Linguistics is the scientific study of language. Students can use this minor to prepare for a variety of career opportunities, including software programming and artificial intelligence, teaching language, acting or training actors, writing, editing, publishing, translation and interpreter work, law, and advertising. The minor is administered by the Department of English. It consists of 24 credits.
Students will focus on the core subsystems of language, including:
Sounds found across all world languages (phonetics)
Rules found in the sound system of a specific language (phonology)
Methods for constructing words in a language (morphology)
Language-specific sentence structure (syntax)
Word and sentence meanings (semantics)
Situation-specific meanings (pragmatics)
Ways in which larger texts are created (discourse analysis)
These subsystems are then studied in relation to concerns such as how children acquire language, how language varies across populations, and how language both structures and is structured by human thought.
For more information, visit the Course Catalog, search by the name of this program, and filter by semester.
English Minor
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point offers you a strong liberal arts education in language and literature, which fosters communication, critical reading and critical thinking skills. Our English minor consists of 24 credits beyond freshman English including 12 credits taken in courses numbered 300 and above.
Required
ENGL 200 – Introduction to the Study of Literature Credits: 3
Survey of British literature, 6 credits Choose one course from:
ENGL 211 – English Literature I Credits: 3
ENGL 321 – English Literature to 1485 Credits: 3
ENGL 323 – British Literature Before 1790, Excluding Drama Credits: 3 (a) or (b) or
ENGL 366 – English Drama to Shaw (British) Credits: 3
Choose one course from:
ENGL 212 – English Literature II Credits: 3
ENGL 324 – Romantic Movement (British) Credits: 3
ENGL 325 – Victorian Literature (British) Credits: 3
ENGL 327 – Victorian Literature in Transition (British) Credits: 3
Survey of American literature, 6 credits Choose one course from:
ENGL 213 – American Literature I Credits: 3
ENGL 329 – The American Renaissance Credits: 3
ENGL 313 – American Novel Credits: 3 (a)
Choose one course from:
ENGL 214 – American Literature II Credits: 3
ENGL 313 – American Novel 3 cr. (b)
ENGL 320 – American Realism and Naturalism Credits: 3
ENGL 360 – Regional Literature (American) Credits: 3
ENGL 382 – Ethnic Literature of the United States Credits: 3
Language, 6 credits Choose from:
ENGL 240 – Introduction to Linguistics Credits: 3
ENGL 340 – Language, Gender, and Sexuality Credits: 3
ENGL 341 – Invented Languages Credits: 3
ENGL 342 – English Grammars Credits: 3
ENGL 344 – History of the English Language Credits: 3
ENGL 346 – Old English Credits: 3
Masters, 6 credits Choose from:
ENGL 330 – Chaucer (British) Credits: 3
ENGL 333 – Shakespeare (British) Credits: 3
ENGL 334 – Shakespeare (British) Credits: 3
ENGL 336 – Milton (British) Credits: 3
ENGL 385 – Major Authors Credits: 3
ENGL 386 – Major Authors of Ethnic Literature Credits: 3
While the Department of Public Instruction no longer requires Elementary Education majors to choose a minor area of study, these pre-service teachers will have a number of elective credits remaining after satisfying their major requirements. The Teaching English for Education Majors Certificate helps such pre-service educators expand their knowledge of teaching English through a targeted grouping of courses. The certificate work prepares them to understand and better meet the language and literacy needs of their students while simultaneously enhancing their marketability.
The Creative Writing minor encourages creativity in writing and thinking. Students enjoy the opportunity for self-expression in these classes, but their skills also lead to job opportunities after graduation. Employers seek out individuals with creative perspectives, and what you learn in the Creative Writing courses—the ability to write, revise, study and workshop stories and poems as well as engage in small group activities designed to build your creative voice—will help you in whatever major you choose to pursue. Careers our majors have landed in involve teaching, professional writing, journalism, copyediting, and continuing study in graduate school.
The minor is administered by the Department of English. It consists of 24 credits beyond the General Education Composition requirement.
For more information, visit the Course Catalog, search by the name of this program, and filter by semester.
