2019-2020 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
English
- Language and Literature Emphasis Objectives
- Language Arts Emphasis Objectives
- English Education Emphasis Objectives
Chair: VanAntwerp. Professors: Blumreich, Franciosi, Lockerd, Osborn, Persoon, Remlinger, Smith, Tyson, Wenner, White; Associate Professors: Alvarez, Bloem, Brehm, Brice, Bullock, Hewitt, Ihrman, Jellema, Lai, Miller, Pearson, Schneider, Soljan, Tucker, VanAntwerp, Vander Broek, Webster, Westra, Wu; Assistant Professors: Anderson, Bickersteth, Ellis, Garcia, Masko, McLeod, Rozema, Shannon.
For additional information about opportunities your college offers, please refer to your college's section in this catalog.
English is one of the strongest preprofessional majors because the skills, knowledge, and understanding acquired are invaluable preparation for careers in education, law, business, medicine, and government service.
Students who major or minor in English find work in a variety of fields ranging from management to computer programming. Careers such as writing, teaching, library science, editing, and publishing are directly related to specific studies in English language and literature. The communications skills developed in the study of English are also important to careers in public relations, business management, and personnel counseling.
Beyond the practical benefits, however, a primary aim of the English program is to contribute directly to the liberal education of our majors by developing an awareness of the importance of language, the value of critical reading and effective writing, and the richness of the literature of the past and present. English majors learn to write clearly and persuasively, showing understanding of critical theory and literature from different historical periods.
Language and Literature Emphasis Objectives
Our language and literature students learn about the history and development of the English language, the periods and movements that make up the history of American and British literature, and the critical vocabulary used by todays literary scholars. English majors in the language and literature track also learn to write comprehensive essays about literary works, authors, periods, and movements, and to explicate the form and content of a literary work.
Teacher Certification Objectives
All of our majors seeking teacher certification learn about historical developments in the teaching of English. Our teaching majors become proficient at generating theoretically sound ways of representing and formulating the subject matter of English studies, including language, literature, and writing. Students seeking certification in secondary English or elementary language arts must have a 3.0 minimum GPA in English and in language arts majors and minors in order to be eligible for entrance into the College of Education for teacher assisting and student teaching.
Language Arts Emphasis Objectives
English majors in the language arts track are taught to organize, present, and explain concepts from the language arts (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) appropriate to the elementary classroom. Our language arts students learn about current theoretical work in the field and practice planning and implementing teaching that is likely to engage students in learning the integrated language arts. Students also demonstrate their knowledge of classic and contemporary literature for children and strategies for enhancing students responses to such texts. Finally, our students demonstrate mastery of the writing process and strategies for developing in students the content and correctness appropriate to the elementary level.
English Education Emphasis Objectives
English majors in the English education track are taught to organize, present, and explain concepts from the language arts appropriate to the secondary classroom. Our English education students learn about current theoretical work in the field and practice planning and implementing teaching that is likely to engage students in learning the integrated language arts. Students also demonstrate their knowledge of classic and contemporary literature for young adults and strategies for enhancing students responses to such texts. Finally, our students demonstrate mastery of the writing process and strategies for developing in students the content and correctness appropriate to the secondary level.
Student Organizations
Sigma Tau Delta. Grand Valleys Chapter of the National English Honor Society honors excellence in English studies and fosters interest in literature and language scholarship, as well as creative writing. English majors who have achieved a GPA of 3.0 or better in English courses and rank in the top third of their class may apply.
Oldenburg Writing Contest. A departmental writing contest, carrying cash prizes for essays and creative writing, is conducted annually.
Other Activities. In addition, a great variety of campus-wide opportunities is available to students interested in language and literature: films, poetry readings, lectures, production of plays; and work on the student newspaper, The Lanthorn, and on the campus radio and television stations.
Program Requirements
The following programs are available: