University of Texas at El Paso Academic Catalog

Academic Catalog

BA in English

This major prepares students to teach English Language Arts at the middle school and high school levels. 

Bachelor of Arts in English (with an Emphasis on Teaching)—This degree plan is designed for students who are interested in pursuing a teaching position in the secondary English/Language Arts classroom.

NB: Before students are given a bar code that will allow them to take the TExES test, they must successfully write a textual analysis essay, which will be evaluated by members of the English Education Program. Students who wish to take the TExES test must also earn a minimum score of 80% on the practice TExES test to be administered by the College of Education. Once these requirements have been met, students must then obtain the signatures of the Director of English Education and the professor who teaches ENGL 4355.

Marketable Skills

Students will develop the following marketable skills: 

  • Critical thinking: Analyze and evaluate issues in order to solve problems and develop informed opinions
  • Pedagogy: Co-create knowledge and skills with students of different backgrounds
  • Writing: Communicate using text in a clear and concise manner

This program teaches students to teach writing and literary analysis effectively at the middle school and high school levels. 

Students have an opportunity to work with professors who have experience teaching at the high school and middle school levels, enabling them to sharpen their teaching skills

Concentrations

7-12 ELA Certification

Teacher Certification—Students seeking secondary certification in English must complete the BA requirements as described above. Certification requires 36 semester hours of courses in the major as described in the Liberal Arts section of this catalog. Students should note that ENGL 4355 cannot be counted as part of the major since it is required for the minor in Education. For further information on requirements for certification, students should refer to the catalog sections for the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Education.

Fast Track

The Fast-Track Program enables outstanding undergraduate UTEP students to receive both undergraduate and graduate credit for up to 15 hours of UTEP course work as determined by participating Master's and Doctoral programs.  Not all undergraduate programs have elected to participate in the Fast Track option, so students should see their departmental graduate advisor for information about requirements and guidelines. A list of courses that have been approved for possible use at the graduate level is found here

Degree Plan

Required Credits: 120

BA in English with a Concentration in 7-12 ELA Certification
Background Check Required
A complete background check is required of all students who wish to receive teacher certification in the State of Texas. Students will be required to pass a background check before certification will be conferred by the State Board of Educator Certification (SBEC).
University Core Curriculum
Complete the University Core Curriculum requirements.42
English Language Arts Major
Required Courses:
American Literature Survey:
ENGL 3311
ENGL 3312
American Literature to 1865
and Am. Literature 1865 to Present
6
British Literature:
Select one of the following options:6
Option 1:
English Literature
Select one of the following:
Romantic Literature
Victorian Literature
British Drama Since 1880
British Novel: 19th Century
British Novel: 20th Century
Option 2:
English Literature
Select one of the following:
Sixteenth-Cent. Prose & Poetry
17th Century Prose and Poetry
Restoration & 18th Century Lit
Chaucer
Milton
British Novel thru 18th Cent
Diverse Literatures:
Select one of the following:3
Literary Studies
Young Adult Literature
Chicana/o Literature
African American Literature
Native American Literature
Women in Literature
Advanced Literary Studies
Language and Writing:
ENGL 3303
ENGL 3350
Grammar and Writing
and English Laboratory
6
Electives (Lang, Read, Writ):
Select two courses of the following:6
The Dynamics of Language
Reading and Writing Nonfiction
Reading/Responding/Literature
Sp Subjects in Engl for Tchers
Adv Composition:Rhet Theory
Shakespeare:
ENGL 3320Shakespeare3
or ENGL 3321 Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry
Theory and Practice:
ENGL 3349Multimdl & Hybrid Frms in ELA3
Secondary Education Minor
Required Courses:
BED 4317Tch & Empwr ELLs in Sec Schls3
EDPC 3300Intro to Youth Dev & Spec Ed3
ENGL 4355Tch Compos and Lit in Sec Schl3
RED 3342Content Area Literacy3
SCED 3311Curriculum Plan-Secondary Schl3
SCED 4691Student Teaching in Sec School6
Open Electives
Select additional hours to complete a total of one hundred twenty hours
Foreign Language
Select six credit of Foreign Language. All six credits must be in the same language sequence. 16
Block Electives
Complete twelve upper-division hours from the blocks below, with three to six hours in each12
1 French and Spanish majors must fulfill this requirement in a language other than their major.
Total Hours120

University Core Curriculum

The department may make specific suggestions for courses which are most applicable towards your major.

