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2024-25 Academic Catalog

Bachelors (BA) in English

Overview

The English major offers a 43-44-semester-hour course of study that teaches students to read and write with attention to truthfulness, logic, rhetoric and aesthetics. Graduates pursue careers in teaching, writing, publishing and other fields that demand perceptive attention to textual detail and the ability to communicate with clarity and grace. Students are required to obtain a minimum grade of C- in all courses taken for the major.

Degree Outcomes

Graduates with a BA in English will:

  • Demonstrate the ability to write clearly and effectively in a variety of rhetorical situations.
  • Demonstrate the ability to interpret literature with an attention to a text's historical, aesthetic, cultural, and global dimensions.
  • Formulate how their spiritual development interacts with and informs their reading, writing, and thinking.

 

Major Requirements

Complete the following:
Introduces important concepts in the study of literature. Students will learn techniques in close reading, and will read, discuss, and produce written analyses of a variety of literary texts in order to better understand historical, political, cultural, and formalistic aspects of literary works.
Introduces important concepts in the study of writing. Students will read and respond to writing and rhetorical theory, and will read, discuss, and produce written analyses of theories in the study of writing. Prerequisite: WRIT 111 Caring for Words, enrollment in the Honors Program, or instructor permission.
Introduces and examines as literary texts significant works of world mythologies. Readings stress those cross-cultural themes and literary forms exemplifying the ideals, values, and concerns that have shaped our shared human condition. The course surveys myths from African, Middle Eastern, Asian, Native American, Meso-American, Oceanic, and European literatures. Universal motifs and unique differences in these traditional sacred and secular stories are examined with an eye to understanding how myths underpin cultural, community, and individual values, ethical teachings, and spiritual experiences that continue to inform the world's cultures.
This course examines career options for English majors. Goal setting, professional development, and marketing skills are emphasized. Required of all English majors. Prerequisite: English major with sophomore standing.
This course will focus on developing a personal and professional brand that expresses uniqueness, passion, and strengths to hiring managers. Navigating professional opportunities with important tools such as resume design, e-presence, networking, behavioral interviewing, and employer search and engagement strategies, along with identifying and creating professional goals will be emphasized. Students will participate in mock interviews with local recruiters. Prerequisite: junior or senior status.
Students will choose to research and write a senior thesis, working with a faculty member in their area of interest; or will complete a service project in a community organization, in a school classroom, or in another identified literacy program; or will complete a professional internship; or will create a portfolio of written work. Prerequisite: Senior Standing
Choose one of the following:
Considers works written in Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Oceania, Europe, and the Americas during the medieval and early modern periods. Students examine culturally defining texts that reflect both the uniqueness of culture and the universality of literary themes. Students read a sample of texts written between the medieval period and 1900. The focus is on texts that continue to be important to the culture they represent, such as The Tale of Genji, Journey to the West, The Thousand and One Nights, The Divine Comedy, and Shakuntala.
Considers contemporary writings from women around the world. Students analyze these literary texts, examine the cultures they represent, and keep apprised of current events related to women. Prerequisite: LITR 111 Faith and Story, any 100 or 200 level LITR course or equivalent, enrollment in the Honors Program, or instructor permission.
Choose one of the following:
This course helps those who want to understand and to be able to explain to others what can be done to make writing correct, clear, and precise. Focuses on constructing, editing, and correcting sentences and paragraphs. This is not a remedial course.
A study of the nature of verbal symbols as they function in communication. The course will include phonetic transcription, semantics, modern grammatical theories, history of the English language, and modern English dialects.
Complete 1 semester of a world language 200-level of higher
Complete the following:
Writing (WRIT) Elective (200-level or above)

