English (B.A.) with Secondary Teaching Certification

Program Overview

The English major at Messiah University assists students in studying a wide array of literatures using a variety of critical thinking and writing skills to help them become perceptive readers, insightful thinkers, and responsible writers. Students engage deeply with Christian faith as they explore the way language shapes our identities, deepens our interactions with others, and enables us to change the world.

The English with Secondary Teaching Certification major prepares students to teach literature, academic and creative writing, research, and information literacy in grades 7-12 English and Language Arts classrooms and to pursue careers in classroom teaching, curriculum design, faculty development, and educational administration. Students get training in diverse literary genres, composition, literacy, technology, and pedagogy that prepares them to be confident and capable educators for the future.

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates from Messiah’s English program can:

  1. Analyze literary texts by reading closely and applying disciplinary vocabularies, theories, and methods.
  2. Respond to literary texts by developing and supporting interpretations informed by the text’s cultural context.
  3. Demonstrate writing and rhetorical skills appropriate to critical, creative, and professional tasks for a variety of audiences and in a variety of media and genres.
  4. Develop and challenge their thinking through scholarly research projects that develop significant research questions and effectively analyze primary and secondary evidence to support claims in the field of English.
  5. Reflect on vocational calling, explore possible career paths, and develop action plans for their professional lives.
  6. Articulate the connections between Christian faith and the study of English.
  Students who complete the Messiah University Teacher Education Program will demonstrate:
  1. Christian faith and values in personal and professional life.
  2. Professional attitudes that reflect an understanding of schools and a commitment to teaching.
  3. Subject matter depth and an understanding of the relationships between and among curricular areas.
  4. Theoretical knowledge of learning and related instructional practices that support learning.
  5. Empirical inquiry skills such as observation, hypothesis-testing, data collection, and data analysis.
  6. Acquisition, analysis, evaluation, and integration of new knowledge throughout professional practice.
  7. Appropriate professional responses to the roles and responsibilities of individuals and organizations (e.g., teachers, students, families, school districts, communities) associated with educational environments.
  8. Professional communication (speaking, writing, listening) and technology skills.
  9. Reflective decision-making and problem-solving skills.
  10. Instructional planning and assessment skills that facilitate equitable participation, an accepting and supportive learning environment, and maximum development for all learners.

Major Requirements

Complete the following for your major:

ENGL 201Introduction to English Studies I

3

ENGL 202Introduction to English Studies II

3

ENGL 270Critical Theory

3

ENGL 307Teaching English in Secondary Schools

3

ENGL 325Writing Studies

3

ENGL 357Postcolonial/World Literature

3

ENGL 365Young Adult Literature

3

LANG 495/ENGL 495Language, Literature, and Writing Seminar

3

CIS/MATH/STAT
meeting General Education mathematics

3

CIS/MATH/STAT
EDUC 209 or MATH/STAT meeting General Education (2nd mathematical sciences course)

3

EDSP 207Introduction to Special Education

3

EDSP 307Inclusion Practices

3

EDUC 203Educational Psychology

3

EDUC 208Teaching English Language Learners in K-12 Schools

3

EDUC 331Instructional Design and Assessment for Middle and Secondary Grades

3

EDUC 346Socio-Cultural Perspectives on Education

3

HDFS 311Adolescent Development

3

TEP 210Sophomore Field Experience

0

TEP 310Junior Field Experience

0

Three credits from the Questions of Faith in Literature category:

ENGL 331Topics in Faith & Literature

3

ENGL 332Slavery & Abolition in Literature

3

ENGL 333John Milton

3

ENGL 334Victorian Literature

3

ENGL 335The Inklings

3

 

Three credits from the Questions of Literature in History category:

ENGL 341Topics in Literature in History

3

ENGL 343Medieval/Renaissance Literature

3

ENGL 345Romanticism

3

ENGL 346Modernism

3

 

Three credits from the Questions of Culture, Identity, and Power category:

ENGL 351Topics in Culture, Identity, Power

3

ENGL 353Ethnic Literatures of the US

3

ENGL 355American Women's Writing

3

 

Three credits from the Questions of Form, Genre, and Craft category:


ENGL 361Topics in Form, Genre, Craft

3

ENGL 363Ancient Epic

3

ENGL 364Shakespeare

3

ENGL 366Contemporary Poetry

3

 

Professional Semester:

EDUC 420Professional Issues in Education

2

TEP 407Student Teaching Seminar

1

TEP 410Secondary Pre-Student Teaching Experience

0

TEP 435Student Teaching: Secondary

9

 

General Education Requirements

Experiential Learning requirement   0
General Education requirements   Credits
First Year Seminar IDFY 101/102H  3
Written Communication ENGL 110/110H 3
Oral Communication COMM 105 3
Mathematical and Scientific Ways of Knowing Mathematics (GenEd Mathematics) met/major
Science with Lab 3 or 4
Social Scientific Ways of Knowing
Social Science (EDUC 203) met/major
Cultural/Humanistic Ways of Knowing 24GE History 3
Literary & Aesthetic Ways of Knowing
Literature or Arts waived
Cultural/Humanistic Ways of Knowing
Philosophy or Religion 3
Cultural/Humanistic Ways of Knowing 1st and 2nd Level Language 6
Intercultural Perspectives Intercultural Global or International Cross-cultural or 3rd Level Language 3
Bible
24GE Bible 3
Christian Beliefs
24GE Christian Beliefs 3
Holistic Wellness
WELL 1xx 1
Ethics and the Common Good
24GE Ethics and the Common Good 3
Intercultural Perspectives
Intercultural U.S. (EDUC 346or Domestic Cross-cultural met/major
Common Learning
Experiential Learning (TEP 435) met/major
General Education requirements   37-38
Major requirements (inclusive of concentration)   75
Free Electives    10-11
Total credits   123