Department of English

• Degree Requirements—Major in English
• Recommended Plan of Study

• Degree Requirements—Teaching of English
• Recommended Plan of Study

• Minor in Linguistics

2027 University Hall (UH)
312–413–2200
http://www.uic.edu/depts/engl
Administration: Head, Walter Benn Michaels
Director of Undergraduate Studies, Lisa A. Freeman, lfreeman@uic.edu
The Department of English offers a Major in English and Minor in English, Major in Teacher Education and Minor in Teacher Education, and a Minor in Linguistics.

The field of English focuses on the study and practice of various forms of writing in English. It includes:

1. the study of written works in English—whether by writers from the United States, Britain, former colonies, the Commonwealth nations, or elsewhere—whose aesthetic achievement and cultural significance qualifies them as literature;
2. the study of literary criticism and theory, of the relationship between literature and popular culture, and of allied narrative forms such as film, performance, electronic communications, and other new media;
3. the study of the English language, its historical development, and its rhetorical dimensions;
4. the theory and practice of writing, whether of poetry, fiction, non-fiction prose, or other expository forms;
5. the theory and practice of teaching English language and literature, particularly at the secondary level.

Students who major in English develop broad reading and writing skills that make possible both an analytical engagement with, and a critical understanding of, diverse fields of cultural and aesthetic production. The English major offers excellent preparation for careers in writing, editing, publishing, teaching, government, law, and advertising.

B.A. with a Major in English

Degree Requirements—Major in English

To earn a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts and Sciences degree from UIC, students must complete University, college, and department degree requirements. The Department of English degree requirements are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies.

LAS Course Requirements

See Course Requirements in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for a list of courses to fulfill this requirement.

Core Requirements

All English majors must complete the following courses with a grade of C or better.

^a English 240 fulfills the Writing-in-the-Discipline requirement.

Selected Concentration Requirements

Within the English major, students must select and complete one of the following concentrations. A concentration consists of three courses, no more than one of which may be taken at the 100-level and one of which must be taken at the 400-level.

Below are the courses that qualify for each concentration. Note that for the writing concentration, the required course sequence has been specified. In certain cases, students may petition the Office of Undergraduate Studies to have courses counted toward concentrations other than those indicated below. For more information, see the catalog Course Descriptions or the departmental Web site http://www.uic.edu/depts/engl.

English Electives

Distribution Requirements

In addition to the core requirements, all English majors must take the following, distributed across their concentration and electives:

• One course in materials before 1660
• One course in materials between 1600 and 1900
• One course in materials after 1900
• One course in one of the following concentration groups: American and Ethnic Minority Literatures; Colonial, Postcolonial, and New Literatures in English Other Than British and American; Cultural and Media Studies; Gender, Sexuality, and the Body

Courses Within Each Distribution

Materials before 1660:
ENGL 107, 297, 311, 312, 313, 314, 403, 405, 408, 413, 416, 478

Materials between 1660 and 1900:
ENGL 118, 315, 316, 317, 321, 323, 324, 417, 419, 421, 426

Materials after 1900:
ENGL 114, 119, 120, 121, 232, 233, 260, 274, 302, 318, 319, 320, 325, 326, 327, 333, 350, 351, 358, 422, 427, 428, 472

American Ethnic and Minority Literatures; Colonial, Postcolonial, and New Literatures Other Than British or American; Cultural and Media Studies; Gender, Sexuality, and the Body:
ENGL 102, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 123, 232, 233, 260, 274, 295, 302, 328, 333, 341, 342, 343, 350, 351, 355, 357, 358, 359, 361, 362, 363, 364, 375, 422, 428, 429, 438, 440, 441, 443, 444, 445, 469, 470, 471, 472, 473, 474, 478, 480

Courses may be used to satisfy more than one distribution requirement.

Electives

Recommended Plan of Study

To view a recommended plan of study for the major in English, please visit the LAS Web site at http://www.uic.edu/las/college/info/fygp.

Minor in English

Students from other disciplines who want to minor in English must complete 18 semester hours as follows:

Writing Internship Program

In conjunction with the LAS-COOP, the English Department offers writing internships in fields such as journalism, public relations, advertising, publishing, corporate communications, technical writing, information technology, and broadcasting. Students benefit by acquiring hands-on experience and professional writing samples for use in job applications.

To qualify, students must be enrolled full-time at UIC, have taken English 201and 202, and be in good academic standing. Students who wish to receive credit for their writing internship must be admitted to and enroll in ENGL 493—Internship in Nonfiction Writing.

