The Bachelor of Arts degree in English LITERATURE CONCENTRATION


Dr. Margarita Marinova on Literary Studies / Charles Nuckols (English, 2009)

Literature (contact Dr. Jean Filetti)

The Literature emphasis seeks to attract students interested in the study of literature, literary and cultural theory, and other forms of representation in the British, American, and world literature traditions. Offered courses provide majors with the opportunity to fully explore fundamental questions about topics such as the status of literature within culture, the literary history of a period, the achievements of a major author, the defining characteristics of a genre, the politics of interpretation, the formal beauties of individual works, and the methods of literary scholarship and research. The literature courses seek to consider how biographical, historical, cultural, or political contexts shed light on literary texts, how issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality may influence the production and reception of literature, and how our understanding of narrative can offer insights into our own lives and experiences. In addition to requiring successful completion of the liberal learning curriculum, the literature concentration, requires successful completion of the following courses in major and elective studies:
1) ENGL 308W, ENGL 490W ;
2) Select one: ENGL 321, 322, 341, 370, 372;
3) Select one: ENGL 325, 342, 343, 374, 376;
4) Select one: ENGL 421, 423;
5) Select one: ENGL 260, 309W, 353W;
6) Select one: ENGL 310, 385;
7) Select one American Literature (3 credits);
8) Select one British Literature (3 credits);
9) Select one World Literature (3 credits);
10) Select one Special Topics (3 credits);
11) Select three 300-400 English courses (6 credits)
University Catalog for English Department courses (.pdf)

The Bachelor of Arts degree in English
WRITING CONCENTRATION

• Journalism (contact Dr. Terry Lee)
            Journalism publications
• Creative Writing (contact Dr. Jay Paul)
• Professional Writing (contact Dr. Jean Filetti or Dr. Roberta Rosenberg)

The study of literature and writing is symbiotic. Skill in literary analysis and interpretation gives one an important context for human experience, and can lead to engagement in civic society, as well as in meaningful leadership roles. Students immersed in the writing emphasis will examine and compose texts in a variety of genres and will hone their ability to analyze the ways in which writing responds to, shapes, and negotiates race, class, gender, society, politics, religion, and other global issues. Students will learn to communicate collaboratively, clearly, and persuasively for a variety of purposes and audiences, while building a firm rhetorical grounding in the writing and thinking skills necessary for the professional lives of free people. In addition to requiring successful completion of the liberal learning curriculum, the writing concentration, requires successful completion of the following courses in major and elective studies:
1) ENGL 308W, ENGL 490W;
2) Select one: ENGL 321, 322, 341, 370, 372;
3) Select one: ENGL 325, 342, 343, 374, 376;
4) Select one: ENGL 421, 423;
5) Select one: ENGL 260, 309W, 353W;
6) Select one: ENGL 310, 385;
7) Select five writing courses (15 credits);
8) Select two 300-400 English courses (6 credits).
University Catalog for English Department courses (.pdf)
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You can mix & match any five Writing Concentration courses,
sampling several or creating your own focus in professional writing,
journalism or creative writing.

          Courses in Professional Writing
• ENGL 353W. W: Writing for Business & the Professions
• ENGL 395: Special Topics (in public relations & professional writing; offered occasionally)
• ENGL 454.WI: Public Relations & Grants Writing for Civic Engagement
• ENGL 491: Internship in Writing (for professional writing, public relations writing)
• ENGL 499: Independent Study

          Courses in Journalism
• ENGL 260: News Reporting & Writing
• ENGL 360: Narrative Nonfiction
• ENGL 361: Feature & Magazine Writing
• ENGL 362: Editing & Ethics
• ENGL 395: Special Topics (in journalism: offered occasionally)
• ENGL 460: Captain's Log Internship 
• ENGL 462: Community Storytelling & Documentary Studies
• ENGL 491: Internship in Writing (journalism)
• ENGL 499: Independent Study

ENGLISH 462: Documentary Studies
      Students study documentary work, as well as produce individual and/or collaborative creative documentary in nonfiction, photographic and/or video documentary. For examples of student-produced documentary visit the Wisdom of Age Project and the website for "Documenting Disaster: A Campus Newspaper Pieces Together a Torn Community."

