Your Favorite English Course (...So Far!)

[Dr. Old Bill]

I figure that while we're all chewing our collective nails, waiting for acceptances and (alas) rejections, it's worth ruminating on why we're going down this crazy path in the first place! If you're like me, you've had one English course that has seemed to be better than the rest, whether by a small margin or by a large one... A course that either inspired or confirmed your decision to pursue graduate work in the field.

 

For me, that course was a research seminar called "The World of Shakespeare's Sonnets," taken in the spring of my junior year. Sonnets had been a keen interest of mine for around a decade to begin with, so when I saw it was available during course selection, it was truly a no-brainer. Yet even my fairly high expectations for the course didn't prepare me for how wonderful it was. It was co-taught by two well-regarded professors -- one who was teaching his final course at the college before retiring, and one who is a "rising star" in academia. Together, they had incredible synergy -- one professor was more concerned with themes and poetic content, while the other was more interested in the historical framework. There were five papers, a 40-minute presentation, and an annotated bibliography required for the class, and discussion was always lively and enjoyable. Both professors went on to be primary LOR writers, and I still correspond regularly with both of them. It was just a fantastic experience, and I learned a hell of a lot. So much so that when it came time for me to decide what area of literature to pursue in graduate study, sonnet theory was a leading candidate. My WS is assembled from a couple of the papers I wrote for the course (plus a lot of fresh material), and I mention the course specifically in my SOP. In other words, while I've had some other excellent, inspiring, career-path-affirming courses, this one was definitely the pinnacle.

 

So...how about you?

 

Edited January 11, 2015 by Wyatt's Torch

[bgt28]

James Baldwin

 

It was perhaps the most important course I've taken in my college career. We read Baldwin's entire corpus of novels, films, and essays, and situated him within the Black Arts, Civil Rights, and Gay movements, although quite frankly, the work spoke for itself. I've never read someone whose work seems to be reading me as much, if not more than, my reading them. It was also an important course to gauge may own level of preparedness for graduate-level work, being the only undergraduate in a graduate seminar. It was a rare confluence of sheer literary perfection, workshop, seminar, and love. So much love. I never knew English could have so much love, growing up speaking two languages at home (if you're also with an immigrant background or familiar with them, you know how much immigrant parents make fun of the English language. Boy, were they wrong!)

[oldmangandhi]

Lit theory and Critism

Everyday my mind opened up to new ways of thinking about the world and about myself. It was like walking into an epiphany every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 am.

[litthelife]

Charles Lamb, Addison and other 18-19th Century Essayists

Though there were numerous classes that I enjoyed the same extent and cannot evaluate on their merit, the essays we underwent in my Undergrad years were so wonderful and I enjoyed the time spent for them. 

 

Post-modern Ideas on Historiography (Hayden White, Jenkins)

Apart from the classes, I personally cannot say how I found the writings of po-mo historians interesting in a fashion that links them to literary works, rendering the authority from the objective outlooks to the very subjective and mindful historian. 

[sillyrabbit]

A class I took called "Gender and Sexuality in Asian American Literature." In many ways, this class was the perfect nexus for a bunch of my varying interests. It also greatly informed the questions that eventually became my undergraduate thesis.

 

I also appreciated how this class opened my eyes to interdisciplinary work...I can probably trace my decision to apply to Am. Studies PhD programs AND English PhD programs back to this class.

 

The professor from this course also became my unofficial mentor during this whole application process (reading over the SoP, helping me narrow down schools, etc.), in addition to being a letter writer.

[queennight]

My 2nd year Introduction to Poetry class that I took purely out of interest. It is the reason why I am where I am today! While it might not have been the best or even the most academic of courses, it launched me into this field, so that was pretty rad.

[1Q84]

Lit theory and Critism

Everyday my mind opened up to new ways of thinking about the world and about myself. It was like walking into an epiphany every Tuesday and Thursday at 10 am.

