English
Chair Katharine N. Ings, Stacy L. Erickson-Pesetski, Beate C. Gilliar, Shane L. Thomson, Jonathan P. Watson
The English major is offered with a concentration in literature, writing or language. Each concentration prepares students for continued study in graduate or professional school as well as for professional employment. Literature, because it is the recorded history of cultural and linguistic change, is an essential component of all concentrations. Students who concentrate in literature acquire understanding and appreciation of various literary forms, of specific literary works and of the development of literature. Students who choose to concentrate in writing take, in addition to courses in literature, journalism and professional and creative writing, an internship that gives them experience working in a professional setting. Students who concentrate in language take courses in literature and linguistics, as well as an introductory course and a practicum in teaching English to speakers of other languages.
Some first-year students will be assigned to ENG 103 based on standardized test scores and high school preparation. Some students may be assigned to working with a consultant in the Writing Center based on a diagnostic essay.
Baccalaureate Degree
Bachelor of Arts only
Major in English, language concentration, 39 hours: ENG 115, 321, 350, 352, 485; 310 or 311; 332 or 333; two courses selected from 340, 342, 344; 12 hours of electives selected from English courses (200 level and above); electives may also include MODL 201, modern language courses at the 300 level and above.
Major in English, literature concentration, 39 hours: ENG 115, 311, 321, 332, 333, 335, 340, 342, 344, 366, 485; six hours of electives selected from English courses (200 level and above); electives may also include MODL 201.
Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science
Major in English, writing concentration, 39 hours: ENG 115, 201, 317, 321, 366, 477, 485; 310 or 311; 332 or 333; 363 or 365; one course selected from 340, 342, 344; six hours of electives selected from English courses (200 level and above); elective may also include MODL 201.
Majors must successfully complete the senior comprehensive evaluation prior to graduation. Details are available from the department chair.
Minor in English, 24 hours: 24 hours of electives selected from English courses (200 level and above); electives may also include MODL 201.
Minor in journalism, 24 hours: ENG 201, 317, 363, 365, 377; COMM 130 or 232; one course selected from ART 131, ART 221, ART 261; one course selected from COMM 350, COMM 362, COMM 432.
Minor in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL), 24 hours: ENG/MODL 350, 352, 354; ENG 310 or 311; six hours intermediate French, German or Spanish; one 300 or 400-level course in French, German or Spanish*; one course chosen from COMM 256; ECON 320; ENG 238, 310, 311 (not used to meet above requirements); HIST 227; SOC 228.
*International students will be exempt from the language courses if their native language is not English. Students who have completed one semester of study abroad may substitute (upon approval of the program coordinator) an appropriate course from their study abroad if their non-English academic experience is substantial.
Applied Study Area in Libraries and Literacies; Stacy L. Erickson-Pesetski, coordinator: ENG 254, ENG 476; LIB 200; one course selected from ENG 311, LIB 202, COMM 232 or COMM 234.
Requirements for a teaching major in English/Language Arts are available from the department chair and the Department of Education.
Courses ENG
103 FIRST YEAR SEMINAR WRITING LAB - 2 hours
Complements the First Year Seminar writing instruction with concentrated work on the conventions of academic writing; focus on close reading, attention to grammar and mechanical skills, analysis and critical thinking, proper research methods and citation and revision. Admission by placement; taken in conjunction with the First Year Seminar during the fall semester. Students receiving a grade below C- will be required to enroll in ENG 111 the following spring.
111 COLLEGE WRITING - 3 hours
Prepares students for the rigor and practice of college writing and critical thinking. Emphasis is on the essay form, on the reciprocal processes of clear writing and analytical reading. Students will both analyze model essays and write a sequence of essays that build toward a rhetorical repertoire; an ability to use language with nuance, clarity, and appropriateness of expression; and a foundation in research skills. Students will be taught to incorporate and respect other voices through integration of quotes, standard principles of documentation and avoidance of plagiarism. C-1W.
115 INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY STUDIES - 3 hours
A variety of literary and critical texts are used to introduce central concepts of analytical and interpretive reading. The course examines ideas of literature and the formation of literary canons along with the relationship of literature to criticism and of critical analysis to evaluation. Fall.
201 JOURNALISM I: REPORTING - 3 hours
Fundamentals of gathering, interpreting and writing news, along with an introduction to feature writing and news analysis. Emphasis is placed upon learning to organize a news story and to write clearly and concisely. Attention is given to the conventions of newspaper style, the organization of newspapers and the use of computers in writing and editing. Fall.
214 CLASSICAL AND MEDIEVAL LITERATURE - 3 hours
Major works of ancient and medieval Europe in translation. Works likely to be studied, in whole or in part, are Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, Aeschylus’ Agamemnon, Plato’s Apology, Ovid’s Metamorphoses, the anonymous Song of Roland and Dante’s Divine Comedy. C-4LT. Spring.
