English, BA
Program Description
Grounded in our academic tradition as an Hispanic Serving Institution, the undergraduate English Program at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi invites students to engage with texts and employ language-related skills to connect with others both locally and globally. We encourage students to explore and integrate three disciplines of English Studies in their work, through the study of literature, applied linguistics, and writing. We challenge students to analyze, think critically about, and compose texts across genres, language varieties, and traditions for communities across cultural and geographic boundaries. In our courses and community events, students develop the advanced critical and creative literacies and language-related skills that prepare them for their future as active and ethical members of society.
English majors will choose an emphasis in Literary Studies or Writing Studies. The Literary Studies emphasis provides students with the skills to interpret and write about texts, including literary and filmic, within a range of historical and cultural contexts. The Writing Studies emphasis allows students to develop their abilities to use writing in a variety of contexts and for a variety of purposes, and to develop an understanding of how writing operates in the world, through studies in rhetoric, literacy, and writing. Both tracks give students skills as critical thinkers and communicators that will prepare them for a variety of different career paths, including law, business, teaching, and the sciences, as well as for graduate study.1
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Students can also earn certificates in TESOL and Writing for Non-Profits. The coursework necessary for both can be found under the “Certificates” section of the catalog.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students earning the BA in English learn:
- Literacies: Apply discipline-specific concepts to explore and generate texts.
- Critical Thinking: Analyze and evaluate ideas to create new information for specific audiences and purposes.
- Research: Discover and synthesize information and knowledge to address problems using disciplinary conventions.
- Social and Cultural Competencies: Demonstrate knowledge of civic responsibilities and the ability to engage ethically with various communities.
- Professional Development: Create career-oriented materials that articulate skills and abilities developed in the course of study.
The undergraduate English program offers a major in English, curricula for secondary English certification, minors in Literary Studies and Creative Writing and certificates in Writing for Non-Profits and TESOL. It also participates in the interdisciplinary minors of Technical and Professional Writing and Women and Gender Studies (see descriptions under “Interdisciplinary Minors”). Upper-level courses in writing studies, linguistics, and literature may satisfy requirements for other disciplines and serve as electives for non-majors who wish to improve their analytic, writing, and technical skills and to broaden their experiences in the liberal arts.
General Requirements
| Requirements | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| Core Curriculum Program | 42 |
| First-Year Seminars (when applicable)1 | 0-2 |
| English Major Requirements | 39 |
| Electives | 33 |
| Foreign Language Requirements | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours | 120-122 |
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First-Year Seminars or Electives
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time, First-year Students | ||
| UNIV 1101 | University Seminar I | 1 |
| UNIV 1102 | University Seminar II | 1 |
| Core Curriculum Program | ||
| University Core Curriculum | 42 | |
| English Major Requirements | ||
| Select one Emphasis from the following: | 39 | |
| Electives | ||
| Select 33 hours of university electives. | 33 | |
| Foreign Language Requirements | ||
| See the College of Liberal Arts for the college language requirement. | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 122 | |
Literary Studies Emphasis
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| ENGL 2370 | Introduction to Literary Studies | 3 |
| ENGL 4361 | Race and Ethnicity in Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 4355 | Senior Capstone | 3 |
| ENGL 4380 | Critical Approaches to Literature and Culture | 3 |
| Literary History | ||
| Select 3 hours of the following: | 3 | |
| World Literatures | ||
| British Literatures | ||
| American Literatures | ||
| Topics in Literary Studies | ||
| 2000 Level Course | ||
| Select 3 hours of the following: | 3 | |
| Black Writers | ||
| Women Writers | ||
| Language and Gender | ||
| 3000 Level Courses | ||
| Select 6 hours of the following: | 6 | |
| Film and Literature | ||
| Young Adult Fiction | ||
| Literary Connections | ||
| World Literatures | ||
| British Literatures | ||
| Literary Genres | ||
| American Literatures | ||
| Additional 3000 or 4000 Level Course | ||
