DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
Chair: Sue B. Walker (251) 460-6146
Professor: Walker
Associate Professors: Beason, McLaughlin, Payne
Assistant Professors: Alford, Amare, Amado Miller, Cesarini, Coleman, Guzy, Haines, Halbrooks, Harrington, Hollingsworth, Jackson, Nowlin, Raczkowski
Instructors: Daley, Escobio, Kracke, Lakeman, Lang, Peterson, Roy, Trumbo
Senior Instructor: Spain
Emeriti: Hamner, McDonald, Varnado, Wilson
Department of English web site http://www.southalabama.edu/english
Through its focus on the interpretation, analysis, and production of literary and other texts, the English Department teaches students how those texts are shaped by and in turn shape the world around them. In so doing, the Department helps students acquire the critical skills they need to analyze and participate in these interactions and contribute to the shaping of their worlds. The faculty’s teaching and research in literature, creative writing, and composition/rhetoric combine to foster excellence in critical reading, creative thinking, and effective writing.
For all students, the Department provides the composition skills essential for success at the University and offers courses introducing the cultural diversity and historical breadth of British, American, and world literatures. For students majoring or minoring in English, the Department teaches critical strategies needed for intensive study in creative writing, professional writing, and in diverse literatures in English. For students pursuing graduate study in English, the Department provides advanced training in creative writing, literary analysis, rhetoric, methods of scholarly research, and critical theory. In all cases, by asking students to read, discuss, and write about a wide variety of texts, the Department promotes an inclusive and evolving understanding of English Studies. Students pursuing a degree in English also must complete a minor in another discipline.
All first-time freshmen with less than 15 semester hours are required to successfully complete CAS 100: New Student Seminar.
REQUIREMENTS FOR A MAJOR IN ENGLISH
A minimum of 36 semester hours, exclusive of freshman English. Majors are required to take at least one survey sequence: EH 215/216 or EH 225/226 or EH 235/236. Any additional 200-level courses may be used to fulfill the 36-hour requirement; however, no more than four 200-level courses can count toward the major. The remaining hours must come from courses at the 300 level or above and include:

1.	At least one course in literature prior to 1660 (EH 311, EH 321, EH 322, EH 323, EH 324, EH 460, EH 461, EH 465, EH 467, EH 470, EH 471, EH 472).
2.	At least one course in British or American literature from 1660-1900 (EH 331, EH 332, EH334, EH340, EH342, EH 343, EH 351, EH 352, EH 353, EH 354, EH 462, EH 474, EH 475).
3.	At least one course in twentieth-century literature (EH 360, EH 361, EH 367, EH 368, EH 463, EH 468, EH 476, EH 478, EH 479).
4.	One of the following courses: EH 402, EH 421, or EH 422.
5.	At least two courses (exclusive of requirement 4) at the 400-level must come from any courses offered by the Department.
6.	A writing portfolio, to be submitted in the student's senior year, that includes two critical essays written for coursework in the Department as well as one reflective synthesis letter (details and deadlines are available in the English Department office).

A student wishing to deviate from the standard curriculum and devise a unique program of study must demonstrate in writing to the English Advising Committee that such a program best serves that student's intellectual needs or career goals.

HONORS IN ENGLISH

To be awarded Honors in English a student must:

1. Complete all the standard requirements for the major in English.

2. Maintain a 3.5 overall GPA (University requirement) and a 3.5 GPA in all course work in English.

3. Receive permission from the Department Chair and agreement from a Department member to serve as mentor.

4. Complete a Senior Honors Thesis (EH 499), with a grade of "A" or "B" in addition to the standard requirements for the English major. EH 499, Senior Honors Thesis (six semester hours credit) may be counted toward three hours of the 36 hours required for the major, and toward three hours of the nine 400-level hours required for the major. Thus, the student receiving honors in English will be required to take a total of 39 hours in English instead of 36. In EH 499 the student will normally take three hours in the Fall semester for research and three in the Spring for writing. A final committee of three or more faculty members, including a representative of the University Honors Program, will conduct an oral defense.

