Teaching English Minor

A teaching minor is an academic minor which may contain different course requirements designed to meet state standards. Those interested in teaching in K-12 schools must complete a teaching major in a content area plus the teacher preparation program through the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Additional teaching areas can be added through completion of either a teaching major or a teaching minor in that content area.

The English Teaching program provides content knowledge, pedagogy, and professional experiences required for teaching literacy in a democratic society. Based on current research and best practices, the English Teaching program integrates the study of language, literature, and media, creating learning communities and supporting teachers as critical thinkers, creative problem solvers, and reflective practitioners. Students who successfully complete this option and the requirements from the College of Education receive both a B.A. in English teaching and a secondary teaching license (grades 5-12) in English. At the graduate level, the English Teaching program offers advanced theory and pedagogy courses, culminating in an M.A. in English (Teaching). The English Teaching Program is also the home of the Montana Writing Project, which is dedicated to improving the teaching and learning of writing at all grade levels and offers a special focus on meeting the state-mandated Indian Education for All.

Individuals interested in teaching in K-12 schools must complete a degree in the content area they want to teach plus the teacher preparation program through the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Individuals must complete the teaching major /teaching track within that degree program which may contain different course requirements than the academic major since the sequence of courses is designed to meet state standards. Upon completion of the degree program with the teaching track and the secondary licensure program, one will be eligible for a standard Montana teaching license in this content area.

To sign up for this option, you need to contact the Curriculum and Instruction Department. Do not fill out a major/minor form for graduation or the major/minor/concentration section of the major change form. Approvals for this option must come from the Curriculum and Instruction Department.  

Minor - English (Minor); Track: Teaching English

College Humanities & Sciences

Catalog Year: 2016-2017

Degree Specific Credits: 36

Required Cumulative GPA: 2.0

Note: English Teaching minors must earn 36 credits within the English Department. Individuals completing a teaching minor must also complete a teaching major in another content area. A minor GPA of 2.75 is required to be eligible for student teaching.

Foundational courses

Rule: Complete three courses (9 credits).

Minimum Required Grade: C-
9 Total Credits Required

Early British Literature survey

Rule: Complete one course (3 credits).

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description LIT 220L - Brit Lit: Med to Renaissance
Offered every term. Representative texts from the Anglo-Saxon period through the Renaissance.
 3 Credits
Show Description LIT 221L - Brit Lit: Enlightenment to Rom
Offered every term. Representative texts from the seventeenth through the eighteenth century.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 3 Total Credits Required

Late British Literature and American Literature surveys

Rule: Complete two courses (6 credits).

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description LIT 210L - American Lit I
Offered every term. Representative texts from the pre-colonial period through the Civil War.
 3 Credits
Show Description LIT 211L - American Lit II
Offered every term. Representative texts from the Civil War to the present.
 3 Credits
Show Description LIT 222L - Brit Lit: Victorian to Contemp
Offered every term. Representative texts from the early nineteenth century to the present.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 6 Total Credits Required

Upper Division Requirements

Rule: Complete two courses (6 credits).

Note: ENLI/LING 465 and ENT 439 do not carry pre-requisites.

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description ENLI 465 - Structure of Eng for Tchrs
Offered intermittently. Same as LING 465. The development of the English language from a historical perspective contrasted with the phonological and grammatical structure of English from a modern linguistic point of view, specifically designed for teachers.
 3 Credits
Show Description ENT 439 - Studies in Young Adult Lit
Offered autumn. Reading of representative texts covering the history, genres, authors, and themes of literature for students in middle school and high school.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 6 Total Credits Required

English Teaching methods courses

Rule: Complete three courses (9 credits).

Note: Students must be admitted to the Teacher Education Program prior to enrolling in ENT 440, 441, and 442. Other EDU pre-/co-requisites also apply to ENT 440, 441, and 442.

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description ENT 440 - Teaching Writing
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq. or coreq., EDU 202. Emphasis on teaching writing in grades 5-12. Research about development and maturity of writers, overview of schools of writing/history of writing instruction, strategies for teaching writing as a process, elements of writing craft, criteria for assessing and responding to writing, peer-coaching methods, writing/reading workshops, the role of grammar in improving writing, writing/reading connections, assignment characteristics, and grading practices. Required of students pursuing secondary English major and minor teaching licenses.
 3 Credits
Show Description ENT 441 - Tchg Rdng & Literature
Offered spring. Prereq. or Coreq., ENT 439, EDU 395. Emphasis on various approaches to teaching reading and literature in grades 5-12. Research about the development and maturity of readers, strategies for teaching reading comprehension and vocabulary, strategies for diagnosing reading abilities and criteria for reading assessment, reading workshops/literature circles. Emphasis on various approaches to teaching literature: genre, inquiry, thematic, chronological and interdisciplinary. Includes techniques for developing responses to fiction, nonfiction, prose, poetry, film and other media. Focus on the design of lesson plans and curriculum using traditional/classic, contemporary, young adult, and multicultural literature in grades 5-12. Required of students pursuing secondary English major and minor teaching licenses.
 3 Credits
Show Description ENT 442 - Tchg Oral Lang & Media Lit
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq. or coreq.., LING 465, EDU 395. Emphasis on preparation, implementation, and evaluation of teaching strategies and materials in grades 5-12. Includes learning objectives, teaching and learning styles, unit plans, print and non-print media, and creative drama. Explores student-centered curriculum, with emphasis on developmental abilities in speaking, listening and viewing, and multigenre/multimodal communication. Required of students pursuing secondary English major and minor teaching licenses.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 9 Total Credits Required

Upper Division Literature Electives

Rule: Complete two courses (6 credits).

