Assessment & Placement

Major

Major w/teaching

Minor

Minor w/teaching

Minor for elem. ed. majors

Writing minor

Major w/writing minor

Courses

English as a second lang.

Academic standards

Credit-by-exam

Faculty: D Arnold, N Arnold, M Balhorn, R Barnett, M Bowman, WJ Coletta, M Davie, D Decker, D Dieterich, B Dixson, K Eiler, M Fahey, E Felt, P Gott, E Hally, L Kordus, T Kuribayashi, D Kuzmanovic, W Lawlor, R Lorenz-Schumacher, W Mahon, J Marshall, C McCaslin, L Nandrea, P Peschiera, S Pogell, P Rothfuss, M Sievert, R Sirabian, SJ Smith, M Steffes, R Stephens, J Stokes, C Williams, M Williams.

Definition:  English is the study of literature, language, literary theory, rhetorical theory, and culture, with the simultaneous development of effective writing skills.

English Assessment and Placement Procedure
All entering freshmen take the freshman English entrance assessment that measures writing competence based on an essay composed at the university during orientation. If your performance on the writing assessment indicates superior writing ability, you may be exempt from English 101 and placed in English 150. Successful completion of English 150 then satisfies the freshman English requirement.

Notes:

1. English majors (general and teacher certification) should take English 201 as early as possible. In some cases English 200 may substitute for 201 with permission of the department chair.

2. Sophomores may take 300 level courses with approval of the department chair. English majors may take 200 level courses as second semester freshmen.

3. English 345, 375, and 381 count toward the English major/minor and the writing minor ONLY for those seeking teacher certification, or for those who need them as collateral requirements in other departments.

4. English 274 and 275 will count for the English major/ minor for teacher certification ONLY if you need them as collateral requirements in another area such as elementary education.

English Major (General)
Consists of 38 credits beyond freshman English including 18 credits taken in courses numbered 300 and above.

1. English 201.

2. Survey of British literature, 6 credits from 211 (or 321, 323a, 323b, 366) and 212 (or 324, 325, 327).

3. Survey of American literature, 6 credits from 213 (or 329, 313a) and 214 (or 313b, 320, 360, 382).

4. Ethnic literature, 3 credits: English 284.

5. Theory, 3 credits from 379, 380.

6. Language, 3 credits from 240, 342, 344, 346.

7. Masters, 6 credits from 330, 333, 334, 336, 385, 386.

8. Senior Project, 1 credit: 494 (1 credit of 496 may substitute).

9. Electives: 7 credits including one 3 credit 300 level literature course beyond the requirements above and at least 4 credits of electives from:

1. Courses listed above that are not used for those requirements.

2. Other English courses: English 303, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312, 314, 319, 349, 350, 351, 352, 353, 354, 357, 358, 359, 361, 362, 363, 364, 365, 374, 376, 377, 378, 379, 380, 383, 395, 496, up to 3 credits of 498.

3. Maximum of 3 credits of English 157, 257, 357, 399.

English Honors
English Honors provides outstanding English majors the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to produce scholarly, creative, or pedagogical work comparable with that published in discipline-appropriate academic journals. To graduate with the designation “English Honors” you must:

1. Have a 3.5 GPA in the English major.

2. Complete the requirements for the English major including English 496, Honors Project (3 cr) and its prerequisite, English 495 (3 cr pass/fail which do not count toward the major).

Contact the English Department for application procedures and complete requirements for the two-semester honors project.

English Major for Teacher Certification
Consists of requirements for the English major above plus:

1. Writing, 3 credits from 250, 251, 253, 254, 349, 350, 351, 352, 353, 358, 359. (354 does not count for teacher certification.) Courses taken to satisfy this requirement may be included in the English major as an elective under 6 above.

2. Reading, 3 credits. English 381 is recommended and counts as elective for teacher certification majors under 9 above. Education 386 can be used to meet the reading requirement for teacher certification, but it does not count toward the English major.

3. Literature for adolescents, 3 credits: English 375 may count as an elective for teacher certification majors under 9 above.

4. Teacher certification majors must take English 345 for the language requirement of the English major under 6 above.

5. Methods, 9 credits: English 355, 356, 497, English Education 396.

6. Technology, 3 credits: English 393.

7. Student teaching, 12 credits: English Education 398.

8. Seminar on Teaching, 1-2 credits: English Educ 400.

Notes for teacher certification:

1. Because of enrollment limits in the teacher certification program, some qualified students may not be admitted to English education courses.

2. Before applying to the program, you must have completed 18 credits of English beyond freshman English and have at least a 3.00 GPA in those credits, including transfer credits.

3. Admission will be determined by GPA in English, evaluation of a portfolio of writing, and an interview (if possible). Admission decisions will be made before spring semester registration. See the English Department for further details.

