***This program is no longer accepting students. It is in a teach-out pathway that will be complete at the end of the 2028-2029 academic school year. 

Students who complete the Gordon State College major in English not only gain a rich knowledge of and appreciation for literature past and present, but they also develop critical thinking and communication skills that will serve them well in a variety of vocations. Every English major at Gordon State College will receive the training necessary to become perceptive readers, skilled writers, and independent thinkers. Students who major in English can choose from three concentrations. The Liberal Arts Concentration leads to a liberal arts degree in English and prepares graduates for a wide array of professional settings requiring highly developed writing and communications skills (such as business, editing, public relations, or electronic media) as well as providing a strong foundation to those students who wish to pursue graduate or professional studies in a variety of disciplines (such as communications and media, technical writing, English, law, or American Studies). The Professional Communication Concentration in the major provides students with additional focus upon the oral and written communications skills necessary for contributing to the professional workplace. The Creative Writing Concentration in the major introduces students to the four major genres of creative writing to prepare them for work in the narrative arts.  
 
 

The course requirements of the three concentrations of the English major follow:  

Curriculum 

All concentrations require 42 semester hours in the IMPACTS core, and 18 credit hours in the field of study.  

Area of Study for all English Majors 

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses:
ENGL 2000	Intro to Literary Studies	3
Select one of the following:		3
ENGL 2111	World Literature I
ENGL 2112	World Literature II
Select two of the following:		6
ENGL 2111	World Literature I
ENGL 2112	World Literature II
ENGL 2121	British Lit I
ENGL 2122	British Lit II
ENGL 2131	American Lit I
ENGL 2132	American Lit II
ENGL 2141	African American Lit I
ENGL 2142	African American Lit II
Select two of the following:		6
Any additional ENGL class not previously taken
COMM 1100	Intro to Human Communication
COMM 1110	Public Speak
COMM 1500	Intro to Interpersonal Commun
COMM 2100	Intro to Mass Communication
COMM 2200	Intro to Intercultural Comm.
SPAN 1001	Elem Spanish I
SPAN 1002	Elem Spanish II
THEA 1100	Theatre Appreciation
Total Hours		18

Concentration in Liberal Arts

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Literature
Select four of the following:
ENGL 3210	Old & Middle Engl Lit
ENGL 3220	Renaissance Brit Lit
ENGL 3230	Restor & 18th Cent Brit Lit
ENGL 3240	19th Century British Lit
ENGL 3250	20th Cent & Contemp Brit Lit
ENGL 3330	Early & Colonial Am Lit
ENGL 3340	Romantic & 19th Cent Am Lit
ENGL 3350	Modern and Postmodern Am Lit
ENGL 4200	Post-Colonial Literature
ENGL 4300	African Am Literature
ENGL 4400	Minority American Literature
ENGL 4601	Foundational Authors: Chaucer
ENGL 4602	Fndation Authors:Shakespeare
ENGL 4603	Foundational Authors: Milton
ENGL 4900	Special Topics in Literature
Rhetoric and Writing
Select two of the following:
ENGL 3400	Hist of Engl & Am Languages
ENGL 3600	Creative Writing
ENGL 3610	Creative Writing: Fiction
ENGL 3620	Creative Writing: Nonfiction
ENGL 3630	Creative Writing: Poetry
ENGL 3640	Creative Wrtg: Script Writing
ENGL 3911	Advanced Composition
ENGL 3912	Advanced Grammar
ENGL 3920	Technical Writing
ENGL 3930	Writing for New Media
ENGL 4910	Spec Topics in Rhetoric & Comp
Electives:
Choose two courses from either list above		6
Professional Communication and Organization Requirements:		15
English Courses:
ENGL 3920	Technical Writing
ENGL 3930	Writing for New Media
Communications Courses (Choose two):
COMM 3100	Argument & Persuasion
COMM 3930	Public Relations
COMM 3940	Small Group Commun
COMM 3950	Organizational Comm
Any upper-level ENGL or COMM elective:		3
General Electives:
Choose seven 1000 - 4000 level courses from any subject		21

