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English Literatures, Language, and Writing Major, B.A.; B.S.

B.A. and B.S. degrees

General statements that apply to English Majors and Minors

  1. The number of hours in special topics electives may not exceed six (6) hours for English majors and three (3) hours for English minors. Independent study in English is restricted to nine (9) hours for the major and six (6) hours for the minor. 
  2. The department supports the concept of advanced placement as well as exemption from required courses and credit earned through approved university examination programs.
  3. ENG 101, ELI 198, ELI 199, ENG 103/193 and ENG 201 do not apply on a major or minor.
  4. To be admitted to student teaching, English majors and minors earning a BS in Education must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in all required English classes as well as a cumulative GPA of 3.0 in four courses: ENG 211WI, ENG 311, ENG 319, and ENG 460. All required coursework must be completed before student teaching, and any repeated coursework in English must be completed at CMU.
  5. Credit Restrictions: Courses taken for credit toward an English Major may not be taken Credit/No Credit.
 

Program Requirements

Required Courses I (9 hours)

ENG 234WIIntroduction to Literary Analysis

3(3-0)
ENG 334Literary and Cultural Theory

3(3-0)
ENG 435WISenior Seminar: Advanced Literary Analysis

3(3-0)

Required Courses II (3 hours)

Select one of the following:

ENG 175The Nature of Language

3(3-0)
ENG 271Modern Grammar

3(3-0)
ENG 375Introduction to Linguistics

3(3-0)

Required Courses III (3 hours)

Select one of the following:

ENG 294WIIntroduction to Creative Writing

3(3-0)
ENG 301WINonfiction Writing

3(3-0)
ENG 303WITechnical Writing

3(3-0)

Required Courses IV (12 hours)

Note: In Required Courses IV, students must take at least one course in each of the following traditions:

A = American B = British C = World

Courses in Category IV.a. will be offered in sections designated as A, B , or C; for example, ENG 336 Topics in Early Modern Literature may focus on American literature (section ENG 336A), British literature (section ENG 336B) or World literature (section ENG 336C). Students may not satisfy the requirements for Category IV.a by repeating the same course number with a different section (e.g., cannot use both ENG 336A and ENG 336B). Repeated course numbers with sections may count as electives.

Courses in Category IV.b will not have specific A, B, and C sections: ENG 329 satisfies the A requirement (American); ENG 325, ENG 328, ENG 330, and ENG 333 satisfy the C requirement (World); ENG 327 and ENG 381WI do not fulfill A, B, or C requirements.

IV.a. Historical Periods (9 hours)

ENG 335Topics in Ancient or Medieval Literature

3-6(3-0)
ENG 336Topics in Early Modern Literature

3-9(3-0)
ENG 337Topics in Romantic or Realist Literature

3-9(3-0)
ENG 338Topics in Modern or Contemporary Literature

3-9(3-0)

Note: ENG 335 offered only with sections labelled B or C.

IV.b. Comparative Cultural and Literary Traditions (3 hours)

Select one of the following:

ENG 325Stories, Spells, and Songs: Folklore and Folklife

3(3-0)
ENG 327/WGS 327Women Writers: Gender, Sexuality, and Literature

3(3-0)
ENG 328Native American Literature and Film

3(3-0)
ENG 329African American Literature

3(3-0)
ENG 330Gods, Monsters, and Immortality: Mythic Literature

3(3-0)
ENG 333Literatures of Non-Western Cultures

3(3-0)
ENG 381WIChildren's Literature

3(3-0)

Electives (12 hours)

Select 12 hours of ENG courses, with at least 6 hours at the 400 or 500 level; no more than 3 hours of 100-level ENG courses may count toward electives.

OR

Students may specialize in a particular area by choosing one of the following specializations, with at least 6 hours at the 400 or 500 level .

