Using stories to understand today’s issues and imagine tomorrow’s possibilities, the English major at Graceland University teaches you to lead change through good communication.
Our English program gives you a solid foundation in literature and how to use it in today's world. Because this major connects to many disciplines, it allows you to incorporate what you are passionate about, for example social change, sustainability, cultural studies, or digital content creation.
Combined with Graceland’s Transformational Leadership major in which you’re automatically enrolled, the English major gets you all set as a well-rounded generalist who really faces no limits on where to take your degree. You can also easily add a third major at Graceland, or further specialize after you graduate, either in grad school or on the job.
The Graceland University English program opens up career pathways in many areas. With your ability to create quality, engaging content by adding analysis, context, perspective, clarity and empathy, you can help your employer communicate effectively with both external and internal audiences. You’ll be the go-to-person for finding just the right words to communicate in a way that is relevant and compelling to readers and viewers, customers and clients, business partners and investors/sponsors, or the public.
In addition to the essential education requirements, majors in English must complete a program of 36 s.h.
Core Requirements: 21 s.h.
English Electives: 9 s.h.
Writing Workshop or Practicum: 3 s.h.
Social Change or Sustainability: 3 s.h.
Who is most hurt by environmental degradation and abuse, and who benefits? This course will examine what contemporary literature from the United States and around the world has to say about environmental racism, ecofeminism, and settler colonialism. We’ll also think about the social construction of nature, globalization, food justice, and urban ecological issues. Our guiding question is simple: What is the role of art in the struggle for social change? This course emphasizes critical thinking, historical and socio-political contexts, and diverse aesthetics.
A survey of multi-ethnic U.S. literature, including African American literature, Latino/a literature, Asian American literature, Native American literature, and American Jewish literature. As a complement to literary texts, students will also examine a range of introductory theoretical texts in the interdisciplinary field of ethnic studies. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. ++ This course is on a four-year cycle.
Examines literary works by authors from a broad range of artistic and cultural traditions. Designed to offer students an introduction to literature as a point of access into global communities such as Western European, Middle Eastern, African, Asian, Indigenous, and Latinx. ELO5 Humanities - World Citizenship, ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability, GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities. +This course is only offered every other year.
Survey of American Literature stretching from the advent of European colonization in the Western Hemisphere to the present. The course will pay special attention to the legacies of colonialism and slavery, the history of social movements for freedom and equality, the making (and unmaking) of U.S. national mythologies, the major formal transformations that have taken place in U.S. Literature, and the function of literature as an innovative and adaptive technology that expands human capacities.
The course employs visual and literary texts to examine the various social, cultural, political, artistic, and philosophical movements from modernity to the present. By critically engaging with both colonial and postcolonial texts, the course attempts to understand the ways in which the concepts like modernity, empire, coloniality, postcoloniality, and world-building intersect as well as shape our contemporary world. Considering the influence of modernity and the expanse of British empire, this course aims to enable students to understand their own lives as citizens of a world that has been shaped by these movements.
Study of poetry writing through the lens of sustainability. Investigates the maintenance of various systems that meet human needs (e.g. emotional, physical, social, environmental) through extensive poetry writing and class discussion. Emphasis on poetry as a means of self-discovery as well as an art form. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability +This course is only offered every other year.
Study of fiction writing through the lens of sustainability. Investigates the maintenance of various systems that meet human needs (e.g. emotional, physical, social, environmental) through extensive fiction writing and class discussion. Emphasis on fiction as a means of self-discovery as well as an art form. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability. +This course is only offered every other year.
Study of cinema as an artistic endeavor, form of rhetoric, cultural mirror, and purveyor of ideology. Introduces the fundamentals of the discipline, to include vocabulary, concepts of film production, film reception, film analysis, film interpretation, and film criticism. Exploration of the artistic, commercial, entertainment, and ideological relationships between cinema and American culture, along with practice in the film literacy skills needed to qualitatively assess and communicate cinema’s artistic and cultural contributions. ELO5 Humanities - Innovation, GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities.
