English Writing

The English Writing program emphasizes Performance Learning, providing opportunities for you to get involved with real-world publishing opportunities as soon as your first semester on campus. All students who major in English Writing gain a solid foundation in literature, rhetoric and composition, and writing theory, while also specializing in one of three areas:

• Creative Writing
• Journalism
• Professional Writing

Small class sizes ensure personal mentoring experiences with professors who are also practicing creative writers, journalists, editors, and publishers. Students in all of three writing specialties have the opportunity to get involved in our student-run publications (The Decaturian, BURST Magazine, and Collage literary magazine) as writers, editors, designers and more. Millikin’s School of Writing, Languages & Cultures is also home to student-run ventures including Sting & Honey Press and Blue Satellite Press. Additionally, many students undertake professional writing internships during their time at Millikin.

Interested in our writing major? Contact us today!

English writing majors take the 21-credit English core curriculum, a minimum of 12 credits of advanced writing coursework in their area of concentration (journalism, professional writing, or creative writing), 6 credits of advanced literature coursework, and 6 credits of writing outside their concentration.

The Core Curriculum

All English majors complete a 21-credit core curriculum that includes 6 credits in literary traditions, 3 credits in rhetoric and poetics, 3 credits in computer publishing technologies, 6 credits in literary and writing theories, and a senior capstone course. The core curriculum provides a strong foundation in literary, rhetorical, and cultural traditions. The core also ensures that all English majors graduate with expertise in contemporary approaches to writing and publishing.

6 Credits in Literary Traditions

EN245. Euro-American Literary Traditions (3 credits)

EN246. Topics in World Literary Traditions (3 credits)

3 Credits in Rhetoric & Poetics

EN241. Poetics, Rhetoric & Performance (3 credits)

3 Credits in Computer Publishing Technologies

EN270. Computer-Aided Publishing (3 credits)

6 Credits in Literary & Writing Theories

EN202. Literary & Cultural Theory (3 credits)

EN301. Applying Writing Theory (3 credits)

3 Credits in Capstone Coursework

Students may choose either of the following that best serves as the culminating course in their major and supports their career goals.

EN410. Senior Capstone (3 credits)

EN470. Teaching Writing Internship (3 credits)

Writing Major

In addition to taking the core curriculum, all writing majors take at minimum of 12 credits of advanced writing courses in one of our three areas of concentration: (1) Journalism, (2) Professional Writing, Publishing & Rhetoric, or (3) Creative Writing. Writing majors also take 6 credits of advanced literature coursework and 6 credits of advanced writing outside their area of concentration. Students often complete a professional writing internship and several 1-credit writing or publishing roundtable workshops.

12 credits in an Advanced Writing Concentration

Students majoring in writing are required to develop an area of advanced writing expertise. Writing majors take at least four advanced writing studies courses (12 credits) in one of three tracks: (1) Journalism, (2) Professional Writing, Publishing & Rhetoric, or (3) Creative Writing. Students who wish to complete more than one writing concentration must complete the minimum number of advanced writing courses in both concentrations.

Advanced Writing Journalism courses include:

EN215. Journalism: News Writing I (3 credits)

EN280. Journalism Laboratory (3 credits)

EN315. Journalism: News Writing II (3 credits)

EN316. Journalism: Feature Writing (3 credits)

EN317. The Art of Opinion (3 credits)

EN318. Sports Writing (3 credits)

EN319. Investigative Reporting (3 credits)

EN380. Topics in Journalism (3 credits)

EN480. Professional Writing Internship (in Journalism) (3 credits)

Advanced Professional Writing, Publishing & Rhetoric courses include:

EN200. Writing Seminar 3 credits

EN210. Professional and Technical Writing (3 credits)

EN212. Environmental Writing (3 credits)

EN300. Advanced Writing Topics (3 credits)

EN304. Digital Writing & Rhetoric (3 credits)

EN305. Web Publishing (3 credits)

EN306. Freelance Writing (3 credits)

EN307. Professional Editing (3 credits)

EN308. Beyond the Page (3 credits)

EN382. Advanced Publishing Projects (3 credits)

EN384. Art of Publishing (1–3 credits)

EN386. Letterpress Publishing: Blue Satellite Press (1–3 credits)

EN388. Publishing Roundtable (1 credit, may be taken more than once)

EN480. Professional Writing Internship (in professional writing, rhetoric, or publishing)

Advanced Creative Writing courses include:

EN201. Introduction to Creative Writing (3 credits)

EN301. Advanced Creative Writing (3 credits)

EN309. Critical Storytelling (3 credits)

EN384. Art of Publishing (1–3 credits)

EN480. Professional Writing Internship (in creative writing or literary publishing) (1–3 credits)

6 credits of Elective Literature Courses at the 300 Level

See topics offered.

6 credits in Advanced Writing Outside Your Concentration

Take at least two 3-credit courses outside your area of advanced writing concentration from any of the courses listed above in the other areas of advanced writing studies.

   Departmental Course Offerings

   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.

