College of Arts & Humanities
Department of English
230 Armstrong Hall
Phone: 507-389-2117
Fax: 389-5362
Website: English Department
Chair: John Banschbach
Candace Black, Suzanne Bunkers, Donna Casella, Terry Davis, Nancy Drescher, William Dyer, Terrance Flaherty, Gwen Griffin, Kathleen Hurley, Mary Susan Johnston, Diana Joseph, Donald Larsson, Nancy MacKenzie, Randall McClure, JoAnna Mink, Roland Nord, Anne O'Meara, David Popowski, Kay Puttock, Richard Robbins, Matthew Sewell, Roger Sheffer, Harry Solo, Stephen Stoynoff, Richard Terrill, Lee Tesdell
The mission of the Department of English is to foster the study of language and literature–particularly literature in English and the English language in all the artistic and practical ramifications of that study. The department's degree programs foster skills of organization; written, oral and electronic communication; and analytical and critical thinking that are valued by employers in any field and that, more importantly, are crucial to being informed and productive adults and citizens. The department's goals include 1) offering quality undergraduate education in creative writing, English education, linguistics, literature, and technical communication; 2) offering general education and service courses that foster effective reading, writing, speaking, and critical thinking, that promote an understanding of literature and film, and that promote an appreciation for the variety of cultures within our country and throughout the world; and 3) contributing to students' education in writing and teaching by means of instruction in the effective use of communication technologies.
The department's undergraduate programs prepare graduates for a wide variety of careers, including middle and high school English teaching; free-lance writing; literary publishing and editing; and technical and professional writing, publishing, and editing. Some English majors choose to go on for masters or doctoral degrees that will qualify them to teach at the college level. Others find careers in a wide range of fields in business, government, and non-profit organizations. Still others find that their English degree is an ideal gateway into training for professions such as law.
Admission to Major is granted by the department. ENG 101: Composition must be completed before admission for major.
Choose Literature, Writing, or General option:
Required Minor: Yes. See faculty advisor.
This course is a pre-requisite or co-requisite for any 300-400 level literature classes.
*Acceptable sections for ENG 403 must focus on three or fewer authors
Choose one (Form and Technique, 4 credits
Choose two in a primary genre (poetry or prose) and one in a secondary genre (poetry or prose.) (12 credits):
Choose Creative Writing or Technical Communication Emphasis
300 and 400-level classes in literature, linguistics, creative writing, and technical communication selected in consultation with advisor.
Required Minor: Yes. See faculty advisor.
Choose Technical Communication or English/Speech Teaching option:
Required Courses:
Choose 2 courses:
Choose an additional 3-7 credits from 300/400 level Technical Communication courses above. Choose an additional 3-7 credits from supporting areas such as computer science or educational technology.
Required Minor: Yes. Technology. See faculty advisor.
Several are recommended: Automotive Engineering Technology, Civil Engineering, Electronic Engineering Technology, Manufacturing Engineering Technology, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Geography, Math, Physics, Community Health, Geography, Psychology, or Other, with approval.
Choose one course from the following:
Choose one course from the following:
Choose one course from the following:
Choose one course from the following:
Choose elective credits at the 300 and 400 level.
Choose one course from the following:
See the Secondary Education section for admission requirements to Professional Education and a list of required professional education courses.
Required Minor: None.
This certificate program prepares participants for careers in technical communication, emphasizing current industry practice in the researching, writing, editing, and publishing of print or online technical documents. Required coursework emphasizes the development of student skills in audience analysis, problem solving, and collaboration within the workplace as well as the production of text and graphics for print and online publication. Special topics courses focus on industry practice in standards and documentation, document design, web development, usability testing, international communication, and other topics of importance to technical communicators.
Choose one course from the following:
Choose one course from the following:
Choose 8 credits from any 300 or 400-level English courses (except 325, 361, 362, 463, or 464)
ENG 342 ENG 343 ENG 344 ENG 442 ENG 443 ENG 444 ENG 445 ENG 446
ENG 494 may be chosen when topic is appropriate.
