English

Introduction

The English major engages students in reflective reading, creative inquiry, critical analysis, and effective expression. The study of literature, writing, film, and visual media prepares graduates to pursue a variety of careers, including law, business, government, professional writing, publishing, and education. These studies also prepare students for graduate programs.

The Department of English offers five major emphases:

English — Literature Emphasis, BA  

English — Literature Emphasis, BA, with Teaching Endorsement Option  

English — Creative Writing Emphasis, BA  

English — Creative Writing Emphasis, BA, with Teaching Endorsement Option  

English — ELL/Bilingual Education Emphasis, BA, with Teaching Endorsement Option  

All five programs lead to the Bachelor of Arts in English. English — Literature Emphasis focuses on the study of literature in historical and cultural contexts and includes course work in English literature, literary and rhetorical theory, creative writing and composition, technical writing, film, and visual media. English — Literature with Endorsement Option has a similar focus but with the addition of coursework required for an English Language Arts Endorsement at the secondary level. English — ELL/Bilingual Education Emphasis, BA, with Teaching Endorsement Option has a similar focus but with the addition of coursework that leads students toward multiple endorsements – A Qualifying Endorsement in English Language Arts (Secondary) and an Additional Endorsement in ELL and/or Bilingual Education (P-12). English: Creative Writing Emphasis focuses on writing in fiction, drama, poetry, and nonfiction prose, and it is complemented by courses in literature. English — Creative Writing with Endorsement Option has a similar focus but with the addition of coursework required for an English Language Arts Endorsement at the secondary level. 

The Department of English provides a dynamic intellectual environment and learning community. Faculty members introduce new genres, fields and methods of critical inquiry, and technologies to provide our students with the best possible education. The department offers small, student-centered classes, innovative pedagogy, and close faculty-student interaction. English faculty members have earned numerous awards for excellence in teaching, research, and writing; they are nationally and internationally recognized in creative and critical fields. Our students have amassed an enviable record of placement in graduate programs and professional positions.

Faculty

KATHRYN VULIĆ (2004) Chair and Professor. AB, Ohio State University; MA, PhD, University of California, Berkeley.
THERESA WARBURTON (2014) Associate Chair and Assistant Professor. BA, Trinity College; AM, University of Chicago; PhD, State University of New York at Buffalo.
KATHERINE ANDERSON (2018) Assistant Professor. BA, University of Wisconsin; MA, Indiana University; PhD, Indiana University.
KIIK ARAKI-KAWAGUCHI (2020) Assistant Professor. BA, University of California, Berkeley; BA, Santa Clara University; MA, University of California, Davis; MFA, University of California, San Diego.
BRUCE BEASLEY (1992) Professor. BA, Oberlin College; MFA, Columbia University; MA, PhD, University of Virginia.
NICOLE BROWN (2002) Associate Professor. BS, BA, Salve Regina University; MA, Carnegie Mellon University; PhD, Purdue University.
JEREMY CUSHMAN (2013) Associate Professor. BA, Whitworth University; MA, University of Illinois at Chicago; PhD, Purdue University.
DAWN DIETRICH (1992) Associate Professor. BA, Eastern Michigan University; MA, PhD, University of Michigan.
JENNY MARIE FORSYTHE (2020) Assistant Professor. BA, University of Iowa; MA, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MA, University of California, Los Angeles; PhD, University of California, Los Angeles.
MARC GEISLER (1992) Associate Professor and Associate Dean, College of Humanities and Social Sciences. BA, Bates College; MA, PhD, University of California, Irvine.
ALLISON GIFFEN (2001) Professor. BA, Barnard College; MA, Yale University; PhD, Columbia University.
BRUCE GOEBEL (1996) Professor. BA, Eastern Washington University; MA, California State University, Fresno; PhD, University of Iowa.
CAROL GUESS (1998) Professor. BA, Columbia University; MA, MFA, Indiana University.
STEFANIA HEIM (2019) Assistant Professor. AB, Harvard University; MFA, Columbia University; PhD, City University of New York Graduate Center.
LAURA LAFFRADO (1993) Professor. AB, Vassar College; MFA, University of Montana; MA, PhD, State University of New York at Buffalo.
JEAN LEE (2019) Assistant Professor. BA, State University of New York - Binghamton; MA, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
CHRISTOPHER LOAR (2013) Associate Professor. BA, University of Chicago; MA, University of California, Los Angeles; PhD, University of California, Los Angeles.
ANDREW LUCCHESI (2016) Assistant Professor. BA, Pacific Lutheran University; MA, King’s College of London; PhD, The Graduate Center, City University of New York.
WILLIAM LYNE (1995) Professor. BA, University of California, Los Angeles; MA, PhD, University of Virginia.
KELLY MAGEE (2008) Associate Professor. BA, Auburn University; MFA, Ohio State University.
MARY JANELL METZGER (1995) Professor. BA, University of Washington; MA, PhD, University of Iowa.
BRENDA MILLER (1999) Professor. BA, Humboldt State University; MFA, University of Montana; PhD, University of Utah.
EREN ODABASI (2018) Assistant Professor. BS, Bogazici University, Turkey; MA, Bogazici University, Turkey; PhD, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
SUZANNE PAOLA (1994) Professor. BA, Oberlin College; MFA, University of Virginia.
DONNA QUALLEY (1994) Professor. BA, University of Kentucky; MST, PhD, University of New Hampshire.
LYSA RIVERA (2007) Associate Professor. BA, University of California, Santa Cruz; MA, PhD, University of Washington.
ANNMARIE SHEAHAN (2019) Assistant Professor. BA, University of New Mexico - Albuquerque; MA, University of New Mexico - Albuquerque; PhD, University of New Mexico - Albuquerque.​
ELY SHIPLEY (2017) Assistant Professor. BA, University of Redlands; MFA, Purdue University; PhD, University of Utah.
KATHRYN TRUEBLOOD (2002) Professor. BA, University of California, Berkeley; MFA, University of Washington.
STEVEN VANDERSTAAY (1996) Professor. BA, MA, University of Washington; PhD, University of Iowa.
CHRISTOPHER WISE (1996) Professor. BA, Northwestern College; MA, University of Oklahoma; PhD, University of California, Riverside.
JANE WONG (2017) Assistant Professor. BA, Bard College; MFA, University of Iowa; PhD, University of Washington.
GREG YOUMANS (2014) Assistant Professor. BA, University of California, Berkeley; PhD, University of California, Santa Cruz.
NING YU (1993) Professor. BA, Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics; MA, PhD, University of Connecticut.

