Upcoming Semester Courses - Spring 2026

1110: Composition I

Many days, times, and online sections available

In this course, students will read, write, and think about a variety of issues and texts. They will develop reading and writing skills that will help with the writing required in their fields of study and other personal and professional contexts. Students will learn to analyze rhetorical situations in terms of audience, contexts, purpose, mediums, and technologies and apply this knowledge to their reading and writing. They will also gain an understanding of how writing and other modes of communication work together for rhetorical purposes. Students will learn to analyze the rhetorical context of any writing task and compose with purpose, audience, and genre in mind. Students will reflect on their own writing processes, learn to workshop drafts with other writers, and practice techniques for writing, revising, and editing. (EPW)

Credit for both this course and ENGL 1110X may not be applied toward a degree program.

Meets New Mexico Lower-Division General Education Common Core Curriculum Area I: Communications.

Prerequisite: ACT English =16-25 or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing =450-659 or Next Generation ACCUPLACER Writing =>279.

1110X: Composition I (Stretch I)

Many days, times and sections available

First semester of Composition I stretch sequence. Focuses on analyzing rhetorical situations and responding with appropriate genres and technologies. (EPW)

This is the first course in a two-part sequence. In order to receive transfer credit for ENGL 1110, students must proceed to take and pass ENGL 1110Y in the semester following the semester after taking ENGL 1110X.

Credit for both ENGL 1110X and ENGL 1110 may not be applied toward a degree program.

Students with ACT English <15 or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing <430 or ACCUPLACER Sentence Skills <109 will begin their English Composition Sequence with ENGL 1110X. 

1110Y: Composition I (Stretch II)

Many days, times, and sections available

Second semester of Composition I stretch sequence. Focuses on analyzing rhetorical situations and responding with appropriate genres and technologies. (EPW)

This is the second course in a two-part sequence. In order to receive transfer credit for ENGL 1110, both courses in this sequence (ENGL 1110X and ENGL 1110Y) must be taken and passed.

Credit for both ENGL 1110X and ENGL 1110 may not be applied toward a degree program.

Prerequisite: 1110X.

1120: Composition II

Many days, times, and online sections available

In this course, students will explore argument in multiple genres. Research and writing practices emphasize summary, analysis, evaluation, and integration of secondary sources. Students will analyze rhetorical situations in terms of audience, contexts, purpose, mediums, and technologies and apply this knowledge to their reading, writing, and research. Students will sharpen their understanding of how writing and other modes of communication work together for rhetorical purposes. The emphasis of this course will be on research methods. (EPW)

Meets New Mexico Lower-Division General Education Common Core Curriculum Area I: Communications.

Prerequisite: 1110 or 1110Y or 1110Z or ACT English =26-28 or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing =660-690.

1410.001: Introduction to Literature 

Face to Face, MWF 0900-0950
Navid Etedali-Rezapoorian, netedali85@unm.edu 

Introduction to Literature is designed to prepare you for the writing you will do throughout your academic career and beyond by analyzing, exploring, and interpreting Stories, Poems, and Plays. The readings will serve as bridges of cross-cultural exploration, the imagination, fantasy, escapism, freedom, and belonging.

1410.002: Introduction to Literature

Online
Andrew Fields, afields2@unm.edu 

You don't have to be an English major to get into literature! This course will provide students to a basic introduction to four of the major genres of literature-theater, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction-as well as some examples of how scholars go about studying and discussing them. During this online class, students will read, discuss, and write about texts from authors as varied as William Shakespeare, Mark Twain, and Toni Morrison. 

2110.001: Traditional Grammar

Face to Face, MWF 0900-0950  
Carl Johnson, ctylerjohnson@unm.edu

In this course, I hope to convince you that grammar is not something to fear; grammar is your friend. You intuitively use grammar all day and every day, regardless of whether you realize it. As a speaker of English, you employ an enormous repository of grammar information. This course will use that intuitive, unconscious knowledge of grammar to create an explicit, conscious roadmap of English grammar so that you can be more confident of your communicative choices.

By the end of the semester you will have the ability to: recognize word forms and explain their functions in phrases and sentences; identify sentence constituents and analyze common sentence patterns; recognize and understand structural relationships among verb phrases, noun phrases, and adverbial and adjectival modifying phrases and clauses; demonstrate flexibility of composition through phrase modification, nominalization, and other writing strategies that employ knowledge of grammatical forms and functions; distinguish differences of prescriptive and descriptive grammar.