Choose an additional 8 credits from any 300/400 English courses (except ENG 361, 362, 470)
Choose 8-16 credits from the following:
ENG 358 ENG 381 ENG 482 ENG 485
ENG 494 or 495 may be chosen when topic is appropriate (see advisor).
Choose up to 8 credits from the following courses.
FREN 323 FREN 404 SPAN 301 SPAN 401 GER 405 CDIS 201 CDIS 212 CDIS 290 CDIS 292 CDIS 402/403 CDIS 438
Choose two courses from the following:
ENG 471 ENG 472 ENG 474 ENG 476 ENG 477 ENG 478 ENG 479
This interdisciplinary minor is for students who wish to enhance their communication skills for use in business and other professional settings. Students completing this minor will develop an understanding of contexts and rhetorical strategies for oral and written communication among professionals. Students will also develop their own ability to communicate through written texts, oral communication, and electronic formats. These skills are highly desirable by employers in a wide range of business, government, and nonprofit organizations. Students may major in any of the programs affiliated with this minor, but the courses taken for the minor will not count toward the major.
GPA Policy. Candidates for the major degrees in the department must maintain a 2.5 grade-point average in all coursework in the major field, in addition to the 2.0 overall average required by the university for graduation. Students must earn a C or better for a course to apply to their major or minor.
P/N Grading Policy. Courses leading to a major or minor in English may not be taken on a P/N basis, except where P/N is mandatory.
Supporting Coursework. Since the different programs in English complement a wide range of different fields of study, English majors should consult regularly with their faculty advisors regarding choice of a minor and other elective courses beyond the major or minor. In consultation with faculty advisors, students may choose a second major instead of a minor.
Honors Reading. In order to provide broad preparation for graduate study, English majors of superior ability may read for honors in eight different areas. See ENG 350-358. To be eligible, a student must have completed at least 15 credits of English courses and earned a grade-point average of 3.5 in English. Usually the student will enroll for no more than two honors courses a semester. Honors credits may be counted as electives for an English major. Students who successfully complete at least five of these courses with a grade-point average of 3.5 for all English courses (and who have met the other degree requirements) will be eligible for graduation "with distinction in English."
ENG 100 (4) Introduction to Composition
A remedial writing course that progresses from personal writing to writing about readings and the use of sources.
ENG 101 (4) Composition
Students will practice strategies for generating and developing ideas, locating and analyzing information, analyzing audience, drafting, writing sentences and paragraphs, evaluating drafts, revising, and editing in essays of varying lengths. Students will also become experienced in computer-assisted writing and research.
GE-1A
ENG 110 (4) Introduction to Literature
Study and analysis of elements of prose, poetry and drama in English from earlier periods through contemporary. Emphasizes critical reading of literature. May include such genres as short story, novel, memoir, nonfiction, biography, autobiography, poem, play, screenplay.
GE-6
ENG 112W (4) Introduction to Poetry and Drama
Study and analysis of elements of poetic and dramatic literature in English, including translations, from earlier periods through contemporary. Emphasizes critical reading of and writing about literature.
Pre: ENG 101 GE-1C, 6 CD-Related
ENG 113W (4) Introduction to Prose Literature
Study and analysis of prose literature in English from earlier periods through comtemporary. Works will be chosen from the following forms: short stories, essays, novellas, novels, memoirs, autobiographies, and other long forms. Emphasizes critical reading of and writing about literature.
Pre: ENG 101 GE-1C, 6 CD-Related
ENG 114 (4) Introduction to Film
Study and analysis of the elements basic to a critical understanding of film: story elements; visual design; cinematography and color; editing and special effects; functions of sound and music; styles of acting and directing; and functions of genre and social beliefs.
GE-6
ENG 201 (4) Intermediate Writing
Work on developing mastery of the rhetorical principles of planning, executing, and revising written texts. Emphasis on strengthening analytical writing, both expository and argumentative; valuable for writing on the job.