238 WORLD LITERATURE - 3 hours
Literature in English and in translation representing both a variety of genres and of cultural traditions. C-4LT. Fall, January, Spring.
242 AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE - 3 hours
Explores African American literature from the folk tale through contemporary literature. Readings will include selections from early oral black vernacular traditions, slave narratives, the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Arts Movement, the Civil Rights Movement and contemporary writings. Prospective authors include Wheatley, Douglass, Du Bois, Hurston, Hughes, Baldwin, Ellison, Wright, Hansberry, Morrison, Dove and Wideman. C-4LT. Fall, January, Spring.
250 LITERARY PASSPORT - 3 hours
An introduction to the literature and culture of a particular non-US country or region. Students will read, discuss and write about literary texts from a variety of genres and investigate how writers use literature to preserve and respond to historical, social, political and/or artistic circumstances. Topics will vary according to instructor and student interest and will be indicated by different subtitles, such as South Asian Literature, Canadian Literature, Irish Literature and German Literature. May be taken twice, under different subtitles. C-3GC. Fall, January, Spring.
254 CULTURE OF THE BOOK - 3 hours
Introduction to the increasingly significant theoretical field of Book Studies. Provides students with an overview of the history and future of the book, including social, economic and political influence. Students will examine the role of the author, printer, and publisher and consider the importance of other external forces, such as marketing strategies and advertising techniques, on interpretation and circulation.
309 CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE - 3 hours
A study of literatures since 1965 representing various cultural traditions and critical perspectives. Selections from the literatures of Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Prose, poetry and dramatic literature will be considered. C-4LT. Spring, odd years.
310 STRUCTURE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE - 3 hours
Principles of phonology, grammar and usage by which the English language functions. Traditional, structural and generative-transformational models are examined and applied. Fall, odd years.
311 HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE - 3 hours
Developments in English phonology, grammar and vocabulary from Indo-European and Germanic beginnings through Old, Middle and Early Modern English to Contemporary English. Emphasis is placed upon changing pronunciations, development of periphrases and dropping of inflections, growth of vocabulary, emerging standards for written and spoken dialects and recent patterns of variation. Fall, even years.
317 JOURNALISM II: EDITING - 3 hours
A study of news writing, news analysis, feature writing and opinion writing from the editor’s perspective, along with attention to basic principles of newspaper and magazine design, the role of the press in society and fundamentals of media law. Students use computers in writing and red pencil in copy editing. Prerequisite: ENG 201. Spring.
321 SHAKESPEARE (W) - 3 hours
The plays of Shakespeare as literary text and theatrical production. Examination of the historical, cultural and formalistic issues that have created Shakespeare’s unparalleled reputation in world literature. Within a context of contemporary literary theory, the plays will be studied from socio-political and theatrical perspectives. Includes opportunities to perform and to experience professional productions. Prerequisite: FYS or ENG 111. Fall.
332 AMERICAN LITERATURE I: COLONIAL AND ANTEBELLUM AUTHORS - 3 hours
Surveys American literature from its beginnings through the Antebellum era. Readings will include the writings of early explorers, Puritans and agrarian idealists, as well as the oral traditions of Native Americans, and will move through the American Renaissance, with attention to slave narratives, sentimental fiction, and transcendental philosophy. Prospective authors include Columbus, Crèvecoeur, Wheatley, Cooper, Emerson, Fuller, Poe, Stowe, Hawthorne and Thoreau. Fall, even years.
333 AMERICAN LITERATURE II: POSTBELLUM AUTHORS - 3 hours
Surveys American literature from the Civil War to the World War I era. Readings will include selections from the picaresque, naturalist and realist traditions as well as early feminist writings. Prospective authors include Alcott, Melville, Twain, Whitman, Dickinson, Crane, James, Chopin, Gilman and Wharton. Spring, even years.
335 MODERN LITERATURE - 3 hours
The study of English-speaking writers from 1900 through 1965. The course follows the development of modernism as an international movement through the exploration of such authors as Waugh, Forster, Woolf, Fitzgerald, Conrad, Cather, Hemingway, H.D. and Kerouac. Fall, odd years.
338 CULTURE THROUGH LITERATURE - 3 hours
Offers concentrated study of selected authors and issues. Students explore a specialized field of literacy and cultural studies in an effort to learn more fully the social, historical and artistic dimensions of literature. Students learn both how culture shapes literature and how literature shapes culture. Topics will vary according to instructor and student interest and will be indicated by different subtitles, such as Jane Austen in Literature and Popular Culture, The Harlem Renaissance and Midwestern Authors. May be taken twice, under different subtitles. C-4LT. Fall, January, Spring.
