Department of English

23rd Floor, 25 Park Place Building
404-413-5800
english.gsu.edu

Lynée Lewis Gaillet, Chair
Audrey Goodman, Associate Chair
Mark Noble, Director of Undergraduate Studies
Elizabeth Sanders Lopez, Director of Lower Division Studies
Josh Russell, Director of Creative Writing

The Department of English is concerned with the study of language and literature and with the craft of writing considered integral to education since ancient times. Although the department concentrates on texts written in English by authors from Great Britain, Ireland, and the United States, it also examines translations of texts from other languages as well as newly emerging literatures in English from other cultural perspectives. Students may also encounter practices that are not, strictly speaking, “writing” at all, such as oral compositions, hypertexts, podcasts, and folk art.

In the first year, all students in the university take courses in the fundamentals of college-level writing and in the reasoned analysis of texts. Other English courses that form part of the core curriculum provide students with opportunities to study topics in world literature or surveys of British, American, and World literature.

English majors may concentrate in one of four areas: literature, rhetoric and composition, creative writing, and pre-education. Before choosing their concentrations, all English majors have the opportunity at the sophomore level to gain a broad foundation in British and American literature and studies in literature or rhetoric. Then, with the help of their advisers, majors choose upper-division courses, which allow them to pursue their interests in more depth. Finally, students study within their chosen concentrations in seminars designed as capstones for the major.

In addition, the department’s joint studies program with the University of Northumbria in Newcastle, England, offers Georgia State University English and history majors the opportunity to complete their degrees with a concentration in British and American Cultures.

On successfully completing their studies, English majors will have acquired a sensitivity to the written word and an appreciation for the creative process. They will have developed their skills in organization, writing, and interpretation. English courses offer students the opportunity to discover their own insights and to articulate them with precision.

Majors who concentrate in literature take a range of courses that afford them opportunities to read poetry, prose, and drama from a variety of historical periods and cultural groups. These literature courses seek to promote students’ verbal acuity and abilities at thoughtful evaluation.

Closely related to the study of literature is the department’s creative writing program. Faculty in this program guide students as they practice and refine their creative work in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

Students who concentrate in rhetoric and composition learn about the history, theory, and practice of writing to specific audiences for particular purposes. In this concentration, students may focus on either historical rhetoric and the teaching of composition or writing within business and technical environments. Courses in this area allow students to explore the history and theory of writing as applied to the teaching of composition and to writing practices in the workplace.

English majors who wish to teach English in secondary schools integrate studies of literature, language, and composition with a senior seminar that combines these areas with pedagogy.

The Department of English offers courses in the related field of folklore. Georgia State University is the only institution in the state offering a wide selection of folklore courses.

A number of courses in the Department of English have an interdisciplinary approach, and several are crosslisted with other units within the university, such as the Department of African-American Studies and the Institute for Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.

Because of the dynamic and varied nature of our discipline, many of the courses offered (especially on the 4000 level) focus on specific topics not indicated in detail here. Students should inquire in the department office for further information about courses.

Academic Advisement for Undergraduate Students

Academic advisement for undergraduate students is provided through the University Advisement Center (freshman through junior status/fewer than 90 hours) and the college’s Office of Academic Assistance (senior status/90 or more hours). See Office of Academic Assistance for additional information.

Program Degree Requirements

Students must pass ENGL 1102 with a grade of C or higher or be currently enrolled in ENGL 1102 to register for ENGL 2105, ENGL 2110 , ENGL 2120 , ENGL 2130 , or ENGL 2160. Students must pass ENGL 1102 with a grade of C or be currently in the course to take ENGL 2105 or ENGL 2160. All English majors must pass ENGL 1102 and either ENGL 2120 or ENGL 2130 with a grade of C or higher to enroll in upper-division English courses. ENGL 2110 may be substituted for ENGL 2120 or ENGL 2130 as a prerequisite for 3000-level literary studies courses with a global or postcolonial mandate (ENGL 3940 , ENGL 3945 , ENGL 3965 , and ENGL 3970 ). Students must pass at least 6 hours in 3000-level English courses with a grade of C or higher in order to enroll in any 4000-level English course. All English minors who plan to take British literature courses must have completed ENGL 2120 with a grade of C or higher, and all English minors planning to take American literature courses must have completed ENGL 2130 with a grade of C or higher.

The department requires a minimum of 30 semester hours in upper-division English, with no more than 11 being transferred credits.

In addition to the Program Degree Requirements, students must fulfill the College of Arts and Sciences Degree Requirements (see College Degree Requirements ) and the University Degree Requirements (see 1400 University Degree Requirements and Graduation ).

University Grade-Point Average and Grade Requirements

Georgia State University undergraduate students must achieve an overall institutional grade-point average of 2.0 and a major GPA of 2.0 in Areas G and H to receive a bachelor’s degree from the university. Grades of C- can be used to satisfy graduation requirements. However, some courses have prerequisites that require a grade of C or higher. (See 1460 GPA Requirement for additional information.)

Graduation with Distinction in the Major

All students who are majoring in English may earn Graduation with Distinction in the Department of English if they have a GPA higher than 3.75. This honor will appear on the students’ transcripts and is separate from the Honors Thesis

Programs

Bachelor’s

English, B.A.

Minor

English Minor

Courses

English

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