Undergraduate Course Offerings

Undergraduate Courses - Spring 2026

This list includes courses with a special emphasis. Go to the online LSU catalog for general course descriptions not listed here. Refer to the online Schedule Booklet for course times, classrooms, and updates.

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ENGL 2000-19: The Archive
Instructor: Kyler P. Carter
Meeting Time:
T/Th 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
In this class, students will conduct service with Hill Memorial Archive (or, alternatively, the National Archives) and use concepts from archive studies to enrich their understanding of rhetoric, the composition process, and multimodal communication.
 
ENGL 2000: Writing Reality
Instructor: Halley McArn
Meeting Times:
Section 11: MWF 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Section 84: MWF 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Section 168: MWF 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Section 173: MWF 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
In a world that confuses fact with fiction, how do we, as writers, tell the truth? In this course, we will strive to write "reality." First, we'll explore theories of truth, political power, and performance through thinkers such as Aristotle, Michel Foucault, and Susan Sontag. Then, we'll examine these theories through the lens of our culture. We'll do close readings of reality television. We'll fact check conspiracy theories. We'll consider why some people want some things to be true—and the methods they use to "keep" them true. By the end of the semester, students will complete a series of short reading responses, a video essay, and an in-depth research paper on a piece of pop culture that reveals the nature of truth to them.
 
ENGL 2000: Writing About Mythical and Magical Beings
Instructor: Julie Roundtree
Meeting Times:
Section 075: MWF 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Section 079: MWF 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Section 117: MWF 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Many of the first stories written down are of mythical and magical beings. Humans were so intrigued and influenced by these tales, which were even incorporated into early religious practices, that they wanted to share them in writing for the generations to come. In this class, students will explore the myth, lore, and modern-day tales of magical beings such as mermaids, witches, ghosts, vampires, and werewolves. By examining various texts, including artwork, films and their promotional posters, stories, poems, and scholarly research, students will learn to identify and analyze rhetoric as well as formulate their own engaging and effective written arguments. Through daily writing assignments, individual and group activities, in-class discussions, the writing of analytical essays and persuasive essays, as well as a final capstone essay on their own topic of interest, students will hone the skills needed for successful and enjoyable college-level reading and writing.
 
ENGL 2000-153: K-Pop: Performance and Language
Instructor: Seohye Kwon
Meeting Time: T/Th 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
This course uses K-pop as a central research text to explore the intersections of performance and language in a global context. K-pop is both a musical form and a cultural performance that combines choreography, staging, visual storytelling, and lyrics, including code-switching and global fan communication. Students will practice translating these multimodal elements into writing while developing their critical and analytical skills. Writing assignments move from personal reflection to critical engagement with scholarship, close analysis of music videos, collaborative digital projects, and a final researched essay. Through this sequence, students will strengthen their rhetorical awareness, refine their academic voice, and learn to connect their own perspectives to broader cultural and intellectual conversations.
 
ENGL 2000-86: Film and Rhetoric
Instructor: Mark Hue
Meeting Time: T/Th 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Why did that film disappoint me when the trailer was so good, and why do I love this film that critics are tearing apart? To answer these questions and other similar inquiries, this course is designed to give students a general overview of the rhetoric surrounding filmmaking, ranging from topics such as film marketing, critical reception, scholarly evaluation, cult status, and more. These topics will be explored through a wide range of readings and screenings that compare how the actual viewing experience of a film relates to its surrounding rhetorical discourse. Not only will students gain a better understanding of film in this course, but they will also learn how to properly read academic articles and perform in-depth research on a specific film topic of their choosing.
 
ENGL 2000: Our Built Environment
Instructor: Nolde Alexius
Meeting Times:
Section 15: MWF 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Section 25: MWF 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Section 56: MWF 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
This course invites you to inquire into the special emphasis of "Our Built Environment" and to envision solutions to societal problems through your research and writing this semester. In Spring 2026, our course materials will guide you to select a research topic and develop a persuasive argument regarding the built environment of food in America. The assignments are connected to current issues which, by design, will challenge you to engage your very best communication skills.
 