| Select 3 hours from the following or an additional 3000 Level Literary Studies Course: | 3 | |
| Technologies and Cultures of the Book | ||
| Major Authors | ||
| Topics in Literary Studies | ||
| Linguistics | ||
| ENGL 3339 | Introduction to Linguistics | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Grammar | ||
| Second Language Acquisition | ||
| Language in Society | ||
| Topics in Linguistics | ||
| Writing Studies | ||
| Select 6 hours of any 3000- and 4000-level Writing Studies courses except capstone | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 39 | |
Writing Studies Emphasis
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| ENGL 2303 | Introduction to Writing Studies | 3 |
| ENGL 3301 | Technical and Professional Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 3302 | Techniques of Creative Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 3363 | Foundations of Rhetoric | 3 |
| ENGL 4355 | Senior Capstone | 3 |
| Select 12 hours of the following (only 3 hours may be at the 2000 level): | 12 | |
| Exploring Social Media | ||
| Personal Writing | ||
| Teaching Writing | ||
| Advanced Writing | ||
| Creative Writing Workshop: Survey and Practice of Genres | ||
| Writing Creative Nonfiction | ||
| Document Design and Publishing | ||
| Writing for the Web | ||
| Visual Rhetoric | ||
| Professional Writing Workshop | ||
| Grants and Proposals | ||
| Writing in the Nonprofit Agencies | ||
| Editing & Style | ||
| Writing Popular Genres | ||
| Creative Writing Studio: Development of Craft | ||
| Writing Poetry | ||
| Literary Publication | ||
| Topics in Writing Studies | ||
| Applied Experience | ||
| Linguistics | ||
| ENGL 3339 | Introduction to Linguistics | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Grammar | ||
| Second Language Acquisition | ||
| Language in Society | ||
| Topics in Linguistics | ||
| Literary Studies | ||
| Select 6 hours of any 3000- and 4000-level Literary Studies courses | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 39 | |
Course Sequencing
Literary Studies Emphasis
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| UNIV 1101 | University Seminar I | 1 |
| ENGL 1301 | Writing and Rhetoric I | 3 |
| ENGL 2316 | Literature and Culture | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Foreign Language Requirements | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| UNIV 1102 | University Seminar II | 1 |
| ENGL 1302 | Writing and Rhetoric II | 3 |
| MATH 1332 or PHIL 2303 | Contemporary Mathematics or Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Foreign Language Requirements | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| 2000-level Literary Studies OR ENGL 3335, 3345, or 3355 | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENGL 2370 | Introduction to Literary Studies | 3 |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| University Core Curriculum | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| 2000-level Literary Studies OR ENGL 3335, 3345, or 3355 | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENGL 3339 | Introduction to Linguistics | 3 |
| Writing Studies Elective | 3 | |
| 3000 Level course or Literary History Course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENGL 3340 | Grammar | 3 |
| ENGL 3361 | Advanced Writing | 3 |
| Writing Studies Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| 3000 level course or Literary History Course | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENGL 4380 | Critical Approaches to Literature and Culture | 3 |
| 3000 or 4000 level Literary Studies | 3 | |
| 3000 or 4000 level Literary Studies | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENGL 4355 | Senior Capstone | 3 |
| ENGL 4361 | Race and Ethnicity in Literature | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 122 | |
Writing Studies Emphasis
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | |
| UNIV 1101 | University Seminar I | 1 |
| ENGL 1301 | Writing and Rhetoric I | 3 |
| SPAN 1311 | Spanish I | 3 |
| MATH 1332 or PHIL 2303 | Contemporary Mathematics or Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking | 3 |
| BIOL 1308 | Science for Life I (Non-Majors Biology) | 3 |
| ENGL 2316 | Literature and Culture | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| UNIV 1102 | University Seminar II | 1 |
| ENGL 1302 | Writing and Rhetoric II | 3 |
| SPAN 1312 | Spanish II | 3 |
| HIST 1302 | U.S. History Since 1865 | 3 |
| SOCI 1301 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| Life and Physical Sciences Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENGL 2303 | Introduction to Writing Studies | 3 |
| ENGL 3301 | Technical and Professional Writing | 3 |
| HIST 1301 | U.S. History to 1865 | 3 |
| POLS 2305 | U.S. Government and Politics | 3 |
| COMM 1311 | Foundation of Communication | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENGL 3363 | Foundations of Rhetoric | 3 |
| POLS 2306 | State and Local Government | 3 |
| COMM 1315 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| Writing Studies Elective | 3 | |
