Undergraduate Program

Contents

• Preparation for Careers
  
• English Department Programs
  • The Liberal Arts Major in English
  • The Modified Major in English with a Linguistics Concentration
  • The Liberal Arts Minor in English
  • The Secondary Teaching Major in English
  • The Secondary Teaching Minor in English
• Related Concentrations
  
• Related Minors
  
• British Studies at Oxford
  
• The Faculty of the Department of English
  

Preparation for Careers

If you are considering a college major in English you are probably attracted to the program because you enjoy literature, the study of language and writing. You may wonder, however, whether English is a practical field of study. What future prospects does it open to you? There are, in fact, many jobs for which a student with an undergraduate English major may qualify. Here are some career possibilities for which you can prepare as an English major at Oakland University. Note that you can supplement your major with courses, concentrations and minors in other fields (described to you) to gain useful and versatile preprofessional skills.

Business
An English major with a concentration in Computer and Information Science or Management gives students a humanistic background and practical knowledge and makes it possible to apply for entry level positions in business and industry. Business executives tell us they need this combination. With the CIS or Management concentrations, English courses in analytical and persuasive writing and business and technical writing are essential.

Writing, Publishing and Journalism
A traditionally popular career choice for English majors has been publishing work in a variety of forms: technical and professional writing for business and industry; magazine or newspaper writing and editing; editorial work for book publishers; and publications work for many businesses, hospitals, and public and private institutions which use newsletters, pamphlets or journals to communicate with employees and the public. Careers in book sales and marketing also appeal to people who want to connect their interests in literature with job possibilities. Students considering such careers should read widely, take some advanced writing courses, and try to gain some writing experience working for university publications. Courses in accounting and management can provide useful background while experience with the visual arts improves employment opportunities.

Teaching
Students who wish to teach at the high school, college or university level should consult with a departmental adviser on effective curricular programs to prepare them for this field.

Advertising
Students who are interested in an advertising career should consider the possibility of combining an English major with courses in film, the visual arts, journalism, psychology and business administration. Take several writing courses, and concentrate on developing imagination through literature and the arts.

Law and Government
Although law schools require no specific combination of undergraduate courses, a major in English has traditionally provided access to legal careers because of the analytical, verbal, and research skills literary study develops. Pre-law students should supplement the major program with courses in philosophy (especially logic), political science and history. Students interested in a variety of federal, state or local governmental careers will find English a useful area of study. They should choose courses in writing - especially advanced and business writing. Oakland University offers concentrations in American studies and in public administration, as well as a Pre-Law concentration to help students prepare for careers in law and government.

The Arts
Students interested in the fine arts, especially theatre and film, can supplement the English major with a minor in theatre or a concentration in film. They should consider the business aspects of the arts (scheduling, promotion and publicity) as well as performance among their career options.

Community Services
Opportunities in human service are increasing. Jobs are available, for example, in senior citizen projects, in community education programs and in local library outreach programs. An English major with emphasis on writing and a concentration in social services (including some courses in gerontology) should offer preprofessional training for community service. For work with children, speech and drama courses are particularly useful. Insights gained from the study of literature provide valuable perspectives for people working in all kinds of service occupations.

English Department Programs

The undergraduate programs of study listed below lead to the Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in English, a modified major in English with a linguistics concentration, a liberal arts minor in English and a secondary teaching minor in English. The department offers a program leading to the Master of Arts degree in English; the program and course offerings are described in the Oakland University Graduate Catalog

The Liberal Arts Major in English, B.A. Program

A minimum of 40 credits in English courses (exclusive of composition courses used to satisfy the writing proficiency requirement) are required.

• Of these, at least 24 credits must be taken at the 300 level or above, including 8 credits in British Literary History (drawn from English 354, 355, 357, 358, and 370 or 4 credits from this group and 4 from 311, 315, 316, and 369)

• One course in American Literature (317, 318, 319, and 320)

• At least 4 credits in the 400-level seminar (excluding 410, 411, 491, and 499).

• At least 20 credits must be taken at the 300-level or above.

In addition, the major requires an introductory two-semester sequence in a foreign language, or one semester of a foreign language at the 115 level or higher.

The Modified Major in English with a Linguistics Concentration

The modified English/Linguistics major requires 24 credits in English and American literature.

• Eight credits must be in British literary history: either two from the ENG 354, 355, 357, 358, 370, 371 sequence; or one from 311, 354, 355, 357, 358, 370, 371 and one from 311, 315, 316, 369.

• Four credits in American literature must be selected from 317, 318, 319, 320,

• Four credits in a 400-level seminar (excluding 410, 411, 491, and 499)

• Twenty credits in LIN or ALS courses, including: LIN 201, 303, 304, and either 403 or 404.

• English 376

• .At least 20 of the 44 combined credits must be taken at the 300 level or above, and at least 4 of these credits must be in a 400 level seminar in English. See the linguistics offerings of the catalog for specific requirements.

The Liberal Arts Minor in English

A minimum of 20 credits in English courses are required (exclusive of composition courses used to satisfy the writing proficiency requirement). At least two courses must be taken at the 300 or 400 level. Only one 100 level course will be accepted as part of the minor. Only 4 credits of 499 may apply towards the minor. Normally, only 4 credits study abroad programs will be accepted for an English minor. At least 12 credits from offerings in English must be taken at Oakland.

The Secondary Teaching Major in English

The Secondary Teaching Minor in English

Related Concentrations

Students who wish to take any concentration in addition to a major must apply for admission and must develop a program in consultation with a concentration committee member. For specific requirements see the Undergraduate Catalog.

American Studies
The American Studies Concentration provides both a broad understanding of the American experience and an introduction to the practice of focused interdisciplinary study. The concentration is taken in addition to a departmental major. By electing departmental courses with an American focus in two or three areas outside the major and framing the concentration with two interdisciplinary American studies courses, students may expect to gain a coherent sense of the national experience and appreciate the various contributions of different academic disciplines. Although not a vocationally directed program, the American studies concentration should be of particular interest to students preparing for careers in law, government and journalism, and those planning graduate work in American studies or any of its contributing disciplines.

Film Aesthetics and History
The Film Studies concentration offers multiple perspectives for examining theoretical and critical issues involving film as art, literature and communication. The range of viewing experiences and the variety of approaches to the medium provide an excellent preparation for students seeking employment in advertising, publishing, journalism, visual media or teaching, as well as for those who wish to pursue film studies on the graduate level.

Pre-Law
With assistance from an adviser, students admitted to the Pre-Law concentration design individualized programs choosing courses from English, Communication, Journalism, Philosophy, Political Science, Linguistics, Sociology, Anthropology, Economics, Environmental Science, Marketing, or Theatre in order to establish a solid foundation in reasoning, written and oral communication, and the law in relation to other disciplines.

Religious Studies
The religious studies program offers a series of courses on religion, both Western and Eastern, traditional and contemporary. These courses are taught in the same scholarly and objective spirit as other university courses and aim at providing an understanding of a pervasive human phenomenon. They are grouped into two types: historical studies and systematic studies.

Women's Studies
The Women's Studies concentration explores the contribution of women to the arts, the sciences, and society. The concentration was created to open and draw together areas of study and research related to women arising from the various academic disciplines.

Related Minors

Computer and Information Science
With a major in English, a student may wish to take courses in the computer science minor emphasizing non-numerical and symbolic data processing, language translation, and list processing. See the SECS Web site for more information.

Management and Economics for other Majors
For English majors who wish to combine their majors with an introduction to the skills, analytical techniques, and institutional materials in management and economics, the School of Business Administration offers the following minors: Management; International Management; Economics; International Economics.