English Course Offerings- Spring 2026

Group shot of faculty in English and Philosophy

Note for Students

Registration begins November 3rd. Advising week is October 27-31st. We encourage you to meet with your advisor.

Please note there could be some adjustments in delivery mode options, like an additional SO section associated with an in-seat class. These changes may not be reflected in this listing but could be found in the online schedule when it goes live on October 13th.

For a full listing of all the courses offered in English, please see the undergraduate catalog or graduate catalog.

Also, did you know that ISU has millions of dollars in scholarships available every year? Register in the Bengal Online Scholarship System to receive updates on scholarships relevant to your major and interests. Sign up today.

English also offers scholarships specific to our program for undergraduate students and TAships/Fellowships for graduate students. You can find information about these awards here.

Delivery Mode Legend

SO courses are online courses that meet Synchronously Online (have a specific day/time meeting pattern).

AO courses are online courses that meet Asynchronously Online (are done anytime on your schedule).

BL courses are blended courses whose in-seat time has been reduced due to a strong online component.

DL courses are distance learning courses that have sections on different campuses such as Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, and/or Meridian as well as a possible online option.

If no delivery mode is indicated, this is an in-seat only course (CL).

ENGL 1101/1101P (Objective 1): Writing and Rhetoric I/Plus

Multiple sections offered, see MyISU class schedule.

In this course students will read, analyze, and write expository essays for a variety of purposes consistent with expectations for college-level writing in standard edited English.

ENGL 1102 (Objective 1): Writing and Rhetoric II

Multiple sections offered, see MyISU class schedule.

Writing essays based on readings. Students will focus on critical reading, research methods, gathering ideas and evidence, and documentation.

ENGL 1107 (Objective 7): Nature of Language

01: TR 11-12:15 SO with Elizabeth Redd (CRN: 20689)

This course is an introduction to the field of linguistics. We will look at how the study of language is approached by linguists within the discipline of linguistics and by linguists within the discipline of anthropology, as well as exploring how other fields utilize linguistics for their own interests while impacting the whole field of linguistics in the process. Because this is a survey course, we only examine a portion of the many areas within linguistics without going into great detail in any one area.

ENGL 1115: Major Themes in Literature: Narrative and Culture in Manga & Anime

01: MWF 9-9:50 with Wilhelm Richter Haydt (CRN: 25164)

In this course, we will focus on how Japanese narrative forms like manga (Japanese comic books), anime (Japanese animation), and light novels (episodic novels) approach human nature. We will critically study texts from these forms of cultural production in the context of their form, their storytelling conventions, and their influence across cultures and media.

ENGL 1123: Advanced Academic Writing for Non-Native Speakers of English

01: MWF 11-11:50 with Jodi Atkinson (CRN: 21517)

Introduction to the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing) and concepts such as audience, purpose, and thesis. Continued emphasis on development of grammar and vocabulary.

ENGL 1126 (Objective 4A): Art of Film I

01-05: W 6-8:30 pm DL with Carlen Donovan

In Art of Film I, we will explore the creative process, artistic principles, and history of cinema. Through film viewings, readings, writing, and discussion, we will analyze influential films, examine major movements, and explore critical approaches and filmmaking techniques. Our goal is for you to develop the skills to critically analyze and evaluate films, both in and outside of class, while gaining a deeper understanding of the human experience through the art of film.

ENGL 1126 (Objective 4A): Art of Film I

06: TR 2:30-3:45 with Margaret Johnson (CRN: 25166)

Why do movies matter? What do they teach us about our world, our histories, and our values? How can films both entertain us and challenge us? The Art of Film I introduces students to the history of cinema, to a variety of film genres and movements, and to the artistic elements related to the creation and study of film. We will discuss films from the last century, including ones from both American and international cinema. As we consider the cultural and historical importance of film, students will develop the ability to analyze and communicate their ideas and critiques using specialized film terminology. This course requires students to view films outside of class through a variety of online rental platforms.

