English 110 Topics

ENG 110: Literary perspectives, is Niagara's new general education literature course for all students. ENG 110 is a special topics course which allows students to concentrate on a significant author, topic, genre, medium, period, or movement set against contextualizing backdrops of literary, cultural, political, and/or historical change. Different sections of ENG 110 focus on different topics.

Topics, course descriptions, sections, and professors for the last three semesters' worth of ENG 110 are listed below.

Fall 2021 Topics

Modern Irish Writers (ENG 110A; Dr. Martin)
This course examines the contributions of William Butler Yeats toward the end of the nineteenth century to a literary movement uniquely nationalist in spirit which became known as the Irish Literary Revival. As the most prominent Revivalist author, Yeats aimed at overturning the prevailing English dominance of Ireland's national literature. Well into the twentieth century, however, subsequent Irish authors challenged the Revivalist assumptions that had been championed by Yeats in an effort to create works which they believed more accurately reflected the realities of Irish life. Whether the harsh countryside of Patrick Kavanagh's Inniskeene, the urban setting of James Joyce's Dubliners, or the cherished landscape of Seamus Heaney's Ulster, three generations of Irish writers have tried to come to terms with the assumptions that underlie the Irish Literary Revival first articulated by Yeats.  

Literary Lives (ENG 110B; Dr. Martin)
Biography, said Samuel Johnson, is at the heart of all good literature. This course will examine the often mundane or unappreciated biographical events in the lives of famous writers which have become the motivating factor behind the creation of some of England's most well-known literary works. Students will learn how the scandalous relationship between a famous lord and his sister led to the creation of the Romantic hero, a literary type that dominated nineteenth century literature and  anticipated the emergence of the modern anti-hero; or how the tragic death of his best friend led one poet to immortalize his loss in England's greatest elegy; or how an orphan boy's love of the outdoors among the hills and lakes of northern England inspired him to become the greatest poet of his age.

Body Politics (ENG 110C; Dr. Mangat)
In this course we will study representations of the body (in a short story and a memoir, a dramatic play, and films and poetry collections) to answer questions about how the body is politicized in relation to identity: how do identities mark bodies, and how do bodies shape identities? We will begin by considering how representations of “grotesque” female bodies offer an ethics of interconnection. Next, we will examine bodies in conflict – black bodies and the police, “hypochondriac” bodies and the field of medicine. We will then interrogate the experience of bodily pain through representations of sexual assault; we will ask whether pain can be shared, and how this problem changes when the bodies in question are foreign or queer. This course will conclude by turning to a more abstract and philosophical question, “what can a body do?”, that will lead us to connect the seemingly personal (agency, biology, subjectivity) to the political (maps of how other bodies influence our body).

Medicine and Literature (ENG110D; Dr. Mangat)
In this course we will study the varied relationships between medicine and literature to better understand how literature shapes our understanding and experience of health and illness. We will begin with a consideration – through the groundbreaking study of an English country doctor – of what it means to practice medicine ethically. Next, we will chart histories of representation, contrasting medical representation (case studies of neurosis and then neurology) with the self-representation of patients (from the journals of a poet with cancer to a memoir about queer culture, AIDS, and gentrification set in 1980s New York City to the blogs of individuals with autism). We will then examine the politics of illness by reading a novel (set in Zimbabwe) that contextualizes contemporary “nervous conditions” within the historical practice of colonialism. This course will conclude by asking how the “social model” (as opposed to the “medical model”) of disability allows us to better accommodate various kinds of difference in our community and environment.

The Supernatural in Short Fiction (ENG 110E and F; Professor Blum)
These sections will study the tendency of structuring agencies like society to other supernatural phenomena that do not conform to accepted systems via the short fiction genre. Specifically, we will investigate how and why society others supernatural phenomena are perceived as subversive or inauthentic. As we will see, this tends to occur since such phenomena cannot be quantified or qualified, especially through accepted scientific means. We will study this othering and how supernatural phenomena react.  We will also consider the larger implications of these responses, especially as it relates to Truth and more significant cosmological as well as existential concerns. More specifically, we will study traditional and contemporary representations of the vampire, along with supernatural and horror through the eyes of Edgar Allan Poe. We will assess how the supernatural functions in Victorian fairytales, as well as manifestations of the ghost via narratives and nightmares, and in various spaces. We will consider how supernatural phenomena occur in environments and via transformations of various types. Our semester will conclude with a study of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, where we will discuss more common as well as controversial readings of this beloved holiday tale from a supernatural perspective.