Specialization 1: Creative Writing (12 hours)

Select ENG 294WI (required) plus 9 additional hours from the following:

ENG 294WIIntroduction to Creative Writing

3(3-0)
ENG 391WICreative Writing: Fiction

3(3-0)
ENG 392WICreative Writing: Poetry

3(3-0)
ENG 491WIAdvanced Fiction Writing

3-6(3-0)
ENG 492Advanced Poetry Writing

3-6(3-0)
ENG 493Creative Nonfiction

3-6(3-0)

Specialization 2: Nonfiction Writing (12 hours)

Select 12 credit hours from:

ENG 301WINonfiction Writing

3(3-0)
ENG 303WITechnical Writing

3(3-0)
ENG 402WIArgumentation and Expository Writing

3(3-0)
ENG 493Creative Nonfiction

3-6(3-0)
ENG 503Document Design

3(3-0)
ENG 504Technical Editing

3(3-0)
ENG 514Language and Media Discourse

3(3-0)
ENG 539Seminar in Major Nonfiction Writers

3-9(Spec)

Specialization 3: World Literature (12 hours)

Select ENG 333 (required) plus 9 additional hours from the following:

ENG 325Stories, Spells, and Songs: Folklore and Folklife

3(3-0)
ENG 327/WGS 327Women Writers: Gender, Sexuality, and Literature

3(3-0)
ENG 328Native American Literature and Film

3(3-0)
ENG 329African American Literature

3(3-0)
ENG 330Gods, Monsters, and Immortality: Mythic Literature

3(3-0)
ENG 333Literatures of Non-Western Cultures

3(3-0)
ENG 335Topics in Ancient or Medieval Literature

3-6(3-0)
ENG 336Topics in Early Modern Literature

3-9(3-0)
ENG 337Topics in Romantic or Realist Literature

3-9(3-0)
ENG 338Topics in Modern or Contemporary Literature

3-9(3-0)
ENG 444In Her Own Words: Global Feminist Perspectives

3(3-0)
ENG 561European Romanticism

3(3-0)
ENG 566Human Rights in Literature, Art, and Film

3(3-0)
ENG 569Seminar in Major World Writers

3-9(Spec)

Note: ENG 335, ENG 336, ENG 337, and ENG 338 with sections labeled “C” fulfill the World Literature specialization.

Specialization 4: Children’s and Young Adult Literature (12 hours)

Select ENG 381WI (required) plus 9 additional hours from the following:

ENG 381WIChildren's Literature

3(3-0)
ENG 481International Literature for Children and Young Adults

3(3-0)
ENG 482Fantasy for Youth

3(3-0)
ENG 485Poetry for Children and Young Adults

3(3-0)
ENG 580Young Adult Literature

3(3-0)
ENG 581The History of Children's Literature in English

3(3-0)
ENG 582Seminar in Diversity in Children’s and Young Adult Literature

3-9(3-0)
ENG 583The Heroic Tradition in Children's Literature

3(3-0)

Specialization 5: American and British Literature (12 hours)

Select 12 hours from the following:

ENG 328Native American Literature and Film

3(3-0)
ENG 329African American Literature

3(3-0)
ENG 335Topics in Ancient or Medieval Literature

3-6(3-0)
ENG 336Topics in Early Modern Literature

3-9(3-0)
ENG 337Topics in Romantic or Realist Literature

3-9(3-0)
ENG 338Topics in Modern or Contemporary Literature

3-9(3-0)
ENG 349Shakespeare

3(3-0)
ENG 442The British Novel

3(3-0)
ENG 455The American Novel

3(3-0)
ENG 545Chaucer

3(3-0)
ENG 547Seminar in Major British Writers

3-9(Spec)
ENG 549Advanced Shakespeare

3(3-0)
ENG 559Seminar in Major American Writers

3-9(Spec)
ENG 570Old English

3(3-0)

Note: ENG 335, ENG 336, ENG 337, and ENG 338 with sections labeled A or B fulfill the American and British Literature specialization.

Specialization 6: Applied Linguistics (12 hours)

Select ENG 375 plus 9 additional hours from the following:

ENG 375Introduction to Linguistics

3(3-0)
ENG 510WIWriting Center Practicum

1-3(Spec)
ENG 520Diachronic Linguistics and the History of English

3(3-0)
ENG 570Old English

3(3-0)
ENG 571Methods in Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages

3(3-0)
ENG 574TESOL Materials, Assessment, Curriculum

3(3-0)
ENG 577Introduction to Second Language Acquisition

3(3-0)
ENG 578Applied Sociolinguistics

3(3-0)

Note: Two years of foreign language or equivalent recommended.

Total: 39 semester hours