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS FOR ENGLISH MAJORS

General Education Requirements for English are specified in the College of Arts and Sciences section. Note that Area II Requirements are partially satisfied and Sequence Requirement fully satisfied by the major requirements specified above.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A MAJOR IN ENGLISH WITH A CONCENTRATION IN CREATIVE WRITING

A minimum of 36 semester hours in English, exclusive of freshman English. Majors are required to take at least one survey sequence: EH 215/216 or EH 225/226 or EH 235/236. Remaining hours must include:

1.	Five creative writing courses selected from (EH 391, EH 392, EH 393, EH 394, EH 395, EH 396, EH 483-EH 488, EH497, EH 498).
2.	Five literature courses at the 300 level or above, including an American novel course (EH 331 or EH 361) and a Shakespeare course (EH 322, EH 323, or EH 472). The remaining three literature courses may be chosen from EH 300 and/or 400 level except the creative writing courses listed above. Appropriate seminar and “Studies in” courses can serve to fulfill these requirements.
3.	A writing portfolio, to be submitted in the student's senior year, that includes one critical essay and two samples of creative writing written for coursework in the Department, as well as one reflective synthesis letter (details and deadlines are available in the English Department office).

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS FOR ENGLISH MAJORS

General Education Requirements for English with a concentration in creative writing are specified in the College of Arts and Sciences section. Note that Area II requirements are partially satisfied and Sequence Requirement fully satisfied by the major requirements specified above.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A MINOR IN ENGLISH

A minimum of 21 semester hours in English, exclusive of freshman English. The minor requires at least four courses at the 300 level or above.

REQUIREMENTS FOR A MINOR IN ENGLISH: PROFESSIONAL WRITING

The minor in English: Professional Writing provides students with the conceptual foundations and hands-on practice necessary for communicating and writing proficiently in technical and professional contexts. The minor is intended to prepare students for producing the forms of writing they will encounter in the workplace (feasibility studies, technical reports, business letters, and grants, for example), and to provide a broad understanding of the rhetorical dimensions of written communication, especially nonacademic texts.

Requirements (21 hours)

Core Courses (9 hours):

1.	EH 372: Technical Writing (W) or EH 373: Writing in the Professions
	(W) EH 402: Rhetoric: Ancient & Modern (W) EH 481: Studies in Composition/Rhetoric (W)
2.	One of the following (3 hours):
	EH 371: Approaches to English Grammar (W) EH 372: Technical Writing (W) or EH 373: Writing in the Professions (W)* EH 401: Theory & Practice in Composition (W) EH 403: Art of the Essay EH 496: Professional Studies Internship
3.	Three additional 300- or 400-level English courses (9 hours):

Including but not limited to courses in the second section above.

*Students can take either or both of these two courses.

GRADUATE STUDIES

The Master of Arts degree program in English is designed to meet the needs both of students pursuing a terminal M.A. and of those planning to work toward the Ph.D. and a career in university teaching. The terminal M.A. serves such career tracks as junior college or secondary-school teaching, and writing or editing in the business or corporate community. Creative writers find the degree meaningful in careers both in and out of the academic community.

REQUIREMENTS FOR ADMISSION

Students are admitted each semester. The following criteria supplement the Graduate School criteria (see Categories of Admission):

REGULAR ADMISSION

1.	For the Literature Concentration, an undergraduate major in English or at least 30 semester hours of course work in English beyond the freshman level. For the Creative Writing Concentration, at least 15 semester hours of course work in English beyond the freshman level.*
2.	A minimum GPA of 3.0 in junior and senior level courses presented in fulfillment of requirement 1.
3.	A score of at least 500 on the Verbal subtest of the GRE General Test.
4.	For all applicants, a personal statement of no more than 500 words.
5.	For applicants for whom English is a second language, a TOEFL score of at least 535.

PROVISIONAL ADMISSION

1.	For the Literature Concentration, a minor in English or at least 21 semester hours of course work in English beyond the freshman level, at least 12 of these hours in upper-division literature courses. Students lacking the literature component can qualify by completing additional upper-division courses in literature. For the Creative Writing Concentration, 15 semester hours of course work in English beyond the freshman level.* Provisional Admission with fewer semester hours than those stipulated requires specific approval of the Department’s Graduate Committee.
2.	A minimum GPA of 2.50 in junior and senior level courses presented in fulfillment of requirement 1.
3.	Applicants presenting a score of less than 500 on the Verbal subtest of the GRE General Test must enter in the Provisional category. Applicants may also be admitted provisionally without submitting a score, but one must be submitted before the student can advance to Regular Status.
4.	Same as requirements 4 and 5 for Regular Admission.

Students admitted provisionally may be required to make up deficiencies in their undergraduate course work in addition to the normal degree requirements listed below.

*Students must specify their concentration at the time of application and may not thereafter change concentrations without the specific approval of the English Department’s Graduate Committee.

