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Areas of Emphasis |
Course Descriptions |
Learning Objectives and Intended Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, students should be able to:
- Read critically, think critically, and write critically.
- Have read widely while in the department. They will have a foundation in the canonical works of literature, as well as newer works that challenge or expand the canon. Students are expected to read widely both in and outside their areas of emphasis.
- Have an understanding of and appreciation for the various periods, genres, and styles of literature. They should be able to see and appreciate the thematic links and influences between works within and across genres. They are encouraged to attend live theatre performances and to review film critically.
- Have an appreciation for the role of literature and the arts in society and culture. They should appreciate the key role the written word plays in human expression and the search for meaning.
- Have developed an awareness of historical context and the particular perspective of the work as it speaks from inside or outside the mainstream culture.
- Have acquired the skills to perform close readings/explications of complex literary texts. They will learn the specific lan-guage, beyond jargon, to articulate clearly aesthetic concerns and insights and will pursue a facility and appreciation for the use of research to explore diverse critical responses to literature.
- Have become accomplished writers of analytical papers. They will be able to provide evidence from the text to support arguments. They should have a strong competency in the use and conventions of the MLA (Modern Language Association) citation style.
- 42 required credit hours
- 3 international language credit hours
- 27 general education credit hours
- 56 elective credit hours
Each English major must earn a grade of at least C- in ENGL
2020 and ENGL 2030 Major British Writers I and II and ENGL 2050
and ENGL 2070 Major U.S. Writers I and II,.
• Each
student must complete at least 12 credit hours of courses for
the major at the 3000 or 4000 level.
• No more than two
courses, not to exceed a maximum of 6 credit hours, completed
with a grade of D may count toward fulfilling the specific
course requirements of the major.
• At least 21 credit
hours within the major must be completed at Webster University.
Of the 24 credit hours required in any one emphasis, 12 must be
taken at Webster University.
International Language Requirement
•
A minimum of three hours in a non-native language is required
in addition to the requirements for the major. Courses used
towards the International Language requirement may also be used
to fulfill general education requirements or a ma-jor/minor in
a foreign language.
• Transfer students who have
completed their 3 credits at an institution of higher education
are considered to have fulfilled the requirement, as are
students who have scored a "3" or higher on an Advanced
Placement exam in a non-native language.
• For students
whose native language is not English, a passing grade on the
TOEFL will count as their foreign language requirement.
Students who are from bilingual families but have no evidence
of academic study of the second language on a transcript will
need to take one course.
Required Courses for the English Major
| ENGL 2020 Major British Writers I | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2030 Major British Writers II | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2050 Major U.S. Writers I | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2070 Major U.S. Writers II | 3 hours |
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Twenty-four hours from the list or lists specific to the student’s emphasis (see below). |
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Six elective hours from the emphasis list or other English courses. |
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| ENGL 4600 Portfolio Review (in the final semester of study) | 0 hours |
English with Emphasis in Creative Writing
Program Description
The primary focus of the program is on learning the art of reading as a writer: opening up influences, gathering strategies, widening the range of what's possible in a student's own writing. Small classes, high standards, and a congenial atmosphere combine to foster each student's individual growth as a writer.
The attendant Visiting Writers Series brings nationally prominent writers to campus for public readings and colloquia. Each year students in the program edit and publish a literary magazine, The Green Fuse . Playwrights have the opportunity to see their own work produced in the annual spring festival of student plays, Surfacing: The Emerging Playwrights Festival.
Emphasis-Specific Learning
Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, students
should be able to:
Be able to read as writers: opening up
influences, gathering strategies, and widening the range of
what is possible in a student’s own writing.
Appreciate
the precarious balance between the solitary act of writing
itself and the communal, public act of passing written work
before the unblinking eye of the world.
Have developed an
appreciative comprehension of both the art and the craft of
writing (and the significant abiding differences between the
two).
Have discovered and established a genuine
self-discipline and a regular work regimen that is viable for
the individual student.