A transnational survey of films that deal with environmental issues and, more broadly, with human relationships to the nonhuman world. An examination of the impact of urbanization on rural communities, the mysterious allure of wild and uncultivated landscapes, the threat of climate change to daily life around the world, and the cinematic representation of environmental apocalypse. Explores different genres and styles, including neo-realism, eco-horror, anime, and avant-garde cinema. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability +This course is only offered every other year.
An exploration of issues of gender and sexuality in literature, with a focus on fiction, drama, and poetry by women and LGBT+ writers. As a complement to literary texts, students will also examine a range of introductory theoretical texts in the interdisciplinary field of gender and sexuality studies. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace ++ This course is on a four-year cycle.
Advanced study of literary, cultural, and moving image theory, and the application to written and filmic texts. +This course is only offered every other year.
What makes a work of literature "environmental"? How have humans thought about nature throughout history, and how does that intellectual and artistic history affect us today? Can works of literature help humans prevent environmental catastrophes like climate change and species extinction? We'll seek answers to these questions as we engage with fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry. We'll discuss the ways that literary and cultural forms can shape who we are, what we value, and what we imagine for the future. We'll also work to build your skills of critical reading, analytical thinking and persuasive writing, skills that will serve you in the future, in whatever environment you inhabit. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability.
Study of nonfiction writing through the lens of sustainability. Investigates the maintenance of various systems that meet human needs (e.g. emotional, physical, social, environmental) through extensive nonfiction writing and class discussion. Emphasis on nonfiction as a means of self-discovery as well as an art form. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability.
An introduction to languaging and grammatical structures of the English language. Emphasizes the history and development of English in different cultural communities as a means to understand, rather than prescribe, how English-speakers use language. Students will engage with cultural interpretations of linguistics as a field of study to better understand the relationship between the evolution of languages and how that evolution plays a part in social justice issues. ELO5 Humanities - Innovation.
An intensive study of the work of multiple authors, with attention given to their literary, historical, and social milieu. May be repeated for credit when subject changes. Goal 2B. +This course is only offered every other year.
Explores cultural systems of meaning and attendant issues of power, particularly in terms of class, gender, nation, race, nature, and sexuality. Emphasis on commercial and media culture. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. +This course is only offered every other year.
A hands-on introduction to digital film production and editing. Introduces the technical knowledge need to investigate the creative possibilities of composition, light, motion, color and sound in shooting digital film. Examines the fundamentals of nonlinear editing, including continuity development, logging clips, audio tracks, and transitions. Additional fee required. Prerequisites: ENGL2510 or instructor consent. +This course is only offered every other year.
Who is most hurt by environmental degradation and abuse, and who benefits? This course will examine what contemporary literature from the United States and around the world has to say about environmental racism, ecofeminism, and settler colonialism. We’ll also think about the social construction of nature, globalization, food justice, and urban ecological issues. Our guiding question is simple: What is the role of art in the struggle for social change? This course emphasizes critical thinking, historical and socio-political contexts, and diverse aesthetics.
A survey of multi-ethnic U.S. literature, including African American literature, Latino/a literature, Asian American literature, Native American literature, and American Jewish literature. As a complement to literary texts, students will also examine a range of introductory theoretical texts in the interdisciplinary field of ethnic studies. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. ++ This course is on a four-year cycle.
Examines literary works by authors from a broad range of artistic and cultural traditions. Designed to offer students an introduction to literature as a point of access into global communities such as Western European, Middle Eastern, African, Asian, Indigenous, and Latinx. ELO5 Humanities - World Citizenship, ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability, GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities. +This course is only offered every other year.
Survey of American Literature stretching from the advent of European colonization in the Western Hemisphere to the present. The course will pay special attention to the legacies of colonialism and slavery, the history of social movements for freedom and equality, the making (and unmaking) of U.S. national mythologies, the major formal transformations that have taken place in U.S. Literature, and the function of literature as an innovative and adaptive technology that expands human capacities.
