Glossary
UW Bothell Course Descriptions
UW Seattle Course Descriptions
Detailed course offerings (Time Schedule) are available for
T LIT 101 Understanding Literature (5) A&H
Develops essential tools for close and informed reading of fiction, drama, and poetry. Considers how a text generates aesthetic pleasure, how it achieves moral or social impact. Develops skills in literary analysis through reading literary texts, through discussion, and through critical writing.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 101
T LIT 210 Studies in American Literature (5) A&H
Examines the aesthetic, social, and cultural expressions of American Literature through its major authors, modes, themes, and periods. Students will practice the analysis of literary discourse and the formation of critical arguments.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 210
T LIT 220 Literature and the Arts (5) A&H
Examines the connections between literature and other art forms, such as film, painting, music, and performance. Emphasizes the methods of interpretation and critical theory in studying the relationships of artistic expression. Studies the work of major artists and writers, as well as examples at local galleries, museums, and performance spaces.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 220
T LIT 230 Multi-Ethnic American Literature (5) A&H, DIV
Examines multicultural and multi-ethnic literature by American authors. Focuses on novels, short stories, essays, and poetry that examine the social construction of race in American society, the construction of American identity, and the intersections of race, class, and gender.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 230
T LIT 237 Introduction to Literature and Environment (5) A&H
Examines the concepts of "nature", "environment", and "wilderness" across a range of literary texts produced by a variety of voices and considers how broader contexts-such as the historical, personal, or cultural-shape how writers represent nature and environment in their work.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 237
T LIT 240 Studies in English Literature (5) A&H
Examines the aesthetic, social, and cultural expressions of English literature through its major authors, modes, themes, and periods. Students will practice the analysis of literary discourse and the formation of critical arguments.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 240
T LIT 251 Ancient Literature of Western Civilization (5) A&H
Examines works of literature and philosophy of ancient Western Civilization as the foundation for subsequent Western writing and thought. May include Homer's Odyssey, Sophocles' Oedipus the King, Plato's Apology, and Virgil's Aeneid.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 251
T LIT 252 Medieval and Renaissance Literature of Western Civilization (5) A&H
Critically examines works of literature and literary theology from the medieval and Renaissance eras in Europe. Explores works as "archetypes," i.e., the foundation for subsequent European writing and thought of all kinds. Includes Dante s Inferno, Shakespeare's Hamlet, and Milton's Paradise Lost.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 252
T LIT 253 Modern Literature of Western Civilization (5) A&H
Examines literary works of Western civilization from the modern era, works important to subsequent Western writing and thought of all kinds. May include Swift's Gulliver's Travels, Goethe's Faust, Kafka's short stories, and Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 253
T LIT 305 American Literary Movements, Genres, and Historical Periods (5, max. 10) A&H
Studies movements (Transcendentalism, Modernism, the Harlem Renaissance, etc.); genres (poetry, fiction, drama, essay); historical periods (American Renaissance, the ' 20s, etc.); and investigates the literature of ethnic, political, and/or regional groups. May be repeated for credit with instructor's approval.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 305
T LIT 306 Studies in Selected American Writers (5) A&H
Analysis of selected American writers, focusing on their depictions of success and failure, and their characteristic styles of affirmation and alienation. Are there typically American patterns that can be discerned? What makes a writer's vision compelling?
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 306
T LIT 311 Themes in American Literature (5, max. 10) A&H
Studies major themes addressed by writers in America. Includes topics such as: individualism, identity and community; sex, love and marriage; justice and injustice; industrialization, technology and the city; authenticity and egalitarianism; and race relations. May be repeated for credit with instructor's approval.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 311
T LIT 313 American Poetry (5) A&H
An examination of different types of American poetry. Emphasizes writers from a variety of backgrounds. Poems approached from formal, thematic and historical perspectives.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 313
T LIT 320 African American Literature from Slavery to the Present (5) A&H, DIV
Readings, films, lectures, and class discussions will focus on constructions of racial identity, social consciousness, race class, and gender relations as reflected in novels, short stories, essays, and poetry by African American authors.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 320
T LIT 324 African American Women's Literature (5) A&H, DIV
Examines female slave narratives and novels from the Harlem Renaissance, Social Protest Movement, and the contemporary period. Examines how black women illustrate social constructions and intersections of race, gender, and class. Readings, lectures, and films will explore the political motivation and public response to black women's writing.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 324
T LIT 325 Medical and Ethical Issues in Literature and Culture (5) A&H
Examines various medical and bioethical issues through the lens of literature. Explores the role of technology, illness and culture, and end-of-live issues. Offered: jointly with T HLTH 325.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 325
T LIT 331 Immigrant and Ethnic Literature (5) A&H
Explores dynamics of cultures in contact and conflict and examines how literatures of different ethnic groups reflect this contrast. Emphasizes historical and cultural perspectives on immigrant and ethnic experience in the U.S. Analyzes literature depicting different aspects of the immigrant and ethnic experience within the larger context of America.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 331
T LIT 332 Asian American Literature (5) A&H
Examines major works of Asian American literature and the "double burden" of Asian American writers in both creating art and representing a group. Compares this "burden" to those of writers of other ethnicities. Includes historic themes and represents voices of marginalized groups commenting on themselves and on mainstream society.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 332
T LIT 335 Middle Eastern American Literature (5) A&H, DIV
Focuses on literature produced by Middle Eastern Americans, examine how these texts explore questions of identity through intersections of race, gender, and class, as well as religious, historical, and sociopolitical contexts, and taking into consideration both popular culture and the traditions to which this literature responds.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 335
T LIT 338 Writing in the Pacific Northwest (5) A&H
