English

Part of the department of Arts, Communication, Media, and English, the English programs at Texas A&M University-Texarkana afford students the ability to work closely with a small, diverse faculty of dedicated and accomplished teachers and scholars in a curriculum emphasizing literature, writing, literary studies, and language.

The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in English provide students with a strong background in American, British, and World literatures and in literary criticism. The core of the B.A. and B.S. programs in English consists of required survey courses (ENGL 2321, ENGL 2326, and ENGL 2331), ENGL 2360: Introduction to Literary Studies, as well as Advanced American Literature (ENG 442), Advanced British Literature (ENG 472), and Advanced World Literature (ENG 445). Modern English Grammar and Usage (ENG 320) as well as History and Structure of the English Language (ENG 424) provide students with an understanding of the English language's history and development over time as well as contemporary uses while Advanced Expository Writing (ENG 340) ensures English majors and minors develop knowledge and skills necessary for successful expression in writing. 

Other course offerings build upon this foundational content while allowing for deeper and more meaningful engagement in particular areas of literature, like Shakespeare and His Contemporaries (ENG 312), ENG 430: Studies in Women's Literature, ENG 305: Children's LiteratureENG 306: Young Adult Literature, and ENG 450: Studies in Genre which can be repeated across the available options (Drama, Essay, International Short Story, and Poetry). Students can develop greater depth in rhetoric and composition through ENG 310: Rhetoric, Argumentation, and Persuasion and/or ENG 410: Writing Processes & Strategies

ENG 497: Special Topics allow students to customize their degree plans. English majors also participate in a capstone course, ENG 491, during the semester they graduate.

Within the program, our students certainly develop a pleasure and skill in reading with comprehension and insight. English majors also develop the skill to write effectively and even beautifully.  However, while central to the program, these are not the only advantages for our students.  The program in English grounds students in language skills and analytic practices allowing our majors to develop tools that not only retain their value, unlike in technical fields, but also transfer easily to specialized work in graduate and professional schools as well as in the workplace.  Ultimately, a degree in English is a wonderful portal to careers and advanced degrees in and out of English. 

Career Options

Education: College level, Primary Education, Secondary Education, Private Schools, Teaching English as a Second Language, Tutoring, Educational Administration, Editorial Assistant, Copyediting/Proofreading, Internships, Production, Marketing/Publicity, Publishing, Journalism, Corporate Communications, Public Relations, Digital Media, Creative Writing, Copywriting, Technical Writing, Science Writing, Freelance Writing, and Grant Writing.

Degrees

Bachelor of Arts in English

Bachelor of Science in English

Undergraduate Courses in English

ENG 305. Children's Literature I. 3 Hours.

This course provides a survey of the history of children's books, books for very young children, picture books and illustrators, short fiction, folk tales, fables, myths and epics, historical fiction and biography.

ENG 306. Young Adult Literature. 3 Hours.

This course is a survey of young adult literature.

ENG 310. Rhetoric, Argumentation, and Persuasion. 3 Hours.

This course explores the principles, practices, and history of rhetoric, persuasion, and argumentation in academic, public, and professional contexts. Prerequisites: ENGL 1301 or ENGL 1401 and ENGL 1302 or ENGL 1402, or ENGL 2311.

ENG 312. Shakespeare and His Contemporaries. 3 Hours.

This course provides a study of the author's plays with special attention devoted to major and better-known works.

ENG 320. Modern English Grammar and Usage. 3 Hours.

This course engenders improved application and understanding of the linguistic structure of Modern American English with specific reference to application in teaching.

ENG 340. Advanced Expository Writing (EL). 3 Hours.

This course advances individual writing ability by focusing upon analytical and rhetorical strategies through various exercises and the production of compositions. This course integrates the principles of Experiential Learning and meets criteria for undergraduate research. Prerequisite: ENGL 1301 with a grade of C or better, and ENGL 1302 or ENGL 2311 with grades of C or better.

ENG 345. Advanced Composition for Educators. 3 Hours.