ENGL 2206: Creative Writing Workshop

01: MWF 11-11:50 with Bethany Schultz Hurst (CRN: 21767)

This class will introduce you to the study of creative writing craft in the genres of poetry and the short story. We’ll read a variety of contemporary texts from a craft- based perspective to learn how authors construct their work. We’ll also practice elements of the creative process, from generating material to revising polished drafts, with the goal of creating works that are valuable to and rewarding for an audience of readers. In class-wide workshops of student works, we’ll practice giving and being receptive to critical feedback. We’ll also have fun with discussions and collaborative activities designed to encourage creative thinking.

ENGL 2210 (Objective 9): American Cultural Studies: 'That's Entertainment' in American Culture

01: AO with William Donovan (CRN: 21293)

Learn about American Culture through what entertains us: ghost stories, Disney animated features, and attending elite cultural events. Textbooks available free as pdf download.

ENGL 2211: Introduction to Literary Analysis

01: TR 9:30-10:45 with Matthew Levay (CRN: 21294)

02: TR 9:30-10:45 SO with Matthew Levay (CRN: 22411)

What does it mean to read or write like an English major? What strategies can we use to interpret a literary work, and what makes those strategies effective? How do we do research in literary studies? This course answers these questions by introducing students to a wide variety of literary forms—novels, short stories, poems, plays, comics, and films—and an even wider variety of possibilities for analysis. We’ll learn what makes literature formally distinctive from other art forms, how literature affects and is affected by its historical and cultural contexts, and why people still debate what counts as “literature.”

ENGL 2215 (Objective 4A): Survey of World Mythology

01: TR 11-12:15 with Roger Schmidt (CRN: 23255)

This blended course mixes two surveys to offer a broad view of the traditional stories that serve as a foundation for many cultures around the world. We will study multiple cultures and regions with an emphasis on how the ancient myths continue to influence modern works. As we study, we will consider the purpose and persistence of these myths as we analyze, discuss, and write about them.

ENGL 2215 (Objective 4A): Survey of World Mythology

02: MWF 1-1:50 with Michael Stubbs (CRN: 23256)

03: MWF 1-1:50 SO with Michael Stubbs (CRN: 25196)

Why do people tell stories of supernatural gods, spirits, objects, and people? What do these stories mean? What do these stories reveal about their cultures of origin? Students will analyze, discuss, and write about world mythologies. We will study the myths of the ancient Egyptians, Japanese, Scandinavians, and the Aztecs.

ENGL 2258 (Objective 4A): Survey of World Literature II

01: TR 11-12:15 with Roger Schmidt (CRN: 23719)

ENGL 2268: Survey of British Literature II

01: AO with Alan Johnson (CRN: 25198)

This course covers British literature from the late 1700s to our century. This era encompasses great changes in literature and culture: new ways of imagining the individual’s relationship to society, fluctuating fortunes of Britain and its global empire, and the relationship between the present and a number of imagined pasts. By the end of the course, you will have a deeper appreciation for the depth and variety this period has to offer, and for the intersections of literature, culture, and history. To guide our reading and interpretations of classic works representing different genres, we will consider such questions as: What effects did these changes have on literary works? How did these works reflect and shape ideas about Britain’s role in the world, and about new developments in science, religion, gender, and social standing? What features make a text artistically great? And how are we shaped by these ideas and these literary works?

ENGL 2278: Survey of American Literature II

01: TR 1-2:15 with Gibette Encarnaciόn (CRN: 20028)

02: TR 1-2:15 SO with Gibette Encarnaciόn (CRN: 25199)

This course offers an immersive survey of American literature from the end of the Civil War to the contemporary moment. It is a study of how artists across more than a century have attempted to represent, resist, and rewrite the evolving story of America. We will explore beyond the fixed canon and engage a wide spectrum of powerful voices and diverse perspectives to understand the nation's profound transformations, from the rise of the modern city to the forces of globalization. We will trace the formal shifts across Realism, Modernism, and Postmodernism, focusing on how these literary movements struggled to capture reality, shape knowledge, and define identity. By the end of the semester, you'll possess the critical tools to analyze the American literature that grounds our current moment and understand why these historical conversations remain urgently relevant today.

ENGL 2280: Grammar and Usage

01: TR 1-2:15 with Sonja Launspach (CRN: 20029)

This course is a basic introduction to the grammar of standard English. Through preparation and participation, students should be able to use grammar terminology appropriately, identify the lexical categories of words, and analyze the different components of grammar, such as phrases and clauses. The class uses a Team Based Learning approach. Part of our discussion may include the historical development and use of grammatical forms. Assignments will include individual knowledge application exercises, team concept explorations, quizzes, textual analysis and a final grammatical analysis.

