Course Descriptions
English (EN)
EN-091 Reading Improvement I (4)
This basic course in the key skills is necessary for the successful study and comprehension of college-level reading material.
Skills highlighted are: building vocabulary through context clues and word analysis, finding main ideas, determining significant
details and relationships of ideas, outlining, understanding graphic material, practicing critical reading, and interpreting figurative
language. Credit is not applicable to degree requirements.
EN-100 Essentials of English Composition (4)
This course offers practice in writing short essays and prepares students for success in EN-101 while offering elective credit
toward a degree. Emphasis is on paragraph and essay organization and on identifying ideas that support the writer’s central purpose.
EN-101 Introduction to Expository Writing (3)
Instruction and practice in writing, editing, and revising short narrative and expository essays. The course instructs the basics
of organization and clear expression and use of Standard Edited American English. Offered every semester.
EN-102 Expository Writing (3)
Instruction and practice in writing short-to-medium-length expository essays and in writing from sources. Skills required
for research and research writing are emphasized, such as summarizing, paraphrasing, quoting, evaluation, and synthesizing.
The course includes instruction and practice in writing a multi-source research paper of substantial length. Offered every semester.
Prerequisite: EN-101 or placement by exam.
EN-104 Critical Reading for College Success (3)
This college-level reading course introduces students to critical reading practices necessary for academic success. Through engagement with essays, short literary works, and other college-level readings, the course helps students to identify key arguments in critical texts as well as main themes and ideas in creative works. Through guided practice and the application of reading strategies such as annotating, predicting and questioning, students will strengthen reading fluency and comprehension skills. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with transferable reading strategies that support inquiry and critical thinking.
A passing grade of a ‘C’ or higher is required for matriculation into the next course.
EN-201 Types of Literature (3)
Introduction to the study of literature through reading, discussion, and written analysis of major works ranging from ancient
to contemporary. The course includes exemplary works from all major genre and diverse cultures. Offered every semester.
Prerequisite: EN 102
EN-255 Short Story and Novel (3)
This introductory literature course surveys classical, modern, and contemporary short stories and novels from around the world.
Offered every semester.
EN-256 Poetry and Drama (3)
This course examines classical and modern works primarily of major English, Continental, and American authors. Offered annually.
EN-280 Special Topics (3)
This course provides selected topics in introductory literature (to be announced). Topics include, but are not limited to
African American Literature. Satisfies pre-major and pre-minor requirement.
EN-285 Multigenerational Family Narratives (3)
This introductory literature course examines several multigenerational family narratives (novels and films) from
around the world, with a focus on histories of colonialism, intergenerational trauma, immigration, and the building
and sustaining of community.
Prerequisite: EN-102
English 102 and Communication 101 are prerequisites for all upper division courses.
EN-302 Creative Writing: Fiction (3)
Study of the techniques of the contemporary short story and practice in writing short stories and sketches. Offered alternate years.
EN-303 Creative Writing: Poetry (3)
Study of the techniques of contemporary poetry and practice in writing metric and free verse poems. Offered alternate years.
EN-305 Multicultural Literature (3)
This course explores issues of personal and group identity through the study of modern and contemporary fiction
and non- fiction. Students will examine cultural pluralism in American society through writing, discussion, reading
and research. Study of authors may include Morrison, Momaday, Kingston, Tan, Angelou, Silko, and others.
EN-307 Nature Writing (3)
This is an advanced, interdisciplinary writing course focusing on environmental themes. Nature Writing centers on
reading and writing non-fiction, including journals, letters and essays. Authors figuring prominently in the course
include Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Aldo Leopold, Rachel Carson, Annie Dillard, and Gary Snyder. Offered annually.
EN-308 Climate Fiction (3)
We are now living on a planet suffering from the initial effects of climate change. Let us explore how literature may
serve as our guide as we begin to imagine how we might live with, and possibly mitigate, these effects in the future.
We will read a diverse set of stories from across a wide range of genres, including realism, science fiction, and fantasy.
While the vast majority of futures depicted in climate fiction are dystopian, if not outright post-apocalyptic, one of our
primary goals in this course will be to move from this obsession with dystopia to an understanding of the importance of
imagining utopia, even when facing the bleakest of possible futures. Offered annually.
