English and Writing (B.A.)
The B.A. in English and Writing requires basic coursework in literature, writing, and language theory, and provides flexibility to students in pursuing additional courses that match their areas of interest and career goals. It can lead to graduate study in English, creative writing, law, or other academic or professional areas.
Foreign language study is strongly encouraged for all English and Writing majors. Students may request the department chair to use Modern Language courses that emphasize the study of literature taken by the student to count toward the Literature area of the major or as an elective of the major.
Each student graduating with a major in English and Writing will participate in a senior skills reflection, normally in conjunction with ENG 2000 Introduction to Textual Studies and ENG 4990 Senior Capstone. These reviews will provide a means of self-assessment for each student and program assessment for the department.
Electives | 7-8 hours |
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Select 7-8 credits from any English course. 3-4 hours must be at the 3000-4000 level with an additional 4 credits at the 2000 or higher level May include following Education courses:
May include the following Theatre courses: |
Capstone Courses | 4 hours |
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All majors will choose one path from the options listed below for their capstone experience. | |
Internship option: | |
OR | |
Critical or creative thesis option: | |
First-year writing courses (ENG 1010FYW, ENG 1020FYW, ENG 1030FYW, and ENG 1040FYW) may not count toward an English major.
Students who are pursuing secondary certification and who will be student teaching in spring of their senior year should take either ENG 4970 Capstone Internship or ENG 4990 Senior Capstone in spring of their junior year.
**An English major customarily earns a B.A. degree. However, if a student has a first major that is associated with a different baccalaureate degree, the English major may serve as a second major for the degree associated with the first major (B.S., B.FA., B.M., B.S.N.).
See ENG 2690 Young Adult Literature.
A course focusing on the methodology, processes, and content of reading and writing at the secondary school level. Particular attention is given to strategies effective in teaching developmental reading and writing, content area reading and writing, and basic skills in diagnosis and remediation. Laboratory experiences are provided. No P/F.
Prerequisite(s): Acceptance into the Teacher Education Program or permission of the department chair.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)
A diagnostic view of all elements pertinent to teaching English in middle and secondary schools. Strong practical emphasis will be placed on the proportional and organized development of middle and secondary English courses, realistic presentation of materials, and the practical and varied methods of testing appropriate to such courses.
Prerequisite(s): Acceptance into the Teacher Education Program or permission of the department chair.
(Normally offered each semester.)
Students in this composition course will develop their skills in academic writing as they learn about topics drawn from the study of language, such as the history of language, language and gender, linguistic diversity and language policies in government and education.
(Normally offered every fall and spring semester.)
Students in this composition course will develop their skill in academic writing as they respond to and analyze literature.
Student in this multi-genre composition and writing course will develop their skill in both academic and creative writing as they explore what it means to be creative across multiple written mediums.
(Normally offered annually in fall or spring semester.)
Students in this composition course will develop their skill in academic writing as they explore the relationship between academic discourse and the evolution of identity.
This course will introduce new English majors and minors to the critical methodologies, concepts, and terminology needed for the analysis and discussion of literature and other cultural texts and to the kinds of research and scholarship they will be asked to do in their later coursework. Students will also learn about a range of career paths open to those with a background in English.
(Normally offered every spring semester.)
A survey of British literature that provides a historical perspective to British writers and genres, from the middle ages to the present.
Prerequisite(s): First-Year Writing.
(Normally offered every fall semester.)
A survey course providing a historical perspective on the culture of the United States through the study of its literature from its historical beginnings to the present.
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing
(Normally offered every spring semester.)
An introduction to the writing of fiction with an emphasis upon a variety of forms, techniques, and narrative voices. Discussion of student writing will take place in a workshop setting.
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing or permission of the instructor.
(Normally offered every spring semester.)
An introduction to the writing of poetry with an emphasis upon a variety of forms and techniques. Discussion of student writing will take place in a workshop setting.
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing or permission of the instructor.
(Normally offered every fall semester.)
Each course in the Topics in World Literature group will study a selection of literary works that engage the chosen topic--texts of different genres, from historical eras, and from different cultural traditions. The selected readings will present both abstract principles involved in the topic and its immediate, lived realities.
Cross listed with GEND 2200.
Prerequisite(s): Any First Year Writing course.
