English - Undergraduate Programs
Overview
By majoring in English, students are involved simultaneously with two activities that are essentially and uniquely human: language and art. The mission of the Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts at UT Arlington is to educate students about the powers and pleasures of literary and other kinds of language.
The curriculum provides students with an understanding of theoretical and analytical processes which enable them to assimilate a variety of textual materials representing many cultures and historical periods. Students will learn to read closely, critically, and empathetically. In addition, students will learn to conduct scholarly research and to produce clear and cogent arguments in both written and oral form. These skills are widely applicable for English graduates who pursue careers in the arts, education, business, research and development, government, media, and publishing.
The Department of English offers two degree options: a BA in English and a BA in English with Teacher Certification (BATCH). The distribution requirements for both degree plans include courses in literature, rhetoric, theory, and writing. In addition to the majors, the Department of English offers minors in English, Writing, Creative Writing, and Technical Writing and Professional Communication, as well as a Certificate in Technical Writing and Professional Communication for non-degree-seeking students. Furthermore, the Department of English frequently cross-lists courses with African American Studies, Disability Studies, Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Mexican American Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies.
Requirements for a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English
| Pre-Professional Courses | ||
| General Core Requirements | 42 | |
| HIST 2301, HIST 2302, HIST 2313, or HIST 2314 or Brit/World History electives | 6 | |
| ENGL 1200 (new students) or UNIV 1101 (new transfer students) | 1-2 | |
| Modern and Classical Languages: 1441, 1442, 2313, and 2314 or equivalent | 14 | |
| Electives sufficient to complete the 120 credit hours required for the degree 1 | 2-3 | |
| Professional Courses | ||
| Major. To count toward the major, all English courses must be completed with a grade of C or better. | ||
| ENGL 1301 | RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION I (or waiver for advanced standing) 2 | 3 |
| ENGL 1302 | RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION II (or waiver for advanced standing) 2 | 3 |
| Sophomore Literature 2 | 3 | |
| ENGL 2350 | INTRODUCTION TO ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 3 | 3 |
| ENGL 2384 | STRUCTURE OF MODERN ENGLISH 3 | 3 |
| ENGL 3333 | DYNAMIC TRADITIONS IN LITERATURE | 3 |
| Early English Language and Literature | 3 | |
| Rhetoric / Theory | 6 | |
| Writing / Digital Authoring | 3 | |
| 3000/4000-level Literature elective | 3 | |
| 3000/4000-level English electives | 9 | |
| ENGL 4399 | SENIOR SEMINAR (capstone course) | 3 |
| Total Hours | 110-112 | |
| 1 | Students who take ENGL 1200 will need 2 credit hours; students who take UNIV 1101 will need 3 credit hours. |
| 2 | Please keep in mind that the credit hours for ENGL 1301, ENGL 1302, and our sophomore literature requirement (ENGL 2303, ENGL 2309, ENGL 2319, or ENGL 2329), are also counted under the "General Core Requirements" category, giving the misleading impression that our degree plan requires 129 hours (111 + 18 hours for a minor) when, in fact, it requires only 120 hours (102 + 18 hours for minor). |
| 3 | This course is a pre- or co-requisite for all upper-level English courses. English majors must pass this course with a grade of C or better in order to receive credit toward the major for any 3000/4000-level English courses. |
Teacher Certification
Students wishing to take a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English with Secondary Teacher Certification (BATCH) must complete LIST 4343 CONTENT AREA READING AND WRITING and 36 hours in English. To count toward the major, each English course must be completed with a grade of C or better. The required English courses are:
| ENGL 1301 | RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION I (or waiver for advanced standing) | 3 |
| ENGL 1302 | RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION II (or waiver for advanced standing) | 3 |
| ENGL 2350 | INTRODUCTION TO ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION 1 | 3 |
| ENGL 2384 | STRUCTURE OF MODERN ENGLISH 1 | 3 |
| Sophomore Literature | 3 | |
| ENGL 3333 | DYNAMIC TRADITIONS IN LITERATURE | 3 |
| ENGL 4326 | SHAKESPEARE | 3 |
| Rhetoric / Theory | 3 | |
| Writing / Digital Authoring | 3 | |
| 3000/4000-level Literature electives | 6 | |
| 3000/4000-level English elective | 3 | |
| ENGL 4370 | RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION FOR SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS | 3 |
| Total Hours | 39 | |
| 1 | BATCH majors must pass this course with a C or better in order to receive credit toward the major for any 3000/4000-level English courses. |
The requirement of six hours of English or world history does not pertain to students obtaining teacher certification. Students will still need to take the required core curriculum courses, ENGL 1200 (new students) or UNIV 1101 (new transfer students), fourteen hours of foreign language courses, the required secondary certification courses, and the required elective hours necessary to complete the 120 credit hours required for the degree.