ENGL 2000: The Language of Horror
Instructor: Lisa Nohner
Meeting Times:
Section 64: MWF 12:30 – 1:30
Section 72: MWF 2:30 – 3:30
Section 82: MWF 3:30 – 4:30
This course asks you to consider and engage with the kinds of writing being done in different disciplines and fields. The course presents an engaging, unique lens through which to study different types of writing: The Language of Horror. How have humans constructed the meaning of "horror"? How has that meaning changed over time? How does horror appear in different disciplines? The class asks us to consider more mature and specific rhetorical tactics writers may use to develop and support claims in all sorts of areas. Developing our ability to conduct research and sound reasoning, as well as compose writing, we will consider the uses and abuses of horror in fiction, film, environmental science, digital media and more.
 
ENGL 2000-135: Writing Terror, Writing the Planet
Instructor: Azharuddin
Meeting Time: MWF 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
How do we think and write about a world where terrorism and environmental crisis overlap? From drone strikes to wildfires, from "war on terror" rhetoric to "code red for humanity" contemporary writing casts global threats in ways that are as emotionally urgent as they are factual. This course explores how short texts—essays, op-eds, and political speeches—use language to frame global crisis. We'll look at how speakers and writers engage with terror and connect terror and environmental justice. Ultimately, we'll practice writing that turns complex global issues into clear, persuasive arguments.
 
ENGL 2000-70: Sports Rhetoric
Instructor: Elizabeth Robertson
Meeting Time: MWF 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
This course uses sports as an entry point for engaging with different genres of writing across disciplines. Students will analyze a variety of sports-related texts, such as advertisements, social media posts, speeches, and scholarly journal articles to explore different rhetorical strategies for constructing and supporting an argument. By examining the writing conventions and rhetorical strategies of different genres and disciplines, students will learn how to apply these skills in various contexts.
 
ENGL 2000-29: The Grammar of Comics
Instructor: Matthew Mills
Meeting Time: MWF 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
How do comics persuade? How do sequential images and text work together to construct arguments about identity, power, justice, and social change? How might the comics medium be an appropriate multimodal form of academic writing in its own right? This course examines comics as a rhetorical medium to answer these very questions while developing critical reading, analytical writing, and research skills. As such, we will examine serial and essay form comics to explore how the unique affordances of the comics medium function as persuasive strategies and understand how those strategies matter for students' own academic writing.
 
ENGL 2000: Rhetoric of Reality 
Instructor: Rachel Howatt
Meeting Times:
Section 103: T/Th 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Section 121: T/Th 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Section 156: T/Th 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Section 188: T/Th 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
In this course, we will use the language implemented throughout the Bachelor and Bachelorette franchises as access points for analysis of the conventions of rhetoric and argument. In comparing two seasons of the Bachelor franchise: one Bachelor and one Bachelorette, this course aims to build students' understanding of rhetoric and argument, along with what makes the execution of either successful or not.
 
ENGL 2000: Writing for Community Action and Advocacy
Instructor: Sharon Andrews
Meeting Times:
Section 38: T/Th 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Section 45: T/Th 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
This course is a special emphasis course with a focus on "Writing for Community Action and Advocacy". We will discuss the use of language, especially written language, as a tool for affecting change within the community. You will be challenged to think about your role in the community and the use of writing to persuade, inspire and affect change. Includes a required service-learning component.
 
ENGL 2000: Writing Louisiana 
Instructor: Meghan Sullivan
Meeting Times:
Section 110: T/Th 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Section 163: T/Th 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Section 181: T/Th 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
This course asks you to consider and engage with Louisiana culture and tradition. Using the history of Louisiana writers and literature, we will build specific rhetorical claims as they pertain to all things Louisiana—religion and spirituality, disaster and relief, food and music, ecology and loss along the Mississippi River. Developing our ability to conduct research and sound reasoning, students will be asked to engage with fieldwork by visiting a local museum, concert hall, or restaurant. We will consider the various arguments embedded in place-based writing and learn how to move a conversation forward.
 