 

Same! Although ours was "Contemporary Critical Theory." I described it as being similar to being at Oz and having the curtain thrown back. Definitely changed my life, too.

 

A class I took called "Gender and Sexuality in Asian American Literature." In many ways, this class was the perfect nexus for a bunch of my varying interests. It also greatly informed the questions that eventually became my undergraduate thesis.

 

Man, this sounds like an amazing course. Really wish I had an option to take something like that. 

[drownsoda]

Hm... I took several classes with one professor who I grew to look up to greatly, and I feel like all of his classes really got things flowing for me; I took a course on the English novel with him, as well well as an African fiction class; the most important though was his lit. theory course. It was a "WIC" (writing intensive course) so it was 6 credits and because of it I credit him for making me the writer I am. I told him this in a thank you letter I sent him after he wrote a letter of recommendation for me. He had a huge impact on me as a scholar and as a person, and I had to make sure he knew that.

I also took a 450-level theory course last semester on Zizek and Lacan which was.... well... explosive.

[Katla]

Most of my lit theory classes, though above all a course called Critically Queer which called out to me on so many levels and which introduced to so many interesting scholars and activists. Also, while I studied Butler in lit theory classes before I still think of this course as the place where I really fell in love with her theory.

 

Another class was The Study of Gender in Spanish American Literature and Culture, though I confess it's a Spanish rather than English class. The course itself was amazing and introduced me to a number of fantastic writers dating from the 17th century to the present and gave me yet another angle to the 'look at all the exciting stuff that is happening outside of German/French/English-speaking Europe' in the 19th century (I'm from a small European country whose lit definitely did not reach the comp lit syllabi at my uni, so I guess I tend to be on the look-out for these things). Moreover, the course was taught by one of the most inspiring professor I've ever had and who I can only hope to emulate if I have the luck to become an academic!

Edited January 11, 2015 by Katla

[jhefflol]

My favorite class so far is probably a toss up between Old English and the Shakespeare grad seminar I just completed. I loved translating Old English and learning about Anglo-Saxon culture, but at the same time I saw the most growth in myself in my Shakespeare seminar. I produced a seminar thesis that I'm very proud of and figured out how to situate myself as a scholar among recent scholarship in my specialization.  I think that in itself is beyond measurable value.

[angel_kaye13]

Brit. Lit. and my tutorial in Anglo-Saxon overseas: both fostered my love for old and middle english lit, and one gave me the greatest torrid love-affair of my academic life, in the man of John Donne. There can be no better in life. ;-) *^^*

[hreaðemus]

Mine is a toss-up -- "Anglo-Saxon England" introduced me to the professor who would become my mentor and basically changed my life, but "Theory of the Poet," co-taught a semester later by that professor and another who is now a dear friend and LOR writer, really kick-started my career in academia and got me the attention and support I needed to thrive. Both courses were, that said, amazing and really fun. I'm a major major fan of my undergrad institution and my department. I think ALL my professors do an amazing job; they're so supportive and intelligent. I'm basically a UC Berkeley fangirl, I fear.

[onlycoffeeiscertain]

Undergrad:
"The Renaissance Mind: Florence 1300-1600" -- This class was the first time I really engaged in interdisciplinary research, which kind of opened up my dramatic leap into academia. It was also the first class I took in which my professor took an interest in my work and suggested that I pursue an academic career.

Grad School is more of a toss-up:

"Early Modern Literature and Material Culture" -- Again, this was a turning point for me, as it was my first seminar I took in my interest area. The class was great, but what I valued more was how supportive the professor was/is of my work. It also didn't hurt that about 80% of the texts we read were dramatic texts, but I might be biased in that respect

 

"Race, Gender, and Sexuality in 18th Century Literature" -- I will admit to kind of disliking the 18th century, mostly because I lack the ability to properly enjoy the novel form. However, I learned so much theory in this course and the professor, though initially intimidating because she's been producing new scholarship steadily for the past 35+ years, has been incredibly supportive of me and my work, even when I am feeling stupid and utterly useless.

