Undergraduate Programs

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Undergraduate Programs

Most ETSU students first become acquainted with the Department of Literature and Language through the Freshman Composition sequence, English 1010 ("Critical Reading and Expository Writing") and English 1020 ("Critical Thinking and Argumentation"). These two courses are designed to give students a foundation in critical reading, thinking, and writing; students will then build upon this foundation in more advanced courses within their chosen majors and minors.

Students who major in English elect one of two tracks, both of which require 36 hours of coursework. The Teaching Track is a highly structured sequence of those courses needed to teach at the middle-school and high-school levels. Students who follow this track must also minor in Teacher Education in order to become certified by the State of Tennessee. The Non-Teaching (or "regular") track offers students more choice in their programs of study. Students select eight courses in specified areas, as well as four upper-level English electives. Some students group these electives into an informal interest area (such as writing, ethnic literature, British literature, poetry), while others use them to explore a wide range of topics.

The Department of Literature and Language offers majors in Foreign Language with concentrations in French, German, and Spanish. Students who wish to teach these languages in secondary schools also follow a directed curriculum requiring a minor in Teaching Education.

The Department of Literature and Language offers a range of minors, including language minors in English, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish (24 hours). The Linguistics Minor (18 hours), the Film Studies minor (21 hours) and the Technical Writing minor (24 hours) each consist of a guided sequence of specific courses. Students design their own course sequence for the English minor, with limits on the number of lower-division courses that may be taken; students follow a more defined course of study for the other language minors. Students who major in English and minor in either Linguistics, Film Studies or Technical Writing should also note that no one course may be used to fulfill the requirements of both the major and the minor. We are currently in the process of developing a minor in Creative Writing and will make more announcements as we establish it.

In summer 2010, the Department of Literature and Language became the host department for the Women's Studies program. Students may earn a major or a minor in this discipline.

Our department is also pleased to announce that we host the new minor in Classics, an interdisciplinary exploration of the role ancient languages, cultures, literatures, and belief systems have influenced our modern world.

For more information about declaring a major or minor in the Department of Literature and Language, contact the Assistant Chair for Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Katherine Weiss.

Check Sheet for ETSU General Education and A&S BA Degree Requirements

Department-Specific Check Sheet for Traditional Major in English

Department-Specific Check Sheet for English Education Majors (Those Hoping to Teach in Secondary Schools)

Current Departmental Language Placement Policy

Checksheet for Major in Foreign Language with a Spanish Concentration

Checksheet for Minor in Spanish

Checksheet for Minor in Applied Spanish

Checksheet for Major in Foreign Language with Concentration in German; Checksheet for Minor in German

Checksheet for Minor in Japanese

Checksheet for Minor in Chinese