English Teaching – Teacher Certification
AUTHENTIC TEACHING EXPERIENCE TO MEET YOUR CAREER GOALS
The English Education major is an undergraduate program that focuses on the knowledge, skills and dispositions needed to teach English to students at the middle school and secondary level. Successful candidates in the program earn a bachelor’s degree and a Wisconsin teaching license in Broadfield English/English Language Arts. Students may apply to the English Education program after completing 12 credits in English beyond the Written Communication requirement.
Praised for its program outcomes, graduation and retention rates, advising services, student organization opportunities and vast program options, UW-Stevens Point is ranked second in the U.S. on Study.com’s Best Colleges for Education Majors list. In addition, the Wisconsin Council of Teachers of English has awarded five of our graduates the “Outstanding Student Teacher Award” in the past seven years.
Our program provides students with frequent opportunities for hands-on learning in 6-12 classrooms and schools. UW-Stevens Point English education graduates who sought employment have great success in finding positions. 100 percent of alumni graduating with a major in English Teaching have been hired within months after completing their degree, and many are hired before graduation. Teaching English at the middle and high school level is a rewarding career where students can share their passion for reading and writing with their future students.
The Department of English offers a range of student-centered activities and prepares students for a rewarding teaching career. Our program includes The Connection Project which pairs pre-service teachers at UWSP with diverse learners from high schools around the state. UWSP pre-service teachers work with the high school students through virtual lessons and discussions before presenting their work during a culminating campus visit. Connections gives students tremendous experience before they even set foot in a formal student teaching role in their final semester of college.
For the second year in a row, the education program at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has been ranked second in the nation according to Study.com.
Our program provides students with frequent opportunities for hands-on learning in middle and secondary schools. This includes practicum experiences in a middle school and a high school through the Connections project during the pre-Methods course block during the spring semester of their junior year. The practicum experiences deepen during the Methods semester in the fall of senior year, when classroom experiences are paired with learning about classroom management techniques, curriculum planning, and pedagogy for teaching literature and writing.
Student teaching is the culminating experience in the teacher candidate’s academic program of study at UW-Stevens Point. It provides an opportunity for teacher candidates to practice and refine their knowledge and skills under the supervision and guidance of cooperating teachers and our own faculty who have dedicated their careers to education and a lifetime of student learning.
Gain confidence as a teacher working with diverse learners from high schools in our yearly Connections Project. Student teachers enrolled in English 381, Reading for the English Teacher design their own literature course curriculum, lecture virtually and create project assignments. The highlight is the annual field trip to our UWSP campus where students can evaluate the work of their high school students and celebrate the semester together!
GET INVOLVED ON CAMPUS
The Department of English offers a range of student-centered activities, from career workshops to speakers’ groups, to creative writing workshops. Student group opportunities can be found on the Stevens Point Involvement Network (SPIN).
Cornerstone Press is a small, independent publishing house and teaching press on campus that has published 39 titles to date in multiple genres.
The Writers’ Club gives students the opportunity to discuss their work and to publish the best of it in the outstanding student-run literary magazine, Barney Street.
Sigma Tau Delta, an international English Honor Society, is a service organization dedicated to promoting interest in literature and the English language within the university and the surrounding community.
English Education majors get a close-up snapshot of what teaching is like as they coordinate a semester-long literature discussion with high school students from around the state in the UW-Stevens Point Connections Project. Our student-teachers prompt discussion about literary analysis and thematic connections to the novels, respond to student postings, and design project assignments for their own group. The online discussions culminate in a day-long series of workshops for the high school students in the spring at the UW-Stevens Point campus.
PREPARED FOR SUCCESS
English education graduates are well prepared to teach children in diverse, classroom settings. In fact, 100 percent of our recent English education graduates who sought employment in the field are often hired before graduation. Watch our video to learn more about our teaching environment in the School of Humanities and Global Studies!
MEET YOUR FACULTY
English Department faculty at UW-Stevens Point pride themselves on the attention they give individual students to help them further and widen their interests, develop their strengths and overcome their weaknesses.
ENRICH YOUR CAREER WITH YOUR DEGREE IN ENGLISH LITERATURE AT UW-STEVENS POINT
Studying and responding to literature plays a crucial role in a liberal arts education that enables students to become active and aware participants in our complex culture. The English major equips students with skills that can lead to multiple career options.