Prereq: ENG 101 GE-2
ENG 201W (4) Intermediate Writing
Work on developing mastery of the rhetorical principles of planning, executing, and revising written texts. Emphasis on strengthening analytical writing, both expository and argumentative; valuable for writing on the job.
Prereq: ENG 101 GE-1C, 2
ENG 211W (4) Perspectives in Literature, Film, and Human Diversity
Courses will explore various specialized topics in literature and/or film to increase understanding of literary and cinematic contributions made by under- represented peoples, to develop critical thinking, reading, and writing skills, and to increase appreciation of the diversity of human experience. Typical courses include: Multicultural Literature, Women's Literature. May be repeated as topics change.
Pre: ENG 101 GE-1C, 6, 7 CD-Core
ENG 212W (4) Perspectives in World Literature/Film
Courses will introduce students to works of literature and/or film from a variety of world cultures. Designed to increase knowledge of world cultures and appreciation and understanding of cultural differences in representation, and in seeing, believing, and being. Emphasizes critical thinking, reading, and writing.
Pre: ENG 101 GE-1C, 6, 8 CD-Related
ENG 213W (4) Perspectives: Ethics and Civic Responsibility in Literature/Film
Courses will focus on some characteristic ways in which literature and/or film address and explore the ethical dimensions of citizenship and the relationships between works and their cultural contexts. Emphasizes critical thinking, reading and writing. Typical courses include: War and Peace; Utopias and Dystopias. May be repeated as topics change.
Pre: ENG 101 GE-6, 9
ENG 214 (1-4) Perspectives in Literature and Film
Courses will explore various specialized topics in literature and/or film. May be repeated as topics change.
GE-6
ENG 219 (1) Visiting Writers Series
This course operates as an independent study of those writers visiting campus for the Good Thunder Reading Series.
ENG 242W (4) Introduction To Creative Writing
An introduction to writing poetry and short fiction. This course does not assume previous creative writing experience on the part of the student.
GE-1C, 11
ENG 271 (4) Technical Communication
Introduction to learning the written and oral communication of technical information. Assignments include writing and presenting proposals, reports, and documentation. Emphasis on use of rhetorical analysis, computer applications, collaborative writing, and usability testing to complete technical communication tasks in the workplace.
Pre: ENG 101
ENG 275 (4) Introduction to Literary Studies
An introduction to literary genre and to the techniques of writing about literature.
Pre: ENG 101
ENG 285 (2) Practical Grammar
A review of traditional grammar designed to prepare students for advanced work in language and grammar. This course will run for a half-semester.
ENG 301W (4) Advanced Writing
Expressive expository and argumentative writing. For anyone interested in developing advanced rhetorical skills such as invention, arrangement, and style in discourse. Especially recommended for students who plan to write as part of their careers or pursue graduate study.
Prereq: ENG 101 and permission of instructor GE-1C, 2
ENG 318 (2-4) Multicultural Literature
Specific topics in multicultural literature with detailed study of a particular period, region, or group in the United States and their contributions to a diverse literature. Topics include African American Literature, American Indian Literature, Southern Writers of Color, and others. May be repeated as topics change.
CD-Core
ENG 320 (4) British Literature to 1785
Representative works from British literature encompassing Beowulf through the Eighteenth Century.
Pre or Coreq: ENG 275 F
ENG 321 (4) British Literature: 1785-Present
Representative works from British Literature, the Romantic Period to the present.
Pre or Coreq: ENG 275 S
ENG 325 (3) Children's Literature
Introduction to authors, genres, illustrations, and works of literature published for elementary age children. Current and classic works.
CD-Related
ENG 327 (4) American Literature to 1865
A survey of American Literature from its beginnings to the end of the Civil War.
Pre or Coreq: ENG 275 FCD-Related
ENG 328 (4) American Literature: 1865 to the Present
A survey of American Literature from the end of the Civil War to the present.