2120.001: Intermediate Composition: Hidden Histories of the American West

Face to Face, TR 0930-1045
Anne Carrica, acarrica@unm.edu 

The American West conjures images of cowboys, horses, and outlaws. However, the archetypes we take for granted are often rooted in myths. This course will cover the a few of the myths that became truths and what it means to read or recover an alternative history. In this class, we will explore forgotten and well-known writers of the 20th century (such as Sanora Babb and John Steinbeck). Through memoirs and short stories, we will discuss important historical events, the myths, and eventual archetypes that shaped and continue to shape the American West. From sheepherding to publishing, we will investigate some of the lesser-known histories of the American West.

2120.002: Intermediate Composition: The Utilization of History in Popular Culture

Face to Face, MWF 1100-1150
Andrew Fields, afields2@unm.edu 

This class examines how historical events, cultures, mythologies, and contexts are utilized in novels, movies, and video games from popular culture. Rather than prioritizing historical accuracy, this class focuses on questions of rhetorical effectiveness and ethical concerns. Does the historical material featured in a particular text help it achieve its goals given its specific rhetorical situation? Along with background reading in the fields of New Media Studies, Popular Culture Studies, and the field of Medievalisms, students will engage with a variety of primary texts, including the works of JRR Tolkien and Fonda Lee, to develop skills in analysis, research, and composition.

2120.003: Intermediate Composition: Gothic Through the Ages

Face to Face, MWF 1300-1350
Darian Wharton, dwharton@unm.edu 

This course will look at how the Gothic evolves and is evoked at different stages of human development to analyze how anxiety and fear is manifested. Why do children like media like Scooby-Doo and Coraline while adults fear children and the home in “The Lottery” and Clue, the Movie? This course looks at a variety of media from nineteenth century novels to digital adaptations to original TV shows. With a heavy focus on literature, students in this course will explore their own arguments and interpretations through different forms of the Gothic and its continual presence in our culture.

2120.004: Intermediate Composition: Talking Trash: Researching the Rhetoric of Garbage

Face to Face, MWF 900-950
Cyrus Stuvland, cstuvland@unm.edu 

Who and what do we consider trash(y) and why? Where does our trash go when we throw it “away”? In this class, we’ll apply rhetorical theory to everything from trash cans and recycling campaigns to the ways waste management contributes to the construction of race, class, and gender. We’ll explore what it means to be living in a throw-away society and what systems, beliefs, and interests shape cultural understandings of garbage. Through readings, films, field trips, and a semester-long research project, we’ll get our hands dirty as we critically analyze the many worlds of waste.

2120.005: Intermediate Composition: Voices Unbound: Expository Writing in Indigenous and Chicana Women’s Media

Face to Face, MWF 1000-1050
Deanna Tenorio, dtenorio24@unm.edu 

This course develops expository writing skills through the study of Indigenous and Chicana women’s literature and film. Students will practice gathering information from diverse sources, reporting findings clearly, and interpreting cultural contexts to enrich analysis. Major assignments include rhetorical analysis, a multimodal video essay, a community issue report, and a capstone research project. Emphasis is placed on ethical representation, the writing process, and effective communication across media. By semester’s end, students will be able to craft expository work that informs and engages while amplifying marginalized voices.

2120.006: Intermediate Composition: Researching Our Curiosities to Write Fiction

Face to Face, TR 1100-1215

Lauren West, lwest9@unm.edu 

We’ve all seen teleporters and dragons, fairies and blasters, but where did the ideas come from? And how do so many writers have so many different uses for the same ideas? This class will provide you with a survey of short stories through time and genre and an understanding of writing techniques varied from academic to creative and back again. In this class you’ll conduct scientific, historical, or mythological research, analyze authors’ rhetorical situations and methods, and write your very own short story. Through researching, analyzing, and doing, you’ll leave with the skills to face unknown genres and a wide range of literary knowledge.

2120.007: Intermediate Composition: Minecraft Composition

Face to Face, TR 1400-1515

Zack Matthews, zqmatthews@unm.edu  

With millions of active players and hours of content uploaded daily, Minecraft challenges the notion of what it means to be a video game. What can we learn if we examine the content we consume as we engage with Minecraft? How can Minecraft be a tool to go beyond the confines of the procedurally generated world to understand our real world? This course will have us play the video game while we seek to explore what we can learn from the game and the content that surrounds its massive platform. Join us as we boot up Minecraft and generate a New World!

2120.015: Intermediate Composition: Nature and Environment in Narrative Media

Online 
Paris Baldante, pbaldante@unm.edu

In this course, we’ll look at media that tackles the relationship between humans and our environment. We’ll read novels, short stories, and essays, watch movies and television episodes, and examine how nature impacts our understanding of ourselves and the world. Some of the works we’ll look at fall within the speculative and surrealist genres, while others will be firmly rooted in realism. Inquiries we will delve into include: What do environmental narratives offer us as readers and as a society? How does the natural world embody the sublime? Are our real environments stranger and more surreal than our imagined ones?

