ENG 270 - Special Topics in Literature

Deep dive into a special topic (such as genre, historical period, author, issue, theoretical or methodological approach) at the 200-level, which includes multiple of learning outcomes, as listed below. Depending on the Special Topic, the class may fulfill ONE of the following: a period requirement focusing on pre-1700 (D1), 1700-1900 (D2), or post-1900 (D3), or a theory course (E). May be repeatable for credit depending on the topic.

Special Topic Fall 2026: MATERIAL TEXTS

Maybe we should judge books by their covers. And also by their paper and ink; their heft and their layout; their backstories of labor, economics, and politics; their circulation in the past and survival over time. After all, texts never come to us except through material mediation-whether a bound book, a cheap photocopy, or pixels on a phone. In this seminar, we will consider the long history of book technologies-from pre-inscription oral culture, through a range of manuscript practices, the advent of moveable type, milestones of illustration and binding processes, large-scale industrialization, and rapidly evolving digital modalities. Building upon these historical and technological contexts, we will pose transhistorical and theoretical questions about how textual meaning always remains bound up in its material conditions.

For English majors, this course fulfills the Theory (E) requirement. For MCA majors, this course fulfills a Theories of Culture requirement.

Prerequisites: Prerequisites: One 100-level English literature course (ENG 100-199) or permission of instructor

Anticipated Terms Offered: Annually