You are in the official 2005-2006 General Catalog
for California State University, Fresno.
Department of English
Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements
English Major
Major requirements (48 units)
Lower-division core (8 units)
ENGL 31, 32
Core Competencies (8 units)
ENGL 105 and 189 (or approved topics course in Shakespeare)
From the following three literature categories, select at least two courses
before 1865.*
British Literature (8 units)
Select two: ENGL 146, 147, 150, 151, 152, 156, 184, 187
American Literature (4 units)
Select one: ENGL 153, 154, 155
World Literature (4 units)
Select one: ENGL 112, 113, 114, 167
Literature of Diversity (4 units)
Select one approved course: ENGL 168T, 179, 193T, 194T
Approved upper-division electives in major (12 units)
See adviser
Note: a course may fill the requirement in more than one of the above content categories but will not reduce the number of total units required for the major.
General Education requirements (51 units)
Electives and remaining degree requirements** (21 units)
(see Degree Requirements); may be used toward
a double major or minor
The English Department requires that students take at least one senior
seminar (ENGL 193T or 194T) in their senior year. This may fulfill an upper-division
requirement or an elective.
The English Department requires two college-level courses in a foreign language
for the English major.
Total (120 units)
__________
* Definition of a course before 1865: ENGL 112, 113, 116, 146, 147, 150,
151, 153, 184, 187.
Advising Notes
- No General Education Integration course offered by the Department of English may be used to satisfy the General Education requirements for English majors.
- CR/NC grading is not permitted in the English major with the exception of 4 units total of ENGL 175T and 186.
- General Education and elective units may be used toward a double major or minor (see double major or departmental minor). Consult the appropriate department chair, program coordinator, or faculty adviser for further information.
- Not more than 6 units by extension and correspondence courses may be applied toward the English major: correspondence courses may be applied only if they are acceptable for the major at the college where the course is offered.
- English majors are advised to select a course in English history as one of their upper-division electives.
- English majors considering eventual graduate degrees should consult the graduate adviser.
English Minor
Students in many vocational fields often realize that special skill in
writing may be of great use in their future work -- and such skill can best
be obtained through an English minor. The English Minor requires 20 units
above ENGL 1, at least 12 of which must be upper division, and 4 of these
units must be from 189 or 193T/194T. ENGL 160W does not apply to the English
Minor. Courses taken as CR/NC may not apply to the minor with
the exception of 4 units total of 175T and 186.
ENGL 189, 193T, or 194T (4 units)
Other upper-division English courses (not including ENGL 160W) (8 units)
Other English courses (not including ENGL 1) (8 units)
Total (20 units)
__________
Note: The English Minor also requires a 2.0 GPA and 6 upper-division
units in residence.
Credential Program
Single Subject Waiver Program: English
(Literature/Composition option)
Prerequisites
ENGL 20 or equivalent (4 units)
ENGL 41, 43, 44 or equivalent (4 units)
Core Courses
(choose the required number of units from each group) (31 units)
ENGL 182 (taken concurrently with EHD 155A) (l unit)
ENGL 182 (taken concurrently with EHD 155B) (l unit)
ENGL 189 (4 units)
ENGL 193T or 194T (4 units)
LING 100 (3 units)
LING 146 (3 units)
ENGL 161 or 163 or 164 (4 units)
ENGL 154 or 155 (4 units)
ENGL 105, 112, 113, 114, 115W, 116, 146, 147, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155,
156, 167, 168T, 169T, 179, 181, 183T, 184, 187, 193T, 194T, 195 (4 units)
LING 132 or 138 or COMM 140 or DRAMA 131 (3 units)
Breadth Courses
(choose the required number of units from each group): (15-17 units)
ENGL 105, 112, 113, 114, 115W, 116, 146, 147, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155,
156, 161, 163, 164,
167, 168T, 169T, 179, 181, 183T, 184, 187, 193T, 194T, 250T, 261, 263, 265
(6-8 units)
DRAMA 22, 33, 34, 134A-B, 139, 185, 186; HIST 150, 151; LING 148; MCJ 107W;
PHIL 120; COMM 105, 108, 114, 140, 142, 162 (9 units)
Total (46-48 units)
Advising Notes
- No General Education Integration course offered by the Department of English may be used to satisfy the General Education requirements for English majors.
