Good leaders are good writers.
In the Writing, Rhetoric, and Literacy concentration, students will develop writing and leadership abilities by learning skills to create meaning and incite action. Students will hone their writing expertise and enhance their understanding of the connections between writing, rhetoric, literacy, identity, and power by working with award-winning faculty in small, student-centered courses.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
-
Develop a sophisticated understanding of genre, audience, and style for multiple purposes.
-
Explore the power of writing in courses that focus on writing theory and practice.
-
Understand writing and rhetoric in light of social, cultural, and historical contexts.
-
Obtain hands-on experience by working with professional writers and editors in courses and a variety of internship opportunities.
Whether you’re planning a career in professional writing, copy editing, web design and digital writing, law, teaching, grant writing, or any other writing-intensive career, our emphasis on the theory and practice of writing will prepare you to produce effective writing that meets audience needs.
Effective Fall 2025
For graduation, an English major must attain a minimum grade point average of 2.000 in all Composition (CO) and English (E) courses. Students may enroll in either the standalone major or (at most) one of the concentrations under the Major in English.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| AUCC | Credits | ||
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | 1A | 3 |
| E 150 | English Studies Symposium | 3 | |
| SPCM 200 | Public Speaking | 3 | |
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||
| Inquiry-Based Teaching and Communicating (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||
| Language Use in Society (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||
| Creative Writing as Transformative Practice (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||
| Language for Activist Rhetoric and Writing (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||
| Introduction to Science Fiction (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||
| Short Fiction | 3B | ||
| Contemporary Global Fiction (GT-AH2) | 1C | ||
| Introduction to Poetry | |||
| Reading Shakespeare (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||
| World Drama (GT-AH2) | 1C | ||
| Introduction to American Literature (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||
| British Literature--Medieval Period to 1800 (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||
| British Literature--After 1800 (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||
| 1B | 1B | 3 | |
| 1C | 1C | 3 | |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 3A | 4 | |
| Electives | 5 | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||
| Writing Arguments (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Arts and Humanities (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Social Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Education (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Writing in Digital Environments (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||
| Inquiry-Based Teaching and Communicating (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||
| Language Use in Society (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||
| Creative Writing as Transformative Practice (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||
| Language for Activist Rhetoric and Writing (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||
| Introduction to Science Fiction (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||
| Upper Division Composition/Designated Writing Elective (select one course not taken elsewhere from the list below) | 3 | ||
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 3A | 3 | |
| Historical Perspectives | 3D | 3 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | 3C | 3 | |
| Electives | 12 | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | ||
| Junior | |||
| CO 402 | Principles of Digital Rhetoric and Design | 3 | |
| E 305 | Principles of Writing and Rhetoric | 4A,4B | 3 |
| Upper-Division English/Composition Electives1 | 9 | ||
| Second Field2 | 6 | ||
| Electives | 9 | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | ||
| Senior | |||
| CO 401 | Writing and Style | 3 | |
| E 406 | Topics in Literacy | 3 | |
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | ||
| Topics in Literature and Language | 4C | ||
| Integrated English Studies Capstone | 4C | ||
| Upper-Division English/Composition Electives1 | 9 | ||
| Second Field2 | 6 | ||
| Electives3 | 6 | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | ||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||
Upper Division Composition/Designated Writing Electives
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CO 300 | Writing Arguments (GT-CO3) | 3 |
| CO 301A | Writing in the Disciplines: Arts and Humanities (GT-CO3) | 3 |
| CO 301B | Writing in the Disciplines: Sciences (GT-CO3) | 3 |
| CO 301C | Writing in the Disciplines: Social Sciences (GT-CO3) | 3 |
| CO 301D | Writing in the Disciplines: Education (GT-CO3) | 3 |
| E 311C | Intermediate Creative Writing: Nonfiction | 3 |
| E 403 | Writing the Environment | 3 |
| E 412C | Creative Writing Workshop: Nonfiction | 3 |
- 1
Select Upper-Division English/Composition electives in consultation with advisor.