EN-309 YA Fiction: Comas, Catastrophes & Cats (3)
This course navigates the symbols of Comas, Catastrophes, and Cats in Young Adult Fiction. Students will explore
a wide range of YA fiction that focuses on innovative family structures, and learn how to interpret these texts for
both individual research and secondary classroom use.
EN-314 Backgrounds in American Literature (3)
This historical survey offers a broad-based introduction to American literature. Our readings encounter examples of
Native American and kanaka maoli literatures, European narratives of exploration and settlement, and fiction, poetry,
and drama of the last three centuries. Literary/ historical contexts will include the genres of the Captivity Narrative and
the Sentimental novel as well as productions associated with Transcendentalism, Realism, Modernism, and Postmodernism.
Required for English majors and minors.
EN-315 Backgrounds in British Literature (3)
Foundational study of major British literature from medieval and Elizabethan to the present. Required for English majors.
Offered annually.
EN-319 Studies in Shakespeare (3)
This survey studies representative comedies, histories, tragedies, problem plays, and sonnets composed by Shakespeare.
This course is thus asking what Shakespeare is, equally important, how we read Shakespeare, and finally, what do we do today
with Shakespeare. Also central to this course is situating Shakespeare within the period of Early Modern English, and the
articulation of major artists, works, and ideas of the period. Students are to define various literary critical approaches to the
period and apply those to given texts. Offered annually.
EN-324 Portfolio Preparation (3)
This course is designed to assist and mentor students in assembling a comprehensive portfolio of their academic work for entry into the design profession. Students will learn graphic techniques, as well as how to organize and layout their projects in both book and digital formats. The purpose of the portfolio is to showcase each student's best technical, creative, and analytical design skills. The end product will be a customizable template that can then be supplemented with new projects as students continue to develop professionally.
Cross-listed with: EID-314 & COM-324
EN-362 Advanced Expository Writing (3)
This is an advanced writing course focusing on expository essays from logical and rhetorical principles,
especially modes of definition, assertion, and proof. Particular emphasis will be on clarity of expression, coherence, and style.
Offered alternate years.
EN-371 Publications Studio (3)
This workshop provides students with experience in graphics, layout, presentation, design and writing for publication.
Open to any student working on Aulama, the student literary magazine, and other related publications. May be repeated
for a maximum of six semester hours. Offered every semester.
EN-380 Special Topics (3)
Special Topics courses are designed around a topic of interest to both English faculty and students, as well as
students from other disciplines. May be repeated.
EN-390 Legal Research, Writing, and Advocacy (3)
This course introduces students to the principles of legal research, writing, citation, and advocacy. Students develop the foundational skills necessary for effective legal analysis and written communication through the study of legal authorities, precedent, and the doctrine of stare decisis. Emphasis is placed on locating, evaluating, and applying primary and secondary legal sources; mastering accepted legal citation practices; and constructing clear, logical, and persuasive legal arguments. Through progressively complex research and writing assignments, students learn to prepare objective legal analyses and persuasive advocacy documents while developing the analytical reasoning, professional writing, and ethical practices essential to the study and practice of law.
EN-402 Advanced Fiction Writing (3)
Offered alternate years.
Prerequisite: EN-302
EN-403 Advanced Poetry Writing (3)
Offered alternate years.
Prerequisite: EN-303
EN-415 Global Narratives (3)
This upper-division course examines twentieth- and twenty-first-century global literature through an interdisciplinary exploration of the cultural, historical, political, and ethical forces that shape literary production in an increasingly interconnected world. Emphasizing a variety of literary traditions and perspectives, students engage with fiction, poetry, drama, creative nonfiction, and film from multiple world regions to investigate how narratives respond to globalization, migration, colonialism and its legacies, environmental change, technological innovation, conflict, and social transformation. Through close reading, comparative literary analysis, scholarly research, and critical writing, students evaluate the ways in which literature constructs and challenges understandings of identity, memory, justice, belonging, spirituality, and cultural exchange. The course fosters advanced literary interpretation, intercultural competence, and ethical reflection while encouraging students to examine literature's role in promoting dialogue across cultures and contributing to informed global citizenship in keeping with Chaminade University's Marianist Educational Characteristics.
