Programs and Majors

English Literature

Bethel's English Department offers both a major and a minor in English Literature with courses ranging from World Literature to Shakespeare to The Harlem Renaissance. The English Literature major is just 36 credits which allows to easily combine it with other majors or courses of study. In this major, you will meet professors like Dr. Thomas Becknell, an American Literature scholar and published author who has strong interest in the environmental sciences as well. Dr. Dan Ritchie is a British Literature scholar who established Bethel's four semester Humanities general education option. Dr. Mark Bruce is a Bethel graduate who has returned to teach courses like Chaucer, Shakespeare, and World Literature.

English Literature and Writing

The Literature and Writing major gives students the opportunity to both read and create great literature. It includes most of the literature study required for the English Literature major but includes significant coursework in writing as well. There are over fifteen writing courses from which to choose, ranging from Poetry Writing to Principles of Editing and Design. In this major you will meet Dr. Joey Horstman, an essayist who also directs Bethel's Film Studies program. Professor Angela Shannon is a poet who was recently nominated for a Minnesota Book Award and teaches Introduction to Creative Writing and Poetry Writing. She also is the faculty adviser to the Coeval, Bethel's literary journal. Dr. Dan Taylor has written a number of books including The Myth of Certainty and Letters to My Children. He also frequently teaches an interim course in Travel Writing, allowing students to improve and practice their writing skills in places like Australia and Costa Rica. The department also offers a Creative Writing Minor.

Bronze Cast of Clasped hands of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Armstrong Browning Library

Baylor University, Waco TX

English Education

Students who complete the English Education major earn a Minnesota teaching license for Communication Arts and Literature Education, Grades 5-12. This major is essentially a double major in English and education which allows students to pursue their passions for literature and writing while learning to share this passion with adolescent students. Students in this major have the opportunity to participate in all that the English Department has to offer while getting "hands-on" experience in local schools beginning as early as the sophomore year. Professor Susan Brooks, author of TV and Me, leads this program and enjoys taking students to the Minnesota Council of Teachers of English convention each year. The English Department also provides supporting coursework for Elementary Education students who want to pursue a middle school specialty in English.

Journalism

Journalism is the newest program in the English Department, offering both a major and a minor. The journalism program gives students a strong balance of theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience but is small enough to allow students to combine the journalism major with other majors or minors of interest. All journalism students work for The Clarion, the campus newspaper, under the direction of Professor Bill Norton. Professor Norton brings thirty-five years of journalistic experience working for the Kansas Star as Features Editor, and has also been a key contributor in the Star's Faith and Religion section. Dr. Phyllis Alsdurf also teaches in the program and directs the Johnson Center for Communication and journalism, a program that brings some of the finest Christian journalists to campus each year for conferences and interactions with students.

What Can You Do With an English Major?

An English Major can lead to work in many different exciting areas. See also excerpts from Linwood, E. Orange, English, The Preprofessional Major, 4th ed. 1986. Compiled by Professor Barrett Fisher

Major in English Literature (B.A.)
Major in Journalism (B.A.)
Major in English Literature and Writing (B.A.)
Major in Communication Arts and Literature - Education 5-12 (English Education) (B.A.)
Minor in English Literature
Minor in Writing


	For a complete list of English Department courses, please see the Bethel Catalog. ENL100B: Great Writers Why do great works of literature endure, and how do they illuminate the human experience? Works by classic and contemporary authors are studied for their artistry, their portrayal of great ideas, hopes, joys, and sorrows, and their insight into beauty, truth, and self-understanding. ENW405: Publishing & Being Published An advanced course covering practical aspects of publishing from an editorial perspective (article selection, editing, layout) and the author's point of view (query letters, book proposals, contracts, agents). Visits by local writers and editors, as well as visits to publishing houses included. Prerequisite: GES110 College Writing or GES131, 132 Reading and Writing in the Western Tradition I and II, 8 credits in other writing courses. ENW300A: Writer's Workshop Open to students with a well-defined writing project in a genre of their choice (e.g., fiction, nonfiction, poetry, biography, etc.), to be completed by the end of the course. Regular and frequent consultations with instructor and class sessions with peers for critique and encouragement. Prerequisite: Consent from instructor. Workshop may be repeated for credit with permission of instructor. ENL499: Senior Seminar - The Writer as Believer The lives and works of writers who are also people of faith. A consideration of the problems and opportunities of combining religious belief and the writing of literature, and an investigation of how specific writers have responded. The writers studied are announced each year. Prerequisite: Major or minor in English. EDU485: Student Teaching Observation and student teaching at the middle and high school levels for one semester. Includes participation in a seminar that meets regularly, including topics like classroom management, professionalism, job search strategies, and active learning. Prerequisite: Admission to student teaching. ENW491: Writing Internship Placement in an off-campus writing position. Must be planned well in advance of placement in consultation with adviser. Prerequisite: Major or minor in the Department of English; completion of 10 credit hours in English; consent of instructor.