English/Journalism Major (B.A.)
https://cola.unh.edu/english/program/ba/englishjournalism-major
In our digital age, the ability to evaluate, edit, package and communicate information has become crucial to many, if not most, careers. Founded on the study of literature, the oldest form of story-telling, our English/journalism major prepares students for success in the media or any vocation that requires strong research and communications skills. Learn the basics: interviewing, fact gathering, verification and writing in both news and feature styles. Then broaden your repertoire by producing stories for digital platforms using audio, photo, video and data visualization.
English/journalism majors must complete ENGL 401 First-Year Writing before taking the first journalism course, ENGL 534 21st Century Journalism: How the News Works. After completing ENGL 534 21st Century Journalism: How the News Works, majors may move on to ENGL 621 Newswriting.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 401 | First-Year Writing 1 | 4 |
| ENGL 419 | How to Read Anything 2 | 4 |
| Select one pre-1800 literature course (select from list below) | ||
| Select one post-1800 literature course (select from list below) | ||
| Select one course that addresses race, the construction of race, and racial theories (select from list below) | ||
| ENGL 534 | 21st Century Journalism: How the News Works | 4 |
| ENGL 621 | Newswriting | 4 |
| ENGL 631 | Digital Reporting | 4 |
| Select three additional journalism courses from the following: | 8 | |
| Creative Nonfiction | ||
| Travel Writing | ||
| Editing | ||
| Multimedia Storytelling | ||
| Advanced Reporting | ||
| Feature Writing | ||
| Issues in Journalism | ||
| Sports Writing | ||
| Entrepreneurial Journalism | ||
| Capstone: | ||
| ENGL 720 | Journalism Internship | 1-16 |
| Select a three-course concentration in another area 3 | 12 | |
| 1 | With a B or better, or the AP or transfer credit equivalent |
| 2 | This must be completed with a minimum grade of C. ENGL 419 How to Read Anything is the only 400-level class that may count towards the English/Journalism major. ENGL 415s, "Literature and..." courses, and ENGL 444s will NOT count towards this major. |
| 3 | Because media outlets expect even entry-level staff to have an area of expertise, English/Journalism majors must take a three-course concentration in another field, such as sociology, German, environmental science, criminal justice, or other English disciplines (e.g., African American studies). Courses taken for a minor will count toward the three-course concentration. |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-1800 Literature Courses | ||
| British Literature I Age of Heroes: Beowulf to Dr. Faustus | ||
or ENGL 513W | British Literature II Age of Revolutions: Shakespeare to Austen | |
| Literary Topics (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| Shakespeare | ||
| Special Topics in Literature (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| Early American Literature: Colonialism, Revolution, Nation | ||
| Medieval Romance | ||
| Old English | ||
| Chaucer | ||
| Advanced Shakespeare | ||
| Advanced Shakespeare | ||
| Milton | ||
| Literature of the Restoration and Early 18th Century | ||
| Literature of the Later 18th Century | ||
| Drama of Shakespeare's Contemporaries: Will and Company | ||
| English Novel of the Eighteenth Century | ||
| English Major Seminar (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| English Major Seminar (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Post-1800 Literature Courses | ||
| British Literature III: Revolts, Renewals, Migrations | ||
or ENGL 516W | American Literature II Money, Migration, and Modernity: Huck Finn to Beloved | |
| Literary Topics (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| Ethnicity in America: The African American Experience in the 20th Century | ||
| Literature and the Environment | ||
| I Hear America Singing: Studying American Literature and Culture | ||
| Contemporary African Literature | ||
| African American Literature | ||
| Special Topics in Literature (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| Asian American Studies | ||
| American Indian Literature | ||
| American Literature, 1865-1915: The Birth of the American Empire | ||
| Contemporary American Literature | ||
| Major American Authors | ||
| Studies in American Poetry | ||
| Victorian Love Poetry | ||
| Literary Modernisms: Return, Revolt, Recycle | ||
| Modern & Contemporary British Literature: New Departures | ||
| Modern Irish Literature: A Changing Landscape | ||
| The English Novel in the World | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Drama | ||
| English Novel of the 19th Century | ||
