LTRS-Letters

LTRS 1113. Introduction to Letters.3 Credit Hours.

Introduction to Letters major, OU's interdisciplinary humanities degree which provides a traditional liberal arts education. Modeled around a "Great-Books" approach that there is a canon of texts that has transcendent value because certain works are able to speak to the human condition across time and space. The curriculum is distinct through its insistence on combining history, philosophy, and literature as ways of asking the same fundamental questions through the record of actual human experience. A sequence of topics address perennial human concerns: reason and passion, love, death, work, God, freedom, time, and so on. (F, Sp) [IV-WC].

LTRS 1203. Horror Literature.3 Credit Hours.

Vampires, ghosts, monstrous women, haunted houses and murderous video tapes--Gothic horror has terrified us for two centuries. This course studies horror literature from across the world from the nineteenth-century to the present. (Sp) [IV-AF].

LTRS 2103. Introduction to Constitutional Studies.3 Credit Hours.

Provides a broad introduction to the theory and history of constitutional governance. Includes the classical roots of constitutional thought, the contribution of the English common law tradition, the origins and structure of the U.S. Constitution, along with a sense of the constitutional basis of contemporary political controversies. (F, Sp) [IV-WC].

LTRS 2970. Special Topics.1-3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: none. May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit six hours. Special topics course for content not currently offered in regularly scheduled courses. May include library and/or laboratory research and field projects. (Irreg.)

LTRS 3013. Sacred Texts as Literature.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: English 1213 or Expository Writing 1213. This course will take a literary approach one or more of the sacred texts from major world religions, examining such issues as narrative and poetic structure, character or the use of imagery or figurative language. It may also incorporate poets, novelists or dramatists whose work draws upon or investigates the sacred texts in question. (F, Sp)

LTRS 3113. The Examined Life I: Antiquity.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor. Survey of the great books of Greece and Rome, with emphasis on understanding the impact of classical texts on modern day thought. Can be applied to the Letters major's requirement in history, literature, or philosophy. (F) [IV-WC].

LTRS 3123. The Examined Life II: Middle Ages and Renaissance.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor. Survey of the great books of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, with emphasis on the impact of these texts on modern thought. Can be applied toward the Letters major's requirement in history, literature, or philosophy. (Sp) IV-WC].

LTRS 3133. Examined Life III: Enlightenment.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor. Survey of the great books of The Enlightenment, with emphasis on understanding the impact of these texts on modern thought. Can be applied toward the Letters Major's requirement in history, literature, or philosophy. (F) [IV-WC].

LTRS 3153. Challenging Leadership.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Prerequisite: ENGL 1213 or EXPO 1213. This course examines historical figures who had a marked impact on the western world. Each unit introduces students to some of the problems faced by the society in which these influential individuals lived. Students explore how these seminal figures proposed solutions. (Sp) [IV-WC].

LTRS 3163. The History and Philosophy of Philanthropy.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: ENGL/EXPO 1213 and Junior standing, or permission of instructor; Repeatable with change of content, maximum credit 6 hours. This course examines ideologies, historical events, and literary descriptions related to philanthropic and charitable endeavors. Students will gain a broader understanding of how modern organizations have evolved and consider what counts as "best practices" in philanthropy. The class can be applied toward the Letters major's requirement in history, literature, or philosophy. (Sp) [IV-WC].

LTRS 3213. Monsters & Modernity: The Gothic Genre.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: English 1213 or Expository Writing 1213. It is a strange fact of literary history that the "Age of Reason" becomes obsessed with monsters. The Gothic becomes a genre in its own right and the supernatural, the monstrous, and the magical permeate the modern imagination. The course considers works from various national literary traditions and periods. (F, Sp) [IV-WC].

LTRS 3223. Revolutions.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: ENGL 1213 or EXPO 1213. This course studies the "Age of Revolutions" and focuses on different revolutionary traditions which may include, for example, the French, Haitian, American and English Revolutions from C 17 to C 19. Readings will cover the work of historians, philosophers, and literary writers as well as speeches and writings of important historical figures. (F, Sp) [IV-WC].

LTRS 3233. The Novel: Comedy, Romance and Realism.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: ENGL 1213 or EXPO 1213. This course studies prose fictions and theories of the novel. It will cover a variety of genres such as realism, romance and science fiction; a variety of forms such as narrative structure and characterization; as well as a variety of periods and literary traditions such as American, African American, and European. (F, Sp) [IV-AF].

LTRS 3243. Women and Literature.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: ENGL 1213/EXPO 1213. In this course we will encounter extraordinary female characters from queens to chivalric ladies, to Gothic heroines and young women coming out into society. We will follow their adventures in a variety of literary traditions from antiquity to the present. (F, Sp) [IV-WC].

LTRS 3303. Origins of Rights in Early America.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: ENGL 1213 or EXPO 1213. Explores the historical, rather than the philosophical, origins of ideas of individual and group rights in the European settlement of the New World. (F) [IV-WC].

LTRS 3353. Interpreting the American Founding.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: ENGL 1213 or EXPO 1213. Examines the various ways that scholars have interpreted the Founding over the past two hundred years. It is a study, then, of the historiographic interpretations of the events of the American Founding era rather than a study of the events and historical figures themselves. (F) [IV-WC].

LTRS 3440. Mentored Research Experience.3 Credit Hours.

0 to 3 hours. Prerequisites: ENGL 1113 or equivalent, and permission of instructor. May be repeated; maximum credit 12 hours. For the inquisitive student to apply the scholarly processes of the discipline to a research or creative project under the mentorship of a faculty member. Student and instructor should complete an Undergraduate Research & Creative Projects (URCP) Mentoring Agreement and file it with the URCP office. Not for honors credit. (F, Sp, Su)

LTRS 3510. Topics in Letters.2-3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: Junior standing. May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit nine hours. Discussion of selected interdisciplinary topics in letters. (Irreg.)