ENGL 2000: Writing About Film
Instructor: Trey Strecker
Meeting Times:
Section 97: MWF 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Section 98: MWF 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Section 99: MWF 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Students in this course will study what constitutes successful film writing through a rhetorical focus on argument. Our reading, writing, and discussion will focus on issues of authorship, genre, representation, and narrative. Students will learn basic film concepts, techniques, and terminology in an effort to think critically about film and its role in our lives. Students will compose in multiple modes to improve their writing skills while gaining a more complex understanding of audience, form, and the contexts that inform effective argument.
 
ENGL 2000-62: Writing and Righting the Environment
Instructor: Denis Waswa
Meeting Time: MWF 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
This course will focus on reading and writing about nature & environment. We will examine the rhetoric, representations, language, and ideas writers create about the environment and nature as we reflect on questions such as: How can we imagine, collaborate, share, and write about environmental concerns in the present climate crisis? How should our writing, rhetoric, awareness, and action about the environment change? What role does writing about nature play in the present environmental crisis? How is the environment connected to contemporary political, ecological, social, and economic concerns? In what ways do questions of agency and advocacy manifest in environmental writings? How can we right the environment through writing? Students will explore writings about nature and critique the impact of humans on the environment. In so doing, they will develop their writing skills in ways that promote and enhance environmental concerns, awareness, and sensitivities.
 
ENGL 2000: Living on University Time
Instructor: Christy Foreman
Meeting Times:
Section 8: T/Th 7:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Section 21: T/Th 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Section 123: T/Th 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Section 140: T/Th 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
This course explores writing as a form of research through ethnographic study of how time shapes university life. Students will examine everyday practices—such as studying, eating, and commuting—to understand how institutional schedules intersect with personal rhythms. Through fieldnotes, interviews, and analysis, students will generate original research about campus life and its temporal structures. Writing assignments guide students from proposal to polished essay, emphasizing research design, analysis, and revision. By writing about the lived experience of "university time," students learn to connect personal observation with broader academic inquiry.
 
ENGL 2000-34: Ways of Knowing
Instructor: Sarah Brockhaus
Meeting Time: T/Th 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
This course will introduce students to a variety of lenses as models for knowledge making, including experiential hands-on knowledge through service-learning. Students will learn different ways to build an argument, and practice employing these different techniques in their own writing as they think about what it means to build knowledge through writing across disciplines and in the disciplines of their majors and interests. Across the course of the semester we will engage with poetic, theoretical, philosophical, and experiential forms of knowledge and meaning making, as well as storytelling.
 
ENGL 2000: Living Stories, Burial Grounds: Louisiana Cemeteries
Instructor: Emily M Goldsmith
Meeting Times:
Section 24: MWF 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Section 46: MWF 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Section 57: MWF 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
This is a Service-Learning Course. Benjamin Franklin said, "Show me your cemeteries, and I will tell you what kind of people you have." In this section of ENGL 2000, we will examine the roles of Louisiana cemeteries on culture, life, and dignity. Students will volunteer with a specific local cemetery. Students will be asked to do field research, analyze materials; research and document sources responsibly; present professional written, verbal, and visual reports; and work collaboratively.

ENGL 2000-69: Language of Music Criticism
Instructor: Brett Hymel
Meeting Time: T/Th 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
What defines a sound? In this class, students will learn the essential critical components of musical criticism in order to build a framework by which they can assess music and, more broadly, elements of culture. Students will look at existing criticism, read theory, and analyze a broad range of music in order to build coherent arguments around the sonic body of a work. Albums discussed in class will span a variety of genres and eras and may include Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly, and Radiohead's Kid A, amongst others.
 