Modernism (ENG 110G; Professor DiCamillo)
A description for this section of ENG 110 will be added as soon as it is available.

TBD (ENG 110H; Staff to be determined)
A description for this section of ENG 110 will be added as soon as it is available.

Ecology and Environment (ENG 110I; Professor Stephan)
What is "ecology"?  What is “the environment”?  What is “environmental literature”?  What is its purpose?  How has environmental literature evolved with American history? To do so, we’ll begin to answer some of these questions as we survey the work of American nature writers ranging from the work of Henry David Thoreau in the 1840s, to Niagara Falls native Lois Marie Gibbs and her writings about Love Canal in the 1980s.  As a class we will tackle the sensitive issues raised while honing writing skills.

The American Short Story (ENG 110J; Dr. Kot)
The American Short Story focuses on the development of the short story in America, from early writers such as Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, and Harriet Prescott Spofford; to 20th-century writers such as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and Willa Cather; to contemporary writers such as Sherman Alexie,  Joyce Carol Oates, and George Saunders. We will examine how the short story has provided a vehicle through which to explore what it means to be an American at different points in American history. We will also work with artwork from the Castellani Art Museum to compare how writers and artists address similar concerns in their works.

Teen Shakespeare on Film (ENG 110M ONLINE: Dr. Collington)
It is often said of Shakespeare, that 'he was not of an age, but for all time.' This course will explore both positions by studying three popular plays --The Taming of the Shrew,Romeo and Juliet, and Twelfth Night -- in their historical setting; and then by comparing these with modern adaptations aimed at young-adult movie-goers: 10 Things I Hate About You, Romeo + Juliet, and She's the Man. In addition to developing reading, writing, oral communication and critical thinking skills, students will gain a greater understanding of Shakespeare, cinema studies, adaptation theory, and the relevance of these enduring stories to their own 21st century lives.

Summer 2021 Topics

"Summer Abroad:” Italian Literature, Culture, and Politics (Dr. Mangat; Session II: June 21 – July 15)
In this course, we will spend the summer together “abroad” in Italy: in place of a physical flight, we will take a psychic flight to postwar Naples. Our guide will be Elena Ferrante’s highly acclaimed novel, My Brilliant Friend (2012). (Vulture named it a “new classic” of twenty-first century literature.) Reading this novel together will offer us opportunities to think about a myriad of topics: how gender and poverty intersect with friendship, love, and education, when fascism was born and why it persists, and what it means to live and hope and rebel with the threat of violence ever present (to name just a few of our discussion topics). We will also spend time watching HBO’s equally acclaimed adaptation of Ferrante’s novel: comparing the television series to the novel will lead to discussions of genre (what is gained and lost in translating words into visual images?) and authenticity (does this adaptation do justice to the original?) and quality (is this television show any good?). Studying the past will inevitably lead us to collective reflection on our present, generating questions that animate and enliven our summers.

Fall 2020 Topics

Modern Irish Writers (ENG 110A; Dr. Martin)
This course examines the contributions of William Butler Yeats toward the end of the nineteenth century to a literary movement uniquely nationalist in spirit which became known as the Irish Literary Revival. As the most prominent Revivalist author, Yeats aimed at overturning the prevailing English dominance of Ireland's national literature. Well into the twentieth century, however, subsequent Irish authors challenged the Revivalist assumptions that had been championed by Yeats in an effort to create works which they believed more accurately reflected the realities of Irish life. Whether the harsh countryside of Patrick Kavanagh's Inniskeene, the urban setting of James Joyce's Dubliners, or the cherished landscape of Seamus Heaney's Ulster, three generations of Irish writers have tried to come to terms with the assumptions that underlie the Irish Literary Revival first articulated by Yeats.  