Pre or Coreq: ENG 275 S
CD-Related
ENG 331 (2) World Literature: Ancient-Medieval
A survey of literature from a variety of world cultures from ancient through medieval times, with an emphasis on the epic genre and the cultural myths it carries. The course will run for a half-semester.
Pre or Coreq: ENG 275 F
CD-Related
ENG 332 (2) World Literature: Renaissance-Contemporary
A survey of literature from a variety of world cultures from renaissance through contemporary times. The course will run for a half-semester.
Pre or Coreq: ENG 275 F
CD-Related
ENG 340 (4) Form and Technique in Prose
Study of the technical underpinnings of fiction and nonfiction genres.
F
CD-Related
ENG 341 (4) Form and Technique in Poetry
Study of the technical underpinnings of poetry.
S
CD-Related
ENG 342 (4) Creative Writing: Nonfiction
Introduction to writing personal essays and literary journalism.
ENG 343 (4) Creative Writing: Fiction
Introduction to writing short stories.
V
ENG 344 (4) Creative Writing: Poetry
Introduction to writing poems.
V
ENG 361 (2) Teaching English in the High School
Methods of and materials for teaching English in the 7-12 language arts curriculum, with emphasis on curriculum, especially the new state curriculum assessment package, lesson and unit plans, clinical experience, professional issues and responsibilities.
S
ENG 362 (4) Teaching Literature and Writing
Methods of and materials for teaching writing and literature (fiction, nonfiction, poetry) in the 7-12 language arts curriculum. Emphasis on computer assisted writing, computer assisted research, and assessment.
F
ENG 381 (4) Introduction to English Linguistics
The English language considered structurally (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics) and sociolinguistically (geographical and social dialects, gender issues, acquisition of first and second language, standard and nonstandard forms).
F
CD-Related
ENG 402 (2-4) Gender in Literature
Selected topics course on literature by and about women.
CD-Core
ENG 403 (2-4) Selected Authors
Content changes. May be repeated.
ENG 405 (2) Shakespeare: Comedies and Histories
A study of Shakespeare's comedies and histories. This course will run for a half-semester.
S
ENG 406 (2) Shakespeare: Tragedies
A study of Shakespeare's tragedies. This course will run for a half-semester.
S
ENG 416 (4) Film Theory and Criticism
Trends in film theory and criticism. Practice in critical analysis.
V
CD-Related
ENG 425 (2-4) Topics in Children’s Literature
Topics have included genres such as fantasy or historical fiction and thematic topics such as survival or journeys.
F
CD-Related
ENG 426 (2-4) Selected Periods
Selected periods of literary study.
ENG 430 (1-4) Independent Reading
Extensive reading in an area for which the student has had basic preparation.
Pre: Consent
ENG 435 (2-4) The World Novel
A study of selected novels from a variety of time periods and cultures, including Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
S
CD-Related
ENG 436 (4) Native American Literature
This course surveys the earliest Native American literary works, from oral tradition and songs to contemporary works and authors, with a particular emphasis on tribal and cultural contexts that identify these works as Native American.
ENG 438 (4) African American Literature
This course surveys the earliest African American literary works, including slave narratives, poetry, folklore, and oration, through 20th century movements such as the Jazz-Age, Harlem Renaissance, and Black Arts Movement of the 1960s, to contemporary works and authors.
ENG 441 (4) Literary Theory and Criticism
Theories of literature and its production and use.
Pre: 6 semester credits in literature V
CD-Related
ENG 442 (4) Advanced Prose Nonfiction Writing
Advanced workshop in writing personal essays and literary journalism. May be repeated.
Pre: Writing course or consent ALT-F
ENG 443 (4) Advanced Fiction Writing
An advanced course in writing short stories and novels. May be repeated.
Pre: Writing course or consent ALT-S
ENG 444 (4) Advanced Poetry Writing
An advanced course in writing poems. May be repeated.
