English, BA

Program Description:

The English major provides a balanced program of introductory and advanced work in English and American literature, world literature in English, English language and linguistics, and writing. The program offers students the chance to engage in a major humanistic discipline, the study of literature, which is challenging and enriching in itself. The English major also provides sound professional training for those interested in high school or college teaching, the teaching of English as a second language, business or technical writing, or graduate work; and the program is an excellent background for students entering professional schools or planning business careers.

The English major offers five concentrations that have been designed to meet the needs of students with a general interest in literature and of those with special interests in writing or teaching. Students seeking a strong background in literature, history, theory, and analysis should take the literature concentration in English, which combines the historical and critical study of literature with innovative approaches to critical methods, women’s studies, nontraditional literatures, and non-Western literature in English. The concentration in English with an emphasis on creative writing offers students a full series of introductory and advanced creative writing courses. The concentration in English with an emphasis on professional writing gives interested students a strong combination of literature and professional writing instruction, including course work in technical writing, professional editing, and document design. The concentration in English with an emphasis on TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) provides a combination of advanced work in applied linguistics with training in current methods of language teaching.

Finally, the concentration in English with an emphasis on Integrated Language Arts offers a combination of courses in literature, communication, language study, and pedagogy for students interested in seeking licensure to teach English and language arts in middle school or high school.

In choosing electives, students should try to select, in consultation with the departmental advisor, courses that complement their major interest and form a coherent unit of study or courses that provide an appropriate career-oriented concentration.

English Honors Program

The honors program in English is designed to encourage and recognize superior academic accomplishments by English undergraduates. With the approval of the chair of the English department and the departmental honors advisor, students who meet the eligibility standards may enter the English honors program before the beginning of their senior year. Students may be admitted to the program on the recommendation of any member of the English department faculty, or students may petition to enter the program. Under the direction of a faculty tutor, students in the honors program will complete an honors project that culminates in their writing an honors thesis or project report. For further information on eligibility and enrollment, students should consult the departmental honors advisor.

Faculty:

Professors Bracher (Emeritus), Bullock, N. Cary (Emeritus), Crusan, Fleischauer (Emeritus), Guthrie, Harden (Emerita), Howard (Emeritus), Hughes (Emeritus), Hussman (Emeritus), Law, Mack, Maner (Emeritus), Milligan, Pacernick (Emeritus), Pringle, Sammons (Emeritus), Seitz, Swanson (Emeritus)

Associate Professors Beumer-Johnson, C. Cary (Emerita), Flanagan, Hall, Haught, Jones, Kich (WSU-Lake Campus), Limouze, C. Loranger (chair), MacDonald (Emeritus), Molitierno (Emeritus, WSU-Lake Campus), Oxindine, Schwartz (WSU-Lake Campus), Seon (Emeritus), Sharma, Zaytoun

Assistant Professors Hagen (Emerita, WSU-Lake Campus), Lake, Lamping, Mejia-LaPerle, Snyder (Emerita, WSU-Lake Campus), Söderlund, Strombeck

Senior Lecturers Blakelock, Chesire, Cornett, Dickey, Geisel, Rubin, Sayer, Smith

Lecturers Allen, Crews, Crowley, DeThomas, Harris (English/Women’s Studies), Hayes, Horwitz, Kollman, D. Loranger (Music/English), Marshall, McGinley, McKiernan, Metzner, Strader

Instructors Holmes, Stoermer

Concentrations

Creative Writing

Program Requirements:

I. Wright State Core: 38 Hours

Element 1 - Communication: 6 Hours

Element 2 - Mathematics: 3 Hours

Element 3 - Global Traditions: 6 Hours

Element 4 - Arts and Humanities: 3 Hours

Element 5 - Social Sciences: 6 Hours

Element 6: Natural Sciences: 8 Hours

Additional Core Course: 6 Hours

II. Departmental Requirements: 36 Hours

One course from

ENG 4850 - Special Topics in Creative Writing Credit Hour(s): 3 or
any 4000-level English course in contemporary literature

Capstone course specific to sub-group:

ENG 4870 - Capstone Seminar in Poetry Writing Credit Hour(s): 3 or
ENG 4880 - Capstone Seminar in Fiction Writing Credit Hour(s): 3

III. Related Requirements

IV. College Requirements: 18 Hours

Foreign Language: 12 Hours

Through 2020 level (1010, 1020, 2010, 2020) of one language: 12 Hours

Spanish, French, German, Greek, Latin, Chinese, Russian, Italian, Japanese, American Sign Language or other.

Methods of Inquiry

Quantitative Methods: 3 Hours

One Course from:

COM 4490 - Survey of Communication Research Credit Hour(s): 3
MUS 4140 - Intro to Research in Music Credit Hour(s): 3
PLS 2100 - Quantitative Methods in Political Science Credit Hour(s): 3
SW 2910 - Social Science Data Analysis Credit Hour(s): 3
SOC 3400 - Sociological Analysis Credit Hour(s): 3
URS 4980 - Quantitative/Qualitative Analysis Credit Hour(s): 3
SOC 3410 - Introduction to Research Methods Credit Hour(s): 3
MS 2040 - Introduction to Business Statistics Credit Hour(s): 3

Qualitative Methods: 3 Hours

One Course from:

PHL 2150 - Inductive Logic Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 2230 - Symbolic Logic I Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 3230 - Symbolic Logic II Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 4710 - Philosophy of Physical Science Credit Hour(s): 3
PHL 4720 - Philosophy of Social Science Credit Hour(s): 3

V. Electives: 32 Hours

Total: 124 Hours

Graduation Planning Strategy

The Graduation Planning Strategy (GPS) has been created to illustrate one option to complete degree requirements within a particular time frame. Students are encouraged to meet with their academic advisor to adjust this plan based on credit already earned, individual needs or curricular changes that may not be reflected in this year’s catalog.

Integrated Language Arts/ English Education

Students who wish to teach English or language arts in Ohio public high schools should pursue the B.A. in English with a concentration in integrated language arts. Upon completion of this undergraduate degree program in the College of Liberal Arts, students then need to complete the Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree through Wright State’s College of Education and Human Services. Graduates of the B.A. in English/ Integrated Language Arts and M.Ed. are eligible to seek licensure from the Ohio Department of Education in adolescent/young adult integrated language arts.

For admission to the major in English: Integrated Language Arts, students must present any one of the following:

An overall GPA of 2.50 or better after completion of 48 hours (a minimum of 24 hours completed at Wright State University)
An overall GPA of 2.25 or better, with grades of B or better in both ENG 3050 and ENG 3060 , after completion of 48 hours (a minimum of 24 hours completed at Wright State University)
An overall GPA of 2.00 or better, with a GPA of 3.30 in five courses in the English major, after completion of 48 hours (a minimum of 24 hours completed at Wright State University)
The recommendation of an English department faculty member and permission of the department chair

Requirements for admission to the M.Ed. include a minimum GPA, admission testing, and interviews. Throughout their undergraduate work, students should consult regularly with their advisor in the College of Education and Human Services to ensure that they are meeting requirements to enter the program.