Undergraduate Degrees Offered

The Department of English offers the following undergraduate degrees:

• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - Teacher Licensure

The English Department encourages majors to take an active role in choosing courses that develop their individual interests and capacities. To help majors tailor course choices to specific interests, here are three sample plans that may help in designing a program of study beyond the major requirements:

Scenario One: You are interested in writing and publishing.

Include courses from this list: Engl 226, Introduction to Creative Writing; Engl 306, Creative Writing: Fiction; Engl 307, Creative Writing: Poetry; Engl 308, The Art of Writing Non-Fiction; Engl 408, Advanced Composition; Engl 413, The Art of Writing: Fiction; and Engl 414, The Art of Writing: Poetry. You may also consider pursuing a Certificate in Writing and Editing or taking any of the courses included in the Certificate: Engl 425, 426, 427, 428, 429.

Scenario Two: You would like to focus on linguistics (the study of language, including teaching English as a second language, computer languages, translation, etc.)

Include courses from this list: Engl 209, Introduction to Linguistics; Engl 309, Modern Grammar; Engl 370, Language and Culture (topics rotate and may be repeated with different topics); Engl 417, Special Topics in Language (topics rotate and may be repeated with different topics); Engl 418, Second Language Acquisition; Engl 419, Teaching English as a Second Language; Engl 442, History of the English Language. Note: Related language and linguistics courses are taught in the summer through the Summer Institute of Linguistics. A maximum of 10 credits of these courses may be applied to the English major. Students considering graduate work in language and linguistics are urged to study more than one foreign language.

Scenario Three: You are considering attending graduate school in English, in another discipline, or law school.

Include courses from this list: Engl 372, Literary Theory (topics rotate and may be repeated with different topics); Engl 320/321/322/330/331/332, studies in particular genres (topics rotate and may be repeated with different topics); Engl 401/403/404/405/406/407, advanced study in particular genres or periods (topics rotate and may be repeated with different topics); Engl 408, Advanced Composition; Engl 415, Special Topics in Literature (topics rotate and may be repeated with different topics).

---

B.A. WITH MAJOR IN ENGLISH

Required 125 credits (36 of which must be numbered 300 or above, and 60 of which must be from a 4-year institution) including:

I.  Essential Studies Requirements (see University ES listing).

II. The Following Curriculum:

Major Requirements—36 credits, 20 of which must be at the 300- or 400-level.

The following courses are required:

1. Engl 271, Reading and Writing About Texts: A writing-intensive introduction to English Studies offering practice in the conventions of analyzing texts and of writing literary analysis. (3 credits)
   
   
2. Engl 272, Introduction to Literary Criticism: A writing-intensive course in which students are introduced to various schools of literary criticism. (3 credits)
   
   
3. One of the two-course 300-level surveys (6 credits): Engl 301 and 302, Survey of English Literature OR Engl 303 and 304, Survey of American Literature
   
   
4. One of the following courses that focus on literature of an earlier historical period (3 credits):
   Engl 241 World Literature I
   Engl 301 Survey of English Literature (in addition to 303-304 for requirement #4)
   Engl 303 Survey of American Literature (in addition to 301-302 for requirement #3)
   Engl 315 or 316 Shakespeare
   Engl 401 Studies in Medieval Literature
   Engl 402 Studies in Early Renaissance Literature
   Engl 403 Studies in Colonial American Literature
   Engl 404 Studies in Late Renaissance Literature
   Engl 405 Studies in Restoration and 18th Century Literature
   Engl 406 Studies in 19th Century Literature
   Engl 415 Special Topics in Literature (when topic is appropriate; consult your adviser)
   
   
5. At least two 400-level courses; 400-level courses require students to develop and complete significant independent research, writing, and/or professional projects.
   
   Majors may complete the remaining English credits in any way they wish, with two stipulations:
   - Engl 421 and Engl 422, the methods courses for English Education majors, may not count towards the English major.
   - Twenty credits of English major coursework must be at the 300/400 level.
   
   
6. Level IV proficiency in a language other than English.

---

B.A. WITH A MAJOR IN ENGLISH
Teacher Licensure

Through a partnership with the College of Education and HumanDevelopment, and the Department of Teaching and Learning, students may seek secondary licensure in English. The following program of study must be completed:

1. The English major (described above), including level-four proficiency in a foreign language, 3 hours of speech, and 3 hours of developmental reading (T&L 416: Adolescent Literacy Development). (For Middle School licensure, 6 hours of developmental reading are required, including T&L 409.) English 421 and 422 do not count toward the 36-hour English major. Students are advised to create a major in which courses that satisfy the demands of a career in secondary teaching are balanced against the broader range of courses offered by the Department. Required in the major: English 309, English 359, and either English 308 or 408. Recommended in the major: English 209, 301, 302, 303, 304, 315, 316, 357, 359 and 365.
   
   
2. Admission to the Secondary Program, normally while taking T&L 250. (See College of Education and Human Development for admission and licensing requirements).
   
   
3. The Program in Secondary Education, to include:
   T&L 250 ....... Introduction to Education
   T&L 339 ....... Technology for Teachers
   T&L 345 ....... Curriculum Development and Instruction
   T&L 350 ....... Development and Education of Adolescents
   T&L 416 ....... Adolescent Literacy Development
   ENGL 421 ... Methods and Materials of Teaching Middle and Secondary School Writing and Language (spring only)
   ENGL 422 ... Methods and Materials of Teaching Middle and Secondary School Literature and Reading (fall only)
   T&L 432 ....... Classroom Management
   T&L 433 ....... Multicultural Education
   T&L 486 Field Experience (taken concurrently with English 421 and 422; 30 hours per semester)|
   T&L 487 ....... A full semester of student teaching, normally taken during the semester of graduation
   T&L 488 ....... Senior Seminar
   
   
4. Optional
   T&L 386 ....... Field Experience
   T&L 390 ....... Special Topics

English majors seeking secondary licensure must have an adviser in both the English Department and the Department of Teaching and Learning.

Students planning to teach in Minnesota are required to take one course in Middle Level Education.