This course explores the long literary history of artificial intelligence from Frankenstein’s monster to contemporary machine learning. We investigate how genres of fiction develop as a way of defining (and often redefining) the boundaries of humans, animals, machines, computers, and artificial consciousness, as well as the ethical relationships among them. Students will gain an understanding of the genealogy of AI, explore key fictional representations in the history of science fiction, analyze how these representations evolve in different mediums (text, films, games, &c), experiment with futures thinking, and reflect the ethics of science, technology, and engineering as represented and challenged by our materials. Across the course, students will develop a toolkit for critical thinking in literary studies and media analysis. For assignments, students will undertake critical as well as creative writing projects, producing regular response assignments, workshop reports, and a course project in which they use AI to compose their own short story.

Meets: Core – American literature,  literature elective, English elective, interdisciplinary approaches (lit)

It’s common knowledge that women talk more than men, that texting is ruining the language and that TV is making us all sound the same. The problem with this common knowledge is that none of it is factual. We all watch the sun rise in the east and set in the west, but we no longer believe the various mythologies – like Helios driving a golden chariot across the sky – about the mechanism of this natural phenomenon. Instead, we have all come to understand that in order to understand celestial mechanics, one must study the topic rigorously. When it comes to language, however, we leave unexamined a surprising amount of mythology. Part of the reason for this is the fact that our linguistic competency is acquired, not learned, and so while we may be highly proficient in using it, we often have little knowledge about its workings. Furthermore, we don’t often consider what it means to approach language as a topic worthy of scientific investigation. Because of this, we ascribe expert status to people who seem to use the language expertly. As just one example, during the Senate Sub-Committee hearings on the 1996 Oakland Ebonics Program, the pro argument was presented by some of the most distinguished linguists in the country. The con argument was presented by a journalist and a preacher. The latter were considered to be equally as expert as the former.  

All these factors have resulted in language being a subject around which exists a tremendous amount of mythology. And because so many of these myths have attained “common knowledge” status, shifting the narrative around them has been difficult. In this course, we will examine critically linguist beliefs in the public sphere through examining language debates, bestselling “trade” books on linguistic topics and other public science domains (media, the internet, etc.). Among our tasks will be to separate linguistic fact from linguistic fiction and to ask questions from critical theory such as, “who benefits from the persistence of linguistic mythology?” and “how is this mythology perpetuated?”

Topics include: Where do language norms come from? Who gets to be a language authority? What does it mean for a word to be a “real word”? Why it is important to know that language variation and change are essential aspects of a healthy language? Are women really from Venus and men really from Mars? What is the impact of popular media on the language? How is texting impacting our language?

This course does not assume your having linguistic training, but it does ask you to read with gusto and be vigilantly on the lookout for poor assumptions, wild generalizations, faulty logic, and other non-scientifically appropriate treatment of language.

Meets: Core – Linguistics, English elective

Why do we read books? Why do we study literature? As an English major, you likely want to do more than justify your studies to family and future employers; you want to grapple with the answers to these questions for yourself. This class will help you do just that, engaging honors students from all English major concentrations in recent debates about the value of literature and literary study at a time when that “value” is increasingly called into question by proponents of STEM fields. We will begin, of course, with the premise that there is value to literary study, kicking off our semester with recent debates about the purpose of literature. Does literature matter because of its production of aesthetic pleasure, its capacity to help us develop as individuals, its potential to reveal and critique aspects of our social life, its ability to shock us, to teach us, to help us process trauma, to foster empathy and morality? We will draw our own conclusions from our own reading of important nineteenth- and twentieth-century British and American literary texts, including Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey,  Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Octavia Butler’s Kindred, and The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. We’ll explore the phenomena of reading for pleasure, before asking what it means to read critically, testing out some recent theories about critical reading practices. We’ll do a deep dive into two arguments about why literature matters: to imagine the self, and to grapple with the world around us. Examining the personal and the political functions of literature and literary study, we’ll discuss everything from fandom to book bans, from the literary “canon” to content warnings. Throughout the class, we will welcome visitors whose work engages with literature – a librarian, an editor for a popular trade press, and a volunteer for a literacy program – so that we can learn from their professional perspectives. 

Meets:  Core – British literature, Literature elective, English elective

Applicants who meet the GPA requirement are invited via email during an admissions period at the start of the fall and spring semesters. If you believe you qualify but are between admissions cycles, feel free to contact the English honors director. Note that if you are admitted outside of the normal cycle, you will not have access to early registration until the following semester.

Students in English honors are pre-approved to register for graduate-level courses. You do not need to request instructor permission. Undergraduate students must still be hand-added to graduate courses and there could be a waiting list, depending on demand. To register for a graduate-level course, please simply fill out this form and you will be placed in the appropriate course.

If you need to fulfill a specific core degree requirement, consult with your advisor. Otherwise, consider taking a course on a different topic or pursuing a directed independent study (ENG 498H).

ENG 491 seminars are restricted to English honors students and they have a low cap—15 students. This means you will receive a seminar experience and the chance to take courses with your honors peers. The courses are specially designed by faculty and chosen through a selective process. ENG 491 courses emphasize student research and innovative teaching, as well as topics that are cross-disciplinary and often take a broad historical approach.

• For courses in the next registration cycle, check the English department’s course sampler.
• For future ENG 491 courses (which are scheduled in two-year cycles) contact your advisor or the Margaret Simon. 

The director is generally not able to answer specific degree audit questions, which should be directed to a student’s academic advisor. The director can answer any questions regarding honors program requirements, upcoming seminar topics, the end-of-year presentations and celebration, and graduating with English honors.

There is no required sequence for English honors coursework.

Yes!

This depends on the student’s own schedule. Previous students have completed the program in as little as one semester.

Transfer students who have scheduling constraints can pursue a honors contract for an ENG 4XX course to fulfill three credits of English honors coursework. Please contact the director if further accommodations are needed.

Students joining with junior or senior status may pursue a honors contract for an ENG 4XX course to fulfill three credits of English honors coursework. Please contact the director if further accommodations are needed. 

Each April, the English Honors Program holds an end-of-year celebration. This event and its presentation requirements are advertised to graduating seniors in February. In general, the casual presentation is 10 minutes and is a fun opportunity to share your work with interested faculty and students. 

“My desire to pursue English Honors was two-fold: I wanted to have access to courses that would prepare me for graduate school and, as a nontraditional student, I had a desire to build a network of other highly motivated and passionate English students. I discovered a diverse group of peers who loved the field as much as I did, and I found the Honors course offerings and access to graduate courses to be invaluable as I prepared my applications to graduate schools.”

“Being a part of the English honors program at NC State taught me a lot about humility and respect for others. The discussions were so well-rounded and I love how everyone got a chance to contribute something. I am grateful to have been a part of the English Honors Program and I hope that future students will enjoy it just as much as I did!”

“My experience with the English honors program at NC State gave me so much more than I was ever anticipating. Not only did this program introduce me to graduate-level courses and discussion, but it also introduced me to a diverse group of peers and friends with interests I would have never experienced! The English honors program here at NC State helped me take that first step towards graduate school and I am so grateful for the memorable experience, knowledge and friends gained from being a part of the program!”

“Participating in the English honors program has been one of the most influential aspects of my time at NC State.  Through the program I took honors seminars in which dedicated professors exposed me to new areas of study, enrolled in graduate courses that helped prepare me for further education, and took on projects that challenged me to see the discipline from different perspectives.  As I continue my academic career, I am indebted to the English honors program faculty for positively shaping my experience and for being a constant source of support.”