Course descriptions

Surveys Old and Middle English literature from Beowulf to Malory’s Morte d’Arthur, exclusive of Chaucer. All works are read in modern English translations.

Examines the development of Shakespeare’s concept of tragedy and tragicomedy from Titus Andronicus to The Tempest. The plays will be related to the social and literary milieu of the period.

Examines Shakespeare’s early work for the theatre with some attention to the sonnets and longer poems. Provides historical background for a study of all the plays, including discussions of Elizabethan society, the world of the stage and Shakespeare’s biography.

Studies some of history's most famous dramas both as literary forms and as cultural expressions. Students will read and discuss a wide variety of well-known plays from ancient Greece and Rome, the early modern English stage, and explore the global influence of drama.

Explores the factors contributing to the rise of the 18-century novel and discusses in-depth the two central issues in 18th-century fiction - class and gender.

Novels of the Romantic and Victorian periods, from Austen to George Eliot.

Explores the factors contributing to the rise of Gothic ism in the 18th century, and discusses Gothic literary aesthetics and cultural politics.

Examines literature of the period between 1870 and the First World War, including works by writers such as Hardy, Conrad, James, Wilde, Stevenson, Shaw, Jefferies, and Wells.

Focuses on critical reading and analysis of British fiction of the twentieth century.

Examines American literature of the nineteenth century: Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Whitman and others.

Examines American literature of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: James, Twain, Stephen Crane, Dreiser and others.

Studies the development of the novel and short story in America.

Examines the novel and short story in America since World War I.

Analyzes representative works of world literature, Western and non-Western, from Antiquity to modern times. Highlights certain periods (e.g. from Antiquity to the Renaissance, the 18th century to the late 19th century, or the modern and post-modern periods) or certain thematic concerns. Analyzes works in their cultural/historical contexts and their enduring human values which unite the different literary traditions. Promotes critical thinking and writing within a framework of cultural diversity as well as comparative and interdisciplinary analysis.

Examines modern movements and ideas including Symbolism, Imagism, the Harlen Renaissance, the Beat generation, Confessionalism, Formalism, Martian poetry, Postmodernism, Performance and Slam.

Introduces students to film theory and issues of cinematic adaptation. Highlights text and film as different mediums, and focuses on the creative transformation that takes place in the process of adapting literary texts. Explores and eclectic selection of literary texts and their cinematic counterparts from different traditions and eras.

Focuses on plays and ideas that have influenced or modified the direction of drama in the modern period. Representative plays from the 1880s to the present day are analyzed and reviewed in the class, both critically and in performance.

Acquaints students with a range of critical methodologies that have gained the currency since the 1960's. Includes the following critical theories: formalist (New Critical, Russian, and Aristotelian), structuralism, post-structuralism, Marxist, reader response, feminist, postcolonial, psychoanalytic, postmodern, cultural, ecocritical and aesthetic.

Explores the novels of major twentieth-century Anglophone writers and discusses them from a variety of critical perspectives (Marxist, postcolonial, feminist, psychoanalytic). Emphasises the importance of reading the modern novel in the context of its pertinent literary movements (modernism, postmodernism), as well as in the context of its global, transnational reception.

Introduces theories that have defined cultural studies. Focuses on the dynamics of culture regionally and globally, through interdisciplinary cultural critique and analysis, from literature to other media generally.

Examines topics and texts not covered in other courses at an advanced level. Topics vary per semester and enrollment limited to twelve students.

Examines the role of gender in literature, including the transformation of literary genres by women writers, writings by women during a particular historical period, and gender relations in literature. Specific topics vary from semester to semester. The course may be repeated for credit with departmental approval.

Focuses on topics in literature that are not covered in other 400-level English courses.

Explores literature and other forms of cultural expression across linguistic and cultural boundaries. Presents a genrous range of literary works to develop a focused critical understanding of how cultures differ from one another. Focuses on the creative connections between literary texts as intertexts, as well as on the ways of reading and comparing them critically.

Surveys post-colonial literature written primarily in English in the twentieth century by authors from around the world, including Britain, America, Asia and Africa. Examines texts in their historical contexts, with due emphasis upon their interrelation.

Examines translated works from various regions worldwide, emphasizing the critical analysis of cultural nuances and linguistic intricacies. Students explore how translation influences narratives, characters, and thematic elements, fostering a nuanced understanding of global literature.

Focuses on special topics in writing that are not covered in other writing courses.

Provides students with opportunities to explore career interests while applying knowledge and skills learned in the classroom in a work settings. Helps students gain a clearer sense of what they still need to learn or how their skills can be improved and provides an opportunity to build professional networks.

This course provides students with the beginning-level reading, composition, grammar, speaking and listening skills necessary to advance to English 097. Students develop these skills through practice in the classroom and in the CALL laboratory. Reading targets the cognitive skills of sequencing, generalizing, synthesizing, summarizing, and making inferences and judgments about information. Skimming, scanning, using context clues and predicting are introduced. Students focus on writing grammatically correct sentences. Listening and speaking skills are developed through speaking and listening assignments. Academic vocabulary is developed through reading and listening as well as memorizing and using assigned vocabulary. Students earn a grade of P (pass) or NP (not pass).

This course provides students with the high-beginning level reading, composition, grammar, speaking and listening skills necessary to advance to English 098. Reading targets the cognitive skills of sequencing, generalizing, synthesizing, summarizing, and making inferences and judgments about information. Skimming, scanning, using context clues and predicting are introduced. Students are encouraged to envision writing as a process whereby they organize, compose, draft, revise and edit written work. Students are familiarized with different rhetorical patterns through completing various writing assignments with emphasis on the content, structure, and grammar of their written work. Listening and speaking skills are developed through note taking and speaking and listening assignments. Academic vocabulary is developed through reading and listening as well as memorizing and using assigned vocabulary. Students earn a grade of P (pass) or NP (not pass).