2210.001: Professional & Technical Communication 

Many days, times, and online sections available

Course description video

Professional and Technical Communication will introduce students to the different types of documents and correspondence that they will create in their professional careers. This course emphasizes the importance of audience, document design, and the use of technology in designing, developing, and delivering documents. This course will provide students with experience in professional correspondence and communicating technical information to a non-technical audience. (EPW)

Meets New Mexico Lower-Division General Education Common Core Curriculum Area I: Communications.

Prerequisite: 1120 or ACT English =>29 or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing =>700.

2220.001: Introduction to Professional Writing

Online
Julianne Newmark Engberg, newmark@unm.edu 

This is an online introduction to Professional Writing course that will introduce you to methods of effectively communicating technical, professional, and business information to multiple audiences, in multiple modes. You will develop an understanding of theories of technical communication and will practice technical communication in many forms. With an eye constantly focused on audience needs and expectations, we will plan, organize, draft, revise, and edit documents and multimedia texts. We will learn that the content and appearance of each written document must be appropriate to the intended audience. This course introduces strategies of expository writing style, persuasive communication, and multimodal document design. You will also learn about ethical considerations in the workplace that impact technical and business communicators and the public. Assignments in this course will represent the most common genres of workplace writing, including resumes, informational graphics and data visualization, usability studies, memoranda, business letters, emails, presentations, and white paper reports. In addition, this class will serve as an introduction to the field of professional communication, and will educate you about the history of Technical and Professional Communication (TPC), about career options in TPC and related fields, and about workplace issues in these fields (including analysis of audience, significance of user-centered design and usability, expectations for collaborative work, and the standards of web writing). All projects in this course are designed to help you create some initial materials for a portfolio you can use when looking for an internship or employment in the field. A key component of this online course will be engagement with and observation of professionals working as technical communicators in workplace settings.

2240.001: Introduction to Studies in English

Face to Face, T 1230-1345 & Remote Scheduled, R 1230-1345

1H **This course is scheduled for the FIRST eight weeks**
Diane Thiel, dthiel@unm.edu

English 2240 is a one-credit, eight-week class that brings together students majoring in English. It is a required course and must be taken before embarking on the major coursework. Students are introduced to the subfields of rhetoric and professional writing, creative writing, and literary studies. Students will be introduced to the life of the department through in-person class visits with faculty members, attendance at departmental events, and a variety of additional online readings and discussions. Some class sessions will include conversations about employment or opportunities for graduate school. The final task will be to craft a letter of intent documenting an intended course of study and future goals. 

2240.002: Introduction to Studies in English

Face to Face, W 1300-1350 & Remote Scheduled R 1300-1350

2H **This course is scheduled for the SECOND eight weeks**
Diane Thiel, dthiel@unm.edu

English 2240 is a one-credit, eight-week class that brings together students majoring in English. It is a required course and must be taken before embarking on the major coursework. Students are introduced to the subfields of rhetoric and professional writing, creative writing, and literary studies. Students will be introduced to the life of the department through in-person class visits with faculty members, attendance at departmental events, and a variety of additional online readings and discussions. Some class sessions will include conversations about employment or opportunities for graduate school. The final task will be to craft a letter of intent documenting an intended course of study and future goals.

2310.001: Introduction to Creative Writing    

Face to Face, TR 1230-1345
Hannah Janson, hjanson@unm.edu 

This course introduces students to the basic elements of creative writing, including short fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.  Students will read and study published works of poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction as models, but this is first and foremost a writing workshop, with the focus of the course on students writing, revising, reflecting and productively critiquing their own and others pieces in all three of these genres.

Prerequisite: 1110, 1110Y, or 1110Z, or ACT English score of 26-28 or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 660-690. 

Prerequisite: 1110 or 1110Y or 1110Z.

2310.002: Introduction to Creative Writing        

Face to Face, MWF 1100-1150
Gabriel Mendez, gcmendez1@unm.edu 

This course introduces students to the basic elements of creative writing, including short fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.  Students will read and study published works of poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction as models, but this is first and foremost a writing workshop, with the focus of the course on students writing, revising, reflecting and productively critiquing their own and others pieces in all three of these genres.

Prerequisite: 1110, 1110Y, or 1110Z, or ACT English score of 26-28 or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 660-690. 

2310.003: Introduction to Creative Writing        

Face to Face, TR 1400-1515
Jasmine Colorado, jcolorado@unm.edu 

This course introduces students to the basic elements of creative writing, including short fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.  Students will read and study published works of poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction as models, but this is first and foremost a writing workshop, with the focus of the course on students writing, revising, reflecting and productively critiquing their own and others pieces in all three of these genres.

