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Westmont English Department

Writing Minor Proposal, revised2 March 2018

The English Department requests that the Academic Senate review the following proposal. If the proposal is approved, we request that the writing minor be added to the 2018-2019 academic catalog.

  • Rationalefor the Writing Minor proposal:
  • Recruiting prospective students: At Preview Days and elsewhere, prospective students consistently express interest inwriting courses.We anticipate that the proposed writing minor will be appealing to prospective students considering Westmont; as such, it would be a boon to Admissions.
  • Recruiting current students: We anticipate that the writing minor would attract non-majors to our department so that they may benefit from additional training in writing. The proposed minor is distinct from the current English minor, which is literature-intensive and has no particular writing requirement.[1] The proposed minor is also a way to make writing courses (in and beyond English) more visible. The proposed minor may still be completed in addition to an English major; we offer sufficient course variety for a student to complete a 40-unit English major and a 20-unit writing minor, if desired.
  • Equipping students for the academy and beyond: Writing is a hallmark of a liberal arts education; it is also a highly valued transferable skill. We serve students well when we help them develop a robust writing process as well as the rhetorical sensitivity that will help them engage varied audiences in and beyond the academy.
  • Precedent within liberal arts colleges: Writing majors and minors have been launched successfully at liberal arts colleges, including at CCCU institutions such as Calvin College. Such programs of study need not compete with our liberal arts mission; indeed, they can enhance a liberal arts education (as noted by Carpini, 2007, on pp. 20–21).[2] While the proposed minor is primarily housed in the English department, it has a liberal arts reach.
  • Impact on faculty load: None anticipated. All required courses for the proposed minor are offered with regularity to meet existing requirements in the English major, in the Liberal Studies major, and in General Education. Elective courses for the proposed minor are plentiful and would not require additional staffing.
  • Departmental support: Within the English department, this proposal reflects three rounds of revisions. While the proposal has the department’s support, one colleague has expressed concern about whether we might lose some prospective English majors who would choose the writing minor instead. We cannot guarantee that some students will not opt for the writing minor over an English major; however, it is possible for them to minor in English already (albeit with a maximum of 8 writing units out of 20). In addition, we anticipate that the writing minor will widen the appeal of English courses and attract minors who might otherwise not pursue either a major or minor in our department. Our current English minor is not popular, and a writing minor seems likely to increase our overall student population. In other words, we are likely to “catch some and lose some,” but we anticipate gaining more English students than we lose. Should the opposite be true after we would “roll out” the minor and witness its effects over several years, however, the department might request that we discontinue the writing minor. Overall, the writing minor is an experiment we are eager to try.

Writing Minor Proposal

Minor requires 20 units, of which 12 units must be upper-division.

Required courses (8 units)

  • One writing-intensive course in the introduction to language study: ENG 006, ENG 007H, ENG 060, or ENG 090
  • ENG 104: Modern Grammar and Advanced Composition

Elective courses(12 units total, of which 8 must be upper-division)

See below for two categories of electives (List A and List B).

# = Courserequires English department chair signature for writing-intensive units.

Electives List A: Regular courses / Course units / Max. units toward the minor
ART/PHI 131Theory and Criticism in the Arts / 4 / 4
COM 101 Theories of Rhetoric and Communication I / 4 / 4
COM 103 Communication Criticism / 4 / 4
ENG 002 Composition / 4 / 4
ENG 014 Introduction to Creative Writing / 4 / 4
ENG 087 Introduction to Journalism / 4 / 4
ENG 1** Topics in Writing *new course / 2-4 / 12
Screenwriting courses: ENG 111, 112, 113 / 4 each / 12
ENG 141 Creative Writing [multi-genre] / 4 / 4
ENG 142 Workshop in Creative Writing [single genre: varies] / 4 each / 12
HIS 198 Historical Method, Bibliography and Research / 4 / 4
TA 195: Seminar (Special Topics: Playwriting*) *offered in Spring 2019 / 2-4 / 4
Electives List B: Internships and Practica
No more than 8 units of internships and/or practica credit may be counted toward the minor.
ENG 167 Writers’ Corner Practicum / 2 / 2
#APP or ENG 168 Student Publications: Horizon / 1-4 per semester / 8
#ENG 189 Student Publications: Phoenix / 1-2 per semester / 4
#ENG or IS 190 Internship / varies / 8
#ENG 192 Capstone / 2 / 2
#[Various departments] Major Honors / 2-4 per semester / 6

Expanded elective list (revised after first Senate review):

Catalog descriptions and additional notes

ART/PHI 131Theory and Criticism in the Arts (Fall 2017 enrollment: 27 of 40 possible; 23 in ART 131, 4 in PHI 131). Taught annually by Lisa DeBoer.

