BA in Writing and Media
Program Mission
The Writing and Media major is housed in the English Department and offers students a writing, media, and literary focused education in the Catholic, Benedictine liberal arts tradition. Students are provided with an understanding of the complexities of human nature in light of the Western tradition through intensive study and analysis of rhetorical situations, target audiences, literature, and contemporary digital media. Students who participate in the major will develop flexible strategies and skills for writing and communicating in various contexts and professions; engage writing as a complex, situated, and socially consequential practice; strengthen their capacity to understand, critique, and craft arguments; and gain confidence and demonstrable achievements as writers. This major addresses a growing need for college graduates to understand and know how to write in a variety of settings, understand rhetorical situations, and use technology, answering Ex Corde Ecclesiae's special call for Catholic universities to "respond to the problems and needs of the age."
Program Learning Goals
Students in the Writing and Media program will:
- Develop theoretical, practical, and analytical abilities in writing, media, and literature fields.
- Utilize these abilities to create well-crafted communication appropriate to the audience, purpose, context, and medium with which they are interacting.
- Apply these abilities and integrate the theories, methodologies, and competencies within these fields.
- Employ Benedictine considerations in their roles as theorists, researchers, and practitioners in the fields of writing and media.
Student Learning Objectives
- Students will foster narrative skills, attention to tone and style, and aesthetic sensibilities that are valuable in writing and media fields.
- Students will propose, design, and complete written projects appropriate to different rhetorical situations and audiences.
- Students will be prepared for the increasingly global and digital nature of writing and media in a variety of settings.
Overview
Honors College students may have different requirements for the major. Please contact the Department Chair for details. NOTE: Students must meet the following conditions: 1) The last eighteen (18) credits taken to fulfill the requirements of the Writing and Media major must be taken at Belmont Abbey College; students transferring from accredited institutions may transfer a maximum of nine (9) credits at the 300 and 400 levels.
It is the student’s responsibility to see that all degree requirements for graduation are fulfilled.
Curriculum Requirements
The Core Curriculum (47-53 hours)
Please reference the Core Curriculum Requirements.
Writing & Media majors are recommended to take EN106, EN207, EN215, or EN216 to fulfill the Fine Arts core requirement.
Major Program Requirements (31 hours)
| EN361 | Writing for Social Media | 3 |
| EN363 | Professional and Technical Writing | 3 |
| EN430W | Senior Thesis | 3 |
| EN431 | Senior Thesis Tutorial | 1 |
| One course in literary analysis, a literary genre, or a major author from list below | 3 |
| A language course from list below | 3 |
| 15 credits (5 courses) of major electives from list below | 15 |
One Course in Literary Analysis, a Literary Genre, or a Major Author
| EN305 | Introduction to Literary Studies | 3 |
| EN316 | Poetics: Reading & Writing | 3 |
| EN370 | Contemporary Poetry: Reading and Writing | 3 |
| EN402 | Chaucer | 3 |
| EN403 | Medieval Literature | 3 |
| EN409 | Flannery O'Connor | 3 |
| EN410 | Shakespeare | 3 |
| EN418 | The Rise of the Novel | 3 |
| EN419 | The Short Story and Related Forms | 3 |
A Language Course
| EN260 | Found of Language: Intro to Linguistics | 3 |
| EN360 | History of the English Language | 3 |
Note: A second semester of a foreign language may be substituted for one of these courses, in which case the first semester of that language may count as one of the additional 15 credits needed for the major.
Major Electives
Choose 15 credits from the following list:
| EN106 | Intro to Digital and Multi-Media Arts | 3 |
| EN198 | Journal Production | 1 |
| EN199 | Newspaper Production | 1 |
| EN207 | Creative Writing | 3 |
| | |
| EN215 | Introduction to Film Criticism | 3 |
| Or | |
| EN216 | Film Criticism II | 3 |
| | |
| EN260 | Found of Language: Intro to Linguistics | 3 |
| EN305 | Introduction to Literary Studies | 3 |
| EN316 | Poetics: Reading & Writing | 3 |
| EN360 | History of the English Language | 3 |
| EN362 | Editing & Writing for Publication | 3 |
| EN370 | Contemporary Poetry: Reading and Writing | 3 |
| EN380 | Teaching & Tutoring Writing | 3 |
| EN402 | Chaucer | 3 |
| EN403 | Medieval Literature | 3 |
| EN409 | Flannery O'Connor | 3 |
| EN410 | Shakespeare | 3 |
| EN418 | The Rise of the Novel | 3 |
| EN419 | The Short Story and Related Forms | 3 |
| EN453 | Internship | 3 |
| DH300/HI300 | Intro Digital Humanities | 3 |
| BU315W | Business Communications | 3 |
| Any W (Writing Intensive) Class in any department (including Senior Thesis W Classes) | |
General Electives (36-42 hours)