English Education
Overview
Program Highlights
Chances are that you were inspired by some favorite teachers during your life. Let us help you follow in their footsteps. Students at Millikin can earn a BA Degree in English Education to become certified in teaching the English language arts in the state of Illinois.
Our English Education program is committed to the preparation of secondary teachers who are knowledgeable, confident, and skilled in meeting the needs of diverse student populations in grades 6 through 12.
With an emphasis on performance learning, we offer students an educational journey through the great works of literature, we allow them to explore and critique how writing and media become effective and entertaining, and we introduce them to the means and methods of teaching others what they have learned.
Our students gain skills and knowledge in the fields of literature, rhetoric and composition, writing theory, and pedagogy. Through internships and pre-professional experiences in partner school districts in and around Decatur, students become fully immersed in their profession while completing their degrees.
Small class sizes ensure personal mentoring experiences with professors who have been secondary English teachers themselves.
We offer a depth of knowledge in three key areas:
- literary core
- writing theory and practice
- proven educational methods
Our NCATE nationally certified program places students in the classroom earlier than many other institutions. We also focus on experiential learning: the semester before student teaching our majors serve as interns in a freshman reading, writing, and research class, which offers our students much more confidence in teaching these essential subjects.
We emphasize creativity in teaching, allowing students to teach to their own strengths and to their own interests, and our program ensures job readiness upon graduation. Opportunities are plentiful at Millikin to experience or participate in extracurricular enhancements to your degree, including drama, public speaking, creative writing, publishing, and newspaper writing.
In addition to taking the common core coursework required for all English majors, students majoring in English Education take education courses and courses focused specifically on teaching language arts. English Education majors are advised to take certain courses within the English core to meet state standards for English teachers. Please review the advising guide carefully.
Courses
English Courses (EN) (Credits)
EN100. English Fundamentals (1)
Tutorial providing instruction and practice in grammar, usage, punctuation and spelling. To be taken in conjunction with Interdisciplinary 150 Critical Writing, Reading and Research I. Graded on a pass/fail basis.
EN105. Introduction to Millikin English Studies (1)
This one-credit roundtable, required of all English majors or minors and open to any students interested in exploring the English majors, introduces students to the learning opportunities and experiences available through English Studies at Millikin University. Content includes an introduction to typical learning communities in English Education, English Writing and English Literature majors. Students will examine the curriculum requirements and opportunities for study in each major, including possible career choices. Exposure to "doing" English Studies is emphasized, with presentations on the Writing Center, Bronze Man Books, the Decaturian, the Collage Literary Magazine. Expectations include attendance at campus events and activities that are English Studies-related.
EN110. ESL Tutoring Roundtable (1)
This Tutoring Roundtable provides those interested in tutoring with an understanding of the English as a Second Language student writing experience, the kinds of writing that might be generated and why, and offers insight into the needs and concerns of these writers. Students in this class will have the opportunity to learn about and apply useful and effective tutoring strategies and tools for working with ESL students. Upon completion of this course, students will have developed an understanding of the background of the ESL writer and ESL writing issues, be able to identify common as well as some of the unique challenges ESL students may have with writing and communicating, and will have developed, practiced, and demonstrated a repertoire of strategies and tools for addressing ESL student writing needs.
EN111. ESL: Beginning Listening and Speaking (3)
English as a Second Language: Beginning Listening and Speaking offers opportunities to practice listening and speaking skills necessary for academic and social settings for students whose first or primary language is not English. It helps students practice listening skills such as listening to college lectures, dialogues, and group discussions. It also emphasizes speaking skills such as pronouncing words correctly, speaking sentences with correct stress and intonation, and making short oral presentations.
EN112. ESL: Beginning Reading and Writing (3)
English as a Second Language: Beginning Reading and Writing offers opportunities to practice reading and writing skills necessary for academic and professional settings for students whose first or primary language is not English. It emphasizes skills and strategies to improve reading comprehension, expand vocabulary, and conduct basic research. Students develop skills and strategies to generate ideas for academic essays, develop paragraphs for better cohesion and coherence, revise and proofread for better organization and correct grammar.
