English (ENG)

326 David M. French Hall
(810) 762-3285
Fax: (810) 237-6666
http://www.umflint.edu/english

Chair: Stephen Bernstein
Administrative Assistant: Karen Davis
Secretary: M. Lynn Barbee
Professors Robert W. Barnett, Stephen Bernstein, Thomas Foster, Jan Furman, Frederic J. Svoboda, D. J. Trela, Jacqueline Zeff; Associate Professors Jacob Blumner, Kazuko Hiramatsu, Alicia Kent, Mary Jo Kietzman, Suzanne Knight, Stephanie Roach; Assistant Professors Stephanie Carpenter, Vickie Larsen, James Schirmer, Erica Britt; Full-Time Lecturers Cathy Akers-Jordan, Jim Anderson, David Larsen, Maureen Thum, Janelle Wiess, Jan Worth-Nelson; Part-Time Lecturers Brian Boggs, Nicole Broughton, Scott Caddy, Jay Clark, Monika Ehrlich, Patricia Emenyonu, Lisa Hine, Stephanie Irwin Booms, Catherine O’Connor, John Pendell, Diane Washington, Stephanie Wilhelm; Senior Instructional Associate Scott Russell.

Department Mission and Program Assessment

Because language is the chief means of human communication as well as an artistic medium, courses in English may focus on literature, composition, linguistics or English education. Despite this range, a common mission informs them. The Department of English exists to provide students with the instruction and the opportunity necessary to develop a critical understanding of how English has been used, how it can be used, and the logic of how it works. Emphasis on reading, writing, analysis, interpretation, and teaching –whether of literature, rhetoric, or linguistic structure –serves the goal of helping students examine historical, cultural, political, ethical, and aesthetic facets of the language in meaningful and productive ways.

Students often elect courses in English for the inherent reward. Many prepare to teach English, and others find it a useful preparation for occupations that do not require highly specialized training or in which there is a demand for ability in communication. The Department participates in the University-wide effort to assess its academic programs. Information on assessment plans, including goals, methods and outcomes, is available at http://www.umflint.edu/assessment/.

English Placement Exams

The English Department uses a reading test score and a Writing Placement Exam to place students into the appropriate freshman English class: ENG 100 (College Reading and Learning Strategies), 109 (College Writing Workshop), 111 (College Rhetoric), or 112 (Critical Writing and Reading).

Reading and writing placements are mandatory for (1) entering freshmen and (2) transfer students without prior credit for ENG 111 and 112 equivalents and adult returning students whose Writing Placement Exam score place  them into a course for which they have not received transfer credit.

Reading Placement Exam

Reading placement is based on ACT Reading score. Students without an ACT Reading score or students wishing to retest their original reading score should take the Reading Placement Exam in the advising office. Based on ACT Reading Score or Reading Placement Exam results, students may be required to take ENG 100 (College Reading and Learning Strategies).

Students required to take ENG 100 based on their ACT Reading or Reading Placement Exam score may take ENG 100 currently with ENG 109 (1-3 credits) and/or ENG 111. However, to insure the necessary reading strategies for success in ENG 112, students required to take ENG 100 must successfully complete ENG 100 before taking ENG 112.

Writing Placement Exam

The Writing Placement Exam consists of a two-hour timed essay written on a given topic. The Writing Placement Exam is required of all incoming first year and transfer students who have not yet completed their first year composition requirements. First year and transfer students who have not already completed the equivalent of ENG 111 and 112 at another university may not register for ENG 111 or 112 unless they have taken the Writing Placement Exam and can be appropriately placed on the basis of their scores.

Based on Writing Placement Exam results, students may be required to complete ENG 109 for three credits before taking ENG 111. Students may also be required to take and successfully complete one credit of ENG 109 concurrent with ENG 111 or 112.

Note that any student who wants additional individualized writing instruction can elect the one credit ENG 109.

Programs in English

Six concentration programs are offered, all leading to the Bachelor of Arts degree: the Program in English with Specialization in Literature , the Honors Program in English  , the Program in English with a Specialization in Writing , the Program in English with a Specialization in Linguistics , and the Teacher’s Certificate Program in English . Minors are available in American Literature , British Literature , Composition Studies and Foundations of Writing Instruction Minor , Creative Writing Minor , Technical and Professional Writing , Writing , and Linguistics . (See the Catalog section on Linguistics .) A Teacher’s Certificate Program Minor in English  is also offered. Students may not simultaneously major and minor in English.

ENG 241 and ENG 400

ENG 241 is required of all students majoring in English. Students are encouraged to complete ENG 241 before taking upper-level English courses, and must take English 241 before completing 70 University credits. When a student majoring in English accumulates 70 University credits but has not taken ENG 241, a hold is placed on the student’s transcript until the student meets with an advisor and enrolls in the course.

ENG 400 is also required of all students majoring in English (except TCP students). Because this course is intended to provide students with a capstone experience, it should be taken only after much of the major requirements have been completed. At the minimum, students must complete ENG 241 and two English courses numbered 300 or higher before they can enroll in ENG 400.