The major requires ten courses. Students may choose the general English Major, the major with a Creative Writing Concentration, or the major with a Professional Writing Concentration.
All students majoring in English must complete five core courses and five electives.
- ENL 220 – Critical and Analytical Writing
- ENL 226 – Introduction to Creative Writing
- ENL 230 – Literatures of Identity, Power, and Resistance
- ENL 240 – Foundations of Literary and Cultural Study
- ENL 400 – Advanced Topics in Literature and Writing
- Five ENL electives, including at least four numbered 300 or above
Students choose their electives from a variety of topics, some of which are offered yearly, others on an alternating basis. Always check the department website for the offerings in any given four-year period.
Optional Concentrations Within the Major
English majors can choose to use the five electives for the major to complete a concentration.
Majors with a Creative Writing concentration must take exactly three Creative Writing (CW) designated courses (beyond ENL 226). Creative Writing concentration courses are chosen from ENL 320, ENL 322, ENL 324, ENL 325, ENL 326, ENL 328, ENL340, and the MFA master class (ENL 531, ENL 532, ENL 533, ENL 534, or ENL 535).
Majors with a Professional Writing concentration must take exactly three Professional Writing (PW) designated courses (beyond ENL 220). Professional Writing concentration courses are chosen from ENL 223, ENL 324, ENL 344, ENL 380, or ENL 394.
English Minor
Students choosing to minor in English must take five courses: two of the 200-level core courses and three electives, with at least two electives at the 300-level.
To complete the minor with a Creative Writing concentration, exactly two of the three electives must be designated “CW”.
To complete the minor with a Professional Writing Concentration, exactly two of the three electives must be designated “PW”.
Communication Arts/Literature Teacher Licensure Major
The Communication Arts/Literature Teacher Licensure concentration is for students who seek to be licensed to teach English, Communication Arts, and Literature in Minnesota. Students are encouraged to take courses toward their major during the first and sophomore years and to apply for the education licensure program no later than the spring of their sophomore year.
Students must work with advisors in both the English Department and the Education Department in order to meet the professional requirements within the Education Department as well as the requirements for the major. Should licensure not be possible, graduation can be achieved through an English major or a Communication Studies major, both of which would require additional coursework.
Prerequisite: ENL 111
Major Requirements (eight courses in English):
- ENL 220 – Critical and Analytical Writing
- ENL 240 – Foundations of Literary and Cultural Study
- ENL 365 – Contemporary Postcolonial Theory and Literature
- ENL 380 – Introduction to the English Language
- One of ENL 394 or ENL 396
- ENL 394 – Teaching Writing: Theory and Practice
- ENL 396 – Internship in Teaching Writing
- One upper division ENL British literature course
- One upper division ENL American literature course
- One additional ENL literature, language, or theory course chosen from ENL 360, ENL 361, ENL 371, ENL 372, ENL 375, ENL 395, or ENL 400
Experiential Requirement (no credit):
One college-level experience required in forensics, debate, newspaper, literary journal, theater, media production, or other related activity (subject to department approval)
Additional Courses (outside the English Department):
- COM 111 – Public Speaking
- COM 120- Mass Media and Popular Culture
- One of COM 254 or COM 329
- COM 254 – Interpersonal Communication
- COM 329 – Intercultural Communication
- One additional communications elective, chosen from NMS220, NMS242, FLM180, COM243, COM247, COM351, or POL342
Special Methods (two courses):
- ESE 350 – 5-12 Methods: Literature and Reading
- ESE 351 – 5-12 Methods: Speaking and Listening
Additional ESE and EDC courses are required for licensure. See the Education Department section for a listing of secondary education licensure requirements. In addition to consulting your designated ENL advisor, contact an Education Department advisor for information about education courses.
Graduation Skills
Graduation Skills in Critical Thinking (CT), Speaking (S), and Writing (W) are embedded throughout the offered courses and are met by completing the major.
Transfer students must consult an advisor about potential adjustments to their course requirements to fulfill each of these skills.
The Quantitative Reasoning (QR) graduation skill is met with one of the following courses: DST 164, HIS 369, MAT 111, MAT 145, MAT 146, MAT 163, PHI 230, PHY 119, POL 483, or the QR from a second major.
Departmental Honors
GPA of 3.5 in the major and 3.0 overall; submit proposal to department chair by early October in senior year for department approval. Submit and defend paper before faculty committee. Honors projects may receive independent study credit (refer to departmental guidelines).
MFA Master Class Option
Upper-level students (Junior or Senior) with the recommendation of a creative writing instructor, a writing sample, and a GPA of 3.00 in English courses, and the permission of the MFA program director, may join a MFA summer residency course in their genre. Upon successful completion of the same residency requirements as graduate students, master class students will earn the same number of credits towards their Augsburg undergraduate degree (maximum 6 credits). Additionally, if they enroll in the Augsburg MFA program in the future, they will have satisfied the first of their three summer residency course requirements.
The MFA Master Class Option is not repeatable.
The MFA Master Class Option is open to undergrad students from other institutions as well as Augsburg University.
Transfer Students
Note: Transfer undergraduate English majors must take at least three of their English courses at Augsburg. Transfer students who minor in English must take at least two of their English courses at Augsburg.
Transfer English education students with a BA in English from another college must take at least three of their English courses at Augsburg (preferably upper division courses). These courses must be taken before the department can recommend a student for student teaching.
The English Placement Test
A writing sample is required of students to determine their placement in an appropriate writing class. Students having completed AP (Advanced Placement) courses in composition must have a score of 4 or 5. Students who need to develop competence in composition skills—such as stating and supporting a thesis, organizing clearly, and constructing paragraphs and sentences—are required to enroll in Effective Writing I (ENL 101) where they receive more individual instruction than is possible in Effective Writing II (ENL 111). These students must pass Effective Writing I (ENL 101) with a grade of P, C-, or higher before enrolling in Effective Writing II (ENL 111).
Note: Students must register for ENL 101 during the first semester of attendance, if possible. ENL 111 should be completed, if possible, during the first year.
Students in Effective Writing I (ENL 101) or Effective Writing II (ENL 111) can elect the traditional grading system or P/LP/N grading in consultation with their instructor up through the last week of class (without special permission/petition).
Service Courses
The department offers these service courses for students as required by a placement test.
Foundational Courses
The 200-level courses in the English major develop foundational competencies in reading and interpreting literary texts, and provide opportunities for diverse literary discovery. These courses require ENL 111 as a prerequisite or co-requisite.
Upper Level Courses
The 300-level literature courses concentrate on primary texts in historical and cultural contexts. These courses ask students to practice interpreting literary texts by employing techniques, terminology, and research methods of the discipline, resulting in effective and substantive expository writing about the subject. The 300-level writing courses ask students to deeply engage and analyze published work as well as their own work and that of their peers. Unless otherwise indicated, students must take at least one of the 200-level requirements or gain the consent of the instructor as a prerequisite for a 300-level course.
The 400-level course emphasizes writing, scholarship, criticism, and/or theory at an advanced level. Any 300-level course or permission of the instructor serves as a prerequisite for the 400-level. The 400-level course must fulfill the keystone requirement.
Writing Courses
Note: First day attendance in all writing courses is mandatory for a student to hold their place in the course.
For a complete list of courses and descriptions, see the Course Description Search.