English majors who graduate with teacher certification find teaching positions, even in difficult economic times. Non-teaching English majors will discover what many already know: the English major is highly adaptable. It gives students the opportunity to expand their knowledge of literature, refine their interpretive techniques, and develop critical thinking and communication skills they can apply in any occupation. Potential fields include advertising, public relations, insurance and publishing. The English major is also highly regarded as a pre-law track and as good preparation for an MBA program, as well as, of course further graduate studies in literature, writing or linguistics. The possibilities are endless!
English is a versatile field of study. The study of literature teaches empathy, helps us understand the human condition, allows us to better understand cultural diversity and history, and helps us interpret language. Every member of the English Department is a committed teacher and significant scholar with publications in their areas of expertise. Class sizes are small and advising is tailored to each UWSP student.
The Department of English recognizes outstanding students at the annual Humanities and Global Studies Spring Awards Ceremony. Some scholarships require an application, and/or submission of an essay or poetry, and others are awarded by faculty nomination and committee vote. Students are notified of available scholarships in class, on posters, and via email at the beginning of the spring semester.
Pat Rothfuss, a native of Madison, Wisconsin, graduated from UW-Stevens Point in 2000 with a degree in English, after spending nine years there studying a great variety of things. After getting his master’s degree, he returned to UW-Stevens Point, teaching part time and working on his book. In March 2007 that book, The Name of the Wind, was published to great acclaim, winning the Quill Award and making the New York Times best-seller list. He still lives in Stevens Point with his family and enjoys playing with his sons and making mead. He’s published The Wise Man’s Fear and The Slow Regard of Silent Things, also New York Times best-sellers.
The English program at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point creates critical thinkers, strong communicators and savvy interpreters of literature. English majors will first be advised by the department chair, and then you will be assigned a faculty mentor or adviser to assist with your area of emphasis.
Internship Opportunities
Juniors and seniors may work as writing interns throughout central Wisconsin primarily at city newspapers and publishing houses. Some majors or writing minors might also travel to London, where they can intern with public relations firms, publishing houses, and professional organizations. Students might also serve as editorial interns for Cornerstone Press or The Midwest Review.
GET INVOLVED ON CAMPUS
The English Department offers a range of student-centered activities, from guest speakers to creative writing workshops. Students develop their work in University Writers club and publish the best of it in Barney Street, an outstanding student-run literary magazine. Sigma Tau Delta, an international English Honor Society, is a service organization dedicated to promoting English-language literature in the university and the surrounding community.
The English Department also offers opportunities for students to connect to the community beyond the boundaries of campus. The Life Stories Legacy Project connects students to community elders in order to tell their stories in published volumes.
We strive to provide individualized attention to our students through small class sizes. These connections help students further their interests and develop their strengths. Every member of the English Department is a dedicated teacher, as well as a scholar with publications in their areas of expertise.
BEGIN YOUR EXPERIENCE IN PUBLISHING WITH OUR OWN STUDENT PRESS AT UW-STEVENS POINT
This is an ideal major for those interested in creative writing and publishing. Students learn to edit, design, produce, market, and sell press titles. Our majors use industry standard software, learn online retailing, and the entire publishing process from acquisition to sale.
UWSP students have a unique opportunity to work with professional writers and leaders in the publishing industry from across the country while honing their own skills as writers. This major includes options for learning a variety of writing forms, from creative to legal writing.
Why study English: Writing, Editing and Publishing at UW-Stevens Point?
English majors with an emphasis in Writing, Editing and Publishing have a unique opportunity to work in the department’s own student-run teaching press, Cornerstone Press. Established in 1984, the press has published over 50 titles and operates with the support of the Department and College. Cornerstone is the only press of its kind in the UW System, and one of only four undergraduate, student-staffed presses in the United States. All press titles are edited and designed in courses and internships.
Students working in the UWSP Cornerstone Press don’t have to imagine what publishing jobs will require of them. Students acquire, edit, design, produce, market, and sell press titles while using industry standard software and online retailing. The experience nurtures talent, develops close relationships with writers worldwide, teaches the art and process of bookmaking, and mentors students toward careers in editing and publishing.