ENGL 2281: Introduction to Language Studies

01-05: MW 9:30-10:45 DL with Thomas Klein

Most people are interested in language, but feel that they don’t understand how it works. English 2281 introduces us to the field of linguistics. We’ll begin the course by looking at descriptive linguistics: the sound system, words, phrases, and sentences. Then we will consider applied linguistics, which looks at how we interpret language, and how it relates to culture and social relations. We will explore such questions as where language comes from, and explain the dynamics underlying real-world uses of language, including language history, conventions of politeness and cooperation, and the influence of culture, prestige, and gender. Do animals have language? Do different genders use language differently? And just why does Gen Z use slang?

ENGL 3305: Art of Film II: The Films of Steven Spielberg

01-05: TR 2:30-3:45 DL with Roger Schmidt

Spielberg is the most successful and influential director in the history of Hollywood films, whose films have grossed over $10 billion. The films speak for themselves. Works studied include: The Sugarland Express, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ET, the Extra-Terrestrial, The Goonies, Empire of the Sun, Jurassic Park, Lincoln, Ready Player One.

ENGL 3306: Intermediate Creative Writing Workshop

01: TR 11-12:15 with Susan Goslee (CRN: 21080)

In this intermediate creative writing course, we will read and write in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Class sessions will be a mix of discussion, generative writing, collaborative games, brief craft lectures, reading comprehension checks, and workshop. Your homework will be a mix of writing prompts, reading assignments, critical reading questions, and revising drafts up to fully-realized short stories, essays, and poems. Each prompt focuses on a different formal or thematic move that you will later draw on to write complete works. These polished pieces will strive to reward multiple readings, avoid the familiar, respect (or knowingly slight) grammar, earn their surprises, and make a stab at beauty—or proudly decide to do otherwise.

ENGL 3307: Professional and Technical Writing

Multiple sections offered, see MyISU class schedule.

No matter what field you are going into, communication both written and oral will be a major part of your daily life. This course will teach you how to communicate professionally through various documents such as proposals, emails, reports, webpages, resumes and more. Course content will enable students to tailor documents for readers and users within their chosen fields of study. Additionally, since most people will be working collaboratively in the professional world, team work is stressed. Students often remark that this is one of the most valuable courses they have taken because it prepares them for work beyond the university.

ENGL 3308: Business Communication

Multiple sections offered, see MyISU class schedule.

An advanced course in conventions of business communications, emphasizing purpose and audience. Focus on style, semantics, research skills, format, persuasion, and critical analysis and synthesis of data.

ENGL 3311: Literary Criticism and Theory

01: MWF 10-10:50 with Matthew VanWinkle (CRN: 20946)

02: MWF 10-10:50 SO with Matthew VanWinkle (CRN: 22630)

This course provides a working knowledge of the most frequently employed and productive theoretical approaches to questions posed by engagingly complex texts. These methods not only enhance interpretations of individual readings; they develop insightful ways of thinking about literature as a whole as well.

ENGL 4401/5501: Advanced Composition

01: W 4-6:30 pm with Margaret Johnson (CRN: 21296/21297)

02: W 4-6:30 pm SO with Margaret Johnson (CRN: 23735/23736)

Writing theorist Charles Bazerman argues that “Genres are not just forms; they are forms of life, ways of being.” What genres do you connect with? Which do you want to explore more fully? In Advanced Composition, we will investigate how writers engage with the social and formal elements of genre to create rhetorically sophisticated writing. Students in this course will gain experience writing in several non-fiction genres, possibly including such options as biography, film or music commentary, food writing, or sports commentary. In addition to small exploratory assignments in a range of genres, students will also develop a project of their own in a nonfiction genre of their choice.