Prerequisite: 1110, 1110Y, or 1110Z, or ACT English score of 26-28 or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 660-690. 

2310.015: Introduction to Creative Writing    

Online
Candra Lowery, candralowery@unm.edu 

This course introduces students to the basic elements of creative writing, including short fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.  Students will read and study published works of poetry, fiction and creative non-fiction as models, but this is first and foremost a writing workshop, with the focus of the course on students writing, revising, reflecting and productively critiquing their own and others pieces in all three of these genres.

Prerequisite: 1110, 1110Y, or 1110Z, or ACT English score of 26-28 or SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score of 660-690. 

2510.001: Analysis of Literature 

Face to Face MWF, 1000-1050 
Bernadine Hernandez, berna18@unm.edu 

This course provides an in-depth examination of literary analysis across various genres, focusing on how to critically examine, interrogate, and analyze literary techniques, devices, conventions, and themes. Students will learn how to write focused literary analyses, demonstrating their understanding of textual, biographical, critical, cultural, and historical contexts of various writers and genres. Students will learn the analytical skills of close reading, literary interpretation, and how to construct a text-based argument to uncover meaning in literary texts. This course introduces literary analysis, teaching students the skills necessary for literary scholarship. First, we will begin with the question: What is literature? Why should we care about literature? Next, we will move on to reading and discussing the essential skills for reading literature to construct a literary argument. We will then move on to how to write a literary analysis, examining the key components of a literary essay, including explanation, summary, interpretation, paraphrasing, and review. You will then learn about various theoretical approaches to reading literature, including close reading, cultural materialism, Marxism, feminism, structuralism, and post-structuralism. While learning all the techniques required to write a literary analysis, you will be reading canonical texts from American literature. We will examine the major literary movements, considering texts in the context of new poetics, realism, modernism, postmodernism, and contemporary literature. You will be required to write three (3) short essays, take in-class quizzes, an in-class midterm, and a final paper and presentation

2510.002: Analysis of Literature 

Face to Face, TR 1100-1215
Jessie Bonafede, jkbonafede@unm.edu 

As a gateway course, English 2510 will illuminate the skills and work completed by literary scholars within the field of English Studies and Comparative Literature. You will learn, practice, and advance critical reading strategies, historical contextualization, and theoretical approaches by studying a variety of literary genres. Through class and Canvas discussions on assigned texts, you will delve into the production of literary knowledge. The course will guide you in exploring diverse research methodologies, assessing primary and secondary sources, and synthesizing research to craft compelling literary arguments. A central focus within this course will be the cultural contexts from which literature originates and gains influence. Opportunities for participating in cultural artifacts are offered weekly in class and include: listening to modern performances of historical songs and compositions; viewing examples of historical fashion and their production; tasting historical recipes; and visiting UNM’s Special Collection to look at original historical documents. Class assignments will range from weekly readings, class activities, essays, and multimodal projects. I believe that learning works best with careful reflection and collaboration with colleagues, and both your peers and I are a valuable resource. Together, this journey will offer invaluable insights into the scholarly pursuits and contributions of literary experts.

2540.001: Introduction to Chicanx Literature

Online
Jesse Aleman, jman@unm.edu 

This introductory course to Chicanx literature will examine a variety of literary genres to explore the historical development of Chicanx social and literary identity. We’ll cross several time periods, and we’ll focus on important issues such as race, class, gender, religion, family, education, language, and the act of writing itself.  We’ll examine the way writers represent the complexities of being caught between Mexican and American cultures, and we’ll also consider key literary concepts that shape and define Chicanx literary production. By the end of the course, we’ll have a comprehensive understanding of the literary and historical formation of Chicanx identity and the complex, even contradictory, experiences that characterize Chicanx culture.

2640.001: British Literature II

Face to Face, TR 930-1045
Aeron Haynie, ahaynie@unm.edu 

2650.001: World Literature I: Restorative Justice and Community Building

Face to Face, MWF 1300-1350
Nahir Otaño Gracia, nahir@unm.edu

A general overview of early world literature and culture with a focus on the themes of hate and restorative justice. Readings will include all or parts of such works as the Epic of Gilgamesh; selections from the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures and Qur’an; a play by Euripides; poetry by Catullus, Sappho, Li Bai, Ono no Komachi, and Farid ud-dun Attar, among others. Our ambitious goal is to investigate texts from China, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, Japan, Persia, Arabia, India, and the Americas by exploring how we can read texts through a restorative justice model. Through this mode of study, we will gain a sense of the differences and similarities that shape the varieties of human experience across time and cultures. We will also explore how the globalization of colonization affects our understanding of early world literature and how to decenter a Western gaze in the study of the past.

