The English Minor Before Fall 2024

The Minor in English consists of a minimum 18 credits as distributed below. The minor offers three tracks: (1) Literature, (2) Communication and Technology, and (3) Writing. See: UMBC English Minors Advising Checklist.

Minor in Literature

18 Credits

The Department of English offers a minor program in literature, requiring 18 credit hours for completion. The literature minor is intended for students who wish to augment their knowledge of English and American literature while also refining their skills in close reading and critical interpretation of literary texts. The literature minor requirements are listed below. All courses must be completed with a grade of C or better. No course at the 100 level may be counted for minor credit.

Required Core Courses (6 credits)

• ENGL 250 – Introduction to Shakespeare
• ENGL 301 – Analysis of Literary Language

Elective Requirements (12 credits)

Twelve additional credits of English courses must be taken, with six of those credits at the 300 or 400 level. At least three of these elective courses must be in literature. With the approval of the minor advisor, one literature course from a department other than English may be counted for minor credit.

NOTE: Students completing the literature minor may not apply the same elective courses to satisfy requirements for the writing minor. However, required courses in one minor may be listed as electives in another minor program. This provision allows students to complete more than one minor program without having to take 36 total hours of classes. Students should consult with their English department advisors to identify the minor program(s) best suited to their interests and needs.

Minor in Communication & Technology

18 Credits

The Department of English offers a minor in Communication and Technology for students who wish to explore the theory and practice of communication and new media studies. It requires 18 credits to complete. All courses must be completed with a grade of “C” or better. No course at the 100 level may be counted for minor credit.

Required Core Courses (6 credits)

• ENGL 300 – Communication and Technology: Analysis of Texts and Contexts
• ENGL 324 – Theories of Communication and Technology

Elective Requirements (12 credits)

Students must select at least one course from List A and at least one course from List B. The remaining electives may be chosen from either list.

List A

• ENGL 320 – Topics in Communication and Technology
• ENGL 330 – Researching Communicative Practices
• ENGL 342 – Principles and Practices of Visual Literacy
• ENGL 343 – Introduction to Genre Analysis
• ENGL 353 – Rhetorical Theory
• ENGL 355 – Communicative Practices and Play Theory
• ENGL 383 – Science Writing
• ENGL 385 – New Media and Digital Literacies
• ENGL 386 – Adult Literacy Tutoring: Issues and Methods
• ENGL 407 – Language in Society
• ENGL 442 – Seminar in Visual Literacy
• ENGL 447 – Online Voice and Community
• ENGL 449 – Seminar in Genre Analysis
• ENGL 483 – Seminar in Writing in the Sciences
• ENGL 486 – Seminar in Teaching Composition: Theory and Practice
• ENGL 493 – Seminar in Communication and Technology

List B

• ENGL 303 – Art of the Essay
• ENGL 379 – Principles and Practices in Technical Writing
• ENGL 380 – Introduction to News Writing
• ENGL 382 – Feature Writing
• ENGL 387 – Web Design and Multimedia Authoring
• ENGL 391 – Advanced Exposition and Argumentation
• ENGL 392 – Tutorial in Writing
• ENGL 394 – Technical Editing
• ENGL 403 – Advanced Art of the Essay

Minor in Writing

18 credits – Basic Minor,

24 credits – Extended Minor

The minor in writing at UMBC is open to – and appropriate for – students majoring in any field. The credential earned by completing the minor will document the student’s pursuit of writing skills for admissions committees and prospective employers. Both the basic minor and the extended minor share a common four-course core:

Required Core Courses (12 credits)

• ENGL 100 – Composition
• ENGL 291 – Introduction to Writing Creative Essays
• ENGL 391 – Advanced Exposition and Argumentation
• ENGL 392 – Tutorial in Writing

Elective Requirements (6 or 12 credits)

To complete the basic minor, students must elect any two courses (6 credits) from the writing courses listed below. To complete the extended writing minor, students must elect four courses (12 credits) from within one area below or from approved electives, including ENGL 400 – Special Projects. All courses must be completed with a grade of C or better. With the advisor’s permission, up to six credits from the writing minor may be counted as part of the English major.

NOTE: No more than two writing minor courses may be taken per semester.

Journalism (Extended Writing Minor)

• ENGL 380 – Introduction to News Writing
• ENGL 382 – Feature Writing
• ENGL 383 – Science Writing
• ENGL 398 – Journalism Internship
• ENGL 480 – Seminar in Advanced Journalism
• ENGL 495 – Internship (Journalism)

Rhetoric and Communication (Extended Writing Minor)

• ENGL 226 – English Grammar and Usage
• ENGL 324 – Theories of Communication and Technology
• ENGL 326 – The Structure of English
• ENGL 386 – Adult Literacy Tutoring: Issues and Methods
• ENGL 395 – Writing Internship (Tutoring)
• ENGL 407 – Language in Society
• ENGL 485 – The Teaching of Writing
• ENGL 488 – Seminar in Computer-Assisted Writing Instruction
• ENGL 490 – Topics in the English Language
• ENGL 491 – Seminar in Topics in the English Language
• ENGL 493 – Seminar in Rhetoric and Composition
• ENGL 495* – Internship (Rhetoric and Communication Theory)

Creative Writing (Extended Writing Minor)

• ENGL 271 – Introduction to Creative Writing – Fiction
• ENGL 272 – Introduction to Creative Writing – Script Writing
• ENGL 273 – Introduction to Creative Writing – Poetry
• ENGL 371 – Creative Writing – Fiction
• THTR 371 – Writing for the Theatre
• ENGL 373 – Creative Writing – Poetry
• ENGL 375 – Masterworks for Creative Writers
• ENGL 397 – Tutorial in Creative Writing
• ENGL 403 – Advanced Creative Writing – Non-Fiction
• ENGL 471 – Advanced Creative Writing – Fiction
• ENGL 473 – Advanced Creative Writing – Poetry
• ENGL 475 – Special Studies in Creative Writing
• ENGL 495* – Internship (Creative Writing)

NOTE: Courses in creative writing must be taken in the proper sequence unless permission of the instructor is given.

Professional Writing (Extended Writing Minor)

• ENGL 226 – English Grammar and Usage
• ENGL 326 – The Structure of English
• ENGL 387 – Web Content Development
• ENGL 393 – Technical Writing
• ENGL 393H – Technical Writing with Honors
• ENGL 394 – Technical Editing
• ENGL 400 – Special Projects in English
• ENGL 407 – Language in Society
• ENGL 490 – Advanced Topics in the English Language
• ENGL 495 – Internship (Professional Writing)

NOTE: ENGL 495 can only be taken once for the basic minor and twice for the extended minor.

The information above is also accessible through the UMBC English Minors Requirements document.