EN113. ESL: Intermediate Reading and Writing (3)
English as a Second Language: Intermediate Reading and Writing is required of all ESL students with below-standard TOEFL score and open to all ESL students. This course facilitates a transition for ESL students into mainstream academic learning environment by focusing on reading and writing strategies at an intermediate level. Students will learn various reading strategies through intensive reading, extensive reading, and timed reading practices. Students will practice effective writing skills and diverse rhetorical strategies. Students will learn research strategies and practice documentation.
EN120. Approaches to Literature (3)
An introduction to literature and to basic methods of literary analysis and interpretation. Includes reading of short fiction, novels, poetry, and drama. Recommended as a course that fulfills the College of Arts & Sciences literature course requirement.
EN160. Reading Roundtable (1)
The Reading Roundtable offers students the opportunity to read significant works of literature, and to learn techniques of
participating in-and leading-discussions about literature. Topics vary from semester to semester.
EN170. Creative Writing Roundtable (1)
The Writing Roundtable meets weekly as a reader response workshop. Students share and respond to ongoing creative writing projects, concluding with a formal presentation or publication by participants. Each semester the roundtable focuses on a different emphasis such as poetry, playwriting, screenwriting, folklore, haiku, fiction or writing for children.
EN175. English Language Arts Education Roundtable (1)
English Language Arts Education Roundtable offers students the opportunity to become involved in professional organizations in English language arts education. The course may focus on a professional conference (which students will attend) or on a professional organization (which students will join). Students will become familiar with the goals and activities of these organizations.
EN180. Introduction to Tutoring Roundtable (1)
Introduction to Tutoring Roundtable aims to provide students with theoretical and experiential grounding in peer tutoring of writing, allowing them to move from the traditional role of instructed subjects to a more dynamic role as peer tutors and collaborators. Throughout the course our concerns will be practical as well as pedagogical. We begin by examining the philosophy of the Writing Center and how that fits into the theoretical/pedagogical approaches to peer tutoring, and move into practice, focusing on interpersonal dynamics, audience adaptation, and collaborative learning. Students will engage in active sharing and development of tutoring styles, skills, and strategies, investigate writing in the disciplines, and engage in self-reflection concerning the practice of peer tutoring. This course will be a combination of discussion, lecture, reflection, group work, and tutor presentations that will allow us to opportunities to share, analyze, and critique as well as connect theory and pedagogy to real world tutoring experiences. Pre-requisite: consent of instructor.
EN200. Writing Seminar (3)
A course in non-fictional prose, emphasizing clarity of style, audience and development of ideas. Content will vary semester to semester. Representative topics include persuasion and argument, the variety of non-fiction, writing in academic disciplines, research and extended essays. Pre-requisite: sophomore standing or consent of Department Chair.
EN201. Introduction to Creative Writing (3)
An introduction to writing in three genres: fiction, poetry, and drama. Special attention given to techniques of characterization, dialogue, diction, phrasing, plotting, narration, description and prosody. Includes a writing project designed by each student.
EN202. Writing About Literature (3)
This is an entry level course to learn to write about literature, with special emphasis on literary criticism and critical approaches. The course begins with forms of writing about literature for the general public—book and film reviews, personal essays, diaries and journals. The course then moves to careful reading and close textual analysis, with written forms to include explication and interpretation based on primary texts from a variety of authors and genres. Finally the course includes basic critical approaches to reading literature, such as feminist, formal, cultural studies, biographical, and psychological. Students compile a portfolio of writing by the end of the course. Required of all literature and English Education majors, this course fulfills one of the advanced writing requirements for all English majors. Usually taken in the sophomore year. Pre-requisite: IN 151 or consent.
EN210. Business and Professional Writing (3)
In this course, students investigate the role of writing in various professions and develop problem solving strategies for writing effective letters, memos, case studies, summaries, reports and resumes. This course emphasizes conciseness, clarity and persuasiveness. Pre-requisite: IN151 or consent.