ENGL 4406/5506: Advanced Poetry Workshop: "Home" in Contemporary Poetry

01: T 4-6:30 pm with Bethany Schultz Hurst (CRN: 22191/22190)

This semester’s reading will focus on contemporary poetry collections addressing physical and metaphorical structures of home, particularly in context of the US West. (Some even take Idaho as their setting!) We'll consider how poetic form and mode can reinforce, resist, or complicate concepts of home and belonging. We’ll respond in our own creative exercises exploring the tension between the rooted and the restless, and will constructively critique one another’s poem drafts in workshop discussions. Throughout the semester, we’ll study various craft strategies that can expand our approaches to the material that moves us, whether it focuses on home or beyond.

ENGL 4409/5509: Literary Magazine Production

01: W 4-6:30 pm with Susan Goslee (CRN: 20032/20033)

From the call for American independence in the pamphlet “Common Sense” to the first state-side publication of “The Waste Land” in the Dial, small magazines and presses have fomented political and literary change in our country. While students in this course may not bring about similar revolutions, they will gain exciting hands-on experience in the production of Black Rock & Sage, ISU’s student journal of creative works. Students will first develop strategies for soliciting literary, art, music, and schematic submissions. Then in exciting and lively debates, they will select the stories, poems, and essays that are to be published. Students will also produce events on campus to promote the magazine and support ISU’s art culture and solicit businesses for advertising support for the journal. To inform our production of Black Rock & Sage, we will survey a variety of well-established student-run journals, read interviews with significant journal editors, study the history of the “little” magazine, and consider briefly the relationship among the arts, democracy, and culture. Students will participate with critical papers of varying lengths and discussion. In this class, students will help shape the ways in which Idaho State contributes to the nation’s literary dialogue.

ENGL 4431: Methods of Teaching Writing

01-05: M 4-6:30 pm DL with Abraham Romney

Aids teachers of all grade levels and all academic subjects in developing skills in teaching writing. Combines rhetoric and composition pedagogical theory with practical classroom exercises. Ideally taken semester before student teaching.

ENGL 4466/5566: Studies in Nineteenth-Century Literature: The U.S. and the World before 1900

01: TR 1-2:15 with David Lawrimore and Marie Stango (CRN: 25177/25202)

02: TR 1-2:15 SO with David Lawrimore and Marie Stango (CRN: 25204/25205)

The U.S. and the World During the Long Nineteenth Century seeks to address and correct popular misconceptions of the United States as an isolated and exceptional nation by exploring the global origins of U.S. history and culture before 1900. Our course’s primary goal is to demonstrate the multiple ways in which the United States was, from its beginning, both part of a community of nations as well as an expansionist nation-state with imperialist aspirations. This course is founded on the assumption that—just as we cannot talk about the United States without also talking about the world—we cannot study literature without also studying history. We will utilize a historicist approach to the literature and culture of the period, applying the tools of close-reading to a range of historical artifacts.

ENGL 4475/5575: Topics in Literature, Identity, and Place: Identity in Literature, Law, and Politics

01: TR 11-12:15 with Amanda Zink and Ed Kammerer (CRN: 25178/25207)

02: TR 11-12:15 SO with Amanda Zink and Ed Kammerer (CRN: 25208/25209)

What does it mean to be an American? How does literature help us understand the law and politics surrounding American identity? Who does the law protect and who does the law harm or ignore? How do the stories we tell – in literature, in law, in politics – help us understand these issues? Using a mix of literary, legal, and other texts, this course will study the parallel development of American law and literature from the seventeenth century to the present. We’ll read a variety of texts to trace the ways the literary is in conversation with the legal and to trace the ways Americans experience the effects of law in shaping and limiting what it means to be American.

ENGL 4486/5586: Old English

01: MWF 1-1:50 with Thomas Klein (CRN: 25179/25210)

02: MWF 1-1:50 SO with Thomas Klein (CRN: 25211/25212)

Dating from between 600 and 1100, Old English is the earliest stage of the English language. It is the language of Beowulf, The Wanderer, and the jewel-like Riddles, and was one of Tolkien’s central interests. This course offers an introduction to the language: pronouncing it, reading it, and adjusting our minds to live in it. Our goal is to learn enough of its structure to read short passages with ease. In doing so, we will inevitably be learning about our own language. We will also be learning about medieval artifacts and modern recreations.