EN-422 Modern Pacific Literature (3)
This course introduces students to significant works of contemporary literature and film produced by indigenous
Pacific islanders and explores issues of anti-colonialism, modernization, and traditional culture. Works include writers
from across Oceania, including a sampling of works from Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Offered annually.
EN-430 Women’s Literature (3)
This survey course examines various literary works and genres of writing from women around the world. Students
will explore women’s changing roles in society, and analyze how female writers from different countries and different
eras approach themes like multiculturalism, politics, racism, social economics, and gender relations. Offered alternate years.
EN-432 Contemporary American Literature (3)
English 432 offers a broad survey of US literatures, 1940-Present. With attention to writers such as Zora Neale
Hurston, Jack Kerouac, John Okada, Maxine Hong Kingston, Ralph Ellison, Art Spiegelman, and Leslie Marmon
Silko, we shall consider artistic responses to WWII, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War and political and social
conflicts in the US. At the same time, discussions will encounter philosophical and cultural movements such as Modernism,
Postmodernism, Feminism, and Postcolonial/Fourth World activism.
EN-463 Movies That Matter: Worldly Doc Films (3)
In this general education capstone course, we will study a selection of documentary films that have attempted to help us
see the world anew, including several films from the Pacific region. Through our collective viewing of these non-fictional
movies from around the world, we will hone our foundational skills of critical thinking, writing, oral communication,
information literacy, and knowledge of beauty and creativity. We also will work to relate the messages of these films to the
Marianist characteristics. Regardless of your particular program of study, this interdisciplinary course will address interests
and issues across the curriculum, Our project-based learning approach will require an individual research project and a
collaborative group presentation.
EN-480 Special Topics (3)
These advanced courses are designed for majors. These topics include, but are not limited to British period courses such as
Romantic Poetry, and Victorian Literature. Other topics may include The Black Body in Hip Hop and American Popular culture,
Language Issues and Origins, Literature and Film, and Postcolonial Gothic. May be repeated.
EN-481 The Ocean in Literature & Film (3)
This course examines how imaginative works shape and reflect human relationships with the ocean. Through literature and film,
students explore representations of the sea alongside ocean practices such as voyaging, labor, migration, and environmental
stewardship. Situating the enduring sea narrative—from early myth to contemporary media—within questions of identity,
power, and cultural exchange, the course introduces key concepts in the blue humanities. Emphasis is placed on Pacific
perspectives and the ethical dimensions of ocean engagement.
EN-482 Film and Literature (3)
In this course, we will explore the ways in which film functions as a significant artistic force in its own right,
as well as how fictional texts might themselves respond to and refract cinematic motifs. Familiarizing ourselves
with the basics of film language, we shall examine faithful, loose, and revisionist cinematic adaptations of fictional texts.
Our primary texts will range from short-stories and novels to silent films, classical Hollywood blockbusters, and international films.
EN-490 Directed Study (1 to 3)
Individualized study on a topic arranged with a program advisor.
Prerequisites: EN-314 & EN-315, and Junior or Senior standing with consent of advisor.
EN-497 Hawai'i: Images and Stories (3)
This general education capstone course will cover the literary and visual texts produced in and about
Hawai‘i from pre-territory to the present. Students will review a range of creative and critical work in order to
examine Hawai‘i as a contested site. The readings and texts will map out and contextualize the struggle for land,
language, and identity. Additional readings and videos will focus on the Marianist presence in Hawai‘i.
Prerequisites: Junior or Senior standing.
Prerequisites: EN-102, COM-101 & Senior standing
EN-499 Senior Seminar (3)
This is the capstone seminar for English undergraduates. Offered annually.
Prerequisites: EN-314 and EN-315; open only to Seniors in the major.