Concentrations (21 credit hours) - choose one

Complete the following:
Introduces students to various schools of literary criticism. Students will practice using different critical approaches to writing about literature. Recommended for juniors and seniors. Prerequisites: WRIT 200 Understanding Literature and 6 hours of literature courses or instructor's permission.
A selective look at early American literature, from its beginnings to the nineteenth century. Examines themes, movements, and writers from colonial America, the early republic, and the antebellum United States. Prerequisite: LITR 111 Faith and Story, any 100 or 200-level LITR course or equivalent, enrollment in the Honors Program, or instructor's permission.
A selective look at the literature of the United States, from the nineteenth century to the present. Particular attention is given to the masterworks of Naturalism, Realism, and Modernism, especially to those that have proven influential on contemporary literature. Prerequisite: LITR 111 Faith and Story, any 100 or 200-level LITR course or equivalent, enrollment in the Honors Program, or instructor's permission.
A selective look at the literature of the British Isles during the Victorian, Modern, and Contemporary periods. Particular attention is given to the literature of doubt and faith, the development of the novel, and post-Colonial issues. Prerequisite: LITR 111 Faith and Story, any 100 or 200 level LITR course or equivalent, enrollment in the Honors Program, or instructor permission.
Choose one of the following:
A consideration of the life and works of the poet/playwright and the sociopolitical history of the Renaissance. The course examines the sonnets and a selection of the plays from each genre: comedy, tragedy, history, and tragicomedy. Prerequisites: LITR 111 Faith and Story, any 100 or 200 level LITR course or equivalent, enrollment in the Honors Program, or instructor permission.
A selective look at the literature of the British Isles, from the earliest texts through 1660. Particular attention is given to the Anglo-Saxon, Medieval, and Renaissance periods. Prerequisite: LITR 111 Faith and Story, any 100 or 200 level LITR course or equivalent, enrollment in the Honors Program, or instructor permission.
Choose one of the following:
Literature (LITR) Elective (200-level or above)
This course provides an introduction to writing theory. Students will explore different approaches to writing theory, and will apply what they have learned about composition and rhetoric to their own written work. Prerequisite: WRIT 200.
This is an advanced study of creative writing, following a workshop approach. Students will have the option of exploring poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction, which will be offered on a rotating basis. Students are free to repeat this course. Prerequisite: WRIT 250 Creative Nonfiction, WRIT 360 Writing Fiction or WRIT 370 Writing Poetry. 300 level course must be in the same genre as the advanced writing course.
Choose one of the following:
An advanced study of selected authors and topics in American Literature. May be repeated with permission of instructor. Prerequisite: Students must have completed any two of the following literature sequence courses: LITR 241, LITR 242, LITR 356, LITR 357, LITR 381, LITR 382.
An advanced study of selected authors and topics in British Literature. May be repeated with permission of instructor. Prerequisite: Students must have completed any two of the following literature sequence courses: LITR 241, LITR 242, LITR 356, LITR 357, LITR 381, LITR 382.
Complete the following:
Writing (WRIT) Electives (200-level or above)
This course provides an introduction to writing theory. Students will explore different approaches to writing theory, and will apply what they have learned about composition and rhetoric to their own written work. Prerequisite: WRIT 200.
This is an advanced study of creative writing, following a workshop approach. Students will have the option of exploring poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction, which will be offered on a rotating basis. Students are free to repeat this course. Prerequisite: WRIT 250 Creative Nonfiction, WRIT 360 Writing Fiction or WRIT 370 Writing Poetry. 300 level course must be in the same genre as the advanced writing course.
3 credits of either WRIT 475 or LITR 475 field experience
Choose one of the following:
A consideration of the life and works of the poet/playwright and the sociopolitical history of the Renaissance. The course examines the sonnets and a selection of the plays from each genre: comedy, tragedy, history, and tragicomedy. Prerequisites: LITR 111 Faith and Story, any 100 or 200 level LITR course or equivalent, enrollment in the Honors Program, or instructor permission.
A selective look at the literature of the British Isles, from the earliest texts through 1660. Particular attention is given to the Anglo-Saxon, Medieval, and Renaissance periods. Prerequisite: LITR 111 Faith and Story, any 100 or 200 level LITR course or equivalent, enrollment in the Honors Program, or instructor permission.
A selective look at the literature of the British Isles during the Victorian, Modern, and Contemporary periods. Particular attention is given to the literature of doubt and faith, the development of the novel, and post-Colonial issues. Prerequisite: LITR 111 Faith and Story, any 100 or 200 level LITR course or equivalent, enrollment in the Honors Program, or instructor permission.
Choose one of the following:
A selective look at early American literature, from its beginnings to the nineteenth century. Examines themes, movements, and writers from colonial America, the early republic, and the antebellum United States. Prerequisite: LITR 111 Faith and Story, any 100 or 200-level LITR course or equivalent, enrollment in the Honors Program, or instructor's permission.
A selective look at the literature of the United States, from the nineteenth century to the present. Particular attention is given to the masterworks of Naturalism, Realism, and Modernism, especially to those that have proven influential on contemporary literature. Prerequisite: LITR 111 Faith and Story, any 100 or 200-level LITR course or equivalent, enrollment in the Honors Program, or instructor's permission.