[perdita]

I've been lurking and lurking, so I figured I should come say hi to the party. It didn't seem fair for me to get all the gossip but to give none of it out (in due time)!

 

My favorite class, which solidified my intent to go on, was called "Modern Theory of the Lyric."

 

The textbook was the Lyric Theory Reader, and once V. Jackson herself came to say hi and talk to us.

 

I know there are many fans of VJ on this site She signed my copy of "Dickinson's Misery" of course.

[Dr. Old Bill]

I've been lurking and lurking, so I figured I should come say hi to the party. It didn't seem fair for me to get all the gossip but to give none of it out (in due time)!

 

My favorite class, which solidified my intent to go on, was called "Modern Theory of the Lyric."

 

The textbook was the Lyric Theory Reader, and once V. Jackson herself came to say hi and talk to us.

 

I know there are many fans of VJ on this site She signed my copy of "Dickinson's Misery" of course.

 

Welcome, Perdita!

 

Wow, that sounds like a hell of a class! I just got a copy of The Lyric Theory Reader a few weeks ago, and I am indeed a VJ fan. She's the main reason I applied to UC-Irvine. I haven't read Dickinson's Misery, as I have to admit that, despite having some basic familiarity with Dickinson and her high points, I've somehow managed to miss out on studying her in any kind of depth...despite having taken a couple of courses that dealt with American literature during her time frame! It will likely have to wait for graduate study, I'm afraid...but I do like the Dickinson I've read, and I'll be sure to add Dickinson's Misery to my wish list.

[perdita]

Thanks for the welcome! 

 

I can't help but reply b/c I'm working my way through Dickinson's Misery right now and it seems to fit your interests quite well -- (Dickinson dash there) -- so you should definitely check it out! It has lots of pictures of dead crickets and other random things Emily used to send with her mail (!)

 

Oren Izenberg is also at Irvine and works on poetics. That's two for the dissertation committee! My fingers are crossed for you already.

[Dr. Old Bill]

Ha! Indeed, Dr. Izenberg is the second POI I mentioned in my SOP for UCI (that's a lot of acronyms...)

 

Those excellent scholars, combined with the fact that I love SoCal, mean that I would be utterly thrilled to get in there. The same goes for all the programs I applied to, of course, but what Jackson, Izenberg and others are trying to do with the poetics program at Irvine is exciting, to say the least...and dovetails perfectly with my proposed course of study.

 

Sadly, Irvine tends to be one of the late announcing schools when it comes to acceptances / rejections...but one well worth waiting for, I suspect.

[Ramus]

The introductory book history/bibliography class I took at the Folger last year (blandly titled "A Folger Introduction to Research Methods and Agendas") has probably been the most formative class for me thus far in my graduate career.

 

I initially applied to attend it because I thought it might look good on a CV and because I thought that archival research was just what one had to do to make it in early modern studies (my field). But the course radically altered my perspective on how to approach texts -- though we didn't have a long final paper for that class (being a skills-based course), I did end up incorporating a lot of that knowledge into a seminar paper I wrote last semester on young Milton's engagement with print and its role in the construction of his self-representation. 

 

The course played a big role in my graduate application as well. In my SoP, I alluded to my research at the Folger and explained that my decidedly unsexy focus (early modern logic and education more broadly) encompasses a range of matters tied to bibliography and book history. I also incorporated some of the marginalia I found in logic textbooks and commonplace books into my WS on ​The Shepherdess Calender and logic. 

 

If nothing else, hopefully the class' influence in my app will show adcomms that I'm already thinking about a range of methodologies I can use to think about my interests. 

[snyegurachka]

This is probably going to sound like one of the most pretentious titles ever, but nevertheless...

