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Rock & Sling.Our national literary magazine is unique in that it lets undergraduates take part in its production. Typically you don’t get to perform such work until graduate school. Students take part in “slush reading” and can apply to be Assistant Genre Editors in Fiction, Poetry, and Creative Nonfiction. Students meet to discuss Fiction on Tuesdays at 5pm and Poetry on Wednesdays at 5pm. The department even offers credit for the work in EL 266/466 Applied Editing (1 credit). Students who work with the magazine also can apply to attend the annual AWP Conference as representatives of the magazine.
Whitworth Composition Commons. Students can become consultants for the WCC. If you are interested, contact Dr. Jessica Clements.
Present Tense. We also house this “Journal of Rhetoric in Society.” There are opportunities to work with Dr. Jessica Clements in her work as a Managing Editor.
Script is our undergraduate literary magazine. It offers students a chance to work on a magazine with low stakes, but also to have their work published. Keep an eye out for posters soliciting submissions!
EL 110H Writing & Design. This course fulfils your Written Communication requirement for the shared curriculum and focuses on multimodal composition and research. It prepares you for basically every paper you will write in college and beyond. (Typically offered Fall and Spring)
EL 115H Reading in Action. This course explores reading practices from your initial love of literature and books all the way to advanced scholarly reading. It engages in service-learning with reading communities in Spokane. (Typically offered Fall)
EL 211H Introduction to Professional Writing. An introduction to professional writing, including business and technical writing. Emphasis on writing in context, project management, document design, teamwork, research, and technology. Prerequisite: Satisfaction of Written Communication requirement. Recommended freshman/sophomore years; Must be completed prior to senior year. (Typically offered Fall and Spring)
EL 226H The Story of the Holy Grail. This course will examine Arthurian legends as recorded in the literary oeuvre of Chretien de Troyes. Students will read the original unfinished version of the quest of the Holy Grail and devise and film their own unique ending to this enduring legend. (Offered periodically)
EL 245H Intro to Creative Writing. This course introduces students to writing fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. It prepares them for upper division workshops in different genres. And it’s fun! It is a Fine Arts course in the Shared Curriculum. (Offered Fall and Spring.)
EL 260H Sin & Chaos in Literature. This course asks the question: What is a human being? We read five American novels grappling with the country’s historical legacy concerning the treatment of indigenous peoples and African slaves, along with their descendants. We do so with appeal to philosophy and theology by reading primary texts by Michel Foucault and Augustine of Hippo. The course earns you FRCI credit or Literature and Storytelling Credit, and it has a “U-Tag.” (Typically offered Fall)
EL 300H Domain of the Arts. Exploration of theater, literature, music, museums, and film. The arts in relation to society, economics, politics, values, faith. Taught in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and other major US cities. (Periodic Jan Term offering)
EL 314H Church Drama. This course involves study of classic and contemporary drama used in Christian worship. Students will engage in biblical text study, critical writing, playwriting, and performance of original theatre on campus and in area churches. (Offered periodically)
EL 330H The Book in America to 1900. This course engages the history of the book in colonial America and the United States before 1900. Understanding “the book” in the broadest possible sense of material texts intended for communication, this interdisciplinary course takes up foundational readings on the history of the book and media studies, focusing on the specific contexts of colonial America, the early Republic, and the age of the Industrial book, and providing a distinctive angle on literary and cultural history. (Offered periodically)
EL 337H Audio Storytelling. Inspired by This American Life, The Moth Radio Hour, Story Corps, and other audio programs, students will build a portfolio of their own audio work. Topics will include elements of storytelling and narrative design, ethical obligations in handling other people’s stories, and basic audio recording and editing. (Typically offered Fall)
EL 339H Digital Storytelling. Study of digital, multimodal writing/storytelling. Students create a variety of digital texts using freely available audio, video, and text editing tools. Two evening screenings plus regular class meetings. Prerequisites: EL 210, EL 245, COM 125, or instructor permission. Also listed as COM/FVNS 339. (Periodically offered Jan term and sometimes Spring)
EL 340H Writing in Virtual Worlds. An introduction to writing in, with, and about virtual worlds, including exploration of MUDs/MOOs, RPGs, MMORPGs, and others. (Periodically offered)
EL 350H American Literary Journals. Study the history and development of significant literary journals across American history. Students will gain an understanding of the role of magazines in the development of American literature, and practical insight into the administration and aesthetic concerns of contemporary magazines. Students will also research new developments in periodic literary publishing, including online magazines, print zines, e-books, and other digital environments. (Offered periodically)
EL 390H Honors English Internship. Honors English Internships are off-campus experiential learning activities designed to provide students with opportunities to make connections between the theory and practice of their academic study, their broader liberal arts education, and the practical application of those studies in a professional work environment. In addition to its investment in interdisciplinary learning, all Honors internships likewise have a public-facing component, meaning that students must present to a public audience evidence of their learning experiences. Designed to be a capstone experience for students, the internship offers students the opportunity to make connections across their liberal arts education, to gain relevant experience, and to build professional connections.
EL 422H Joyce and Woolf Seminar. Examines fiction by major twentieth-century authors James Joyce and Virginia Woolf, using collaborative, creative projects. Recommended that students have prior courses in the honors program or English department. (Periodically offered)
Westminster Round is the English Department’s Student Club. They meet regularly throughout the semester to talk about books and poems and anything that interests those who come along. The amount of laughter emerging from their meetings suggests it’s more fun than a professor will be able to communicate in a brief blurb! If you’re interested in hanging out with English Majors, Minors, and the English-curious, ask any English professor and they’ll direct you to someone who can teach you the secret handshake.
