| Faculty | Major: Literature Emphasis | Major: Writing Emphasis |
| Minors | Approved Courses: Lower Division |
Approved Courses: Upper Division |
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www.plu.edu/~english
english@plu.edu
English offers excellent preparation for any future requiring integrative thinking, skill in writing, discernment in reading, an appreciation of human experience and aesthetic values, and the processes of critical and creative expression. Business, government, technology, education, and publishing are areas where our graduates frequently make their careers.
Our program offers emphases in literature and writing, as well as concentrations in children's literature and publishing. The English Department also supports the study abroad programs, and we offer study tours to such places as Europe, Australia, and the Caribbean.
Faculty: Albrecht, Chair; Barot, Bergman, Campbell, Carlton, Eyler, Jansen, Kaufman, Levy, Marcus, D.M. Martin, Oestrich, Rahn, Robinson, Seal, Skipper, B. Temple-Thurston.
All English majors must complete at least two years of a foreign language at the university level, or the equivalent (see College of Arts and Sciences Foreign Language Requirements, Option I).
The English major with an emphasis on literature introduces students to the great literary traditions of Britain, North America, and the English-speaking world. The major in literature places courses organized by historical period at the heart of the student's program, allowing students to read the great works that define the periods, and to explore the ways in which cultural contexts shape the literary imagination. Students who select the emphasis on literature can expect to learn how sensitive readers engage texts through their own speaking and writing, following their insights into the rich pleasures of literary language and growing more sophisticated in constructing effective interpretive arguments. They will also be introduced to the ways in which major critical traditions frame our approaches to literature and define the issues that keep literature meaningful and relevant in our lives.
Students considering English with an emphasis on literature as a major, but who are still undecided, might begin with a 200-level course. Even though no 200-level course is required for majors, students may request that one appropriate 200-level course be substituted for one similar Periods and Surveys course at the 300-level. Students are encouraged to take Shakespeare early in the major.
Courses offered through correspondence, on-line, and independent studies are not accepted to meet the literature requirement.
The following course distributions are required of majors with an emphasis on literature:
- ENGL 301: Shakespeare
Early
- ENGL 351: English Medieval Literature
- ENGL 352: Chaucer
- ENGL 353: English Renaissance Literature
Middle
- ENGL 361: English Restoration and 18th-Century
- ENGL 362: English Romantic and Victorian Literature
- ENGL 371: Studies in American Literature, 1820-1920
Late
- ENGL 367: 20th-Century British Literature
- ENGL 372: 20th-Century American Poetry
- ENGL 373: 20th-Century American Fiction and Drama
Literature and Difference
- ENGL 341: Feminist Approaches to Literature
- ENGL 343: Post-Colonial Literature and Theory
- ENGL 374: American Ethnic Literature
The capstone: senior seminar project is a general university requirement in all programs and majors. Students will customarily satisfy this presentation requirement in English in their seminar course as a culmination of their undergraduate education, in the senior year. Under certain circumstances, students may substitute an appropriate 300-level course taken in the senior year.
- ENGL 428: Seminar - Critical Theory
- ENGL 451: Seminar - Author
- ENGL 452: Seminar - Theme, Genre
The writing emphasis at
PLU has been designed for a broad spectrum of students, from those
wishing to focus on fiction and poetry, to those interested in more
pragmatic types of writing, to those set on exploring theoretical
issues in rhetoric and composition.
A minimum of 20 semester hours in writing with at least 12 upper-division semester hours.
a. Imaginative Writing
- ENGL 227: Imaginative Writing I
- ENGL 327: Imaginative Writing II
- ENGL 326: Writing for Children
b. Expository Writing
- ENGL 221: Research and Writing
- ENGL 323: Writing in a Professional Setting
- ENGL 328: Advanced Composition for Teachers
c. Creative Nonfiction
- ENGL 224: Travel Writing
- ENGL 225: Autobiographical Writing
- ENGL 324: Free-Lance Writing
- ENGL 325: Personal Essay
The senior project, generally taken in
the senior year, includes a capstone presentation consistent with the
general university requirements, Students must select from the following courses:
- ENGL 425, 426: Writing on Special Topics
- ENGL 427: Imaginative Writing III
- ENGL 428: Seminar: Critical Theory
Students are encouraged to take literature courses which contribute
to their goals as writers, and which expand their experience with the
history and genres of writing.
20 semester hours (excluding WRIT 101), distributed as follows: four hours of Shakespeare, eight hours from Periods and Surveys (see Literature Major Requirements), and eight hours of electives.
20 semester hours (excluding WRIT 101), with at least 12 semester hours in upper division, distributed as follows: 12 semester hours in writing, four semester hours in literature, four semester hours of elective.
24 semester hours. See separate listing under Publishing and Printing Arts.
Students completing ENGL 333 and eight semester hours from ENGL 326, 334, 335 or other approved courses (all with grades of B or higher) will be recognized for special competence in children's literature.
Students preparing to teach English in secondary schools should arrange for an advisor in both English and Education. Please also see the Department of Instructional Development and Leadership section of this catalog.
Students preparing to teach in junior or senior high school may earn either a Bachelor of Arts in English with certification from the School of Education and Movement Studies, or a Bachelor of Arts in Education with a teaching major in English. See course requirements in Department of Instructional Development and Leadership. The English major with an emphasis in literature and the English major with an emphasis in writing may both be pursued by prospective teachers. Secondary education students must fulfill all requirements for the English major: Option 1 of the Foreign Language Requirements (two years of a foreign language at the university level, or the equivalent); at least 36 and no more than 44 credit hours in English; and all the specific requirements for the major either in literature or in writing. State certification for teachers also mandates the following requirements, which are an overlay to the major. Courses taken to satisfy the major can also be courses that satisfy the state certification requirements.
- English literature: One course
- American literature: One course
- Comparative literature: One course
- (ENGL 214, 216, 217, 218, 232, 233, 341, 343, appropriate seminar)
- Linguistics or structure of language: One course (ENGL 403)
- Writing/Composition: One course (ENGL 328 is especially recommended)
Prospective teachers may take EDUC 529: Adolescent Literature in the Secondary Curriculum as an elective in the English major.
Students preparing to teach in elementary schools following the Language Arts curriculum, must take 24 semester hours minimum in English, and are advised to follow the structure of the English major in satisfying state certification requirements. Consult your advisor in the Department of Instructional Development and Leadership.
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (Low-Residency): See Graduate Section.