Upcoming Courses and Directed Studies

Dr. Zimmermann is open to teaching directed studies in the following: German Romanticism; Philosophical and Theological Hermeneutics from the Reformation to the present; literature of the Reformation in Germany and England; cultural and intellectual history; German language and composition; European literature (French, German, Russian) and women authors (particularly German); English literature up to 20th century; philosophical theology (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Karl Barth, Hans-Urs von Balthasar); phenomenology.

Current Courses

ENGL 334 European Literature in Translation (3 sem. hrs):
A survey of European drama and prose classics from the 13th to the 20th century exploring and evaluating critically the shift in worldviews from Dante’s Christian humanism to Kafka’s and Camus’ modern existentialist view of human existence. Focusing on the theme of human nature (the self) and the purpose of human life, works are discussed in their historical and cultural context by combining close reading with theoretical interpretative approaches.
NB: Not offered every semester. See Department chair.
Prerequisite(s): 9 sem. hrs. of English and third or fourth year standing or instructor’s consent. (3-0; 0-0)

ENGL 490 Literary Theory and Criticism I (3 sem. hrs):
A study of the major documents of literary theory and criticism from Plato to Frye. Traditional texts and terminology (historical development) and consideration of genre, conventions, and the relation of the text to the author, the reader and reality.
NB: This course is required of all Honours English students. Not offered every semester. See Department chair.
Prerequisite(s): 9 sem. hrs. of English and third or fourth year standing or instructor’s consent. (3-0 or 3-0)

ENGL 495 Literary Theory and Criticism II (3 sem. hrs):
A survey of the major interpretive approaches to literature from post-structuralism to the recent ethical turn in literary theory. Designed to complement ENGL 490, the course examines contemporary theory and practice (deconstruction, psychoanalytical criticism, neo-Marxism, historicism, philosophical hermeneutics, gender studies, and ethical criticism) and considers the social and intellectual context out of which each approach arises.
NB: This course is required of all Honours English students. Not offered every semester. See Department chair.
Prerequisite(s): 9 sem. hrs. of English and third or fourth year standing or instructor’s consent. (3-0 or 3-0)

ENGL 600 Reading the signs of the times: Text and Interpretation (3 sem. hrs)
In accordance with interpretive theories over the last fifty years, this course recognizes the central and foundational importance of texts in our relation to the world around us. Postmodern criticism has questioned and changed the way we understand texts and their interpretation by emphasizing the mediated nature of all perception, and the importance of language and texts for this mediation. As an introductory course to the English stream of an interdisciplinary program, this course is designed to orient students to the crucial transition from modernist to postmodernist and post-postmodernist models of texts and interpretation, models which depend on changing philosophical views of truth and reality. At the heart of textual and interpretive theories lies the question of human nature and its engagement with reality. This has been the focus of liberal humanist models of interpretation (From Plato to structuralism), their postmodern critique (poststructuralism and beyond) and should be the focus of a Christian humanist response to these developments. The world-constituting power of texts requires literary studies philosophy, theology and the poetic must come together. In full awareness of this intrinsically interdisciplinary nature of literature, this course examines the main interpretive paradigms in literary studies in order to show how our views of reason, language, and textuality continue to shape our life horizons. Reading the signs of the times is part of the Christian vocation, whether these are texts of literary or cultural signs; this course is meant to address this calling. The course segments will be ordered thematically to facilitate thematic coherence rather than chronological order.

Past Courses

IDIS 102 Introduction to Christian Worldview Thinking (1 sem. hr):
This course will introduce students to the procedures and perspectives of some of the main academic disciplines in a liberal arts and sciences university and acquaint them with some of the ways in which a Christian worldview affects one’s approach to those disciplines. Students will be encouraged to develop their own Christian worldview as the basis for both their academic studies now and their involvement in the various marketplaces of life in the future.
NB: This course is required of all new full-time students unless they are transfer students with minimum initial
transfer credit of 42 sem. hrs. It is also a University core requirement. Offered in the spring semester only.
Prerequisite(s): None. (0-0; 1-0)

IDIS 400 Developing a Christian Worldview (3 sem. hrs):
An interdisciplinary studies course treating a topic of significance and contemporary concern is offered in the fall semester each year. Faculty from several disciplines participate, as well as others who have expertise in the topic under study but who are not faculty members at TWU.
NB: This course is a University core requirement for all degrees, although approved alternatives may be taken. Prerequisite(s): Third or fourth year standing and completion of at least 70 sem. hrs. of study by end of preceding semester. (3-0; 0-0)