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Jeong-Oh Kim teaches Intro to Poetry sitting with students on Library Lawn

Immersion

Immersion with English is… innovative thinking about contemporary and historical cultural problems, unleashing your inner artist, exploring the great difference that story-telling makes across other disciplines, developing professional and practical skills through outside-the-box problem solving strategies. Immersion with English is an unforgettable intellectual experience.

 

Suggested pathways in Literary Studies

This pathway involves courses in both the English department and Theatre Studies. It requires two courses and a Maymester venture into archives or theater performances in London, culminating in a written report. Suggested courses to choose from among:

  • Shakespeare Course: Shakespeare: Representative Selections (3340); Shakespeare: Comedies and Histories (3336); Shakespeare: Tragedies and Romances (3337); English Renaissance: The Drama (3332); Shakespeare and Film (ENGL 1260)
  • Course in Theatre Studies: Introduction to Theatrical Production (THTR 1711); Theatre in London (3281); Playwriting (3311)l Shakespeare in the Theatre (THTR 4201)
  • Maymester in London and/or Stratford: either archival research and/or attending theatrical performances with a final written essay or report

This pathway includes courses in creative writing and literary studies. Students can complete a lyric immersion completely with courses in the English department or jointly with courses in Blair or in Business. It requires two courses and a project that culminates in a public performance. Suggested courses to choose from among:

  • Literary Studies course: Introduction to Poetry (ENGL 1250); English Renaissance Poetry (ENGL 3335); Love Books (ENGL 3890); The Romantic Period (3610)
  • Writing workshop or song-writing course in Blair, in Business of Music, or a Composition Studio Class

Students can complete an immersion course entirely in English or by taking a Science Fiction course in another department (for instance, Jewish Studies). This immersion would require two courses and a final project. The literature courses from which one could choose are as follows: 

  • Science Fiction (ENGL 3728 or 3728W)—Recent offering was “The Afro-Futurism of Octavia Butler”
  • Literature, Science, and Technology (ENGL 3720W)—Recent offering was “Robots and Clones in Literature and film”
  • The Nineteenth Century English Novel (ENGL 3618)—Recent offering was “Nineteenth Century Science Fiction”
  • Imagining the Aliens: Jewish Science Fiction (JS 2290W)

The final written project could be an academic essay with an oral defense or a Science Fiction story alongside a final paper

We are currently working on other suggested pathways, including “Game Studies”. Questions about Immersion in Literary Studies? Contact Professor Elizabeth Meadows.

 

Suggested pathways in Creative Writing

Step One: Decide on a question/issue/topic/theme to explore in creative writing through Immersion

Step Two: Explore the Immersion Opportunities Database for information on what is available through the Creative Writing Program

Step Three: Visit the Immersion Office (in Student Life) for help in selecting/developing a plan

 

*Sequence of courses to be taken in the order they appear below

Course One: 

  • Introductory workshop in nonfiction (ENGL 1240)

Course Two: 

  • Upper-division nonfiction workshop (ENGL 3210 or 3220)
  • writing workshop in poetry (ENGL 1290, 3250, or 3260) or fiction (ENGL 1280, 3230, or 3240)
  • creative writing craft course (ENGL 3280)
  • contemporary literature course focused on nonfiction writing or a pertinent course outside of the Department of English, such as studio arts, music, sociology, history, etc.—as related to student’s culminating project

Course Three:

  • First (or additional) upper-division nonfiction workshop (ENGL 3210 or 3220 workshops can be repeated for credit) or ENGL 3891(only when offered as a multi-genre workshop) in which students will complete their Immersion projec

Project:  

  • Produced in upper-division nonfiction workshop (ENGL 3210 or 3220) or ENGL 3891, only when offered as a multi-genre workshop, the immersion project draws on craft techniques developed in workshops and will be overseen by the workshop instructor, who will become the immersion student’s advisor. 
  • Projects to be publicly shared.

 

*Sequence of courses to be taken in the order they appear below

Course One

  • Introductory workshop in fiction (ENGL 1280)

Course Two

  • Upper-division fiction workshop (ENGL 3230 or 3240)
  • writing workshop in poetry (ENGL 1290, 3250, or 3260) or nonfiction (ENGL 1240, 3210, or 3220)
  • creative writing craft course (ENGL 3280)
  • contemporary literature course focused on fiction writing or a pertinent course outside of the Department of English, such as studio arts, music, sociology, history, etc.—as related to student’s culminating project

Course Three

  • First (or additional) upper-division fiction workshop (ENGL 3230 or 3240—workshops can be repeated for credit) or Special Topics (ENGL 3891, only when offered as a multi-genre workshop) in which students will complete their Immersion project.

Project

  • Produced in upper-division fiction workshop (ENGL 3230 or 3240) or ENGL 3891, only when offered as a multi-genre workshop, the immersion project draws on craft techniques developed in workshops and will be overseen by the workshop instructor, who will become the immersion student’s advisor.
  • Projects to be publicly shared.

 

*Sequence of courses to be taken in the order they appear below

Course One

  • Introductory workshop in poetry (ENGL 1290)

Course Two

  • Upper-division poetry workshop (ENGL 3250 or 3260)
  • writing workshop in nonfiction (ENGL 1240, 3210, or 3220) or fiction (ENGL 1280, 3230, or 3240)
  • creative writing craft course (ENGL 3280)
  • contemporary literature course focused on fiction writing or a pertinent course outside of the Department of English, such as studio arts, music, sociology, history, etc.—as related to student’s culminating project ​

Course Three

  • First (or additional) upper-division poetry workshop (ENGL 3250 or 3260—workshops can be repeated for credit) or Special Topics (ENGL 3891, only when offered as a multi-genre workshop) in which students will complete their Immersion project

Project

  • Produced in upper-division poetry workshop (ENGL 3250 or 3260) or ENGL 3891, only when offered as a multi-genre workshop; the immersion project draws upon craft techniques developed in workshops and will be overseen by the workshop instructor, who will become the immersion advisor.
  • Projects to be publicly shared.

 

Questions about Immersion in Creative Writing? Contact Professor Nancy Reisman.

 

 

Student presentation Student working in archive Students performing a play Immersion Vanderbilt logo