| Creative Arts Core Requirement | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENGL 3302 | Techniques of Creative Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 3339 | Introduction to Linguistics | 3 |
| University Elective | 3 | |
| University Elective | 3 | |
| University Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Writing Studies Elective | 3 | |
| 3000 or 4000-level Literary Studies Elective | 3 | |
| University Elective | 3 | |
| University Elective | 3 | |
| University Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Writing Studies Elective | 3 | |
| University Elective | 3 | |
| University Elective | 3 | |
| University Elective OR ENGL 3365 OR ENGL 3369 | 3 | |
| 3000 or 4000-level Literary Studies Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENGL 4355 | Senior Capstone | 3 |
| University Elective OR ENGL 3366 OR ENGL 3340 | 3 | |
| Writing Studies Elective | 3 | |
| University Elective | 3 | |
| University Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 122 | |
Courses
ENGL 0099 is designed to develop student's critical reading and academic writing skills on an individualized basis through tutoring. The course fulfills TSI requirements for reading and writing. TSI compliance staff will approve each student for this course. Approval is based on test score and/or by academic standing.
A portfolio-based course with required tutoring (lab) time focused on the writing and reading processes, including strategies for invention, revision, and editing, and techniques of active reading, such as analysis, inference, summary, and evaluating texts. Students will enter ENGL 0399 through Texas Success Initiative (TSI) mandated remediation. (Not counted toward graduation)
English 1301 introduces students to writing studies, rhetoric, academic research, and information literacy. Students will critically read and reflect on threshold concepts in writing studies. They will practice recursive writing and research processes for various situations. Sections will be offered both online and in person each semester.
English 1302 builds on the foundation in writing studies, rhetoric, academic research, and information literacy introduced in ENGL 1301. Students will read, apply, and reflect on the current research and scholarship in writing studies and rhetoric. Students will practice transferring, deepening, and extending their ability to use writing into discipline-specific, workplace, and civic contexts. Sections will be offered both online and in person each semester.
Prerequisite: ENGL 1301.
This course will review current scholarship on writing studies, including threshold concepts, activity theory, and genre studies. It will consider various perspectives on the uses of writing to provide students with an intellectual and practical understanding of writing. This course provides a starting point for the more specific studies of writing that occur in other writing studies courses.
Introduction to literatures that raise aesthetic, cultural, social, and/or political issues that affect and reflect the human condition across regions, cultures, and nations. Sample topics: Crossing Borders, The City in Literature, Islands and Islanders, Science and Fiction.
Study of important literary texts from the Ancient World to the Renaissance.
Study of important literary texts from the Enlightenment to the present.
An introduction to literary analysis and scholarship for the intermediate writer. Emphasis placed on genres of literature, literary research, and expository and analytical composition. Familiarizes students with the various disciplines and related conversations within English Studies. Should be taken by sophomore-level English majors in the Literary Studies emphasis, and by Literary Studies and Creative Writing minors.
Prerequisite: ENGL 1302.
In this course we will examine and discuss current issues related to social media within a rhetorical framework. We will use different social media platforms to share and discuss in order to provide hands-on experience in these environments. Social media will be explored at the micro level as students will review their online social media presence to better understand how readers view them online. From the macro level we will identify current topics that affect the design and use of social media platforms and applications.
Students pursuing the Advanced TESOL Certificate will supplement ENGL 3367 (TESOL Seminar: Methods) with practical experience tutoring English learners. Students will write reflectively about those experiences. As needed, students will undergo site-specific training.
A course designed to help students gain practical experience in finding and interpreting information and writing reports and documents for specialized audiences in the technical and professional world. ENGL 3301 will be held in a computer-assisted classroom.
Introduces students to the theoretical knowledge and practical experience used in creative writing. Focuses on poetry, creative nonfiction, and short fiction. For all majors.