Literary Lives (ENG 110B; Dr. Martin)
Biography, said Samuel Johnson, is at the heart of all good literature. This course will examine the often mundane or unappreciated biographical events in the lives of famous writers which have become the motivating factor behind the creation of some of England's most well-known literary works. Students will learn how the scandalous relationship between a famous lord and his sister led to the creation of the Romantic hero, a literary type that dominated nineteenth century literature and  anticipated the emergence of the modern anti-hero; or how the tragic death of his best friend led one poet to immortalize his loss in England's greatest elegy; or how an orphan boy's love of the outdoors among the hills and lakes of northern England inspired him to become the greatest poet of his age.

Contemporary Literature (ENG 110C; Dr. Carr)
A description for this section of ENG 110 will be added as soon as it is available.

Neurodiversity (ENG110D; Dr. Mangat)
In this course students will study cultural and scientific literature that engages with the emerging concept of “neurodiversity” – the idea that neurological differences (such as ADHD, dyslexia, and epilepsy) are not inherent deficiencies in need of cure but rather examples of human variation. Students will begin by analyzing medical case studies and caregiver narratives about neurodivergent individuals diagnosed as lifeless who were “awakened” or “animated;” they will then read life-writing that represents the strengths and unique challenges of individuals with schizophrenia and autism; they will go on to consider drawings that counter psychiatric discourse by mapping the “wander lines” of children with autism before finally engaging with a political manifesto about the emancipation of introverts. Students will also be introduced to scientific critiques of “biological racism,” philosophical examinations of the “mind-body problem,” the sociology of “stigma,” and the “social model” of disability. Students will leave this course with a better understanding of how to challenge dominant representations of difference as well as how to better accommodate various kinds of difference in their community and environment.

Body Politics (ENG110E; Dr. Mangat)
In this course students will study representations of the body (in novels and memoirs, films and music) to answer questions about how the body is politicized in relation to identity: how do identities mark bodies, and how do bodies shape identities? Students will begin by considering how queer bodies transgress the incorporation of social values through physical and verbal mannerisms; they will go on to think about the (recent and historical) consequences of how black bodies are policed; they will then think about female pleasure in the era of #MeToo before pondering (with the coronavirus pandemic in mind) how the disease of “hypochondriasis” challenges medical diagnosis; they will finally consider the aesthetic (relation to self) and ethical (responsibility to others) issues that illness raises for the body. Students will also be introduced to work in the fields of disability and queer studies, feminism, and critical theory. Students will leave this course with a better understanding of how and why the body has become the “playing field” through which aesthetic and scientific interests are pursued.

Graphic Novels  (ENG 110F and K; Dr. Pinti)
This section introduces students to the academic analysis of comics as a multi-modal medium, the complex relationships between comics and literature, and the analysis of long-form comics known as graphic novels.  The primary focus will be on graphic novels (of various genres) published in the 21st century.

The American Short Story (ENG 110G; Dr. Kot)
The American Short Story focuses on the development of the short story in America, from early writers such as Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, and Harriet Prescott Spofford; to 20th-century writers such as Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and Willa Cather; to contemporary writers such as Sherman Alexie,  Joyce Carol Oates, and George Saunders. We will examine how the short story has provided a vehicle through which to explore what it means to be an American at different points in American history. We will also work with artwork from the Castellani Art Museum to compare how writers and artists address similar concerns in their works.

Morality in Literature (ENG 110I and ENG 110J: Prof. Stein)
This section focuses on issues of morality in literature through the exploration of various texts.

TBD (ENG 110H and L-M; Staff to be determined)
A description for these sections of ENG 110 will be added as soon as it is available.

Spring 2020 Topics

Modern Irish Writers (ENG 110A; Dr. Martin)
This course examines the contributions of William Butler Yeats toward the end of the nineteenth century to a literary movement uniquely nationalist in spirit which became known as the Irish Literary Revival. As the most prominent Revivalist author, Yeats aimed at overturning the prevailing English dominance of Ireland's national literature. Well into the twentieth century, however, subsequent Irish authors challenged the Revivalist assumptions that had been championed by Yeats in an effort to create works which they believed more accurately reflected the realities of Irish life. Whether the harsh countryside of Patrick Kavanagh's Inniskeene, the urban setting of James Joyce's Dubliners, or the cherished landscape of Seamus Heaney's Ulster, three generations of Irish writers have tried to come to terms with the assumptions that underlie the Irish Literary Revival first articulated by Yeats.  

