2007-2008 General Catalog, California State University, Fresno.

You are in the official 2007-2008 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.


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Department of English

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Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements
English Major

Each student seeking a Bachelor of Arts with a major in English must fulfill the lower-division core, core competencies, and all requirements listed under the English major degree option. Students also must fulfill the university's General Education requirements (51 units). The English Department requires two college-level courses in the same foreign language for both English major degree options. No General Education integration course offered by the Department of English may be used to satisfy the General Education requirements for English majors.

Major requirements (48-57 units)

Lower-division core (8 units)
ENGL 31, 32

Core competencies (8 units)
ENGL 105 and 189 (or approved topics course in Shakespeare)

Options (32-41 units)
I. The English Major (32 units)
II. English Credential (39-41 units)


Electives and remaining degree requirements (12-21 units)

(see Degree Requirements); may be used toward a double major or minor

General Education requirements (51 units)

Total (120 units)

Degree Options

I. The English Major

From the following three literature categories, select at least two courses before 1865.*

British Literature (8 units)
Select two: ENGL 146, 147, 150, 151, 152, 156, 184, 187

American Literature (4 units)
Select one: ENGL 153, 154, 155

World Literature (4 units)
Select one: ENGL 112, 113, 114, 167

Literature of Diversity (4 units)
Select one approved course: ENGL 168T, 179, 193T, 194T

Approved upper-division electives in major (12 units)
See adviser

Total (32 units)



__________

* Definition of a course before 1865: ENGL 112, 113, 116, 146, 147, 150, 151, 153, 184, 187.


Advising Notes

  1. A course may fulfill the requirement in more than one of the above content categories but will not reduce the number of total units required for the major.
  2. The English Department requires that students take at least one senior seminar (ENGL 193T or 194T) in their senior year. This may fulfill an upper-division requirement or an elective.
  3. CR/NC grading is not permitted in the English major with the exception of 4 units total of ENGL 175T and 186.
  4. General Education and elective units may be used toward a double major or minor (see double major or departmental minor). Consult the appropriate department chair, program coordinator, or faculty adviser for further information.
  5. Not more than 6 units by extension and correspondence courses may be applied toward the English major: correspondence courses may be applied only if they are acceptable for the major at the college where the course is offered.
  6. English majors are advised to select a course in English history as one of their upper-division electives.
  7. English majors considering eventual graduate degrees should consult the graduate adviser.

 


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Credential Program

This is a state-approved subject matter preparation program for the Single Subject Teaching Credential. It authorizes students to teach English in grades 7-12.

II. English Education

The following 24 units are required of all English credential majors regardless of extended studies emphasis.

ENGL 131 (4 units)
LING 146 (3 units)
LING 141 (3 units)
DRAMA 138A (3 units)
COMM 103, 105, 114, or 115 (3 units)
ENGL 193T or 194T (4 units)
Literature of Diversity (4 units)
Select one approved course: ENGL 112, 113, 114, 179, 193T (selected topics), 194T
Total (24 units)

Select one of the following English education major extended studies emphases.

Literature Emphasis (16 units)
--- Creative Writing (4 units) ---
Select one: ENGL 41, 43, 44, 161, 163, 164
---- Literature (12 units) ---
Select a minimum of three approved courses: ENGL 112, 113, 114, 115W, 116, 146, 147, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 167, 168T, 169T, 171, 176T, 177, 179, 181, 183T, 184, 187, 193T, 194T

Composition and Rhetoric Emphasis (15 units)
--- Creative Writing (4 units) ---
Select one: ENGL 41, 43, 44, 161, 163, 164
--- Theory (11 units) ---
Select one: COMM 105, 140, 142
Select two: ENGL 181, 175T (Tutoring), 175T (Comp. Theory) or other approved courses

Creative Writing Emphasis (16 units)
Select two of the following sequences:
ENGL 41 and 161 (8 units)
ENGL 43 and 163 (8 units)
ENGL 44 and 164 (8 units)

Linguistics Emphasis (15 units)
LING 100 (3 units)
LING 147 (3 units)

Select three courses in one of the following sequences: (9 units)
Language Awareness Strand: LING 132, 138, 139, 142, 143, 144, 145, 148
Teaching English as a Second Language Strand: LING 132, 155, 165, 171

Theatre Education Emphasis (17 units)
DRAMA 32 or 33 (3 units)
DRAMA 34* (3 units)
DRAMA 110* (3 units)
DRAMA 139 (3 units)
DRAMA 185 or 186 (3 units)
DRAMA 115 (2 units)
__________

*Requires DRAMA 115 to be taken concurrently.