In this course, students will read representative world masterpieces from ancient, medieval, and renaissance literature. Students will broaden their understanding of literature and their knowledge of other cultures through exploration of how literature represents individuals, ideas and customs of world cultures. The course focuses strongly on examining the ways literature and culture intersect and define each other. Meets New Mexico Lower-Division General Education Common Core Curriculum Area V: Humanities and Fine Arts as well as the Critical Analyses of US and Global Cultures Requirement.

2660.001: World Literature II: 17th Century to the Present

Face to Face, TR 1400-1515
Doaa Omran, domran@unm.edu

This course introduces students to a representative selection of influential works from global literary traditions written over the past five centuries. Readings include writers from the Americas, China, Japan, Egypt, Sudan, Europe, India, and Nigeria, and span a range of genres—poetry, drama, prose, philosophical essays, and historical texts.

Together, we will explore how literature both shapes and reflects the cultural, historical, and political contexts of its time. We will also consider questions of empire, identity, and representation across different traditions. Students will practice close reading and analytical writing, developing arguments that connect texts across continents and centuries.

 Throughout the semester, we will engage with authors such as Aphra Behn, Molière, Immanuel Kant, Chinua Achebe, Naguib Mahfouz, Tagore, Rudolfo Anaya, and Fatima Mernissi, among others. As we move through the course, we’ll also incorporate new names and texts suggested by students—works that capture your interests and expand our shared understanding of world literature.

305.001: Mythology  

Face to Face, MWF 1300-1350       
Nicholas Schwartz, nschwar@unm.edu

There are no more important texts for understanding the world of the past and of today than cultures’ earliest: myths. The texts covered in this course—some thousands and others hundreds of years old—provide a lens through which one can glimpse the development of ideas, cultural mores, and traditions which continue to exert great influence in the Western world today. While these stories are often remembered and retold because they include accounts of perseverance, the miraculous, superhuman accomplishment, love, devotion, success, justice, and other fodder for inspiration, many of those same texts betray darker motifs like heteropatriarchal dominance, cultural chauvinism, misogyny, intolerance, and the victimization of the young, the powerless, the poor, and the other, amongst other themes. This course invites students to grapple with this duality present in so much of mythology. It encourages critical examination of these texts that have been so fundamental, for better and for worse, to the development of what has traditionally been called “Western Civilization.” No previous knowledge of mythology is required, and all are welcome to sign up for this course.

315.001: T: Hip Hop Culture

Face to Face, TR 1400-1515 
Finnie Coleman, coleman@unm.edu 

For more information about this course, please contact Dr. Finnie Coleman using the email address listed above. 

320.001: T: Rhetoric and the Arts of Influence

Face to Face, MWF 1000-1050 
Charles Paine, cpaine@unm.edu 

Influence doesn’t work the way you think it does. Some would say that rhetoric is at best a knack for bamboozling others with fancy talk or the immoral weapon of charlatans and evil doers. Others say it’s merely a matter of being reasonable. As we’ll see, however, all communication (verbal, visual, spatial, etc.) is inherently rhetorical. There’s no such thing as rhetoric-free communication, only the kind that seems that way because its style and approach so perfectly suit the subject, audience, speaker, and occasion. As we’ll discover, it’s not possible to strip discourse of rhetoric. We can’t simply choose to communicate “a-rhetorically,” but we can become more aware of what rhetoric is and does, and how it does that. And as we become more aware, we’ll become more powerful producers (writing, speaking, etc.) and more astute receivers of communication.

We’ll start by examining the “what” questions—what people from across history have said rhetoric and persuasion are, from the Ancient Greeks to contemporary theorists and practitioners. Then we’ll move on to “how” questions—how we can write and speak more influentially when engaging in various academic, technical/professional, and popular-public genres?

There will be lots of reading and several short written or multimodal projects. You’ll need to obtain a copy of Zoe Chance’s Influence Is Your Superpower: How to Get What You Want Without Compromising Who You Are, which you can get at the bookstore, or online new or used.

321.001: Intermediate Creative Writing: Fiction 

Face to Face, TR 0930-1045
Daniel Mueller, dmueller@unm.edu

In this course designed for writers serious about improving their understanding of narrative craft, we'll discover strategies for writing compelling fiction by reading, and responding critically to, one another's original short stories and novel excerpts, generating new work by responding to assigned writing prompts, and discussing published works of fiction written by a diverse array of new and established authors. 