4. Also see information about the Professional Education Program and the secondary education curriculum for teacher certification in the Education section of this catalog.

English Education Methods Block
English education majors must take a spring block of classes (second semester junior year) preceding the fall block of English methods classes (first semester senior year).

1. Spring block, 9 credits: English 345, 375, 381. There are no limits on number of credits you may take in addition to these.

2. Fall block, 12 credits: English 355, 356, 393, 497, and English Education 396. We highly recommend that you take no more than 15 credits during this semester.

English Major with a Writing Minor
Requires 54 credits beyond freshman English including:

1. Requirements for the English major.

2. Writing: 15 credits from the writing minor.

3. Electives: a minimum of 9 credits from English offerings and approved comparative literature courses.

English Minor
Consists of 24 credits beyond freshman English including 12 credits taken in courses numbered 300 and above. Complete English 200 plus requirements 2, 3, 6, 7 of the general English major above. (4 and 5 are not required for the minor, but are strongly recommended.)

English Minor for Teacher Certification (Secondary)
Consists of the English minor above plus the requirements for teacher certification listed for the major above.

English Minor for Elementary Education Majors
Consists of 24 credits beyond freshman English including 12 credits taken in courses numbered 300 and above.

1. English 200.

2. Either English 275 or 375.

3. Either English 250 or 253.

4. Either English 342 or 345.

5. English 394.

6. Elective: 9 credits of any 200-300 level English courses not already taken above. Pick electives that will emphasize writing, language, or literature.

Writing Minor
Consists of 24 credits beyond freshman English. Choose one of the following tracks.

Track 1: Business and Technical Writing

1. Required, 15 credits: English 254, 354, 379, 349, 351.

2. Electives: 9 credits from English 250, 350, 342, and no more than 6 credits from any WDMD, CIS, COMM, or ART courses (with coordinator’s prior approval).

Track 2: Environmental and Science Writing

1. Required, 18 credits: English 248, 348, 358, 363, 365, 392.

2. Electives: 6 credits from English 254, 353, 354, 379, 380, or 6 credits with coordinator’s prior approval chosen from WDMD, CIS, COMM, ART or science courses designated WE.

Track 3: Creative Writing

1. Required, 18 credits: English 200, 253, 353 (6 cr), and 6 credits of literature from 103, 106, 108, 203-214, 280-336, 360-366, 374, 376, 377, 378, 380, 382, 383, 385, 386.

2. Electives: 6 credits (3 cr must be 300 level) from 1/2/357, 250, 342, 349, 350, 352, 358, 359.

Track 4: General

1. Required, 15 credits: English 200, 250, 253, and 6 credits of literature from 103, 106, 108, 203-214, 280-336, 360-366, 374, 376, 377, 378, 380, 382, 383, 385, 386.

2. Electives: 9 credits from 342, 348, 349, 350, 351, 352, 353, 354, 357, 358, 359.

3. Chair may approve up to 3 credits of writing courses from other departments providing you submit a portfolio containing at least 5000 words worth an English grade of B or better.

NOTE: The writing minor is not teacher certifiable, but is generally favored by public school employers as a complement to the English major. Other complementary minors are foreign language, communication, or theatre arts.

English Major with a Writing Minor
Requires 54 credits beyond freshman English including:

1. Requirements for the English major.

2. Writing: 15 credits from the writing minor.

3. Electives: a minimum of 9 credits from English offerings and acceptable comparative literature courses.

English as a Second Language
For the ESL teacher certifiable minor and the ESL teacher add-on certification requirements, see the Teaching ESL section of this catalog. For intensive ESL courses for non-native speakers, see English as a Second Language Program.

Academic Standards

1. Anyone may declare a major/minor in English or a minor in writing, scientific and technical writing, or English for elementary education. To be approved for graduation you need to have a cumulative grade point average of 2.00 (2.75 to student teach), including transfer credits, regardless of any declaration of academic bankruptcy.

2. You must have consent of the department chair before you will be allowed to repeat grades of D in English 101, 102, and 150, as well as English courses numbered 200 and above in which you received passing grades.

3. English courses are open, subject to availability, to students who are not declared majors or minors.

Credit-by-Exam Policy
If you wish to obtain credit-by-exam for any English general degree requirement course other than 101, contact the English Department chair. The faculty member who most recently taught the course will confer with you regarding date, site, question format, exam length, materials allowable (or necessary) during the exam, etc.

The written comprehensive exam will be based on material normally covered in the course. The faculty member will administer the exam and notify you in writing of your score within two weeks of taking the exam. A passing score is a B- or better. You may not take an exam for credit more than once for the same course. A nominal fee may be charged for administrative purposes.