All courses require a C or better

I. Communication (six hours)

Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively. Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience.
Select six hours of the following: 6
For students whose secondary education was in English:
Written and Oral Communication
Writing About Literature
Rhetoric & Composition I
Rhetoric & Composition 2
Rhetoric, Composition & Comm
For students whose secondary education was not in English:
Expos Engl Compos-Spkr Esl
Res & Crit Writng Spkr Esl
Total Hours6

II. American History (six hours)

Courses in this category focus on the consideration of past events and ideas relative to the United States, with the option of including Texas History for a portion of this component area. Courses involve the interaction among individuals, communities, states, the nation, and the world, considering how these interactions have contributed to the development of the United States and its global role.
HIST 1301History of U.S. to 18653
HIST 1302History of U.S. Since 18653
Total Hours6

III. Language, Philosophy & Culture  (three hours)

Courses in this category focus on how ideas, values, beliefs, and other aspects of culture express and affect human experience. Courses involve the exploration of ideas that foster aesthetic and intellectual creation in order to understand the human condition across cultures.
Select one of the following:3
Intro-African Amer Studies
Latina/o Presence in the U.S.
English Literature
English Literature
Intro to American Fiction
Intro to American Drama
Intro to American Poetry
Making of the "Other" Americas
World History to 1500
World History Since 1500
Introduction to Philosophy
Ethics
Introduct to Religious Studies
Seeing & Naming: Conversations
Introduction to Womens Studies
Global Feminisms
Total Hours3

IV. Mathematics  (three hours)

Courses in this category focus on quantitative literacy in logic, patterns, and relationships. Courses involve the understanding of key mathematical concepts and the application of appropriate quantitative tools to everyday experience.
Select one of the following:3
College Algebra
Trigonometry and Conics
Math in the Modern World
Math for Social Sciences I
Calculus I
Precalculus 1,2
Math for Social Sciences II
Statistical Literacy
Elementary Statistical Methods
1 A higher-level course in the calculus sequence can be substituted.
2 TCCN MATH 1314 will also satisfy this requirement.
Total Hours3

V. Life & Physical Sciences  (six hours)

Courses in this category focus on describing, explaining, and predicting natural phenomena using the scientific method. Courses involve the understanding of interactions among natural phenomena and the implications of scientific principles on the physical world and on experiences.
Select one of the following:1-4
Astronomy Lab I
Elem Astronomy-Solar System
Elem Astr Stars & Galaxies
Introductory Biology Lab
Human Biology Laboratory
Topics in Study of Life I
Organismal Biology Laboratory
Introductory Biology
Human Biology
General Biology
Organismal Biology
Human Anat/Physio Lab I
Human Anat/Physio Lab II
Human Anat/Physiology I
Human Anat/Physiology II
Laboratory for CHEM 1305
Laboratory for CHEM 1306
Intro General Chemistry Lab
Intro Organic & Biochem Lab
General Chemistry
General Chemistry
Intro to General Chemistry
Intro Organic & Biochemistry
Environmental Sci. Lab
Non-major Lab for ESCI 1301
Intro to Environment Science 2
Intro to Environmental Sci
Laboratory for GEOG 1306
Physical Geography
Lab for GEOL 1313
Lab for GEOL 1314
Principles of Earth Sci - Lab
Laboratory for Geology 1212
Principles of Earth Sciences
Principles of Earth Science
The Blue Planet
Natural Hazards
Intro to Physical Geology
Intro to Historical Geol
Fundamentals of Nutrition
Wellness Dynamics
Microorganisms and Disease
General Physics I
General Physics II
Laboratory for PHYS 2320
Laboratory for PHYS 2321
Introductory Mechanics
Introductory Electromagnetism
Total Hours 6

VI. Political Science  (six hours)

Courses in this category focus on consideration of the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the states, with special emphasis on that of Texas. Courses involve the analysis of governmental institutions, political behavior, civic engagement, and their political and philosophical foundations.
Required Courses:
POLS 2310Introduction to Politics3
POLS 2311American Gover & Politics3
Total Hours6