322.001: Intermediate Creative Writing: Poetry  

Face to Face, MWF 1100-1150
Marisa Clark, clarkmp@unm.edu 

This intermediate-level poetry writing workshop aims to help you discover ways to shape your most meaningful content into well-crafted poems. Our writing assignments will promote creative discovery and output and will lead you to revise for originality, clarity, and precision. Close readings of published poems will teach you to recognize basic craft techniques and poetic forms and, I hope, will inspire fresh, inventive work from you. Our discussions will stem from our reading of Kim Addonizio’s Ordinary Genius (or a similar text), a diverse selection of contemporary poems, and your insights and questions. This class will also introduce you to workshopping, in which each student shares an original poem in progress and classmates offer constructive evaluations to help improve the work. From the outset, you will be viewed as poets and readers who are here to learn through both work and play. You’ll do a lot of writing in this class, as well as a lot of reading. At semester’s end, you will put together a portfolio showcasing a thoughtfully revised body of original work that demonstrates your understanding of the content and craft of successful poems. An equally important goal is that you end the semester with a strong desire to continue writing and reading poetry.

323.001: Intermediate Creative Writing: Nonfiction

Face to Face, TR 1230-1345
Michelle Brooks, mbrooks7@unm.edu 

For more information about this course, please contact Dr. Michelle Brooks using the email address listed above. 

330.002: T: Climate Fiction (Cli-Fi) and Petrofiction of the Arab World and the Global South

Face to Face, TR 930-1045
Doaa Omran, domran@unm.edu

Since the discovery of “black gold,” in the Arab Peninsula in 1938, the face of the region has utterly changed. Not only has oil become a source of affluence, but also a cause of coloniality, conflict, and war. As early as the first half of the nineteenth century, the Middle East became a coveted target by European powers as well as a place of conflict between neighboring countries. Petroleum was the main factor behind conflict among neighboring countries, culminating in the 2003 Gulf War. This is a course that offers transnational, comparative, and ecocritical readings of Global South literature. The term “Petrofiction” was coined by Amitav Ghosh when reviewing the Jordanian Abdul Rahman Munif's Cities of Salt (1992)­––a leading work that depicts the influence of oil on Bedouin and rural societies in Saudi Arabia. The course also explores the written experiences of nations that were exposed to the influx of oil and the ensuing influences on their peoples and climate. Other examples of assigned Petrocritical and Cli-Fi readings include novels by the Libyan Ibrahim al-Kuni, the Omani Jokha Alharthi, and the two Egyptian writers Nawal El-Saadawi and Sonallah Ibrahim. However true that Africa and Asia are not as privileged with petroleum as the Middle East is, the discovery of oil also had a tremendous impact on these territories. In addition to being exposed to works in Arabic and translated into English, students will also be assigned works written originally in English such as those by Helon Habila (Nigeria), Imbolo Mbue (Cameron), Deepak Unnikrishnan (India &UAE), and Amitav Ghosh (India). The readings in this course capture and problematize mainstream media and former Western representation of the Global South as “the pantry of Europe” and its source of natural resources. In addition, students will understand how to use ecocritical and ecofeminist concepts and principles of literary postcolonial criticism together with plausible critical thinking tools to discern the actual struggles the Global South has been facing since the colonial era through the discovery of oil, The Iraqi-Kuwait war, the urbanization of rural societies, and industrialization are foregrounded. It is through reading Petrofiction vis-à-vis other works that the Middle East can be understood from a more global context.

Other objectives of this course are, 1) practice the implications of ecocriticism, ecofeminism, and theories of Petrofiction and Petro-cultures in the Arab world and the Global South, 2) enhance cultural awareness through lectures, readings and supplementary material, 3) enhance students’ abilities in analyzing literary works to discover the fundamental assumptions underlying literary products, 4) acquire a preliminary knowledge of the history of the modern Global South. The final grade is determined by participation, class presentations, a research paper and final collaborative project. No Arabic required; many of the assigned texts are written originally in English and the rest are translated. This class is appropriate to all students including third- and fourth-year students interested in international studies, Arabic literature, African literature, Asian studies and Middle East studies or Anglophone writings.

347.001: Viking Mythology

Face to Face, TR 930-1045
Nicholas Schwartz, nschwar@unm.edu

This course is designed to comprehensively introduce students to Viking Mythology. It will cover Norse ideas about the creation of the world, the end of the world, and pretty much everything in between. Students should expect to read about Odin, Thor, Loki, and a host of other characters not so well-known today in addition to accounts of important events like the conversion to Christianity. Texts include, but are not limited to, The Elder/Poetic Edda, Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda, and The Saga of the Volsungs. Moreover, students will learn about the culture(s) that produced these wonderful stories and their literary conventions. This course will foster a valuable familiarity with this important mythological tradition and expose students to a variety of methods of reading them. Assignments include a midterm, final, written assignments, and discussion board posts.

