NSU Catalog 2023-2024 
    
    May 21, 2024  
NSU Catalog 2023-2024

English (BA)

Location(s): Northern State University Campus



No grade below a “C” will be accepted in a course taken to fulfill the English requirements. English course not used in the major will still count in major gpa. Students must maintain a 2.5 (BA) and a 2.7 (BSEd) cumulative grade point average in the major to meet graduation requirements.

Note: All English majors are required to take three semesters of a foreign language as part of their BA degree or two semesters of foreign language as part of their BSEd degree - preferably with all semesters in the same language but (in the case of the BA degree) in no more than two different languages. Students pursuing either the major or minor should declare their intentions as soon as possible, preferably when signing up for their second-semester composition course.

Student Learning Outcome

  • Students will demonstrate a knowledge of Anglophone, regional, and world literature across a breadth of literary periods, to make connections between those works and the historical/cultural context within which they were produced, and make connections between a literary work and the students’ own cultural/personal context. (Cross-Curricular Skill: Intercultural Knowledge)
  • Students will demonstrate the ability to use literary terms accurately and appropriately. (Cross-Curricular Skill: Inquiry and Analysis)
  • Students will demonstrate the ability to analyze literary texts critically and deeply. (Cross-Curricular Skill: Inquiry and Analysis)
  • The students will demonstrate knowledge of the range and influence of print and non-print media and technology in contemporary culture. (Cross-Curricular Skill: Information Literacy)
  • Students will write coherent essays that employ the appropriate and responsible use of secondary sources as well as employ a range of rhetorical conventions appropriate for expository prose, creative writing, or journalism. (Cross-Curricular Skill: Critical and Creative Thinking)
  • Students will demonstrate a professionally appropriate understanding of the structure of language, including usage patterns of standard American grammar. (Cross-Curricular Skill: Foundational Lifelong Learning Skills)
  • Students will demonstrate growth in language usage and sophistication as readers as well as demonstrate self-efficacy in their ability to identify areas for improvement or potential growth. (Cross-Curricular Skill: Foundational Lifelong Learning Skills)

Coursework Required


British Literature Survey (choose one course)


American Literature Survey (choose one course)


Shakespeare Course (choose one course)


Linguistics Elective (choose one course)


Senior Seminar (choose one course)


Theory Course (Choose one not used to satisfy an English Emphasis requirement)


English Emphasis (Choose one - 12 credits)


Total: 45 credits


English Emphases


Creative Writing Emphasis


Second British Literature Survey (3 credits)

Rhetoric Elective (3 credits)

Literature Emphasis


Second British Literature Survey (3 credits)

Second American Literature Survey (3 credits)

An additional literature course not used to satisfy any other requirement (3 credits)

Professional Writing Emphasis


Additional Professional Writing Electives (6 credits)

Rhetoric elective (3 credits)

Second British Literature Survey (3 credits)

Second American Literature Survey (3 credits)

General Education Requirements - Baccalaureate (30 credits)


Please see General Education & Degree Requirements  for specific information about each SGR.

SGR #1 - 6 credits


SGR #4 - 6 credits in two disciplines


SGR #6 - 6 credits


Degree Requirements (BA) - 9 credits


Human Values (3 credits)


Arts and Humanities (6 credits)


Two additional courses from those listed in General Education Requirements Goal #4. The courses must be from different disciplines than those selected to satisfy General Education Requirements Goal #4.

A total of four courses are required for the BA degree:

  • One year sequence of a foreign language.
  • Two courses from different disciplines than foreign language.

TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED: 120 CREDITS