EN215. Journalism: Newswriting I (3)
Introduction to basic methods of news reporting and writing. Students learn Associated Press style basics and an introduction to journalism ethics while writing the basic types of news stories: obituaries, advances, follow-ups, breaking news, controversy and research-based. Focuses on print journalism, but also addresses broadcast news writing.
EN220. Literary Topics (3)
Readings in literature that focus on a particular topic. Offerings vary semester to semester and include such topics as gender roles in literature, death and dying, the Holocaust, ethnic voices in America, the Nobel Prize in literature, and science fiction. Recommended as a course that fulfills the College of Arts & Sciences literature course requirement. Pre-requisite: IN151 or consent.
EN222. Contemporary Adolescent Literature (3)
Students read and study a large variety of adolescent literature generally taught in middle and high school classes, examining issues related to the reading and teaching of adolescent literature, including the relationship of adolescent literature to classic literature. Students explore the depiction of young adulthood in these texts and the relation of young adults to other groups, the differences among young adults, and the role of family, education, media and other social institutions in young adult life. Recommended for all Education majors, especially language arts students.Pre-requisite: IN151 or consent.
EN231. American Literature through Twain (3)
Study of major American writers from beginnings to 1900, including Bradstreet, Franklin, Poe, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Douglass, Stowe, Whitman, Dickinson and Twain. Examines these writers in cultural, intellectual and historical context. Pre-requisite: IN151 or consent.
EN232. American Literature from 1900 to the Present (3)
Study of modern American writers, including such figures as James, Chopin, Fitzgerald, Cather, Hemingway, O’Neill, Faulkner, Williams, Steinbeck, Eliot, Frost, Plath and Walker. Examines these writers in cultural, intellectual and historical contexts. Pre-requisite: IN151 or consent.
EN233. Traditions in African American Literature (3)
From Phillis Wheatley to Edward P. Jones, from spirituals to folk tales, from slave narratives to postmodern novels, students study major African American authors, literary forms, and themes in their social, historical, and cultural contexts. Topics and authors may vary from semester to semester. Fulfills College of Arts and Sciences literature requirement; if cross-listed, fulfills U.S. Cultural Studies requirement. Pre-requisite: IN151 or consent. Recommended as a course that fulfills the College of Arts & Sciences literature course requirement.
EN234. American Multicultural Literature (3)
An introduction to American writers from diverse cultural backgrounds. The course will examine culturally specific questions, as well as cross-cultural issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Topics and authors may vary from semester to semester. Course may include authors such as Toni Morrison, Zora Neale Hurston, Sandra Cisneros, Julia Alvarez, Sherman Alexie, Audre Lorde, Richard Rodriguez, Philip Roth, Maxine Hong Kingston and/or N. Scott Momaday. Fulfills College of Arts and Sciences literature requirement; if cross-listed, fulfills U.S. Cultural Studies requirement. Pre-requisite: IN151 or consent. Recommended as a course that fulfills the College of Arts & Sciences literature course requirement.
EN235. Methods for Teaching Secondary Language Arts (3)
Introduction to methods and materials for teaching listening, speaking, reading, and writing with an emphasis on language development across the curriculum. Helps students combine theory, research and practice into sound strategies for teaching English in middle, junior, and senior high schools. Students begin to develop a philosophy of secondary Language Arts teaching and learn how to plan instruction that is consistent with that philosophy and with various national, state, and school district standards and guidelines. The English segments of the Education Portfolio will also be initiated. Pre-requisite: IN151 or consent.
EN241. Western Classical Traditions: Literature, Rhetoric & Culture (3)
Examines the role of literature and rhetoric in society. The course examines the tension between oral traditions and the emergence of a radical new technology called ‘writing through close reading of primary texts such as The Odyssey, Greek drama, Aristotle’s Rhetoric and Poetics, Plato’s Phaedrus and Gorgias, and Longinus On the Sublime. Pre-requisite: IN151 or consent.
EN250. Introduction to Film (3)
Introduction to viewing film as an art form, with some emphasis on technique, the history of film, and the relation between film and literature. Includes such films as Chaplin’s The Gold Rush, Keaton’s The General, Citizen Kane, The African Queen, Psycho, Cat Ballou, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Pre-requisite: IN151 or consent. Recommended as a course that fulfills the College of Arts & Sciences literature course requirement.