ENGL 2004-01: Intro to Writing Creative Nonfiction
Instructor: Zach Shultz
Meeting Time: T/Th: 10:30 AM - 11:50 AM
Joan Didion once wrote, “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” Whether sharing funny anecdotes with coworkers or confiding in friends about past experiences, storytelling is a part of our everyday lives. But how do stories impact the way we see ourselves and others? And how do you grab a reader’s attention when writing true stories about real life? In this class we will explore these questions—and more!—within the broad field of creative nonfiction. As a genre, CNF encompasses memoir, personal essay, cultural criticism, longform journalism, and more experimental and hybrid forms of writing. Through reading a wide range of writers—including Zadie Smith, David Sedaris, Jia Tolentino, and Hanif
Abdurraqib, to name a few—we will examine how CNF can borrow from fiction’s toolkit to tell true stories in more creative and engaging ways. Apart from submitting a personal essay for workshop, students will keep a journal of responses to writing prompts along with reflections on assigned readings.

ENGL 2005-01: Intro to Writing Short Stories
Instructor: John David Harding
Meeting Time: MWF 1:30 PM - 2:20 PM
What are the essential elements of a short story? To explore this question together, we will engage in generative writing exercises, a collaborative workshop method, and close readings of published short stories and essays on craft. Selected readings include works by James Baldwin, Kevin Wilson, Leo Tolstoy, Carson McCullers, Grace Paley, Lydia Davis, Jhumpa Lahiri, and many others. This semester-long inquiry into the craft of short fiction develops a foundation for lifelong creative practice.

ENGL 2005-02: Intro to Writing Short Stories
Instructor: Nolde Alexius
Meeting Time: MWF 9:30 AM - 10:20 AM  
As a student in this creative writing workshop, you will become familiar with the short story form, establish a writing practice, read masters of the form, and cultivate a writing community. LSU's literary history will feature prominently as we discuss the short story's characteristic universality. Writing exercises, custom fit to your interests in the form, will guide your development as a fiction writer along with in-class discussions of assigned readings.

ENGL 2005-03: Intro to Writing Short Stories
Instructor: Derek Dirckx
Meeting Time: T/TH 1:30 PM - 2:50 PM
In this course, we will investigate the how of the short story form and implement the knowledge we gain into our own writing. Through discussions of craft in the assigned readings (partially curated by the class), we will focus on the mechanisms that produce the sense of wonder and universal insight that defines the best of the genre. Informal writing exercises will help us develop our own voice and style; collaborative workshop sessions will teach us how to both offer and receive criticism of creative work.

ENGL 2007-01: Intro to Writing Poetry
Instructor: Brooke Stanish
Meeting Time: T/TH 9:00 AM - 10:20 AM What is a poem? Is anyone a poet? And, what can a poem tell us about ourselves if we simply sit down and write–freely, without overthinking? This discussion-based workshop is for anyone interested in these questions. In this poetry course, we will wonder aloud, while reading the works of various poets–Louise Glück, Rainer Maria Rilke, Alejandra Pizarnik, Shel Silverstein–and crafting our own poems for workshop. We will also cover different poetic forms and elements and learn how to send our poems out for potential publication.

ENGL 2007-02: Intro to Writing Poetry
Instructor: Anna Priddy
Meeting Time: MWF 10:30 AM - 11:20 AM
In this introductory workshop, we will focus on the art of poetry. Reading, discussion, writing, and workshopping will be among the activities that will facilitate understanding of poetic practice, history, development, form, and the many pleasures of language. Students will workshop six to eight poems of their own. No previous knowledge of poetics or writing experience is required, just a willingness to read and to write.

