Professors Robert L. Davis, Kent H. Dixon, Mimi S. Dixon, Robin L. Inboden, Chair, and Mary Ellen Jones
Associate Professors Lori Askeland, Ty Buckman, D. Scot Hinson, Rick Incorvati, Michael McClelland, Cynthia Richards, and Carmiele Wilkerson
Assistant Professors D'Arcy Fallon and J. Fitzpatrick Smith
Requirements for Major
The major in English requires 37 semester hours of work distributed as follows:
• Four hours in English 170H, 180A, or 190A/C
• Twelve hours in English 200, English 280A, and English 290A
• Twenty hours at the 300 level: at least four of those credits must deal with literature written before 1900; no more than eight of these credits may be in courses not primarily based on analyzing literature, such as courses numbered in the 320s and 340s.
• One semester hour in English 405: Senior Exercises
• Students who complete eight credits in English 321 and/or 322 may also apply for English 403: Special Projects in Creative Writing. Successful completion of English 403 in addition to the English major will earn the student a Special Certificate in Creative Writing in addition to the English major.
English Major with Honors
A student who has completed five English courses (including
200, 280, 290) and who maintains a GPA of at least 3.50 may
submit an honors thesis proposal to the department for approval; if
the project is approved, the student may enroll in English 499
senior year and complete supervised individual research. The
completed thesis must meet departmental standards for honors.
Work may be distributed over two semesters.
Requirements for Minor
General English Minor
At least 20 semester hours: English 200, 280, 290, and two other literature
courses at the 300- level or above. Declaration must be made by the end of spring
semester of the junior year.
Journalism Minor
The journalism minor consists of 20 semester hours, including 12 hours in three required courses: English 241, Communication 290S, and either English 320 or English 321. The remaining elective course may be chosen from among English 244, English 320 or 321, Art 241A Introduction to Photography, Communication 351 Media Law, and English 492 or Communication 491 Internship. At least two courses should be numbered 300 or higher. Senior minors will also submit a portfolio of their journalistic work with a brief reflective essay.
Creative Writing Minor
The creative writing minor consists of 20 semester hours distributed as follows: English 240 Beginning Creative Writing is required of all minors. The remaining 16 hours should be distributed among other intermediate and advanced creative writing courses such as English 340, 341, 342, 343, 403, and Theatre and Dance 240.
Certification for Teaching in English
Students interested in pursuing a course of study leading to a
license to teach English should contact their adviser or the Education
department for specific requirements.
100. Introduction to Expository Writing and the Culture of the United States for Non-native Speakers of English. 4 semester hours.
Preparation to take English 101 and to enter into academic life at the college level in the United States. Writing intensive. Every year.
101E. Expository Writing. 4 semester hours.
Practice in the basic principles of expository writing. A prerequisite to all other English courses except English 100. To meet the general education writing goal, each student must complete this course with a grade of C- or above. Should be taken in the first year of college. Writing intensive. Every year.
NOTE: The student may enroll in the following courses only after completing English 101 or demonstrating entry-level competence in writing.
170. Western Cultural Traditions. 4 semester hours.
Historical perspective on Western culture through its literature. Individual sections may concentrate on one of the following: Classical Greek or Roman, Biblical, American, European or post-colonial traditions. These courses ground the study of literature in historical context. Check master schedule to see whether individual sections are approved to meet Arts or Western Historical Perspectives goals. Writing intensive. This course may be repeated for credit. Every third year.
180A. Themes and Traditions in Literature. 4 semester hours.
This introductory course designed to fulfill the general education goal in the arts is devoted to the study of literary works connected by a common aesthetic or cultural theme, e.g., Medicine and Literature, Women in Literature. Intended primarily for the first- or second-year student, the course is to help students reflect on the nature of literary experience and the methods of literary analysis. Writing and discussion devoted to the close analysis of texts are central parts of the course. Writing intensive. Every year. This course may be repeated for credit.
190A/C. Topics in Non-Western Culture. 4 semester hours.
Study of significant books and other art forms from non-Western societies, e.g., Afro-Caribbean Literature.
200. Introduction to Literary Studies. 4 semester hours.
Introduction to the discipline and methodology of literary study. Designed to refine skills in critical reading and writing, to build a vocabulary of analytical terms and concepts, to raise central questions of literary theory, to introduce a variety of critical approaches, and to give familiarity with the materials and methods of literary research. Readings vary in different sections. Required of the English major and minor. Writing intensive. Every year.
240. Creative Writing. 4 semester hours.
Beginning course in creative writing — fiction, poetry and drama. The rudiments and beyond. First-year students by permission of instructor. Prerequisite: English 101. This course is a prerequisite to all advanced creating writing courses. Writing intensive. Every year.