ENGL 4491: Senior Literary Studies Portfolio

01: TBD with Brent Wolter (CRN: TBD)

For English - Literary majors in catalog years 2024 and later. Students submit a portfolio of their two best papers, at least one of which should include research and citations, and a brief reflection on how they have developed as writers and thinkers relative to the outcomes of the major and literary track.

ENGL 4494: Senior Seminar in Creative Writing

01: TR 2:30-3:45 with Bethany Schultz Hurst (CRN: 20947)

The Creative Writing Senior Seminar supports advanced study of creative writing craft while asking students to consider their roles as literary citizens. Together, we’ll consider craft topics, such as different configurations of narrative time, and constructively workshop one another’s work. Our creative work for the semester will be student-directed; students will propose, draft, and revise semester-long writing projects of their own design (poetry collections, short stories, chapters of novels, etc.). These projects will be supported by individual book lists that the instructor and student together compile. (Students will be expected to purchase these additional books or access them through the library.) Throughout the semester, students will develop their literary citizenship by planning, advertising and hosting the kinds of Creative Writing campus events (open mics, writing workshops, etc.) that can foster a healthy writing community.

ENGL 6610 Careers in English

01: TBD with Thomas Klein and Margaret Johnson (CRN: 22189)

This course is designed to help English doctoral students as they begin to navigate the academic job market. Though primarily intended for those about to complete their dissertations, anyone interested in the academic job search process—including graduate students from other programs, English graduate students at an earlier stage in their programs, and adjunct instructors—is also welcome to enroll.

Topics will include the process of searching for faculty jobs, teaching philosophies, CVs, application letters, diversity statements, and interviewing techniques. Although the course is largely focused on the job market for teaching positions, we will also discuss alt-ac careers and the process of searching for positions in other areas of academia (e.g., administration, writing and editing services, publishers, museums, libraries, non-profits, etc.). The class will combine rhetorically oriented discussions of job search materials with workshop-style evaluation of documents written by enrolled students. Graded S/U.

ENGL 6624 Seminar in Literary Themes, Post-1800: Trauma and Memory in the Contemporary American Novel

01: Thurs. 4-6:30 pm with Gibette Encarnaciόn (CRN: 25180)

02: Thurs. 4-6:30 pm SO with Gibette Encarnaciόn (CRN: 25213)

What is the relationship between suffering and storytelling? This graduate seminar investigates how contemporary American novelists confront the full spectrum of trauma—from the psychic wounds of violence and personal loss to the collective scars of institutional oppression, political exile, and historical erasure. We will move beyond the idea of linear recollection to analyze memory as a complicated, fragmented, and often political burden. In this course we will ask: How does the silence of the archive force novelists to invent new forms to verbalize the pain of slavery, war, political exile, and institutional violence? We will engage with advanced trauma theory to analyze how essential American novels from diverse racial, ethnic, and gender perspectives excavate buried memories, confront historical consciousness, and redefine the American self.

ENGL 6632: Seminar in Teaching Literature: Teaching Shakespeare Now

01: W 7-9:30 pm with Jessica Winston (CRN: 25181)

02: W 7-9:30 pm SO with Jessica Winston (CRN: 25214)

Current Shakespeare pedagogy is characterized by two opposing trends. One involves performance approaches—pedagogical techniques emphasizing presence and physical action through up-on-your-feet exercises and student productions. Another trend involves physical distance and separation, including distance, hyflex, and online classes, where up-on-your-feet exercises and collaborative student productions are far more difficult. This class explores both pedagogical trends and considers three questions: What are some effective performance pedagogies? How do performance approaches enhance student engagement with Shakespeare? How can we integrate performance pedagogies into remote teaching contexts?

ENGL 6681: Theory of Second Language Acquisition

01: M 4-6:30 pm with Brent Wolter (CRN: 25182)

02: M 4-6:30 pm SO with Brent Wolter (CRN: 25215)

The course will: 1) address theories describing the processes underlying second language acquisition, as well as relevant research, 2) consider what conditions increase the likelihood of successful second language acquisition, and 3) review the implications of 1 and 2 for second language learning and teaching.

ENGL 7731: Practicum in Teaching Composition

01: TR 2:30-3:45 with Rob Watkins (CRN: 20034)

Teaching composition under supervision. Required of, and limited to, second semester M.A. teaching assistants. Graded S/U.