| English Major Seminar (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| English Major Seminar (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| Special Studies in Literature (Race & Racial Theories) (if topic is appropriate) | ||
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Race, the Construction of Race, and Racial Theory Courses | ||
| On Race in Culture and Society | ||
| On Race and Culture in Society | ||
| Black Creative Expression | ||
| In the Groove: African American Music as Literature | ||
| Introduction to the Literature and Culture of Race | ||
| Introduction to Latinx Literature and Culture | ||
| Introduction to Women in Literature | ||
| Ethnicity in America: The African American Experience in the 20th Century | ||
| I Hear America Singing: Studying American Literature and Culture | ||
| African American Literature | ||
| Special Topics in Literature (subtopic R) | ||
| Special Topics in Literature | ||
| Asian American Studies | ||
| American Indian Literature | ||
| American Literature, 1865-1915: The Birth of the American Empire | ||
| Major American Authors | ||
| Advanced Shakespeare | ||
| Modern & Contemporary British Literature: New Departures | ||
| Race and Gender in Film and Popular Culture | ||
| English Major Seminar | ||
| Special Studies in Literature (Race & Racial Theories) | ||
(Note: the course used to fulfill this requirement may be double counted as one of the pre-1800 and post-1800 literature courses required for this major.)
Please see your advisor if you have questions about other courses that might fulfill these requirements.
Certain courses publish student writing digitally, at times in collaboration with professional news outlets. Students are also encouraged to write and edit for student publications such as The New Hampshire and Main Street Magazine. Beyond these requirements, majors work at one media internship for a semester (ENGL 720 Journalism Internship). Students must get a B or better in ENGL 621 Newswriting, complete ENGL 631 Digital Reporting and have permission of the ENGL 631 instructor to do the internship. A faculty member supervises the internships, which are central to the English/journalism major, requiring students to use their new skills in a professional environment.
Candidates for a degree must satisfy all of the University Discovery Program requirements in addition to satisfying the requirements of each individual major program. Bachelor of arts candidates must also satisfy the foreign language proficiency requirement.
English/journalism majors may use one major-required course to satisfy one Discovery category requirement.
Majors may only count one online course toward their English major requirements.
Students interested in the English/journalism major should see Carla Cannizzaro, academic/career counselor, Department of English, 230F Hamilton Smith Hall, (603) 862-1313, or the director of the Journalism Program, Prof. Tom Haines.
English Department Student Learning Outcomes: Undergraduate program Undergraduate students in the English Department at the University of New Hampshire have many options as they advance to degree. They can choose to complete a general English major or opt to follow one of several specialized tracks: English Literature, Journalism, English Teaching, and Linguistics.
I. All undergraduate English majors acquire the same core skills. These include:
- Proficiency in analytical writing, critical thinking, and public-speaking.
- Knowledge of important literary genres and subgenres
- Fluency in literary terminology,
- A broad understanding of British-and-American literature, from the medieval period in England and the moment of first contact in America to the present day.
- Demonstrated proficiency in writing an analytical essay that offers a sophisticated close-reading or explication of a literary text. This essay will have a clear thesis and proceed in a logical fashion, with interpretive claims supported by evidence from the text.
- Demonstrated proficiency in literary research and in writing an extended thesis-driven research paper in which sources are correctly and responsibly cited.
- Demonstrated understanding of how to read across the color line in the US and /or how to analyze literary works written in English from outside the UK and the US--from India, Africa, and the Caribbean, for example.
II. Students in our major tracks acquire the following specialized skills.
(1) English / Journalism majors will be able to:
- Demonstrate proficiency in a wide range of reporting skills (i.e., finding trends, understanding context, editing, and so forth).
- Find and interview credible sources.
- Know how to write feature articles, profiles, and other kinds of news stories.
(2) English Teaching Majors will be able to:
- Design activities, lessons, and units to meet established standards and objectives in writing and language.