English BA
Engaging with and changing the world starts with reading and writing your way through it. The Department of English offers classroom, research, internship, and creative opportunities that will help you critically approach and insightfully analyze the diverse texts and situations you encounter every day. From reading and discussing important literary works, to impressing people with your outstanding writing, to becoming a more critical consumer and composer of digital media, the English BA positions you to advocate for awareness and change in both professional and public spheres. English majors love words, and our department offers insight into wielding their power and using them for the greater good.
General Education Requirements
All undergraduate english majors must meet the university and college general education requirements.
The college's foreign language requirement may be met in any language
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory Option
Majors may take no more than 6 satisfactory/unsatisfactory hours in the department. Any English course may be taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis except the following:
| ENGL 1100 | First-Year Writing (MOTR ENGL 200) | 3 |
| ENGL 1110 | First-Year Writing for International Students | 3 |
| ENGL 3090 | Turning the Kaleidoscope: How We Look at Texts | 3 |
| ENGL 3100 | Junior-Level Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 3110 | Junior-Level Writing for International Students | 3 |
| ENGL 3120 | Business Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 3130 | Technical Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 3160 | Writing in the Sciences | 3 |
Degree Requirements
English majors must complete at least 39, but no more than 48, hours in English exclusive of:
| ENGL 1100 | First-Year Writing (MOTR ENGL 200) | 3 |
| ENGL 1110 | First-Year Writing for International Students | 3 |
| Junior-Level Writing Requirement | 3 | |
Students majoring in English must take one three-hour 2000-level course in each of the following areas: Literature in English, Language and Writing Studies, and Creative Writing. Collectively, the three 2000-level courses introduce all majors to the intellectual work people in English Studies do, and help them explore the range of skills, processes, areas of knowledge, and practices we work with and the texts we produce.
| Literature in English | 3 | |
| Poetry: The Greatest Hits | ||
| Our Stories, Ourselves | ||
| Hey, Have You Read ______? | ||
| Drama: The Greatest Hits | ||
| Language and Writing Studies | 3 | |
| Rhetorical Ways with Words | ||
| Literate Lives | ||
| Introduction to English Language Variety | ||
| Creative Writing | 3 | |
| Introduction to Creative Writing | ||
| Poetry Writing Jumpstart | ||
| Fiction Writing Jumpstart | ||
| Total Hours | 9 | |
Junior-Level Writing Requirement
Students choose one three-hour course from the following list to meet the junior-level writing requirement:
| ENGL 3090 | Turning the Kaleidoscope: How We Look at Texts 1 | 3 |
| ENGL 3100 | Junior-Level Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 3110 | Junior-Level Writing for International Students | 3 |
| ENGL 3120 | Business Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 3130 | Technical Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 3160 | Writing in the Sciences | 3 |
| HONORS 3100 | Honors Advanced Composition: Writing The City | 3 |
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This course is strongly advised for literature majors and students anticipating graduate study in English.
3000 Level Major Courses: required total of 9 hours, at least six of which are literature.
Courses at this level feature a more narrow range of content, deepening the skills and habits of mind learned at the 2000 level.
| One 3000-level British Literature Course | 3 | |
| One 3000-level American Literature Course | 3 | |
| An additional 3000-level English Course | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 9 | |
4000 Level Courses: required total of 12 hours. Pre-requisite: students must pass all three 2000-level core curriculum courses before enrolling in 4000-level courses.
Senior level courses are more specialized in content and more challenging in the kinds of work students produce. A wide range of these is available, in literature in English, writing and language, and creative writing. A student can focus on one of those three areas or may remain a generalist.
Electives: 9 hours of English courses at any level, exclusive of courses used to satisfy the first-year and junior-level writing requirements.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English Learning Outcomes
English BA Graduates Will Be Strong Writers, Compose Ideas with Clarity and Utilize Effective Writing Processes. They Will:
- Experiment with and enact various textual and discursive forms
- Integrate audience expectations and/or needs into texts they create
- Challenge audience expectations when appropriate
- Construct purposeful texts
- (i.e. texts may include but are not limited to: literature, rhetoric, language, film, music, and other media/interactions)
- Practice revision processes, with complexity and concision complementing each other
- Make use of grammatically and mechanically correct prose when the rhetorical situation requires it
- Adapt and experiment with grammatical and mechanical conventions when the rhetorical situation requires it
English BA Graduates Participate in Conversations via Reading, Writing, Speaking, Listening, and Critical Thinking. They Will:
- Read, write, and interact with a variety of texts
- Read broadly and widely
- Read closely and critically
- Engage with increasingly complex texts as readers and writers
- Contribute their own perspectives to scholarly and public conversations involving texts they read
- Develop their own ideas and elaborate on them in relation to the ideas of others
- Discuss texts thoughtfully, inside and outside of classrooms
- Listen to others and synthesize perspectives when discussing texts
- Develop and master listening rhetorically, and listening to understand, not merely to argue against.
