English: Literature and Writing
Melinda M. Ponder, Ph.D.;
Kathleen Aguero, M.A.;
Vera Kreilkamp, Ph.D. (on leave AY2008-09);
Lisa Breger, M.F.A.;
Kimberley D. Small, M.S.
The English major integrates the study of literature and the practice of writing. Our faculty—all professional critics, writers, and editors—serve as role models and mentors for students in English classes. The program emphasizes the connections between literature and writing by bringing published authors to the campus and by incorporating Boston-area literary and theatre events into the curriculum. Through a double focus on literature and writing, students develop writing portfolios and prepare for professions in which effective communication and cultural literacy are essential.
Recent graduates have begun careers in journalism, law, media communication, public relations, advertising, educational administration, creative writing, banking, theatre, publishing,
and teaching. During her final year, the English major produces a portfolio of professional writing at her Senior Internship site or writes a senior essay that serves as a writing internship. As evidence of her competence in both writing and literary study, each major submits a paper from a 300-level Pine Manor College literature course for assessment by a panel of English instructors appointed by the B.A. Coordinator. Students are expected to pass this paper
before their final semester of their senior year. By permission of the B.A. Coordinator, a student may substitute an upper-level literature course in a foreign language for one of her electives in English; however, such a course may not substitute for the required 300-level English courses. Qualified students may spend a junior
semester or year taking approved courses at an institution in an Englishspeaking country.
Goals of the English Program are to:
• Develop student writing, reading, thinking, and oral skills.
• Give all students an understanding of literary forms and traditions; teach critical analysis through reading and writing; and provide cultural and historical contexts for writers from a variety of backgrounds.
• Help students develop cultural literacy.
• Develop students’ sensitivity to language, voice, and audience.
• Encourage student creativity.
• Demonstrate to students how a proficiency in writing and literature
links them with other fields and disciplines.
• Prepare students for graduate study and for careers in which writing skills are vital.
Major Requirements
English
EN 111 Mythology and Literature
or
EN 112 World Literature: Genres
and Themes
EN 203 British Literary Traditions
EN 216 Shakespeare I
or
EN/TH 217 Shakespeare II
EN 232 American Writers
Two English writing courses at the 200 or 300 level.
Two English literature courses at the
300 level taken at Pine Manor.
One elective in writing or literature.
EN 495 Senior Internship
Students in the Teacher Licensure must
take both EN 111 and EN 112.
Students who are English majors may elect to concentrate on one of the following areas by adding additional elective requirements as specified:
Advertising and Public Relations Concentration
Students majoring in English may select to concentrate in Advertising and Public Relations by fulfilling the requirements for that Concentration as described under the Communications B.A. Program
English majors should use two courses required for this concentration, EN 209 Journalism on the Web and on the Page, and CO/EN 350 Advertising Copywriting and Design Seminar, to fulfill the two writing electives of the English major.
An English major with a concentration in Advertising and Public Relations will thus take 13 courses as specified.
English (EN) 57
Creative Writing Concentration
Students wishing to focus on creative writing should choose four of the following courses as the general and writing electives required for the English major: (Note: This concentration requires a total of 11 courses.)
EN 204 Feature Writing
EN 205 Visiting Writers Seminar: Fiction
EN 206 Creative Writing
EN 207 Visiting Writers Seminar: Poetry
EN 208 The Art of Advanced Prose Writing
EN 212 Literary Magazine Practicum
(Recommended, 1 credit)
EN 214 Solstice Conference Writing Workshop (2 Credits)
In addition, students may elect to work on a creative writing project through the Directed Study Program.
Drama Concentration
An English major with an emphasis on dramatic literature is available to students with a specific interest in the theatre. The student majors in English and minors in theatre. In the theatre minor, she studies acting, production, and the history and organization of the theatre.
The Senior Internship will be pursued within a theatre setting. Courses should include three of the following:
EN 216 Shakespeare I
EN/TH 217 Shakespeare II
EN 228 Theatre in Boston
EN/TH 272 Drama and Theatre in London
Journalism Concentration
EN 204 Feature Writing
EN 209 Journalism on the Web and on the Page
EN 311 Advanced Journalism: On the Beat
EN 211 Newspaper Practicum, for at least two semesters
One of the following:
CO 240 Media Writing
EN 260 The Publishing Industry
CO 250 Behind the Scenes in Radio and TV News
Any EN writing course appropriate to journalism.
We also suggest doing a 295-level internship in the field of journalism.
Journalism students are also advised to take courses about the contemporary world to fulfill their group distribution requirements (such as foreign language courses, Social and Political Systems
courses, and Women’s Studies courses), and such Visual Arts courses as the following:
VA120, VA140, VA250, VA326, and VA349 for photojournalism.
English majors should use the three EN journalism courses required for this concentration, EN 204, EN 209, and EN 311, to fulfill the two writing electives and one general elective of the English major.
An English major with a concentration in Journalism will thus take 11 courses as specified.
Literature Concentration
Choose two electives from the following courses, one of which should be from the first group.
Group I
EN 233 African-American and Caribbean Literature
EN 235 Female Voices of Diversity: Studies in Contemporary Literature
EN 355 Gender Troubles in Irish Culture
EN 385 Irish Literature
EN 389 Empire and Resistance
Group II
EN 216 Shakespeare I
EN/TH 217 Shakespeare II
EN 219 Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
EN 221 The Poet in the World
EN 223 Bad Girls and Wild Women: Images of Transgression in Literature
58 English (EN)
EN 228 Theatre in Boston: Reading and Seeing Plays
EN 229 Children’s Literature: Female Images and Gender Roles
EN/TH 272 Drama and Theatre in London
EN 330 Images of Twentieth-Century America
EN 332 American Girls and New Women
A.A. Concentration in English
Course of study for the A.A.
First Year
EN 111 Mythology and Literature
or
EN 112 World Literature: Genres and Themes A 200-level literature course.
English (EN) • Entrepreneurship 59