VII. Social and Behavioral Sciences  (three hours)

Courses in this category focus on the application of empirical and scientific methods that contribute to the understanding of what makes us human. Courses involve the exploration of behavior and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, and events, examining their impact on the individual, society, and culture.
Select one of the following:3
Intro-Phys Anth/Archeolog
Intro-Cultural Anthropology
Cultural Geography
Intro to Linguistics
Econ for Engrs & Scientists
Intro to Chicano Studies
Asian American Studies
Interpersonal Communication
Mass Media and Society
Principles of Macroeconomics
Principles of Microeconomics
Introduction to Ed Psychology
Action Research in Classrooms
Introduction to Linguistics
Cultural Geography
Community Service
An Intro. to Linguistics
Lang. Inside & Out: Sel Topics
Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to Sociology
Cultural Geography
Total Hours3

VIII. Creative Arts (three hours)

Courses in this category focus on the appreciation and analysis of creative artifacts and works of the human imagination. Courses involve the synthesis and interpretation of artistic expression and enable critical, creative, and innovative communication about works of art.
Select one of the following:3
Art Appreciation
History of Art I
History of Art II
Chicana/o Fine Arts Appreciat
Dance Appreciation
Intro-Art of Motion Pict.
Music Appreciation
Jazz to Rock
Music, Culture, and Society
Introduction to Theatre
Total Hours3

IX. Component Area Option (six hours)

a. A minimum of 3 SCH must meet the definition and corresponding Core Objectives specified in one of the foundational component areas. b. As an option for up to 3 semester credit hours of the Component Area Option, an institution may select course(s) that: (i) Meet(s) the definition specified for one or more of the foundational component areas; and (ii) Include(s) a minimum of three Core Objectives, including Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, and one of the remaining Core Objectives of the institution's choice.
Intro to Global Business
Public Speaking
Business/Profession Comm
Intro-Computational Thinking
Computer Programming Sci/Engr
Eng Innovation and Leadership
Introduction to Leadership
Inquiry in Math & Science
Seminar/Critical Inquiry
Total Hours0

Block Electives

(Core courses and courses from major or minor area cannot be counted as block electives)

Fine and Performing Arts

ART 3300Art Exploration3
ARTE 3307Introduction to Art Education3
ARTH 3353Pre-Columb Art & Arch3
CHIC 3302Chicano Cinema3
CHIC 3303Border Image in Mexican Film3
CHIC 3304Chicano/Latino Music in the US3
CHIC 3335Regional Mexican Music3
CHIC 3343Latino/a Voices in Perf Activi3
CHIC 3344Chicana/o Theatre3
CHIC 3345The Roots of Latina/o Hip Hop3
CHIC 3346Dances of Mexico and Spain3
CHIC 3347AmerCinema of the US-Mex Bord3
DANC 3303History of Dance as a Perf Art3
DANC 3322World Dance3
DANC 3347Jazz & Other Stage Danc Form I3
DANC 3348American Dance Forms - Jazz3
DANC 3349American Dance Forms Hip Hop3
FILM 3302Chicano Cinema3
FILM 3303The Border Image in Mex. Film3
FILM 3315Screenwriting3
FILM 3391African-American Filmmakers3
FILM 3394Documentary Cinema3
FILM 3395Women and Film3
FILM 4340Selected Topics/ Film Studies3
FREN 4389Acting Out:Spectacle & Stage3
MUSL 3324Music in World Cultures3
MUSL 3325Cumbia: Mus, Diff, & Id. in Am3
MUSL 3326Social History of Rock3
MUSL 3327History of Jazz3
MUSL 3329Topics in Music Hist & Culture3
MUSL 3332Music and Film3
MUSL 3333Music of the Middle East3
MUSL 3334Intro to Ethnomusicology3
SPAN 4341Modern Drama3
THEA 3335Latinx Theatre3
THEA 3340History of Costume Design3
THEA 3341Principles of Costuming3
THEA 3342Lighting Design3
THEA 3343Scenic Painting3
THEA 3350Creative Drama3
THEA 3351Theatre Hist and Literature I3
THEA 3352Theatre Hist and Literature II3
THEA 3355Broadway Musicals-A History3
THEA 3356Women in Drama3
THEA 4304Theatre Pract/Non-Majors3
WS 3331Gender & Popular Culture3
WS 3335Feminist Film3
WS 3382Gender Issues in the Arts3