          Courses in Creative Writing
• ENGL 351: Fiction Writing
• ENGL 352: Poetry Writing
• ENGL 395: Special Topics (in creative writing; offered occasionally)
• ENGL 450: Advanced Writing Workshop
• ENGL 499: Independent Study

          Other courses in Writing
• ENGL 309: Prose Writing
• ENGL 350: Web Page Writing
University Catalog for English Department courses (.pdf)

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ENGL 351. Fiction Writing (3-3-0)
Prerequisite: ENGL 123; ULLC 223 and junior status, or
consent of instructor. At least one sophomore, junior or
senior literature course recommended.
Practice writing and rewriting fiction. Close reading
of stories linked to technical exercises. Manuscripts
exchanged and discussed—in person or via email.
Emphasis on the cultivation of effective fiction over time
and through focused exercises. Conferences invited.

ENGL 352. Poetry Writing (3-3-0)
Prerequisite: ENGL 123; ULLC 223 and junior status, or
consent of instructor. At least one sophomore, junior or
senior literature course recommended.
Frequent opportunities to write, and sometimes rewrite, poems.
Attention to poems and poets, mostly contemporary.
Manuscripts discussed and read aloud in class. Variety
of exercises, some formal, with plenty of opportunity to
experiment and savor the full powers of poems. Conferences
invited.

ENGL 450. Advanced Writing Workshop (3-3-0)
Prerequisite: Grade of B or higher in ENGL 309W or
351 or 352 or 361W, or consent of instructor.
Spring of odd-number years.
This workshop is designed to refresh the student’s sense of
writing by joining the centuries-old conversations among
writers. Readings in both prose and poetry provide a
context – and impetus – for assignments. Each student
will also develop an independent project consisting of
one or more works refi ned to highest quality. Conferences
invited.
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ENGL 395. Special Topics (3-3-0)
Prerequisite: ENGL 123. Corequisite ULLC 223.
Topics vary, determined by the special interests and needs
of students and the expertise of faculty. English majors may
enroll only once for credit.

ENGL 499. Independent Study (3-3-0)
Prerequisite: senior standing, consent of instructor and
Department Chair.
(Back to courses)



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Bachelor of Arts in English, FILM STUDIES CONCENTRATION
(contact Dr. John Nichols)
  In the Film Studies Concentration, students survey the classic beauty of the moving image. Film courses feature the interplay of cinematic and literary genres and attend to the fundamental qualities of film as a visual art. Students will expand this knowledge of visual form to consider its inflection within American and global cinematic traditions and filmic experimentation by the most daring of motion picture directors. Students will then investigate the ways film has become a dominant medium for transmitting cultural values and debates across the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. Examining the historical, cultural, and theoretical intersections among film, literature, and society, students will learn to navigate the complex mediascape of contemporary life. ENGL 380, 415, and 423 may be taken again for credit to account for the numerous film genres, directors, and types of cinematic adaptations that could be taught given the faculty’s areas of expertise.  In addition to requiring successful completion of the liberal learning curriculum, the film studies concentration, requires successful completion of the following courses in major and elective studies:
1) ENGL 308W, ENGL 490W;
2) Select one: ENGL 321, 322, 341, 370, 372;
3) Select one: ENGL 325, 342, 343, 374, 376;
4) Select one: ENGL 421,423;
5) Select one: ENGL 260, 309W, 353W;
6) Select one: ENGL 310, 385;
7) Select two 300-400 English courses (6 credits)
8) Select five film (ENGL prefix) courses (15 credits):
  • ENGL 271: The Arthurian Legend in Fiction & Film
• ENGL 324: Vampires: Representing Power, the Self, and the Other in World Literature & Film
• ENGL 356W. WI: Film, Theory, & Culture
• ENGL 380: Film & Literature
• ENGL 381: The Roaring Twenties: Film, Literature and Drama of the Jazz Age
• ENGL 385: U.S. Film to 1960
• ENGL 386: U.S. Film Since 1960
• ENGL 415: Genre Studies (with a film focus)
• ENGL 423: Major Authors (with a film focus)
University Catalog for English Department courses (.pdf)
University Catalog for Film Studies (.pdf)

During the Senior Seminar (English 490), students are required to assemble a portfolio that includes a few essays from past coursework and an essay reflecting on his or her experience as an English major.


Download Major's Graduation Portfolio Requirement

Download Rubric for Portfolio & Evaluation