Course Descriptions

The Curriculum

To complete a major in English at Briar Cliff, you and your advisor will choose ten or more literature (ENGL) classes and at least three writing-and-language (WRTG) classes.

FRESHMAN YEAR: WRTG 109, EN 110, WRTG 159 Sometime during your freshman year (or as soon as possible after you declare a major or minor), you should take the department's two "general survey" courses: Introduction to Writing (WRTG 109) and Introduction to Literature (EN 110). These two courses are designed to acquaint you with the basic principles for expressing yourself clearly in written English and for reading a literary text of any type carefully and creatively. You should take the other 100-level course offering, Contemporary Argument and Research (WRTG 159), as soon as possible during the freshman or early sophomore year; it introduces you to the tools and techniques needed to write upper-division argument and research papers in any discipline.

THE 200's: FORMS AND CORNERSTONE COURSES Seven "sophomore-level" courses, numbered in the 200's, are offered by the English department to introduce students from all majors to the various forms (or genres) of literature. ENGL 210 = Modern Fiction, ENGL 211 = Modern Poetry, and ENGL 212 = Modern Drama, represent the core of this sequence. These three courses use selections from 20th-century authors to acquaint you with the history, content and styles in Modern Western literature. As an English major or minor, you must take one of these offerings; most students in the department take several.

ENGL 243, Shakespeare, is the other 200-level course required of you as a major or minor. Shakespeare's plays form an important historical source for all literature written after them; and because any close reading of those plays involves such a large array of literary analytical tools, you should take ENGL 243 as a sophomore.

The department also offers 200-level classes in Contemporary Drama(ENGL 214, covering drama written since 1950, with an emphasis on plays of the last decade), and Classics of World Literature(ENGL 260 derived from a range of cultures).

THE 300's: HISTORY AND CULTURES Most of the upper-division offerings in English are more historically oriented, designed to acquaint you with the major eras, authors, writings and theories in both European and American literatures. Choices from the literature of pre-20th century Europe include these:

~ Classical literature (EN 310) ~ Renaissance literature (EN 320) ~ Enlightenment literature (EN 330) ~ British Romantic literature (EN 360) ~ Victorian literature (EN 365).

The department also offers two American literary history classes: Nineteenth Century American Literature (EN 340) and Twentieth Century American Literature (EN 345). Most English majors, particularly those aiming toward graduate school, elect as many of these historical courses as possible; five of the seven offerings are required (two of which must be in pre-1800 eras).

IR's: SKILLS AND SUBTLETIES All students majoring in English begin a sequence of six IR's during the first term of their junior year. ENGL 1 IR develops skills in analyzing and interpreting poetry, the most delicate and enduring of literary arts; in the Winter term (IR 2) you will explore possible careers for English majors, learn jobsearch skills, and practice articulating the skills you already have.  IR 3 studies writing for the web. IR 4 surveys mythological literature. IR 5 focuses on literary criticism.  In the last IR you will become a reviewer and evaluator of contemporary works.

WRTG UPPER-LEVEL COURSES Meanwhile, you will also be selecting from a variety of advanced writing and language courses. One of these, WRTG 420 Composition Seminar/Internship, is a requirement; it is usually taken during the winter term of the junior or senior years (with department approval). WRTG 420 involves study of composition theories, practice in writing, and tutoring experience. You may also choose to study the history of the English language (WRTG 335 = Linguistics) or different contemporary methods for understanding and analyzing that language (WRTG 336 = Modern Grammar). You also have the opportunity to write creative fiction and poetry (WRTG 328 and WRTG 329).

THE 400's: POSSIBILITIES UNLIMITED, AND A CAPSTONE As an upper-division student, you may want to register for EN 490, an internship course that allows you to apply your writing and organizational skills in professional job situations. Also available to you is EN 475, a one- or three-hour Independent Study course designed in consultation with one of the department's faculty. Students planning a secondary education minor are required to take EN 440, Special Methods, during the spring term before their student teaching experience.

EN 460, a final term course taken by all English majors in the spring of the senior year, completes your overview of the history of literature. In this course you will review literature already read, fill in many remaining gaps on "famous" authors or works not yet studied, and make connections between ages and their writers through a sequence of "comprehensives," three essay and identification tests over what has been studied. Ideally, EN 460 forms the capstone on your literature studies. If you continue on to graduate school in literature, you should be excellently prepared.