Humanities

AFST 3390Topics in African/Amer Studies3
CHIC 3301La Chicana3
CHIC 3305Chic Ident Form:Race,Class&Gen3
CHIC 3311Chicano Studies: Societal Issu3
CHIC 4301Chicano Legal History3
CHIC 4308Chicana/o Thought3
CRW 3362Intro to Creative Writing3
CRW 3373Writing in Society3
ENGL 3300Intro. to Literary Studies3
ENGL 3301Literary Studies3
ENGL 3302Literature and Film3
ENGL 3304Gothic Literature3
ENGL 3305Children's Literature3
ENGL 3306Young Adult Literature3
ENGL 3309Detective Fiction3
ENGL 3310Chicana/o Literature3
ENGL 3311American Literature to 18653
ENGL 3312Am. Literature 1865 to Present3
ENGL 3315African American Literature3
ENGL 3316Native American Literature3
ENGL 3317Postcolonial Literature3
ENGL 3318British Literature Before 14853
ENGL 3319Sixteenth-Cent. Prose & Poetry3
ENGL 3320Shakespeare3
ENGL 3321Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry3
ENGL 332317th Century Prose and Poetry3
ENGL 3325Literature of the Bible3
ENGL 3327Jewish American Literature3
ENGL 3328Holocaust Literature and Film3
ENGL 3330Restoration & 18th Century Lit3
ENGL 3331World Literature3
ENGL 3333Romantic Literature3
ENGL 3337Victorian Literature3
ENGL 3341History of Form I3
ENGL 3344Am. Poetry 1900 to Present3
ENGL 3360Women in Literature3
ENGL 3371Southwestern Literature3
ENGL 3374Folklore Of Mexican American3
ENGL 4308Chaucer3
ENGL 4309Milton3
ENGL 4314Literary Criticism3
ENGL 4316Am. Nonfiction/Poetry To 19003
ENGL 4317American Fiction To 19003
ENGL 4318Early 20TH Cent Am. Fiction3
ENGL 4319Am. Fiction 1945 to Present3
ENGL 4322The American Drama3
ENGL 4325British Drama Since 18803
ENGL 4340Advanced Literary Studies3
ENGL 4347British Novel thru 18th Cent3
ENGL 4348British Novel: 19th Century3
ENGL 4349British Novel: 20th Century3
ENGL 4350Maj Am. Writer(s) through 19003
ENGL 4351Maj Am Writer(s) since 19003
FREN 3301French Literature to 17153
FREN 3303French Literature Since 17153
FREN 3320French Civilization3
FREN 3355Assuming the Power of Speech3
FREN 4387Poetry, Art of Ages:Lai to Rai3
FREN 4388Pleasure of Text: Genre, Narra3
FREN 4389Acting Out:Spectacle & Stage3
FREN 4390Topics in French3
all HIST 3300 - HIST 4300 except HIST 4325, HIST 4330, HIST 4390
all HUMN 3300 - HUMN 4300
JS 3300 - JS 4300
LABS 3300The Americas3
LABS 3301The Border3
LING 3313English Historical Linguistics3
LING 3315History of Spanish Language3
MS 3313U.S. Military History3
all PHIL 3300 - PHIL 4300
all RS 3300 - RS 4300
RWS 3355Workplace Writing3
RWS 3359Technical Writing3
all SPAN 3300 - SPAN 4300 except SPAN 3309, SPAN 3311, SPAN 4301
WS 3351Gender & Religion3
WS 3360Women in Literature3
WS 3383Gender Issues in Humanities3
WS 4310Feminist Theory3

