Academic Departments

Academic Services

ACS Technology Center

Exam Schedule

First-Year Seminar

Internships

International Programs

Language Learning Ctr


		CONTACT

		English Department Southwestern University P.O. Box 770 Georgetown, TX 78627-0770

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

Associate Professor James A. Kilfoyle, PhD, Chair
Professor Helene Meyers, PhD
Associate Professor Eileen Cleere, PhD
Associate Professor David J. Gaines, PhD
Associate Professor Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton, PhD
Associate Professor Michael B. Saenger, PhD
Assistant Professor Elizabeth Stockton, PhD
Assistant Professor Michael Wolfe, MFA (part-time)
Assistant Professor John Pipkin, PhD (London Semester - part-time)
Instructor Timothy Jecmen, ABD (part-time)

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

The program in English provides grounding in English and American literature strong enough to support a life of continued reading and reflection, with the deepened understanding of human experience that this makes possible. It imparts skills of interpretation, analysis, research and writing that are useful in a broad range of professional activities.

Students may major in English as part of the Bachelor of Arts program. The English minor may be taken in conjunction with any major program at Southwestern. In addition, students certifying to teach in secondary schools may choose English as a second teaching field, and those seeking elementary certification may choose an academic specialization in English. Concentrated work in English may also be done as part of an area of concentration.

Department course offerings support the General Education Program of the University. Normally, a student will take at least one introductory literature course before taking other courses in the department. English 10-143, 10-153, 10-163, 10-173 and 10-183 are introductory courses, open to all students. English 10-153, 10-163, 10-173 and 10-183 are strongly recommended to the prospective major or minor.

Major requirements are in place to ensure that majors are exposed to a broad range of issues and texts representative of the discipline. This necessarily includes courses that present the historical and cultural range of literary production, a deliberate encounter with interpretive strategies under the heading of critical theory, and, under "emergent literatures or popular cultures," a set of courses that exceed established, national canons of literature. Special topics courses (10-303) are frequently offered that, where designated, fulfill these requirements.

It is possible to complete a 54-hour paired major in English and Feminist Studies by doublecounting two courses cross-listed in English and Feminist Studies, Feminist Film Studies (10-473), Topics in Women's Literature (10-573), Topics in Romanticism (10-663), and Topics in Victorian Literature and Culture (10-673). The department frequently offers other, more specialized, cross-listed courses that might substitute for one of these cross-listed courses with the approval of both the English and Feminist Studies chairs.

Tutorials and Independent Study (10-903 and 10-951, 952, 953) are open to majors and minors who wish to develop special projects; they are not offered to accommodate scheduling problems of students in their senior year.

Major in English: 30 semester hours, including English 10-183; two courses in English literature written before 1785 from 10-153, 603, 613, 623, 633, 643, 653 (only one course in Shakespeare can count toward this requirement); one course in English literature written since 1785 from 10- 163, 663, 673, 683; one course in American literature from 10-173, 713, 733, 753; one course in emergent literatures and popular cultures from 10-513, 523, 533, 543, 573, 593; one course in critical theory from 10-403, 443, 473, 913; 10-913 or 933 (Capstone); enough additional hours of English to total 30 hours overall, and at least 18 hours above the introductory level.

Minor in English: 18 semester hours, including English 10-183; one survey or period course in English literature written before 1785 from 10-153, 603, 613, 623, 633, 643, 653; 12 additional hours of English, with sufficient hours above the introductory level to total at least 12 hours above the introductory level.

See the Education Department for information regarding teacher certification in English.