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Our course offerings each semester are subject to change based on several factors such as enrollment and faculty availability. But when planning your curriculum, you can keep in mind the following general scheduling conventions. (rev. Sept. 2025)

General Education: We run multiple sections of ENGL 100, 101, and 102 each semester as part of the Composition Program; these are the only courses that satisfy the Written Communication requirement of the GE program. In addition, each semester we run 18-22 sections of courses that satisfy GE requirements in Oral Communication (ENGL 147), Global and Cultural Awareness (130), Information and Technological Literacy (150, 255), Humanistic Perspectives (205, 209, 214, 218, 226, etc.), and Civic Engagement (125 and 133), as well as GE Capstone Seminar courses (319 and 344). Note that 200- and 300-level courses can also be taken for major credit.

Major Courses: Every fall and spring semester, we offer 18-20 courses that can be counted toward an English major (or minor), including at least one section of the following:

• ENGL 213 Intro to the Study of Literature (required for all majors)

• ENGL 219 Making Literature Matter (required for Lit. and Ed. students)

• One course that fulfills the Single Author req. for Lit. and Ed. students: 331, 332, or 363.

• One course that fulfills the Language req. for Ed. students: 191, 341, 343, or 359.

• One course that fulfills the American req. for all students: 220, 235, 314, 315, 340, etc.

• One course that fulfills the British req. for all students: 207, 316, 327, 330, 356, etc.

• One course that fulfills the World req. for all students: 230, 318, 321, 324, 342, etc.

In addition, in the fall semester, we offer:

• ENGL 209 Children’s and Young Adult Literature (required for Ed. students)

• ENGL 400 Writing Internship (required for student tutors)

• ENGL 410 Thematic Studies (a course for advanced majors, with a different topic each year)

• Two Creative Writing workshop courses and one Creative Writing craft course.

• At least two more elective courses.

And in the spring semester, we also offer:

• ENGL 412 Capstone Seminar: Literature (required for Lit. and Ed. students)

• ENGL 412 Capstone Seminar: Creative Writing (required for CW students)

• Two Creative Writing craft courses and one Creative Writing workshop course.

• At least two more elective courses.

Online Courses: We think that in-person discussion is the best possible way to learn about writing and literature. However, each semester we offer some synchronous or asynchronous online sections: one or two 100-level GE courses, one GE Capstone, and at least one major course. We also usually offer an online asynchronous ENGL 200 Writing for Business.

COMPOSITION COURSES

ENGL 100 Critical Reading and Writing. This is our first-semester composition course for all (non-transfer) NJCU students. It's a dynamic introduction to reading and writing for academic purposes. You'll meet fellow first-year students and discuss issues that matter. 3 credits. Multiple sections. 

ENGL 101 English Composition I. This course refines your ability to analyze texts and compose clear, thoughtful essays. 3 credits. Multiple sections. 

ENGL 102 English Composition II. This course focuses on academic research and writing; it's your gateway to writing well in your discipline. (Pre-req: ENGL 101, or a placement score of 3 or 4.) 3 credits. Multiple sections. 

ENGL 200 Writing for Business. A specialized course in professional writing for students in business-oriented programs or anyone who wants to write well in the business world. Online. 

GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES 

ENGL 125 Stories of the University GE: Civic Engagement. How did universities begin? How have they evolved? Who benefits from university, and who pays? What explains the peculiar traditions, status, and structure of universities? And how will they change in the future? Students will explore the history, culture, and politics of higher education through fiction, essays, and other texts. (Prof. Linda Goldberg.)

ENGL 133 Dark Stories for Young Adults GE: Civic Engagement. In this course, students will analyze dystopian literature for young adults. These dark and edgy works explore repressive societies and contemporary challenges like environmental disasters, technological dependency, bioengineering catastrophes, and social inequality. Students will use these texts to cultivate their own ideas about social change and responsible citizenship. (Section 2320: Prof. Audrey Fisch. Section 2321: Prof. Caroline Wilkinson.)

ENGL 147 Effective Speaking GE: Oral Communication. This course focuses on the principles of effective public speaking. Students will study, and put into practice, the elements of speech that comprise successful message delivery, including speech composition, preparation, and presentation. Students will showcase their mastery of these skills through delivery of in-class speeches with specific and distinct objectives. (Multiple sections: Profs. Frost, Fausty, Dewberry, Gurbisz, Fortner, Stankovic, and Bellino.)

ENGL 150 From Game Playing to Creative Writing GE: Information and Technological Literacy. Students compose original works by experimenting with language's visual and sonic qualities, modifying literary and non-literary forms (sonnet, cookbook, list), and utilizing non-traditional compositional techniques: cut-up, content scraping, n+1 aggregation. Because experimental writing often adheres to rules/formal procedures, students adopt rule-bound, constraint-driven forms that have affinities with literature and gaming. (Two sections: Prof. Ethan Bumas.)

ENGL 235 Reading Hip Hop GE: Humanistic Perspectives. This course introduces students to the study of hip hop as a literary genre that is rooted in the vernacular languages and cultural practices of the African diaspora. Students will engage literary and critical works and examine the genre's connection to movements such as the Harlem Renaissance and Black Arts Movement. (Online. Prof. Ica Sadagat.)

ENGL 344 Creative Writing in a Digital Age GE: Capstone. Students compose original works prompted by the emergence of digital platforms for the creation, consumption and dissemination of textual matter. Students adopt modes of writing - online journaling, texting, content scraping, appropriation, and remixing of found materials and study how such practices have emerged from the blog, SMS, social media, and wikis. (Two sections: Prof. Tan Lin (online) and Prof. Michael Rotenberg-Schwartz.)