Competence in Oral Presentations
Students obtaining a BA in English can demonstrate oral proficiency by:
1. passing ENGL 4399 SENIOR SEMINAR; or
2. passing COMS 1301 FUNDAMENTALS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING, COMS 1302 VOICE AND DICTION, COMS 2305 BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION, or COMS 3315 COMMUNICATION FOR EDUCATORS (or equivalent).
Competence in Computer Use
Students obtaining a BA in English can demonstrate computer proficiency by:
1. passing ENGL 2350 INTRODUCTION TO ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION, ENGL 3372 COMPUTERS AND WRITING, or ENGL 3374 WRITING, RHETORIC, AND MULTIMODAL AUTHORING; or
2. passing CSE 1301 COMPUTER LITERACY (or equivalent); or
3. passing the University computer literacy examination.
Information on Sophomore Courses
Unless otherwise indicated, six hours of first-year English credit is prerequisite to all 2000-level courses. Students who are not majoring in English may register for ENGL 2303 TOPICS IN LITERATURE, ENGL 2309 WORLD LITERATURE, ENGL 2319 BRITISH LITERATURE or ENGL 2329 AMERICAN LITERATURE. Students who plan to major in English must complete ENGL 2350 INTRODUCTION TO ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION and ENGL 2384 STRUCTURE OF MODERN ENGLISH with a grade of C or better, even if they have already completed six hours of sophomore literature.
Minors and Certificate Program
The Department of English currently offers minors in English, Writing, Creative Writing, and Technical Writing and Professional Communication. We also offer a Certificate in Technical Writing and Professional Communication.
Minor in English
The minor in English may be achieved by completing 18 hours in English with a grade of C or better. At least six of the hours must be at the 3000- or 4000-level.
Minor in Writing
The minor in Writing is offered for students who wish to concentrate in writing as a part of their undergraduate curriculum. Students selecting the Writing minor should consult first with the undergraduate advisor in their department or program for approval of the minor and then with the undergraduate advisor in the Department of English. Working with advisors, students will select a sequence of advanced courses to fulfill their minor requirements. To count toward the minor, all English courses must be completed with a grade of C or better. This minor consists of 21 hours.
| Required Courses | ||
| ENGL 1301 | RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION I | 3 |
| ENGL 1302 | RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION II | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| TOPICS IN LITERATURE | ||
| WORLD LITERATURE | ||
| BRITISH LITERATURE | ||
| AMERICAN LITERATURE | ||
| ENGL 3371 | ADVANCED EXPOSITION | 3 |
| Select three of the following: | 9 | |
| COMPUTERS AND WRITING | ||
| ADVANCED TECHNICAL WRITING | ||
| WRITING, RHETORIC, AND MULTIMODAL AUTHORING | ||
| BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING | ||
| ADVANCED ARGUMENTATION | ||
| Total Hours | 21 | |
Minor in Creative Writing
The minor in Creative Writing is offered for students who wish to pursue advanced work in creative writing as a part of their undergraduate curriculum. Students selecting the Creative Writing minor should consult first with the undergraduate advisor in their department or program for approval of the minor and then with the undergraduate advisor in the Department of English. Working with advisors, students will select a sequence of advanced courses to fulfill their minor requirements. To count toward the minor, all English courses must be completed with a grade of C or better. This minor requires 24 hours.