   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 is a studio-style, performance-based reader response workshop. Students share and respond to ongoing writing projects which culminate in formal presentation and/or publication. Topics include 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)

   Provides 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; examines the philosophy of the Writing Center and how that fits into the theoretical/pedagogical approaches to peer tutoring, and moves 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 in the practice of peer tutoring; course combines discussion, lecture, reflection, group work, and tutor presentations that will allow students opportunities to share, analyze, and critique as well as connect theory and pedagogy to real world tutoring experiences.  

   EN200. Writing Seminar (3)

   A seminar course on the composition of non-fiction prose, emphasizing clarity of style, audience, and development of ideas. Content will vary semester to semester. Representative topics include persuasion and argument, expressive writing, resistance writing, letter writing, extended essays, and multimodal compositions.  

   EN201. Introduction to Creative Writing (3)

   A workshop-based Performance Learning writing course introducing students to three of four genres: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and drama. Special attention to techniques of voice, image, character, story, setting, narration, description, and prosody. Workshop culminates in a portfolio with an introduction/reflection and a performative reading of one piece of writing.    

   EN202. Writing About Literature (3)

   An early exploration of what it means to study and write about literature as a professional, with a particular focus on literary criticism and theory. The class begins with the question of why we read and write about literature, moving on to careful readings and close textual analyses of literary creations—from the traditional to the experimental—focusing on explication, analysis, and interpretation. In the process, the course introduces basic critical approaches to studying literature, including reader-response theory; New Criticism; feminism and gender theory; lesbian, gay, and queer theory; psychoanalytical theory; Marxist theory; African American theory; and postcolonialism. As a final project, students take on the close study of a novel-length work, producing both their own near-professional critical analyses, as well as supplementary materials to be included in a digital Casebook on the text.

   EN210. Professional and Technical Writing (3)

   In this course, students practice writing some of the most common technical genres and learn how to determine which genre to use in a given situation.  Additionally, students learn the rhetorical strategies necessary for document design and learn how ethics, histories, cultures, and technologies shape work within the field. 

   EN212. Environmental Writing (3)

   This course is a study of the diversity of perspectives on “nature” and “environment” as they are taken up in scientific research, public policy, social justice movements, mass media coverage, and literature. Students will become more critical readers and writers of the environments that surround them and the cultural, social, scientific, historical, and government dimensions of environmental issues and debates. Students will analyze existing writing focused on issues such as global warming, food production, water and air pollution, environmental justice, and more and will also develop an in-depth research and writing project on an environmental topic of interest to them.  

   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, with recent topics including gender roles in literature, ethnic voices in America, horror in film and literature, digital literature, and science fiction. Recommended as a course that fulfills the College of Arts & Sciences literature course requirement.    

   EN222. Contemporary Adolescent Literature (3)

   Adolescent or Young Adult (YA) Literature (and media) is written and intended for adolescents and framed within a rich literary, historical, and social context. In this class, we will explore this highly popular, often trivialized, canon and examine the impact these texts have on our education, culture, and ideologies. Together we will broaden our understanding of the richness of this genre and its place in the literary canon. Through multiple modes, students will better understand the topics, styles, themes, and issues common to YA literature and media, as well as the different subgenres available to young adult readers and viewers. We will examine the purpose of writing for adolescents will considering why so many of these texts are challenged and/or labeled controversial. Recommended for all Education majors, especially language arts students.

   EN231. American Literature through Twain (3)

   This course is a study of major American writers, ideas, and literary trends from early native and Puritan literature through the works of Mark Twain. The course examines cultural, intellectual, and historical contexts for the readings. Themes and units covered include Native Voices, Contact and Conflict in North America, the Utopian Promise, the Spirit of Nationalism, American Romanticism (Transcendentalism and Gothic), and Race and Identity in Antebellum and late nineteenth-century America.

   EN232. American Literature from 1900 to the Present (3)

   A survey of modern and contemporary American writers, examining their work within the cultural, intellectual, and historical contexts of the 20th and 21st centuries. The course covers works from across genres, including poetry, prose, and drama, and explores such topics as Naturalism, Regional and Social Realism, the Harlem Renaissance, Modernism, Postmodernism, and contemporary American writing. Along with close readings of the literature itself, the course also examines a broad range of cultural influences that have shaped American literature, including the fine arts, history, religion, politics, and popular culture.

   EN233. 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. 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 N. Scott Momaday. Recommended as a course that fulfills the College of Arts & Sciences literature course requirement; may fulfill U.S. Cultural Studies requirement.

   EN241. Western Classical Traditions: Literature, Rhetoric & Culture (3)

   Using a decolonizing approach, this course examines the role of poetic and rhetoric in ancient societies, both oral and literate. Focusing on the tension between oral traditions and the emergence of a radical new technology (techne) called” writing,” the course engages students in close readings of ancient primary texts such as Homeric hymns and epics, ancient dramas & myths, Sappho’s love poems, Aristotle’s Rhetoric and Poetics, & Plato’s Phaedrus.