English
Why study English? Everything you do, you do in language: you seduce, you negotiate, you network, you enlighten, you argue, you sue for peace, you counsel. When you study literature and rhetoric, you learn to understand and represent many different people’s perspectives. These skills transfer to management, law, education, and counseling very well. You become a better writer and thinker. Good writing is good thinking. Good thinking is powerful.
You become a better reader. You learn to read widely in the tradition of the best of what has been thought and said throughout history, and you learn to read closely. Reading closely will give nuance to your thinking, and that will help you address the most difficult kinds of problems. Your ability to analyze language, both long, complex documents and fragments, is another one of those widely-valuable skills.
In short, it’s fun. To quote Ezra Pound, “Gloom and solemnity are out of place in the study of an art that is meant to make glad the heart of man.”
Our Faculty
Dr. Brian C. Billings as a creative writer in musical writing (book, lyrics, and music), playwriting, and poetry writing; as a scholar, he specializes in contemporary children's literature and young-adult literature, twentieth-century and twenty-first-century American musical theatre, nineteenth-century British operetta, and eighteenth-century British novels. Brian C. Billings is an associate professor of drama and English at Texas A&M University-Texarkana and the general editor for Aquila Review, the university’s literary journal. In addition to managing TAMU-T’s drama program, he teaches courses in drama (appreciation, history, and musical theatre), creative writing, children’s literature, and young-adult literature. His work has appeared in such journals as Antietam Review, Ancient Paths, Argestes, Backstreet Quarterly, Confrontation, Mutata Re, and Poems and Plays. Publishers for his scripts include Eldridge Publishing and Heuer Publishing. His recently performed plays are the radio musical Curses: A Midsummer Night’s Peeve and the radio drama Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad.
Dr. Joe Burzynski is an Assistant Professor of English in Literature, Composition, and Mass Communication at A&M-Texarkana, where he teaches courses in writing and rhetoric application, history, and theory. He earned his Ph.D. in English from Miami University (2016). Prof. Burzynski is the author of essays appearing in Open Words: Access and English Studies and Spark: A 4C4Equality Journal. His research and publications investigate access issues, organized labor rhetoric, and the intersection of sustainability and composition studies. His current project is a book chapter on Texarkana native Dorothea Towles Church.
Dr. Jaime Cantrell is an Assistant Professor of English in Literature, Composition, and Mass Communication at TAMUT, where she teaches courses including Advanced American Literature, Genre Studies: Poetry, Introduction to Women’s and Gender Studies, and the South and Sexuality. She earned her Ph.D. in English from Louisiana State University (2014) and her M.A. in Women's Studies from the University of Alabama (2009). She’s been awarded library and research grants from Cornell University, Duke University and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Prof. Cantrell is the author of essays and reviews appearing in Feminist Formations, The Journal of Lesbian Studies, Study the South, Notches, This Book is An Action: Feminist Print Culture and Activist Aesthetics (UIP Press, 2015), The Bohemian South: Creating Countercultures, from Poe to Punk (UNC Press, 2017), and The Journal Homosexuality. She co-edited Out of the Closet, Into the Archive: Researching Sexual Histories (SUNY Press, Queer Politics and Cultures series, 2015). Out of the Closet, Into the Archives is a 2016 Lambda Literary Award finalist for Best LGBT Anthology.
Dr. Corrine Hinton in an Associate Professor of English in the department of Literature, Composition, Media, and Communication at A&M-Texarkana where she teaches courses in first-year composition, the teaching of writing, rhetoric, composition, and qualitative methods. She earned her Ph.D. in English with an emphasis in rhetoric and composition from Saint Louis University (2012) and her M.A. in English with an emphasis in American Literature from the University of Missouri – St. Louis (2007). A veterans studies scholar, Corrine’s primary research area explores the transferability of veterans’ military writing practices to college writing contexts. She has presented her research at several national conferences (including Conference on College Composition and Communication, National Council of Teachers of English, and Veterans in Society) and published her work in the collection, Generation Vet: Composition, Student-Veterans, and the Post-9/11 University (Utah State University Press) and in Composition Forum (Fall 2013). Also invested in engaging pedagogies in K12 and higher education, Corrine has co-authored articles in Currents in Teaching and Learning and a forthcoming special issue of the Journal of Faculty Development. A not-so-secret television aficionado, Corrine also dabbles in television studies and has chapters forthcoming in edited collections on American Horror Story and Wentworth.