Literary Lives (ENG 110B; Dr. Martin)
Biography, said Samuel Johnson, is at the heart of all good literature. This course will examine the often mundane or unappreciated biographical events in the lives of famous writers which have become the motivating factor behind the creation of some of England's most well-known literary works. Students will learn how the scandalous relationship between a famous lord and his sister led to the creation of the Romantic hero, a literary type that dominated nineteenth century literature and  anticipated the emergence of the modern anti-hero; or how the tragic death of his best friend led one poet to immortalize his loss in England's greatest elegy; or how an orphan boy's love of the outdoors among the hills and lakes of northern England inspired him to become the greatest poet of his age.

Graphic Novels  (ENG 110C: Dr. Pinti)
This section introduces students to the academic analysis of comics as a multi-modal medium, the complex relationships between comics and literature, and the analysis of long-form comics known as graphic novels.  The primary focus will be on graphic novels (of various genres) published in the 21st century.

Teen Shakespeare on Film (ENG 110D: Dr. Collington)
It is often said of Shakespeare, that 'he was not of an age, but for all time.' This course will explore both positions by studying three popular plays --The Taming of the Shrew,Romeo and Juliet, and Twelfth Night -- in their historical setting; and then by comparing these with modern adaptations aimed at young-adult movie-goers: 10 Things I Hate About You, Romeo + Juliet, and She's the Man. In addition to developing reading, writing, oral communication and critical thinking skills, students will gain a greater understanding of Shakespeare, cinema studies, adaptation theory, and the relevance of these enduring stories to their own 21st century lives.

Contemporary Women Writers (ENG 110E)
A description for this section of ENG 110 will be added as soon as it is available.

Morality in Literature (ENG 110F and ENG 110G: Prof. Stein)
This section focuses on issues of morality in literature through the exploration of various texts.

To Be Announced (ENG 110H)
A description for this section of ENG 110 will be added as soon as it is available.

Body Politics (ENG 110I and ENG 110J )
A description for these sections of ENG 110 will be added as soon as it is available.

Coming of Age (ENG 110K: Dr. Russell)
This course focuses specifically on the genre of coming of age literature. We will read a variety of micronarratives, short stories, and poems in order to examine how writers from diverse backgrounds have captured the coming of age experience over time. We will analyze the notion of “coming of age” in two capacities: first, as the fundamental movement from childhood to adolescence and from adolescence to adulthood, and second, as the lifelong set of movements from one defined state to another. From life stages to defined states, we will explore the transitions, rituals, rites of passage, liminal spaces, and borderlands intrinsic to the coming of age experience as well as investigate the role of the individual in relation to the self, to others, and to the wider community.

Fall 2019 Topics

Modern Irish Writers (ENG 110A; Dr. Martin)
This course examines the contributions of William Butler Yeats toward the end of the nineteenth century to a literary movement uniquely nationalist in spirit which became known as the Irish Literary Revival. As the most prominent Revivalist author, Yeats aimed at overturning the prevailing English dominance of Ireland's national literature. Well into the twentieth century, however, subsequent Irish authors challenged the Revivalist assumptions that had been championed by Yeats in an effort to create works which they believed more accurately reflected the realities of Irish life. Whether the harsh countryside of Patrick Kavanagh's Inniskeene, the urban setting of James Joyce's Dubliners, or the cherished landscape of Seamus Heaney's Ulster, three generations of Irish writers have tried to come to terms with the assumptions that underlie the Irish Literary Revival first articulated by Yeats.  

Literary Lives (ENG 110B; Dr. Martin)
Biography, said Samuel Johnson, is at the heart of all good literature. This course will examine the often mundane or unappreciated biographical events in the lives of famous writers which have become the motivating factor behind the creation of some of England's most well-known literary works. Students will learn how the scandalous relationship between a famous lord and his sister led to the creation of the Romantic hero, a literary type that dominated nineteenth century literature and  anticipated the emergence of the modern anti-hero; or how the tragic death of his best friend led one poet to immortalize his loss in England's greatest elegy; or how an orphan boy's love of the outdoors among the hills and lakes of northern England inspired him to become the greatest poet of his age.   

