Bachelor of Arts, BA
English
- LAURA FEITZINGER BROWN
- EMILY HARBIN
- JEFFREY HOWARD
- ERIN TEMPLETON, dean, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Mission and Goals
The Department of English offers a Bachelor of Arts with a major in English and a minor in English.
The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English offers advanced study of literary texts and criticism across a broad span of historical periods, genres, and traditions. As students progress through their the major coursework, they encounter specific authors and texts and develop their abilities in critical thinking, writing, and public speaking. In the fall semester of senior year, students enroll in English 496, the capstone course for literature majors. This course and its final project, both written and oral, should represent the culmination of student achievement and learning outcomes.
Degree Student Learning Outcomes
At the completion of their degree, students will
- demonstrate a familiarity with literary periods, genres and significant authors,
- deploy theoretical approaches using secondary sources in an effective manner, produce a work of extended written literary criticism,
- demonstrate the ability to effectively communicate in an oral presentation.
In addition to serving majors, the department offers ENG 101: Composition, as a service course for the College in which students gain writing experience, confidence, and fluency.
The General Education Program is a requirement for all degrees. The requirements listed below are approved for the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Fine Arts.
| ENG 101 | 3 hours |
| Language and Culture | 9 hours |
| MTH 108 or higher | 3 hours |
| One course designated as Quantitative reasoning | 3–4 hours |
| Health and Well-being Wellness | 2 hours |
| Activity course | 1–2 hours |
| Humanities | 6 hours |
| Literature | 3 hours |
| Fine Arts | 6 hours |
| Natural Science | 7–8 hours |
| Social Science | 6 hours |
| Total | 49–52 hours |
Graduation requirements but not a separate course:
- First Year Seminar
- Writing Intensive course
- Non-European/non-Anglophone course Capstone experience.
- For more information see the GEP requirements in this catalog.
Major and Minor GPA Calculation for Department of English
A minimum GPA of 2.0 in the major/minor is required to earn the following in the Department of English:
- Bachelor of Arts with an English Major
- Minor in English.
The major/minor GPA includes all courses taken in the English department at the level of 200 or higher, including all major or minor requirements as well as courses required for any major or minor taken outside of the department. Transfer credits from other institutions do not figure into the required calculation for major and minor GPAs.
Degrees and Certificates
-
English Major, -
English Minor, Minor -
Women's Studies Minor, Minor
Courses
ENG 98: ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
This course is designed to aid international students with the English language and with the English-language educational style so that they might read, write, speak, and understand English sufficiently well to benefit from other classes and experiences.
ENG 99: ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE
This course is designed to aid international students with the English language and with the English-language educational style so that they might read, write, speak, and understand English sufficiently well to benefit from other classes and experiences.
ENG 101: COMPOSITION
Class Program
This course encourages the student’s achievement of a clear and concise prose style by emphasizing expository and argumentative essay writing. The course includes readings in the essay, level-appropriate instruction in research, in-class exercises, discussions of the student’s own writing, and conferences with the instructor. At minimum, students should produce 4-5 papers and 12 pages (3000 words) of thesis-centered writing.
Notes
GEP credit.
ENG 102: INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY GENRES
Class Program
Readings in the major literary genres— poetry, fiction and drama. This course introduces critical concepts and vocabulary that enable students to analyze literature seriously and to create well-organized essays demonstrating their own competence in literary interpretation. Students will receive level-appropriate instruction in research.
Notes
GEP credit.
ENG 121: DIGITAL JOURNALISM PRACTICUM
Class Program
Prerequisite ENG 101 or permission of instructor. This course is for students working on the The Conversationalist, the University’s online newspaper. Students need not take the three hour ENG 220 to participate in the production of the newspaper, and this course will give the student a laboratory experience with digital media. Pass/fail grading.
Notes
Elective credit.
ENG 125: FIRST YEAR SEMINAR
Class Program
First-Year Seminars constitute a common and academically significant experience in a student’s first year at Converse University. All incoming first- year students are required to take a 3-credit hour FYS in the fall semester, choosing from a variety of discipline specific topics. Each FYS carries the corresponding departmental prefix, but with the common course number (except for designated honors sections). Each FYS course is designed to have no more than 18 students, and counts in some designated category of the General Education Program. Strong writing and speaking components are required elements of the course.
Notes
GEP credit.
ENG 150: STUDIES IN FILM
Class Program
A critical examination of notable examples of film. Films representing a variety of genres (comedy, film noir, musical) and countries will be viewed and analyzed. Offered during Jan Term only.
Notes
GEP credit for Fine Arts.
ENG 190: WRITING CENTER PRACTICUM
Class Program
This course is open to students who have been provisionally hired as Writing Center Peer Consultants. Students will complete readings in writing center theory and practice and improve knowledge of invention strategies, revision ideas, editing skills, writing in core academic disciplines, and integrating and citing sources. Readings, assignments, and responses will be conducted online, while an experiential learning component will be completed within the Writing Center. Successful completion of the course is a requirement for continued employment in the Writing Center. Pass/fail grading.
