creative Writing Ray
  Elements of writing poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction through selected readings and discussion of student writing.  
3851S Writing for Social Justice Young
  Study of writing as transformative practice in incarcerated education programs and the role that democratic access to higher education plays in self and societal awareness. Students collaborate to create open access course materials/scholarship exchange with incarcerated learning communities.  
3860W Science Writing for General Audiences McKee
  ENGL 3860W is an introduction to writing about scientific research and subjects for the public. Designed for both Humanities and STEM majors, this course welcomes students of all majors interested in writing about science. 

We will read, explore, and analyze scientific and technical writing in a variety of genres to inform our understanding of the various rhetorical contexts, opportunities, and strategies for science writing and communication. We will also discuss best practices and techniques for audience engagement and understanding, asking how can we keep our readers reading, even when encountering complex scientific content?  

Writing topics will be guided by individual student interests. This class is an excellent opportunity to expand your writing and communication skills; diversify your portfolio of writing for the job market; and explore connections between STEM and the Humanities. 

This course is writing intensive which means it includes substantial and ongoing writing assignments. The written assignments will result in a significant and diverse body of written work (the equivalent of 6000 words or 25 pages), and the instructor will be closely involved in student writing, providing opportunities for feedback and substantive revision.