Life Writing Courses

The English Department offers a rich variety of undergraduate and graduate courses in life writing. In addition to the courses listed below, which are devoted to topics in life writing, faculty regularly design special courses in life writing or feature life writing themes and texts in courses not specifically devoted to life writing.

ENG 311: Autobiographical Writing, is offered every Spring semester. This course gives serious writing students the opportunity to work within a major literary form, the autobiographical essay. Writing in and out of class is based on the student’s own experience, and readings are drawn from autobiographical texts that offer a variety of approaches to writing about one’s self. Prerequisite: one ENG DL course or consent.

ENG 464: Studies in Life Writing is an intensive study of forms and theories of life writing in forms such as biographies, autobiographies, oral histories, diaries, journals, letters, film, drama, and portraiture. Repeatable one time. Prerequisite: ENG 320 and one other 300-level ENG course; or consent.

ENG 664: Biography. This course involves the study of one or more authors, English or American literature. Repeatable one time. A-F only. Pre: graduate standing or consent.

ENG 764: Seminar in Life Writing. This course features intensive study of critical and theoretical issues raised by various forms of life writing (biography, autobiography, oral history, diaries, etc.) and of their history and methodology. Repeatable one time. Pre: graduate standing or consent.