The course employs visual and literary texts to examine the various social, cultural, political, artistic, and philosophical movements from modernity to the present. By critically engaging with both colonial and postcolonial texts, the course attempts to understand the ways in which the concepts like modernity, empire, coloniality, postcoloniality, and world-building intersect as well as shape our contemporary world. Considering the influence of modernity and the expanse of British empire, this course aims to enable students to understand their own lives as citizens of a world that has been shaped by these movements.
Study of poetry writing through the lens of sustainability. Investigates the maintenance of various systems that meet human needs (e.g. emotional, physical, social, environmental) through extensive poetry writing and class discussion. Emphasis on poetry as a means of self-discovery as well as an art form. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability +This course is only offered every other year.
Study of fiction writing through the lens of sustainability. Investigates the maintenance of various systems that meet human needs (e.g. emotional, physical, social, environmental) through extensive fiction writing and class discussion. Emphasis on fiction as a means of self-discovery as well as an art form. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability. +This course is only offered every other year.
Study of cinema as an artistic endeavor, form of rhetoric, cultural mirror, and purveyor of ideology. Introduces the fundamentals of the discipline, to include vocabulary, concepts of film production, film reception, film analysis, film interpretation, and film criticism. Exploration of the artistic, commercial, entertainment, and ideological relationships between cinema and American culture, along with practice in the film literacy skills needed to qualitatively assess and communicate cinema’s artistic and cultural contributions. ELO5 Humanities - Innovation, GE3C Liberal Learning-Humanities.
A transnational survey of films that deal with environmental issues and, more broadly, with human relationships to the nonhuman world. An examination of the impact of urbanization on rural communities, the mysterious allure of wild and uncultivated landscapes, the threat of climate change to daily life around the world, and the cinematic representation of environmental apocalypse. Explores different genres and styles, including neo-realism, eco-horror, anime, and avant-garde cinema. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability +This course is only offered every other year.
An exploration of issues of gender and sexuality in literature, with a focus on fiction, drama, and poetry by women and LGBT+ writers. As a complement to literary texts, students will also examine a range of introductory theoretical texts in the interdisciplinary field of gender and sexuality studies. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace ++ This course is on a four-year cycle.
Advanced study of literary, cultural, and moving image theory, and the application to written and filmic texts. +This course is only offered every other year.
What makes a work of literature "environmental"? How have humans thought about nature throughout history, and how does that intellectual and artistic history affect us today? Can works of literature help humans prevent environmental catastrophes like climate change and species extinction? We'll seek answers to these questions as we engage with fiction, nonfiction, drama, and poetry. We'll discuss the ways that literary and cultural forms can shape who we are, what we value, and what we imagine for the future. We'll also work to build your skills of critical reading, analytical thinking and persuasive writing, skills that will serve you in the future, in whatever environment you inhabit. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability.
Study of nonfiction writing through the lens of sustainability. Investigates the maintenance of various systems that meet human needs (e.g. emotional, physical, social, environmental) through extensive nonfiction writing and class discussion. Emphasis on nonfiction as a means of self-discovery as well as an art form. ELO5 Humanities - Sustainability.
An introduction to languaging and grammatical structures of the English language. Emphasizes the history and development of English in different cultural communities as a means to understand, rather than prescribe, how English-speakers use language. Students will engage with cultural interpretations of linguistics as a field of study to better understand the relationship between the evolution of languages and how that evolution plays a part in social justice issues. ELO5 Humanities - Innovation.
An intensive study of the work of multiple authors, with attention given to their literary, historical, and social milieu. May be repeated for credit when subject changes. Goal 2B. +This course is only offered every other year.
Explores cultural systems of meaning and attendant issues of power, particularly in terms of class, gender, nation, race, nature, and sexuality. Emphasis on commercial and media culture. ELO5 Humanities - Equality, ELO5 Humanities - Equality and Peace. +This course is only offered every other year.
A hands-on introduction to digital film production and editing. Introduces the technical knowledge need to investigate the creative possibilities of composition, light, motion, color and sound in shooting digital film. Examines the fundamentals of nonlinear editing, including continuity development, logging clips, audio tracks, and transitions. Additional fee required. Prerequisites: ENGL2510 or instructor consent. +This course is only offered every other year.
