Political propaganda often persuades through conspiracy theories that create suspicion and fear. This course examines the rhetorical strategies of conspiracy-driven propaganda from the 20th and 21st centuries. By examining the arguments, evidence, images, myths, and tropes that animate propaganda and conspiracy theories, we will identify how they are circulated to inflame our emotions, exploit our prejudices, and bias our decision-making.

Introduces trends in contemporary English, American, and Continental literature, especially in fiction, but with some consideration of poetry and drama. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.engl.virginia.edu/courses.

Develops an understanding of the wide range of stylistic moves in prose writing, their uses, and implications. Students build a rich vocabulary for describing stylistic decisions, imitate and analyze exemplary writing, and discuss each others writing in a workshop setting.

This course begins in ancient Athens with the birth of tragedy and comedy, moving from there to the Latin tradition, both pagan and Christian, before settling into the European vernaculars, both medieval and modern.

Reading of novels by Austen, Dickens, Thackeray, the Brontës, Gaskell, Meredith, Eliot, and Hardy. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.engl.virginia.edu/courses.

Examination of particular movements within the period, (e.g., the Aesthetic Movement; the Pre-Raphaelites; and Condition-of-England novels). For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.engl.virginia.edu/courses.

Studies the work of one or two major authors. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.engl.virginia.edu/courses.

This course focuses on creating meaningful, responsible, and engaged writing in the context of significant environmental issues. Analysis of representative environmental texts, familiarity with environmental concepts, examination of ethical positions in private and public spheres of writing, and sustained practice with form, style, medium, and genre will drive a variety of writing projects.

Topics vary from year to year. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.engl.virginia.edu/courses.

This course provides the opportunity to offer a new topic in the subject of English Literature. For more details on this class, please visit the department website at http://www.engl.virginia.edu/courses.