English

The Bachelor of Arts in English offers a general grounding in both American and British literature, in addition to a selection of courses focusing on world literatures, drama, women’s literature, technical writing, creative writing, linguistics, film studies, and environmental studies.

What can I do with an English degree?

A command of the English language is one of the most important assets in any work environment, both domestically and globally. Literature in English majors are prepared for a number of jobs that require strong communication and interpretative skills, including careers in law, medicine, publishing, editing, journalism, human resources, program management, marketing, reporting, creative and technical writing, education, public relations, social work, government service, the clergy, non-profit organizations, and financial services. English majors direct multi-national corporations (Michael Eisner, Disney CEO), lead philanthropic organizations (Kathryn Fuller, Chair of the Ford Foundations and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund), take the bench of the Supreme Court (John Paul Stephens and Clarence Thomas), go into space (Sally Ride, astronaut), and assume important government administrative responsibilities (Carol M. Browner, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, and Mario Cuomo, Governor of New York). A more accurate question, then, would be, “What can’t you do with an English major?”

Literature in English Major Requirements

In addition to general education course requirements and proficiency-intensive requirements, Literature in English majors must complete 36 hours of English requirements above the 1000-level composition courses. These include:

• 9 hours of 2000-level courses (excluding ENGL 2030, “Literary Heritage”)
• 3 hours of literary criticism or the study of the English language as a language
• 6 hours of 3000-level courses
• 6 hours of 4000-level courses
• 12 additional elective hours at the 3000 and 4000 levels

Course Offerings

Examples of English courses offered at ETSU are “Southern Appalachian Literature,” “Creative Writing,” “Drama,” “Literature and the Environment,” “African American Literature,” “History of the English Language,” “Native American Literature,” “Children’s Literature,” “Film Criticism,” and “Technical Writing.”