2012 - 2013 English Program (ENGL)

Program Goals | Objectives | Program Requirements | Academic Major | Creative Writing Emphasis | Academic Minor | Teaching Minor | Course Descriptions

Faculty: Daniel Shank Cruz (Postdoctoral Fellow), Sean Desilets, Georgiana Donavin, Katherine Evans, Peter Goldman, Elree Harris, Christopher LeCluyse, Jeffrey McCarthy, Fatima Mujcinovic, Lance Newman, Jennifer Ritter, Natasha Sajé

Program Goals

• Critical thinking: students will balance, examine, and make informed choices among competing ideas.
• Writing: students will be asked to perform various formal and informal writing tasks, culminating in a large research and writing project.
• Oral expression: students will gain practice in expressing their ideas and work orally.
• Research: students will become expert in the practice and benefits of research as well as become informed of the field's accepted research methods.
• Knowledge of the field: students will be exposed to the width and breadth of English literature and show the ability to make informed connections across the field.

Objectives

The English Program offers an academic major leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree, as well as an academic minor, a secondary teaching minor, and an elementary teaching minor. The English Program provides students with the tools for effective written and oral communication; for critical reading, analysis, and appreciation of literary works; for the employment of theoretical perspectives in literary interpretations; and for the understanding of historically and culturally diverse forms of written expression. The program prepares majors and minors for graduate work in English and other professional fields; for secondary, intermediate, and primary school teaching in cooperation with the Education Program; for communication professions; for careers in business, government, law, and nonprofit organizations; and for lifelong learning. English majors may choose to concentrate in creative writing. The English program publishes a national literary magazine, Ellipsis, each April. Editors and staff are students enrolled in ENGL 326 and ENGL 327 (1 credit) with other students who wish to work on the magazine.

Program Requirements

Students must maintain a minimum 2.3 GPA in courses required for the majors. Please note that ENGL 098, 110, and 220 do not satisfy major or minor requirements, except that 220 is a required course for the teaching minor.

For course prerequisites, please refer to the course description.

Academic Major

To fulfill the requirements for the academic major in English, students must complete a minimum of 42 hours in English courses numbered 230 and above, except that a maximum of four of those hours may be taken as English 200, Special Topics or ENGL 232. Students must include the required courses listed below in their 42-hour total. At least two semesters of one foreign language are also required.

Recommended Plan of Study for English

Academic Major with Creative Writing Emphasis

Recommended Plan of Study for English with a Creative Writing Emphasis

Academic Minor

Teaching Minor - Elementary Education

Teaching Minor - Secondary Education