What is any sports event but a story--multiple stories--playing out before our eyes? Sports by definition involve drama: conflicts in decision making, in relationships, with nature, and, if we believe it possible, conflicts with the supernatural. It's not an accident that some of our greatest metaphors come from the arena of athletics. Through sports we have a way to look at human values--at the best we have to offer and sometimes the worst. We’ll use sports literature to investigate what is just… and what is unjust… and how we discern which is which. In this class, we will read fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry. Books may include CARRIE SOTO IS BACK, BIG SMOKE, TAKE ME OUT, and THE YEAR'S BEST SPORTS WRITING anthology. The writing load for this course is a minimum of 15 pages of formal revised writing. This course satisfies a WAC Writing Intensive requirement; an Integrations in the Humanities requirement; and the Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice requirement. Please note that ENGL 202 is non-repeatable; students wishing to take a second 200-level Texts in Conversation course will need to register for ENGL 201, 203, or 204. Prerequisite: ENGL 121 or 190.

What is any sports event but a story--multiple stories--playing out before our eyes? Sports by definition involve drama: conflicts in decision making, in relationships, with nature, and, if we believe it possible, conflicts with the supernatural. It's not an accident that some of our greatest metaphors come from the arena of athletics. Through sports we have a way to look at human values--at the best we have to offer and sometimes the worst. We’ll use sports literature to investigate what is just… and what is unjust… and how we discern which is which. In this class, we will read fiction, non-fiction, drama, and poetry. Books may include CARRIE SOTO IS BACK, BIG SMOKE, TAKE ME OUT, and THE YEAR'S BEST SPORTS WRITING anthology. The writing load for this course is a minimum of 15 pages of formal revised writing. This course satisfies a WAC Writing Intensive requirement; an Integrations in the Humanities requirement; and the Diversity, Inclusion, and Social Justice requirement. Please note that ENGL 202 is non-repeatable; students wishing to take a second 200-level Texts in Conversation course will need to register for ENGL 201, 203, or 204. Prerequisite: ENGL 121 or 190.

In this course we will study the fiction, poetry, and essay writing of Louise Erdrich, recipient of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, and Heid E. Erdrich, McKnight Foundation and Balcones prize winner. Louise and Heid, sisters, are members of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe, and are two of the most prominent American writers of our time. Likely texts include the novels TRACKS, THE LAST REPORT ON THE MIRACLES OF LITTLE NO HORSE, LOVE MEDICINE, THE SENTENCE, and THE NIGHT WATCHMAN (winner of the Pulitzer) by Louise Erdrich, and poetry collections NATIONAL MONUMENTS, LITTLE BIG BULLY, and CURATOR OF EPHEMERA by Heid E. Erdrich. Additionally, we will read the anthology SISTER NATIONS: NATIVE WOMEN WRITERS IN COMMUNITY, edited by Heid E. Erdrich. We may also consider connections through food, history, and story using Heid's memoir-cookbook ORIGINAL LOCAL and explore her multi-media creations through her "pomeos": poetry videos. In order to better understand these texts, we will be reading historical texts written from an indigenous perspective and will construct our theoretical lens using indigenous literary scholarship. As we are able (not required), we will take field trips to the All My Relations Art Gallery and the Birchbark Bookstore in Minneapolis. For a glimpse into the connections amongst Louise, Heid, and Birchbark Books, see this creative non-fiction short: https://newterritorymag.com/literary-landscapes/heid-erdrich-minneapolis-minnesota/. This course satisfies the identity and power requirement.

The capstone for graduate programs in English is the Master's Project course. For the MA in English, students complete an essay that provides an opportunity for lengthy reflection about selected works or authors. The purpose is to give students a final opportunity to develop an area of expertise while they refine their writing, revising, and editing skills. For the MA in Creative Writing and Publishing, students complete a chapbook-length portfolio of 40-50 pages such as a collection of poetry, literary fiction, young adult fiction or creative nonfiction. In either program, students will present their project to a review committee of a faculty advisor and two additional faculty readers and should demonstrate a high level of cogency and stylistic grace. The Master's Project (GENG 699) is its own course with its own unique registration and counts for 3 credits towards the Master of Arts in English of Master of Arts in Creative Writing and Publishing degree.