(Normally offered every fall and spring semester.)
Each course in the Topics in World Literature group will study a selection of literary works that engage the chosen topic--texts of different genres, from historical eras, and from different cultural traditions. The selected readings will present both abstract principles involved in the topic and its immediate, lived realities.
Prerequisite(s): Any First Year Writing course.
Each course in the Topics in World Literature group will study a selection of literary works that engage the chosen topic--texts of different genres, from historical eras, and from different cultural traditions. The selected readings will present both abstract principles involved in the topic and its immediate, lived realities.
Prerequisite(s): Any First Year Writing course.
Each course in the Topics in World Literature group will study a selection of literary works that engage the chosen topic--texts of different genres, from historical eras, and from different cultural traditions. The selected readings will present both abstract principles involved in the topic and its immediate, lived realities.
Prerequisite(s): Any First Year Writing course.
Each course in the Topics in World Literature group will study a selection of literary works that engage the chosen topic--texts of different genres, from historical eras, and from different cultural traditions. The selected readings will present both abstract principles involved in the topic and its immediate, lived realities.
Prerequisite(s): Any First Year Writing course.
Each course in the Topics in World Literature group will study a selection of literary works that engage the chosen topic--texts of different genres, from historical eras, and from different cultural traditions. The selected readings will present both abstract principles involved in the topic and its immediate, lived realities.
Prerequisite(s): Any First Year Writing course.
Each course in the Topics in World Literature group will study a selection of literary works that engage the chosen topic--texts of different genres, from historical eras, and from different cultural traditions. The selected readings will present both abstract principles involved in the topic and its immediate, lived realities.
Prerequisite(s): Any First Year Writing course.
Each course in the Topics in World Literature group will study a selection of literary works that engage the chosen topic--texts of different genres, from historical eras, and from different cultural traditions. The selected readings will present both abstract principles involved in the topic and its immediate, lived realities.
Prerequisite(s): Any First Year Writing course.
Each course in the Topics in World Literature group will study a selection of literary works that engage the chosen topic--texts of different genres, from historical eras, and from different cultural traditions. The selected readings will present both abstract principles involved in the topic and its immediate, lived realities.
Prerequisite: Any First Year Writing course.
When nations and peoples find themselves unable to resolve their differences by negotiation, war is often the consequence. It is one of the oldest phenomena in human history, but tragically also a very contemporary one. Literary representations of war provide us with some of our most memorable images of courage, loyalty, and self-sacrifice, as well as compelling evidence of war’s cruelty, horror, and senselessness; our course will also emphasize how the history, memory, and ideology of war may affect our global present and our emerging global future.
Prerequisite(s): Any First-Year Writing course.
Students study principles of linguistic analysis and survey various theories of English grammar. Topics include: English phonetics and phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and subfields of linguistics.
Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing or instructor permission.
(Normally offered alternate fall semesters.)
An introductory course in the historical and grammatical development of Modern English from Old English and Middle English.
Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing or instructor permission.
(Normally offered alternate fall semesters.)
Students will study the early history of rhetoric, drawing upon the Greek and Roman traditions and those of at least one additional culture. Students will focus on the major tenets of these rhetorical traditions, enabling them to analyze a variety of texts from multiple cultural perspectives.
Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing or instructor permission.
(Normally offered alternate spring semesters.)
An introductory course in journalism concentrating upon basic techniques of news gathering and writing, including a basic history of news media.
A survey study of instructional materials of special interest to the junior and senior high school age. Examination of various sources of print and nonprint materials. Includes bibliotherapy, book-talk techniques, notable authors/producers, and prize winning materials. Discussion of censorship, controversial issues, selection criteria, and the tools to keep abreast of the field.
Cross-listed with EDUC 2690 Young Adult Literature.
(Normally offered alternate fall semesters.)
Each course in the Studies in Writing group focuses on the writing process and its product as applied to a particular genre (risk fiction, scriptwriting, hybrid genes, creative nonfiction, biography, and memoir) or concept (writing the body), which will vary from semester to semester. The course is conducted as a workshop in which students read their own compositions to the class and respond to the compositions of their classmates.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 1030FYW Writing and the Creative Arts, ENG 2170 Introduction to Fiction Writing, or ENG 2190 Introduction to Poetry Writing, or instructor permission.