Dr. Douglas Eli Julien is an Associate Professor of English at Texas A&M--Texarkana and currently the department chair of the Department of Literature, Composition, Media, and Communication. He received his doctoral degree for the Department of Comparative Studies in Discourse and Society in 2005 from the University of Minnesota. Prior to his PhD, he earned a master’s degree from Western Illinois University in Literature and a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Illinois University. His areas of expertise include: world literature (especially post-colonial literature and theory, literary theory (especially continental philosophy and critical theory), and the study of popular music. Guiding his research in all three of these areas is the study of race.
What You’ll Learn from Us
The program in English grounds you in language skills and analytic practices allowing the development of tools that not only retain their value, but also transfer easily to specialized work in graduate and professional schools as well as in the workplace. Ultimately, a degree in English is a wonderful portal to careers and advanced degrees in and out of English.
Our Programs
As an undergraduate, you may pursue a major in literature; at the graduate level, you will earn an MA in Literature or Composition, and may pursue a Master Teacher of Writing Certificate. At both levels, the English program at Texas A&M University-Texarkana affords you the opportunity to work closely with a small, diverse faculty of dedicated and accomplished teachers and scholars in a curriculum emphasizing literature, writing, and literary studies. You may also choose to complement another major with the minor in drama or English. For those of you who desire to teach English in the grades, The English department collaborates on the 4th-8th & 7th-12th grade Teacher’s Certification in English, Language Arts, and Reading.
The Major
The BA and BS in English provide a strong background in English and American literature. You will take World Literature, British Literature, American Literature and Literary Studies at the sophomore level. The core of the B.A. and B.S. programs in English consists of required survey courses: Advanced American Literature, English Literature, and World Literature; Understanding Grammar; Advanced Expository Writing; and Studies in Genre. Other required courses for English majors are History and Grammar of English, which provides an understanding of the origin and development of the English language and a survey of grammatical approaches to the language, and Shakespeare, which offers a detailed look at some of the major works of this important author. Optional courses, such as Studies in Women's Literature, Children’s Literature and Young Adult Literature and Special Topics allow you to customize your degree plans. English majors also participate in a capstone course, during the semester they graduate. You can find the degree requirements in the catalog and in DegreeWorks.
Click here to access the form to become an undergraduate English major.
The Minors
Drama
The drama minor offers a program of study that emphasizes dramaturgy and a lab platform for performance exercises. The minor’s courses include an introduction to theatre, two reading-intensive theatre-history classes, a playwriting course (including an end-of-term performance), a course in acting theory and application, and a seminar for studies in drama. CELA has allowed the drama program to cross-list the playwriting and studies-in-drama courses so that English majors may take those classes for credit. All students pursuing the drama minor must audition for and participate in the shows that the drama program offers. The minor prepares students for pursuing degrees that may lead to careers in criticism, performance, scriptwriting, or artistic direction.
English
The English minor offers an 18 credit hour program of study that emphasizes personalization and genre selection. The minor’s courses, in addition to composition one and two, include one sophomore literature survey, a genre course of your choosing, and any two upper division advanced survey courses. The English minor, with its genre options is an exceptional complement to the social sciences. Social scientists benefit especially from classes such as Expository Writing, Survey of World Literature, Women’s Literature, and History & Grammar of English which gives you beneficial exposure to diverse ways of thinking about the medium of language in culture.
Click here to access the form to become an undergraduate minor in English.
Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
You’re not alone in asking, “What is Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies?” As an interdisciplinary program, the WGSS undergraduate minor at TAMUT identifies and critically examines structures of power utilizing both systemic and individual frameworks. This 18 credit hour program of study allows for self-reflection and engagement in social change. Core and affiliated faculty teach cross-listed courses that examine historical and contemporary social justice issues using gender and sexuality as categories of analyses, while embracing intersectional feminist perspectives that extend to axes of difference including race, class, nationality, and ability. We support inclusive dialogue that respects diverse points of view, and we strive to be thoughtful and effective allies in national and transnational struggles for full equity. Faculty promote classrooms that bridge theory and activist practice through experiential learning initiatives. This minor program seeks to prepare students for post-baccalaureate graduate studies, as well as professional employment in many different fields such as victim advocacy, counseling and therapy, social work, women’s health, LGBTQ rights and services, public policy, family services, health, law, and media. For more information, including minor program requirements, contact Dr. Jaime Cantrell, WGSS Program Director at jcantrell@tamut.edu.
