"...professors dedicate personal time to students..."
"The English department helped me not only grow as a writer, but they instilled a means to approach life with a different, unique perspective.They have provided the means for me to use the information I learned in a practical manner while enabling me to pursue my interests in a productive, proactive manner. The English department at William Woods University is arguably one of the best in the nation, with professors that dedicate personal time to students so that they may grow and succeed in their given field/concentration." - Dawson J. Powell, English major
If adaptability is the first goal of education…we’ve got it!
The English major is a varied and dynamic course of study, one that encourages students to explore and develop their skills to challenge and engage all forms of media: stories and poems, for sure, but also films, business plans and speeches, webpages and graphic novels.
The English Ed major trains students who plan to teach English in high schools to be open about what they teach and to respond to what their students want to learn. However, be advised that you must fulfill certain requirements set by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and by the William Woods University Division of Education to be admitted to the education program and be certified to teach. You will find the requirements in the latest issue of the university catalog.
Students who sign on with the English major will find themselves able to learn from between five different concentrations, each with its own special emphases and attractions.
Concentrations in English
Literature: You've never looked at books like this before!
We don’t run away from the traditional Great Books so much as we take them by surprise. Classes teach students to ask and answer questions beyond what a text means, to probe why it means, what role culture played in the production of this text, and what is it that makes literature different from cookbooks and weather reports. Can we ask the same questions of things that aren’t considered great books? Of course we can.
Professional and Technical Writing: Want to be a star at the office?
Saying that writing exists outside of the classroom and the lit textbook merely recognizes what English majors in the Professional and Technical Writing concentration encounter daily. The classes in this concentration will help you communicate in business and media environments. Students practice the traditional principles of rhetoric as well as new business models to get the point across. Students who graduate with this concentration are in demand by employers who want clear communicators. And that’s all of them.
Film Studies: Visit the dream factory!
Casting a discerning eye on one of our most important entertainment industries, this concentration takes students behind the scenes of cinema's hottest contemporary and classic works to explore how movie magic happens for both the artists who create films and the audiences who watch them. Classes in this concentration focus on how movies are made and why they are important to our culture, which helps majors interested in attending film school or in teaching film develop solid, invaluable backgrounds in movie production and criticism.
Creative Writing: Everyone’s got a story to tell!
The Creative Writing concentration encourages students to explore their own writing, especially poems, stories, plays, and graphic narratives. Innovative exercises combine with classroom critiques to help students discover their best writing selves and the best way to share that writing with others. The program includes technical information as well, with suggestions on how to get your work published.
English Education: Those who can, teach!
This concentration is a path to certification where students learn the skills they will need to be successful teachers of English in high school. As an English Ed major, you’ll encounter new approaches to texts you only think you know, as well as finding new texts that will engage you as much as they will excite your future students. Dynamic approaches to literature and writing make good teachers, and that’s how we teach.
Extracurricular Activities
There is even more to do when you are involved in the English program. The professors in the English program also take part in a host of writing related activities on campus: Sigma Tau Delta, the English honor society; Writers Ink, a campus creative writing club; Novelletum, Sigma Tau Delta’s online literary magazine; Moviegoers, a student run film club, and other ad hoc events that change from semester to semester. The hallway where the English professors have their offices is an exhaustingly vibrant place to be!
After Graduation
English majors are among the most desirable of job candidates across the professions because they are trained communicators, and the English major at William Woods is designed to build on that.
The versatility of approaches and the range of texts that English majors encounter are superb preparation for successful employment in a variety of fields: law, education, business, journalism, critical and creative writing, publishing, library science, and the list goes on.
|