EN-510 Writing in the Age of AI (3)
Writing with AI, we will learn how to embrace the emerging technologies of generative artificial intelligence in the academic
and creative processes of writing. AI is an unavoidable part of modern life, and it will play an increasingly important role in your
future academic, professional, and personal lives. We must learn the appropriate ethics related to the use of AI in academia:
we will explore the fine lines between academic integrity and the abuse of software such as ChatGPT, and we will then practice
the ways in which AI can be used to generate material for creative and academic work ethically. This class is designed to prepare
you for the realities of the professional workplace, in which tight deadlines and large projects can produce the perfect conditions
for plagiarism, copyright infringements, or even more serious offences such as fraud. We must never put total faith in AI, so it is
important to be able to read, critique, edit, and re-write parts or all of an AI-product. This requires students to formulate their
own opinions on given topics before using AI, through research and critical thinking, and not allowing AI to do our thinking for us.
EN-513 Speculative Worlds & Social Imagination (3)
At the 2014 National Book Awards, Ursula K. Le Guin (the celebrated American science fiction and fantasy author) called for
the world of publishing to take seriously writers of speculative fiction, who she referred to as “realists of a larger reality”:
“Hard times are coming, when we’ll be wanting the voices of writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see
through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope.
We’ll need writers who can remember freedom—poets, visionaries—realists of a larger reality.” This graduate seminar will
introduce students to the genre of speculative fiction, which is an umbrella genre that includes many types of fiction that depart
from realistic fiction: science fiction, fantasy, fairy tales, alternate history, magical realism, supernatural horror, gothic fiction, utopia,
dystopia, superhero fiction, and (post-)apocalyptic fiction, among others. Over the course of the ten-week term, we will practice
reading and writing short stories and essays related to this expansive literary genre.
EN-515 Poetics and the Personal Voice (3)
This 10-week graduate seminar explores poetry as a deliberate craft, with emphasis on the tools and techniques that poets
use to shape language into meaning. The course engages students in composing original poems, participating in critical workshops,
and examining poetic traditions and contemporary movements. Students will develop their own poetics while exploring the
intersections of sound, image, form, identity, and revision.
EN-518 Write for Change: Story, Culture & Community (3)
This team-taught course focuses on introducing creative nonfiction as a literary genre centered on the theme of racial justice.
Students will learn about themes, styles, and structures of racial justice in creative nonfiction writing and the important elements
of craft in shaping such narratives. Coursework includes critical analysis of essays, memoirs, and various other texts. Students
will also participate in a writing workshop to develop skills for creative writing and revising, and further, to appreciate the process
of development and revision in regards to this particular sub-genre. You’ll learn early in the semester that creative nonfiction is a
wide and interesting field that allows its writers to focus on a wide breadth of subjects and genres (from memoir to literary journalism).
For this class, you will focus on creating nonfiction that coalesces around a theme of social justice. There are countless topics
here for you to write about. For example, you may choose to write about your own experiences with social, racial, sexual, or
religious discrimination, or overcoming systemic ostracism. You may wish to profile someone who is an advocate for social justice
reform, or someone who has been a victim of injustice. You may wish to write about a place or a policy you’ve encountered
through your lived experiences that is somehow symbolic of social justice (or injustice).
EN-525 Writers in Residence (3)
This graduate-level course examines contemporary literature by Indigenous Pacific Islander writers through the lens of
creative practice, cultural storytelling, and literary innovation. This course will satisfy the optional in-person residency course
requirement, and may be completed in-person on the Chaminade University of Honolulu campus or online. Visiting Writers and
Poets will be presenting a variety of talks, readings, and workshops throughout the optional in-person residency week. Students
engage critically and creatively with poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid forms from Hawaiʻi, Aotearoa New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga,
Samoa, and other Pacific communities. Through close reading, craft analysis, discussion, and original creative work, students explore
themes of indigeneity, colonialism and decolonization, language revitalization, place, identity, migration, and cultural resilience.
The course emphasizes the relationship between literary form and Indigenous epistemologies, encouraging students to develop
their own creative practice in dialogue with contemporary Pacific literary traditions.
EN-528 Pedagogy and Mentorship in Writing (3)
This course investigates how composing texts facilitates the development and transformation of ideas. By exploring
composition pedagogies, decolonizing research methodologies and writing center practices, students will develop a
repertoire of strategies for teaching and coaching writers. Students will critically engage with foundational and contemporary
theories of writing while also experimenting with their own voice through both reflective and creative assignments.
Coursework includes constructing and presenting a composition course design, presentations, and collaborative projects.
