326 David M. French Hall
Fax: (810) 237-6666
https://www.umflint.edu/case/english/
Professional Advisor
Nicole Altheide
Faculty
Professors Robert W. Barnett, Stephen Bernstein, Jacob Blumner; Associate Professors Emily Feuerherm, Mary Jo Gifford, Kazuko Hiramatsu, Alicia Kent, Stephanie Roach, James Schirmer; Full-Time Lecturers Cathy Akers-Jordan, Stephanie Vidaillet Gelderloos, David Larsen, Maureen Thum, Janelle Wiess; Part-Time Lecturers Scott Atkinson, Jay Clark, Lisa Hine, Stephanie Irwin-Booms, David Linden, Stephanie Wilhelm
Professors Emeriti: Anita K. Barry, Thomas C. Foster, Jan Furman, Judith J. Kollmann, Frederic J. Svoboda, D.J. Trela; Associate Professor Emerita Janice G. Bernsten
Connect, reflect, imagine through language.
The mission of the English program faculty is to foster thoughtful and empathetic leaders who understand and use the English language effectively and creatively.
We believe language is intrinsically fascinating and important. Through the study of language we hone our ability to ask questions, interpret texts, consider different views, create and debate ideas, and make and communicate well-reasoned arguments. Language is our subject and our medium; through it we study and participate in artistic, rhetorical, and linguistic traditions and innovations. The English program serves the University with General Education courses in writing, linguistics and literature, a Teaching English as a Second Language (TESOL) certificate, and a Bachelor of Arts degree program that offers foundational, applied, and advanced coursework in the English disciplines of Composition/Rhetoric, Creative Writing, Literature, and Linguistics.
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The study of literature develops our understanding of literary form, history and creativity in order to expand our sense of what is possible and to deepen our ability to make connections among ideas and with others. Taught from a variety of approaches, literature courses are organized by historical period, genre, theme, and context.
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Writing coursework promotes the importance of writing for a variety of audiences, contexts, and purposes. From first-year and advanced composition to creative writing and technical communication, courses in writing help students cultivate the knowledge and skills necessary for success in a multitude of personal, professional, and academic situations.
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Linguistics courses advance our understanding of the fundamental, unconscious knowledge that all speakers have of their language and the ways that language shapes everyday life. Courses in linguistics will provide students with strong analytic skills as we explore the complex structure of human language, the mental structures that contribute to the acquisition of language, and the way that language functions in social and cultural contexts.
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The English education program prepares future secondary English teachers to be innovative professionals who understand the integrated nature of the English language arts and who contribute to the overall health and well-being of both their schools and communities. Future English Language Arts teachers acquire much of their content-area training in courses offered in the English program.
The English program 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
All students need reading and writing placement determinations by test score, placement exam, or other credit before they register for their first year writing course. Reading and writing placements help the faculty determine where each student should begin the course sequence fulfilling General Education requirements in English. Typically, students complete the English sequence by taking ENG 111 and ENG 112 . Completing ENG 112 fulfills the English Composition requirement of General Education (see the General Education Program area of this Catalog), but ENG 112 has both a reading prerequisite (ENG 100 or waiver based on reading placement) and a writing prerequisite (ENG 111 and any ENG 111 prerequisites based on writing placement). Based on reading and writing placements, some students may be required to take credits of ENG 100, ENG 109 , ENG 110 , LIN 101 and/or LIN 102 as part of their sequence in addition to ENG 111 and ENG 112. Students should work with academic advisors to be aware of their reading placement and writing placement determinations, take any necessary placement tests, and begin their required reading and writing sequence as soon as possible. Timely progression through required English courses supports academic success and the path to graduation. See the Student Success Center website for more information on placement.
Reading placement determines if a student is required to take ENG 100 as a reading prerequisite for ENG 112 or if ENG 100 is waived as a requirement. Whether or not a student is required to take ENG 100, all students must complete the writing sequence of ENG 111 and ENG 112 including other writing prerequisites as determined by writing placement.
Reading placement is most often determined at the point of admission, and often from standardized test scores (SAT or ACT, for example). Alternatively, students take the English Reading Placement Exam online through the Student Success Center.
Students required to take ENG 100 based on their reading placement determination may take ENG 100 currently with ENG 109 or ENG 111 (where a student begins the required writing sequence is determined by writing placement.) However, to ensure the necessary reading strategies for success in ENG 112, students required to take ENG 100 must successfully complete ENG 100 before taking ENG 112.
The required writing sequence culminates in ENG 112. ENG 112 has both reading and writing prerequisites. Reading placement determines if ENG 100 is required as the reading prerequisite to ENG 112. Writing placement determines whether ENG 111 is the only required writing prerequisite for ENG 112 or if additional courses are required.
Writing placement is typically determined from the results of the Writing Placement Exam (WPX) or International Writing Placement Exam (IWPX). Both exams are taken online through the Student Success Center. Some automatic placements are determined from official AP or CLEP scores, standardized test scores, or transfer credit, and automatic writing placements by standardized test score put some students directly into ENG 111 without the need to take the WPX or IWPX. Students with transfer, AP or CLEP credit for ENG 111 are placed directly into ENG 112. Scores on the WPX or IWPX determine whether a student is ready to begin the writing sequence with ENG 111 or if they will have additional requirements in the writing sequence. Independent of writing placement, a student may be required to take ENG 100 based on reading placement.
Based on the scores received from English faculty on the WPX, domestic students may be required to complete ENG 109 for three credits as a prerequisite to ENG 111 or to take ENG 109 for one credit concurrently with ENG 111. Students required to take ENG 109 for three credits as a prerequisite to ENG 111 must enroll in the three-credit ENG 109 section and complete the three-credit ENG 109 course before taking ENG 111. Students required to take ENG 109 for one credit should look for the one-credit ENG 109 sections and may register for one credit of ENG 109 concurrently with ENG 111. Based on the scores received from English faculty on the IWPX, international students may be required to complete credits of ENG 110, LIN 101 and/or LIN 102 as prerequisite(s) to ENG 111. Students required to take credits of ENG 110, LIN 101 and/or LIN 102 must complete these credits before taking ENG 111.
Foundations, Career and Capstone Courses
LIN 200 , ENG 241 , and ENG 252 are foundational courses required of all students majoring in English. Students are encouraged to complete these courses early in their program and before taking upper-level English courses.
ENG 305 is a career preparation course required of all students majoring in English. Students are encouraged to take it after they have completed the majority of their program courses and have begun to establish career interests and goals.
ENG 400 is the culminating capstone course required of all students majoring in English. It should be taken only after much of the major requirements have been completed and preferably in the final year of study. At the minimum, students must complete ENG 241 and two English courses numbered 300 or higher before they can enroll in ENG 400 .
Students may not simultaneously major and minor in English.
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