NON-DEGREE ADMISSION

Applicants for non-degree status in English will normally be admitted only if they meet admission standards for provisional admission. That is, they must have a 2.5 GPA overall and in junior-level and senior-level courses presented to meet the 21 hour (15 hours for creative writing) course work in English requirement. Following admission, non-degree students must have the permission of the Department Chair and the Director of Graduate Studies of the College for each course in which they wish to enroll. Enrollment will be on a space available basis with preference being given to degree students. Non-degree students must satisfy the same prerequisites as degree students to enroll in a course. Non-degree students may not enroll in directed studies courses. Non-degree students can change their status to Regular Admission by reapplying to the program after two semesters. Non-degree students can transfer up to 15 credit hours they earned as non-degree students.

GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS

The English Department awards both teaching assistantships and research assistantships. Teaching assistantships involve responsibility for freshman composition classes. Graduate students holding research assistantships are usually assigned tasks involving tutoring, research, editing, or administrative/clerical tasks. Awards are normally made for the academic year; occasionally, assistantships become available for spring semester. Applications are taken continuously; competition for appointments begins in May for the following year. See Coordinator for information and application. (See also Bulletin section on Graduate School, “Assistantships and Fellowships.”)

REQUIREMENTS FOR DEGREE

During the second semester in the program, each student must submit an individual plan of study with regard to adequate coverage of British and American literature, literary theory, language, development of writing skills, and the student’s individual needs and objectives. The plan must be approved by the Coordinator of Graduate Studies in English.

1.	Concentration in British and American Literature

	a.	A minimum of thirty-six semester hours of credit is required beyond the bachelor’s degree with a grade of "A" or "B", to include EH 501, Intro to Literary Theory, in the first year of course work, two courses from literary periods pre-1800, and two courses from literary periods post-1800. No more than twelve semester hours selected from the 400-level English courses may be used to meet the requirement of a minimum of thirty-six hours.
	b.	Comprehensive examination options now include a written exam and a thesis with oral exam. Please contact the coordinator of Graduate Studies for information.
	c.	Demonstrated proficiency in a foreign language is required (see 4 below).

2.	Concentration in Creative Writing

	a.	Thesis with oral exam option: A minimum of thirty hours credit in English course work, to include eighteen hours of courses in literature, and twelve hours of courses in writing, is required beyond the bachelor’s degree with a grade of "A" or "B". No more than twelve semester hours selected from 400-level English courses may be used to meet the requirement of thirty-six hours minimum. The required thesis (six hours thesis credit to be granted on successful completion and oral defense of the thesis) will serve as the student’s exit evaluation along with an oral examination.
		Written and Thesis option: A minimum of thirty hours credit in English course work, to include eighteen hours of courses in literature and twelve hours of courses in writing, along with six hours of thesis credits to be granted on the successful completion and defense of the thesis, are required beyond the bachelor’s degree with a grade of "A" or "B". No more than twelve semester hours selected from 400-level English courses may be used to meet the requirement of thirty hours minimum. At least one semester before graduation, students pursuing this option must pass one-half of the written comprehensive examination as described under the literature concentration.
	b.	Students may concentrate on fiction, nonfiction, or poetry writing.
	c.	This concentration is offered only as a thesis degree. For the thesis, a book-length work of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry is required.
	d.	An oral defense of the thesis will be required at least four weeks prior to the anticipated graduation date. (For final submission of the thesis to the Graduate School, see the Bulletin section on General Information.)
	e.	Demonstrated proficiency in a foreign language is required (see 4 listed below).

3.	M.A. in English with Alabama Class-A Professional Teaching Certification.

	Students holding Class-B Professional Teaching Certification may, in many cases, complete the regular graduate program in English with the literature emphasis in order to qualify for Class-A certification. Most students with an undergraduate degree in education will already have taken those education courses required for certification.
	Upon admission, however, all students planning to pursue this certification must have their transcripts reviewed by the records specialist in education in order to ascertain whether the education requirements have been met or will require further course work in education. Up to nine semester hours in education at the graduate level may be incorporated into the literature emphasis as electives.

4.	Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement

	All students pursuing the M.A. in English must demonstrate a reading proficiency in Spanish, French, German, or Latin before registering for the comprehensive exam. Foreign nationals for whom English is not native may offer their native language. Credit in reading courses in acceptable languages may not count toward the 36 hour credit requirement for the M.A. in English.

DESCRIPTION OF ALL ENGLISH (EH) COURSES

Department of Arts and Sciences