English

W10 The Inklings: C. S. Lewis & Friends. In this course, students will read selections from the famous and not-so-famous works of C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Williams, and Owen Barfield. These authors formed the core of the Inklings, a group of Oxford intellectuals in the 1930's and 40's who concerned themselves with myth and mythmaking. Students will study what spawned and sustained their fellowship, what problems they attempted to solve, and what legacy they left behind. Students also will look at their attitudes toward Modernism, exemplified by T. S. Eliot, a writer who converted to the Anglican Church about the same time as Lewis but whose poetry took a far different direction. And students will explore basic questions about the relationship between faith and the imagination. Evaluation is based on journals, a class presentation, and a short essay. L. Klatt. 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

W40 J.R.R Tolkien's Middle Earth. Before, during, and after writing The Lord of the Rings , J.R.R Tolkien was constantly tinkering with the mythological world the he called Middle-earth. Middle –earth is much more than a fantastic backdrop for epic adventure stories. Its long history illustrates many of Tolkien's complex ideas about creation and art, evil and suffering, friendship and hope. Students in this course read The Lord of the Rings in its entirety, as well as The Simarillion . Occasional lectures illuminate the biographical and literary contexts for Tolkien's work, as well as introducing students to recent criticism on Tolkien and Tolkien's own scholarly writings. Most class time, however, is devoted to discussion of the daily readings. Students are evaluated on participation, a reading journal and a final project. The work load for this course is heavy: reading assignments typically exceed 100 pages per day. Students registered for the course should read The Hobbit over the break and expect an extensive quiz on the first day. C. Engbers . 8:30 a.m. to noon.

W41 Writing Books for Children. In this workshop students write short books for children in any number of genres—poetry; realistic, fantastic, or historical fiction; and nonfiction. Students read many examples of all of these genres as well as a number of essays about writing by established writers for children. Writers and editors hopefully visit the class as guest speakers. Students are expected to write extensively, to critique each other's work, and to make at least one presentation. Students should come with a willingness to take risks, to accept criticism, and to work hard. Evaluation is based on participation and on the quality of the work produced. D. Hettinga. 8:30 a.m. to noon.

W42 Frederick Buechner: An Introduction. Especially since his 1981 Pulitzer Prize nomination, Vermont novelist Frederick Buechner has come to be regarded as one of the foremost among those contemporary writers attempting to bring personal faith to bear on their literary work. This Interim course introduces students to Buechner's work by focusing on his career as a writer of both fiction and nonfiction. Students read Buechner's autobiographical The Sacred Journey , novels such as Godric and the books of the Bebb series, and excerpts from such works as Wishful Thinking and The Magnificent Defeat. In addition students look at Buechner's forays into poetry, the short story, and the essay. The course offers a close look at Buechner's extraordinary ability to affirm the possibilities of grace without avoiding the darknesses of the contemporary landscape. Students also have an opportunity to compare Buechner, the theologian, to Buechner, the novelist. Daily activities include discussion of readings, viewing video tapes of Buechner's comments on his own work, one report on a Buechner work not assigned in class, and quizzes on assigned readings. Student will also travel to the Buechner archives in Chicago to peruse the material gathered there. W.D. Brown. 8:30 a.m. to noon.

W43 Rhetoric and the Civil Rights Movement . In this course, students will review events of the civil rights movement and consider how civil rights leaders like Fannie Lou Hammer, Martin Luther King, Jr., Fred Shuttlesworth, and Malcolm X used language to change the hearts and minds of Americans. Students will analyze civil rights speeches, texts, and video images to expose the powerful effects of African American rhetoric, religious institutions, and personal religious faith on the arguments about race in America . Students will participate in two class presentations and write a seminar paper. E. Vander Lei . 8:30 a.m. to noon.

W45 Finding God in the Movies: Exploring Film and Religion. Although Hollywood and film generally are seen as bastions of gleeful secularism, the last two decades have produced an extraordinary body of film that is religiously acute and moving. This course looks at the sorts of religious statements these films make and how they go about making them by concentrating on the interrelation between the two. In terms of drama of religious experience, the course traces the movement from darkness to light, from despair to hope, and from tragedy to comedy. Students reflect on the nature of audience response and the legitimacy of oft-drawn distinctions between religious film and Christian film. The course follows a seminar format as much as possible. Recent viewing of all films in the course is a requirement and opportunity for that is given each morning during the Interim. Class sessions are then devoted to lectures, film review, reading analysis, and discussion. The course examines some 20 films, including The Godfather , The Deer Hunter, Tender Mercies, the Star Wars trilogy, Contact, The Apostle, American Beauty, and Magnolia. A number of the films in the course are R-rated and are very dark in their estimation of human life. Students read a variety of essays and one short book, view required films, regularly lead and participate in class discussions, and write midterm and final exams. R. Anker. 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

W46 New England Saints. In the mid-19th century a group of New England writers created a body of literature dealing with significant religious, philosophical, and artistic questions. This course deals with these writers and their questions. It studies Hawthorne and his reaction to the Puritan tradition, the transcendentalists and their uneasy union of philosophy and literature, and the Romantics and their departure from the traditions of Emerson. After studying Thoreau, Emerson, Alcott, Fuller, Longfellow, Whittier, Dickinson , Hawthorne , and the 17 th century Bradford, the class travels to Maine and to Concord , Massachusetts , for onsite discovery, examination, and discussion of these writers. The group remains in New England for two weeks, visiting Hawthorne 's Salem , Bradford's Plymouth , Dickinson 's Amherst , Whittier 's Haverill, Lowell , and Boston . Students are evaluated on presentations, discussions, and journals. Fee: $1875. G. Fondse, G. Schmidt. Off campus.

262 Business Writing . This course introduces students to the kinds of written communication and oral presentations that are required in business-related fields. Students collect examples of and practice composing the types of professional communication that they are likely to craft on the job. The class is conducted as a workshop; students consult with each other and with the instructor. Each student submits several projects. The class also includes a presentation (with written, multimedia, and oral portions), in-class writing exercises, and the use of word-processing and presentation software. Prerequisite: English 101 with a grade of C+ or above. S . LeMahieu Dunn . 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

339 English Grammar. This study of traditional grammar focuses on its history, its system, its applications, its competitors, and its place in the middle school and high school classroom. Special emphasis is given to the system and terminology of this grammar. Evaluation is based on daily assignments, in-class projects, and tests. W. Vande Kopple, J. Vanden Bosch. 8:30 a.m. to noon.