340 BRITISH LITERATURE I: THE MIDDLE AGES AND RENAISSANCE - 3 hours
British literature of the eighth through the sixteenth centuries. Selections from such works as Beowulf, The Canterbury Tales, Everyman and The Faerie Queen introduce literary themes and techniques characteristic of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Other works likely to be included are those of Langland, Kempe, Malory, More, Marlowe and Sidney. Fall, odd years.
342 BRITISH LITERATURE II: THE SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURIES - 3 hours
British literature from the last quarter of the sixteenth century to the end of the 18th century. Poetry, prose and drama selected to represent the varied perspectives of gender, race and class and to illustrate evolving social, religious and intellectual contexts. Spring, even years.
344 BRITISH LITERATURE III: THE ROMANTICS AND VICTORIANS - 3 hours
British literature from the late eighteenth century to the end of the 19th century, from responses to the French Revolution to the death of Victoria. Surveys major Romantic and Victorian authors, with attention to the poetry of Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats and Tennyson; the fiction of Austen, Mary Shelley, the Brontës, Eliot, Dickens and Hardy; and the essays of Mill, Arnold and Ruskin. Fall, odd years. Spring, odd years.
350 TEACHING ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES - 3 hours
Instruction and practice in the theory, techniques and skills of teaching English to speakers of other languages, observing ESL and foreign language classes, tutoring international students, diagnosing language acquisition problems, planning lessons and curricula, evaluating ESL texts and conducting related research. Prerequisite: ENG 310 or 311, or a modern language course at the 300 level. Fall.
352 PRACTICUM IN TEACHING ENGLISH TO SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGES - 3 hours
Supervised experience in teaching English to speakers of other languages. Students will apply the theories and techniques of second-language acquisition which were covered in the prerequisite course. Practicum may be done anywhere in the world. Prerequisite: ENG 350.
354 SECOND LANGUAGE ACQUISITION - 3 hours
Course explores how people learn language and what methodologies respond to different linguistic needs and learning styles. Topics include: theories of language learning, diagnosis of language learning problems, assessment techniques, pedagogies appropriate to second language acquisition, relationship of culture to language development. Prerequisite: intermediate proficiency in a second language. Spring.
361 WOMEN IN LITERATURE - 3 hours
A chronological and thematic study of poetry, fiction, drama, essays and journals by women who represent a variety of cultural traditions. Emphasis will be upon works written in English, but translations may be used. C-3RC. Spring, even years.
363 CREATIVE WRITING - 3 hours
The writing of poems, plays and short stories. All students experiment with various genres, then concentrate, if they choose, on only one. Professional writing, as well as student writing, is analyzed and discussed in class. Success in the course may be achieved both through the student’s own writing and through intelligent application of critical principles to the writing of others. Fall, odd years.
365 PROFESSIONAL WRITING - 3 hours
Introduces students to the types and discourse conventions expected of professional writing, including application dossiers, correspondence (both letters and emails), reports, proposals, memos, press releases and presentations. Students will engage in both independent and collaborative writing assignments. This course is designed to help prepare students for the kinds of writing typically encountered in the professional workplace. Fall, January, Spring.
366 LITERARY CRITICISM - 3 hours
Critical writing from the fifth century B.C. to the present. Focuses on the perennial questions of literary interpretations formulated by ancient, modern and contemporary critics and theorists. Prerequisite: one course in literature. Spring.
377 INTERNSHIP IN JOURNALISM - 3 hours
On-the-job-experience for qualified students in gathering, interpreting, reporting and editing news and feature material. The student works in a professional environment under the supervision of a newspaper or magazine staff. May not be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: B or above in ENG 201 or practical experience in journalism, and consent of instructor.
476 INTERNSHIP IN BOOK CULTURE - 2-3 hours
On-the-job experience for qualified students in libraries, book arts and/or book culture. The student works in a professional environment (such as a library, archive, publishing house or bindery) under the supervision of a staff member. May not be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: ENG 254 or LIB 200.
477 INTERNSHIP IN WRITING - 3 hours
On-the-job-experience for qualified students in researching, composing and editing written material. The student works in a professional environment, such as a newspaper, magazine or advertising agency, under the supervision of a staff member. May not be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: B or above in ENG 201; 317; 363 or 364; and consent of instructor.
380 or 480 SPECIAL PROBLEMS - 1-4 hours
A student who has demonstrated ability to work independently may propose a course and pursue it with a qualified and willing professor. The department chair and the college dean. A set of guidelines is available at the Office of the Registrar.
385 or 485 SEMINAR - 1-4 hours
An in-depth consideration of a significant scholarly problem or issue. Students pursue a supervised, independent inquiry on an aspect of the topic and exchange results through reports and discussions. Academic majors are required to take this course for at least three hours. Fall.