Declaration Process

The department offers majors leading to a Bachelor of Arts and/or Bachelor of Arts in Education degrees. Admission to these majors is by application to the appropriate advisor. Students are strongly urged to meet with a department advisor early in their careers at Western; students should declare their major by the start of their junior year. A minimum of 60 credits and ENG 202 are prerequisites for declaring the English major in English — Literature Emphasis, English — Literature Emphasis with Teaching Endorsement Option, English — Creative Writing Emphasis, and English — Creative Writing Emphasis with Teaching Endorsement Option. The prerequisites for declaring English — ELL/Bilingual Education Emphasis with Teaching Endorsement Option are 60 credits completed, ENG 202, one course from ENG 234, ENG 235, ENG 236, ENG 239, and equivalent of one year of college level foreign language study. Though we cannot guarantee immediate enrollment in the major or access to any specific class, we matriculate students into the major on a rolling basis as space is available and offer a wide variety of topics each term.

Other Departmental Information

Mid-Program Checkpoint

Students seeking to complete a BA degree program in an English emphasis within a four-year time span should have completed the following courses by the start of their junior year:

• ENG 101  and ENG 202  

Policy on Directed Independent Study and Outreach and Continuing Education Self-Paced Courses

• The following policies govern the kinds of classes that can apply to an undergraduate English major:
• The number of Directed Independent Study (ENG 300 and/or ENG 400) credits is limited to a maximum of 10.
• The number of Outreach and Continuing Education online credits is limited to a maximum of 10.
• The total number of combined Directed Independent Study and Outreach and Continuing Education online credits is limited to a maximum of 15.
• Directed Independent Study courses are intended to enrich the student’s major and we therefore specifically do not allow credit for Directed Independent Study in the following cases:
  • a) to replace core courses in the department’s majors;
  • b) to replace courses offered during the quarter in which the independent study is taken;
  • c) to replace writing intensive courses; and
  • d) to replace workshop courses designed to encourage student responses to writing.
• Directed Independent Study requires a written contract between student and teacher that comprises two parts:
  • a) a standard cover sheet that states the department policy regarding Directed Independent Study and Outreach and Continuing Education self-paced courses, that requests information concerning the number of such courses the student has already taken, and that requires the signature of the student, teacher, and chair; and
  • b) a short (one or two page) outline of the proposed study to be accomplished during the Directed Independent Study, including the reading and writing assignments and the number of office meetings to be scheduled.

Graduate Study

For a concentration leading to the Master of Arts degree, see the Graduate School  section of this catalog.

Programs

• English — Creative Writing Emphasis, BA
• English — Creative Writing Emphasis, BA, with Teaching Endorsement Option
• English — ELL/Bilingual Education Emphasis, BA, with Teaching Endorsement Option
• English — Literature Emphasis, BA
• English — Literature Emphasis, BA, with Teaching Endorsement Option

• Creative Writing Minor
• English Minor
• Film Studies Minor
• Professional Writing, Literacies, and Rhetoric Minor
• Women’s Literature Minor

• Creative Writing, MFA
• English, Non-Thesis, MA
• English, Thesis, MA

• English Language Arts — Secondary, Additional Endorsement

Courses

Courses numbered X37; X97; 300, 400, 500 are described in the University Academic Policies  section of this catalog. For more information about the courses and sections to be offered this year and next, please consult the online Timetable of Classes and the English department’s Website, www.wwu.edu/depts/english for the English department course descriptions and information on majors and minors.

• ENG 550 - Studies in American Literatures
• ENG 560 - Studies in British Literature
• ENG 570 - Topics in Cultural Studies
• ENG 575 - Studies in Women’s Literature
• ENG 580 - Studies in Film
• ENG 594 - Practicum in Teaching
• ENG 598 - Seminar in the Teaching of English
• ENG 690 - Thesis Writing