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This emphasis combines the English major curriculum with the professional education requirements necessary for licensure, preparing graduates for teaching in middle school or at the secondary level.
A student planning to obtain a secondary teacher licensure will need to include the required Professional Education courses and additional General Education requirements in their program as outlined in the School of Education, Psychology, and Counseling section of this Catalog.
The student must apply for Initial Admission to the Teacher Education Program (usually by the end of the sophomore year) after completing all requirements as outlined under ADMISSION PROCEDURES in the School of Education, Psychology, and Counseling section of the Catalog. Initial admission is required before the student can enroll in upper division education courses. The student must also complete an application and all other requirements for Admission to Student Teaching.
The Literature emphasis is a strong liberal arts major with courses spanning the long history of literature, culture, and meaning-making in America, Britain, and beyond. Courses in the Literature emphasis introduce students to the pleasures of serious reading and interpretation, the value of seeing through other eyes, the chance to sharpen analytic skills to engage the material and symbolic world, the dynamism of a written world long in flux, the satisfaction of producing enlightened, inventive, compelling writing. Students gain practical experience through coursework, mentorship, experiential learning to prepare for graduate and professional programs as well as an ever-expanding variety of careers.
The Professional Writing Emphasis prepares students to apply critical thinking and writing skills to a variety of professional writing settings in which clear, cohesive writing is a necessity. Students will read and write a wide range of texts in both print and digital media necessary for jobs across a spectrum of professions. To gain experience writing for the marketplace, students in this emphasis will complete an internship with a professional organization such as public relations firms, educational institutions, business, and media.
With the preeminent position of English as a global language, numerous international opportunities exist for teachers with a practical understanding of linguistics, intercultural communication, and theories of second language acquisition. The teaching of English also provides an unparalleled platform for ministry, especially in contexts where formal missionary opportunities are limited or unavailable.
Since TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) is an emphasis within the English major, students will also be equipped for a number of other careers that require the ability to think analytically and creatively and communicate effectively. With its emphasis on cross-cultural communication, the TESOL emphasis serves as an excellent starting point for students aiming at careers in areas such as international business, non-profit and development, human resources, civil service, international and immigration law.