Pre: Writing course or consent ALT-S
ENG 445 (4) Advanced Critical Writing
An advanced course in writing critical essays. May be repeated.
Pre: Writing course or consent Variable
ENG 446 (4) Screenwriting
Introduction to writing for the screen. May be repeated.
Pre: Writing course or consent S
CD-Related
ENG 448 (4) Contemporary Literature
Selected works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry since 1945.
S
CD-Related
ENG 463 (2) Adolescent Literature
Motivation and interests of and materials for adolescent readers. This course will run a half-semester.
F
ENG 464 (3) Teaching Literature in the Middle School
Survey of books suitable for the Middle School classroom, covering a variety of topics and genres.
S
CD-Related
ENG 470 (1-4) Independent Writing
Writing in an area and of a type for which the student has demonstrated ability. May be repeated.
Pre: Consent
ENG 471 (4) Visual Technical Communication
This course provides analysis and training focused on concepts and practices of visual design as they relate to technical and professional communication.
ENG 472 (4) Topics in Technical Communication
Overview of technical communication theory with emphasis on contemporary approaches. Hands-on workshop which implements the theories discussed.
V
ENG 473 (4) Desktop Publishing
Brief history of publishing and typography, conventions of desktop publishing, and hardware and software application tools for desktop publishing. Students need not have prior experience with DTP, but some word processing and microcomputer experience will be helpful.
ENG 474 (4) Research and Writing Technical Reports
Practice in writing various types of reports for a variety of purposes and audiences. Includes primary and secondary research methods, and data analysis of information to be used in reports.
Pre: ENG 271 or equivalent V
ENG 475 (4) Editing Technical Publications
Editing the content, organization, format, style, and mechanics of documents; managing the production cycle of documents; and discovering and learning computer and software applications for technical editing tasks.
S
ENG 476 (4) Online Documentation
This course serves as an introduction to the conventions and strategies for publishing online documentation and for managing online documentation projects.
Topics will include:
ENG 477 (4) Technical Documentation, Policies, and Procedures
Creating both online and print documentation for products, with emphasis on computer software and hardware documentation for users. Attention also to policies and procedures as written for a range of uses (e.g., employee handbooks, manufacturing processes, usability testing).
F
ENG 478 (4) Technical and Scientific Literature
Reading and analysis of stories, novels, poems, essays, and nonfiction accounts that deal with scientific and technological topics. Focus on the role of technology in communication forms and tools.
ALT-F
ENG 479 (4) Rhetorical Theory Applied to Technical Documents
Overview of prominent rhetorical theories, from classical to contemporary, which are applicable to technical communication. Practical application and implications of the theories emphasized. Additional attention given to current issues such as risk communication and ethics.
ALT-S
ENG 481 (4) History of the English Language
The development of English from its origins as a dialect of Proto-Indo-European to its current form, with consideration of its social history as well as its formal development.
ENG 482 (4) English Structure and Pedagogical Grammar I
The English sound system and English sentence structure studied for the purpose of discovering how they can be taught to students of English as a second or foreign language.
F
ENG 483 (4) English Structure and Pedagogical Grammar II
ENG 485 (4) Language and Culture in TESL
A consideration of the cultural issues encountered by teachers of English as a second or foreign language in the US and abroad.
S
ENG 492 (2-4) Selected Topics
Various topic-oriented courses in literature.
CD-Related
ENG 494 (1-6) English Workshop
Specialized workshops in topics such as computer assisted writing, teaching the writing of poetry in the secondary school, or discipline specific writing.
ENG 495 (1-4) Special Studies
Specialized, in-depth study of topics such as Holocaust literature, environmental literature, or regional literature.
ENG 498 (1-6) Internship
Students gain experience in technical communication by working on site for corporations, institutions, or nonprofit organizations performing technical communication duties.
ENG 499 (1-4) Individual Study
Extensive reading and writing in an area for which the student has had basic preparation.
Pre: Consent
