Programs

Academic Programs

The English Department is dedicated to the teaching of careful reading, creative and analytical writing, critical thinking, a historical and worldly appreciation of literature, and astute cultural awareness. Towards those ends, the department supports a variety of majors and minors: the major in English, the dual major in English and Childhood Education, a minor in English, a minor in Comparative Literature, and a minor in journalism. All majors and minors include foundational courses, core courses, upper-level courses, and elective courses.

12 Units

Foundation Courses (should be taken by the end of sophomore year)

Three Units: EN 111, EN 211, EN 212

Core British and American Courses

Pre-1800 British Literature
One Unit

Post-1800 British Literature
One Unit

American Literature
One Unit

Required Upper-Level Courses

EN 330, EN 400, EN 425

Electives

Three Units

Please note that additional core courses from the list above may be counted as electives.

Also note that, a maximum of  two course from either of the following two categories may be counted as electives: 1) Film courses designated as ―F‖ (EN 230, 356, 357, and 291 or 593, when they focus primarily on film). 2) Courses devoted primarily to writing rather than literature (EN 280, 329, Journalism [JR] courses, and 291 or 593, when they focus primarily on writing).

Nota Bene:

Only courses with a grade of C- or higher may be applied to the requirements of the major in English. Although the study of a foreign language is not required, students majoring in English are strongly urged to undertake such a study.

 

5 Units

Foundation courses
Two Units chosen from: EN111, EN211, EN212

Core Course
One Unit from core course list

Electives
Two Units from electives list

6 Units

Required Introductory Course (1 Unit)
EN 270  Introduction to Digital Humanities
EN 274  Digital Rhetoric and Multimodal Composing

Theory (2 Units)
AN 325  Culture, Power, and Place
EN 270   Introduction to Digital Humanities
EN 274  Digital Rhetoric and Multimodal Composing
FM 201  Introduction to Film Studies or EN 230 Introduction to Film
FM 223  Introduction to Media Studies
HI 229  Museums, Myths, and Memory
PS 249  Psychology of Media

Production (2 Units)
AN 306  Digital Spatial Technology
AR 114  Photography I
AR 130  Digital Photography
AR 203  Graphic Design I
CS 130  Introduction to Programming or CS 132 Object-Oriented Software Development for the World Wide Web
CS 142  Techniques of Programming
CS 212  Computer Graphics*
CS 345  Database Systems*
CS 352  Computer Networks, Net Properties, & Distributed Applications*
FM 101  Introduction to Filmmaking
FM 221  Video Editing*
FM 330  New Modes in Documentary Film*
MU 217  Introduction to Music Technology

Internship or Elective (1 Unit)
EN 497 Internship in Digital Humanities
Elective can be any of the courses listed above

* Courses marked by an * have prerequisites.

6 Units

Required Course
JR 261

Electives
Two Units

Wagnerian
JR 011: .5 Unit course taken twice

Internship
Two units: either two different one-unit internships [JR 397 two separate times] or one two-unit internship [JR 497 one time].

6 Units

Required Media and Digital Studies (1 unit)
EN212  Introduction to Literary Analysis and Theory
EN270  Introduction to Digital Humanities
EN274  Digital Rhetoric and Multimodal Composing
EN331  Topics in World Cultures and Cinemas
FM201 or EN230   Introduction to Film Studies
FM223  Introduction to Media Studies
FM260  History of Film
ML316  International Filmmakers

Required Journalism and Writing (1 unit)
EN215  Introduction to Creative Writing
EN280  Writing Intensive Tutoring
EN316  Advanced Creative Writing
FM322  Screenwriting I
JR, any Journalism (JR) course
TH290  Playwriting

Required Production (1 unit)
AR203  Graphic Design I
FM101  Introduction to Filmmaking
FM221  Video Editing*
FM224  Cinematography*
FM330  New Modes in Documentary Film*

Required Speech (1 unit)
Modern language – any modern language (ASL, FR, GE, IT, or SP)
SPC102 Voice and Diction
SPC 103  Public Speaking
SPC 252  Mock Trial

Electives (2 units)
Any of the courses listed above.

*note, courses marked by an * require FM101 as a prerequisite.

For the Education component of the Dual Major consult the Education section.
The English component of the Dual Major consists of a total of 11 units with the following distribution:

Foundation Courses

Three Units

EN 111, EN 211, EN 212

Core British and American CoursesPre-1800 British Literature
One Unit

Post-1800 British Literature
One Unit

American Literature
One Unit

Elective upper-level courses

Four Units

Required upper-level course

EN 330 Shakespeare Survey

Please note: One of the core or elective courses must be an intercultural course (designated by “I”).

