2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
    Oct 15, 2024  
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog [Archived Catalog]


Apply Now

English (B.A.) - Writing Specialization



Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Colleges, Departments, & their Academic Programs

Program Coordinator/Contact

Jason McEntee, Department Head
Department of English
Pugsley Hall 301, Box 2218
605-688-5191

Program Information

The English Major - Writing Specialization requires 45 hours of literature, linguistics and writing courses. Students receive a well-rounded background in literature, but with more intensive work in Creative and/or Professional writing. This program serves students seeking careers in creative or professional writing.

Student Learning Outcomes

The English department’s B.A. program prepares students to become innovative professionals and global citizens by teaching them to read closely and critically, write creatively and persuasively, and explore the beauty and value of diverse literatures and cultures.

  • Analyze texts closely and critically, using key literary terms and concepts to interpret how the specific elements of a text contribute to its larger meanings. (Cross-Curricular Skills: Inquiry and Analysis; Critical and Creative Thinking; Integrative Learning)
  • Identify significant texts, authors, periods, movements, genres, theories, or modes from literary history, explaining how literary texts engage with their historical, cultural, aesthetic, or ideological contexts. (Cross-Curricular Skills: Inquiry and Analysis; Integrative Learning)
  • Identify key theoretical ideas, concepts, or methodologies and apply them to the reading and writing of texts. (Cross-Curricular Skills: Critical and Creative Thinking; Integrative Learning)
  • Write argumentative, creative, and reflective texts that demonstrate focus, content, structure, evidence, style, and grammar appropriate to their rhetorical contexts. (Cross-Curricular Skills: Critical and Creative Thinking; Integrative Learning)
  • Conduct scholarly research that incorporates the use of library resources and discipline-specific databases; the evaluation and integration of secondary sources; and the documentation of primary and secondary sources using MLA style.  (Cross-Curricular Skills: Information Literacy; Inquiry and Analysis)
  • Explain how literature both reflects and enriches the diversity of human experience through its exploration of the ways in which race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexuality, ability, or class shape identity and influence perception. (Cross-Curricular Skills: Critical and Creative Thinking; Inquiry and Analysis; Integrative Learning; Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity)

Academic Requirements

To count toward the Major, courses must be passed with a minimum grade of “C.”  Topics courses may only fulfill the specific requirements when approved by the department. All sections of ENGL 210  count as a major elective.

Course Delivery Format

The department offers coursework on campus, online, and at attendance centers around the state.

Requirements for English Major - Writing Specialization: 120 Credits


Bachelor of Arts in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

System General Education Requirements


College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Requirements


Bachelor of Arts Requirements: 9+

  • Modern Foreign Language Including the 202-Level Credits: 6+
  • AHSS 111 - Introduction to Global Citizenship and Diversity Credits: 3  
  • One declared minor outside of the major prefix OR a second major OR a teaching specialization. The minor may be a traditional minor within one department or it may be interdisciplinary involving more than one department. The minor can be in a different college. The minor must be declared no later than the student’s third semester of enrollment.
  • Capstone course in the major discipline
  • Upper division coursework Credits: 33

System General Education and/or major coursework may satisfy some or all of the above requirements. Consult program advisor for details. See the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences  for additional information about Bachelor of Arts specifications.

300-400 Level Literature Courses


Select one 300-400 level literature course. Credits: 3

Writing Courses


Select three writing courses. Credits: 9

Linguistics Course


Select one linguistics course. Credits: 3

Electives


  •   Credits:1-12  highly recommended
  • See other departments’ courses for additional content-based writing electives.

Taken as needed to complete any additional degree requirements.

Total Required Credits: 120


Summary of Program Requirements


Bachelor of Arts in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

System General Education Requirements 30 Credit Hours
College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Requirements* 9+ Credit Hours
Major Requirements 45 Credit Hours
Supporting Coursework 6 Credit Hours
Electives** 36 Credit Hours

*System General Education Requirements, Major Requirements, and Supporting Coursework may satisfy some or all of the above requirements.  
**Taken as needed to complete any additional degree requirements.

Academic Advising Guide Sheet


The goal of the academic advising guide sheets and sample plans of study is to promote undergraduate student success by guiding all students to timely completion of an undergraduate degree. Students are not limited to the course sequence provided for their academic program. Instead, the sample plan of study is one possible path to completing your degree and is meant to be used as a guide for planning purposes in consultation with an academic advisor. The plans also help students prepare for meetings with their academic advisor and track their progress in their selected academic program.

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Colleges, Departments, & their Academic Programs