•ART/PHI 131 Theory and Criticism in the Arts (4) An exploration into theories in the arts (including theatre, music, and the visual arts) with an emphasis on the historical trajectory of these theories in the West, and a critical examination of their relevance for contemporary arts criticism.

COM 101Theories of Rhetoric and Communication I(Fall 2017 enrollment: 41 of 45 possible).Taught annually by Greg Spencer.

•COM 101 Theories of Rhetoric and Communication I (4) Prerequisite: COM 006. Examines the philosophy and importance of rhetoric as the art of discourse. Draws from classical and biblical sources. Covers the first two canons of classical rhetoric [invention and arrangement]. Meets GE Writing/Speech Intensive requirement.

COM 103 Communication Criticism (Fall 2017 enrollment: 4 of 15 possible). Last taught by Elizabeth Gardner.

•COM 103 Communication Criticism (4) Prerequisites: COM 006 and COM 098 or approved research methods course. A writing class that examines the theoretical knowledge of, and hones practical skill at discovering, interpreting and articulating the meaning, effectiveness, ethics and aesthetics of a broad variety of rhetorical artifacts, including speeches, literature, film and architecture. Meets GE Writing/Speech Inside the Major and Integrating the Major Discipline requirements.

ENG 1** Topics in Writing (2-4 units).NEW COURSE PROPOSAL. Broad appeal:beyond ENG majors to students of BIO, COM, EB, POL, RS, etc. Offers opportunities for interdisciplinary thinking and teaching.

•Potential topics: Advanced Journalism, Business Writing, Nature Writing, Spiritual Writing, Travel Writing, etc.

•Prerequisites: GE Writing for the Liberal Arts (ENG 002 or equivalent) or ENG 104. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.

•Sample course descriptions (excerpts from Northwestern College of Iowa, Writing and Rhetoric program)

◦ENG---Special Topics in Writing.Specific subject matter of this course will vary from semester to semester, but will always focus on an issue in composition studies or a genre of writing. Courses will include both readings and student writing within the genre and will be designed to welcome both majors and non-majors.

◦ENG---- Writing in the ProfessionsA study of professional writing. In a writing workshop setting, students will learn to adjust style, tone, and content to accomplish a definite purpose with an identified audience. They will also learn strategies for creating texts that are clear, concise, and accurate. The course is especially useful for those whose career goals require facility in written communication, such as those studying marketing, public relations, advertising, management or law.All students will choose a professional to be their mentor on a writing project related to the career they are interested in. Students will also build a small portfolio of professional writing that includes letters, a memo, a resume and a research report.

◦ENG---The Art of Blogging.The Art of Blogging is a writing workshop designed for those interested in the world of online writing, reviewing and commentary. Students will learn to draft and create an intelligent, culturally relevant blog that brings other writers' opinions into conversation with their own insights.

HIS 198 Historical Method, Bibliography and Research(Fall 2017 enrollment:16 of 20 possible). Taught annually by full-time faculty.

•HIS 198 Senior Research Seminar (4) Prerequisite: Junior standing and HIS 1. Guided research on a problem of historical interest. Culminates in a major paper.

TA 195: Seminar (Special Topics:Playwriting)

  • TA 195 Seminar: Special Topics (2,4) Seminar topics to be announced by department. Repeatable.
  • John Blondell reports that TA 195 will be offered as a Playwriting coursein Spring 2019.

#[Various departments] 199: Major Honors

# = Requires English department chair signature for writing-intensive units.

[1]From the current catalog: “To satisfy the requirements for an English minor, students must complete 20 units of English, which must include at least 12 units of literature and at least 12 units of upper-division coursework.”

[2]Carpini, Dominic Delli. “Re-Writing the Humanities: The Writing Major’s Effect Upon Undergraduate Studies in English Departments.” Composition Studies, vol. 35, no. 1, Spring 2007, pp. 15–36.