Welcome to the English, Foreign Languages, and Cultural Studies Department website! We are a dynamic faculty and passionate about our subjects. As scholars, students, and teachers, we strive to be engaged, compassionate, curious learners and to engender the same passion in every student we teach. The critical study of texts, languages, and textual production is vital for our development as critical thinkers, effective communicators, and thoughtful community members. As a department, we offer these interdisciplinary experiences in diverse but complementary areas of study.
Below you will find English degrees and their requirements, certificate programs, advising information, clubs and organizations, study aboard opportunities, and much more. Please let us know how we can assist you on your learning journey.
Undergraduate Degrees
The English Studies Major: Areas of Concentration
Creative Writing
This concentration offers students the chance to take classes dedicated to specific genres of creative writing including poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Students will be introduced to possibilities for publishing and other careers for creative writers. Students will learn about ways to grow as writers through exploring writing in different genres, forms, and modes, as well as practicing giving and receiving feedback on drafts in progress.
Film Studies
This area studies all types of texts related to the film as a medium of communication. Students will learn to critically analyze a film text for its message and meaning, as well as learn to write specific types of texts, including those designed for professional use, such as screenplays. Opportunities for students to develop and produce their own films are also provided.
Folklife/Southern Culture
The concentration covers texts of all types that focus on the history, culture, and literature of the U.S. South, as well as the study of folklore in the South and other regions of the world. Texts studied in this area include all types created by U.S. Southern and folklore authors, including fairy tales and film. Related: Louisiana Folklife Center.
Literature
The study of literature is designed to understand the message and meaning of a text. This concentration studies fiction and non-fiction oral texts employed in TV, theatre, and film, as well as novels, short stories, poems, and other written genres designed for reading. Texts can be studied individually or as a group, and also comparatively, using texts from two or more genres, cultures or languages.
Professional Writing
This area is designed to prepare students for writing texts suitable for a job, career, or vocation. Professional writing is intended for publication – public or private use – in print/electronic form or in the audio/visual modes of communication. Students in this area can study and practice a wide variety of written and spoken text genres, including creative writing, technical writing for scientific and business fields, and film and television writing.
Job Readiness
Undergraduate degrees in the Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Cultural Studies prepare our students for a wide range of careers, as you can see by the achievements of our graduates. In addition to continuing their education in a variety of graduate and professional schools, our alumni have gone on to work in training and communications at multinational corporations, work as editors at major publishing houses, become directors of legal associations, and teach at the college level. Our graduates have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize for poetry and won such esteemed awards as the James Beard Foundation Awards for cookbooks.Catalog Entry for this degree – Updated as of Fall 2018 (applies to student entering Fall 2018 or later)
Catalog Entry for this degree (For Students Registered Prior to Fall 2018)
English Bachelor’s Degree Checklist – Updated as of Fall 2019 (applies to student entering Fall 2018 or later)
English Bachelor’s Degree Checklist (For Students Registered Prior to Fall 2018)
- English 1010: Composition and Rhetoric I
- English 1020: Composition and Rhetoric II
- 6 hours of English at the 2000-level.
- 12 semester hours of 3000- or 4000-level English courses
Foreign Language Minor Checklist
Spanish Minor ChecklistCertificate Programs
Graduate Certificate in TESOL
Required Courses
The required courses comprise nine of the 15 credit hours needed to earn the TESOL certificate.
- ENGL 5240 Principles of Second Language Learning, Instruction and Methodology
- ENGL 6610 Fundamentals of Linguistics
- ENGL 6640 Syntactic Theories and Applications
For more information
Jim Mischler, Ph.D.
Coordinator, Graduate Program in TESOL
Dept. of English, Foreign Languages,
and Cultural Studies
Northwestern State University of Louisiana, USA
318-357-6272
mischlerj@nsula.edu
The program is designed for students who wish to communicate technical information effectively in the workplace, either as professional development for those already working in technical fields or as training for a new career. Career prospects include working as writers, editors, and communication specialists for private businesses, government agencies, and community-based programs. There is a growing need in Louisiana as well as nationally for technical writers and editors, and the Graduate Certificate in Writing for Business, Industry, and Technology is designed to help meet that need.
Students must possess an undergraduate degree from an accredited university to be eligible for the program. The certificate program consists of 18 hours–six courses of three semester hours each–which can be completed in one calendar year. All of the courses in the Writing for Business, Industry, and Technology graduate certificate program may be applied to the coursework requirements for the M.A. in English concentration in Writing and Linguistics at Northwestern State University.
For more information on the program email languages@nsula.edu or call 318-357-6272.
Master of Arts in English
- English 5800;
- 6 hours from Literature courses;
- 6 hours from Writing or Linguistics courses;
- 6 hours of Folklife/Southern culture courses;
- 6 additional hours of any graduate level ENGL course (including 5280 if on assistantship).
- ENGL 5800;
- ENGL 6310 or 5590 and 6480 or 5580;
- at least 12 additional hours in the areas of Folklife and Southern literature, or other English courses with approval by advisor and department head. Students may choose to take their remaining courses in the areas of literature (particularly American literature), folklore, grant writing or linguistics. Courses that can be used to fulfill the 12 hours include ENGL 6890, 6600, 6590, 6580, 6480, 6470, 6373, 6310, 6290, 6200, 6030, 5900, 5721, 5720, 5710, 5600, 5590, 5580, 5570, 5560, 5450, 5400, 5350, 5320, 5290;
- 3 or 6 additional hours of any graduate level ENGL course (including 5280 if on assistantship).
