Welcome to the English Undergraduate Department

Students at UW-Eau Claire pursue an English major by choosing among several emphases. Current choices include one Comprehensive emphasis (to which students do not need to add a minor field) and five standard emphases (which must be taken in conjunction with a minor). Either kind of English major offers students both a framework of core courses and focused concentrations of courses.

For all students who elect an English major, study begins with a core of eleven credits: English 210, 221, and 285. English 210, Introduction to Texts, explores a variety of texts and ways to approach them. It is specifically designed to help majors understand their options and see connections among their English coursework and other university and life experiences. English 221, The English Language, introduces students to the formal study of language, including grammar, history of the English language, and language acquisition, thereby providing students with a strong basis for their work in the discipline. English 285, Introduction to Theory and Criticism, deepens students’ foundation for literary analysis and problem solving within the discipline and beyond. The major is designed to give students a common core as well as some depth of study in an emphasis. In addition to sharing information and ideas, English courses bring students together in a community with both shared and diverse learning goals.

Students can supplement their classroom experience while promoting the English Language Arts by serving as tutors in the English Writing Lab, as mentors in First Year Experiences sections of courses, as writing interns at area businesses, and as members of Sigma Tau Delta (the English Honor Society), SSTEW (Student Society for Technical Editors and Writers) or NOTA (the UW-Eau Claire creative arts organization).

Each spring the department sponsors a student-organized English Festival to promote and celebrate the English Language Arts.

In their final or next-to-final semester, students finish their major with a "Capstone" experience in which they complete a major independent project, submit their English Portfolio for evaluation, and participate in an Exit Interview.

The English Department also offers four minors and many courses that meet University General Education requirements.

Undergraduate Program Mission

The faculty have designed the English programs to reflect departmental priorities and to provide a good place to learn and grow for both students and faculty. Looking for connections, they seek to integrate language/linguistics, literature, composition, and teacher preparation courses. The faculty seek to nurture close, fully-integrated communities of learners who nourish and respect honest differences of all kinds. The faculty continually work to improve connections with other areas of the University and with the world outside the campus.