- The Single Subject Waiver Program in English constitutes a pathway toward the English major for those students who wish to teach in California schools.
- ENGL 20 and ENGL 41, 43, or 44 are prerequisites for the program. A maximum of 6 units of these courses also may be applied to General Education Breadth C1 and/or C2 requirements.
- Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 to be eligible to enter the credential program after earning a bachelor's degree.
- Credential candidates must take one unit of ENGL 182 concurrently with both EHD 155A and EHD 155B.
- Students fulfilling the competency requirement by taking the SSAT and the PRAXIS exams should make an appointment with a credential adviser to obtain a list of additional requirements.
For credential programs with emphasis in speech, drama, and English as a
second language, see the listings under Communication,
Theatre Arts, and Linguistics.
Graduate Program
The Master of Arts program in English language and literature serves
several categories of students: those teaching high school and community
college; those anticipating doctoral studies; those studying creative or
expository writing; and those simply interested in extending and intensifying
the knowledge acquired in their undergraduate studies.
Admission to the Master of Arts program in English language and literature
assumes preparation equivalent to an undergraduate major in English or a
related field in the liberal arts. Courses which do not count toward the
English major may not be used for the M.A. degree. To reach classified standing,
both English and non-English majors must achieve a GPA of 3.0 or better
in their major. (Foreign students must also submit TOEFL scores.) In the
Literature and Composition Theory options, the advanced GRE (Literature)
is not required, but it is recommended for students intending to pursue
a doctorate. In addition, all candidates must submit a writing sample to
the graduate committee, whose approval is necessary for admission to the
program. If the writing sample submitted with the application to the program
is not approved by the departmental graduate committee, the candidate may
submit one additional revised or new writing sample for committee review.
If the second writing sample is not approved, the candidate will not be
admitted to the program.
Approval of the writing sample satisfied the M.A. program's Graduate
Writing Skills Requirement -- see English Department's Advising Booklet
for more information.
Consult the graduate adviser every semester for program planning.
(See also Admission to Graduate Standing,
Advancement to Candidacy, Program Requirements, and Criteria
for Thesis and Project.)
Master of Arts Degree Requirements
Literature Option
Under the direction of a graduate adviser, each student prepares and submits
a coherent program individually designed within the following framework:
ENGL 250T and/or 280T (12 units)
Other courses in English (see specific requirements) (4 units)
ENGL 299 (Thesis) (2 units)
Approved electives in English or other fields (12 units)
Total (30 units)
_________
No more than 8 upper-division units will count toward the graduate degree.
Specific Requirements. The following areas must be covered by graduate
or undergraduate courses (may be satisfied in undergraduate preparation):
English literature (2 courses), American literature, world literature, Shakespeare,
and Chaucer (1 course each).
In addition to the general Graduate Division requirements, advancement to
candidacy requires a reading knowledge of one foreign language, to be demonstrated
by examination, and a review by the graduate committee of the work already
completed.
An interdisciplinary major may be constructed in consultation with the graduate
adviser in which up to 12 units may be taken in departments other than English
when such a program demonstrates a coherent program of study.
Composition Theory Option
Under the direction of a graduate adviser, each student prepares and submits
a coherent program individually designed within the following framework:
ENGL 250T or 280T (12 units)
ENGL 270 (4 units)
ENGL 281 (4 units)
Approved electives in English or other fields (7-8 units)
ENGL 299 (Thesis -- writing theory or pedagogy) (2 units)
ENGL 282 (1 units)
Total (30-31 units)
__________
No more than 8 upper-division units will count toward the graduate degree.
