Mission Statement

The Department of English offers to all students, wherever their professional and vocational interests lie, skills in critical thinking, analysis and writing along with an appreciation of the great literary heritage of Western civilization, with particular emphasis upon British and American literature. The program also promotes global awareness and the appreciation of cultural diversity through numerous opportunities for world or multicultural studies.

Our goal is that, through the humanistic study of a variety of literature, students will obtain a better understanding of themselves, their culture and other cultures with which they must invariably come into contact.

A senior requirement ensures that each major will have a final capstone experience through courses designed to integrate earlier training and focus it toward postgraduate needs and opportunities.

Goals

To build upon the skills introduced in the General Education program, the Department of English strives to:

• Provide students advanced instruction in writing styles ranging from expository and creative writing to literary criticism.
• Help students master advanced skills in analytical and critical thinking.
• Develop skills in research and information access.

Career Opportunities

Careers that involve critical thinking, document analysis or oral and written communication such as:

• Career Counseling
• Corporate Recruiting
• Consulting
• Editing
• Educational Administration
• Film and Food Critic
• Graduate school in English, creative writing, law and library science
• Human Resources
• Insurance underwriting
• Intelligence analyst
• Law school
• Library science (librarian, archivist, preservationist)
• Literary agent
• Literacy Instructor
• Lobbyist
• Magazine writing and editing (print and online)
• Marketing
• Newspaper reporting/Foreign Correspondent
• Non-Profit Advocacy and Administration
• Public relations and public affairs officer
• Publishing
• Research
• Speech writer
• Stockbroker
• Teaching

Co-curricular Activities and Organizations

• Sigma Tau Delta (the National English Honor Society)
• gardy loo! (a literary magazine)
• Sister Speak (JMU's feminist journal)
• MacGuffin Film Journal
• Cinemuse Film Club
• Hopscotch (children’s literature magazine)

Degree and Major Requirements

Students majoring in English earn the B.A. degree unless they are completing an English major with an cross disciplinary focus or an additional major in a degree program other than the B.A. The minimum requirement for a major in English is 36 credit hours of course work in the major.

The department recommends that students choose a variety of courses covering contemporary and early literature, as well as period, genre and linguistics courses. In addition to core courses, English majors must take nine credit hours of English electives on or above the 300 level. Courses taken to fulfill General Education Cluster Two requirements may also fulfill requirements in the English major. Students may complete credit requirements by taking additional electives.

The minimum requirement for a major in English with a cross disciplinary focus is 36 credit hours of course work; 24 of these hours must be in English courses, with 15 hours at the 300 level or above. Twelve hours from another discipline or disciplines must be chosen in conference with the student's adviser and approved by the department head. For more information about the cross disciplinary focus, contact a departmental adviser.

Degree Requirements

1 The General Education program contains a set of requirements each student must fulfill. The number of credit hours necessary to fulfill these requirements may vary.

2 The foreign language requirement may be satisfied by successful completion of the second semester of the intermediate level of the student's chosen language (typically 232) or by placing out of that language through the Department of Foreign Languages, Literatures and Cultures' placement exam.

Major Requirements

All students must include in their program the following core courses:

The courses selected must include the following:

Other courses may be applied to these requirements via course directive. Students should consult advisers and the departmental semesterly list about other options.

1 This course fulfills the College of Arts and Letters writing-intensive requirement for the major.

Recommended Schedule for Majors

Prior to declaring a major in English, students should consult with an assigned English adviser to plan a course of study tailored to their interests and goals. Students should contact the department office (Keezell Hall, Room 215) to request an adviser. The following chart shows a typical four-year program.

Concentrations

Majors may use their electives to concentrate in British, American, or world literature or creative writing.

British or American Literatures

In consultation with their advisers, students may choose nine credit hours of courses beyond the core offerings that lead to a coherent view of the scope and development of British or American literature.

World Literature

In consultation with their advisers, students may choose nine credit hours of courses beyond the core offerings that acquaint them with the scope of world literature.

Creative Writing

Students with a strong interest in developing various writing skills should include in their program nine credit hours of electives from the following courses.

Minor Requirements

English Minor

The minimum requirement for a minor in English is 18 credit hours. At least nine hours must be taken in courses at the 300 level or above. A minor in English does not meet requirements for the Secondary Teaching License.

Cross Disciplinary Minors

English participates in the following cross disciplinary minors:

• Africana Studies
• American Studies
• Book Arts
• Classical Studies
• Creative Writing
• Environmental Studies
• Film Studies
• Latin American and Caribbean Studies
• Medieval and Renaissance Studies
• Modern European Studies
• Women’s and Gender Studies
• World Literature

Teaching Licensure

Students interested in becoming teachers must meet specific curriculum requirements in their major as part of the undergraduate academic degree. English majors desiring secondary teacher licensure must complete READ 254, include among their core courses the surveys of both English and American literature (ENG 235, ENG 236, ENG 247 and ENG 248), and include among their electives the following:

In addition to the general education and academic major requirements, English majors desiring secondary teacher licensure must be admitted to teacher education, complete the pre-professional program in secondary education at the undergraduate level and complete the graduate level Master of Arts in Teaching degree.

It is critical that students seeking licensure consult regularly with both their education adviser and their major adviser to support their progression through the programs. For a full description of the program in secondary teaching, refer to the Department of Middle, Secondary and Mathematics Education, in addition to the College of Education section of the catalog.

Teaching English as a Second Language

For a description of the TESOL program, refer to the College of Education section of the catalog.