241. Beginning Journalism. 4 semester hours.
Introduction to the concepts and concerns of the practicing journalist, with primary emphasis on news writing and secondary emphasis on beginning copy-editing skills. Students discuss such topics as freedom of the press, rights and responsibilities, and the post-Watergate press, and are expected to write for the weekly student newspaper. Prerequisite: English 101. Writing intensive. Every year.
242. Writing and Peer-editing. 4 semester hours.
Practice in writing and editing a variety of nonfiction forms, with focus on the personal essay; discussion of the writing process and reader response; emphasis on style, rhetorical strategy and revision. This intermediate writing course, designed chiefly to prepare writing tutors, includes a practicum. By permission of instructor only. Prerequisite: English 101. Writing intensive. Every year.
243. Business Writing. 4 semester hours.
This course focuses on writing skills for professional situations, including conventional formats for letters, memos, and formal reports. Also looks at use of conventional structures for typical documents such as brochures, resumés, and proposals. Emphasis on peer critique, editing, and revision. Prerequisite: English 101E. Writing internsive. Alternate years.
244. Opinion Writing. 4 semester hours.
Intermediate course with emphasis on journalistic opinion writing such as editorials, commentaries, columns, and reviews. Reading will include examples of such writing; students will practice writing, critiquing, revising, and editing skills. Prerequisite: English 101E and English 241. Writing internsive.
245. Writing for Teachers. 4 semester hours.
An intermediate course in composition for prospective teachers. Students will develop their own writing, study key issues in composition and assessment theory, and review the history of writing instruction. The course will also give students hands-on experience in the day-to-day work of a writing class: from designing assignments to teaching the writing process, from understanding grammar to managing the paper load, from using computers to responding to student drafts. English 245 provides an integrative approach to the teaching of writing: students will study composition not as an isolated skill but as a crucial component in a complex process of literacy, a process that includes active listening, critical reading and effective speech. Writing intensive. Fall semester odd-numbered years.
280A. British Survey I. 4 semester hours.
Study of Anglo-Saxon, Medieval, Renaissance, Restoration and early 18th-century British literature, emphasizing Beowulf, Chaucer, Spenser, Marlowe, Shakespeare, Milton and Pope. Every year.
290A. American Literary Traditions. 4 semester hours.
Study of a historically broad selection of important American texts representing the racial, gender, and generic diversity of American literature focused on an overarching theme (journeys, the gothic, identity formation, difference, etc.). Prerequisite: English 170H, 180A, or 190A/C; English 200 recommended. Writing intensive. Every year.
NOTE: At least one introductory literature course or junior standing is prerequisite for the following upper-level literature courses. For English majors, English 200 is prerequisite and at least one early survey is recommended for those enrolling in courses at the 300 level and above.
302. British Survey II. 4 semester hours.
Study of major Romantic and Victorian poets and prose writers and selected early 20th-century authors. May include Blake, Wordsworth, Keats, Browning, Tennyson, Arnold, Yeats, Joyce, Eliot, Woolf and others. Prerequisite: English 280A. Every third year.
305. Studies in Medieval Literature and Culture. Every third year.
306. Studies in Renaissance Literature and Culture. Alternate years.
307. Studies in Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Literature and Culture. Alternate years.
308. Studies in Romantic Literature and Culture. Alternate years.
309. Studies in Victorian Literature and Culture. Alternate years.
310. Studies in Twentieth-Century Literature and Culture. Alternate years.
311. Studies in American Renaissance. 4 semester hours.
Study of representative works from the period of America’s literary emergence, 1836-1865. Includes Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, Douglass, Jacobs, Hawthorne, Poe, Melville and Dickinson. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
313. Studies in African American Literature. 4 semester hours.
Study of various traditions of African American writing. Individual sections may focus on the writing of African American women, the 20th-century novel, or other themes, forms, or historical developments. Writing intensive.
315. Studies in the Novel. 4 semester hours.
Study of the British or American novel. Individual sections of this course may focus on a theme or a historical period, for example, The Rise of the Novel, The Contemporary American Novel, or Romance and Realism in the Novel. This course may be repeated for credit.
318A. Women in Literature I. 4 semester hours.
Study of writing by and about women, mostly in English, with some works in translation. Begins with the medieval period and extends to 1816. May include works by Marie de France, Margery Kempe, Christine de Pizan, Elizabeth I, Mary Wroth, Aphra Behn, Fanny Burney, Mary Wollstonecraft and Jane Austen. Women’s Studies credit. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
319A. Women in Literature II. 4 semester hours.