A minor in English requires 18 or more semester hours in English including:
The following courses are not acceptable for credit in the minor: ENGL1100, ENGL1410, ENGL2100, ENGL3100, ENGL3370, HONR1010, HONR2010.
An introduction to languaging and grammatical structures of the English language. Emphasizes the history and development of English in different cultural communities as a means to understand, rather than prescribe, how English-speakers use language. Students will engage with cultural interpretations of linguistics as a field of study to better understand the relationship between the evolution of languages and how that evolution plays a part in social justice issues. ELO5 Humanities - Innovation.
An introduction to languaging and grammatical structures of the English language. Emphasizes the history and development of English in different cultural communities as a means to understand, rather than prescribe, how English-speakers use language. Students will engage with cultural interpretations of linguistics as a field of study to better understand the relationship between the evolution of languages and how that evolution plays a part in social justice issues. ELO5 Humanities - Innovation.
Foundations of Public Speaking focuses on practices in the speech processes of writing, delivery, listening, audience analysis, criticism, and performance of introductory, informative, persuasive, and mediated speeches. The course introduces foundations of academic research and provides students with the skillset to expand their critical thinking and speaking to meet the dynamic demands of public communication. The emphasis of the course is on learning through performance and application of communication principles and tools. In order for students to complete the foundation skills sequence, they must earn a grade of C or higher in this class. Prerequisite C or better in ENGL1100 or HONR1010. ELO1B Communications, GE1B Foundational Skills-Writing and Communication.
Study of theory and research related to content area reading in the secondary school. Apply techniques for evaluating textbooks, assessing achievement, improving comprehension and critical thinking, enhancing study skills, and developing vocabulary. Prerequisite: Admittance into Teacher Education, unless part of an approved Liberal Studies Program, EDUC3590.
This is a writing-intensive course preparing students to become stronger, more confident writers as they develop their writing process habits and their ability to think critically about arguments around them. Students can expect to produce, deliver, and analyze college-level, written texts in addition to learning about grammar-use in context with an emphasis on meaning within the editing process. In order for students to complete the foundation skills sequence, they must earn a grade of C or higher in this class. In order to move on to COMM1100, students must earn the grade of a "C" or higher. ELO1A Communication, GE1A Foundational Skills-Writing and Communication.
This is a writing-intensive course that is meant to develop students’ academic research processes. Students should expect to engage in work that is framed for “public” audiences outside of the classroom and to practice collaboration in research and writing processes. As the final course of the foundational communication skills sequence, students will be encouraged to use research processes to gain an awareness of topics and conversations happening in the larger social world. In order for students to complete the foundational skills sequence, they must earn a grade of C or higher in this class. Prerequisite C or better in ENGL1100 or HONR1010 and COMM1100 or HONR2010. ELO1B Communication, GE1C Foundational Skills-Writing and Communication.
Survey of American Literature stretching from the advent of European colonization in the Western Hemisphere to the present. The course will pay special attention to the legacies of colonialism and slavery, the history of social movements for freedom and equality, the making (and unmaking) of U.S. national mythologies, the major formal transformations that have taken place in U.S. Literature, and the function of literature as an innovative and adaptive technology that expands human capacities.
The course employs visual and literary texts to examine the various social, cultural, political, artistic, and philosophical movements from modernity to the present. By critically engaging with both colonial and postcolonial texts, the course attempts to understand the ways in which the concepts like modernity, empire, coloniality, postcoloniality, and world-building intersect as well as shape our contemporary world. Considering the influence of modernity and the expanse of British empire, this course aims to enable students to understand their own lives as citizens of a world that has been shaped by these movements.
Presents an overview of the secondary school curriculum in English and methods of teaching English including language, composition, and literature. Special emphasis on a review of teaching grammar and the development of a unit lesson plan. Required of prospective English teachers. Prerequisites: admittance into Teacher Education, unless part of an approved Liberal Studies Program. +This course is only offered every other year.
