Courses

Learn about literature, culture or magazine publishing

World Literature Today magazine, book reviews section, WLT

World Literature Today offers three courses that qualify for either ENGL or MLLL undergraduate and graduate credits. The courses deal with various aspects of literature, international culture, or magazine publishing, and ENGL 4113 also fulfills an upper-division requirement for the new minor in Editing and Publishing that launched in fall 2019. The minor combines coursework in Arts & Sciences, Journalism, and Fine Arts and is meant to give students an inside edge when entering publishing and related careers upon graduation.

If you're interested in literature and international culture, check out the Neustadt or Puterbaugh courses. If you have any interest in magazine publishing and want hands on experience as well, the Magazine Publishing course would be an excellent opportunity.

Fall 2025 Neustadt Course: Cherie Dimaline

ENGL/MLLL 4883/5883
NAS 4970/5970
Prof. Laura Harjo (harjo@ou.edu)

The Neustadt seminar provides a unique opportunity to study the work of internationally bestselling First Nations writer Cherie Dimaline (b. 1975). Dimaline, winner of the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children’s & Young Adult Literature, is headlining this fall’s Neustadt Lit Fest at OU (October 20–22, 2025). Students will have VIP access to Dimaline and other visiting writers/scholars/translators during the festival.

The course, sponsored by World Literature Today and taught by Dr. Laura Harjo, chair of the Department of Native American Studies at OU, will be an opportunity for students to read and discuss the work of an important contemporary Indigenous writer.

Attendance and participation are required at all Neustadt Lit Fest events, either in-person or afterward by watching the videos on WLT’s YouTube channel.

WLT will provide enrolled students with complimentary copies of the required books. Other readings will be shared via Canvas.

Schedule

The class meets Mondays 5:00–7:45pm on Zoom (sync)
The Neustadt Festival dates are October 20–22

Possible Scholarships for Students Enrolled in This Course

To apply for a scholarship to cover the cost of tuition for the course, visit the Neustadt Scholarship Application page, fill out the application, and ask one of your professors to write a brief letter of recommendation. The letter of recommendation can be emailed to Terri Stubblefield (tdstubb@ou.edu) or dropped off at Monnet 110. Deadline for scholarship applications: Monday, August 11, 2025, 5pm CDT. Decisions will be announced by August 18.

About Cherie Dimaline

Cherie Dimaline is an internationally bestselling author. Her 2017 book The Marrow Thieves was named by Time magazine one of the Best YA Books of All Time and won the Governor General’s Award and the Kirkus Prize. Her novel Empire of Wild became an instant Canadian bestseller, was named Indigo’s 2019 Best Book, and is being adapted into an opera. Hunting by Stars was a 2022 American Indian Library Association Honor Book, and her new novel, Venco, debuted at #1 on Canadian bestseller lists. Other 2023 titles include Funeral Songs for Dying Girls, Anthology of Monsters, and Into the Bright Open. Cherie lives in her Georgian Bay Métis community and writes/produces for screen and stage.

The Puterbaugh Course

ENGL/MLLL 4883/5883
The Puterbaugh Seminar

The next possible Puterbaugh course will be in spring 2026. Check back during advance registration, which begins in late October 2025.

How to Edit & Publish a Literary Magazine

ENGL 4113 | Fall 2025 | MWF 1:00-1:50 | Carnegie 0205
Taught by Daniel Simon, assistant director and editor in chief of World Literature Today

Prerequisite: Sophomore standing or above or by permission of the instructor

Fulfills upper-division credit for the Editing & Publishing minor

Description

English 4113 provides an introduction to the writing, editing, and publishing of literary magazines, both print and online. It is designed for students who are planning careers in writing, graduate literary studies, or the wider world of publishing. Students will learn about the place of literary magazines in humanities publishing generally and the larger contemporary landscape in which cultural magazines play a vital role. Topics include the history and present state of U.S. magazine publishing, the status of periodicals in culture and the academy, the economics of the industry, current challenges, and future trends.

The internship component is an important feature of the course, offering students the opportunity to write for, edit, and produce an actual magazine: World Literature Today, OU’s award-winning bimonthly of international literature and culture. The course will also draw guest speakers from the pool of publishing experts scattered across the University of Oklahoma campus and in central Oklahoma, thus providing advice and networking opportunities for students interested in exploring professional careers in writing, editing, design, marketing, or online publishing.

Have questions or want permission to enroll?

Contact Dr. Simon at dsimon@ou.edu or by phone at 405-325-0317.