ENG 195: SPECIAL TOPICS
A study of a theme, genre, or period; the course may include film, video, or other media in addition to printed text. Course is intended for non-majors; will not count toward the English major or minor.
Notes
GEP credit.
ENG 199H: FRESHMAN HONORS SEMINAR
Class Program
A study of a selected subject within the discipline, which will vary from term to term. The course is designed to encourage student participation in the intellectual processes through class discussion, research and writing, special projects, problem solving and evaluation and defense of positions. When the subject matter duplicates that of another course, credit toward graduation will be granted for only one of the courses. Offered periodically in rotation with seminars in other disciplines.
Notes
GEP, Elective credit.
ENG 201: SURVEY OF BRITISH LITERATURE I
Class Program
Selections from British literature beginning with the Anglo-Saxon period. The works of major writers are studied in chronological order and appropriate attention is given to backgrounds and characteristics of major literary periods. The first half studies the literature to 1660.
Notes
GEP, Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 202: SURVEY OF BRITISH LITERATURE II
Class Program
The second half of the British Writers survey studies the literature from 1660 to the present.
Notes
GEP, Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 203: SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE I
Class Program
Selections from the body of American literature from the beginning to 1865. The works of representative writers are studied in chronological order and appropriate attention is given to backgrounds and characteristics of major literary periods.
Notes
GEP, Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 204: SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE II
Class Program
Selections from the body of American literature from 1865 to present. The works of representative writers are studied in chronological order and appropriate attention is given to backgrounds and characteristics of major literary periods.
Notes
GEP, Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 205: INTRODUCTORY TOPICS IN COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
Class Program
SP20 topic: Literature & Translation
A focused study on a particular time period, genre, geographical area, cultural milieu, or theme within the framework of comparative literary studies. Topics in this course typically cross national boundaries and perhaps even traditional structures of periodization.
The course emphasizes works originating from outside of Europe or originally written in languages other than English. These works are taught in English translation with attention to the original culture that produced them. English majors may not take more than one such course to count toward major requirements. Non-European and non-Anglophone GEP requirement.
Notes
Major, Minor, Elective, GEP credit. Non-European/Non-Anglophone.
ENG 220: DIGITAL JOURNALISM
Class Program
This course will introduce students to digital (i.e., online) journalism. The class will cover newswriting, editing, website content management, photography, videography, advertising, ethics and libel. Students will create a digital newspaper and participate in every aspect of newspaper production. This will not count as a writing elective but as a major or minor English elective.
Prerequisites
ENG 101 or permission of the instructor.
Notes
Major, minor, Elective credit.
ENG 270: WOMEN WRITERS
Topics in creative writing by women. Topics may include Feminist Literature, Reading and Writing Women, women writers within certain periods and cultural contexts, and specific themes such as women and art.
Notes
GEP: Literature, Humanities/Women's Studies, Major, Minor, Elective, CCW credit.
ENG 280: INTERMEDIATE SPECIAL TOPICS
A focused study on a particular time period, genre, geographical area, cultural milieu, writer, or theme. English majors may not take more than one such course to count toward major requirements.
Notes
GEP, Major, Minor, Elective Credit.
ENG 290: MULTIMODAL COMPOSITION
Class Program
In this course, students will learn to compose in a range of related “modes” or systems of representation, including written, oral, and visual communication. Students may study and produce academic and new media artifacts, such as presentations, podcasts, videos, research posters, and more. Multimodal Composition will satisfy the GEP composition requirement only for those students who place in the course by a score of three on either the Literature/Composition or the Language/Composition Advanced Placement tests. Writing Intensive.
Notes
Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 291: TECHNICAL WRITING & COMMUNICATION
Class Program
In this course, students will analyze and compose genres of writing and communication used in professional, technological, and scientific contexts, including proposals, reports, and instructional manuals. Students will deepen their understanding of principles developed and practiced in either English 101 or 290 by designing multimodal artifacts that communicate technical and specialized information to both expert and non-expert audiences. English 291 prepares English majors and non-English majors alike for unique writing and rhetorical situations in the classroom, laboratory, and workplace.
Prerequisite Courses
Notes
Writing Intensive
ENG 299H: INTERDISCIPLINARY HONORS COURSE
Class Program
This course is team taught by members in two departments and is open to Nisbet Honors Program participants and to others who meet Honors Program guidelines. All students registering for these courses must register not only through the Honors Program but also with their adviser and the Registrar’s Office.
Notes
GEP, Major, Elective credit.
ENG 300: TOPICS IN MEDIEVAL LITERATURE
A study of selected topics in the literature of the middle ages with concentration on British literature. Topics may include individual authors, genres or periods.
Notes
GEP, Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 301: CHAUCER
This course is a study of selected works of Geoffrey Chaucer. The concentration will be on his two major works: The Canterbury Tales and Troilus and Criseyde. While the concentration of classroom discussion will be on the literary texts, an understanding of various 14th century concerns will be integral to the course.
Notes
Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 302: ARTHUR AND THE MATTER OF BRITAIN
The story of Arthur and his followers has fascinated people for 1500 years. In the middle ages it was the most significant secular subject in “history’ and literature, and its appeal to the imagination has persisted through the centuries down to our own time. This course is an introduction to the story of origins and development of the Arthurian legend as it has been presented in history and literature.