Writing Studies Minor
The Writing Studies minor is an interdisciplinary, 18 credit-hour program of study offering opportunities to build theoretical and pragmatic knowledge and skills in composing across a range of environments. Whether your writerly interest lies in composing broadly or in academic writing, technical writing, journalistic writing, or writing for education specifically, the Writing Studies minor will develop your training and understanding of writing purposes, audiences, contexts, genres, deliveries, and content.
What You’ll Do Here
The university offers organizations, events, and activities to develop the professional and personal lives of English majors:
English Club
Established in the 1980s, the English Club is an active student group of 20 to 30 members who meet monthly.
Activities:
- Conferences
- Film Fests
- Poetry Readings
- Author Presentations
- Play Performances
- Staged Readings
- Choir Performances
Sponsored Trips:
- Shakespeare Festivals in Montgomery, Alabama, and Dallas
- Performances of Current Stage Shows in Dallas, Little Rock, Magnolia, and Texarkana
- Children’s Literature Conferences in Little Rock
- Jack London Museum (Centenary College)
- Norton Art Gallery in Shreveport
- Kate Chopin Museum near Natchitoches
Local Networking and Outreach:
- Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council (TRAHC)
- TRAHC’s writing competitions
- PLACE’s writing competitions
- Literacy Council of Bowie and Miller Counties
- Fundraising educational supplies for children
- Supporting Texarkana’s community-built park—Kidtopia
- Judging poetry for the Barry Telford Unit of the Federal Correctional Institution.
Sigma Tau Delta
Established in 1990, the Omicron Omega Chapter of the Sigma Tau Delta inducts about 10 new members yearly. There are many benefits to being a member of Sigma Tau Delta. A few are listed below:
- Wear Sigma Tau Delta regalia at graduation,
- Apply for a variety of Sigma Tau Delta scholarships valued at up to $5,000 each,
- Writing awards & publishing in The Sigma Tau Delta Review,
- Digital and long-form print opportunities,
- Sigma Tau Delta co-sponsored paid internships, and
- Annual Conventions.
Texarkana Young Writers’ Workshop
The English program sponsors the Texarkana Young Writers’ Workshop, a two-week summer program to foster literacy development in an engaging environment among 2nd through 12th graders from area schools.
Qualifying undergraduate and graduate students can apply to be a workshop teachers or classroom supervisors. Involvement in YWW allows you to
- Teach program participants about various writing genres,
- Improve learners’ motivations for and skills in writing,
- Design and practice engaging literacy activities,
- Support participants’ achievements through authorship,
- Enjoy visits from children’s authors, and
- Learn how an anthology is published.
East Texas Writing Project
The East Texas Writing Project (ETWP) is an affiliate of the National Writing Project, a collaborative university-school development program designed to improve the teaching of writing in the nation’s classrooms, K-16. Beginning in 1979, the East Texas Writing Project receives funds through grants to promote the teaching of writing in regional schools.
- For Post-Baccalaureate and Graduate Students in English and Education
- Three week, all day institute
- Graduate credit bearing
- Grant funding support available
- Share your own teaching best practices
- Study composition theory and research in a praxis setting
- Experience the writing process by writing and sharing your writing in small groups
During the academic semesters, the ETWP offers various writing sessions for teachers and others interested in writing. Participants in the Institute become part of ETWP’s Teacher Consultant Network (TCN) and enjoy the benefits of ongoing monthly activities.
Aquila Review
Aquila Review is a nonprofit annual arts journal that Texas A&M University- Texarkana publishes. Funding for this publication comes from ads, private donations, and subscriptions to the journal. Aquila Review publishes creative nonfiction, drama, fiction, music, nonfiction, poetry, and visual art. The journal employs a general editor (a professor from the English department), a graduate editor (a graduate student in the English program), and an undergraduate editor (an undergraduate student in the English program). The editors receive and consider submissions throughout the year and publish the journal in September.
Career Options: Education: College level, Primary Education, Secondary Education, Private Schools, Teaching English as a Second Language, Tutoring, Educational Administration, Editorial Assistant, Copyediting/Proofreading, Internships, Production, Marketing/Publicity, Publishing, Journalism, Corporate Communications, Public Relations, Digital Media, Creative Writing, Copywriting, Technical Writing, Science Writing, Freelance Writing, and Grant Writing.
Interested?
Please contact the Literature, Composition, Media & Communication Chair Dr. Corrine Hinton (903.223.3124; chinton@tamut.edu) or English programs advisor, Dr. Doug Julien (903.223.3033; djulien@tamut.edu).
