English - Major/Minor
For information, contact Professor Carol A. Pulham, capulham@cedarcrest.edu, 610-606-4666, ext. 3395
Program Description
Students choosing to major in English will pursue a literature-focused major. They may major in secondary education with an English concentration or major. Adult students may complete an English major through evening and online offerings through SAGE. Students interested in writing should declare a writing major or minor.
Program Mission Statement
As a liberal arts discipline, the English major’s mission strongly promotes the overall mission of Cedar Crest College, in particular the College’s broad principles of “scholarship, liberal arts, creativity,” “women’s leadership,” and “global connectivity.” It does so by offering students a solid fundamental background in American, British, and World literature; by allowing students to develop strengths in scholarly and creative writing; by inviting students to explore more specialized areas such as linguistics and critical theory; and by providing opportunities for students to ground their understanding of literature within the context of the location that produces it, via study abroad experiences. The major is designed to prepare students for graduate study and for careers in teaching, publishing, law, business, government, journalism, advertising, and other language-related fields. More generally, the discipline of English enables students better to understand and respond to their world through the spoken and written word, both within the academic setting and beyond.
Total Number of Credits Required by Program: The English major is a 43 credit program; the secondary education major with English concentration or major requires 36 credits of English courses, along with its other requirements. The SAGE English major is a 40 credit program.
Program Outcomes
- Students will demonstrate a general knowledge of the history of literature in English and its cultural contexts, as well as a familiarity with a range of critical strategies that may be employed to illuminate the study of that literature.
- Students will demonstrate their competence in thoughtfully reading and critically analyzing works of literature.
- Students will demonstrate their ability to write effectively and creatively in a variety of genres and to employ effective revision strategies. Their writing will demonstrate their ability to formulate and think critically about an appropriate topic, to be aware of audience needs, to incorporate relevant research, and to follow appropriate standards for grammar, mechanics, and documentation procedures. Their writing will further evince freshness and originality, as well as their ability to employ literary and rhetorical devices and to make stylistic choices that are appropriate to the subject and the purpose of the work.
Students will demonstrate their ability to apply their knowledge of literature and critical strategies and their reading, speaking, and writing skills at a level that will lead to productive employment and citizenship. Some students will achieve a level of proficiency and interest in the discipline that will enable them to undertake advanced study in English or other disciplines.
Program Requirements
All courses within the English major and minor must be passed with a grade of C or better. A minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 and a minimum average in the major or minor of 2.0 must be achieved. If the student is completing a concentration in English within the secondary education major or an English major with secondary education, Pennsylvania Department of Education regulations stipulate that the student earn a 3.0 minimum grade-point average in her content area coursework for certification.
WRI 100 is a general college requirement and does not count toward the English major or minor or the Writing minor; credits in composition earned at other institutions also do not apply to English majors or minors.
There are two AP exams in English Literature: 1) English Language and Composition and 2) English Literature and Composition. The student who presents an AP course in English Language and Composition with a test score of “5” receives an exemption from WRI 100 and three credits equivalent to WRI 100; students who present an AP course with a test score of “4” receive three credits but no exemption from the WRI-1 requirement. The student who presents an AP course in English Literature and Composition with a test score of “4” or “5” receives credit for ENG 200.
All English majors must complete successfully a minimum of 18 credits of Cedar Crest College English courses (i.e., not including online courses offered by OCICU); this figure includes a minimum of 12 credits of coursework taken at the 300-level.
Portfolio of Writing
Students should retain all graded papers and essay exams related to their English course work. By April 1st, if the student is graduating at the end of a spring semester or within the first two weeks of the student’s final semester if not a spring semester, she or he will submit a portfolio for review. Information about the required content for the portfolio may be found in The English Program: A Guide for Undergraduate Students, available from the English Program Director. Students will also complete an exit survey at the time of portfolio submission.
Course Requirements
The English major requires a core of the following English courses:
ENG 101 Survey of British Literature I 3 credits –or–ENG 102 Survey of British Literature II 3 credits
ENG 120 Survey of American Literature 3 credits
ENG 105 Survey of World Literature I –or- ENG 245 Topics in World Literature 3 credits
ENG 200 Literary Analysis 3 credits
ENG 203 Literary Research Methods 3 credits
ENG 306 Chaucer 3 credits -or- ENG 311 Shakespeare 3 credits
ENG 352 English Seminar (capstone) 3 credits
Plus choose one from the following courses:
COM 100 Introduction to Communication 3 credits
COM 210 Interpersonal Communication 3 credits
THS 105 Public Speaking 3 credits
Plus choose one from the following courses:
ART 129 -or- ART 229 InDesign Computer Graphics Workshop I or II 1 credit each
COM 120 Introduction to New Media 3 credits
COM 252 Digital Journalism 3 credits
In addition, the student chooses six more English courses, at least four of which must be at the 300-level. English majors must take the surveys either before or concurrently with the corresponding 300-level courses. Students must take at least one 300-level British literature course and one 300-level American literature course; they are, however, encouraged to take more than this minimum number. Honors Explorations courses taught by English faculty members may count as advanced courses for the major. Two of the required electives may be writing courses. Students may count no more than two courses from a writing major or minor, or from the Honors program, towards their English major. Students are strongly recommended to take ENG 382: Literary Theory and Criticism, particularly if they are considering graduate study in English.