 

6 Units

Creative Writing
One Unit: EN 215, EN 316, TH 290, FM 322

Journalism
One Unit: JR 011 is not applicable.

Literature
Two Units: EN 200 level or above

Elective
One Unit: from any of the above areas.

Internship or Additional Elective
One Unit

5 Units

Comparative Literature addresses literary study from an international perspective.  This approach to literature advances the idea that the study of literature is enhanced by knowledge of surrounding texts, languages, and cultures, and thus Comparative Literature emphasizes intersections between literature and global cultural, philosophical, and linguistic contexts.

Core Course
One Unit: EN 229 or EN 212

Literature Courses (Two Units)
300 level EN courses

Language Courses (Two Units)
200-300 level French, Spanish, or Italian courses
At least one of these course must be conducted in French, Spanish, or Italian

 

 

 

Initial eligibility for departmental honors in English: Students who have earned a GPA of 3.5 in the major and an overall GPA of 3.0 at the end of their junior year are eligible to pursue departmental honors by writing an honors thesis and passing a defense of that thesis in their senior year.

Those who wish to do so may wish to register for an independent study (EN 593) to be directed by a faculty mentor during the fall of their senior year. Though a student may elect to pursue departmental honors without taking an Independent Study s/he should know that blocking out sufficient time to focus on the project is easier if there is an Independent Study obligation.

It is essential that any student planning to pursue honors talk with a mentor during spring of junior year in order to begin work on the project during the summer prior to senior year. The same thesis may be counted toward the Wagner Honors Program and departmental honors in English.

It is important that you understand that you should undertake this project only if you have a keen desire to do the work involved. If you miss a deadline (in spring of junior year or after), you will not be allowed to proceed to the defense, though you should complete your work in time to receive a grade for the Independent Study if you have registered for one (it would usually be the completion of an incomplete from fall of senior year)

Please note that the departmental honors thesis does not satisfy the writing requirements of the SLC. The two courses in the SLC require substantial writing and analysis. The departmental honors thesis is the experiential component of the SLC for those students who are eligible to pursue it and complete the undertaking.

Also note that if you pursue departmental honors and take an independent study as part of that work, the paper alone is not sufficient to earn departmental honors. After meeting all earlier deadlines in the process, you must successfully submit (with your mentor’s approval) the final polished version to readers, pass an oral defense of the paper and submit a clean, edited copy to the chair to earn departmental honors.

Outline of Procedure for Departmental Honors:

In order to earn departmental honors you must do all of the following:

1) spring of Junior year by the last day of classes: identify an area of interest that will be the focus of your departmental honors thesis and fill out the ENGLISH HONORS CONTRACT  identifying your topic and mentor (if you are writing a thesis for the honors program that focuses on an appropriate area, you may count this project as your English thesis). Give the ENGLISH HONORS CONTRACT to the Chair of English.

2) spring of Junior Year: register for an Independent Study for the fall of 2019 if that is part of your plan (see note above)

3) summer between Junior and Senior Years: do all research and background reading over the summer

4) fall of Senior year: a working annotated bibliography is due to your mentor and the Department Chair (on paper–no e-mail) by the end of the day (4pm) on the last day of the drop/add period

5) fall of Senior Year: prepare a prospectus of at least 5 pages. Due by the third Monday in October. The prospectus must include a working Bibliography of critical works and must be submitted both to your mentor and the rest of the English Department (via e-mail). See your mentor for the guidelines for the prospectus.

6) fall of Senior Year:  Meet with others working toward Departmental Honors in November. Workshop session (the chair will find a time/place for you to gather)

7) spring of Senior Year: Meet with others pursuing Departmental Honors in January. Workshop session (the chair will find a time/place for you to gather). You must have at least 20 pages written by this time.

8) spring Senior year: request readers by the end of February (email the chair; do not ask individual faculty members).

9) spring of Senior Year: complete the final, polished version of your thesis by the week prior to Spring Break and submit paper copies to your mentor and the two readers

10) During late March or early April in spring of Senior Year: successfully defend the thesis in a meeting with your faculty mentor and two other readers from the department (full-time English faculty members)

11) Submit a clean paper copy of the thesis to the Department Chair by the end of April.

 

Antium Font. Textbooks available on Reserve