Major in English with a Teacher Education Emphasis (5-12)
Plan A (2008-2010 Undergraduate Catalog)

The Minnesota teacher licensure program in Communication Arts and Literature prepares students for teaching middle and secondary school. This program requires courses in linguistics, literature, writing, and writing pedagogy. It requires, therefore, early and careful planning.

English Coursework (44 credits)

• ENGL 111 Critical Reading and Writing I: Fiction and Nonfiction Prose (4 credits)
  
• ENGL 112 Critical Reading and Writing II: Drama and Poetry (4 credits)
        Note: Qualified students who do not take ENGL 111 and 112 may substitute ENGL 190
        Critical Reading and Writing: Major Genres and one additional 4-credit literature course
        in English numbered above 200 (including ENGL 205, 211, 212, 214, 215, 217, 218,
        220, 221, 222, 297, 324, 325, 334, 337, 341, 360, 361, 362, 364, 365, 366, 367, 370,
        371, 372, 373, 390, and 395) or two 2-credit ENGL 295 courses during J-Term
  
• ENGL 211 British Authors I
  (Usually offered in the fall semester; 4 credits)
  or
  ENGL 212 British Authors II
  (Usually offered in the spring semester; 4 credits)
  
• ENGL 214 American Authors I
  (Usually offered in the spring semester; 4 credits)
  or
  ENGL 215 American Authors II
  (Usually offered in the fall semester; 4 credits)
  
• ENGL 217 Multicultural Literature
  (Usually offered in the fall semester; 4 credits)
  or
  ENGL 218 Literature by Women: Critical History
  (Usually offered in the spring semester; 4 credits)
  
• ENGL 220 The Classical Tradition
  (Usually offered in the fall semester; 4 credits)
  or
  ENGL 221 The Modern Tradition
  (Usually offered in the spring semester; 4 credits)
  
• ENGL 300 Theory and Practice of Writing
  (Usually offered in the fall and spring semester; 4 credits)
  
• ENGL 305 Linguistics: English Language
  (Usually offered in the fall semester; 4 credits)
  
• ENGL 361 Shakespeare and the Early Modern Period
  (Usually offered in the spring semester and sometimes during Summer Session I; 4 credits)
  
• ENGL 380 Issues in English Studies
  (Usually offered in the fall and spring semester; 4 credits)
  
• Four additional credits EITHER in English at the 300 or 400 level; or COJO 326 Modern American Rhetoric (formerly COMM 350); or COJO 328 Communication of Race, Class & Gender (formerly COMM 340 Rhetoric of Race, Class & Gender); or COJO 426 Classical Rhetoric (formerly COMM 440).

Communication and Journalism Coursework (20 credits)

COJO 100 Public Speaking (4 credits) (formerly COMM 100)
COJO 211 Communication Theories and Methods (4 credits) (formerly COMM 120)*
COJO 212 Rhetorical Criticism (4 credits) (formerly COMM 140)*
COJO 260 Electronic Media Production (4 credits) (formerly COMM 160)*

*To register for COJO courses without the prerequisite of COJO 111, please contact the chair of Communication and Journalism in advance of registration. COJO 111 is not required for licensure, but a student completing COJO 111, one of the three COJO courses listed in the English section above (COJO 326, 328, or 426), and the four COJO courses required for licensure will have completed a minor in Communication and Journalism. 

Education Coursework (34 credits)

Block I
EDUC 210 Education's Place in Society (4 credits)
     NOTE: 30 hour field experience must be completed during this course
EDUC 212 Human Relations & Multicultural Education (4 credits)
     NOTE: Cross-listed during the summer with TEGR 512
PRAXIS 1 exam (PPST) required for admission to the program

Block II
EDUC 330 Psychology for Teaching and Learning (4 credits)
     PREREQUISITE: EDUC 210
EDUC 332 Field Experience II: Learning and Teaching (0 credits)
     NOTE: This 30 hour field experience must be taken concurrently with EDUC 330
EDUC 345 Adolescent Literature (2 credits)
     PREREQUISITE: EDUC 210; Usually offered in late afternoon/evening
EDUC 355 Reading for the 5-12 Teacher (4 credits)
     PREREQUISITE: EDUC 210; Usually offered in late afternoon/evening; also offered in summer

Block III
EDUC 381 Curriculum and Methods for Specific Discipline (5-12) (4 credits)
     PREREQUISITE: EDUC 330 & Education program admittance; meets late afternoon once a
                               week
EDUC 383 Field Experience III: Curriculum and Instruction (0 credits)
     NOTE: This 30 hour field experience must be taken concurrently with EDUC 381

Block IV
In order to student teach and complete the Education program, the English major and EDUC 381 and EDUC 383 must already be completed. The PRAXIS II exam is also usually taken prior to student teaching.

EDUC 456 Inclusive School Communities (2 credits)
     NOTE: Portions of this course are completed in Blocks I, II, and III
EDUC 460 Clinical Practice: Student Teaching and Seminar (10 credits)
Demonstrated competence on all state required standards

Important Note Regarding Plan A Credit Hours

Because of the number of courses required under Plan A, it is difficult for students to graduate in four years unless they take twenty credits worth of coursework instead of the standard sixteen credits during the regular semester and/or do coursework in J-Term or Summer Session I and/or II.

Under Plan A, students earn more than the minimum 132 credits required for a baccalaureate degree at St. Thomas; in most cases, students will earn anywhere from 142 credits (34 in Education, 44 in English, 20 in Communication and Journalism, and 44 in general education) to 154 credits for those that have not already fulfilled their Foreign Language requirement (an additional 12 credits). Those who prefer to begin their teacher licensure at the undergraduate level and complete it at the post-baccalaureate level should consider Plan B.

Have additional questions?

Please contact Dr. Brenda Powell in the English Department or Dr. Margaret Reif in the Teacher Education Department.

Elementary Education with a Middle Level Communication Arts and Literature Concentration (5-8) 

Students seeking elementary licensure (K-6) with a 5-8 specialty in Communication Arts and Literature may complete the standard English major, the English major with a Writing Emphasis, or the English major with a Teacher Education Emphasis. For a complete listing of requirements in the elementary education area, please see pages 125-126 in the Education section of the 2008-2010 Undergraduate Catalog.