Shakespeare Goes to the Movies (ENG 110C: Dr. Collington)
It is often said of Shakespeare, that 'he was not of an age, but for all time.' This course will explore both positions by studying three popular plays -- The Taming of the Shrew, Romeo and Juliet, and Twelfth Night -- in their historical setting; and then by comparing these with modern adaptations aimed at young-adult movie-goers: 10 Things I Hate About You, Romeo + Juliet, and She's the Man. In addition to developing reading, writing, oral communication and critical thinking skills, students will gain a greater understanding of Shakespeare, cinema studies, adaptation theory, and the relevance of these enduring stories to their own 21st century lives.

Morality in Literature (ENG 110D and ENG 110E: Prof. Stein)
This section focuses on issues of morality in literature through the exploration of various texts.

Graphic Novels  (ENG 110F and ENG 110G: Dr. Pinti)
This section introduces students to the academic analysis of comics as a multi-modal medium, the complex relationships between comics and literature, and the analysis of long-form comics known as graphic novels.  The primary focus will be on graphic novels (of various genres) published in the 21st century.

Literary Niagara (ENG 110L; Dr. Carr)
For centuries, Niagara Falls has captured writer’s imaginations, mythically and symbolically expressed in travel essays, poetry, short stories and novels. Yet, little of that work is read today, relegated instead to the regional margins of literary study. What value can a literary heritage bring to a region? This course begins with two theoretical premises: 1.) that “place is a way of seeing, knowing, and understanding the world” (Place: An Introduction); and 2.) that literature might “help people reimagine the places where they live and their relations to those places” (The Bioregional Imagination: Literature, Ecology, and Place). We’ll examine the contested images, interpretations, and land at Niagara Falls across time and embark on excursions to explore the sites/sights that we think we know well.

Spring 2019 Topics

Modern Irish Writers (ENG 110A; Dr. Martin)
This course examines the contributions of William Butler Yeats toward the end of the nineteenth century to a literary movement uniquely nationalist in spirit which became known as the Irish Literary Revival. As the most prominent Revivalist author, Yeats aimed at overturning the prevailing English dominance of Ireland's national literature. Well into the twentieth century, however, subsequent Irish authors challenged the Revivalist assumptions that had been championed by Yeats in an effort to create works which they believed more accurately reflected the realities of Irish life. Whether the harsh countryside of Patrick Kavanagh's Inniskeene, the urban setting of James Joyce's Dubliners, or the cherished landscape of Seamus Heaney's Ulster, three generations of Irish writers have tried to come to terms with the assumptions that underlie the Irish Literary Revival first articulated by Yeats.  

Literary Lives (ENG 110B; Dr. Martin)
Biography, said Samuel Johnson, is at the heart of all good literature. This course will examine the often mundane or unappreciated biographical events in the lives of famous writers which have become the motivating factor behind the creation of some of England's most well-known literary works. Students will learn how the scandalous relationship between a famous lord and his sister led to the creation of the Romantic hero, a literary type that dominated nineteenth century literature and  anticipated the emergence of the modern anti-hero; or how the tragic death of his best friend led one poet to immortalize his loss in England's greatest elegy; or how an orphan boy's love of the outdoors among the hills and lakes of northern England inspired him to become the greatest poet of his age.   

Graphic Novels  (ENG 110C: Dr. Pinti)
This section introduces students to the academic analysis of comics as a multi-modal medium, the complex relationships between comics and literature, and the analysis of long-form comics known as graphic novels.  The primary focus will be on graphic novels (of various genres) published in the 21st century.

Form as Communication (ENG 110D: Dr. Collington)
This section of ENG110 explores how literary forms and genres, as well as poetic and rhetorical conventions, communicate meanings to the reader. Using a variety of short stories, poems, and one play, students will familiarize themselves with the “tools” of literature, and practice techniques of literary analysis.

