English and Writing (B.A.)
The B.A. in English and Writing requires basic coursework in literature, writing, and theory, and provides flexibility to students in pursuing additional courses that match their areas of interest and career goals. It can lead to graduate study in English, creative writing, law, or other academic or professional areas.
Foreign language study is strongly encouraged for all English and Writing majors. Students may request the department chair to use Modern Language courses that emphasize the study of literature taken by the student to count toward the Literature area of the major or as an elective of the major.
| Electives | 7-8 hours |
|---|---|
Select from any English course. A student must take 3-4 hours at the 3000-4000 level and an additional 4 credits, minimum, at the 2000 level or above course(s) May include following Education courses:
May include the following Theatre courses: |
| Capstone Courses | 4-14 hours |
|---|---|
| All majors will choose one path from the options listed below for their capstone experience. | |
Students wishing to do an internship experience for their capstone should register for the following: | |
Students wishing to do either a critical or creative thesis should register for the following: | |
Students wishing to use student teach for their English and Writing capstone experience should register for the following: |
First-year writing courses (ENG 1010FYW, ENG 1020FYW, ENG 1030FYW, and ENG 1040FYW) may not count toward an English major.
Students who wish to meet Nebraska certification regulation for the teaching of English in secondary schools should consult the Department of Education regarding additional Nebraska certification requirements.
**An English major customarily earns a B.A. degree. However, if a student has a first major that is associated with a different baccalaureate degree, the English major may serve as a second major for the degree associated with the first major (B.S., B.FA., B.M., B.S.N.).
A survey study of instructional materials of special interest to the junior and senior high school age. Examination of various sources of print and nonprint materials. Includes bibliotherapy, book-talk techniques, notable authors/producers, and prize-winning materials. Discussion of censorship, controversial issues, selection criteria, and the tools to keep abreast of the field. (Normally offered alternate fall semesters.)
A diagnostic view of all elements pertinent to teaching English in middle and secondary schools. Strong practical emphasis will be placed on the proportional and organized development of middle and secondary English courses, realistic presentation of materials, and the practical and varied methods of testing appropriate to such courses.
Prerequisite(s): Acceptance into the Teacher Education Program or permission of the department chair.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)
A course focusing on the methodology, processes, and content of reading and writing at the secondary school level. Particular attention is given to strategies effective in teaching developmental reading and writing, content area reading and writing, and basic skills in diagnosis and remediation. Laboratory experiences are provided. No P/F.
Prerequisite(s): Acceptance into the Teacher Education Program or permission of the department chair.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)
Students work with one or more regular teachers in a secondary school. They attend the student teaching seminar and conference with their college supervisor as directed.
Prerequisite(s): Completion of preliminary student teaching requirements or approval of the department chair.
Students in this composition course will develop their skills in academic writing as they learn about topics drawn from the study of language, such as the history of language, language and gender, linguistic diversity and language policies in government and education.
(Normally offered every fall and spring semester.)
Students in this composition course will develop their skill in academic writing as they respond to and analyze literature.
Student in this multi-genre composition and writing course will develop their skill in both academic and creative writing as they explore what it means to be creative across multiple written mediums.
(Normally offered annually in fall or spring semester.)
Students in this composition course will develop their skill in academic writing as they explore the relationship between academic discourse and the evolution of identity.
This course will introduce new English majors and minors to the critical methodologies, concepts, and terminology needed for the analysis and discussion of literature and other cultural texts and to the kinds of research and scholarship they will be asked to do in their later coursework. Students will also learn about a range of career paths open to those with a background in English.
(Normally offered every spring semester.)
A survey of British literature that provides a historical perspective to British writers and genres, from the middle ages to the present.
Prerequisite(s): First-Year Writing.
(Normally offered every fall semester.)
A survey course providing a historical perspective on the culture of the United States through the study of its literature from its historical beginnings to the present.
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing
(Normally offered every spring semester.)