 

Speech Emphasis (15 units)
Select two: COMM 3, 5, 7, 8 (6 units)
Select two: COMM 108, 162, 164 (6 units)
Select any upper-division speech course not used in previous electives (3 units)

 

Advising Notes

  1. The English Education Program constitutes a pathway toward the English major for those students who wish to teach in California schools. This program combines the lower-division core, core competencies, English credential option, and selected extended studies emphasis.
  2. Courses counted within the English credential option are not permitted for double-counting in the extended studies emphasis.
  3. Courses may double-count in G.E. and extended studies emphasis.
  4. Recommended G.E. courses for all English credential majors are as follows:
    G.E. Area C1 - DRAMA 22, 62
    G.E. Area C2 - LING 10 or foreign language courses
    G.E. Area E - DRAMA 32
    G.E. Area IC - DRAMA 163; PHIL 120, 150 or 151
    G.E. Area ID - MCJ 178
    G.E. Area MI - LING 147
  5. Students must receive grades of either A or B in ENGL 105, 131, and 193/194T; earn a C or above in all other major classes; and maintain a GPA of 2.67 to be eligible to enter the credential program after earning a bachelor's degree.
  6. Students must provide evidence of successful completion of an appropriate pre-program field experience or EHD 50 - Introduction to Teaching.
  7. Credential candidates must take 1 unit of ENGL 182 concurrently with both EHD 155A and EHD 155B when completing professional education requirements necessary for the Single Subject Teaching Credential.
  8. Students fulfilling the competency requirement by taking the CSET exam should make an appointment with a credential adviser to obtain a list of additional requirements.

 

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English Minor

Students in many vocational fields often realize that special skill in writing may be of great use in their future work -- and such skill can best be obtained through an English minor. The English Minor requires 20 units above ENGL 5B and 10, at least 12 of which must be upper division, and 4 of these units must be from 189 or 193T/194T. ENGL 160W does not apply to the English Minor. Courses taken as CR/NC may not apply to the minor with the exception of 4 units total of 175T and 186.

ENGL 189, 193T, or 194T (4 units)
Other upper-division English courses (not including ENGL 160W) (8 units)
Other English courses (not including ENGL 5B and 10) (8 units)
Total (20 units)

__________

Note:
The English Minor also requires a 2.0 GPA and 6 upper-division units in residence.

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Graduate Program

The Master of Arts program in English language and literature serves several categories of students: those teaching high school and community college; those anticipating doctoral studies; those studying creative or expository writing; and those simply interested in extending and intensifying the knowledge acquired in their undergraduate studies.

Admission to the Master of Arts program in English language and literature assumes preparation equivalent to an undergraduate major in English or a related field in the liberal arts. Courses which do not count toward the English major may not be used for the M.A.. To reach classified standing, both English and non-English majors must achieve a GPA of 3.0 or better in their major. (Foreign students must also submit TOEFL scores.) In the Literature and Composition Theory options, the advanced GRE (Literature) is not required, but it is recommended for students intending to pursue a doctorate. In addition, all candidates must submit a writing sample to the graduate committee, whose approval is necessary for admission to the program. If the writing sample submitted with the application to the program is not approved by the departmental graduate committee, the candidate may submit one additional revised or new writing sample for committee review. If the second writing sample is not approved, the candidate will not be admitted to the program.

Approval of the writing sample satisfied the M.A. program's Graduate Writing Skills Requirement -- see English Department's Advising Booklet for more information.

Consult the graduate adviser every semester for program planning.

(See also Admission to Graduate Standing, Advancement to Candidacy, Program Requirements, and Criteria for Thesis and Project.)

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Master of Arts Degree Requirements

Literature Option

Under the direction of a graduate adviser, each student prepares and submits a coherent program individually designed within the following framework:

ENGL 250T and/or 280T (12 units)
Other courses in English (see specific requirements) (4 units)
ENGL 299 (Thesis) (2 units)
Approved electives in English or other fields (12 units)
Total (30 units)
_________

No more than 8 upper-division units will count toward the graduate degree.

Specific Requirements.
The following areas must be covered by graduate or undergraduate courses (may be satisfied in undergraduate preparation): English literature (2 courses), American literature, world literature, Shakespeare, and Chaucer (1 course each).

In addition to the general Graduate Division requirements, advancement to candidacy requires a reading knowledge of one foreign language, to be demonstrated by examination, and a review by the graduate committee of the work already completed.