EN270. Computer-Aided Publishing (3)
An introduction to computer-aided publishing for print-media production. A workshop of simple to more complex publication projects that develop three essential roles: (1) the user of computer-aided publishing technology, (2) the publication designer, and (3) the manager of the publishing process.
EN270. Computer-Aided Publishing (3)
An introduction to computer-aided publishing for print-media production. A workshop of simple to more complex publication projects that develop three essential roles: (1) the user of computer-aided publishing technology, (2) the publication designer, and (3) the manager of the publishing process.
EN271. Copyediting (1)
This is a one-credit workshop on professional copyediting. This course helps students master copyediting skills, including the ability to edit others’ writing for accuracy and completeness. Through a carefully sequenced series of case studies, students learn conventions and professional editing practices for the workplace.
EN280. Journalism Laboratory (1)
Staff members of the Decaturian, Millikin’s student newspaper, receive credit for making a regular contribution to the paper for the semester, writing and performing other weekly duties for each issue. Participants create a portfolio reflecting on their development during the semester. This course can be repeated each semester for up to eight credits. Pre-requisite: EN215 Newswriting 1 or consent of instructor.
EN290. Sophomore Writing Portfolio (1)
EN290, Sophomore Writing Portfolio, is a one-credit workshop required of all sophomore-level writing majors (including
transfers). The primary goal of the course is to provide an opportunity for sophomores to review and reflect on their writing, editing,
and publishing projects completed in their first two years of study. Over the course of the semester, students work to discover their
writing identities in relation to various audiences and to develop a strong sense of the expectation of the writing major and the various
writing concentrations. Students will develop a preliminary personal writing theory. By the end of the course, each student designs,
prepares, and presents a professional writing portfolio that demonstrates the knowledge they have acquired about what constitutes
quality performance at Millikin and in the broader field.
EN295. Community Literacy (1-3)
This course is intended for students—majors and non-majors—interested in developing skills in community literacy programs. This course fosters links to the community, enables off-campus learning, and provides valuable instruction in working with programs such as Project READ.
EN300. Advanced Writing (3)
Specialized topics in writing at the advanced level, including such representative areas as the persuasion, resistance, public relations, technical writing, grant writing, science writing and report writing. Includes an extended writing project. Pre-requisite: IN151 or consent.
EN301. Advanced Creative Writing (3)
Advanced workshops in creative writing, such as the short story, playwriting, poetry, or a special theme. Topic varies by semester. Pre-requisite: EN201 or consent of instructor.
EN302. Methods for Teaching Literacy in the Content Area Classroom (3)
This course is required for all K-12 and secondary content area majors. It supports the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards (IPTS) as well as the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in literacy for History/Social Science, Science & Technical Subjects such as Art, P.E. and Music. Course content focuses on the preparation of teacher candidates for the responsibility of integrating reading, writing, listening and speaking instruction into their content area curriculum. Topics of study will include, but are not limited to: language acquisition and development; instructional design and literacy assessment; English language learners and students with special needs; differentiation and RTI; and college & career readiness. Prerequisite: Admission to the School of Education.
EN305. Web Publishing (3)
This course is an introduction to writing, editing and publishing web sites for a variety of rhetorical purposes. Students examine the history of publishing technology and the remediation of print media conventions into web publications. Major topics include the integration of visual and verbal elements including writing, graphics, photographs, video, audio elements into rhetorically effective new hypertext media. As a workshop students learn to use the latest professional web design technologies for campus and off-campus clients.
EN310. Applying Writing Theory (3)
An introduction to contemporary writing theories with an emphasis on applying these theories to the student’s own writing processes and strategies. Also examines the history and application of writing theory to the teaching of writing. Includes an overview of invention strategies, the role of audience, the aims of discourse, approaches to style and methods of arrangement in writing and the formal study of grammar. Pre-requisite: an advanced writing course.
