Department of English and Foreign Languages

Purpose

The purpose of the Department of English and Foreign Languages is to train students to understand and to communicate ideas through the medium of languages: English, French, Greek, Latin, and Spanish. The department also encourages active engagement in research and/or creative work, and its members help to serve the intellectual and cultural needs of the community. Specifically, English courses give the training necessary for students to employ and judge effective writing and correct speaking, express a well-rounded knowledge of the English language, employ critical thinking, and analyze literature both critically and contextually. Courses in foreign languages afford students the opportunity for understanding, speaking, reading, and writing in languages other than their native tongue, acquaint students with the important non-English literature of the world, and introduce individuals to the nature and structure of foreign languages as important parts of the world’s cultural heritage.

Curricula

The Department of English and Foreign Languages offers the Bachelor of Arts in English with concentrations in comparative literature, English education grades 6-12, foreign languages and literatures, literature, and writing. The department also offers minors in classical studies, comparative literature, English, French, Spanish, and writing. For academically qualified students, the department offers a dual degree program leading to a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in English with a concentration in literature. 

Advanced Placement in Foreign Language

Students who enter McNeese State University with exceptional high school preparation in a foreign language may be enrolled at an advanced level. If the student’s classroom performance justifies the advanced placement, credit as well as placement will be awarded for previous work in foreign language.

Foreign-born students who have a proficiency in their native tongue will take examinations administered by a representative of the Department of English and Foreign Languages to determine their placement in courses. American students who have not taken foreign language in high school but who have a proficiency in a foreign language will take an appropriate Department of English and Foreign Languages examination to determine their placement.

Graduation Requirements

A student who registers for a prescribed curriculum is expected to take all the courses in the order listed and must complete the total number of hours required in the curriculum.

A student in the Department of English and Foreign Languages must meet all graduation requirements listed in the Degree and Graduation Requirements  section of the Academic Regulations page. Students must earn a grade of C or better in certain courses as stated in the notes at the bottom of each program. A student concentrating in English education grades 6-12 must also meet all requirements for admission and progression through the teacher education program, teacher residency, and graduation as stated on the Teacher Education Preparation Portals  page.

Graduate Studies

The Department of English and Foreign Languages offers programs leading to the Master of Arts in English and Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Additional information and curricula are available on the program pages below.

Students with deficiencies in undergraduate preparation may be required to take additional courses. Any necessary courses may be prescribed by the head of the department and the major professor.

More specific and detailed information concerning requirements for graduate degrees in the Department of English and Foreign Languages may be obtained by directing inquiries to the Department of English and Foreign Languages.

The McNeese Review/Boudin

The McNeese Review is an annual publication of the College of Liberal Arts, the Department of English and Foreign Languages, and the MFA in Creative Writing program. For 64 years, The McNeese Review was published as a scholarly journal in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In 2012 it was converted to a literary journal that publishes fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and interviews and essays about the craft and pedagogy of creative writing. The editorial board is comprised of MFA faculty and MFA students.

Boudin is The McNeese Review’s online cousin. Boudin publishes fiction, poetry, essays, artwork, and hybrid pieces. The editorial board is comprised of MFA faculty, MFA students, and undergraduate English majors.

The McNeese Review is funded by the McNeese State University Foundation through an endowment established by Mr. and Mrs. William D. Blake, Mrs. Violet Howell, and Howell Industries, Inc. For submission and subscription information for both The McNeese Review and Boudin, visit www.mcneese.edu/thereview/.

Programs

• English, Comparative Literature Concentration, BA
• English, English Education Grades 6-12 Concentration, BA
• English, Foreign Languages and Literatures Concentration, BA
• English, Literature Concentration, BA
• English, Writing Concentration, BA

• English, Literature Concentration, BA/MA

• Classical Studies, Minor
• Comparative Literature, Minor
• English, Minor
• French, Minor
• Spanish, Minor
• Writing, Minor

• English, Literature Concentration, MA

• Creative Writing, Fiction Concentration, MFA
• Creative Writing, Poetry Concentration, MFA