Note: Please note that most of these courses carry pre-requisites.

Minimum Required Grade: C-
6 Total Credits Required

D Designation: Diversity

Rule: Complete one course (3 credits).

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description LIT 304 - U.S. Writers of Color
Offered intermittently. Prereq., LIT 300 or consent of instr. Selected readings from African American, Asian American, Chicano/a, Latino/a, and Native American literatures.
 3 Credits
Show Description LIT 305 - Lit by & About Native Amer
Offered autumn. Prereq., three credits of lower-division LIT courses and NASX 105H or 235X. Same as NASX 340. Selected readings from Native American literature with special emphasis on the literature of writers from the Rocky Mountain west.
 3 Credits
Show Description LIT 343 - African American Lit
Offered intermittently. Prereq., LIT 300 or consent of instr. Selected works by African-American authors. Course may define a narrowed focus such as poetry, women writers, etc.
 3 Credits
Show Description LIT 378L - Gay and Lesbian Studies
Offered alternate years. Prereq., LIT 300 or consent of instr. Review of the history of the gay and lesbian movement in the twentieth century as a basis for understanding the political, social, and sexual issues that influenced homoerotic cultural representation in plays, films, and novels.
 3 Credits
Show Description LIT 379L - Gender & Sexuality in Eng. Fic
Offered alternate years. Same as LSH 327L. Major 20th century novels and short stories written in English in different parts of the world and how these texts explore changing concepts of gender and sexuality.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 3 Total Credits Required

American literature focus

Rule: Complete one course (3 credits).

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description LIT 304 - U.S. Writers of Color
Offered intermittently. Prereq., LIT 300 or consent of instr. Selected readings from African American, Asian American, Chicano/a, Latino/a, and Native American literatures.
 3 Credits
Show Description LIT 305 - Lit by & About Native Amer
Offered autumn. Prereq., three credits of lower-division LIT courses and NASX 105H or 235X. Same as NASX 340. Selected readings from Native American literature with special emphasis on the literature of writers from the Rocky Mountain west.
 3 Credits
Show Description LIT 314 - The American Novel
Offered intermittently. Prereq., LIT 210L or 211L and prereq. or co-req., LIT 300. Examination of a selection of American novels in their historical, cultural, and literary contexts. Exploration of literary movements such as realism, naturalism, modernism, and postmodernism. Discussion of critical theories and application to the texts.
 3 Credits
Show Description LIT 315 - Voices of the Am Renaissance
Offered intermittently. Prereq., LIT 210L or 211L and LIT 300 or consent of instr. Perspectives on antebellum Native American, African American, and gender issues. Study of the poetry of Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson in light of these three perspectives.
 3 Credits
Show Description LIT 342 - Montana Writers
Offered intermittently. Prereq., LIT 210L or 211L. Examination of poems, stories, and novels by or about Montanans and the treatment and representation of race, place, class, gender, sexuality, and identity in Montana. Exploration of the myths and realities of Montana and the American West.
 3 Credits
Show Description LIT 343 - African American Lit
Offered intermittently. Prereq., LIT 300 or consent of instr. Selected works by African-American authors. Course may define a narrowed focus such as poetry, women writers, etc.
 3 Credits
Show Description LIT 373L - Lit & Environment
Offered alternate years. Prereq., LIT 210L or 211L and LIT 300 or consent of instr. Study of major texts and issues in American nature writing.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 3 Total Credits Required

Upper-division Writing Courses

Rule: Complete two courses (6 credits).

Note: English Teaching students may substitute FILM 320 Shakespeare and Film for LIT 327.

Show All Course Descriptions Course Credits
Show Description LIT 300 - Literary Criticism
Offered every term. Prereq. or coreq., 12 credits of lower-division English courses. Study of various literary theories and their application to literary texts.
 3 Credits
Show Description LIT 327 - Shakespeare
Offered autumn and spring. Prereq., LIT 300 or consent of instr. A survey of selected Shakespeare plays emphasizing close reading of the texts and consideration of their dramatic possibilities.
 3 Credits
Minimum Required Grade: C- 6 Total Credits Required

Teaching licensure requirements

Note: Students must be formally admitted to the Teacher Education Program and complete all of the professional education licensure requirements. See the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education and Human Sciences for more information.