ENGL 2009-01: Intro to Writing Screenplays
Instructor: Rose Torres
Meeting Time: T/Th: 1:30 PM - 2:50 PM
Together, we’ll dive into the craft of screenwriting from the ground up—learning how to break a story into beats, shape those beats into outlines, and ultimately write the first pages of your own script. Along the way, you’ll experiment with short scripts, study films, and think critically about what makes stories move us. Just as importantly, you’ll begin to uncover what makes your writing voice unique, and how that voice shapes the stories you want to tell. Through workshops and collaboration, you’ll be challenged to take risks, think critically, and have fun while building scripts that feel authentically your own.

ENGL 2009-02: Intro to Writing Screenplays
Instructor: MJ Weerts
Meeting Time: T/Th: 10:30 AM - 11:50 AM
Want to write a movie? TV Pilot? Learn the form and structure of screenwriting to bring your ideas to life, while reading, watching, and discussing current films and television programs. Workshop your scripts to get friendly and helpful feedback from your fellow students. You will write your own short script and begin work on a feature film script or television pilot.

ENGL 2025: FanFiction 
Instructor: Casey Patterson
Section: 001
Meeting Time: MW 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM (with recitation)
Why do so many people write fanfiction? And why do so many people enjoy reading it? This class will introduce students to key ideas for understanding the work that fan communities produce while consuming original works of fiction—work which is criticized as "derivative" while also celebrated as "transformative." We will explore both of these dimensions, and the ways that they each showcase habits for thinking carefully about published fiction. By practicing these habits ourselves, we will see what fan fiction can teach us about fiction in general: how stories help form communities, how communities proliferate genres, and how "original" works become indebted to the fans who inspired them.
 
ENGL 2231-5: Horror and the Oppressed
Instructor: Julie Roundtree
Section: 5
Meeting Time: MWF 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM (with recitation)
In this class, we will view a selection of horror films from different points in history and analyze how oppressed individuals are depicted and treated in these films. There will be an emphasis placed on analyzing the depictions and treatment of women, people of color, and those who are differently-abled. Some films will be viewed in class, others will need to be viewed outside of class, in-class discussions will follow, and students will write three essays over the course of the semester.
 
ENGL 3300-1: Rhetoric of Public Memory
Instructor: Jonathan Osborne
Meeting Time: MWF 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
As a society, we create various artifacts to invoke a particular understanding of a place, person, or event. These markers of history serve as a touchstone for people in the future to remember the past according to a broadly agreed upon narrative about the past. In other words, these artifacts are rhetorical in nature—they attempt to persuade audiences on how to remember the past. In this course, we will investigate, analyze, and question various artifacts, such as museums and Civil War monuments, to understand their rhetorical influence on public memory in terms of politics, race, gender, and culture.

ENGL 4001-1: Intermediate Creative Nonfiction Workshop
Instructor: Joshua Wheeler
Prerequisite: ENGL 2004 or ENGL 2005
Meeting Time: T/Th 12:00 PM - 1:20 PM
In this class we’ll explore reading and writing deeply in the genre of creative nonfiction. From memoir to music criticism to travel essays and everything in between, this class will focus on exploring the specific elements of craft you can use across the spectrum of creative nonfiction.

ENGL 4005-1: Intermediate Fiction Writing Workshop
Instructor: Maurice Carlos Ruffin
Prerequisite: ENGL 2005
Meeting Time: MW 4:00 PM - 5:20 PM
This class is for students who love books, movies, and TV shows—in other words: stories! Some reading will be required, but the focus will be on the production of fiction stories. All genres are encouraged. Above all this class is about the joy of writing. Students are invited to share their creativity and to learn from their very talented peers. Time will also be spent learning about revision and publication of stories. Bring your best tales!

ENGL 4007-1: Intermediate Poetry Writing Workshop
Instructor: Jesse DeLong
Prerequisite: ENGL 2007
Meeting Time: T/Th 9:00 AM - 10:20 AM
This class is for students who love books, movies, and TV shows—in other words: stories! Some reading will be required, but the focus will be on the production of fiction stories. All genres are encouraged. Above all this class is about the joy of writing. Students are invited to share their creativity and to learn from their very talented peers. Time will also be spent learning about revision and publication of stories. Bring your best tales!

