Minors

English Department Minors

Creative Writing – Writing, Rhetoric, and Technology – Literature & Culture

Prior to Fall 2024: If you declared an English minor prior to fall 2024 and would like to switch to one of the new minors, please contact your advisor. Minor requirements prior to 2024 are available here.

Current English majors: You may count 2 courses (up to 6 credits) towards both the major and a minor.

ENGL 495 – Internship: When taken as a 400-level requirement, students must have a position that relates to the minor program.

ENGL 393: Students required to take ENGL 393 for their major may substitute ENGL 393 for ENGL 379.

Minor Program in Creative Writing

21 Credits

The creative writing minor at UMBC is appropriate for students of any major who are interested in creative writing as a form of expression. Students study the craft of writing across genres, including fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. They learn to read critically, produce and revise their own creative work, and share feedback on their peers’ writing in a supportive workshop setting. Beyond the classroom, they engage with the wider creative community, attending campus literary events and exploring publishing opportunities. By cultivating the habits of productive writers, students, grow as self-editors and are able to continue creative pursuits after their undergraduate studies.

Minor Requirements

  • Minimum of 21 credits
  • Minimum grade of ‘C’ in courses applied to the minor
  • ENGL 203 must be completed in residence at UMBC
  • Other creative writing courses may be transferred in, if equivalency is determined for them

Core Course Requirements (3 credits):

  • 203: Creative Writing: Study and Practice

Four elective Creative Writing courses (12 credits):

  • One may be an additional 200-level CW course: 271, 272, 273, 291
  • Two must be 300-level Creative Writing courses: 303, 371, 372, 373, 375
  • One must be a 400-level Creative Writing course

Two elective Literature and Culture courses (6 credits):

  • Two must be 300-level Literature & Culture courses.

Minor Program in Writing, Rhetoric, and Technology

21 Credits

The Writing, Rhetoric, and Technology Minor is for students of any major who are interested in improving their writing skills and understanding how writing works in the world. Given the demand for employees with strong writing skills and the importance of such skills in civic and community life, this minor allows students to develop their abilities by writing across various genres, technologies and contexts, including the workplace, the university, and everyday communities. Students learn how writing functions rhetorically and are offered opportunities to apply a wide range of composing strategies to the production of their own texts. By learning to write for different purposes, audiences, and situations, students in this minor will be prepared to write effectively and ethically. And because writing is an essential skill in all workplaces, especially for those in collaborative. environments or promoted to managerial positions, students in all majors will find this minor beneficial to their career goals.

Minor Requirements

  • Minimum 21 credits
  • Minimum grade of ‘C’ in courses applied to the minor

Core Courses (9 credits):

  • 100: English Composition
  • 205: Debunking Myths About Good Writing
  • 300: Texts & Contexts or 324: Theories of Communication & Technology

Four elective WRT courses (12 credits):

  • One may be an additional 200-level WRT course: 218, 220, 240
  • One must be from the following: 320, 330, 342, 343, 353, 355, 385, 386, 387, 392
  • One must be from the following: 379*, 380, 382, 383, 384
  • One must be a 400-level WRT course

Note: Students required to take ENGL 393 for their major can substitute ENGL 393 for ENGL 379

Minor Program in Literature & Culture

21 credits

The Literature & Culture Minor is appropriate for students of any major who are interested in learning to read, interpret, and write about imaginative works across genres and media forms. Students study literature and other cultural expressions from antiquity to the present. They learn to interpret these works within historical, generic, theoretical, and material contexts by honing skills in scholarly research and exploring resources such as digital archives. Equipped with proficiency in critical reading and thinking, interpretive writing and oral expression, Literature & Culture minors are prepared to enter a range of careers including professional and creative writing, editing, education, library science, and law.

Minor Requirements

  • Minimum 21 credits at the 200-level or above
  • Minimum grade of ‘C’ in courses applied to the minor

Core Courses (6 credits):

  • 204: Foundations of Literature & Culture
  • 302: Literary Methodologies and Research

Five elective L&C courses (15 credits):

  • One may be an additional 200-level L&C course: 200, 202, 210, 241, 243, 250, 260, 261
  • One must be from the following: 304, 305, 334, 339, 351
  • One must be from the following: 306, 307, 308, 332
  • One must be a 400-level L&C course
  • One must be an additional upper-level course in L&C