English BA Graduates Will Engage with a Wide Variety of Texts and Become Astute Analysts and Creators. They will:
- Define and describe texts
- Identify patterns in texts
- Analyze patterns in texts
- Make claims based on evidence found in texts
- Develop and propose alternative claims about texts
- Create original texts in response to texts
- Create and articulate original ideas in texts
English BA Graduates Will Be Culturally and Historically Aware Citizens and Professionals. They will:
- Explore and explain the interrelatedness of texts with culture, race, ethnicity, gender, disability, sexuality, class, and power, and the intersectional and sometimes fluid nature of such concepts
- Articulate worldviews from varied perspectives and evidence-based positions
- Discuss the historical dimensions and contemporary implications of texts
- Explore the structure and history of the English language
- Demonstrate strong social awareness
Sample Four Year Plan
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| INTDSC 10031 | 1 | ENGL 2360 | 3 |
| ENGL 1100 | 3 | ENGL 2040 (ENGL 2410, ENGL 2400) | 3 |
| MATH 1020 | 3 | Foreign Language 1002 | 5 |
| Foreign Language 1001 | 5 | CORE - Communication Proficiency | 3 |
| EXPLORE - Social Sciences | 3 | Elective or minor | 1 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENGL 2410 (or ENGL 2XXX Elective) | 3 | ENGL 3530 | 3 |
| ENGL 3320 | 3 | ENGL 3710 | 3 |
| Foreign Language 2101 | 3 | CORE - Information Literacy | 3 |
| CORE - US History and Government | 3 | EXPLORE - Social Sciences | 3 |
| EXPLORE - Math and Sciences | 3 | Elective or minor | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENGL 3090, 3100, 3120, 3130, or 3160 | 3 | ENGL 4000 Level elective | 3 |
| ENGL 4000-level course | 3 | ENGL elective | 3 |
| ENGL elective | 3 | EXPLORE - Mathematics and Life/Natural Sciences | 3 |
| EXPLORE - Social Sciences | 3 | Cultural Diversity Requirement | 3 |
| EXPLORE - Mathematics and Life/Natural Sciences | 3 | Elective or minor | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| ENGL 4000+ level elective | 3 | ENGL 4000+ level elective | 3 |
| ENGL elective | 3 | Elective or minor | 3 |
| Elective or minor | 3 | Elective or minor | 3 |
| Elective or minor | 3 | Elective or minor | 3 |
| Elective or minor | 3 | Elective or minor | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Hours: 120 | |||
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INTDSC 1003 is required only for first-time freshmen and transfer students with less than 24 college credits.
PLEASE NOTE: This plan is an example of what a four year plan could look like for a typical student. Placement exam scores in math as well as the completion of coursework may change the plan. It should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor. All requirements are subject to change.
B.S. Ed. in Secondary Education with Emphasis in English
The B.S. Ed. is a professional education degree designed for students who wish to pursue a teaching career in secondary schools. Much of the discipline-specific coursework parallels the B.A. or B.S. degree in the discipline; however, the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) requires specific coursework for teacher certification. Therefore, students interested in the B.S. Ed. should contact the advising office (OASIS) 314-516-5937 in the College of Education for discipline-specific requirements. Note: To obtain teaching certification, DESE requires a 3.0 GPA in the discipline and professional education coursework, as well as a 2.75 GPA overall.
B.A. in English with Master’s Level Coursework for Secondary Teacher Certification
In addition to the B.S. Ed., students may opt to complete a B.A. or B.S. degree in their discipline as an undergraduate, followed by admission to the Graduate School for Master’s level teaching certification. The College of Education has a one-year accelerated program for post-graduate certification called Teach in 12, or students can choose a traditional path to certification. Graduate coursework for certification can apply towards a Master’s Degree in Secondary Education, with additional coursework. Students interested in Master’s Level teacher certification should contact the advising office (OASIS) 314-516-5937 in the College of Education. Note: To obtain teaching certification, DESE requires a 3.0 GPA in the discipline and professional education coursework, as well as a 2.75 GPA overall.