Department of English

Mark Thompson, Ph.D., Chair

Professors: Bolling, Carroll J., Covino, W., Fuller, Marshall, Schmidt, Stryker, S., Thompson
Associate Professor: Covino, D., Foreman, Paterson, Perrello, Davis, S., Winter
Assistant Professors: De Vries, K., Dorsey, Wolfe, Wittman
Lecturers: Barrington-Schmidt, Breen, Devrick, Christiansen, Lanser, A., Lanser, H., Mester, Stryker, C., Wilson, J.

Office: Vasché Library — L195
Phone: (209) 667-3361

Bachelor of Arts, English  , available with a concentration in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
Master of Arts, English*
Minor in English 
Liberal Studies degree concentrations in English  and in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) 
Certificate in TESOL 
*See the Graduate Catalog.

The various programs are designed to provide the skills essential for fluent and mature expression in a student’s chosen field. Courses in literature and film familiarize students with important literary works and forms. Courses in Rhetoric and the Teaching of Writing (RTW) prepare students to be excellent writers and editors. Courses in pre-credential programs prepare future teachers for the public schools. Courses in TESOL prepare teachers of English as a Second Language and English as a Foreign Language. In all of the English courses, students are encouraged to develop informed and independent critical thinking abilities and the skills to communicate articulately in both oral and written modes.

Master of Arts in English

There are three main concentrations of study leading to the Master of Arts degree in English: (1) a concentration in the literature of Britain and the United States (MA-LIT); (2) a concentration in rhetoric and the teaching of writing (MA-RTW); (3) a concentration in teaching English to speakers of other languages (MA-TESOL). Concentrations may be combined. Please refer to the Graduate Catalog.

Liberal Studies Concentration in English

Please refer to the Liberal Studies  section of the catalog.

Liberal Studies Concentration in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)

Please refer to the Liberal Studies  section of the catalog.

Upper-Division Writing Proficiency

Students graduating from CSU Stanislaus must demonstrate writing competency through satisfactory completion of a Writing Proficiency  course (WP) in any discipline. Passing the Writing Proficiency Screening Test (WPST) is one of the prerequisites for these courses.

English as a Second Language (ESL)

The Department of English offers courses for students who speak English as a second or foreign language. The courses are designed for students whose proficiency in English is at a high-intermediate to advanced fluency level. The courses are designed to improve the writing and study skills of resident ESL students or newly arrived international students. Students in the courses normally are regularly enrolled students in the University.

Learning Objectives

• Students must acquire critical communication skills, (1) composing essays that analyze, develop, and synthesize concepts, that contain clear, coherently organized, defensible and substantial ideas, and that exhibit a sense of audience and occasion; (2) revealing the ability to gather, retrieve, evaluate, and synthesize information, including research and bibliographic skills; (3) demonstrating knowledge of grammar and language; (4) evidencing competent oral communication skills, emphasizing critical thinking expressed through speaking.
• Students must master various analytical and critical reading skills, demonstrating the ability to read closely; to comprehend and interpret a variety of culturally diverse literary, non-literary, and visual texts.
• Students must gain knowledge of literature, (1) showing familiarity with literary history and the development of American, British, and World Literatures, identifying significant periods and movements; (2) demonstrating knowledge of literary, critical, and theoretical terminology; (3) evidencing competence in relevant background and contextual knowledge necessary for understanding various texts (Bible, mythology, cultural studies, etc.); and (4) manifesting understanding of intellectual and professional issues of the academy, including cultural diversity, academic ethics, and canonicity.