The course will prepare students for teaching a variety of undergraduate composition courses.
EN-540 Dramatic Writing for Stage, TV, & Film (3)
This is a craft-based writing class designed to enhance a student’s creative voice through the medium of script writing for
theatrical productions. Students will receive an overview on the history of theatre, read and view established plays, then critique
various genres, including dramas, comedies, tragedies and musicals. Students are required to attend at least one theatrical
performance in the community, and must be present at all film viewings. After examining closed (plot, conflict, character, structure)
and open (non-conformist, non-conventional) approaches to playwriting, students will engage in writing workshops, then receive
and share feedback on their final product—either a series of monologues, or a 10-minute play. Students will be encouraged to create
compelling characters, and to develop plots and voices that are imaginative and unique.
EN-543 Publishing Studio: Manuscript to Market (3)
Publishing Studio: From Manuscript to Market offers MFA students a studio-based experience in the art and logistics of
literary publishing. Students will participate in every phase of the small press publishing process—from manuscript evaluation
and copyediting to layout, production, and distribution. The course pays particular attention to independent publishing contexts
that prioritize aesthetic quality, cultural inclusion, and literary innovation.
Students will read case studies on the histories and strategies of successful small presses and literary magazines. They will
also engage directly with design tools such as Adobe InDesign and Canva, while exploring practical publishing platforms
such as Blurb, Lulu, and KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). The course includes attention to both digital and print production
formats, and students will complete a collaborative publishing project as well as a personal small press proposal.
EN-545 The Writer's Mind: Creativity, Consciousness, and Craft (3)
The Writer’s Mind: Creativity, Consciousness, and Craft investigates how composing texts facilitates the development and
transformation of ideas. By exploring composition pedagogies, decolonizing research methodologies and writing center
practices, students will develop a repertoire of strategies for teaching and coaching writers. Students will critically engage
with foundational and contemporary theories of writing while also experimenting with their own voice through both reflective
and creative assignments. Coursework includes constructing and presenting a composition course design, presentations, and
collaborative projects. The course will prepare students for teaching a variety of undergraduate composition courses.
EN-594 Thesis I: Research & Proposal (3)
Taken after the completion of at least 27 credits of graduate coursework, this course serves as the first stage of the
MFA thesis sequence. Students develop a thesis proposal that articulates the creative vision, scholarly context, and
scope of their MFA thesis project. Through workshops, faculty mentorship, discussion, and experiential learning opportunities,
students refine their artistic direction, examine the conventions and critical discourse of their chosen genre, and create a plan for
completing a substantial creative work. Consistent with Chaminade University's Marianist mission, students are encouraged to
consider the cultural, ethical, and social significance of their creative practice. To satisfy the requirement, students must earn a
grade of Pass (P) and submit an advisor-approved thesis proposal to the MFA Thesis Director and MFA Program Director.
EN-595: Thesis II: Composition and Revision (3)
Thesis II is the second course in the three-course MFA thesis sequence. Following approval of the thesis proposal, students work under the guidance of a thesis director to produce a substantial draft of their creative thesis while engaging in sustained revision and critical reflection. Thesis projects may include a collection of short stories, a novella or substantial portion of a novel, a poetry manuscript, a feature-length screenplay, a stage play, a television or streaming pilot (or equivalent script portfolio), or another approved creative project. Students receive individualized mentorship from their thesis director and feedback from a second faculty reader selected in consultation with the Program Director. Emphasis is placed on manuscript development, revision strategies, artistic coherence, and preparation for completion of the final thesis. Prerequisite: Approved MFA Thesis Proposal.
EN-596 Thesis III: Completion & Presentation (3)
Thesis III is the culminating course in the three-course MFA thesis sequence and is completed during the student's final semester in the program. Working closely with a thesis director and second faculty reader, students complete, revise, and polish a substantial creative manuscript in their primary genre, such as fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, or playwriting. Emphasis is placed on advanced revision, artistic coherence, critical self-reflection, and the integration of faculty feedback to produce a manuscript that demonstrates mastery of craft and fulfills the expectations of graduate-level creative scholarship. The course culminates in the submission of the completed thesis manuscript and a presentation. Prerequisite: Successful completion of Thesis II.