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Choosing to Minor in Another Discipline

As a community of learners, Briar Cliff emphasizes freedom, flexibility, personal choice and thus responsibility toward what is traditionally called the "minor." Academically, a minor is study in a field of secondary emphasis, usually requiring a set of six courses prescribed by the department in that field. For example, as an English major you may decide to enrich your primary emphasis in English by taking courses in a closely related field such as Speech and Theatre, Mass Communications, or a language. And because the workplace typically expects English majors to be good writers and critics of everything written, the most commonly chosen minor is Writing and Language. However, you shouldn't feel that a minor is an absolute necessity; in fact, neither the English department nor Briar Cliff requires a minor at all. In other words, you may shape your learning formally toward a secondary emphasis or a combination; or you may choose instead to round your education liberally in other ways. You could try "mini- concentrations" of three or four courses in several other fields, or even take one or two courses from a wide variety of offerings. The choice is up to you. Every department at Briar Cliff offers a minor as well as a major -- but note that there is also a whole group of fields that offer minors only:

Political Science, Philosophy, Peace Studies, Management Information Systems, Writing and Language, Speech and Theatre, Recreation and Leisure Education (Elem. or Secondary)

In thinking about whether to pursue a minor, here are some considerations you may want to keep in mind:

~ your own interests ~ your own desire to learn skills and/or knowledge beyond any limits of career or discipline ~ skills for specific careers you're considering ~ skills and insights applicable to life and work in general ~ combinations of studies (such as comparative literature) which can't be covered by one major ~ recommended studies for pre-professional preparation ~ patterns of study which take advantage of especially valuable opportunities, teachers and resources

A few sample combinations hint at the range of possibilities. For a career in advertising, consider courses in MCOM, BUS, SPEC and/or ART. Graduate study in literature may require you to have languages. Law school preparation could include a minor in PHIL, PSCI, MIS, HIST or BUS. Study in Library/information science is aided by any special interest, and also by study in MIS or CIS. Counseling and social service work makes a PSYC or SOCY minor a strong support. In any case, consider minors and other non- major coursework to be enriching options; just thinking about them will help you realize your education's greatest potential.

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WRITING PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENT

A love of language is probably one of the reasons you chose English or Writing as an academic pursuit. As readers, we appreciate writing that's clear, concise, rhythmic -- writing that gives us a sense of the writer, that reaches out to us, that has purpose and grace. But to be a true lover of language, we also must strive to make our own writing worthy of those descriptions. Faculty across Briar Cliff's curriculum (and not just English and Writing teachers) believe that good writing is one of the skills of a liberally educated person. And so, in order to graduate, all Briar Cliff students must "show proficiency in standard English expression by demonstrating to the satisfaction of their major department an ability to write clearly and concisely" ( Briar Cliff College 1997-99 Catalog , p. 40). The English Department's procedure for certifying that its majors are competent writers is this:

~ Junior level assessment occurs during Theory I (Fall), and it determines whether WRTG 420 [Composition Seminar/Practicum] should be taken during junior or senior year. Senior level assessment occurs during ENGL 460 [Senior Seminar] (Spring). Needed remediation will be assigned to promote competency. The department will also require proficiency in word processing in one or more courses. ( Briar Cliff College Catalog , p. 40)

For both assessments, your writing will be read by several members of the department, and your identity will be unknown to them. It shouldn't be any surprise that we expect you to be among the college's better writers. After all, in your literature courses you've been looking at the greatest models. Consider the proficiency writings your chance to show how much you appreciate them.

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Internships: A Local Habitation and a Home

Through the strenuous study of literature and writing, you will develop analytical and organizing skills that are crucial for most organizations -- or thus runs the claim we make. Is there any way to affirm these skills outside classes, off campus in a work setting, while still at Briar Cliff? Yes: through an internship (ENGL 390 or 490).

The internship program in the English Department is an excellent way to bridge between student life and career. As a junior or senior, you have the chance to test out a possible career and learn of your aptitudes. Although ENGL 390/490 is not a required course, more than half of recent English graduates have opted for it.

Interns have practiced their skills at these sites, among others:

Public Relations/Marketing firm

Midwest Energy-as technical writer

Human Resource Department-editor of policy manual

National Association of Latino Elected Officials

KSCJ-newsriting, reporting

University of South Dakota Press-Editor

Library-as webpage designer

Business Consultant-editor of brochures, newsletters

Legal service offices

Chamber of Commerce (Dubuque IA)

Social service organization (Girl Scouts)

Common Cause, a Washington D.C. citizens' organization

U.S. Congressman's office

Public museum (Sioux City)

County government agency, as director of publicity

College admissions office;

Grant writing office

Educational agency (WIT), in promotional writing

Local newspaper.

PROCEDURES

Internships are highly individualized, so there is no ready-made syllabus. You and your supervisors have to design a plan to fit your needs with the needs of the organization you might want to intern with. Begin by meeting with Jim Redmond, advisor for interns. He'll ask about your career plans and concerns. Usually a site is selected over a period of months, so see him early in a term, not just before advising begins. Be prepared by suggesting sites and careers of interest to you.

Many students must interview for internship sites -- a good taste of the job search. If you and a site make a match, you will draw up an individualized contract, detailing expectations of the three parties: the intern, the on-site supervisor and the college supervisor. In addition to tasks assigned by on-site supervisors, you will research the organization, interview fellow workers, keep a log of activities and reactions, maintain a portfolio of reports, and evaluate the intern experience in a final paper. In some cases, you will receive wages; at other times you will be working on a volunteer basis. The one contract requirement is that every intern puts in 150 hours on the site for three credit hours.

If you're curious about interning, find a student who has had an internship. Most students find the internship extremely valuable, and they become the program's best advocates. Jim Redmond can provide you with samples of intern reports detailing their experiences.

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