Designed specifically for computer science majors, this course focuses on developing students ability to (1) use writing to communicate effectively with a range of audiences about technology; (2) identify, analyze, and appropriately integrate relevant information in their writing; (3) make informed judgments about their uses of writing based on ACM's and IEEE's code of ethics; and (4) develop their ability to function effectively individually and as members of a team to establish goals, plan tasks, meet deadlines, manage risk, and produce deliverables.
3 sem. hrs. Studies the connections between the formal elements of literature and of film, with emphasis on theme, narrative style, and genre. By viewing films based on literary sources, students will analyze how literature is adapted into film as well as identify strategies to view and read critically. For all majors.
Literary study of young adult literature through analysis, discussion, and interpretation. The course emphasizes literary issues connected with society, culture, history, and genre.
In recent decades, it has become common to study literature in light of other disciplinary perspectives and to study other disciplines as they are depicted in literature. From these interdisciplinary approaches has emerged a distinct mode of analysis that examines texts within their broader social and cultural milieu. In this course students will earn to use cross-disciplinary methods to interpret literature and culture. Topics will vary, but may include Environmental Crisis, Religion, Medicine, and American Literature, Disability Narratives in the Eighteenth Century, Trauma and the City in Twentieth-Century Literature.
Introductory survey course covering phonetics, morphology, syntax, semantics, sociolinguistics, neurolinguistics, and language acquisition.
Presents a general descriptive overview of English grammar and provides a structural framework for analyzing English sentences.
Study of significant works of British poetry, drama, and prose with emphasis on historical context and the exploration of literary and cultural values through written texts.
A genre-oriented study of literature, using a wide range of texts. Variable content.
Study of significant works of American poetry, drama, and prose with emphasis on historical context and the exploration of literary and cultural values through written texts.
Prepares prospective teachers to create developmentally appropriate learning environments and tasks that enable student success in writing and the study of literature in Language Arts and English courses. Prepares students to meet the increased writing and reading expectations in all subject areas, including their own writing.
Students will practice-writing in situated contexts (such as their majors, careers, and/or other professional interests) and across genres to develop more advanced and reflective writing strategies. By studying theories of writing; engaging in writing as a craft; and drafting, revising, and editing texts; students will refine and become more reflective in their writing processes.
Develops students' skills as critics and writers of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction in a workshop setting. For all majors.
This course will study the historical and theoretical development of rhetoric through the works of principal thinkers. Students will analyze rhetorical concepts in their relation to civic, cultural, political, and pedagogical developments and the construction of knowledge and will use rhetorical concepts to produce logical, ethical, and moral arguments.
The course focuses on writing creative nonfiction through contemporary published works of experienced writers in the field and through peer work-in-progress. The course explores the benefits of creative writing across different disciplines, while students practice memoir writing, the lyric essay, and literary journalism among other genres that make up this ever-evolving hybrid genre.
This course is an introduction to second language acquisition. The course is designed to be accessible to students from a wide variety of backgrounds and no basic knowledge of the linguistic structure of English will be assumed. This course will address issues related to how second language is learned by both children and adults.
An introduction to the study of language as a function of several societal variables. Introduces basic concepts of language such as linguistic varieties, dialect, speech communities, and linguistic attitudes.
This course presents an introduction to and a critique of current and traditional methodologies of teaching English to speakers of other languages, with emphasis on aural comprehension; speaking, reading, and writing skills; testing and assessment; and linguistic-cultural differences. This course is open to all majors, but is required for students seeking the Certificate in TESOL.
Prerequisite: ENGL 3365.
Exploration of topics such as second language acquisition, language assessment, history of English, and contrastive analysis. May be repeated when topics vary.
Focuses on the integration of text and visual rhetoric, such as graphics, for all kinds of professional publications including technical documents, media, public relations pieces, and advertisements.
Emphasizes practical concepts related to writing and communication on the internet and the World Wide Web. Attention is given to finding and analyzing information; analyzing and designing WWW sites and other digital, hypertextual environments; and analyzing and composing hypertext-hypermedia materials for digital, networked environments. For all majors.