348.001: T: Robin Hood: Medieval Outlaw

Face to Face, TR 1230-1345
Lisa Myers, myersl@unm.edu 

This course will focus on the medieval outlaw tradition in English literature and its influence upon the legend of Robin Hood. We will read a collection of early medieval outlaw tales in order to examine the ways in which the Robin Hood legend is a departure from the standard tropes and motifs of the outlaw genre. The focus of the course will be on the surviving medieval and Early Modern Robin Hood texts, but will also touch upon 20^th Century representations of the forest outlaw.

352.001: Early Shakespeare

Face to Face, MWF 1200-1250 
Andrea Borunda, apborunda@unm.edu 

This course will examine Shakespeare’s early works with an emphasis on race, class, gender, imperialism, immigration, and indigeneity. In the process we will uncover early modern conceptions of identity and movement and place these at the forefront of our present moment.

353.002: Later Shakespeare 

Face to Face, TR 1100-1215
Lisa Myers, myersl@unm.edu 

This course covers the Jacobean-era works of William Shakespeare, focusing on the various conventions of the genres of comedy, tragedy and romance. Student will gain familiarity with the later works of Shakespeare and an understanding of the Early Modern theater as well as the importance of Shakespeare’s dramatic innovations. Texts include: Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure, Othello, Macbeth, Coriolanus, Pericles, The Winter’s Tale and selected sonnets.

417.002: Editing

Face to Face, TR 1230-1345
Bethany Davila, bdavila@unm.edu

This course places an emphasis on professional editing for the workplace and may also help students improve the editing of their own writing. Along with practicing advanced copyediting skills, you will learn how to perform comprehensive editing that results in documents that are complete, accurate, comprehensible, usable, and reader focused.

Assignments include regular homework, three projects, and a reflection on your progress toward student learning outcomes. This course does not include a midterm or a final exam.

418.001: Proposal and Grant Writing        

Face to Face, MWF 1100-1150

Charles Paine, cpaine@unm.edu

In this course, you will learn how to write persuasive grant proposals. Drawing off the principles of rhetorical analysis, you will learn how to develop a clear statement of need, offer achievable objectives, design logical step-by-step plans, create specific and accurate budgets, and present your organization powerfully. We will explore how to locate appropriate funding opportunities and how to evaluate requests for proposals. We will also discuss methods of writing persuasively that include but also go beyond so-called clarity. We’ll discuss writing and design strategies that are both ethical and effective, and study how to use document design to create a professional proposal package.

Because proposal writing is rarely a solitary task, but rather a process of working with others to identify needs, locate opportunities, and develop persuasive solutions, it is helpful to understand how the process works in the real world. Therefore, although it is not essential, I urge you to find a real cause, project, organization, or company that you can work with in a collaborative manner.

419.001: Visual Rhetoric

Online       
Cristyn Elder, celder@unm.edu

This course will introduce you to the fundamentals of visual argumentation (rhetoric) and will cover various aspects of document design, including layout, use of headings, typography, photos, illustrations, charts, tables, and graphs for both personal and professional contexts. You will complete weekly readings on the above aspects of visual rhetoric and analyze real-world examples. Assignments will include the revision of a real-world text and your creation of an advocacy document related to your chosen topic. There will be one synchronous meeting with me individually over Zoom at a time that is convenient for you.

420.001: T: Blue Mesa Review II

Face to Face, MWF 1400-1450       
Marisa Clark, clarkmp@unm.edu

This class introduces you to the production of UNM’s national literary magazine, Blue Mesa Review. We receive hundreds of submissions each year from writers hoping to see their stories, essays, or poems published in our journal. Your primary responsibility will be to work alongside graduate students in our MFA program to assess these submissions for possible publication in BMR. In addition, you will keep a log about your participation reading submissions, write a couple of short papers (maybe a blog post or book review for BMR's website), and engage in discussions that arise from the submissions we receive. Understanding how literary magazines work can be of great value for writers; not only can it help you improve your own writing, but it can focus your editorial sensibilities as well as help you learn more about the submission and publication process.

Ideally, to enroll, you will have completed at least the introductory creative writing course. Send an email to Dr. Clark detailing your literary interests and courses you've taken, and be sure to include your Banner ID number.

This is a class you can take multiple times for full credit. We thrive when there are experienced readers, so please join our team!

421.001: Advanced Creative Writing Workshop: Fiction 

Face to Face, TR 1100-1215
Daniel Mueller, dmueller@unm.edu 

In this course designed for writers serious about improving their understanding of narrative craft, we'll discover strategies for writing compelling fiction by reading, and responding critically to, one another's original short stories and novel excerpts, generating new work by responding to assigned writing prompts, and discussing published works of fiction written by a diverse array of new and established authors.  Prerequisite: ENGL 321/Intermediate Fiction Workshop.