EN315. Newswriting II: Beat Reporting (3)
Expands on principles covered in EN215 Newswriting I. Students identify a specific beat (i.e. covering a particular sport, news beat, organization’s activities) and develop expertise and source building by covering the same beat for the semester. Pre-requisite: EN215 Newswriting I.
EN316. Journalism: Feature Writing (3)
An advanced journalism course focusing on feature writing. Students analyze award-winning feature stories and research and write their own in-depth newspaper/magazine style features. The course also covers editorials and reviews. Pre-requisite: EN215 or consent of instructor.
EN321. Major English Authors I (3)
Reading and analysis of major writers of English literature from the beginnings to the end of the 18th century. In a typical semester, students will read such works as Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, selections from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the sonnets and at least one major play
of Shakespeare, Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus, Milton’s Paradise Lost, Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels and Boswell’s Life of Johnson. Students will also trace the evolution of the English language and the major cultural and political events of each period. Pre-requisite: IN151.
EN322. Major English Authors II (3)
Reading and analysis of major writers of English literature from latter part of the 18th century to the present. Includes writers of the Romantic period (Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, Byron, Austen, and the Shelleys), Victorian period (Tennyson, Browning, Dickens, the Rosettis, Eliot, Hardy), and Modern period (Yeats, Joyce, Woolf, Conrad, Lawrence, Auden and others). Pre-requisite: IN151 and 1 literature course.
EN325. Studies in Shakespeare (3)
Studies in Shakespeare offers specialized topics in Shakespeare studies from both literary and theatrical perspectives. Topics and readings vary from semester to semester and include a historical perspective of the early modern period, Shakespeare’s life, drama, and poetry. A minimum of five plays will be covered each semester. Fulfills Shakespeare requirement for literature, writing and English education majors, Arts & Sciences literature requirement, and dramatic literature requirement for Theater.
Pre-requisite: IN151.
EN331. International Film (3)
An introduction to the global traditions of film, emphasizing the universal nature of cinema. Examination of the language of film analysis will be combined with an historical survey of developments in worldwide cinema, and a discussion of the idea of the director as auteur or author of a film. Topics, which can vary from semester to semester, may include Italian neorealism, the French New Wave, the New German Cinema, Hong Kong cinema, Indian cinema, Dogme 95, and the work of international directors like Antonioni, Bergman, Bunuel, Fellini, and Kurosawa. Pre-requisite: IN151 or consent. Recommended as a course that fulfills the College of Arts & Sciences literature course requirement or the International Cultures and Structures requirement.
EN335. International Literature (3)
International Literature emphasizes an in-depth comparative study of texts, themes, genres, and authors from literatures of the world, representing one or more of the following areas: Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, India, Latin American, and the Middle East. Pre-requisite: IN151 or consent. Recommended as a course that fulfills the College of Arts & Sciences literature course requirement or the International Cultures and Structure requirement.
EN340. Studies in Poetry (3)
Readings in special areas of poetry, including a single major writer, period, form or theme. Content will vary from semester to semester. Representative topics include Chaucer, Renaissance love poetry, Global haiku, the sonnet, the Romantic poets, Pound and Eliot, and Contemporary Poetry. Pre-requisite: IN151.
EN350. Studies in Drama (3)
Specialized topics in drama at the advanced level. Content varies from semester to semester. Representative topics include Elizabethan and Jacobean tragedy, Greek and Roman drama, African-American performance literature, modern and contemporary plays. Pre-requisite: IN151.
EN360. Studies in Fiction (3)
Specialized approaches to short fiction and novels at an advanced level. Topics and readings vary from semester to semester. Representative topics include major women writers, fiction into film, the post-modern novel, and the classic English novel. Pre-requisite: IN151.
EN366. Studies in Literary History (3)
Advanced study of literature in historical, intellectual and cultural context. Offerings vary semester to semester and include medieval, Renaissance, 18th century, romantic, Victorian, modern, and contemporary. Pre-requisite: IN151.
EN370. Studies in the English Language (3)
Students will examine the major periods in the development of the English language, study contemporary linguistic analyses of English, and explore how the use of language varies according to region, gender and social status. Pre-requisite: IN151.