This course is for students with high intermediate English language proficiency and focuses on developing and refining the receptive and productive language skills necessary for success in the academic environment. Utilizing the lecture method, group workshop activities, and individual student-instructor interaction, the student will analyze and evaluate academically-oriented texts to enhance reading, listening, writing, note-taking and speaking skills and to produce formal essays and presentations that demonstrate readiness for university credit courses. In both in and out-of-class activities, the student will practice appropriately summarizing, paraphrasing and synthesizing information and ideas from college-level materials while at the same extending vocabulary, sentence, and communication skills, Exit exam required. Credit earned cannot be used for graduation.

Examination of fields of engineering and career opportunities in engineering. Professional expectations in the workplace. Introduction to campus resources for assisting student success.

Introduction to a systematic approach to engineering design (problem clarification, concept generation, concept selection, prototyping methods, engineering ethics) and fundamental design communication techniques. Computer aided design tools are introduced to assist in design analysis.

Application of the principles of mechanics to engineering problems of equilibrium. Topics include resultants, equilibrium, friction, trusses, center of gravity, and moment of inertia.

Engineering project analysis from an engineering economics perspective. Topics include interest, equivalent worth, comparing alternatives, rate of return methods, depreciation and taxes, inflation and price changes, benefit-cost analysis, and risk analysis.

Analyzes selected texts from Arabic literary tradition, starting from the pre-Islamic period up to the contemporary era. It consists of both poetry and prose texts. The analysis focuses on the aesthetic characteristics of the selected texts and the critical methods used in reading and analyzing these texts.

Improves students' written and oral communication skills drawing on non-traditional approaches. It also develops grammatical concepts and their applications in writing. The course is conducted in Arabic.

Focuses on three major fields within the Arabic heritage: Culture, Society and Literature. The course studies the structures and characteristics of the Arabic societies, from the pre-Islamic society to present. For the early epochs, Cultural Encyclopedias, written during the Arabic medieval are used. For the modern era, the course focuses on studies in cultural studies and sociology, The course discusses the main genres of Arabic literature and their characteristics.

Explores the key concepts of Kuwaiti political discourses, its development and its way of dealing with local, regional and international events. The course considers the democratic experience in Kuwait and analyzes its constitution. The course will focus on reading, analyzing and critically commenting on political speeches and the local press.

Provides an introduction to the theoretical aspects of the arts including tangible and intangible cultural heritage. Students gain knowledge understanding theories on the notions of art and culture within a global context. Critical and creative thinking skills are developed through the analysis and interpretation of artwork in form of class lecture, discussions, essays, and/or reports on field work at local cultural venues or events.

Focuses on the speaking and understanding of the Chinese language and the acquisition of the fundamentals of Chinese grammar and characters. At the end of the course, the students will obtain the skills of making short conversations in Chinese, reading simple Chinese texts and writing basic Chinese characters. The curriculum also provides a brief introduction to the Chinese culture.

Aims to acquaint students with basic principles of the French language appropriate to level A1.1+ such as day to day vocabulary, introducing themselves and their families, discussing their hobbies, shopping, navigating in an urban environment, discussing the weather using simple sentences and questions. The course focuses on applying oral and writing skills, basic grammar, and cultural notions. This course is an introductory course that assumes no previous knowledge of the language. The course will familiarize students with the nature of the DELF exam.

Develops in depth the language skills covered in French I and explores more day-to-day situations. This course is the continuation of French I, students will improve their basic knowledge of the language and achieve an advance beginner level. Emphasis will be placed upon their oral and writing skills.

Provides students with basic knowledge of French in a practical professional situations related to French business. The course will develop student's language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing and also interaction) through exercises and communicative activities and will initiate them to practical applications of French for professional communication, including conventions of correspondence, business etiquette, and travel.

Provides students with basic knowledge of French in a practical professional situation related to French business. The course builds on the skills acquired in FREN 111 and will develop student's language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing and also interaction) through exercises and communicative activities and will initiate them to practical applications of French for professional communication, including conventions of correspondence, business etiquette, and travel. The course is a continuation of FREN 111.

Focuses on French and Francophone culture. Students will be exposed to French history, geography, politics, literature, art, architect, music and economics. They will also understand the emergence of the Francophone community. The course will acquaint students with the different cultures of the French Speaking countries as well as the role of the French language in shaping this community in all its diversity. Conducted in English.

Aims to acquaint students with basic principles of the German language appropriate to level A1.1+ such as day to day vocabulary, introducing themselves and their families, discussing their hobbies, shopping, navigating in an urban environment, discussing the weather using simple sentences and questions. The course focuses on applying oral and writing skills, basic grammar, and cultural notions. This course is an introductory course that assumes no previous knowledge of the language.

This course is the continuation of German I. We will further explore German speaking cultures in connection with writing, reading, hearing and speaking the German Language, including fundamentals of German pronunciation, grammatical structures, and vocabulary. At the end of the course, you be able to understand longer texts, engage in meaningful conversations, and to write essays on cultural topics using the structures and vocabulary you have learned.

Offers a survey of German history, culture and society, with special emphasis on the developments in Germany since 1945. Focuses on topics such as Germany's political system and the country's position in Europe and the world, reunification and the resulting social problems, immigrant communities, and the Germany economy. Approaches these topics via primary texts as well as films and secondary materials. Also considers literary, philosophical, and the historical texts. Taught in English.

Provides students with an overview of German-language literature through a critical study of representative short to medium-length texts in translation. The course complements the German language and culture courses available and also aims to familiarize students with genres and key critical concepts with the German literary tradition. The course is conducted in English.