Sandra L. Sprayberry

Robert E. Luckie, Jr., Professor of English

Office:

Berte Humanities Building 306

Contact Information:

Box 549028
Birmingham-Southern College
900 Arkadelphia Rd
Birmingham, AL 35254
Office Phone: (205) 226-7832
Office Fax: (205) 226-3089
E-mail: [email protected]

Brief Career Background:

1999-present: Robert E. Luckie Professor of English, Birmingham-Southern College
2002-present: Professor of English, Birmingham-Southern College
1995-02: Associate Professor of English, Birmingham-Southern College
1988-95: Assistant Professor of English, Birmingham-Southern College
1984-88: Teaching Assistant in English, The Florida State University
1983-84: Instructor of English and Women's Studies, The University of Alabama
1982-83: Instructor of Creative Writing, Rural Education Project, The University of Alabama Program for Rural Services and Research

Educational Background:

1984-88: Ph.D., The Florida State University
Major: 20th-Century British Literature
Minor: 20th-Century American Literature
Dissertation: Directed by Professor George Mills Harper, "A Critical Edition of W.B. Yeats's Automatic Script, 2 January 1919 - 29 March 1920" is a transcription with extensive textual/critical notes of a portion of Yeats's previously unpublished automatic writing.

1979-83: M.F.A., The University of Alabama
Major: Poetry Writing/20th-Century American Poetry
Minor: Fiction Writing/20th-Century American Fiction
Thesis: Directed by Professor Thomas Rabbitt, "The Facts of Her Life" is a book-length collection of poetry.

1975-79: B.A., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, The University of Alabama
Major: English Minor: French

Areas of Academic Interest:

Poetry--Twentieth-Century and Contemporary
Poetry Writing and Introductory Creative Writing
Service-Learning and also Literary Tourism as Experiential Learning
Textuality and Intertextuality--including Creative Process Study and Call-and-Response Literature and Film
Truth and Reconciliation Processes --especially in Northern Ireland and South Africa--and Human Rights Studies in general
World Literature and Film in Contexts--especially American Indian, Irish, and South African Literatures and Film--and Post-Colonial Studies

Courses Taught:

EH 102 Introduction to Writing (1)
Techniques of expository prose. Prerequisite: placement by English faculty.

EH 200 Introduction to Literature (1 )
Critical approaches to poetry, short stories, and drama. Prerequisite: EH 102 or 208. Fall, Spring.

EH 205 Introduction to Creative Writing (1)
Beginning work in creative writing in several genres, including fiction, poetry and either drama or creative nonfiction, at the discretion of the instructor. Using a combination of in-class exercises, readings, and workshops, the course introduces students to the fundamentals of creating, reading, and evaluating short pieces of creative writing. Prerequisite: EH 102 or 208.

EH 230 and 231 Plural America I (1) and II (1)
This sequence of courses introduces students to the plurality of the American culture from within the liberal arts traditions of history and literature. The intent is to recognize the aspects of other cultures appropriated into the Western tradition but often either unacknowledged or glossed over. The end should be an appreciation of the achievements and limitations of our Western heritage, and a heightened sensitivity to the cultural diversity of the world-at-large. Plural America I focuses on Native American and Chicano history and literature and on the European context of American society; Plural America II focuses on African-American and Asian-American history and literature and on the 1960s as a catalyst for multi-culturalism (IC designated courses). Also listed as HON 230 and 231, these courses may be counted by Honors Program students toward fulfillment of their course requirements. (Also listed as HI 230 and 231.) Prerequisite: EH 102 or 208.

EH 302 Poetry Workshop (1)
The writing of original short poetry taught by the workshop method. The course may be repeated once for credit. Prerequisite: EH 205 or consent

EH 330 Major Authors (1)
A focused study of the works of one to three authors. Recent offerings have included Dante, Hawthorne, Hemingway, Morrison, Woolf, and Yeats. With the permission of the English faculty, students may enroll more than once for credit, providing that the focus of the course is different. Prerequisite: any 200-level literature course. (Category 2)

H 384 Literature of the American Indian (1)
Studies in literature by and about North American Indians (an IC designated course). Prerequisite: any 200-level literature course. (Category 3)

EH 385 Contextual Studies in World Literature (1)
A study of world literature within its cultural contexts. At present, the focus of the course is African literature. With the permission of the English faculty, students may enroll more than once for credit, providing that the focus of the course is different (an IC designated course). Prerequisite: any 200-level literature course. (Category 3)

EH 390 Twentieth-Century British and American Poetry (1)
The critical study of major British and American poetry of the twentieth century. Prerequisite: any 200-level literature course. (Category 1)

EH 396 Contemporary Poetry (1)
A study of recent poetry and poetics. Prerequisite:Any 200-level literature course.
(Category 4)

EH 400 Studies in Culture and Text (1)
A theoretical study of texts from a perspective of cultural criticism. Recent offerings have emphasized modernism and postmodernism. With the permission of the English faculty, students may enroll more than once for credit, providing that the focus of the course is different. Prerequisite: any 300-level literature course. (Category 5)

EH 470, 471, 472 Senior Seminar (1)
Advanced study of selected topics within a specific area of language or literature. Students may enroll for a second seminar on a separate topic as one of their electives. Prerequisite: senior standing or consent.

IDS 200 Introduction to Human Rights
A critical examination of human rights concepts and their practical applications from the perspective of a variety of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences (an IC designated course). (Satisfies Disciplinary Foundations requirement in either humanities or social science.) Prerequisite: at least sophomore standing.