This course provides future educators opportunities to grow as writers, personally and professionally, through interaction with the conventions of writing, literature, and writing across the curriculum, all within a writing community focused on education of self and others. Prerequisite: ENGL 1301 with a grade of C or better, and ENGL 1302 or ENGL 2311 with grades of C or better.

ENG 350. Advanced Technical Writing. 3 Hours.

This course advances students in the rhetorical analysis, composing, design, and execution of technical and scientific writing and communication, including print and web-based texts. Prerequisite: ENGL 1301 with a grade of C or better, and ENGL 1302 or ENGL 2311 with grades of C or better.

ENG 410. Writing Processes & Strategies. 3 Hours.

This course covers the major models of process-based approaches to writing, their historical development and disciplinary contexts within the field of writing studies, empirical and theoretical research concerning those models. Specific strategies to improve writers and writing during stages of these processes are also covered.

ENG 424. History and Structure of the English Language. 3 Hours.

Participants will cover topics that include the basic features of human language, a historical study of English, and a study of English phonology, morphology, and syntax.

ENG 430. Studies in Women's Literature. 3 Hours.

This course provides a study of the various images of women in literature with an emphasis on the twentieth century.

ENG 442. Advanced American Literature (EL). 3 Hours.

This course provides a study of specific eras of American Literature. Topics will vary.

ENG 445. Advanced World Literature. 3 Hours.

This advanced course in World Literature aims to introduce students to a selection of classic and/or modern literary works outside of the United States and Britain. One of the goals of the course is to analyze and discuss these works of literature within their soci-historical context with an emphasis upon a different theme or literary movement presented in each offering of the course. While this varying theme or movement will demarcate the frame of the course, the theme of encounters (textual and cultural) remains consistent and the importance of factors such as race, class, gender, religion, language, translation, and so on will be taken into consideration. The students' critical engagement with the assigned works of literature will be further enhanced by the historical and literary background provided by lectures and secondary sources. No prior knowledge of or familiarity with other languages is required as all reading materials are provided in English translation.

ENG 450. Studies in Genre. 3 Hours.

This course provides an advanced study of one of the following literary genres: Short Story, Film, Poetry, Drama, and International Literature. It may be repeated when topics vary.

ENG 472. Advanced British Literature. 3 Hours.

This course provides a study of specific eras of British Literature. Topics will vary.

ENG 489. Individual Study. 1-3 Hours.

This course provides individual instruction. Students may repeat the course when topics vary.

ENG 491. Capstone in English Studies. 3 Hours.

This course constitutes a practicum in which students review English studies with emphasis on critical approaches to literature, literary terminology, and the characteristics and major writers of literary periods. Students write capstone papers that reflect their understanding of the components of literary study. Prerequisite: To be taken during the final semester of the bachelor's degree program in English.

ENG 497. Special Topics. 3 Hours.

Instructors will provide an organized class designed to cover areas of specific interest. Students may repeat the course when topics vary.

ENGL 0299. Reading and Writing Fundamentals. 2 Hours.

This 2-hour non-course based option (NCBO) is designed to develop students' critical reading and academic writing skills; provide an intense overview/review of the elements of modern written English usage; and hone writing experience with attention to the rhetorical elements of the writing process. Students who have not passed the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) or have not met an exemption may take ENGL 0299. Students who pass ENGL 0299 will be considered TSI complete.

ENGL 0399. Integrated Reading and Writing. 3 Hours.

This course is designed to develop students' critical reading and academic writing skills by building intermediate reading skills through an increase in comprehension, vocabulary, study skills, and speed; providing an intense overview/review of the intermediate elements of modern English usage; and honing the writing experience with attention to the intermediate mechanical and structural elements of the writing process. Students who do not score satisfactorily in Reading and/or Writing on the TSI will be required to take ENGL 0399. Prerequisites: ENGL 0398 with a minimum grade of C or equivalent scores on an approved placement test.

ENGL 089. Independent Study in Developmental Writing. 3 Hours.

This course provides individual instruction. Students may repeat the course when topics vary.

ENGL 1101. Information Literacy. 1 Hour.