Each course in the Studies in Writing group focuses on the writing process and its product as applied to a particular genre (risk fiction, scriptwriting, hybrid genes, creative nonfiction, biography, and memoir) or concept (writing the body), which will vary from semester to semester. The course is conducted as a workshop in which students read their own compositions to the class and respond to the compositions of their classmates.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 1030FYW Writing and the Creative Arts, ENG 2170 Introduction to Fiction Writing, or ENG 2190 Introduction to Poetry Writing, or instructor permission.
Each course in the Studies in Writing group focuses on the writing process and its product as applied to a particular genre (risk fiction, scriptwriting, hybrid genres, creative nonfiction, biography and memoir) or concept (writing the body), which will vary from semester to semester. The course is conducted as a workshop in which students read their own compositions to the class and respond to the compositions of their classmates. Prerequisite(s): ENG 1030FYW Writing and the Creative Arts, ENG 2170 Introduction to Fiction Writing, or ENG 2190 Introduction to Poetry Writing, or instructor permission.
Each course in the Studies in Writing group focuses on the writing process and its product as applied to a particular genre (risk fiction, scriptwriting, hybrid genres, creative nonfiction, biography and memoir) or concept (writing the body), which will vary from semester to semester. The course is conducted as a workshop in which students read their own compositions to the class and respond to the compositions of their classmates. Prerequisite(s): ENG 1030FYW Writing and the Creative Arts, ENG 2170 Introduction to Fiction Writing, or ENG 2190 Introduction to Poetry Writing, or instructor permission.
Each course in the Studies in Writing group focuses on the writing process and its product as applied to a particular genre (risk fiction, scriptwriting, hybrid genres, creative nonfiction, biography and memoir) or concept (writing the body), which will vary from semester to semester. The course is conducted as a workshop in which students read their own compositions to the class and respond to the compositions of their classmates. Prerequisite(s): ENG 1030FYW Writing and the Creative Arts, ENG 2170 Introduction to Fiction Writing, or ENG 2190 Introduction to Poetry Writing, or instructor permission.
Each course in the Studies in Writing group focuses on the writing process and its product as applied to a particular genre (risk fiction, scriptwriting, hybrid genres, creative nonfiction, biography and memoir) or concept (writing the body), which will vary from semester to semester. The course is conducted as a workshop in which students read their own compositions to the class and respond to the compositions of their classmates. Prerequisite(s): ENG 1030FYW Writing and the Creative Arts, ENG 2170 Introduction to Fiction Writing, or ENG 2190 Introduction to Poetry Writing, or instructor permission.
An advanced writing workshop covering rhetorical principles (invention, arrangement, style, presentation) of various disciplines. Students will complete writing projects related to their professional and civic interests.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing.
(Normally offered alternate fall semesters.)
An advanced course in the writing of fiction within a continued emphasis on a variety of
forms, techniques, and narrative voices. In particular, this course will focus on the creation of voice in writing via discussions of identity and authorial perspective. Discussion of student writing will take place in a workshop setting.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 1030FYW Writing and the Creative Arts or ENG 2170 Introduction to Fiction Writing.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)
An advanced course in the writing of poetry with a continued emphasis on a variety of forms and techniques. Discussion of student writing will take place in a workshop setting. Specific topics will vary by semester. Course may be repeated for credit with the permission of the instructor.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 1030FYW Writing and the Creative Arts or ENG 2190 Introduction to Poetry Writing.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)
A course on the work of the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, his London dialect of Middle English, the different genres and subject matter of his major poetry, and that poetry's cultural and literary context.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 2000 Introduction to Textual Studies and junior standing
In this course, students will read a selection of plays by ancient Greek playwrights: the comedies of Aristophanes and the tragedies of Aeschylus, Euripides, and Sophocles. For a semester project, students will work as a collaborative team to write and perform a dramatic work (along with related documents) to demonstrate their understanding of the genre, period, and culture.
Cross listed with THTRE 3260.
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing and Junior Standing.
(Normally offered alternate spring semesters.)
This course in the development of the novel since the end of World War II, uses examples drawn primarily from Great Britain, the United States, and the Anglophone world.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 2000 Introduction to Textual Studies and junior standing.
(Normally offered alternate spring semesters.)