Professional Communication

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Literature		12
Chose four:
ENGL 3210	Old & Middle Engl Lit
ENGL 3220	Renaissance Brit Lit
ENGL 3230	Restor & 18th Cent Brit Lit
ENGL 3240	19th Century British Lit
ENGL 3250	20th Cent & Contemp Brit Lit
ENGL 3330	Early & Colonial Am Lit
ENGL 3340	Romantic & 19th Cent Am Lit
ENGL 3350	Modern and Postmodern Am Lit
ENGL 4200	Post-Colonial Literature
ENGL 4300	African Am Literature
ENGL 4400	Minority American Literature
ENGL 4601	Foundational Authors: Chaucer
ENGL 4602	Fndation Authors:Shakespeare
ENGL 4603	Foundational Authors: Milton
ENGL 4900	Special Topics in Literature
Rhetoric and Writing		6
ENGL 3400	Hist of Engl & Am Languages
ENGL 3600	Creative Writing
ENGL 3610	Creative Writing: Fiction
ENGL 3620	Creative Writing: Nonfiction
ENGL 3630	Creative Writing: Poetry
ENGL 3640	Creative Wrtg: Script Writing
ENGL 3911	Advanced Composition
ENGL 3912	Advanced Grammar
ENGL 3920	Technical Writing
ENGL 3930	Writing for New Media
ENGL 4910	Spec Topics in Rhetoric & Comp
Electives		6
Choose two courses from either list above
Professional Communication and Organization Requirements:		15
English Courses:
ENGL 3920	Technical Writing
ENGL 3930	Writing for New Media
Communication Courses
Select two of the following:		6
COMM 3100	Argument & Persuasion
COMM 3930	Public Relations
COMM 3940	Small Group Commun
COMM 3950	Organizational Comm
Any upper-lever ENGL or COMM elective		3
General Electives:
Choose seven 1000 - 4000 level courses from any subject		21

Concentration in Creative Writing

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Literature		12
ENGL 3210	Old & Middle Engl Lit
ENGL 3220	Renaissance Brit Lit
ENGL 3230	Restor & 18th Cent Brit Lit
ENGL 3240	19th Century British Lit
ENGL 3250	20th Cent & Contemp Brit Lit
ENGL 3330	Early & Colonial Am Lit
ENGL 3340	Romantic & 19th Cent Am Lit
ENGL 3350	Modern and Postmodern Am Lit
ENGL 4200	Post-Colonial Literature
ENGL 4300	African Am Literature
ENGL 4400	Minority American Literature
ENGL 4601	Foundational Authors: Chaucer
ENGL 4602	Fndation Authors:Shakespeare
ENGL 4603	Foundational Authors: Milton
ENGL 4900	Special Topics in Literature
Rhetoric and Writing
Select two of the following:
ENGL 3400	Hist of Engl & Am Languages
ENGL 3600	Creative Writing
ENGL 3610	Creative Writing: Fiction
ENGL 3620	Creative Writing: Nonfiction
ENGL 3630	Creative Writing: Poetry
ENGL 3640	Creative Wrtg: Script Writing
ENGL 3911	Advanced Composition
ENGL 3912	Advanced Grammar
ENGL 3920	Technical Writing
ENGL 3930	Writing for New Media
ENGL 4910	Spec Topics in Rhetoric & Comp
English Electives
Choose two courses from either list above		6
Creative Writing (Choose four)		12
ENGL 3600	Creative Writing
ENGL 3610	Creative Writing: Fiction
ENGL 3620	Creative Writing: Nonfiction
ENGL 3630	Creative Writing: Poetry
ENGL 3640	Creative Wrtg: Script Writing
Any ENGL course numbered 3000 level and above		3
General Electives:
Choose seven 1000 - 4000 level courses from any subject		21