- ENGL 5800;
- one 3-hour seminar in a major literary figure;
- at least 15 hours in literature or related courses (includes the following: ENGL 5010, 5020, 5030, 5090, 5210, 5250, 5300, 5350, 5400, 5450, 5500, 5560, 5570, 5590, 5710, 6010, 6030, 6100, 6110, 6120, 6200, 6210, 6230, 6310, 6373, 6580, 6590, 6630);
- 3 or 6 additional hours of any graduate level ENGL course (including 5280 if on assistantship).
The program is designed for students who do not plan to pursue state teacher certification and wish to teach English in an educational organization other than the U.S. public school system. These organizations include private schools, businesses, government agencies, and community-based programs in the U.S., and a wide variety of institutions in foreign countries. There is a growing need in Louisiana, the U.S., and in many countries around the world for English teachers to serve in these educational settings.
Students in the TESOL concentration must complete:
- ENGL 5800;
- ENGL 5240, 6610, 6640, and two electives courses from the approved list (a total of 15 hours, required for the graduate certificate in TESOL);
- 6 additional hours of any graduate level ENGL course (including 5280 if on assistantship).
Students in the Writing and Linguistics concentration must complete:
- ENGL 5800;
- 15 hours of linguistics, rhetoric, composition, or writing courses (includes the following courses: ENGL 5010, 5030, 5040, 5090, 5230, 5240, 5260, 5270, 5290, 5540, 5700, 5920, 6210, 6540, 6580, 6590, 6600, 6610, 6620, 6640, 6650, 6890)
- 3 or 6 additional hours of any graduate level ENGL course (including 5280 if on assistantship).
Graduate degrees in the Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Cultural Studies prepare students for a wide range of careers, as you can see by the achievements of our graduates. In addition to continuing their education in a variety of graduate and professional schools, our alumni have gone on to work in training and communications at multinational corporations, work as editors at major publishing houses, become lawyers and directors of legal associations, and teach at the college level. Our MA in English graduates have been accepted into a wide variety of advanced professional and doctoral programs; recent Ph.D. program acceptances include Alabama, Louisiana-Lafayette, Oklahoma State, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
Graduate assistantships provide professional development opportunities for qualified students. The student works with a department faculty mentor and contributes to the department’s educational mission in a variety of ways: classroom assistant, research assistant, student tutor, lesson planner, student club assistant, and other department projects and tasks. The training and experience gained as a G.A. is invaluable for the student’s development in their chosen academic and career field, as well as providing funding for the student’s MA program.
Internships for credit are available. Students apply the principles learned in the graduate program to the real-world workplace. The student chooses the career field and organization for the internship, and our department assists with placement, pre-internship orientation, and on-campus supervision of the internship experience. Students who complete successfully a supervised internship receive many benefits, including advanced training and experience, professional connections and work recommendations useful for future jobs, and a great entry for your resume!
Contact Us
Department of English, Foreign Languages, and Cultural Studies
Room 318, Kyser Hall
Phone: 318-357-6272
languages@nsula.edu.
Links
Current Students
Log on to myNSU (https://my.nsula.edu).
Click on the NSU Connect icon (the purple icon with the white puzzle piece).
Click on the “Student” link.
Click on the “Student Records” link.
Click on the “View Student Information” link.
Select a term and then click submit. The name of your academic advisor should be listed as your “Primary Advisor”.
Once you have identified your advisor, you can find his/her contact information here.
If your advisor is not listed, please contact Dr. Jim Mischler, 318-357-6272, mischlerj@nsula.edu.
The Argus staff works with qualified judges to host a contest for pieces submitted for consideration in the magazine.
For more information about Argus and the submission process or to submit a piece for consideration, email the editor at argusnsu@gmail.com or stop by 316G Kyser Hall during staff office hours.
Submission Page:http://argusnsu.submittable.com/submit
Follow us: Argus Facebook Page
Contact: macijeskir@nsula.edu
BACK ISSUES OF ARGUS:
Click here for online copies of all of the back issues of Argus, from 1976 to the present!
BAPS meets each Monday at 5 p.m. in Kyser Hall Room 341. The group welcomes members interested in writing and performing poetry, slam poetry, and song.
For more information, contact advisor Dr. J. Andrew Briseño at brisenoj@nsula.edu
Contact: montgomerys@nsula.edu
Follow Us: https://www.facebook.com/NSUDemonQuidditch/
Contact: Dr. Allison Rittmayer at rittmayera@nsula.edu
Contact: forknerb@nsula.edu.
Follow us: https://www.facebook.com/groups/128712513943446/
Contact: rittmayera@nsula.edu.
Sigma Tau Delta hosts fundraisers to provide money for group activities and the monetary prizes for the annual freshman essay contest. The graduate students of Sigma Tau Delta peer review and electronically publish the university’s academic journal, Indite, which showcases undergraduate scholarly essays.
For a membership application, click here. For more information about the Nu Iota chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, contact the chapter officer, Dr. Sarah McFarland, at mcfarlands@nsula.edu.
The activities are meaningful and memorable, and the students have a lot of fun. The meetings provide a wonderful setting for learning in a relaxed atmosphere and the curiosity and enthusiasm necessary for foreign language learning.
Club meetings are held from 3-4 pm on Wednesdays in Kyser room 341.
Contact: crawfordj@nsula.edu
Follow us: https://www.facebook.com/groups/NSULAStudentFilmSociety/
Contact: rittmayera@nsula.edu
This message is only visible to admins:
Problem displaying Facebook posts. Backup cache in use.
Solution: See here for how to solve this error.