ENGL 4009-1: Intermediate TV & Film Writing Workshop
Instructor: Jason Buch
Prerequisite: ENGL 2009
Meeting Time: W 3:00 PM - 5:50 PM
Writers: come and workshop your pilot for TV or a feature film script. Using your own scripts, you’ll learn to scene card or outline your scripts as well as critique each other’s work. You’ll watch films or TV shows of your own choosing and present a journal of your observations at end of semester. This is a workshop to complete a rough draft of your script, not a lecture course, so having fun while writing is all part of the process.

ENGL 4071-1: How to Judge a Book
Instructor: Lauren Coats
Meeting Time: T/Th 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
How do we judge the value of a book? In this class, we'll read American novels and stories—from Edgar Allan Poe to Octavia Butler to recent bestsellers—that have captured the reading public's imagination, and read carefully to see what the stories tell us about how to evaluate them. We'll also spend some time not reading, exploring other methods for examining books for how they are valued such as judging books by their covers, investigating marginalia, and other archival adventures.

ENGL 4102-1: Capstone Seminar in Writing Poetry
Instructor: Ariel Francisco
Prerequisite: ENGL 4007
Meeting Time: T/Th 9:00 AM - 10:20 AM
In this poetry course, we will explore the writing life beyond your graduation through readings, research, and interviews from established poets. The goal of this course is to consider, explore, and prepare the possibilities of your writing lives beyond your undergraduate education. We will also reflect on our own work and investigate holistic approaches to revision, rewriting, and looking at our work as a whole. If you plan to graduate in the spring, and you need to take this course to complete your requirements, please enroll. We reserve this class for students who have completed the intro and intermediate poetry courses.

ENGL 4105-1: Capstone Seminar in Writing Fiction
Instructor: Jennifer Davis
Prerequisite: ENGL 4005
Meeting Time: T/Th 1:30 PM - 2:50 PM
This course will provide students with the tools necessary to write polished, effective, and affecting fiction. Students will produce new fiction, engage in an in-depth study of the process of revision, and produce a final project that focuses on professionalization/career readiness. Ideally, students will leave the course with at least one polished short story or novel excerpt suitable for submission to graduate schools or literary journals. If you plan to graduate in the spring, and you need to take this course to complete your requirements, please enroll. We reserve this class for students who have completed the intro and intermediate fiction courses.

ENGL 4109-1: Capstone Seminar in TV & Film Writing
Instructor: Jason Buch
Prerequisite: ENGL 4009
Meeting Time: T 3:30 PM - 6:20 PM
This is the semester you finish your screenplay! As you hone your craft as a screenwriter and sharpen your critical skills, you’ll complete a draft of a feature-length screenplay or teleplay. The course is a discussion-based writing workshop driven by oral and written communication and constructive criticism. You will also learn how to pitch, present, and submit your screenplay in a professional manner. If you plan to graduate in the spring, and you need to take this course to complete your requirements, please enroll. We reserve this class for students who have completed the intro and intermediate screenwriting courses.

ENGL 4680-1: The Novel & the News
Instructor: Pallavi Rastogi
Meeting Time: T/Th 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Headlines in Global Fiction
This course will focus on how global Anglophone novels of the present moment absorb and retell the news. How does long-form fiction transform the frenzied pace of daily events into the more leisurely rhythm of the novel? Can literary narrative ever capture the speed, volatility, and often catastrophic scale of the news today? Exploring fiction published in 2025—2026, we will read works from across the world that draw directly on breaking events such as wars, climate change, and geopolitical upheaval.
Fiction may include Laila Lalami's The Dream Hotel, Salman Rushdie's The Eleventh Hour, and Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo's The Tiny Things Are Heavier.