Social and Behavioral Sciences

AFST 4304Envir. Just. & Min. Comm. U.S.3
all ANTH 3300 - ANTH 4300
CHIC 3301La Chicana3
CHIC 3305Chic Ident Form:Race,Class&Gen3
CHIC 3311Chicano Studies: Societal Issu3
CHIC 3339Cultural Diversity & Youth: US3
CHIC 4301Chicano Legal History3
CHIC 4304Envir. Just. & Min. Comm U.S.3
CHIC 4306Comm Formation on US/MX Border3
CHIC 4307Hispanic Entrepreneurship3
CHIC 4308Chicana/o Thought3
CHIC 4309American Immigration & Soc Jus3
COMM 3322Communication and Conflict3
COMM 3323Comm & Org Leadership3
COMM 3344Media Programming for Radio/TV3
COMM 3345Media Scriptwriting3
COMM 3353Intercultural Communication3
COMM 3354Small Group3
COMM 3355Organizational Communication3
COMM 4341Media Announcing & Performance3
COMM 4350Selected Topics3
COMM 4352Contemporary Rhetoric3
COMM 4360Environmental Communication3
COMM 4361Environmental Conflict & Comm3
COMM 4362Gender and Communication3
COMM 4363Political Communication3
COMM 4364Communicating Positive Devian3
COMM 4365Comm Healthy Communities3
COMM 4366Communication of Public Herit3
COMM 4368Borderlands Communication3
CRIJ 3321Family Violence3
CRIJ 3351Crim Just on US-Mexico Border3
CRIJ 4303Crime, Criminal Justice & Film3
CRIJ 4311Immigration Law and Admin3
CRIJ 4385Study Abroad in Crim Justice3
INSS 3301Historical Dev of Nat'l Sec3
INSS 3302Sem in Intel and Nat'l Sec3
INSS 4350Selected Problems in Intel3
INSS 4351Professional Practices3
LABS 3300The Americas3
LABS 3301The Border3
LABS 4301Topics Lat Amer/Border Stud3
LEAD 3300Contemporary Theories of Lead3
LEAD 4350Concepts of SJ & E Leadership3
LEAD 4351Community Engaged Leadership3
LEAD 4380Special Topics in Leadership3
all LING 3300 - LING 4300 except LING 3313, LING 3315
all POLS 3300 - POLS 4399
PSYC 3315Psychology and the Law3
PSYC 4309History & Systems Psychology3
PSYC 4316Language and Cognition3
all SOCI 3300 - SOCI 4300
WS 3301La Chicana3
WS 3370Gender Roles & Society3
WS 3372Women & Work in the Sex Indust3
WS 3380Social Justice Values at Work3
WS 3384Gender Issues in Social Scincs3
WS 4310Feminist Theory3
WS 4360Jr/Sr Seminar/Women's Studies3
RWS 3345Editing3
RWS 3355Workplace Writing3
RWS 3357Issues in Tech & Rhetoric3
RWS 3358Special Topics in Writing3
RWS 3359Technical Writing3
RWS 3365Adv Composition:Rhet Theory3
RWS 3366Advanced Composition: Argument3
RWS 4300Senior Writing Practicum3

 The courses below will apply to different blocks based on the term and section completed

  • Please see dept or schedule book (online) for details

4-Year Sample Degree Plan

BA in ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
FRESHMAN
Fall
RWS 1301Rhetoric & Composition I3
Core-Mathematics3
Core-Natural Sciences + Lab4
Core-Component Area Option3
Core-Component Area Option3
Spring
EDUC 13423
RWS 1302Rhetoric & Composition 23
Core-Natural Sciences3
Core-Language, Philosophy, & Culture3
Core-Creative Arts3
SOPHOMORE
Fall
POLS 2310Introduction to Politics3
HIST 1301History of U.S. to 18653
Major-Early British Loterature3
Major-Electives3
Block Elective3
Foreign Language3
Spring
POLS 2311American Gover & Politics3
HIST 1302History of U.S. Since 18653
Major-Shakespeare3
Major-Late British Literature3
Block Elective 3
Foreign Language3
JUNIOR
Fall
ENGL 3311American Literature to 18653
ENGL 3303Grammar and Writing3
ENGL 4355Tch Compos and Lit in Sec Schl3
RED 3342Content Area Literacy3
Block Elective3
Spring
ENGL 3312Am. Literature 1865 to Present3
ENGL 3349Multimdl & Hybrid Frms in ELA3
ENGL 3350English Laboratory3
SCED 3311Curriculum Plan-Secondary Schl3
Block Elective 3
Major-Diverse Literatures3
SENIOR
Fall
EDPC 3300Intro to Youth Dev & Spec Ed3
BED 4340Principles of Bilingual/ESL Ed3
Major-Electives3
Block Elective3
Open Elective 3
Spring
SCED 4691Student Teaching in Sec School6
Total Hours121