An introduction to the writing of fiction with an emphasis upon a variety of forms, techniques, and narrative voices. Discussion of student writing will take place in a workshop setting.
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing or permission of the instructor.
(Normally offered every spring semester.)
An introduction to the writing of poetry with an emphasis upon a variety of forms and techniques. Discussion of student writing will take place in a workshop setting.
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing or permission of the instructor.
(Normally offered every fall semester.)
Each course in the Topics in World Literature group will study a selection of literary works that engage the chosen topic--texts of different genres, from historical eras, and from different cultural traditions. The selected readings will present both abstract principles involved in the topic and its immediate, lived realities.
Cross listed with GEND 2200.
Prerequisite(s): Any First Year Writing course.
(Normally offered every fall and spring semester.)
Each course in the Topics in World Literature group will study a selection of literary works that engage the chosen topic--texts of different genres, from historical eras, and from different cultural traditions. The selected readings will present both abstract principles involved in the topic and its immediate, lived realities.
Prerequisite(s): Any First Year Writing course.
Each course in the Topics in World Literature group will study a selection of literary works that engage the chosen topic--texts of different genres, from historical eras, and from different cultural traditions. The selected readings will present both abstract principles involved in the topic and its immediate, lived realities.
Prerequisite(s): Any First Year Writing course.
This course introduces basic linguistic concepts such as phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, lexicology and grammar through study of the English language in its present forms and its historical development.
(Normally offered even spring semesters.)
An introductory course in journalism concentrating upon basic techniques of news gathering and writing, including a basic history of news media.
Each course in the Studies in Writing group focuses on the writing process and its product as applied to a particular genre (risk fiction, scriptwriting, hybrid genes, creative nonfiction, biography, and memoir) or concept (writing the body), which will vary from semester to semester. The course is conducted as a workshop in which students read their own compositions to the class and respond to the compositions of their classmates.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 1030FYW Writing and the Creative Arts, ENG 2170 Introduction to Fiction Writing, or ENG 2190 Introduction to Poetry Writing, or instructor permission.
Each course in the Studies in Writing group focuses on the writing process and its product as applied to a particular genre (risk fiction, scriptwriting, hybrid genes, creative nonfiction, biography, and memoir) or concept (writing the body), which will vary from semester to semester. The course is conducted as a workshop in which students read their own compositions to the class and respond to the compositions of their classmates.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 1030FYW Writing and the Creative Arts, ENG 2170 Introduction to Fiction Writing, or ENG 2190 Introduction to Poetry Writing, or instructor permission.
Each course in the Studies in Writing group focuses on the writing process and its product as applied to a particular genre (risk fiction, scriptwriting, hybrid genres, creative nonfiction, biography and memoir) or concept (writing the body), which will vary from semester to semester. The course is conducted as a workshop in which students read their own compositions to the class and respond to the compositions of their classmates. Prerequisite(s): ENG 1030FYW Writing and the Creative Arts, ENG 2170 Introduction to Fiction Writing, or ENG 2190 Introduction to Poetry Writing, or instructor permission.
Each course in the Studies in Writing group focuses on the writing process and its product as applied to a particular genre (risk fiction, scriptwriting, hybrid genres, creative nonfiction, biography and memoir) or concept (writing the body), which will vary from semester to semester. The course is conducted as a workshop in which students read their own compositions to the class and respond to the compositions of their classmates. Prerequisite(s): ENG 1030FYW Writing and the Creative Arts, ENG 2170 Introduction to Fiction Writing, or ENG 2190 Introduction to Poetry Writing, or instructor permission.
An advanced course in the writing of fiction within a continued emphasis on a variety of
forms, techniques, and narrative voices. In particular, this course will focus on the creation of voice in writing via discussions of identity and authorial perspective. Discussion of student writing will take place in a workshop setting.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 1030FYW Writing and the Creative Arts or ENG 2170 Introduction to Fiction Writing.
(Normally offered each fall semester.)