Examines the way place or region provides a context for writing. Compares several kinds of writing from the Pacific Northwest (e.g., history, journalism, fiction, nature writing) and analyzes how writing is made more effective by awareness of audience, setting and occasion for writing.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 338
T LIT 343 Shakespeare (5, max. 10) A&H
Examines selected works of English playwright William Shakespeare. Students read plays and engage in class discussion and textually supported interpretations in writing. Covers historical background of Shakespeare's England and play settings, as well as relevant theology, philosophy, and natural science.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 343
T LIT 344 Oregon Shakespeare Festival (2) A&H
Studies the texts and attends the performances of plays by Shakespeare playwrights during a short excursion to the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Emphasizes the production of a play as an interpretation of the text. Typically includes a backstage tour of 3 theaters and a private discussion with an actor.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 344
T LIT 351 Ancient Greek Tragedy (5) A&H
Examines selected tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 351
T LIT 352 Medieval Quests (5) A&H
Examines important works of literature and literary theology from the medieval era, broadly construed. Special attention to the theme of the "quest." Texts include Augustine's Confessions, Beowulf, The Quest of the Holy Grail, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Don Quixote.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 352
T LIT 371 The World Stage (5, max. 10) A&H
An investigation of western and non-western forms of staged performance from a historical, social, political, and cultural perspective. Subjects include the classical stage, medieval mystery plays, Jesuit theater, Noh and Kabuki theater, the Peking opera, Yiddish theater, Agit-Prop, the cabaret, the operatic gesamtkunstwerk, Avant-Garde theater, and Performance Art.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 371
T LIT 380 Myth and Literary Sagas in Creative Expression (5) A&H
Explores the creative depictions of mythological themes, legendary heroes, and literary sagas. Special attention given to myth, legend, and literature in traditional cultural expression and their dramatic transformation in cinema. Themes include 'the hero of many faces,' and 'love and tragedy.'
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 380
T LIT 388 Cross Cultural Studies in Contemporary Women's Fiction (5) A&H, DIV
Examines novels and short stories concerned with race, politics, feminism, and the representation of women. Issues addressed include minority discourse, autobiographical modes, myth, storytelling, definitions of womanhood, and cultural identification. Writers studied include Allison, Erdrich, Silko, Kingston, Tan, Morrison, and Cisneros.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 388
T LIT 390 Varieties of Literary Criticism (5) A&H
Investigates different approaches to reading and analysis of literary texts. Draws readings from a range of theoretical and practical criticism. Considers how critical theory adds to the understanding and enjoyment of literature. Gives attention to the history of critical ideas.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 390
T LIT 391 Science Fiction Literature (5) A&H
Explores science fiction from various cultures and historical periods as a distinct literary genre that explores the boundaries, not just of space, but of moralities and belief systems, and what it means to be human; covering themes which may include robots/AI; alien encounters; speculative fiction; space voyaging, or time travel. Course overlaps with: ENGL 349. Recommended: Completed at least one 200-level literature course.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 391
T LIT 406 Children's and Young Adult Literature (5) A&H
Explores the variety and richness of contemporary children's and young adult literature. Discusses current trends and issues, and explores multi-ethnic literature and literature from other countries.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 406
T LIT 425 Literature of the Harlem Renaissance (5) A&H, DIV
Examines the images, themes, and characterizations in literature written by African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance. Writers include Johnson, Hughes, Larsen, Harston, Cullen, Fauset, Thurmann, White and McKay.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 425
T LIT 431 Contemporary Native American Women's Literature (5) A&H, DIV
Examines novels, short stories, and poetry by contemporary Native American women authors. Addresses racial and gender oppression, reservation life, acculturation, political and social emergence as well as the leadership role of Native American women. Writers studied include Erdrich, Silko, Hogan, Tapahonso, and Harjo.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 431
T LIT 432 American Indian Literature (5, max. 10) A&H
Studies American Indian literature reflected in thematic and topical expressions. Examines content revolving around leading Native American writers, and/or non-Indian depictions of Native Americans, and/or American Indian biographical studies. May be repeated for credit with instructor's approval.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 432
T LIT 433 Native American Literature and Federal Indian Law (5) SSc/A&H, DIV
Examines major Native American texts against the backdrop of federal Indian law. Native Americans have consistently been resisting and reacting to federal laws aimed at limiting their sovereign rights. Looks at how characters resist and undermine colonial forces in ways unique to Native American culture.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 433
T LIT 437 Topics in Literature and Environment (5) A&H
Examines nature writing and environmental literature through the lens of a focused topic. Includes topics such as: Wilderness Tales, Nature and Industry, Women in Nature, Environmental Apocalypse, Nonhuman Animals in Literature, and Beyond Nature Writing. May be repeated for credit with instructor's approval.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 437
T LIT 458 Modern Novel (5) A&H
Examines Cervantes' Don Quixote and twentieth-century works inspired by it. May include Don Quixote, Kafka's Castle, Borges' Labyrinths, and Nabokov's Pale Fire.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 458
T LIT 476 American Women's Literature: Nineteenth and Twentieth Century Texts (5) A&H, DIV
Examines primarily novels and short stories by American women authors from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Explores women's work, women's education, women's activism, marriage, motherhood, and crimes committed against and by women. Addresses the construction of female identity and how American women authors revise American history and literature.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 476
T LIT 481 Postcolonial Fiction (5) A&H
Examines selected works of fiction by postcolonial authors while building a foundation in postcolonial history.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 481
T LIT 487 African Folklore and Literature (5) SSc
Explores oral and written traditions in Africa. Emphasizes how the aesthetics of storytelling and dialogue shape the production of narrative in contemporary African contexts. Explores anthropological, literary, and historical approaches in viewing the aesthetic qualities of African folklore and literature.
View course details in MyPlan: T LIT 487