Notes
GEP, Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 303: ENGLISH LITERATURE TO 1500
English Literature to 1500 is a study of Old and Middle English literature (exclusive of Chaucer) in translation. The course includes significant authors, works, themes, and genres of the two periods as well as important movements and events affecting that literature.
Notes
Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 305: WORLD LITERATURE
A study of literature from around the world. Course of study may look at specific geographical areas, such as Africa, or may more typically combine literature from a variety of cultures. Non- European and non-Anglophone GEP requirement.
Notes
GEP, Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 310: TOPICS IN RENAISSANCE STUDIES
A study of selected texts and themes that reflect and illuminate the English Renaissance. These may include the Utopia, the Faerie Queen, Paradise Lost, the drama of Marlowe and Ben Jonson, and the poetry of John Donne.
Notes
GEP, Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 315: ADOLESCENT LITERATURE
Designed especially for students preparing to teach at the secondary school level. A combination method and subject matter course planned to evaluate and read the literary works which best relate to the high school student’s experience and training.
Notes
GEP, Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 320: SHAKESPEARE
Class Program
A study of Shakespeare’s major plays.
Notes
Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 325: STUDIES IN A SINGLE AUTHOR
Class Program
This course will focus on the works of a single important author (in fiction or poetry) in either British or American Literature. The author’s body of work will be considered alongside literary and cultural conditions that contribute to the significance of the writer. Writers may include F. Scott Fitzgerald, Virginia Woolf, Walt Whitman, Charles Dickens, James Joyce, Flannery O’Connor, among others.
Notes
Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 330: EIGHTEENTH CENTURY STUDIES
A study of 18th century culture through literature. This look at the Enlightenment may include both English and American texts as well as selected European works. Women’s Studies.
Notes
Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 340: NINETEENTH CENTURY BRITISH LITERATURE
A study of 19th century British literature. Topics may include Romanticism, Victorian literature and genre studies (i.e., novel, poetry, the essay).
Notes
Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 350: NINETEENTH CENTURY AMERICAN LITERATURE
A study of major movements in American literature from 1800– 1900 (Romanticism, Transcendentalism, Realism and Naturalism). Authors studied may include Emerson, Fuller, Thoreau, Douglass, Hawthorne, Melville, Whitman, Twain, James, Chopin, Wharton and DuBois.
Notes
Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 360: TWENTIETH CENTURY BRITISH FICTION
Study of major movements in British fiction since the end of the 19th century.
Notes
Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 361: TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN FICTION
Study of major movements in American Fiction since the end of the nineteenth century. Authors and texts will vary. Writing Intensive.
Notes
Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 365: TWENTIETH CENTURY POETRY
Development of poetry since 1900, including such figures as Yeats, Eliot, Moore and Brooks.
Notes
Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 370: WOMEN WRITERS
Topics in creative writing by women. Topics may include Feminist Literature, Reading and Writing Women, women writers within certain periods and cultural contexts, and specific themes such as women and art.
Notes
GEP: Literature, Humanities/Women's Studies, Major, Minor, Elective, CCW credit.
ENG 380: SPECIAL TOPICS IN LITERATURE
A study of particular time periods, geographical areas, cultural milieus, writers, or themes. Examples of topics are Southern Literature, African-American Writers, Gendered Frontiers and Americans in Paris.
Notes
GEP, Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 390: GENRE STUDIES
A concentrated study of a chosen literary genre.
Notes
Major, Minor credit.
ENG 394: LITERARY CRITICISM
Class Program
A study of the important texts of literary criticism and practice in research and theory. Should be taken as soon as possible following the declaration of an English major.
Notes
Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 395: HISTORY OF THE LANGUAGE
Class Program
A study of the development and principles of the English language and the historical influences on its various forms.
Notes
Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 396: MODERN ENGLISH GRAMMAR
Class Program
A linguistic approach to the study of English grammar. Students will be introduced to structural, descriptive, comparative, and historical linguistics. The main emphasis of the course will center on transformational or transformational- generative grammar.
Notes
Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 490: DIRECTED INDEPENDENT STUDY IN SPECIAL TOPICS
Class Program
This course allows students to pursue a course of study in literature and language not covered by the regular offerings in English. The student is responsible for devising the course of study and seeking a faculty sponsor and director. May be repeated for credit.
Notes
Major, Minor, Elective credit.
ENG 496: BA SENIOR SEMINAR
Class Program
This course will provide the opportunity to develop a substantial scholarly project, as well as hone public speaking skills in the presentation of a semester- long research project. Capstone. Writing Intensive.
Prerequisites
A minimum 2.0 GPA in the major; completion of eight courses in English at the 200 level or higher, including Eng394 or have permission of the instructor in consultation with the department. Required of all Bachelor of Arts with an English major; offered in the fall term of the senior year.
ENG 497: HONORS
Class Program
Independent research and thesis written under the direction of a member of the English faculty. Students must be recommended by the department.
Notes
For qualified senior majors.