- 2
The department requires majors to complete a second field. This may be met by completing the second semester of the second year of a foreign language or by completing 12 credits of upper-division courses in a coherent field of study outside of English.
- 3
Select enough elective credits to bring the program total to a minimum of 120 credits, of which at least 42 must be upper-division (300- to 400-level).
Distinctive Requirements for Degree Program: and
For graduation, an English major must attain a minimum grade point average of 2.000 in all Composition (CO) and English (E) courses.
| Freshman | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| CO 150 | College Composition (GT-CO2) | X | 1A | 3 | |
| E 150 | English Studies Symposium | X | 3 | ||
| 1B | X | 1B | 3 | ||
| 1C | X | 1C | 3 | ||
| Elective | X | 3 | |||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Semester 2 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| SPCM 200 | Public Speaking | X | 3 | ||
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
| Inquiry-Based Teaching and Communicating (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||||
| Language Use in Society (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||||
| Creative Writing as Transformative Practice (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||||
| Language for Activist Rhetoric and Writing (GT-AH2) | X | 3B | |||
| Introduction to Science Fiction (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||||
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
| Short Fiction | 3B | ||||
| Contemporary Global Fiction (GT-AH2) | 1C | ||||
| Introduction to Poetry | |||||
| Reading Shakespeare (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||||
| World Drama (GT-AH2) | 1C | ||||
| Introduction to American Literature (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||||
| British Literature--Medieval Period to 1800 (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||||
| British Literature--After 1800 (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||||
| Biological and Physical Sciences | X | 3A | 4 | ||
| Elective | X | 2 | |||
| CO 150 and AUCC 1B requirement must be completed by the end of Semester 2. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Sophomore | |||||
| Semester 3 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
| Inquiry-Based Teaching and Communicating (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||||
| Language Use in Society (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||||
| Creative Writing as Transformative Practice (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||||
| Language for Activist Rhetoric and Writing (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||||
| Introduction to Science Fiction (GT-AH2) | 3B | ||||
| Biological and Physical Sciences | X | 3A | 3 | ||
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | X | 3C | 3 | ||
| Electives | X | 6 | |||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Semester 4 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
| Writing Arguments (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Arts and Humanities (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Social Sciences (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Writing in the Disciplines: Education (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Writing in Digital Environments (GT-CO3) | 2 | ||||
| Upper Division Composition/Designated Writing Elective - select one course not taken elsewhere - see list on Concentration Requirements tab) | X | 3 | |||
| Historical Perspectives | X | 3D | 3 | ||
| Electives | X | 6 | |||
| AUCC 3A, 3B, and 3C requirements must be completed by the end of Semester 4. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Junior | |||||
| Semester 5 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| CO 402 | Principles of Digital Rhetoric and Design | X | 3 | ||
| Upper-Division English/Composition Electives | X | 6 | |||
| Second Field Course | 3 | ||||
| Elective | X | 3 | |||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Semester 6 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| E 305 | Principles of Writing and Rhetoric | X | 4A,4B | 3 | |
| Upper-Division English/Composition Elective | X | 3 | |||
| Second Field Course | X | 3 | |||
| Electives | X | 6 | |||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Senior | |||||
| Semester 7 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| CO 401 | Writing and Style | X | 3 | ||
| E 406 | Topics in Literacy | X | 3 | ||
| Select one course from the following: | X | 3 | |||
| Topics in Literature and Language | X | 4C | |||
| Integrated English Studies Capstone | 4C | ||||
| Upper-Division English/Composition Elective | X | 3 | |||
| Elective | X | 3 | |||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Semester 8 | Critical | Recommended | AUCC | Credits | |
| Upper-Division English/Composition Elective | X | 6 | |||
| Second Field Courses | X | 6 | |||
| Elective | X | 3 | |||
| The benchmark courses for the 8th semester are the remaining courses in the entire program of study. | X | ||||
| Total Credits | 15 | ||||
| Program Total Credits: | 120 | ||||