An advanced course in the writing of poetry with a continued emphasis on a variety of forms and techniques. Discussion of student writing will take place in a workshop setting. Specific topics will vary by semester. Course may be repeated for credit with the permission of the instructor.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 1030FYW Writing and the Creative Arts or ENG 2190 Introduction to Poetry Writing.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)
This course in the development of the novel since the end of World War II, uses examples drawn primarily from Great Britain, the United States, and the Anglophone world.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 2000 Introduction to Textual Studies and junior standing.
(Normally offered alternate spring semesters.)
Fiction and essays by women from various cultures (including the U.S., Europe, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean) will be the focus of this course. The multicultural, international reading list will provide students insight into the lives and experiences of women most likely very different from themselves; thus they can appreciate and learn from the differences and make connections across cultures.
Cross listed with GEND-3410.
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing and sophomore standing.
A thematic course designed to complement the more traditional offerings in British and American literature. The emphasis will be on the shock of colonization, the oppression of imperialism, and the struggle for independence. Attention will also be paid to the encounter of the individual with the questions of God, family, love, war, work, change, and death.
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing and Sophomore standing.
Introduces Shakespearean and related texts that explore the nature and definitions of justice. Prerequisite: ENG-2000 or Junior Standing.
A study of Shakespearean and related texts that demonstrate a range of views about the operations of power in society.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 2000 Introduction to Textual Studies or junior standing.
A study of Shakespeare and related texts that address issues of gender, sex, sexuality and sexuality identity.
Pre or corequisite(s): ENG 2000 Introduction to Textual Studies or junior standing.
A study of Shakespearean and related texts that deal with diverse conceptions of identity: how it is formed, whether it is continuous, how it is influenced by others and by one's environment.
Prerequisite(s): ENG 2000 Introduction to Textual Studies or junior standing.
This course supplements the basic American survey course. Its aim is to acquaint students with representative autobiography, fiction, drama, poetry, literary criticism, and essays by African-American writers from Frederick Douglass to Toni Morrison.
Prerequisite(s): First Year Writing and Sophomore standing.
(Normally offered alternate spring semesters.)
A course in the theory and development of literary criticism including a general overview of theories of literary criticism before the 20th-century and 20th-century critical theories.
Prerequisite(s): Junior standing.
A senior-level research and writing seminar. In this course, students participate in a senior capstone experience and produce a research paper and/or an original creative work. At the end of the term, students make panel presentations about their work to the entire department.
Prerequisite(s): Senior standing.
An exploration of the varieties of contemporary feminist thought. We will examine ideas of convergence among feminist philosophers but also attend to the issues that divide them. Special consideration will be given to race, class, and gender both in terms of the sex/gender distinction and theorists who argue against this distinction. Having established that feminism is not a single, homogeneous system, we will also explore the local, national, and global implications of feminisms for the 21st century.
Cross listed with GEND-3270.
Playwriting 1 is a course introducing students to the principles of dramatic construction and formal devices of playwriting. Students will write individually and collaboratively in large groups, small groups, and pairs. Emphasis is given to creative writing exercises exploring monologue, dialogue, character in text, language as action, scene structure, exposition, and conflict. Students will have the opportunity to share writing in class and receive feedback in a supportive workshop environment. Students will critically reflect on what they've written and assemble a portfolio of their writing.
Students may not receive credit for both THTRE 1810FYW Playwriting I and THTRE 2810 Playwriting I.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)
A Writing-Instructive course building upon the principles of dramatic construction and devices of playwriting learned in THTRE 1810FYW Playwriting I or THTRE 2810 Playwriting I. Emphasis is given to creative writing exercises, the writing and revision of longer works, and the writing of a research essay. Students will have the opportunity to share writing in class and receive feedback in a supportive workshop environment. Students will assemble a portfolio of their writing, including at least one one-act play, their playwriting research essay, their guided reflections and other work as determined by professor/student conferencing.
Prerequisite(s): THTRE 1810FYW/THTRE 2810 Playwriting I or permission of the instructor.
(Normally offered each spring semester.)