Fiction and essays by women from various cultures (including the U.S., Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean) will be the focus of this course. The multicultural, international reading list will provide students insight into the lives and experiences of women most likely very different from themselves; thus they can appreciate and learn from the differences and make connections across cultures.
Cross listed with GEND 3410.
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing and sophomore standing.
A thematic course designed to complement the more traditional offerings in British and American literature. The emphasis will be on the shock of colonization, the oppression of imperialism, and the struggle for independence. Attention will also be paid to the encounter of the individual with the questions of God, family, love, war, work, change, and death.
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing and Sophomore standing.
A course in which students will concentrate in depth on one subfield or topic in the domain of linguistics. The particular subject will be determined each time the course is offered.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or instructor permission.
(Normally offered every other spring.)
A course in which students will concentrate in depth on one topic within the domain of rhetoric. The particular subject will be determined each time the course is offered.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing or instructor permission.
(Normally offered every other fall.)
This course supplements the basic American survey course. Its aim is to acquaint students with representative autobiography, fiction, drama, poetry, literary criticism, and essays by African-American writers from Frederick Douglass to Toni Morrison.
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing and Sophomore standing.
(Normally offered alternate spring semesters.)
A course in the theory and development of literary criticism including a general overview of theories of literary criticism from before the 20th-century and 20th-century and 21st-century critical theories.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing.
This course is a capstone option for students in the English and Writing major. Students will participate in an internship (on or off campus) for a minimum of 45 hours and will write a research paper that demonstrates their awareness of a professional or theoretical issues related to their internship field.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing.
A senior-level research and writing seminar. In this course, students participate in a senior capstone experience and produce a research paper and/or an original creative work. At the end of the term, students make panel presentations about their work to the entire department.
Prerequisite(s): Senior standing.
The course introduces students to basic theoretical approaches to understanding the past. Special emphasis is placed on research methods, resources, and the composition of a research essay. This course is designed for majors and students interested in the theories and techniques used by historians. Course topics change yearly and include subjects such as the study of chattel slavery in the United States through the words and remembrances of enslaved people from 1600 to 1877 and the relationship between collective memories of the past and the development of identity at the national, local, and individual level.
This course will meet with HIST 3800A/HIST 3800B.
An exploration of the varieties of contemporary feminist thought. We will examine ideas of convergence among feminist philosophers but also attend to the issues that divide them. Special consideration will be given to race, class, and gender both in terms of the sex/gender distinction and theorists who argue against this distinction. Having established that feminism is not a single, homogeneous system, we will also explore the local, national, and global implications of feminisms for the 21st century.
Cross listed with GEND 3270.
This course focuses on a radical thinker or radical thinking within the late modern, postmodern, or contemporary era. We explore what is radical, revolutionary, experimental, or 'avant garde,' and learn to identify what places a person, idea, or movement outside the "norm." We address questions like: What influences or impacts a philosophically innovative idea? How do we distinguish what is radical or subversive from what is merely repetitive or conservative? What is the impact of a philosophy on its larger culture? What role does experience and context play on the radicals who live these ideas? The course may be taken more than once with departmental approval.
Playwriting 1 is a course introducing students to the principles of dramatic construction and formal devices of playwriting. Students will write individually and collaboratively in large groups, small groups, and pairs. Emphasis is given to creative writing exercises exploring monologue, dialogue, character in text, language as action, scene structure, exposition, and conflict. Students will have the opportunity to share writing in class and receive feedback in a supportive workshop environment. Students will critically reflect on what they've written and assemble a portfolio of their writing.
Students may not receive credit for both THTRE 1810FYW Playwriting I and THTRE 2810 Playwriting I.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)
A Writing-Instructive course building upon the principles of dramatic construction and devices of playwriting learned in THTRE 1810FYW Playwriting I or THTRE 2810 Playwriting I. Emphasis is given to creative writing exercises, the writing and revision of longer works, and the writing of a research essay. Students will have the opportunity to share writing in class and receive feedback in a supportive workshop environment. Students will assemble a portfolio of their writing, including at least one one-act play, their playwriting research essay, their guided reflections and other work as determined by professor/student conferencing.
Prerequisite(s): THTRE 1810FYW/THTRE 2810 Playwriting I or permission of the instructor.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)