This course covers the basic concepts and skills of information literacy, the research process, critical thinking skills, and ethical aspects of information. Students are introduced to characteristics, formats, and organization of information, and are provided with practical experience in the use of the academic library. Course content also introduces electronic resources such as journal databases, search engines, and directories.

ENGL 1111. Popular Music as Literature. 1 Hour.

Popular Music as Literature offers students an introduction to literary study through the vehicle of popular music. Literary terminology and forms are considered within the context of pop music. It requires students to read closely and critically and become sensitive to the nuances of language.

ENGL 1301. Composition I. 3 Hours.

This course focuses on intensive study of and practice in writing processes, from invention and researching to drafting, revising, and editing, both individually and collaboratively. Emphasis is on effective rhetorical choices, including audience, purpose, arrangement, and style. Focus is on writing the academic essay as a vehicle for learning, communicating, and critical analysis.

ENGL 1302. Composition II. 3 Hours.

This course builds on those skills developed in ENGL 1301 and assumes a satisfactory level of student competency in composition. This course focuses on intensive study of and practice in the strategies and techniques for developing research-based expository and persuasive texts. Emphasis on effective and ethical rhetorical inquiry, including primary and secondary research methods; critical reading of verbal, visual, and multimedia texts; systematic evaluation, synthesis, and documentation of information sources; and critical thinking about evidence and conclusions. Prerequisite: ENGL 1301 with a C or better.

ENGL 189. Independent Study. 1-3 Hours.

This course provides individual instruction. Students may repeat the course when topics vary.

ENGL 2311. Technical Writing & Communication. 3 Hours.

Intensive study of and practice in professional settings. Focus on the types of documents necessary to make decisions and take action on the job, such as proposals, reports, instructions, policies and procedures, e-mail messages, letters, and descriptions of products and services. Practice individual and collaborative processes involved in the creation of ethical and efficient documents. Prerequisite: ENGL 1301 with a C or better.

ENGL 2321. British Literature. 3 Hours.

This course serves as an introductory survey of the major authors in English literature from the Old English period to the present. It includes a variety of genres and considers the works as intellectual, cultural, aesthetic creations. It requires students to apply interpretive skills in writing about pieces of literature and to be aware of the traditional literary periods. English majors and non-English majors may take this course, which satisfies the core-curriculum requirement for three lower-division semester credit hours in Creative Arts.

ENGL 2326. American Literature. 3 Hours.

This course examines representative works of American Literature from pre-colonial times to the contemporary period using historical, philosophical, and structural filters to investigate universal social themes. There are no prerequisites for this course. English majors and non-English majors may take this course, which satisfies the core-curriculum requirement for three lower-division semester credit hours in Creative Arts.

ENGL 2331. World Literature. 3 Hours.

World Literature is a survey of some of the major works of literature across the world from early civilizations to present, focusing on major periods. Students who take this course will increase their awareness of historical cultures; sharpen their critical reading, thinking, and writing skills; and deepen their cultural sensitivity. English majors and non-English majors may take this course, which satisfies the core-curriculum requirement for three lower-division semester credit hours in Creative Arts.

ENGL 2340. Writing Across the Curriculum. 3 Hours.

This course helps students understand and develop their writing, reading, and thinking skills across the disciplines through the creation and rhetorical study of personal and scholarly texts. It includes a focus on the principles and techniques of written expository and persuasive texts and critical thinking across the curriculum.

ENGL 2351. Introduction to Creative Writing. 3 Hours.

This course promotes the development of creative writing skills by introducing and applying core concepts for writing creative non-fiction, poems, scripts, and short stories.

ENGL 2360. Introduction to Literary Studies. 3 Hours.

This course is an examination of the fundamental principles of literary study with special attention to critical approaches to language and literature, bibliography and research, and writing in the discipline. As an introduction to literary study designed for English majors, this course stresses proper literary terminology, literary theory, and analytical writing; the tools of a successful English major.

ENGL 289. Independent Study. 1-4 Hours.

This course provides individual instruction. Students may repeat the course when topics vary.