EN375. The English Language (3)
In this course students will examine the conventions of English language as they relate to various rhetorical situations (grammar, usage, and mechanics); understand the concept of dialect and become familiar with relevant grammar systems (e.g., descriptive and prescriptive); understand principles of language acquisition; recognize the influence of English language history on ELA content; and understand the impact of language on society.
EN380. Studies in Journalism (3)
Specialized topics in journalism at the advanced level. Content varies from semester to semester. Representative topics include investigative reporting, advanced feature writing, review/editorial writing, history of journalism, editing and newspaper publication design. Pre-requisite: EN215 Newswriting 1.
EN382. Advanced Writing and Publishing Projects (1-3)
Highly qualified students collaborate with faculty on scholarly, writing, or publishing projects. Topics vary including advanced web publishing, advanced web graphics, literary editing, the history of book production, and arts of publishing.
EN 384. Art of Publishing: Bronze Man Books (1-3)
Art of Publishing is a performance learning practicum in book publishing. Students learn by working as an editor or designer carrying out specific responsibilities for Bronze Man Books, Millikin University’s student-run book publishing company. Possible student positions include: editor, acquisitions editor, assistant editor, legal research editor, production manager, art director, designer, sales manager, marketing manager, marketing research, publicist, and advertising manager. For questions, contact either one of the co-teachers: Dr. Randy Brooks or Ed Walker.
EN 386. Letterpress Publishing: Blue Satellite Press (1-3)
Blue Satellite Press prints poetry broadsides (more commonly known as posters) in letterpress formats. We will learn aspects of design and print production that letterpress printing encourages: layering, color “interaction” and font as a design element; one can learn these elements in computer layout, but only with deliberate, conscious effort. We will be doing the editorial work of an ongoing press: selection of work to print, communications with poets, and distributing the printed broadsides.
EN 388. Publishing Roundtable (1)
The Publishing Roundtable broaches relevant subjects in the field of publishing and editing. Offered on a rotating basis, roundtable topics can include freelancing, fine art, journalism, comic book production, and game design.
EN410. Senior Writing Portfolio (3)
Senior writing and literature majors and other highly qualified students develop a professional writing portfolio. Also includes preparation for careers and professions in writing. Offered only in the fall. Pre-requisite: senior writing or literature major or minor or consent of instructor.
EN420. Seminar in Literature (3)
Advanced seminar in which students complete a major project in literary study or writing. Emphasis and topic vary semester to semester. Representative topics include recent trends in literary criticism, autobiography, American Romanticism, Poe, Twain and the Beat Generation. Pre-requisite: senior literature major or consent of instructor.
EN425. Advanced Methods of Teaching Language Arts (1)
This one-credit course continues the teaching of specific methods of Language Arts instruction in secondary schools and is a follow-up to the EN235 Methods course. The course's specific focus is on planning and organizing a multi-part unit of instruction for implementation during student teaching. Also included are research opportunities for identifying instructional resources along with peer critiques of specific lessons designed within the unit plan. Pre-requisite: EN235 Methods of Teaching Secondary Language Arts.
EN470. Internship in the Teaching of Writing (3)
Students work with a faculty member teaching Interdisciplinary 150 helping to design assignments, tutor students, and read about and discuss various composition theories. This course is required for English education majors and encouraged for all English majors planning to attend graduate school. Pre-requisite: consent of instructor.
EN480. Professional Writing Internship (1-3)
The internship provides qualified students an opportunity to receive academic credit for supervised, non-classroom experience in an employment setting. Students may choose to serve apprenticeships in various fields of interest, such as newspaper or public relations, library work, legal offices or other areas of professional training. A maximum of six credits of internship may count toward major, with no more than three credits per semester. Pre-requisite: consent of Department Chair.
EN491. Independent Study in English (3)
Opportunity for the advanced student to pursue a special topic or project independently, under the guidance of an English faculty member. A learning contract indicating tasks to be completed, learning goals, and timeline for review of work is required. Pre-requisite: consent of Department Chair.