Required Courses for Emphasis in Creative Writing
| ENGL 2020 Major British Writers I | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2030 Major British Writers II | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2050 Major U.S. Writers I | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2070 Major U.S. Writers II | 3 hours |
15 credit hours from the following:
| ENGL 2150 Creative Writing: Poetry | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2160 Creative Writing: Fiction | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2170 Creative Writing: Playwriting | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2180 Creative Writing: Nonfiction | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2190 Creative Writing: Translation | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3030 Topics in Poetry | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3040 Topics in Fiction | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3050 Topics in Drama | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3160 Advanced Creative Writing | 2-4 hours |
| ENGL 3450 Reading and Writing Autobiography | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4400 Advanced Writing Workshop | 3 hours |
9 credit hours from the following:
| ENGL 3100 Modern Drama | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3130 Contemporary Drama | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3190 Comedy and Satire | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3210 Tragic Themes | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3300 20th Century American Poetry | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3400 The Short Story | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3900 Myth and Classical Literature | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4000 Myth and Modern Literature | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4010 Art and the Artist | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4020 Heroic Themes | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4030 Literature of Latin America | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4150 Shakespeare I | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4160 Shakespeare II | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4500 Literary Criticism | 3 hours |
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An additional 6 credit hours of ENGL electives. |
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Note: Students with an emphasis in creative writing must successfully complete at least one section of ENGL 4400. |
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| ENGL 4600 Portfolio Review (in the final semester of study) | 0 hours |
English with Emphasis in Drama
Program Description
This emphasis is designed to give students a strong grounding in our rich legacy of dramatic literature from the ancient to the modern world. Students in the emphasis read masterworks in every major period of dramatic literature from around the world. Our study abroad program makes it possible for students to study drama at our London campus, where students can see and study some of the world’s finest drama onstage.
Our dramatic literature classes are designed to engage and involve students as active readers, thinkers, and writers. The emphasis in Drama is designed to give students the necessary literary background and analytical skills they will need as teachers, writers, scholars, and theatre professionals.
Required Courses for Emphasis in Drama
| ENGL 2020 Major British Writers I | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2030 Major British Writers II | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2050 Major U.S. Writers I | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2070 Major U.S. Writers II | 3 hours |
24 credit hours from the following:
| ENGL 2110 Perspectives (if topic is drama-related) | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2170 Creative Writing: Playwriting | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2210 Literature into Film (if topic is drama-related) | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2250 Literary London | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3050 Topics in Drama | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3100 Modern Drama | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3130 Contemporary Drama | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3190 Comedy and Satire | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3210 Tragic Themes | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3900 Myth and Classical Literature | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4000 Myth and Modern Literature | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4150 Shakespeare I | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4160 Shakespeare II | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4400 Advanced Writing Workshop: Playwriting | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4500 Literary Criticism | 3 hours |
| SCPT 3110 Script Analysis | 3 hours |
| THEA 2030 History of Theatre: Greeks to Elizabethan | 3 hours |
| THEA 2040 History of Theatre: Restoration to 1915 | 3 hours |
| THEA 2050 History of Theatre: 1915 to Present | 3 hours |
| THEA 3040 Topics in Theatre | 3 hours |
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An additional 6 credit hours of ENGL electives. Specified credit hours from other departments may, with approval, be selected. |
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Note: Theatre arts courses listed above are considered for this emphasis to be in the English Department. |
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| ENGL 4600 Portfolio Review (in the final semester of study) | 0 hours |
English with Emphasis in Literature, Society, and Politics
Program Description
In this emphasis, students are expected to engage with
literature not only in terms of its aesthetic dimensions, but
also in terms of the ways it expresses the values, views, and
dynamics of a given cultural and historical context. In small
classes and seminars students are given multiple opportunities
to develop their skills in literary analysis, critical writing,
and oral expression. Outstanding student essays are selected by
faculty to be published each spring in our literary journal,
The Mercury.
Required Courses Emphasis in Literature, Society, and Politics
| ENGL 2020 Major British Writers I | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2030 Major British Writers II | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2050 Major U.S. Writers I | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2070 Major U.S. Writers II | 3 hours |
24 credit hours from the following:
| ENGL 1060 Protest Literature | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2035 History of the Novel | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2086 Contemporary Multiethnic Literature of the US | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2110 Perspectives | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2210 Literature into Film | 3 hours |
| ENGL 2300 Worlds of Romance | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3100 Modern Drama | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3130 Contemporary Drama | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3140 Women Create Women in Literature | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3150 Men Create Women in Literature | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3190 Comedy and Satire | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3210 Tragic Themes | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3300 20th Century American Poetry | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3400 The Short Story | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3500 Contexts | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3600 Prize-Winning U.S. Writers | 3 hours |
| ENGL 3900 Myth and Classical Literature | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4000 Myth and Modern Literature | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4010 Art and the Artist | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4020 Heroic Themes | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4030 Literature of Latin America | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4130 Seminar in a Single Author | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4150 Shakespeare I | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4160 Shakespeare II | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4190 Historical Linguistics: History of the English Language | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4200 Contemporary Linguistics | 3 hours |
| ENGL 4500 Literary Criticism | 3 hours |
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An additional 6 credit hours of ENGL electives. |
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| ENGL 4600 Portfolio Review (in the final semester of study) | 0 hours |
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