Home 2013-2014 Undergraduate College Catalog Undergraduate Programs of Study(Majors, Minors & Requirements) English

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Undergraduate Programs of Study(Majors, Minors & Requirements)

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Creative and Professional Writing Concentration

The English department is dedicated to fostering students’ original analysis and interpretation of literary works, including film, as well as students’ individual voices as creative writers. The study of literature not only enables students to become proficient in analytical reading and critical writing about literature; it also cultivates a capacity for verbal expression, logical argumentation, and close analysis of language that translates into many disciplines and careers. English majors excel in such diverse fields as law, business, medicine, journalism, film, public relations, corporate communications, editing, publication, and teaching. Training in clear, effective writing is fundamental to all three concentrations within the department, which are offered as both majors and minors:

Literature

Film Studies

Creative and Professional Writing

In the literature and film concentrations, a progressive sequence of courses develops students’ fundamental skills in writing and critical analysis, including approaching literary and cinematic texts in social and historical contexts and in light of theory and criticism; a senior research thesis caps these two concentrations. (Double majors in English and secondary education complete a slightly adapted version of the literature concentration.)

Creative writers hone their craft in a sequence of workshop courses, complemented by literature courses; a senior writing portfolio caps this concentration. (An accelerated BA/MFA with concentration in creative and professional is also offered; see Dual Degrees section of catalog for details.)

Faculty

Jeff Bens – Director of Creative and Professional Writing; courses in fiction and screenwriting

Caralyn Bialo – Medieval and Renaissance literature, Shakespeare

Meghan Freeman – Victorian and Modern British literature

Nada Halloway – International literature in English, Asian literature, African literature

Van Hartmann – Neoclassical and Romantic literature, early American literature, poetry, film

David Lugowski – Communication studies film, media studies, gender studies

Mark Nowak– Director of the MFA Program in Creative Writing; graduate courses in poetry and non-fiction

Patrick Redding – American literature, poetry

Adjunct Faculty

Andrew Bodenrader, Sally Bliumis-Dunn, Elizabeth Eslami, Joseph Fasano, Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, Katie Gilbert, Kristopher Jansma, Paul Levitz, Greg Olear

General Requirements and Opportunities

Minimum grade for major or minor requirements: Only courses in which the student receives a grade of "C" or better may be used to satisfy major or minor requirements. The Creative and Professional Writing concentration requires a "C+" or better in ENW.1013 (formerly ENW.2030) Approaches to Creative Writing.

Early literature requirement: Each English Literature major must complete two courses in literature written before 1800. For the Creative Writing and Film concentrations, the requirement is one course in literature before 1800.

Non-western/post colonial literature requirement: Each English major must complete one course in non-western or postcolonial literature or film.

Students may opt to major in one concentration and minor in another as long as no courses are double-counted.

Credit towards the major or minor for courses taken outside the department is determined by the department chair. Online courses are generally not accepted for major or minor credit. Students who have received a grade of B or better in Composition and Literature 102 at a Community College and students who have passed the Advanced Placement English Literature Exam with a score of 5 are exempt from one 1000-level literature class.

ENC (English composition) courses are not accepted towards any English major or minor.

Independent studies (ENG.4495 and ENW.4495) are permitted only with full-time members of the department.

Internships related to the major (ENG.4497 and ENW.4497) must be supervised by a full-time member of the department and should be arranged through the Center for Career Development Office.

On-campus publications that welcome submissions from and involvement of students include the campus newspaper, Touchstone, and the undergraduate literary magazine, Graffiti. Internships are also available with The Manhattanville Review, Manhattanville’s national journal of fiction and poetry.

English Department Writing Awards: Each spring, the English Department invites all undergraduates to submit pieces of critical and creative writing for consideration for the Eileen O’Gorman Undergraduate Prize in Fiction, the Robert O’Clair Undergraduate Prize in Poetry, the Sr. Margaret Williams Prize for Literary Criticism, the Dan Masterson Prize for Screenwriting, and the William K. Everson Prize for Writing on Film.

Honors in the English major is granted to students with exceptional (A level) performance throughout their course of study in English.

Literature Concentration

The English Major with a Concentration in Literature requires the following courses:

Two ENG 1000-level Introduction to Literature courses

Three ENG 2000-level Literature courses

ENG 3083: Literary Theory & Criticism or ENF 3075: Film Theory, in the junior year

Two ENG 3000-level Literature seminars

Three ENG electives at the 2000 or 3000 level, two of which may be ENW (Creative Writing) and/or ENF (Film) courses

ENG 3998: Senior Thesis in Literature. This is a 3-credit independent research project leading to a research paper approximately 25 pages long with appropriate scholarly documentation, guided by an adviser in the English Department, and completed during the fall or spring semester of the senior year. Note prerequisites listed below.

