Overview

In the Department of English students have the opportunity to concentrate their coursework in Literary Studies, Creative Writing, or Film and Cultural Studies. Majors receive a strong foundation in the traditional areas of English and American literature. Many of the courses offered in English focus on close reading, writing, inquiry, and analysis. By exercising these skills, students majoring in English prepare themselves to enter graduate school or seek professions in the humanities, education, business, law, and other areas where language skills, analytical thinking, and cultural literacy are valued.

 

Requirements

Major requirements

All English majors, regardless of concentration, are required to take ten courses (40 hours) beyond English 101, including the following five courses (20 hours):

• 102: Introduction to Literature (ideally taken during the first or second year)
• 278: Literary Theory and Cultural Criticism (ideally taken during the second year) 
• 322: British Literature (ideally taken during the second or third year) 
• 323: American Literature (ideally taken during the second or third year)
• 473: Senior Seminar (to be taken during fall of the fourth year) 

Supportive Requirement: A foreign language through the intermediate level.

 

Concentration Requirements: English with an Emphasis on Literary Studies

An additional five elective courses (20 hours) in English, including:

• 301S: Literature and Culture II
• 321W: Literary History
• One additional literature course at the 300/400-level

Concentration Requirements: English with an Emphasis on Creative Writing

An additional five elective courses (20 hours) in English, including at least three creative writing classes, of which at least two must be on the 300/400-level, selected from the following course options: 

• 211: Scriptwriting I 
• 219: Creative Writing: Poetry 
• 219: Creative Writing: Fiction
• 312: Literary Journalism 
• 311S: Scriptwriting II 
• 313W: Advanced Rhetoric 315: The Essay

CONCENTRATION REQUIREMENTS: English with an Emphasis on Film and Cultural Studies

An additional five elective courses (20 hours) in English, including at least three Film and Cultural Studies classes, of which at least two must be on the 300/400-level, selected from the following course options: 

• 172: Visual Culture 
• 178: Film Art 
• 262: Shakespeare and Film 
• 362S:Cultural Studies 
• 368: Film History 
• 373: Film Theory and Criticism
• 382: Radio Broadcasting 
• 383: Digital Rhetoric and Cultures 
• 399: Film and Television Studies

 

Minor Requirements

Students earning a minor in English are required to take six courses in English (24 hours) beyond English 101, including the following four courses (16 hours): 

• 102: Introduction to Literature (ideally taken during the first or second year)
• 278: Literary Theory and Criticism (ideally taken during the second or third year) 
• 322: British Literature (ideally taken during the second or third year) 
• 323: American Literature (ideally taken during the second or third year)

Students earning a minor in English are also required to take two elective courses (8 hours) in English, at least one of which must be on the 300-level.

 

Major Field Test in English

Students majoring in English are required to take the Major Field Test in English during the fall semester of their senior year. The exam, which consists of 150 multiple choice questions, assesses a graduating senior's knowledge of British and American literature of all periods, literary history, criticism, and literary terminology. More information about the test and access to sample questions may be found on the ETS website.

 

Departmental Reading List exam

Students majoring in English are required to take a comprehensive essay exam based on the Departmental Reading List. During the fall semester of their senior year, majors will be assigned, at random, one of six essay questions to which they will have three hours to produce a thesis-driven, evidence-based response.

 

Departmental Honors

A student majoring in English may also opt to pursue English Departmental Honors in literary, film, or cultural criticism or in creative writing. 

  

Certification to Teach

The Department of Education at Centenary prepares students to teach English in secondary schools through an alternative certification program leading to the Master of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.). Undergraduate students may apply to enroll in M.A.T. courses a) upon completion of 90 undergraduate credit hours or b) after completion of the baccalaureate degree. For additional information, please contact the Department of Education at 318.869.5223 or visit the Department’s website to obtain a Department of Education Graduate Catalogue.