Tynes Cowan

Professor of English

Office:

Humanities 314

Contact Information:

Dept. of English
Birmingham-Southern College
900 Arkadelphia Rd
Birmingham, AL 35254
Office Phone: (205) 226-4871
Office Fax: n/a
E-mail: [email protected]

Brief Career Background:

College Teaching Experience:
Talladega College (2001-2002)
University of Alabama (1999-2001)
College of William and Mary (1995-1998)
Northeastern University (1991-1995)

Educational Background:

PhD. American Studies, College of William and Mary (2001) MA. English, Northeastern University (1992) MAEd. Secondary English Education, UAB (1990) BA. English, Birmingham-Southern College (1985)

Areas of Academic Interest:

American Literature
Southern Literature
African-American Literature
Folklore and Popular Culture

Courses Taught:

EH 102 Seminar in Critical Thinking and Writing
A seminar on college-level writing and critical inquiry. The course emphasizes clear and engaging prose, persuasive reasoning, various rhetorical strategies, research documentation, and standard English grammar and mechanics.

EH 200 Introduction to Literature
Critical approaches to poetry, short stories, and drama. Prerequisite: EH 102 or 208.

EH 210 Introduction to Fiction
An introduction to the short story, in American, British, and world literature, with some attention to longer fiction.

EH 229 Protest Literature
An introduction to the study of literature through works written specifically to change the world, or at least some aspect of it. Among the more famous works that have been labeled “protest literature” are Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, and Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five. The class examines a variety of movements for social change within the historical contexts of the American Revolution, the antebellum period, the progressive era, and the 1960s.

EH 260 Survey of American Literature
An introduction to major American prose and verse written from the Colonial period to the present.

EH 265 Survey of Southern Authors
Studies of important long works by major Southern writers from antebellum to present times.

EH 300 Theories and Methods of Literary Analysis
An introduction to the discipline of literary study for English majors. This course prepares students for advanced work in textual analysis, the application of critical and theoretical approaches, and the production of well-researched literary analyses. At least one previous EH course is recommended.

EH 389 Contextual Studies in American Literature A critical examination of selected American writing within its cultural contexts. Prerequisite: any 200-level literature course. (Category 1)

EH 400 Studies in Culture and Text
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: at least three 300-level literature courses, one of which must be EH 300. (Category 5)

EH 459 Methods of Literary Interpretation
Study and application of major methods of literary analysis. Prerequisite: at least three 300-level literature courses, one of which must be EH 300. (Category 5)

EH 471 Senior Seminar
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.

LS 200 Leadership Studies: Theory and Practice
An introduction to the academic study of leadership from both theoretical and practical perspectives. Not limited to students in the Leadership Studies program. Prerequisite: at least one year of college coursework.