B.A. in the Teaching of English

Degree Requirements—Teaching of English

To earn a Bachelor of Arts in the Teaching of English degree from UIC, students must complete University, college, and department degree requirements. The Department of English degree requirements are outlined below. Students should consult the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for additional degree requirements and college academic policies.

^a The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Course Requirements range from 43 to 64 semester hours. One of the Core Requirements listed below fulfills part of this requirement.

LAS Course Requirements

See Course Requirements in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences section for a list of courses to fulfill this requirement.

Core Requirements

^a ENGL 240 fulfills the Writing-in-the-Discipline requirement

English Electives

Required Methods Courses

Recommended to be taken in consecutive semesters.

Collateral Courses

Additional Requirements for Teacher Certification

Electives

To be recommended for student teaching, ENGL 498 and 499—Educational Practice with Seminar I and II, a student must complete all program course requirements (general requirements for the major, the core courses, methods courses, and courses in professional education) with a minimum grade point average of 3.00/4.00 in English courses taken at UIC. Students intending to complete student teaching must obtain the provisional approval of the director of English education in the academic year preceding the academic year in which student teaching is to be done.

In addition to specified course work in the major field, the teacher education student must fulfill certain other requirements as well as maintain a minimum major GPA of 3.00/4.00, a cumulative GPA of 2.5/4.00, and a minimum GPA of 3.00/4.00 in education courses. For detailed information, see the Program Guide for Teacher Education in English, available from the secondary education coordinator in the Department of English.

The teaching certificate is not automatically awarded upon successful completion of certification and degree requirements. Before the certificate is issued, the candidate must file an application for the Illinois teaching certificate with the Council on Teacher Education. The candidate must also pass a series of examinations required by the Illinois State Board of Education. The Basics Skills Test must be passed prior to applying for candidacy with the Council on Teacher Education. The Content Area Test must be passed before the candidate is allowed to student teach. The Assessment of Professional Teaching must be passed prior to certification. For information on application procedures, contact the Council on Teacher Education located in EPASW 3015. See College of Education: Council on Teacher Education and Secondary Education Program in the College of Education section of the catalog.

Recommended Plan of Study

To view a recommended plan of study for the Bachelor of Arts in the Teaching of English, please visit the LAS Web site at http://www.uic.edu/las/college/info/fygp.

Minor in the Teaching of English

Secondary education majors from other disciplines who want to minor in the teaching of English must complete 18 hours in the English minor curriculum listed.

This minor is open only to students obtaining full certification in an approved UIC Teacher Education major. To teach English as a second subject in Illinois public schools, one must apply for and receive an Endorsement from the State Board of Education and meet all of the additional course and other requirements the Board has established.

The teaching certificate is not automatically awarded upon successful completion of certification and degree requirements. Before the certificate is issued, the candidate must file an application with the State of Illinois and take an examination administered by the State Board of Education. For information on application procedures, contact the Council on Teacher Education in the College of Education.

Linguistics

Linguistics may be broadly defined as the systematic study of language encompassing both theoretical and applied approaches.

Theoretical linguistics has as its principal aim the study of the structural properties of individual languages, language families, and language in general. Subfields of theoretical linguistics include historical, comparative, and contrastive linguistics, all of which focus on the development of and the relationships among languages.

Applied linguistics involves aspects of the study of language that extend beyond theoretical linguistics (e.g., dialectology and language pedagogy) or relate to other disciplines (e.g., sociolinguistics, the relationship of language to society).

Undergraduate courses are designed to help the student understand how language is organized and used to code and communicate knowledge, to effect action, and to establish, maintain, and reaffirm social relationships. Students majoring in any field, but especially languages, literature, or the social sciences, can benefit from the study of linguistics.

Minor in Linguistics

Students from other disciplines who want to minor in linguistics must complete 18 semester hours in the following courses.

Distinction

Departmental Distinction. To be eligible for departmental distinction, a candidate must have:

1. attended UIC for three semesters,
2. a cumulative GPA of 3.00/4.00,
3. completed a minimum of 21 hours at UIC in courses required for the major, and
4. a GPA of 3.50/4.00 in courses required for the major.

High Distinction. To be eligible for high distinction, a candidate must complete all requirements for departmental distinction with a GPA of 3.75/4.00 in courses required for the major.
Highest Distinction. To be eligible for highest distinction, a candidate must meet all requirements for high distinction and complete ENGL 398—English Honors Thesis with a grade of A.