COURSES IN THE ENGLISH MAJOR
(courses marked * can also be taken for GE credit)

ENGL 209 Children's & Young Adult Literature. *GE: HU. Read a variety of literature for children and young adults, from different cultures and in various genres, including poetry and fiction. What can we learn from this literature about childhood and the journey to adulthood? How does it reflect the societies that produced it? (Prof. Alex Apuzzo.)

ENGL 213 Introduction to the Study of Literature. *GE: HU. This is the first course in the English major but is open to majors and non-majors alike. It offers a broad introduction to the study of literature: what we read, how we read it, and why. Students practice reading closely and listening attentively, and they learn to recognize literary devices and use key concepts such as theme, allusion, and point of view. Whatever your experience as a reader, this course will introduce you to new pleasures and challenges in literature. (Prof. Corey Frost.)

ENGL 219 Making Literature Matter. This course, intended primarily for majors concentrating on literature and the teaching of literature, expands students' understanding of literary scholarship through the introduction of critical questions, terms, and concepts that motivate current practice within literary studies. It is taken concurrently with or directly after ENGL 213. (Prof. Michael Rotenberg-Schwartz.)

ENGL 226 Women in Literature. *GE: HU. Consider the tradition of writing by, for, and about women over the centuries and in different societies. How does the characterization and role of women in literature reflect their lives and their contributions to society? (Prof. Ann Wallace.)

ENGL 270 Fiction Workshop. In this workshop students create works of fiction for the entire class to discuss. Thus students learn not just from the canon and the professor but from each other. Reading materials are classic and (mostly) contemporary short stories, micro-fictions, scripts, and novels or excepts from novels. (Prof. Ethan Bumas.)

ENGL 314 Topics in American Literature In this course, students examine literature in the American tradition with particular attention to that tradition's formation across its history. Through close engagement with works of fiction, poetry, drama, and criticism representative of at least three distinct literary historical periods, we explore literary historical specificity, change, and continuity. (Prof. Chris Cunningham.)

ENGL 316 Topics in British Literature This course examines literature in the British tradition through a thematic or topical organizing principle. Through close engagement with works of fiction, poetry, drama, and criticism representative of at least three distinct literary periods, the course offers an advanced understanding of changes and continuities in British cultural history. Pre- or co-req: 213. (Prof. Chris Cunningham.)

ENGL 317 Literature and Philosophy This course, cross-listed with PHIL 317, examines intersections between literature and philosophy as distinct modes of interrogating and explaining the human condition, the mind, the natural world, language, aesthetics, and reality. Literary and philosophical works are read in light of one another. Readings range from ancient philosophy and poetry to contemporary thought and fiction. (Prof. Luke Trusso.)

ENGL 324 Irish Literature A remarkable number of important writers have come from Ireland. This course explores their work—as well as Irish culture and history. Students will engage with poems, plays, novels, films, songs, legends, ghosts, fairies, wizards and, yes, leprechauns—amid a history filled with light-hearted lore and dark, violent epochs. (Prof. Jim Broderick.)

ENGL 340 Survey of U.S. Writers of Latin-American Descent The course examines literary texts written by immigrant, exiled, and U.S.-born Latinas and Latinos. It pays particular attention to the ways in which specific literary genres are connected to the histories of various Latino communities. (Prof. Chris Cunningham.)

ENGL 349 Special Topics in Creative Writing. The topic of this creative writing course in Fall 25 is "Flash Fiction"—writing fiction that tells a story in very few words. Enrollment limited to 15. (Prof. Edi Giunta.)

ENGL 363 Single Author Study. In this course, students examine in depth one author's body of work and place within literary history. Each section of Single Author Study will focus on the literary career, influences, and impact of one author of major literary historical significance. The featured author in Fall 25 is American playwright Tennessee Williams. (Prof. Jim Broderick.)

ENGL 376 Poetry Workshop. This workshop is for students interested in writing poetry and understanding its various forms and elements. Enrollment limited to 15. (Prof. Tan Lin.)

ENGL 386 Memoir Workshop. *GE: HU. Designed as a process-oriented workshop on memoir writing, the course explores the differences between memoir and autobiography writing. It also examines strategies for memoir-writing, the creative process underlying the genre, and the contexts in which the contemporary memoir has emerged. Enrollment limited to 15. (Prof. Edi Giunta.)

ENGL 400 Writing Internship. This internship provides an opportunity for qualified students to receive training and practice in tutoring other students who seek help with their writing. Take this course if you'd like to work in the Writing Center or in the Embedded Tutors Program. Contact Writing Center Director Ann Wallace for more info. (Prof. Ann Wallace.)

ENGL 412 Capstone Seminar: Current Issues in the Discipline of English. The capstone is a research-intensive culminating seminar that affords students in the last semester of the English Major the opportunity to examine a critical issue current in the discipline of English studies and to participate in a rigorous exchange about this issue with their peers and with published scholars. In Fall 25, the topic will be "Literary Ethics." Most students take the capstone in their final semester, and you must have already completed 30 credits toward the English major. (Prof. Josh Fausty.)

ENGL 420 Major Cultural Conflicts in Literature. This specialized literature and language course changes topic each time it is offered. In Fall 25, the topic will be "Borders and Contact Zones". (Prof. Ethan Bumas.)