Early literature requirement: At least two of the courses for this concentration must cover literature written before 1800.

Non-western/post colonial literature requirement: At least one course must cover non-western/postcolonial literature or film.

Students double majoring in English and Secondary Education who plan to teach at the Middle School or High School level should make sure that their selection of courses meets the following additional distribution requirements: at least one course in American literature, one course in film studies, on c course in creative and professional writing, and one course in women’s writing. These students should also see School of Education catalog for additional EDU and ENE course requirements.

Students English Minor with a Concentration in Literature must complete the following courses:

Two ENG 1000-level Introduction to Literature courses

One ENG 2000-level literature course

Two ENG Electives in literature at the 2000 level or above. Creative/professional writing (ENW) and/or Film (ENF) courses at any level may also be used.

Prerequisites for ENG 2000 and 3000-level courses: For ENG 2000-level courses, must have taken one previous ENG 1000-level course; for ENG 3000-level courses, must have taken two previous ENG 2000-level courses; for ENG 3998 (Senior Thesis Literature), must have taken one previous 3000-level course in addition to ENG 3083 (Literary Theory) or ENF 3075 (Film Theory); for ENF 3075 (Film Theory), must have previously taken ENF 1001 (Introduction to Film Studies); for ENF 3998 (Senior Thesis in Film) must have previously taken ENF 3075.

Film Studies Concentration

The English Major with Concentration in Film Studies requires the following courses:

One ENG 1000-level Introduction to Literature course

Two ENG 2000-level courses in Literature

Two additional ENG Literature electives at the 2000 or 3000 level

ENF.1001 Introduction to Film Studies (formerly ENG.2083)

ENF.2088 History of Cinema I or ENF.2089 History of Cinema II

ENF.3075 Film Theory (Note that ENF 1001 is a prerequisite for this course.)

Two ENF or qualifying ENG or ENW Electives in film*

One additional ENF 3000/4000 seminar or qualifying ENG 3000-level seminar*

ENF.3998 Senior Thesis in Film Studies. This is a 3-credit independent research project on film leading to a research paper approximately 25 pages long with appropriate scholarly documentation, guided by an adviser in the English Department, and completed during the fall or spring semester of the senior year. Note that ENF 3075 is a prerequisite for this course.

*The following courses may be used as electives in film: ENF.2080 American Film, ENF.2076 Women’s Film, ENF.2088 History of Cinema I (if not taken as a required course), ENF.2089 History of Cinema II (if not taken as a required course), ENG.3026 Shakespeare on Film, ENG.3071 Laughter, ENF.3173 Queer Film and Media Studies, ENF.4010 Major Film Directors, ENF.4020 Topics in Film Genre, ENF.4030 Topics in National and Regional Cinemas, ENW.2040 Writing for the Media, ENW.4003 Screenwriting I, and ENW.4004 Screenwriting II. One elective may, with approval, be a film course from outside the department. Note that a qualifying ENG course may not be counted for both a film and a literature requirement.

Early literature requirement: At least one of the courses for this concentration must cover literature written before 1800.

Non-western/post colonial literature requirement: At least one course must cover non-western/postcolonial literature or film.

Creative and Professional Writing Concentration

The English major with concentration in creative and professional writing requires the following courses (total 43-45 credits):

1000-level introduction to literature (4 credits)

2000-level course on literary traditions (3 credits)

elective in literature or film (3 or 4 credits)

>>One of the 1000- or 2000-level courses must be in literature before 1800.

ENW.1013 (formerly ENW.2030) Approaches to Creative Writing (3 credits)

ENW.2016 (formerly ENW.3007) Narrative Studies (3 credits)

elective in creative/professional writing (3 credits)

>>The following courses may be used as electives in creative/professional writing. Note that 4000-level courses are repeatable for credit. ENW.4020 Fiction Workshop, ENW.4030 Advanced Fiction Workshop, ENW.4011 Journalism I, ENW.4012 Journalism II, ENW.4009 Poetry Workshop, ENW.4003 Screenwriting I, ENW.4004 Screenwriting II, ENW.2040 Writing for the Media.

ENG.3997 Senior Seminar (2 credits)

ENW.3998 Senior Writing Portfolio (3 credits)

The English minor with concentration in creative and professional writing requires the following courses (total 20 credits):

1000-level introduction to literature (4 credits)

2000-level course on literary traditions (3 credits)

ENW.1013 (formerly ENW.2030) Approaches to Creative Writing (3 credits)

ENW.2016 (formerly ENW.3007) Narrative Studies (3 credits)

elective in creative/professional writing (3 credits)

>>See list of electives in creative/professional writing under the requirements for the creative/professional writing major.