English- 4th to 12th Grade (ELA/SED) major*

What you will study

Studying English Language Arts at Alverno goes beyond reading a body of literature. You also acquire the critical-thinking skills and strategies that prepare you to be a successful K-12 educator and enhance your personal and professional life.

As an English Language Arts major, complete core courses in literature, writing, and grammar and choose electives from three tracks: Literary Studies, Film Studies and Creative Studies in Writing. A strong focus on literacy instruction at the middle level also prepares you to teach middle school reading and language arts.

Literary Studies

Books matter and the people who read them develop a set of sought after critical abilities–excellent communication, creative thinking, strong close reading, sharp synthesizing and a keen understanding of the role of the language and literature in the world. Whether you’re participating in a mock trial on moral dilemmas in a class on the novel or reading and writing memoirs, literary studies prepares you for a variety of traditional careers and any number of emerging ones.

Film Studies

Explore the history and techniques of film and engage in creative personal and cultural interpretations and analysis in this exciting program. Core courses explore fiction into film, influential genre films, and world film while also introducing you to storyboarding and the basics of film production and editing. This program gives you the opportunity to respond to film at a highly informed and active personal level.

Creative Studies in Writing

Whether you want to write creative non-fiction, fiction, poetry, comics or Manga, this program nurtures your creative thinking, heightens your distinctive voice and style, while developing your narrative skills and a sophisticated use of language. The program also teaches you how to navigate the challenging world of publishing if your interests are in that area.

*This program is suspended and is not currently accepting new students.