 

I took a course my senior year of college called "Joyce and Lacan" and it was amazing. It was co-taught by two professors, both of whom were experts in each subject. The class was mostly about close reading and viscerally responding to the texts—we generally received lectures about contexts and backgrounds after we completed our readings for the day. It was a lot of fun and taught me how to look into and around a text without necessarily having a point or argument but seeing the multitude of ways that language/context/narrative express meanings. 

 

Considering that I am an English/Literary Studies person, I am actually very unenthused about a lot of the works I read. Joyce is one of these exceptions—I always enjoy reading him and have read Ulysses all the way through at least three times and Dubliners so many I can't even remember. Both levels of Joyce's complexities are intriguing but still pleasurable to read. Theory reading is different for me—its being difficult is like solving a puzzle and is fun for me in a separate way. So this course was delightful because it was fun and challenging. Because of its nature, I did not produce any usable writing, but I learned/was exposed to a lot that inspired much of my later work.

[jhefflol]

Undergrad:

"The Renaissance Mind: Florence 1300-1600" -- This class was the first time I really engaged in interdisciplinary research, which kind of opened up my dramatic leap into academia. It was also the first class I took in which my professor took an interest in my work and suggested that I pursue an academic career.

Grad School is more of a toss-up:

"Early Modern Literature and Material Culture" -- Again, this was a turning point for me, as it was my first seminar I took in my interest area. The class was great, but what I valued more was how supportive the professor was/is of my work. It also didn't hurt that about 80% of the texts we read were dramatic texts, but I might be biased in that respect

"Race, Gender, and Sexuality in 18th Century Literature" -- I will admit to kind of disliking the 18th century, mostly because I lack the ability to properly enjoy the novel form. However, I learned so much theory in this course and the professor, though initially intimidating because she's been producing new scholarship steadily for the past 35+ years, has been incredibly supportive of me and my work, even when I am feeling stupid and utterly useless.

Yo, that EM lit course sounds amazing.

[LilithWntDwn2TN]

Contemporary Critical Theory:

 

Mainly, I think I liked this because it's where I met my mentor. The way she taught the class was very open. She has a way of allowing graduates to explore topics that are relevant to their holistic growth in and outside of the particular class. It's also where I began researching the theorist who has become the centerpiece of my thesis. Finally, it had an excellent mix of students with varying perspectives and backgrounds but all willing to share their ideas in discussion. Of course, I love critical theory itself, but I'm a pretty promiscuous intellect and tend to love any hard discipline.

Edited January 20, 2015 by LilithWntDwn2TN

[Cc1213]

"Women's Images in the Classical World" was a turning point in my undergraduate career, and left me drooling over the prospect of professionally studying literature. However, I must say that my "favorite" classes were those taught by the professors who I looked up to the most. I have three professors (all LORs) who have guided me through a colorful array of authors, eras, and theories. It is in thanks to them, that I am on this journey! I am currently saving-up to buy them great thank you gifts

[Cc1213]

Contemporary Critical Theory:

 

Mainly, I think I liked this because it's where I met my mentor. The way she taught the class was very open. She has a way of allowing graduates to explore topics that are relevant to their holistic growth in and outside of the particular class. It's also where I began researching the theorist who has become the centerpiece of my thesis. Finally, it had an excellent mix of students with varying perspectives and backgrounds but all willing to share their ideas in discussion. Of course, I love critical theory itself, but I'm a pretty promiscuous intellect and tend to love any hard discipline.

I suppose I am also quite "promiscuous" when it comes to learning. I welcome anything challenging!

[SubmarineReflection]

"The Chicago Graphic Novel" with Hillary Chute, hands down. Although it's one of the only English courses I've taken-- There are some other awesome courses I've taken that could be considered English, though. "Nabokov and Cultural Synthesis" and a course just on Pale Fire, for instance.

[TeaOverCoffee]

I'd definitely have to say "Renaissance Literature and the Environment." I'm not even specializing in the Renaissance, but my professor is an astounding eco-critic and who doesn't love Shakespeare?