Teaching Requirement. At some period before the completion of the
M.A. degree composition option, the candidate must be engaged in teaching
or co-teaching a course with a strong writing component. While most candidates
would be teaching in the English Department, other teaching assignments
will apply with prior approval of the departmental graduate adviser. Enrollment
in ENGL 282 should take place in the same semester that the student is fulfilling
the teaching requirement.
In addition to the general Graduate Division requirements, advancement to
candidacy requires a reading knowledge of one foreign language, and a review
by the graduate committee of the work already completed.
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
The M.F.A. in Creative Writing offers advanced degree training to talented students who wish to gain expertise in the writing of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. It assumes that, as in music or the visual arts, the best education for the artist includes: training in the history and traditions associated with the student's discipline, training in theoretical and formal approaches to the craft, and extensive practice with critique of student work by peers and faculty writers. The program combines studio and academic approaches, providing the student with substantial critical workshop experience and a solid background in theory and literature.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program requires: a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with a GPA of 3.0 or better in the undergraduate major; submission of GRE scores; (foreign students must also score 600 or better on the TOEFL); three letters of recommendation from teachers, editors, or others familiar with the applicant's writing and academic skills; and a writing sample of the student's creative work (up to ten poems or twenty pages of prose) to be evaluated by the creative writing admissions committee. The advanced GRE is not required.
Degree Requirements
In consultation with the M.F.A. adviser, each student prepares and submits
a coherent program individually designed within the following framework:
ENGL 261 or 263 or 265 (16 units)
ENGL 241, 243, or 245 (8 units)
(one course in the student's focus genre and one in either of the other
two genres)
ENGL 250T or 280T (12 units)
Approved electives (upper-division or graduate level courses) (12-14
units)
ENGL 299 (Thesis) (4-6 units)
Total (54 units)
Note: At least 70% (38 units) of coursework must be at graduate (200)
level.
Specific Requirements
Thesis. The thesis for the M.F.A. in Creative Writing consists
of a single book-length manuscript of fiction, a collection of poems, or
creative nonfiction that works together to make a unified body of work.
The thesis committee works closely with the student on style as well as
content; it adheres to a high standard of publishable quality work. In lieu
of a formal defense, the graduating student is required to give a public
reading from his or her work.
Language Requirement. In addition to the general Graduate Division
requirements, advancement to candidacy requires a reading knowledge of one
language other than English. This may be demonstrated either by passing
an examination supervised by the Department of Foreign Languages, or (with
prior approval) by completing an acceptable translation of poetry or prose.
Graduate Writing Requirement. Before advancement to candidacy,
the student must also satisfy the Graduate Writing Skills Requirement. This
requirement is met by submission and approval of a sample of scholarly writing
(this is distinct from the sample of creative work required for program
admission.) See English Department's Advising Booklet for more information.
Subject Examination. In addition to the general Graduate Division
requirements, students are required to pass the M.F.A. exit examination
with a grade of B or above. Each student works with his or her adviser to
create a reading list which will be approved by a three member committee.
The exam consists of essay questions that allow the student to demonstrate
a theoretical and critical knowledge of the craft, through using texts from
his or her approved reading list.
Certificate of Advanced Study in Composition
The Certificate in Composition is a postbaccalaureate course of study
in the theory and pedagogy of teaching writing. It is designed for Valley
classroom teachers, those considering doctoral study in English, candidates
for the M.A. in English, and community college teachers.
ENGL 270 (4 units)
ENGL 281 (4 units)
Electives (LING 237, 251, 244; COMM 214; ENGL 265 or other electives approved
by graduate adviser. Some of the courses may have prerequisites) (6-8
units)
Total (14-16 units)
The student must earn a grade of B or better in all certificate of advanced study coursework. Students who fail to earn at least a B in a course may repeat it for an improved grade. Please note that grade substitution is not permitted at the graduate level and that a GPA of at least 3.0 must be accumulated for certificate of advanced study coursework.
English
Courses