An interdisciplinary major may be constructed in consultation with the graduate adviser in which up to 12 units may be taken in departments other than English when such a program demonstrates a coherent program of study.

Composition Theory Option
Under the direction of a graduate adviser, each student prepares and submits a coherent program individually designed within the following framework:

ENGL 250T or 280T (12 units)
ENGL 270 (4 units)
ENGL 281 (4 units)
Approved electives in English or other fields (7-8 units)
ENGL 299 (Thesis -- writing theory or pedagogy) (2 units)
ENGL 282 (1 units)
Total (30-31 units)
__________

No more than 8 upper-division units will count toward the graduate degree.

Teaching Requirement. At some period before the completion of the M.A. composition option, the candidate must be engaged in teaching or co-teaching a course with a strong writing component. While most candidates would be teaching in the English Department, other teaching assignments will apply with prior approval of the departmental graduate adviser. Enrollment in ENGL 282 should take place in the same semester that the student is fulfilling the teaching requirement.

In addition to the general Graduate Division requirements, advancement to candidacy requires a reading knowledge of one foreign language, and a review by the graduate committee of the work already completed.

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Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

The M.F.A. in Creative Writing offers advanced degree training to talented students who wish to gain expertise in the writing of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. It assumes that, as in music or the visual arts, the best education for the artist includes: training in the history and traditions associated with the student's discipline, training in theoretical and formal approaches to the craft, and extensive practice with critique of student work by peers and faculty writers. The program combines studio and academic approaches, providing the student with substantial critical workshop experience and a solid background in theory and literature.

Admission Requirements

Admission to the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program requires: a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with a GPA of 3.0 or better in the undergraduate major; submission of GRE scores; (foreign students must also score 600 or better on the TOEFL); three letters of recommendation from teachers, editors, or others familiar with the applicant's writing and academic skills; and a writing sample of the student's creative work (up to 10 poems or 20 pages of prose) to be evaluated by the creative writing admissions committee. The advanced GRE is not required.

Degree Requirements

In consultation with the M.F.A. adviser, each student prepares and submits a coherent program individually designed within the following framework:

ENGL 261 or 263 or 265 (16 units)
ENGL 241, 243, or 245 (8 units)
(one course in the student's focus genre and one in either of the other two genres)
ENGL 250T or 280T (12 units)
Approved electives (upper-division or graduate level courses) (12-14 units)
ENGL 299 (Thesis) (4-6 units)
Total (54 units)

Note:
At least 70% (38 units) of coursework must be at graduate (200) level.

Specific Requirements

Thesis. The thesis for the M.F.A. in Creative Writing consists of a single book-length manuscript of fiction, a collection of poems, or creative nonfiction that works together to make a unified body of work. The thesis committee works closely with the student on style as well as content; it adheres to a high standard of publishable quality work. In lieu of a formal defense, the graduating student is required to give a public reading from his or her work.

Language Requirement.
In addition to the general Graduate Division requirements, advancement to candidacy requires a reading knowledge of one language other than English. This may be demonstrated either by passing an examination supervised by the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, or (with prior approval) by completing an acceptable translation of poetry or prose.

Graduate Writing Requirement. Before advancement to candidacy, the student must also satisfy the Graduate Writing Skills Requirement. This requirement is met by submission and approval of a sample of scholarly writing (this is distinct from the sample of creative work required for program admission.) See English Department's Advising Booklet for more information.

Subject Examination.
In addition to the general Graduate Division requirements, students are required to pass the M.F.A. exit examination with a grade of B or above. Each student works with his or her adviser to create a reading list which will be approved by a three member committee. The exam consists of essay questions that allow the student to demonstrate a theoretical and critical knowledge of the craft, through using texts from his or her approved reading list.

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Certificate of Advanced Study in Composition

The Certificate in Composition is a postbaccalaureate course of study in the theory and pedagogy of teaching writing. It is designed for Valley classroom teachers, those considering doctoral study in English, candidates for the M.A. in English, and community college teachers.

ENGL 270 (4 units)
ENGL 281 (4 units)
Electives (LING 237, 251, 244; COMM 214; ENGL 265 or other electives approved by graduate adviser. Some of the courses may have prerequisites) (6-8 units)
Total (14-16 units)

The student must earn a grade of B or better in all certificate of advanced study coursework. Students who fail to earn at least a B in a course may repeat it for an improved grade. Please note that grade substitution is not permitted at the graduate level and that a GPA of at least 3.0 must be accumulated for certificate of advanced study coursework.

 

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