422.001: Advanced Creative Writing Workshop: Poetry

Face to Face, MWF 1300-1350
Lisa Chavez, ldchavez@unm.edu

This is an advanced creative writing workshop in poetry.  This class presupposes a certain understanding of the genre: ie. at least a basic understanding of the use of image, line, and form.  Our goals in this course will be to hone craft skills, try new styles and forms of poetry, and practice revision skills.  While the main focus of the course is on workshopping student poems, we will also read several collections of poetry written by writers with a UNM connection, including a novel in verse.

441.001: English Grammars

Face to Face, TR 1400-1515
Bathany Davila, bdavila@unm.edu 

Studying grammar doesn’t have to be boring! This course helps students approach the study of grammar from different perspectives, all while attending to language politics, language attitudes, and language use. Course projects include examining the rules that govern our language use, studying nonstandard language conventions, analyzing our own and others’ academic writing, and creating a call for action in response to language bias and the politics of language. 

448.001: Beowulf in Old English

Face to Face, TR 1400-1515
Jonathan Davis-Secord, jwds@unm.edu 

Beowulf is the most celebrated and studied Old English poem, yet it remains ambiguous and contested. Modern scholars continue to scrutinize difficult points in the text and wrestle over approaches to the poem. This course will be devoted to a close reading of Beowulf in the original Old English. We will explore the roles of women in the text, the meanings of the “monsters,” the patterns of gift-giving, the linguistic intricacies of the text, queer identities, racial identities, and many other topics. Students will prepare translations of the poem, read secondary literature, and complete writing assignments for the semester. Prerequisite: Knowledge of Old English.

460.001: Early American Literature

Face to Face, T 1600-1830
Jesse Aleman, jman@unm.edu

This course considers a variety of forms produced by the peoples who survived at the margins of what’s often called the early American colonial period. We’ll read early African American poetry; Native American tales; Spanish colonial contact accounts; captivity narratives; runaway slave advertisements; and early attempts at the novel that feature seduction, sympathy, sex, power, and a vampire. Our goal is to locate literatures of survivance, fugitivity, resistance, anti-enslavement, racialization, and counter-hegemonic agency in an era often dominated by the mythologies of nation-building and the fictions of the US’s national formation. We’ll also examine how the rise of the so-called early American period corresponded with innovations in print technologies that produced small books, pamphlets, and newspapers that form the bedrock of early American literary and print cultural production. To this end, the course will introduce students to available digital databases that can serve as research portals or future teaching resources.

487.001: T: Serious Fantasy

Face to Face, TR 1100-1215
Matthew Hofer, mrh@unm.edu

488.001: American Literature, Film, and Culture

Face to Face, MWF 1100-1150
Bernadine Hernandez, berna18@unm.edu 

This course offers an in-depth examination of Latinx and Latin American literature, film, and cultural production from the 1970s to the present. Through a transdisciplinary framework, we will analyze the intersections of race, gender, class, and sexuality within the broader sociohistorical contexts of migration, assimilation, the U.S.–Mexico border, political struggle, globalization, nationalism, and transnationalism. The course begins by situating the Chicano Movement as a foundational moment in contemporary Latinx cultural expression and explores its representation across literary and cinematic forms. Subsequent units interrogate dominant stereotypes, such as the narcotrafficker, gangster, undocumented migrant, and Latin lover, while foregrounding the critical and aesthetic interventions that challenge these reductive narratives. By engaging diverse cultural texts and theoretical approaches, students will develop a nuanced understanding of the evolving formations of Latinx and Latin American identities within a globalized and interdependent world.

499.001: Internship

Online
Tiffany Bourelle, tbourell@unm.edu

This course is designed to prepare students in the professional writing concentration for careers after college. The scope of student interest is as broad as the scope of technical and professional writing. This course will prepare you for a career in technical and professional writing outside the academy through two approaches:

First, you will develop skills, knowledge, and strategies, and organize materials that will make you an attractive candidate in your post-college career. This will include developing electronic and/or print portfolios, résumés, application documents, and other related materials. These materials may be used in a job search or in applying to graduate education. Even if you have a job now, preparing application materials in this course will help you systematize an approach to applying for a new job in the future.

Second, you will learn about professional writing as a discipline and come to recognize the variety of experiences a professional writer could encounter, as well as the common issues that arise in the practice of professional writing. You will write about your professional experiences and those of others in activities designed to explore the complexities of writing in the workplace.

Instructor permission is required to enroll, so please send an email to Professor Tiffany Bourelle using the email address listed above.