English, B.A.

The English major aims to enrich the student’s intellectual life by offering a wide and varied program that includes English, American, and world literature, as well as critical, creative, and professional writing.

By presenting the best of both ancient and modern literature and by encouraging writing talent, the English faculty helps students develop a lifelong interest in literature and the power of the word; strengthen independent judgment; cultivate perceptive thinking, speaking, and writing; and prepare for further study and future careers in a variety of fields.

Departmental Honors: English

Students who wish to earn departmental honors as English majors must meet the following requirements:

1. To be eligible, the student must have a 3.5 cumulative GPA, and have completed 18–21 credits in English with a minimum of 3.5 GPA.
2. Eligible students will enroll in 300/400 level designated honors courses in consultation with the department chair. Students will choose a subject for research in collaboration with a faculty mentor. Reading, research and writing will be under the direction of the mentor. The completed Honors Thesis will be presented before the department (students and faculty), and at a public forum such as Academic Excellence Night or a regional meeting.

Upon successful completion of the program of studies for English, the student will receive a B.A. in English and will have given evidence of the following outcomes:

• Students will write a creative and/or critical work with a clear sense of purpose.
• Students will clearly support their arguments with relevant details from primary texts and employ reading strategies that offer clear, substantial explanations and interpretations of those details. 
• Students will effectively incorporate secondary scholarly sources to support and/or develop key ideas and correctly cite those sources in current MLA format.
• Students will hone their oral communication skills by clearly delivering presentations that are focused, well-organized, and informative.
• Students will expand their cultural awareness by formulating effective arguments that analyze the socio-historical circumstances of marginalized, disenfranchised people. 

To earn this degree, students must successfully complete at least 120 credits, including General Education requirements and the major requirements below.

Major Sequence

Beyond basic degree requirements, 33-36 semester hours of English are required for the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in English.  The major offers two optional concentrations:  Digital Humanities, and Writing.  A student may choose only one concentration. 

For students who complete the 175 hours of clinical practice requirement for NJ teacher certification, the major requirements are 33 semester hours of English.  For students who do not complete the 175 hours of clinical practice required for NJ teacher certification, the major requirements are 33 semester hours of English, plus one of the following three options, which adds 0-3 credits to the major, bringing the total to 33-36 semester hours of English:  1) an internship, either credit-bearing or non-credit-bearing (0-3 credits); 2) a 1-credit practicum (EN299 Practicum); or 3) a 1-3-credit independent project (EN421 Independent Project).  The internship option may be satisfied by EN405 Internship (3 credits), CAR465 NonCredit Internship (0 credits) or by an internship arranged through the Office of Career Services or completed for another major or program.  The requirements for the major are as follows:

¹

Electives may be chosen from any of the EN offerings numbered EN113 or higher.  One gen ed English course other EN111/221 may be double counted for English major elective credit.  Students may not take both EN114 and EN226 for credit. English majors seeking NJ teacher certification are encouraged to consider the following English electives for the major: EN250 The Power of Grammar, EN260 Exploring Children's Literature, and EN264 Journeys in Young Adult Literature.

²

Students who complete the 175 hours of clinical practice requirement for NJ teacher certification must take at least 12 English elective credits.  Students who do not complete the 175 hours of clinical practice required for NJ teacher certification must take at least 12 English elective credits plus complete one of the following three options:  1) an internship, either credit-bearing or non-credit-bearing, in English or another discipline (0-3 credits; the three credit EN405 Internship course satisfies this requirement as does the zero credit CAR465 NonCredit Internship); 2) a 1-credit practicum (EN299 Practicum); or 3) a 1-3-credit independent project (EN421 Independent Project).  

Majors are required to earn a final grade point average of at least 2.5 in the major in order to successfully graduate with an English major.

English majors seeking New Jersey teacher certification are encouraged to consider the following English electives for the major:

Digital Humanities Concentration

This concentration introduces students to the intersection of humanistic inquiry, digital technology, and creative design. Students will learn to analyze and interpret texts, artworks, and cultural artifacts using computational tools, data visualization, and multimedia storytelling. The concentration emphasizes ethical inquiry, creative practice, and public humanities within a Catholic liberal arts framework. Students will 1) explore the cultural, philosophical, and ethical dimensions of technology, and 2) create digital archives, interactive exhibits, and visualizations that preserve and share stories of Georgian Court University and the Lakewood community.

English Major Course Requirements (21); see above

Additional requirements for the Digital Humanities Concentration (12–15 credits):

¹

Elective may be chosen from any of the EN offerings numbered EN113 or higher.  One gen ed English course other EN111/221 may be double counted for English major elective credit.  Students may not take both EN114 and EN226 for credit.

²

May be counted as satisfying English elective requirement in the major.

³

CM205, which satisifies the Creative Thinking & Expression general education requirement, may count toward the DH concentration for English majors.  No more than three EN/CM General Education credits can count toward the DH concentration.

⁴

EN430 satisfies both the DH Capstone requirement and EN major requirement of EN430 when it is taken together with EN421.  The credits for EN430 count only once, but are used both for satisfying the EN major requirement of EN430 and a DH Capstone requirement. The DH requirement for EN421 is satisfied by 1 credit of EN421.

Writing Concentration

This concentration offers students the opportunity to sharpen their writing skills in a variety of scholarly, creative, and professional genres. Students learn about the practical requirements of writing with different technologies and for different media, while exploring their creativity in collaboration with faculty and peers. Since this track prepares students for jobs in a variety of fields (including advertising, publishing, editing, and marketing), a practicum, internship (noncredit or credit) or independent project is required. The concentration also offers a strong foundation for students planning to pursue an M.F.A. in creative writing. Students who minor in writing cannot choose the writing concentration.

English Major Course Requirements (21); see above

Additional requirements for the Writing Concentration (12–15 credits):

¹

Elective may be chosen from any of the EN offerings numbered EN113 or higher.  One gen ed English course other EN111/221 may be double counted for English major elective credit.  Students may not take both EN114 and EN226 for credit.

¹

General Education

²

Major

³

Students must complete EN111 Writing, Research, and Digital Literacy or EN221 HNRS: Rhetoric, Research & Digital Lit with a C or better and complete a 100-level literature class before enrolling in EN300 Gateways to Literary Study.