Courses

Learn about literature, culture or magazine publishing

World Literature Today magazine, book reviews section, WLT

World Literature Today offers three courses that qualify for either ENGL or MLLL undergraduate and graduate credits. The courses deal with various aspects of literature, international culture, or magazine publishing, and ENGL 4113 also fulfills an upper-division requirement for the new minor in Editing and Publishing that launched in fall 2019. The minor combines coursework in Arts & Sciences, Journalism, and Fine Arts and is meant to give students an inside edge when entering publishing and related careers upon graduation.

If you're interested in literature and international culture, check out the Neustadt or Puterbaugh courses. If you have any interest in magazine publishing and want hands on experience as well, the Magazine Publishing course would be an excellent opportunity.

Fall 2024 Neustadt Course on Ananda Devi

ENGL/MLLL 4883/5883
Prof. Julie-Françoise Tolliver (julietolliver@ou.edu)

“Reading Ananda Devi is like receiving a stunningly poetic punch on the subject of tragic lives in a violent environment” (Dinah Assouline Stillman, WLT 2013). 2024 Neustadt Prize laureate Ananda Devi was born in Mauritius, a French colony for most of the 18^th century and then a British colony until 1968. She writes about the power differentials that structure her country and the other settings she calls her fictional home, including, among others, France, the UK, and India. Our exploration of Ananda Devi’s work will include selected novels, poetry, essays, and films. We will examine how these texts are constructed, as well as how they represent the universe—how they imagine human relations and the strictures placed on them. We will analyze methods of narration, the persona of the poet, the assembly of film matter, and the effects of these techniques on our understanding of the cultural and political context of each text. And we will consider how translation carries Devi’s French-language texts into English. Students in the course will be required to participate in a majority of the events of the Neustadt Lit Fest scheduled for Oct. 21–23, 2024. Students will have dedicated time to meet with Dr. Devi and her translator, Kazim Ali; they will also have the opportunity to interact with all the participating writers/artists/scholars involved in the Neustadt Lit Fest.

Attendance and participation at Neustadt Prize events is a requirement for completing the course successfully.

WLT will provide enrolled students with complimentary copies of the required books. Other readings will be shared via Canvas.

Schedule

Tuesdays/Thursdays 9:00-10:15am
Meets in PHSC 120
Neustadt Festival events, October 21-23

Possible Scholarships for Students Enrolled in This Course

To apply for a scholarship to cover the cost of tuition for the course, visit the Neustadt Scholarship Application page, fill out the application, and ask one of your professors to write a brief letter of recommendation. The letter of recommendation can be emailed to Terri Stubblefield (tdstubb@ou.edu) or dropped off at Monnet 110. Deadline for scholarship applications: Friday, August 9, 2024, 12pm CDT. Decisions will be announced by August 16.

The Puterbaugh Course: Guadalupe Nettel

ENGL/MLLL 4883/5883
The Puterbaugh Seminar
Spring 2025 | 3 credit hours | TR 3:00-4:15 | Bizzell 0100

Sign up for this unique opportunity to study the work of Mexican writer Guadalupe Nettel (b. 1973), “one of the most original voices in Latin American literature” (Véronique Rossignol).

Nettel is headlining the 2025 Puterbaugh Lit Fest at OU (March 3–4, 2025). Students will have VIP access to Nettel and other visiting scholars/translators during the festival.

Taught by OU Spanish instructor Humberto Medina and sponsored by World Literature Today.

Tuition and book scholarships available! The deadline to apply is 12pm CST on January 6, 2025.

Questions? Contact hjmedina@ou.edu

How to Edit & Publish a Literary Magazine

ENGL 4113 | Spring 2025 | MWF 1:00-1:50
Taught by Daniel Simon, assistant director and editor in chief of World Literature Today

Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above or by permission of the instructor

Fulfills upper-division credit for the Editing & Publishing minor

Description

English 4113 provides an introduction to the writing, editing, and publishing of literary magazines, both print and online. It is designed for students who are planning careers in writing, graduate literary studies, or the wider world of publishing. Students will learn about the place of literary magazines in humanities publishing generally and the larger contemporary landscape in which cultural magazines play a vital role. Topics include the history and present state of U.S. magazine publishing, the status of periodicals in culture and the academy, the economics of the industry, current challenges, and future trends.

The internship component is an important feature of the course, offering students the opportunity to write for, edit, and produce an actual magazine: World Literature Today, OU’s award-winning bimonthly of international literature and culture. The course will also draw guest speakers from the pool of publishing experts scattered across the University of Oklahoma campus and in central Oklahoma, thus providing advice and networking opportunities for students interested in exploring professional careers in writing, editing, design, marketing, or online publishing.

Have questions or want permission to enroll?

Contact Dr. Simon at dsimon@ou.edu or by phone at 405-325-0317.