Fall 2026 ENGL 205 Courses

ENGL 205: #OwnVoices in YA Lit (Austin)

Our section of Lit & Moral will focus on #OwnVoices in young adult (YA) literature. #OwnVoices is a hashtag movement that seeks to center stories of underrepresented groups. It argues that stories are best told by authors whose lived experience reflects the characters whose stories they tell. We will focus in particular on #OwnVoices in young adult (YA) fiction, and how #OwnVoices representation is especially critical to coming-of-age stories. We’ll also focus on the limitations of #OwnVoices, and investigate how inclusive representation can offer a sense of belonging.

Attributes: Lit and Moral Imagination

ENGL 205: (Bassett)

More information coming soon.

ENGL 205: Hip Hop 50 & Beyond (Kamara)

This course will use aspects of hip-hop culture as the literary lens through which to interrogate contemporary and historical societal issues. This will be achieved through the examination of the texts under study, which may include, but are not limited to: critical essays, film, the literary arts (novel excerpts, short stories, and poetry), performance and visual arts, and music. Among the questions our course will consider: How has a culture as new as hip-hop garnered and sustained its worldwide significance? What might the content of hip-hop culture and its discourses signify and teach us about the social world? How does hip-hop culture facilitate our understanding of ethics and morality? What does hip-hop culture mean for the city of Cincinnati and beyond?

Attributes: Solidarity & Kinship Flag, Lit and Moral Imagination

ENGL 205: Monsters! (Myers)

This class investigates how monsters are, in the words of Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, “embodiment[s] of a certain cultural moment—of a time, a feeling, and a place.” We’ll examine books, movies, and television shows that engage with the monstrous to determine where humanity ends and where monstrosity begins. Likely texts include Akwaeke Emezi’s Pet, What We Do in the Shadows, Terry Pratchett’s Monstrous Regiment, Alien, and Shrek.

Attributes: Lit and Moral Imagination

ENGL 205: Meldrama and Telenovelas (Nieto)

In this course, we will read contemporary Latine literature through the lens of the telenovela—traditionally a Spanish language serial drama or soap opera—and watch a telenovela to examine ethical issues concerning race/ethnicity, gender and sexuality, class, nation, migration, language, and violence. We will explore representations of “the sensational” and humor in Latine literature and English-language telenovelas as a means of social and ethical critique.

Attributes: Lit and Moral Imagination

ENGL 205: Health, Activism, Community (Nix)

In “Health, Activism, Community,” the primary question guiding our studies is: How does activism make us healthier as a community? We will assess health through multiple lenses to develop a holistic framework for how we function with self and society. We will examine how injustices of any kind pose harmful threats to the well-being of people and communities. When we broaden our understanding of health to see injustice as an inhibitor to our well-being, we are then able to come alongside other communities as advocates and agents of change. This is an interdisciplinary course that will explore health and activism by studying essays, documentaries/movies, historical/government documents, scholarly research, speeches, fiction, visual art, and music. Ultimately, we study how an activist society helps to advance the well-being of its citizens and gives agency to the voiceless.

Attributes: Lit and Moral Imagination, Medical & Health Human minor, MHH - Critical Health Studies, MHH - Narrative & Artistic Exp

ENGL 205: Science and Nature Writing (Ottum)

Think about the last medical breakthrough or environmental dilemma you heard about. Chances are, you learned of this thing not from a scientist directly, but from a journalist or other content creator. Writers bring emerging discoveries out of the lab and into public discourse. By assembling “facts” into stories, science and nature writers not only help us to make sense of the world; they also inevitably shape people’s perception of the things they describe.

This section of ENGL 205 focuses on contemporary nonfiction science and nature writing. We’ll explore the fuzzy boundaries of these interrelated genres, both of which seek to reveal—and sometimes advocate for—Earth’s plants, animals, insects, microbes, and systems. We’ll examine longform essays and book-length arguments as literature: as creative works that draw on scientific discourse and the literary devices used by novelists and other writers. Along the way, we’ll ask questions such as:

• What is “science writing” and “nature writing,” exactly?

• What is good science and nature writing—that is, what features do the most compelling works in these categories share?

• How (and why) do science and nature writers use narrative and other literary devices?

• How can and science and nature writing help to fight misinformation?

• Who typically produces science and nature writing—and what does this tell us about science and about our culture?

• Are there risks to turning science into entertainment—and if so, are these outweighed by the other good things science writing accomplishes?

You don’t have to be a science major to take this course. Science folks: an openness to new ways of knowing, and to critically examining scientific practices, is essential. This section of ENGL 205 may be an especially good fit for people interested in environmental issues, plants and animals, public communication, or careers in writing. In addition to a significant amount of reading, this course includes scores for regular verbal participation and use of Cincinnati Public Library resources (in addition to Xavier Library resources). Questions are welcome: contact Dr. Lisa Ottum (ottuml@xavier.edu).

Attributes: Environ Science/Studies Elect, Lit and Moral Imagination, Peace & Justice Studies Minor

ENGL 205: Food and Justice (Steckl)

This course uses literature to examine social and political power structures and critically analyze inequality and injustice in the US. This course has a community-engaged learning component, so we will be exploring the way food, in particular, has been a means of both oppression and liberation for marginalized populations. We will examine the cultural aspects of food in life and literature and work with various community partners to help improve social, health, and economic outcomes in the neighborhoods surrounding our campus.

Attributes: Lit and Moral Imagination, Peace & Justice Studies Minor, Service Learning

ENGL 205: Transformations (Todd)

Engl 205 in general explores how literature wrestles with big questions about right and wrong, personal values, and the way people make sense of the world around them. In this particular section, we’ll focus on ‘transformations’—powerful retellings and re-imaginings in both realistic and fantastical fiction and poetry. We’ll examine how characters (and authors, and readers) respond when their beliefs are challenged or their worlds are turned upside down. What happens when the world as we know it rearranges itself, or everything changes? Do characters cling to what they know, or carve out new paths? And what might their journeys reveal about our own?

Attributes: Lit and Moral Imagination

ENGL 205: Fact, Fiction, & Authenticity (Wood)

In an era of memoir scandals, social media self-curation, and AI-generated everything, we are constantly negotiating what’s real and what’s staged. This course explores literature and media that blur the line between truth and fiction, examining how stories construct identity, claim authenticity, and challenge our sense of reality. We’ll ask: What makes a story “true”? Why are we obsessed with “authentic” voices? Is fiction “truer” than nonfiction? How do race, gender, class, and power shape expectations around authenticity?

Possible texts include Reality Hunger (Shields), The Things They Carried (O’Brien), Fun Home (Bechdel), and Bo Burnham’s movie Inside as well as clips from reality TV, TikToks/reels, AI-generated content, etc.

Attributes: Lit and Moral Imagination

ENGL 205: Dystopias (Wyett)

This course will focus on how dystopian literature comments upon existing social problems or ills by projecting where unchecked abuses might lead us. Our readings will consider how factors such as race, class, gender, nationality, sexuality, religion, age, and ability—and their intersections—shape power relations and threats to legal, civic, and human rights. Consequently, this course will also serve as an elective for the Gender and Diversity Studies major and minor and the Solidarity and Kinship Flag. Many of the works we will read feature disturbing depictions of violence and brutality. We will treat these subjects with sensitivity and care in class discussions, but the reading may sometimes be difficult. Ultimately, dystopias offer us roadmaps for resistance, change, and hope.

Attributes: Solidarity & Kinship Flag, Gender & Diversity Studies, Lit and Moral Imagination