| Required Courses | ||
| ENGL 1301 | RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION I | 3 |
| ENGL 1302 | RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION II | 3 |
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| TOPICS IN LITERATURE | ||
| WORLD LITERATURE | ||
| BRITISH LITERATURE | ||
| AMERICAN LITERATURE | ||
| ENGL 3375 | CREATIVE WRITING | 3 |
| Select three of the following Advanced Creative Writing courses: | 9 | |
| INTRODUCTION TO NARRATIVE SCREENWRITING | ||
| ADVANCED NARRATIVE SCREENWRITING 1 | ||
| PLAYWRITING I | ||
| TOPICS IN CREATIVE WRITING | ||
| ADVANCED CREATIVE WRITING: FICTION | ||
| ADVANCED CREATIVE WRITING: POETRY | ||
| ADVANCED CREATIVE WRITING: CREATIVE NON-FICTION | ||
| Total Hours | 24 | |
| 1 | ART 3350 is a prerequisite for this course. |
Minor in Technical Writing and Professional Communication
The minor in Technical Writing and Professional Communication (TWPC) provides students with training in technical and professional writing, document design, visual communication, editing, and usability, and it helps students become more effective communicators in both traditional and new media environments. Students selecting the TWPC minor should consult first with the undergraduate advisor in their department or program for approval of the minor and then with an undergraduate advisor in the Department of English. Working with advisors, students will select a sequence of courses to fulfill the requirements of the minor. To count toward the minor, all courses must be completed with a grade of C or better. This minor requires 18 hours.
| Required Courses | ||
| ENGL 1301 | RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION I | 3 |
| ENGL 1302 | RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION II | 3 |
| ENGL 2338 | TECHNICAL WRITING | 3 |
| Departmental Electives 1 | 6 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| INTERNSHIP IN ENGLISH | ||
Interdisciplinary Elective 2 | ||
| Total Hours | 18 | |
| 1 | Departmental Electives: ENGL 3373 ADVANCED TECHNICAL WRITING, ENGL 3376 BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING, ENGL 3377 TECHNICAL EDITING, ENGL 3378 TECHNICAL PROCEDURES AND MANUALS, or ENGL 3379 GRANT AND PROPOSAL WRITING. |
| 2 | Interdisciplinary Electives: COMS 2302 PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, COMS 2305 BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION, or MANA 2302 COMMUNICATIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS. |
Certificate in Technical Writing and Professional Communication
The Certificate in Technical Writing and Professional Communication is designed to provide working professionals and other non-degree-seeking students with the same benefits as the minor in TWPC. The certificate requires a total of 12 credit hours of coursework. Students should start the sequence with ENGL 2338 TECHNICAL WRITING, but they may also concurrently take any of the other courses. To receive the certificate, all courses must be completed at UT Arlington with a grade of C or higher.
| Required Courses | ||
| ENGL 2338 | TECHNICAL WRITING | 3 |
| Departmental Electives 1 | 6 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| INTERNSHIP IN ENGLISH | ||
Interdisciplinary Elective 2 | ||
| Total Hours | 12 | |
| 1 | Departmental Electives: ENGL 3373 ADVANCED TECHNICAL WRITING, ENGL 3376 BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING, ENGL 3377 TECHNICAL EDITING, ENGL 3378 TECHNICAL PROCEDURES AND MANUALS, or ENGL 3379 GRANT AND PROPOSAL WRITING. |
| 2 | Interdisciplinary Electives: COMS 2302 PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, COMS 2305 BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION, or MANA 2302 COMMUNICATIONS IN ORGANIZATIONS. |
For additional information about the Certificate in Technical Writing and Professional Communication, please contact the Department of English Undergraduate Advising Office at 817-272-5694.