Concentrations allow English majors and minors to focus their education on a specific area of study.

• English majors may create a concentration by taking a combination of the courses below to satisfy their Major Electives are on the degree plan (15 hours).
• English minors may create a concentration by taking a combination of the courses below that also meet the course-level requirements for the minor (18 hours).

Creative Writing

The Department of English provides students the opportunity to develop their talents through an array of creative writing courses taught by established novelists, poets, and short story writers, all of whom are actively engaged in creation of original work. By working closely with students in the development of initial concepts, in the mastery of technique, and in the strategy of publication, the creative faculty expresses its dedication to the idea of a community of writers held together by its belief in the power and necessity of creative expression. Such a community emphasizes both the collective responsibilities of artists to the larger cultural concerns of the times, and the individual responsibilities of artists to the production of works of distinguished originality.

To build a concentration in Creative Writing, begin by taking ENGL 235: Elements of Creative Writing followed by your choice of ENGL 345: Writer's Studies Prose or Poetry, ENGL 347: Writer's Workshop Prose, ENGL 348: Writer's Workshop Poetry, ENGL 359: Forms of Creative Writing, ENGL 385: Playwriting,  ENGL 386: Creative Nonfiction, and ENGL 435: Advanced Studies in Creative Writing.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Studies

To build a concentration in Science Fiction and Fantasy Studies, you may choose from a variety of courses given that their topics are related to the field of study including ENGL 318: Utopian Literature, ENGL/FILM 324: Science Fiction and Film, ENGL 331: Fantasy Literature, ENGL 334: Science Fiction Present and Past, ENGL 343: Fairy Tales in the English Tradition, and ENGL 360: Literature for Children.

Health Humanities

The cross-disciplinary field of Health Humanities is growing in popularity at the baccalaureate level, as more and more students realize the importance of having a critically-engaged, humanities-led approach to understanding health and illness. Students will take courses covering a variety of approaches including: narrative medicine, health rhetoric, philosophy of care, gender and race-based disparities in health, and cross-cultural health communication. The coursework encourages students not only to take an interdisciplinary approach to understanding current and historical issues related to health, but also to critically reflect upon the methods of study they employ, and the future of Health Humanities as a field.

To build a concentration in Health Humanities, begin by taking ENGL 107: Introduction to Health Humanities followed by ENGL 292: Introduction to Literature and Medicine, ENGL 342: The Rhetoric of Gender and Health, and ENGL 395: Topics in Literature and Medicine.

Composition and Rhetoric

To build a concentration in Composition and Rhetoric, begin by taking ENGL 210: Technical and Professional Writing followed by your choice of ENGL 241: Advanced Composition, ENGL 320: Technical and Professional Editing, ENGL 353: History of Rhetoric, ENGL 354: Modern Rhetorical Theory, ENGL 355: Rhetoric of Style, ENGL 357: Native American Rhetorics and Literatures, ENGL 460: Digital Authoring Practices, ENGL 461: Advanced Syntax and Rhetoric, and ENGL 462: Rhetoric in a Cultural Context.

Literature and Film

To build a concentration in Literature and Film, begin by taking ENGL/FILM 251: Introduction to Film Analysis followed by your choice of ENGL 219: Literature and the Other Arts, ENGL/FILM 351: Advanced Film, ENGL/FILM 356: Literature and Film, ENGL 394: Studies in Genre, and ENGL 415: Studies in a Major Author.