The English Department offers a range of student-centered activities, from career workshops to speakers’ groups, to creative writing workshops. Poetry, shenanigans, and all-around good times! Students can participate in events such as movie nights, game nights, open-mic poetry readings, bad poetry contests, trips to plays, and more!
The Department of English recognizes outstanding students at the annual Humanities and Global Studies Spring Awards Ceremony. Some scholarships require an application, and/or submission of an essay or poetry, and others are awarded by faculty nomination and committee vote. Students are notified of available scholarships in class, on posters, and via email at the beginning of the spring semester.
The major includes core UW-Stevens Point English courses followed by specialized coursework in writing, editing, and publishing. Writing classes include creative writing (fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction), technical writing, writing for digital media, and environmental, science or biomedical writing. Editing and publishing coursework includes book history, the profession of authorship, as well as courses associated with Cornerstone Press, our independent press—entirely student-run—on campus.
If you are an undergraduate or graduate student English major or minor with questions about courses related to the Press, are a writer interested in publishing a book through the Press, or are looking for general Press-related information, please contact:
ENGL 339 – Book and Publication Design ENGL 349 – Editing and Publishing ENGL 350 – Creative Nonfiction ENGL 373 – Publication for Teachers ENGL 388 – Editorial Process ENGL 389 – Book History ENGL 390 – Profession of Authorship
GET INVOLVED ON CAMPUS
The English Department offers a range of student-centered activities, from career workshops to speakers’ groups, to creative writing workshops. Students develop their work in University Writers club and publish the best of it in Barney Street, an outstanding student-run literary magazine. English Club students plan and participate in events such as movie nights, game nights, open-mic poetry readings, bad poetry contests, trips to plays and other activities participants enjoy. Sigma Tau Delta, an international English Honor Society, is a service organization dedicated to promoting English-language literature in the university and the surrounding community.
The English Department also offers opportunities for students to connect to the community beyond the boundaries of campus. The Life Stories Legacy Project connects students to community elders in order to tell their stories in published volumes.
English Department faculty at UW-Stevens Point pride themselves on the attention they give individual students to help them further and widen their interests, develop their strengths and overcome their weaknesses.
The Professional Writing minor is a valuable complement to the English major as well as other fields of study where clear, concise, and precise writing is important. Through a pragmatic set of courses, a professional writing minor teaches students to write and produce documents for specific audiences for a particular purpose. The documents may be as short as professionally written emails and letters or up to book-length publications.
The Professional Writing minor is of particular value for students interested in publishing and editing, business, producing content for digital media, grant writing fields, and other jobs where writing with precision and a clear purpose is paramount.
Consists of 24 credits beyond the General Education Composition requirement.
Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) is an interdisciplinary field of study that draws from the humanities, social sciences, arts, and natural sciences to examine the ways that gender norms have been socially constructed and how they impact individuals and society. Students learn to apply an intersectional analysis to social issues, examining how gender intersects with and reinforces other axes of identity, such as race, class, sexuality, and disability. Students analyze the root structures of systems of oppression and evaluate the effectiveness of various strategies for creating social change.
This minor enhances your career readiness for work in just about any field where sensitivity to diversity issues is important including for example, business, social work, counseling, human resources, and education.
The minor consists of 18 credits. Students take WGS 105 (“Introduction to WGS) and five additional classes drawn from a list of interdisciplinary electives. View current course requirements.
For more information contact: Lauren Gantz, Associate Professor English Coordinator of Women’s and Gender Studies lgantz@uwsp.edu 715-346-2334
Language Study Interdisciplinary
The Language Study Interdisciplinary Certificate allows you to learn about the human capability for language from a variety of perspectives. These include language as an integrated system of rules (linguistics), as the result of specific cognitive processes (psychology), as a communicative pathology to be remediated (Communication Sciences and Disorders), and as a practical key into another linguistic world (World Languages). This certificate provides a solid foundation for students wishing to pursue graduate study in language-related fields such as linguistics, rhetoric, psychology, sociology, philosophy, communication, and foreign languages.
The Language Study Interdisciplinary Certificate satisfies the Interdisciplinary Studies GEP requirement. Consists of 21 credits (13 credits + WL requirement)