The English faculty also strongly recommend that, beyond courses counting for the major, students take at least two American and/or European history courses. The English faculty further recommend that, beyond courses counting for the major, students take two sequential language classes.
English Concentration/Major for Secondary Education
The English concentration for the Secondary Educationmajor may be taken as an English major which requires a core of the following English courses:
ENG 101 Survey of British Literature I 3 credits –or– ENG 102 Survey of British Literature II 3 credits
ENG 120 Survey of American Literature 3 credits
ENG 105 Survey of World Literature I –or- ENG 245 Topics in World Literature 3 credits
ENG 200 Literary Analysis 3 credits
ENG 203 Literary Research Methods 3 credits
ENG 306 Chaucer 3 credits –or– ENG 311 Shakespeare 3 credits
ENG 303 Linguistics and the Development of the English Language 3 credits
ENG 352 English Seminar (capstone) 3 credits
Plus choose one from the following creative writing courses:
ENG 233 Creative Writing: Fiction 3 credits
ENG 234 Creative Writing: Poetry 3 credits
ENG 235 Topics in Nonfiction Writing 3 credits
Plus choose one from the following film courses:
COM 140 Introduction to Film 3 credits
ENG 180 Women Go to the Movies: From Book to Film 3 credits
COM 240 History of Cinema 3 credits
COM 244 Topics in Film 3 credits
HIS 220 Film and History: Visions and Revisions of the Past 3 credits
In addition, students must take EDU 214: Reading in the Content Areas and two more literature courses at the 300-level. The Oral Presentation and Technology requirements are met through coursework required by Secondary Education or as described below under Fulfillment of LAC Requirements.
Secondary education majors are strongly advised to complete their English coursework before student teaching.
Students majoring in Elementary Education should consult with the Education department for requirements associated with the completion of the Education program. Elementary Education students must take ENG 303.
SAGE English Major
The SAGE English major requires a core of the following English courses:
ENG 101 Survey of British Literature I 3 credits –or–
ENG 102 Survey of British Literature II 3 credits
ENG 120 Survey of American Literature 3 credits
ENG 105 Survey of World Literature I –or- ENG 245 Topics in World Literature 3 credits
ENG 200 Literary Analysis 3 credits
ENG 203 Literary Research Methods 3 credits
ENG 306 Chaucer 3 credits –or– ENG 311 Shakespeare 3 credits
ENG 352 English Seminar (capstone) 3 credits
Plus choose one from the following courses:
COM 100 Introduction to Communication 3 credits
COM 210 Interpersonal Communication 3 credits
THS 105 Public Speaking 3 credits
Plus choose one from the following courses:
ART 129 -or- ART 229 InDesign Computer Graphics Workshop I or II 1 credit each
COM 120 Introduction to New Media 3 credits
COM 252 Digital Journalism 3 credits
In addition, students choose five more English courses, at least three of which must be at the 300-level.
The English faculty strongly recommend that, beyond courses counting for the major, students take one or more American and/or European history courses.
Fulfillment of LAC Requirements
Students fulfill the Oral Presentation requirement with the satisfactory completion (C or better) of COM 100, COM 210, or THS 105. Students fulfill the Technology requirement by satisfactorily completing ART 129, ART 229, COM 120, COM 252, or EDU 306 (if the student is completing a Secondary Education major); they meet the Information Literacy requirement through satisfactory completion of ENG 200, ENG 203, and ENG 352.
Students will meet the WRI2 requirement through satisfactory completion of ENG 200. With regard to the ML requirement, the student may fulfill half of the requirement with MAT 102 or MAT 110, or—if the student intends to go to graduate school—MAT 141. PHI 131 is recommended for the second required ML course.
English Minor
Course Requirements for the English Minor
A minor in English requires 18 credits, to consist of ENG 200, two literature electives at the 100, 200, or 300 level, one literature or writing elective at the 100, 200, or 300 level, one literature elective at the 300 level, and one literature or writing elective at the 300 level. Students must receive departmental approval to have a course count for the minor if the same course is also being used to fulfill another major or another minor. No more than two courses from a student’s major may be used to satisfy the requirements for the English minor.
Students interested in pursuing a writing emphasis may wish to declare a writing minor.
