The English Minor

Majoring in chemistry, psychology, or engineering doesn't mean you can't engage deeply and richly with the cultural record of the last six centuries. Students in the English Minor learn to analyze a diversity of literary texts and to cultivate life-long active reading habits, leading to greater cultural awareness and a better sense of the values that have governed and will continue to govern our human condition. The critical skills acquired through the minor will be useful to students' personal and professional lives after graduation. Please feel free to set up an appointment with Academic Advisor Liddy Detar to determine if the minor would be a useful supplement to your major field of study.

Learning Outcomes

  • Write effective arguments about a variety of literary and cultural texts.
  • Use information literacy and new technologies to plan and conduct research appropriate to initial and advanced study in English. 
  • Recognize and interpret a wide variety of texts and genres (may include visual, material, inter-cultural texts), using a range of theoretical and interpretive strategies, including close reading. 
  • Demonstrate the role of context(s) in production, reception, and transmission of literary and cultural texts (across periods, histories, geographical/national spaces, and cultural differences).
28  Credits Required with two options.

(8 Credits):

Survey of American Literature: 
ENG 253 and ENG 254 
               or
Survey of British Literature: Choose 2 of the following:
ENG 204
ENG 205
ENG 206

(12 Credits)

      Any Three Upper-Division (300 or 400-level) English Courses

(8 Credits)

      Choose from Upper- or Lower-Division English  or Upper-Division Writing Courses

"What is a Frame Story?": A Literary Guide for English Students and Teachers

Professor Raymond Malewitz answers the question "What is a Frame Story" in a video from the Oregon State Guide to English Literary Terms series, which is designed for public outreach in the humanities.