Memory and Trauma (ENG 110E; Dr. Carr)
This course examines the role of storytelling in relation to historical trauma and inherited memory. We’ll explore literature as a mode of bearing witness, analyzing both written and visual narrative forms that challenge convention, confront difficult pasts, and deconstruct assumed divisions between self and other. Taking literature as performative, we’ll ask questions about the effects on readers and how we are called to respond as inheritors of this literary memory.

Morality in Literature (ENG 110F and ENG 110G: Prof. Stein)
This section focuses on issues of morality in literature through the exploration of various texts.

Fall 2018 Topics

Literary Lives (ENG 110A; Dr. Martin)
Biography, said Samuel Johnson, is at the heart of all good literature. This course will examine the often mundane or unappreciated biographical events in the lives of famous writers which have become the motivating factor behind the creation of some of England's most well-known literary works. Students will learn how the scandalous relationship between a famous lord and his sister led to the creation of the Romantic hero, a literary type that dominated nineteenth century literature and  anticipated the emergence of the modern anti-hero; or how the tragic death of his best friend led one poet to immortalize his loss in England's greatest elegy; or how an orphan boy's love of the outdoors among the hills and lakes of northern England inspired him to become the greatest poet of his age.   

Modern Irish Writers (ENG 110B; Dr. Martin)
This course examines the contributions of William Butler Yeats toward the end of the nineteenth century to a literary movement uniquely nationalist in spirit which became known as the Irish Literary Revival. As the most prominent Revivalist author, Yeats aimed at overturning the prevailing English dominance of Ireland's national literature. Well into the twentieth century, however, subsequent Irish authors challenged the Revivalist assumptions that had been championed by Yeats in an effort to create works which they believed more accurately reflected the realities of Irish life. Whether the harsh countryside of Patrick Kavanagh's Inniskeene, the urban setting of James Joyce's Dubliners, or the cherished landscape of Seamus Heaney's Ulster, three generations of Irish writers have tried to come to terms with the assumptions that underlie the Irish Literary Revival first articulated by Yeats.  

Forms and Approaches (ENG 110C: Dr. Collington)
This section of ENG110 explores how literary forms and genres, as well as poetic and rhetorical conventions, communicate meanings to the reader. Using a variety of short stories, poems, and one play, students will familiarize themselves with the “tools” of literature, and practice techniques of literary analysis.

Morality in Literature (ENG 110D and ENG 110E: Prof. Stein)
This section focuses on issues of morality in literature through the exploration of various texts.

Graphic Novels  (ENG 110F: Dr. Pinti)
This section introduces students to the academic analysis of comics as a multi-modal medium, the complex relationships between comics and literature, and the analysis of long-form comics known as graphic novels.  The primary focus will be on graphic novels (of various genres) published in the 21st century.

21st Century Prose Fiction (ENG 110G and ENG 110H: Dr. Laurel)
This section draws from non-textbook anthologies and resources to supply a reading list of materials published in the 21st century. We'll look at a range of styles and subjects that will provide a springboard for students to continue reading for pleasure long after college.

To Be Announced (ENG 110I and ENG 110J)
A description for these sections of ENG 110 will be added as soon as it is available.

Literary Niagara (ENG 110K; Dr. Carr)
For centuries, Niagara Falls has captured writer’s imaginations, mythically and symbolically expressed in travel essays, poetry, short stories and novels. Yet, little of that work is read today, relegated instead to the regional margins of literary study. What value can a literary heritage bring to a region? This course begins with two theoretical premises: 1.) that “place is a way of seeing, knowing, and understanding the world” (Place: An Introduction); and 2.) that literature might “help people reimagine the places where they live and their relations to those places” (The Bioregional Imagination: Literature, Ecology, and Place). We’ll examine the contested images, interpretations, and land at Niagara Falls across time and embark on excursions to explore the sites/sights that we think we know well.

Memory and Trauma (ENG 110L; Dr. Carr)
This course examines the role of storytelling in relation to historical trauma and inherited memory. We’ll explore literature as a mode of bearing witness, analyzing both written and visual narrative forms that challenge convention, confront difficult pasts, and deconstruct assumed divisions between self and other. Taking literature as performative, we’ll ask questions about the effects on readers and how we are called to respond as inheritors of this literary memory.