EMLLA News - Shorter University

EMLLA Courses

Intro. To Lit.: African American Literature, ENG 2111, July, MTWR, 9:00 – 12:00

From Phillis Wheatley to Alice Walker and Toni Morrison, the course examines the writings of the authors who changed the American social, political and cultural landscape during the age of slavery, reconstruction, segregation and the present era. Works will range from poetry to short stories, essays, autobiographies as well as novel excerpts.

Reinventing Comics, HON 2000/3000 Dr. F. Poussin, TR 9:30-10:45

From Marvel and D. C. Comics to Manga, Bande Dessinée, Garfield, The Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes and many others, this course will explain the deep and sometimes puzzling language of comics. Students will also have the opportunity to create their own graphic novels.

Intro. To Lit.: American Lit. II, ENG 2115, Z. Strait, MWF 9:00 AM – 9:50 AM

For this course, we will be conducting a survey of American literature: fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry. We will cover such writers as Mark Twain, Robert Frost, Sylvia Plath, and Flannery O’Connor.

Intro. To Lit.: Children’s Literature, ENG 2151, J. Pond, TR 12:30 – 1:45 PM

This course is an introduction to genres of children’s literature, including fairy tales, picture books, poetry, children’s media, and historical, multicultural, and current prose. The purpose of this course is to expose students to a variety of texts, genres, and literary theories relating to the field of Children’s Literature and to instruct students in how to analyze them critically. Students will develop their ability to read, write, and think critically and to consider multiple viewpoints on the way we think about children and childhood.

Intro. To Lit.: Am. Bus. Culture, ENG 2172, J. Goad, TR 11:00 – 12:15

This course examines changing American attitudes toward business as represented in literature and film. Students will analyze novels, plays, short fiction, and movies covering periods from the Gilded Era to present. Through studying these cultural representations of American workers, students will consider the principles, values, and events that made up each era of American business history.

Intro. To Lit.: French Colonial Literature, ENG 2180, F. Poussin, MWF 12:30 – 1:20

The French colonial expansion began in Canada in the 17th century, engineered mostly by Jesuit priests and fur traders.  Later, the French conquered many countries in Africa and Asia. In this class, we will study the rise and fall of French colonialism throughout the world as it is represented through the writings of Camus, Chateaubriand, Robbe-Grillet, Balzac, and Marie de L’Incarnation.

World Lit I, ENG 3060, F. Poussin, TR 12:30 – 1:45 PM

Starting with the wonderful story of Gilgamesh, the course will end with Milton’s Paradise Lost and Don Quixote. We will also read Sappho’s poetry, the works of Sophocles, Ovid and Rabelais among others. The readings will take us through the classics to the Renaissance which they inspired, thus allowing us to better understand the position of mankind in the world and beyond.

American Lit I, ENG 3190, J. Pond, TR 11:00 – 12:15 PM

Did you know that Christopher Columbus was arrested, ostracized, and sued for his men’s behavior in the Caribbean Islands? Have you ever read Frederick Douglas’s account of beating up his white slave master? Have you had the opportunity to discuss Edgar Allen Poe’s fear of live burial, his depictions of incestuous relationships, and his fascination with detective stories? Early America was just as messy as contemporary America, so join our class next semester to solve the nation’s problems together!

Intro to Creative Writing, ENG 3272, Z. Strait, MWF 1:30 – 2:20

For this course, we will be reading the work of some of our greatest contemporary writers including Ted Kooser and Cormac McCarthy. We will also be sharing and workshopping our own work, as well as discussing what it means to be a writer in the world today, in the hope of further unlocking our creative potential.

Alumni News

Nikki Sanchez

Nikki Sanchez (English 2010). Nikki is an English Honors Teacher at Spartanburg Country District 5 Schools in Spartanburg, SC. She received her M.Ed. from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in 2013, her Educational Specialist degree from Converse College in 2017, and is currently pursuing a M.A. in English Literature from Northern Arizona University.

Anna Dulaney

Anna Dulaney received her B. A. in Liberal Arts in May, 2019. She is now the Assistant Athletic Director and Middle School Volleyball Coach at Unity Christian School. She is in awe and humbled by the opportunities that God has placed in her life! Anna absolutely loves her new job! Go Lions!

Emily Thomas

Emily Thomas is in her fifth year of teaching 7th grade ELA at Bay Springs Middle School in Villa Rica, GA. She has completed two masters degrees since leaving Shorter, a M.A. in English from Jacksonville State and a M.A.T. in Secondary English Education from the University of West Georgia. she is now working on her doctor of arts in English Pedagogy and Technology from Murray State University!

Leah-Joy Smith

Leah-Joy Smith (English 2017) divides her time between her burgeoning business, Violet & Sparrow Pottery, and working with a local artist at Cabell’s Designs. She has had three short stories and one poem accepted for publication by Georgia Backroads Magazine, appearing in their soon-to-be-released August issue. All four pieces are about her late grandmother.

Becca Newell Taylor

Since graduating, Becca Newell Taylor (English 2015) has worked at a non-profit children’s home before deciding to travel. She moved to Sydney, Australia where she worked a a nanny for a year. Now she has begun a M.A. at Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver.

Sarah Geil Bramblett

Sarah Geil (English 2016), now Sarah Bramblett, has completed her M.A. at Georgia State and has embarked on her next adventure: a Ph.D. in Rhetoric & Composition.