An introduction to languaging and grammatical structures of the English language. Emphasizes the history and development of English in different cultural communities as a means to understand, rather than prescribe, how English-speakers use language. Students will engage with cultural interpretations of linguistics as a field of study to better understand the relationship between the evolution of languages and how that evolution plays a part in social justice issues. ELO5 Humanities - Innovation.
Foundations of Public Speaking focuses on practices in the speech processes of writing, delivery, listening, audience analysis, criticism, and performance of introductory, informative, persuasive, and mediated speeches. The course introduces foundations of academic research and provides students with the skillset to expand their critical thinking and speaking to meet the dynamic demands of public communication. The emphasis of the course is on learning through performance and application of communication principles and tools. In order for students to complete the foundation skills sequence, they must earn a grade of C or higher in this class. Prerequisite C or better in ENGL1100 or HONR1010. ELO1B Communications, GE1B Foundational Skills-Writing and Communication.
Study of theory and research related to content area reading in the secondary school. Apply techniques for evaluating textbooks, assessing achievement, improving comprehension and critical thinking, enhancing study skills, and developing vocabulary. Prerequisite: Admittance into Teacher Education, unless part of an approved Liberal Studies Program, EDUC3590.
This is a writing-intensive course preparing students to become stronger, more confident writers as they develop their writing process habits and their ability to think critically about arguments around them. Students can expect to produce, deliver, and analyze college-level, written texts in addition to learning about grammar-use in context with an emphasis on meaning within the editing process. In order for students to complete the foundation skills sequence, they must earn a grade of C or higher in this class. In order to move on to COMM1100, students must earn the grade of a "C" or higher. ELO1A Communication, GE1A Foundational Skills-Writing and Communication.
This is a writing-intensive course that is meant to develop students’ academic research processes. Students should expect to engage in work that is framed for “public” audiences outside of the classroom and to practice collaboration in research and writing processes. As the final course of the foundational communication skills sequence, students will be encouraged to use research processes to gain an awareness of topics and conversations happening in the larger social world. In order for students to complete the foundational skills sequence, they must earn a grade of C or higher in this class. Prerequisite C or better in ENGL1100 or HONR1010 and COMM1100 or HONR2010. ELO1B Communication, GE1C Foundational Skills-Writing and Communication.
Survey of American Literature stretching from the advent of European colonization in the Western Hemisphere to the present. The course will pay special attention to the legacies of colonialism and slavery, the history of social movements for freedom and equality, the making (and unmaking) of U.S. national mythologies, the major formal transformations that have taken place in U.S. Literature, and the function of literature as an innovative and adaptive technology that expands human capacities.
The course employs visual and literary texts to examine the various social, cultural, political, artistic, and philosophical movements from modernity to the present. By critically engaging with both colonial and postcolonial texts, the course attempts to understand the ways in which the concepts like modernity, empire, coloniality, postcoloniality, and world-building intersect as well as shape our contemporary world. Considering the influence of modernity and the expanse of British empire, this course aims to enable students to understand their own lives as citizens of a world that has been shaped by these movements.
Presents an overview of the secondary school curriculum in English and methods of teaching English including language, composition, and literature. Special emphasis on a review of teaching grammar and the development of a unit lesson plan. Required of prospective English teachers. Prerequisites: admittance into Teacher Education, unless part of an approved Liberal Studies Program. +This course is only offered every other year.
An introduction to languaging and grammatical structures of the English language. Emphasizes the history and development of English in different cultural communities as a means to understand, rather than prescribe, how English-speakers use language. Students will engage with cultural interpretations of linguistics as a field of study to better understand the relationship between the evolution of languages and how that evolution plays a part in social justice issues. ELO5 Humanities - Innovation.
An english major from Graceland University can help to prepare you for these careers:
…and many other exciting fields.
99% of students on the Lamoni campus receive financial aid.
As you consider college, you want a simple, easy-to-understand formula designed to ensure that the one-of-a-kind Graceland Experience is within reach for your family. Undergraduate tuition includes our unique Transformational Leadership major, and we offer generous financial aid and scholarships to all of our students, making Graceland as affordable, if not moreso, than most public universities.
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