WSU English Department: Worlds of Possibilities


	Washington State University Department of English Undergraduate Studies Major in English

Open yourself up to new and exciting worlds of possibility through English. Numerous English majors are leading successful, rewarding careers every year, and the English Department can help you develop the skills that are necessary for the kind of success they are realizing. The keys to this success lie in the ability to grasp both concrete and abstract concepts, to apply them in solving problems, and above all, to communicate them effectively to others.

For this reason, more and more students at Washington State University are choosing English as their major. The course work provides students with a broad knowledge of literature while emphasizing the writing and analytical skills which have proven vital to success beyond the university. However, this success does not have to be obtained by sacrificing broad interests. One of the advantages of a major in English is the relative freedom it offers students to take electives often not available through the curricular restrictions of many other college programs. Students can fulfill requirements for the major while they shape their academic careers to meet both professional and personal goals and interests.

The English Department offers five options within the major: 1. The traditional English option is designed for students who are interested in preparing for graduate study in English and related fields--those who want to enter the world of college teaching and scholarship.

2. The General option attracts those who want a general liberal arts education emphasizing language and literature--those who want to enter perhaps the worlds of publishing and professional writing.

3. The English/Teaching option is designed for students who want specific training in the teaching of language and literature, at both elementary and secondary levels. The course of study is coordinated with the College of Education and state certification requirements to insure that graduates are fully prepared to enter the teaching profession at these levels.

4. The English/Pre-Law option is designed for students who want to go to law school. Our graduates have had excellent success in gaining admission to the law schools of their choice and in their academic performance after admission. In recent years graduates have been accepted at Stanford, Duke, University of Pennsylvania, University of Washington, U.C. Berkeley, and Colorado State University, just to name a few. 5. The English/Business option is designed for students who want to go into business immediately upon graduation or who want to enter graduate school in business. The major emphasizes not only a broad understanding of literature, culture, and history, it also emphasizes good writing skills and a strong, general base in economics, business, and computer technology. This option is also eligible for the program offered by the College of Business and Economics. Students who are chosen for this highly selective program can earn a liberal arts bachelor's degree and an MBA in five years instead of the usual six.

Curriculum

The Department of English has a strong faculty and teaching staff with interests and specialties covering all historical periods of English and American literature, from Medieval to the present, and they offer courses in all areas on a regular basis. But they also offer courses of special interest, such as Introductions to African-American, Asian-American, and Native American literature, Women Writers, Creative Writing, Humanities (literature and mythology of both ancient and modern western civilizations) Special Topics Courses (such as Science Fiction, Poetry of the Post World War 11 Era, Mystery and Detective Fiction, Women Writers of the South, and Literature of the Western United States.)

The Department also offers a Professional Writing emphasis, which both English majors and non-English majors can take as an academic minor.

Scholarships

The English Department regularly grants scholarships to outstanding students from the Jerard Fund, the Eva Peterson Fund (for Native American women), the Bundy Awards, and from cooperative efforts with the Department of Mathematics and the Honors Program.

Technology

The Avery Micro-Computer Lab Equipped with Macintoshes, laser printers, End an integrated system that allows for communication between and among students and teachers, the Avery Microcomputer Lab (AML) is available to students registered in English 198, and 300. A lab fee is assessed that entitles students to use the facilities. English 101 and 198 introduce students to the basics of Macintosh use, especially word processing; classes meet in the AML once a week.

English 300 is a one-credit, pass-fail course designed to facilitate writing for English and other courses. The class introduces students to more sophisticated software programs like Aspects, FileMaker, CricketGraph, and SuperPaint.

Please write:

Director of Undergraduate Studies
Department of English
Washington State University
Pullman, WA 99164-5020

Ideas or comments: english@wsu.edu

WSU English Department Undergraduate Studies

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