Focuses on the analysis, design, and production of visual representations and multi-modal texts that integrate visual elements.
Students will gain practical experience with a nonprofit agency by developing a significant project that meets an agency identified need. Students should take this course in the last semester of their nonprofit certificate program in conjunction with one of the following: ENGL 3378, ENGL 3379, ENGL 4322, or ENGL 4321. The students' professor in the regular course will be the instructor of record for a the projects course.
Working with a range of print media, students will learn to analyze the interplay between the text's content and its formal features. Students will build the skills to think and write analytically about the materiality of texts.
This course studies the significant works of a major literary author. Texts are viewed through a variety of critical perspectives and placed in the context of the writer's life and of the society, culture, and history of the times. May be repeated once for credit when authors vary.
This course is tailored for individual students' writing and publishing projects in their disciplines.
This course will teach students the grant proposal writing process, including identifying sources of funding, conducting research to support funding applications, and tailoring each proposal to a specific funding agency. Students will receive experience writing actual proposals on behalf of local organizations and agencies.
Focuses on the specific kinds writing of professionals in the nonprofit world do, including internal communication in an agency, writing for the public, document creation, fund raising, board relations, and other relevant topics.
Practice in methods, tools, and principles of editing for nonfiction and technical publications. Emphasis on a rhetorical understanding of levels of editing, managing the editorial process, and grammar and style.
Through writing, students will study how groups perceive, understand, and communicate with and about each other. The course may focus on a specific type of writing (cross cultural expository writing, travel writing, cross cultural writing in industry), or on the linguistic and rhetorical practices of a cross-cultural community (latino/a rhetoric, African-American rhetorics, etc).
Develops students' skills as critics and writers of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction in a studio setting. Guides students to focus on a major project in one genre with sustained practice of techniques and revision. Open to students of all levels, from the novice to the advanced. For all majors.
Students practice poetry techniques across culturally diverse movements, from ancient to contemporary. The course explores how poets respond to their own social milieu and shape literary thought and form, intersecting with artists and scientists from different disciplines. Students write their own poems in traditional forms and innovation of form (i.e. their own spin and fusions).
A study of literature in English for graduating seniors in the Literary Studies Emphasis. Emphasis is placed on genre, research, and analytical expository writing.
This course is the culminating experience for the Writing Studies emphasis in English. Students review, reflect on, integrate, and apply their learning from previous courses and experiences. Students create digital portfolios for career and publishing opportunities, emphasizing selection, revision, reflection, and presentation. In addition, students identify, evaluate, and annotate texts and resources to include in a curated digital collection/publication that will be available for students in future Writing Studies courses.
This course introduces students to literature that explores issues of gender and sexuality. It focuses on relevant literary periods and conventions, as well as on the historical, social, and cultural contexts of artistic productions. Sample topics: women's literature, queer literature, literature and masculinity.
Topics focus on a variety of cross-cultural issues in historical and/or contemporary texts by Caribbean, British Indian, Native American, African American, Chicano/a, and/or other underrepresented authors.
A study, primarily through the medium of performance, of various types and forms of literature for children. Strongly oriented toward teaching literature in the elementary school classroom. (Credit may not be given for both this course or THEA 4323.)
A study of selected perspectives and critical approaches to literature and culture, including an examination of some of the theoretical assumptions upon which they are based, as well as their implications for the way we think about literature, human identity, and the power of language.
Prerequisite: ENGL 2370.
The first half of the course is designed to help students develop a sense of craft as writers and editors while they work on all phases of production of the next volume of the Windward Review. The second half of the course is designed to help students revise their own creative projects and learn how to identify or create the literary publication markets most suitable for their own work.
May be repeated when topics vary—see S.A.I.L. or advisor for further information.
May be repeated when topics vary--see S.A.I.L. or advisor for further information.
See College description.
See College description.
Practical experience teaching English to second language learners. Students will observe, plan, and teach ESL lessons. Instructional support provides opportunities to discuss and reflect upon teaching experiences and help students connect theory, methods, and practice. This course enhances the TESOL Certification, but is not required for it. Cannot be repeated for credit.