LTRS 3603. Debating Constitutional Controversies.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: English 1213 or Expository Writing 1213. This course transforms the classroom into a courtroom. Students become lawyers and judges, arguing and deciding cases that hinge on our most important Constitutional controversies. Working in teams, students grapple with these contentious issues in the context of the Constitution, the common law, and legal theory. (F, Sp)

LTRS 3613. Constitutional Narratives.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: ENGL 1213/EXPO 1213. This course will explore the many ways that the art of narrative intersects with constitutional history. Students will fashion their own narratives about major constitutional episodes or figures of their choosing. (F)

LTRS 3623. First Freedoms.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: English 1213/Expo 1213. The First Amendment enshrines freedoms of the highest order--of religion, of speech, of the press, among others. This course delves into the history and current state of First Amendment law in America. (F, Sp)

LTRS 3633. Famous Trials.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: English 1213/Expo 1213. From the Salem Witch Trials to our modern moment, the spectacle of a public tribunal determining questions of life and liberty has long captured the imagination of the country. Students will revisit the evidentiary records from iconic trials in American history and relitigate closing arguments. (F, Sp)

LTRS 3703. Law and Social Movements.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: English/Expository Writing 1213. Examines the history of the interaction between the law and social movements in the United States from the Civil War to the present day. Topics include the struggles for racial and gender equality and the histories of immigrant and gay rights movements. (F, Sp)

LTRS 3713. Gender and the Constitution.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: English/Expository Writing 1213. Examines how ideas about gender, sexuality, and the family have shaped the privileges and obligations of American citizenship. Topics covered in this class include feminism, masculinity, women's suffrage, interracial marriage, affirmative action, and sexual orientation. In addition, it will examine how women have shaped the law as plaintiffs, lawyers, and judges. (F, Sp)

LTRS 3803. Fate & The Individual in European Literature I.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: English 1213 or Expository Writing 1213. Based on a course designed by W.H. Auden, this is part one of an intensive examination of classic texts of western literature, exploring questions of freedom, fate, and human responsibility. Texts introduce students to an ongoing conversation about what it means to be human. Begins in ancient Greece and ends in the seventeenth century. (F) [IV-WC].

LTRS 3813. Fate & The Individual in European Literature II.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: English 1213 or Expository Writing 1213. Based on a course designed by W.H. Auden, this is part two of an intensive examination of classic texts of western literature, exploring questions of freedom, fate, and human responsibility. Texts introduce students to an ongoing conversation about what it means to be human. Texts cover the early modern period to the twentieth century. (Sp) [IV-WC].

LTRS 3960. Honors Reading.1-3 Credit Hours.

1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: Admission to Honors Program. May be repeated; maximum credit six hours. Consists of topics designated by the instructor in keeping with the student's major program. The topics will cover materials not usually presented in the regular courses. (F, Sp, Su)

LTRS 3970. Honors Seminar.1-3 Credit Hours.

1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: admission to Honors Program. May be repeated; maximum credit six hours. Subjects covered vary. Deals with concepts not usually treated in regular courses. (Irreg.)

LTRS 3980. Honors Research.1-3 Credit Hours.

1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: Admission to Honors Program. May be repeated; maximum credit six hours. Will provide an opportunity for the gifted Honors candidate to work at a special project in the student's field. (F, Sp, Su)

LTRS 3990. Independent Study.1-3 Credit Hours.

1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: permission of instructor and junior standing. May be repeated once with change of content. Independent study may be arranged to study a subject not available through regular course offerings. (F, Sp, Su)

LTRS 4503. Letters Capstone Course.3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: senior standing in major. May be repeated with change of content; maximum credit six hours. Students will write a senior paper on a topic chosen in consultation with the instructor. Papers will demonstrate students' abilities to synthesize material drawn from among two or more of the areas included in the Letters program. (F, Sp) [V].

LTRS 4960. Directed Readings.1-4 Credit Hours.

1 to 4 hours. Prerequisite: good standing in University; permission of instructor and dean. May be repeated; maximum credit four hours. Designed for upper-division students who need opportunity to study a specific problem in greater depth than formal course content permits. (Irreg.)

LTRS 4970. Special Topics/Seminar.2-3 Credit Hours.

1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: Senior standing or permission of instructor. May be repeated; maximum credit nine hours. Special topics or seminar course for content not currently offered in regularly scheduled courses. May include library and/or laboratory research and field projects. (Irreg.)

LTRS 4990. Independent Study.1-3 Credit Hours.

Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor or department. May be repeated; Maximum credit six hours. Contracted independent study for topic not currently offered in regularly scheduled courses. (F, Sp)

LTRS 5960. Directed Readings.1-3 Credit Hours.

1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing and permission of department. May be repeated; maximum credit twelve hours. Directed readings and/or literature reviews under the direction of a faculty member. (F, Sp, Su)

LTRS 5970. Special Topics/Seminar.1-3 Credit Hours.

1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of instructor. May be repeated; maximum credit nine hours. Special topics or seminar course for content not currently offered in regularly scheduled courses. May include library and/or laboratory research and field projects. (Irreg.)

LTRS 5990. Independent Study.1-3 Credit Hours.

1 to 3 hours. Prerequisite: graduate standing and permission of instructor. May be repeated; maximum credit six hours. Reading and research arranged and directed in consultation with the instructor, in specified areas of classical civilization and culture. (F, Sp, Su)