Study of writing by women from 1816 to the contemporary period. May include works by Mary Shelley, Linda Brent, the Brontes, Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, George Eliot, Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath and Toni Morrison. Women’s Studies credit. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
320. Advanced News Writing. 4 semester hours.
This course builds on basic journalistic skills by exploring advanced techniques in writing, editing, reporting, layout, investigation, research, and conducting interviews. Emphasis on workshop critiques, editing, and revision. Prerequisite: English 241. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
321. Advanced Feature Writing. 4 semester hours.
The course offers practice in writing feature stories for newspapers and magazines. Types of stories might include profiles, human-interest stories, lifestyle and travel stories, etc. Emphasis on workshop critiques, editing, and revision. Prerequisite: English 241. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
325. Advanced Expository Writing. 4 semester hours.
This upper-level course in writing offers instruction about technical, scientific and professional communication. Students will be required to write extensively, learn to be better critics of other people’s writing, improve presentation and communication skills, and learn to plan, research, and write with efficiency and effectiveness for professional settings. May be offered with different emphases, such as technical writing, business writing, etc. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
327. Advanced Rhetoric and Grammar. 4 semester hours.
This course extends students' understanding of general composition; rhetorical strategies for reading and writing; the purpose of grammar use in the composing process; the manner in which language changes as a result of social, political, and cultural influences; and the ways Americans use the English language to promote change and progress through perspectives of American rhetoric. Fall semester even-numbered years.
330. Major Author. 4 semester hours.
Intensive study of a major author from the Anglo-American tradition, e.g., Chaucer, George Eliot, Hemingway. Emphasizes the scope and diversity of the canon and illustrates the author’s change, growth and development seen in representative works. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
331A. Shakespeare. 4 semester hours.
Overview of Shakespeare’s canon and development by looking at his work in Renaissance and contemporary contexts, emphasizing both textual study and theatrical performance. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
332. Studies in Drama. 4 semester hours.
Study of various periods or genres of British, American, or world drama, e.g., Tragedy, Development of American Drama, Early Modern Drama. Writing intensive.
340. Advanced Fiction Writing. 4 semester hours.
Extending skills learned in English 240 by focusing on the writing of fiction. Class activities will include reading and discussing the narrative strategies and techniques of contemporary fiction as well as extensive workshop critiques of students' own stories. Emphasis on dramatic structure and conflict, dialogue, and other important matters of craft. Prerequisite: English 240. Writing intensive. Every year.
341. Advanced Poetry Writing. 4 semester hours.
Extending skills learned in English 240 by focusing on the writing of poetry. Class activities will include reading and discussing the strategies and techniques of contemporary poetry as well as extensive workshop critiques of students' own poems. Emphasis on language, lineation, figural speech, and other important matters of craft. Prerequisite: English 240. Writing intensive. Every year.
342. Advanced Creative Non-Fiction. 4 semester hours.
Extending skills learned in English 240 by focusing on the writing of creative non-fiction. Class activities will include reading and discussing the forms and techniques of contemporary non-fiction as well as extensive workshop critiques of students' own essays. Emphasis on defining subject and point of view, narrative technique, and other important matters of craft. Prerequisite: English 240. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
343. Advanced Screenwriting. 4 semester hours.
Extending skills learned in English 240 by focusing on dramatic writing for the screen. Class activities will include reading and discussing the format and structure of screenplays as well as extensive workshop critiques of students' own work. Emphasis on dramatic structure, dialogue, visual narrative, and other important matters of craft. Prerequisite: English 240; Theatre/Dance 240 strongly recommended. Writing intensive. Alternate years.
380. Topics in English. 4 semester hours.
Specified study of a field of literature or language as described in the master schedule each term, e.g., Romance; Heroism and Consciousness; or Westward Ho! Literature of the American West. Most sections are writing intensive. This course may be repeated for credit.
403. Advanced Projects in Creative Writing. 4 semester hours.
A cross-generic, selective writing workshop for students who have completed at least two advanced creative writing courses and have been selected by a faculty panel based on a portfolio of work. Students who complete the workshop successfully in addition to their English major will earn a Special Certificate in Creative Writing.
405. Senior Exercises. 1 semester hour.
A suite of interconnected activities demonstrating understanding of and reflection on the learning goals of the English major. Includes oral presentation at the Senior Symposium, the written comprehensive examination, and a brief reflective response paper. Required of and open to senior English majors only.
490. Independent Study. 2-4 semester hours.
Individual project in language or literature as arranged by the student with the supervising professor and the Chair. A maximum of four semester hours in 490 or 492 may count toward the English major. May be writing intensive. Every year. This course may be repeated for credit.
492. Internship. 2-4 semester hours.
Supervised learning-work experience at various on- or off-campus sites generally taken the senior year. Involves a written project, a journal, or other assignments. A maximum of four semester hours of 490 or 492 may count toward the English major. May be writing intensive. Every year. This course may be repeated for credit.
499. Honors Thesis/Project. Variable Credit.
Prerequisite: 3.50 GPA and permission of the Department Chair.